Channing: A Short Story

I had just got back from dinner when I got a text message that made my heart race. It said “Come to the health center right now! It’s Channing. Hurry it’s urgent.” The message was from my good friend Nick So. I didn’t know it then, but that Monday would be the last time I would see my best friend at NMH. I raced to the health center with a million thoughts running in and out of my mind. “I just hope he’s not hurt.”, was at the front of my mind. I was greeted by one of the health staff who already knew why I was there. “Second room on the left.”, she said with a grim expression. I bursted into the room to see Channing surrounded by other students, many of them were mutual friends. I was immediately relieved to see that Channing was okay, but that relief turned back to fear when I saw the expressions around the room. Some were crying, some stared at the floor, and Nick in particular just looked angry. Channing looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I gotta go.” I
Apparently they had been fighting a lot and after a long period of not speaking to each other they hooked up. According to her, during this encounter Channing was too rough with her. Channing said that nothing was out of the ordinary. She reported him to the dean's and after a lengthy battle of “he said she said”, the school told Channing his best option was to withdraw if he didn't want the situation to escalate. Many, even some of her friends, believed that she was lying to get Channing removed. Almost no one believed Channing was capable of this due to his gentle nature, but there was nothing we could do. Our friend Kristin wanted to make a petition and try to prove his innocence by informing the school of past negative events involving this girl but he told her she didn't have to, “There’s nothing we can do. So when you see her in class or walking down the hall pay her no mind cause’ hassling her ain’t gonna