A short while later, Adam stood inside the dean's office.
The room was not very large, but it felt heavier than a normal office. The dean sat behind the desk with two board members beside him. Ethan stood in the middle, still angry from the corridor.
Adam stood on one side.
The three boys stood on the other.
Their confidence was gone now. One held his stomach while another had blood near his nose. The third kept touching his neck.
The dean looked at Ethan first.
"Tell me what happened," he said.
Ethan straightened at once.
"Sir, I saw Adam fighting in the hall," he said. "He was attacking these three students. By the time I reached there, he had already beaten them."
His voice was controlled, but the anger under it was clear.
The dean did not answer immediately.
One of the board members looked at the three boys.
"You three," he said. "Tell us what happened."
The boy with the injured nose spoke first.
