The Fight

Earl felt his Kevlar vest strain against his chest as he leaned over his desk and looked at the the thin girl sitting quietly in the other chair. She blotted her swollen lip with the ice pack an EMT at the scene had given her but didn't return Earl's gaze.

“I've got your name and the other girl's complaint,” Earl said, pointing to the report on the desk between them. “Telling me your side might help you.”

The girl winced as she shifted her weight. “Typical,” she said. “I'm the one who's beaten up and she gets to walk away.”

Earl shrugged and fought off the urge to groan. “Look, miss,” he began, “I wasn't there for the start of your fight, and all's I got is her word that you started it.”

“That cow said I started it?” the girl exclaimed. “What a liar!”

“Then tell me what really happened,” Earl pulled out his trusty pen and poised over a fresh report.

The girl sighed. “It was stupid,” she began. “I'm sort of seeing her ex-boyfriend, Chad. They broke up months ago, but she was waiting for me outside of my Trig class today. When I got out, she yelled, 'You have no chance of winning him' and jumped me.”

“Any witnesses?” Earl asked.

The girl rolled her eyes. “Please, I did see you and the other security guards taking statements. This interview has got to be academic.”

“Lemme get this straight,” Earl said. “If you're innocent, why did it take all this to get you to admit that she started it?'

“She's the Chancellor's daughter,” the girl stated as she dabbed at her lip again. “What justice is there for me on this campus against her?”

Word Count: 293