Chapter 24
Ellie's POV
The Campus Security office was housed in a small brick building near the administration complex. Inside, it smelled of coffee and paper, with bulletin boards covered in safety notices and campus maps.
"Can I help you?" The woman at the front desk looked up from her computer.
"I'd like to report an incident," I said, my heart pounding despite my determination. "Someone deliberately dropped a heavy silver candelabra from the third floor of the Comprehensive Building. It hit my shoulder, but it could have been much worse."
The woman—Ms. Thompson according to her nameplate—straightened in her chair. "That's a serious accusation. Do you have any evidence?"
I nodded, pulling out my phone. "Security camera footage."
Ms. Thompson's expression changed from professional skepticism to genuine concern as she watched the video. She called in another officer, who watched it with the same grim expression.
"This is definitely something we need to address," Ms. Thompson said finally. "I'll need to contact the Student Affairs Office and possibly campus police. This could result in serious disciplinary action, possibly even suspension."
My stomach tightened. I hadn't fully considered the consequences for Samantha. But then I remembered the burning pain of silver against my skin, the calculated look I'd glimpsed on her face, and my resolve hardened.
"I understand," I said. "I just want to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else."
Ms. Thompson nodded. "We'll need a formal statement from you. And we'll need to speak with the student in question—Samantha Grey, correct?"
"Yes," I confirmed, feeling a strange mix of dread and vindication. "That's her."
Two hours later, I was sitting in the Student Affairs office with Lily and Megan, waiting for the next phase of the process. Ms. Rivera, our counselor, had joined us for support.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Ms. Rivera asked gently. "Confrontations like this can be difficult."
"I'm sure," I said, though my hands trembled slightly in my lap. "What she did was dangerous and deliberate."
The door opened, and two campus police officers entered, followed by a pale-faced Samantha. When she saw me, her eyes narrowed with unmistakable hatred.
"Please have a seat, Ms. Grey," one officer said, gesturing to a chair across from me.
Samantha sat down stiffly, her designer purse clutched tightly in her hands. "I don't understand why I'm here," she said, her voice quivering with what sounded like practiced innocence.
"We're investigating an incident involving a silver candelabra that fell from the third floor of the Comprehensive Building and injured Ms. Green," the officer explained. "We have video evidence suggesting your involvement."
Samantha's face went even paler, but she quickly composed herself. "That's ridiculous. It must have been an accident."
The officer nodded to Ms. Thompson, who connected a laptop to a projector. The video played on the wall, clearly showing Samantha taking the candelabra from the drama department's prop storage, wearing gloves to handle it carefully.
Then, the video showed her returning the item to storage that evening, glancing around furtively to ensure no one saw her.
The room fell silent when the video ended.
Samantha's confident facade cracked slightly. "I—I can explain," she stammered. "I saw a bird's nest on the ledge and was trying to take a picture. I accidentally knocked over the candelabra. I was embarrassed, so I put it back later."
"You pushed it, not accidentally knocked it over," I said quietly. "And you were wearing gloves to handle it both times."
"You're twisting things!" Samantha's voice rose. "It was an accident!"
The door burst open, and Lucas stormed in, ignoring the officer's protest. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded, moving to stand protectively beside Samantha.
"Mr. Miller, this is a closed meeting," Ms. Thompson said firmly.
Lucas ignored her, taking Samantha's hand. "Are you okay?" he asked her softly.
"Your girlfriend deliberately dropped a heavy object on me from the third floor," I said, my voice steady despite the anger bubbling inside me. "It hit my shoulder. If I'd been standing a few inches to the right, it could have hit my head."
Lucas turned to me, his expression incredulous. "Come on, Ellie. It was obviously an accident. You're blowing this way out of proportion."
And this is exactly why we can't be friends anymore, Lucas, I thought. You never see right from wrong when it comes to her.
"Mr. Miller," Ms. Rivera interjected, her voice sharp with disapproval, "if that candelabra had struck Ms. Green's head instead of her shoulder, we could be dealing with a fatality right now. This is not something to be dismissed."
The room fell silent. Lucas's face paled as the gravity of the situation finally seemed to sink in.
"I didn't mean to hurt anyone," Samantha whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "It was just a mistake."
But I saw the calculation behind those tears, the way her fingers tightened around Lucas's hand, using him as a shield.
"This isn't the first time," I said quietly, looking directly at Lucas. "Did you tell her about my silver allergy? Is that why she chose a silver candelabra specifically?"
Lucas turned to Samantha, surprise flickering across his face. "A silver one? You did that on purpose?"
I decided to reveal my condition, using it to strengthen the case against Samantha. "I have a severe silver allergy. Contact causes extreme pain and tissue damage. It's not just about the weight of the object—the material itself is harmful to me."
The room's atmosphere shifted instantly. My roommates gasped, suddenly understanding why my injury had been so serious.
"You never told us it was that bad!" Lily exclaimed, her eyes wide with concern.
Ms. Thompson leaned forward, her expression grave. "This adds another dimension to the incident. Targeting someone with a known medical condition makes this even more serious."
"I didn't know!" Samantha wailed, tears streaming down her face. "How could I possibly know about some weird metal allergy?"
"Because Lucas knew," I said firmly. "And you two tell each other everything, don't you?"
The room erupted into chaos—Samantha's continued denials, my roommates' outraged voices, Lucas's confused stammering. Ms. Rivera stood up, raising her hands.
"Everyone, please! One at a time," she commanded, bringing some semblance of order back to the room.
The officers exchanged glances, clearly sensing the undercurrents they couldn't fully understand.
"Ms. Grey," the senior officer said finally, "based on the evidence, we'll be recommending disciplinary action to the Student Conduct Board. This could result in suspension."
Samantha's facade cracked completely. "You can't do that! My degree—"
"You should have thought about that before you pushed a heavy object onto another student," Ms. Thompson said firmly.
Lucas looked between Samantha and me, conflict clear on his face. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of the old Lucas—the one who knew right from wrong, who stood up for what was fair.
But then he wrapped his arm around Samantha protectively. "This is ridiculous. It was an accident. Ellie's just jealous because—"
"Because what, Lucas?" I interrupted, my voice ice-cold.