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

later, the door swung open, revealing Eugene. He looked a little caught off guard,

one side was tucked in. She looked past

to

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

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

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

she said, scrunching her nose again. She was

You go get something to eat,” he said, walking past

office, and anyone inside would definitely wait for his permission

over to Mandy. “Are you getting extra help, or

Chapter 23

her eyes wide

and pressed on. “Are

and Quinlyn saw nothing to be afraid of. But the silence from Mandy and the other girls was

the air. She didn’t want Mandy to be here when Eugene

surprised by how strong Quinlyn was. In just a few seconds, they were almost at the door

when the realized no one was following her. “If you don’t

a tattletale,” she said, her voice firm.

their age, fitting in was everything, and the thought of being called out was enough to make them grab their backpacks and scramble out of

office empty. “They’re getting bold,” he muttered, running

clenched his teeth, his gaze falling on the ruler and marbles still on the table–remnants of the thrill he’d

some medicine. Spotting Eugene, he

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

he said, impressed “I’m having lunch with the principal. You should join us–it could

was already pulling him along. “Let’s go. We don’t