Fake heiress Real heroine

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.

door. She gave it a quick double–knock, and

off guard, but he quickly grinned. “Hey, Quinlyn. What’s up?” he asked, his

noticing the second button was off and only one side was tucked in. She looked past him and said, “Tin here for

widened, and he shifted to the side, blocking her view again.

help. She’s been having a tough time with her schoolwork” he explained, his voice softening. “So she can’t leave with you today. If you’re hungry, you should go grab something

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

a bit. He looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. “Why?” he asked, his tone curious.

“It just stinks,” she said, scrunching her nose again. She was always extra sensitive to

make a fuss. He waved dismissively. “Alright, I’ll wash my hands. You go get something to eat,” he said,

teacher’s office, and anyone inside would definitely wait for his permission to leave. But he had no idea that

ducked into the restroom, then she slipped into the office and hurried over to Mandy. “Are you getting extra help, or are you

Chapter 23

her head, her eyes wide

hands shaking and pressed on. “Are you scared: Is there

saw nothing to be afraid of. But the silence from Mandy and the other girls was eerie, as if they’d all

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

strong Quinlyn was. In just a few seconds, they were

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

tattletale,” she said, her voice

in was everything, and the thought of being called out was enough to

Eugene returned from the restroom, he found the office empty. “They’re getting bold,” he muttered, running a hand through

on the ruler and

he smiled

stuff on the table to a lower shelf and walked over, smiling

pills, and turned to Eugene. Teachers like you are rare,” he said, impressed “I’m having lunch

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