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.

beat, then hopped off the chair and jogged over to the door. She gave it a quick double–knock, and the sound rang out in

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

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

eyes widened, and he shifted to the side,

for extra 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

her nose.

his smile faltering just a bit. He looked down at her, one eyebrow raised. “Why?” he asked,

stinks,” she said, scrunching her nose again. She was always extra sensitive to smells, and this time

hands. You go get something

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

office and hurried over to Mandy. “Are you getting extra help, or are you snitching on us?” she

Chapter 23

shook her head, her eyes wide and

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

of. But the silence from Mandy and the other girls was eerie, as if they’d

serising the strange, tense energy in the air. She didn’t want Mandy to be here when Eugene

just

when the realized no one was following her. “If you

a tattletale,” she said,

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

from the restroom, he found the office empty. “They’re getting bold,” he muttered, running

ruler and marbles still on the table–remnants of the thrill

teacher, clutching his stomach, came back for some medicine. Spotting Eugene, he smiled and said. “Mr. Lambert, giving extra lessons again! You’re way too

lower shelf and walked over, smiling These kids are the future,” he said “Happy to

impressed “I’m having lunch with the principal. You should join us–it could be a great chance

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