They Told Me to Apologize

When Leah finally reclaims her laptop from her roommate Jenna, she finds the drive crammed with games and media players, so she cleans it and changes the password. Locked out that evening, Jenna snatches the laptop and smashes it onto the dorm floor, then blames Leah for the stress that made her hands slip. Leah photographs the wreckage and demands full replacement cost; Jenna, who claims financial aid poverty, refuses and threatens that if she goes down she will take Leah with her.

Their roommates Maya and Becca urge Leah to let it go, and Jenna plays the victim. At the office of her academic advisor Mr. Evans, Leah is told that Jenna is a prominent scholarship student who cannot afford to pay, and that a police report could follow her forever. He proposes a formal letter of apology instead, then Jenna arrives in tears, and Mr. Evans turns on Leah, accusing her of persecuting a less fortunate student.

Leah insists the act was deliberate and that witnesses can confirm it, but Mr. Evans declares the matter closed.