It was immediately apparent that Lillian White and Gretchen Skerit had taken a harsh beating, with many scratches on their faces and bodies, and their hair in disarray, much like a bird’s nest.
Joanna Lawrence only had a red mark scratched onto her neck, with no other discernible harm.
In a fight, neither Lillian nor Gretchen were her match.
If the dormitory lady had not arrived in time, Joanna would have reduced them both to tears.
"The counselor, it was Aria Rowlett who started it!" Lillian touched the scratch on her face, grimacing in pain. She resentfully accused, "She insulted us first, and struck first, too. Should I stand still and allow her to hit me?"
"You’re talking nonsense!" Aria Rowlett spun round to give her a frosty glare and retorted, "Did I insult you? You’re the one who’s guilty and misinterpreting my words as if directed at you. And don’t lie with your eyes wide open. You were the first one to hurl insults. Had you not been so offensive, would I have beaten you up? People like you deserve to be punished. The next time you say something unpleasant, I’ll beat you again!"
"Counselor, you heard that, right?" Lillian gritted out, looking pale, "She was the first to throw a punch."
"Well, you wanted to be beaten up by being so critically disrespectful."
"Aria Rowlett, you..."
"Enough, stop arguing! This is a disciplinary office, not your fighting ring!" The counselor admonished, feeling a throbbing headache at their escalating argument.
He took a deep breath to hold back his ire, composed his emotions and then asked with a stern face, "Aria Rowlett, it seems that you really were the first one to assault?"
"It was me." Aria Rowlett raised her head, her voice rigid with defiant acceptance.
She was bold enough to admit her actions.
"Alright, since you were the first one to hit, your fault is the largest." The counselor rebuked sternly, "Regardless of the circumstances, it’s appallingly wrong to raise your hand against your classmates."
"Enough, I don’t need any further explanations. Now, you must run three laps in the field, and write a thousand-word self-criticism after you’re done."
"As for the rest of you..." The counselor cast a scornful look towards the other three and gruffly ordered, "She’s at fault and so are you. Reflect well on your actions, and submit your self-criticism tomorrow."
"Alright, everyone can leave now."
Aria Rowlett was shaking with rage: "Counselor, why don’t Lillian and the others need to run in the field?"
The counselor shot her a glance: "You’re the principal offender, while they merely followed your lead. If you think that’s unfair, then add two more laps."
A gratifying smile surfaced on the faces of Lillian White and Gretchen Skerit.
The field was massive, running one lap would already be draining enough.
Running three laps would practically induce a collapse.
Aria Rowlett absolutely deserved such a punishment.
Yet when they thought about Joanna Lawrence receiving the same penalty as they did, their moods soured.
The person who truly upset them was not Aria Rowlett, but Joanna Lawrence.
But they couldn’t possibly influence the counselor’s verdict.
After gloatingly glaring at Aria, both of them turned around to leave.
Joanna Lawrence remained motionless. She glanced at Aria and then spoke up: "Counselor, I’m willing to accept the same punishment as Aria. I’ll run three laps around the field as well."
Aria looked startled and disapprovingly furrowed her brow: "Baby, why would you accompany me? You should go back."
"I’ll go with you." Joanna grasped her hand and insisted determinedly, "I won’t go back alone. It’s merely running three laps around the field, no big deal, we’ll just consider it as exercise."