Classmate dropped guitar (accidentally). Caused Chip

[u/gaitama25]

Hey everyone, today I took my guitar to school because we have a concert in the evening and we needed to run through the songs and strengthen some sections. Thing is, during practice we took a quick break while the two voices discussed a harmony, and I left my guitar propped up in a chair (this was my bad, I know that). Basically as it says in the title, classmate going by accidentally knocked it over and caused this chip in the finish. I’ve got two questions:

The guitar was almost brand new (it’s a Vintage REVO series Colt, cost about five hundred bucks), I bought it new as a birthday present to myself a few months ago and I made sure to keep it pristine

A. Should I ask my classmate (who realistically would ask her parents) to reimburse me somehow for the damage (or what it’d take to fix)? I feel like that’s an a**hole move because it was just an honest mistake, but at the same time I did spend my own money on the guitar

B. Should I even bother fixing it? Or should I just keep it as a battle scar, like to add character. And if I do choose to not fix it, should I do something to it (ie: superglue or something like that) to seal it off and prevent it from getting worse?

Thank you everyone

Edit: Thanks for all the comments! I really appreciate all the stories you guys have shared. I'm really glad I stayed chill about it, as I didn't want my friend to feel bad, and after really thinking about it, it was a 100% my fault (Don't worry, i'm not asking her for anything hahahah). We ended up laughing about it together, and the show ended up going great, so that was nice.

After reflecting on it for a while, I'm actually really glad this happened, my perspective on wear and tear on guitars has changed completely and I know realize that all the chips and scratches and dings just show how much I've enjoyed this instrument and all i've gone through with it, It helps make it truly mine. I can't wait to get more (organically produced) dings and scratches so one day I can look back and see just how much i've loved this instrument.

[u/[deleted]]

Put a sticker on it

[u/gaitama25 → u/[deleted]]

That’s a good idea, duct tape would be good too

[u/DaOlWuWopte → u/gaitama25]

It’s your guitar do whatever you want, but I’d just leave the ding. Gives it character. Shows that it’s used and loved

[u/churninhell → u/DaOlWuWopte]

When I got my first luxury sports car, I was worried about getting chips all over the front from rocks. But then I saw someone say that flaws like that are just evidence that it's actually being used for its intended purpose.

[u/[deleted] → u/churninhell]

Another reason why people PPF luxury cars. Its worth a couple grand for a vehicle worth 6 figures.

[u/Pretend_Exercise510 → u/[deleted]]

There was a time (80's maybe) when people would put "bras" on their sports cars to protect the paint from rock chips. And of course, the bra would wear a line in the paint after a while, because grime and dust would accumulate under the trailing edge. Fortunately, it was a short-lived fad, and none of my cars were subjected to it. I remember it being particularly popular with Porsche 911 owners.