Chapter 23

Chapter 23

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With that, Harriet stomped off, her ponytail beaming behind her. A few boys tried to drag Quindyn away, waving their superhero toys in her face. But she just stored her ground.

“Wait,” she said, her mind racing. “Where’s the teacher’s office

Launch had emptied the halls, leaving only a few stragglers shuffling toward the stairs

The teacher’s other was halfway down the hallway Quinlyn saw the nameplate and noticed the eene silence

seemed like no one was there,

The closed curtains only added to her confusion, but she was sure Mandy had come this way.

She didn’t want to knock, so she quietly dragged a chair from the next classroom, stood on it, and squinted through a crack in the curtain

The room was dim, but she could just make out shapes shifting in the shadows. Eugene was the first to catch her eye–tall and already stripped of his suit jacket. His white shirt was dusted with chalk, and he was working on unbuttoning it

She figured he was just changing out of his dirty clothes, but then she noticed Mandy standing by the desk, and something

felt off.

It reminded her of back home, where the old bachelors would sometimes strip down in front of girls without thinking twice. The older women would catch them and call them “creeps”

And it wasn’t just Mandy in the room. There were a few other girls with ponytails, all standing there quietly with their heads down.

beat, then hopped off the chair and jogged over to the door. She

Eugene. He looked a little caught off guard, but he

shirt, noticing the second button was off and only one side was tucked in.

and he shifted to the side,

with her schoolwork” he explained, his voice softening.

pat her head, but Quinlyn took a step back, wrinkling her nose. “Mr. Lambert,” she said, her voice wavering

down at her, one eyebrow raised.

said, scrunching her nose again. She was always extra

looked strained, but he didn’t want to make a fuss. He waved dismissively. “Alright, I’ll wash my hands. You go get something to eat,” he said, walking past her

definitely wait for his permission to leave.

over to Mandy.

Chapter 23

head, her

and pressed on. “Are you

saw nothing to be afraid of. But the silence

tense energy in the air. She didn’t want Mandy to be here when Eugene returned, so she took Mandy’s

surprised by how strong Quinlyn was. In just

looked back when the realized no one was following her. “If you don’t leave now, I’ll tell everyone you’re

nobody likes a tattletale,” she said,

being called out was enough to make them grab their backpacks and

“They’re getting bold,”

ruler and marbles still on the table–remnants of

his stomach, came back for some medicine. Spotting Eugene, he smiled and said. “Mr.

and walked over, smiling These kids are

are rare,” he said, impressed “I’m having lunch with the principal. You should join

nodded eagerly. But before he could grab his things, the teacher was already pulling him along. “Let’s go. We don’t want to keep the principal waiting, the teacher said.

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