SOUR

'and i hope ur okay'

milli.

"Mill Cho?" A woman peaks into our leadership meeting room. All the swivel chairs turn to look at her.

"Yes?" I stand up.

"Please come with me to the office. It's about your file." She says. Her face is unreadable.

"Oh.... Okay," I grab my backpack and I swing it over my shoulder.

"You need me to come with you?" Jacob asks, who was sitting next to me.

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine." I say, though i'm not sure I can promise that at all. "Thanks."

He nods and watches me walk out of the room. As soon as I close the door I feel alone. I follow the lady to the admin office and she tells me to wait in that cold front room.

I pick up my phone to text Sunwoo what's going on, but the same counselor who talked to me before comes out of her room.

"Please step into my office Milli," May says and opens the door wider.

I put my phone in my pocket and I sit down in her room. It feels stuffy in here.

"Before we start is there anything you would like to talk about?" May asks.

"...no?" I raise my eyebrows.

There's a weird look in her eyes, as if she's about to tell me my dog died.

"I'm sorry," She says.

"Sorry?" I repeat.

"About how it all turned out. I tried to get your file through, but...but someone got to it first." She says.

"What-what do you mean??" I ask.

The door opens again and one of the heads of the school board comes in with a folder in hand.

"Milli Cho?" He asks. I'm sick of hearing my name like that.

"Y-yes?" I say. He stands next to me, above me, hovering papers over my eye level.

"Unfortunately we have to suspend you for the assault of a teacher." He announces.

Those words ring in my ears. My head spins and I blink. The silence makes me wonder if I've had a horrible day dream.

"....what?" Is all I can ask.

The man puts the folder on my lap. I open it with shaking hands. Inside is a different form filled out from Mr. Young. There are photos of the scratch on his chin, and the pen I committed the crime with.

"What is this?" I ask.

"Evidence. You assaulted your professor and then lied about it. You're lucky. Professor young insisted we send you to suspension rather than expulsion."

"I don't.... I don't understand that's not true! Well it is true but it was self defense because he.... he was..." the man watches me stumble for words. He watches me lose the battle I was never prepared for. The system that was never created in favor of the victims. I'm being silenced.

"Please leave campus for the next 10 days. If someone witnesses you within school grounds you will be punished." He says. Without another beat he exits the room, like he's done this too many times and he's done with listening.

I'm still staring at the papers in my hand. In disbelief? In shock? Anger? My stomach does a flip, and I feel like I might throw up.

Everything that I didn't want to happen happened. And worse.

"I'm so sorry." May says. I forget that she was here. I slowly lift my eyes to look at her. Now I understand her expression. "This is not the first time this has happened with this teacher in particular."