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.

open, revealing Eugene. He looked a little caught off guard, but he quickly grinned. “Hey, Quinlyn. What’s

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

widened, and he shifted to the

with her schoolwork” he explained, his voice softening. “So she can’t leave

head, but Quinlyn took a step back, wrinkling her nose.

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

She was always extra sensitive to

hands. You go get something to eat,” he said, walking past her toward the restroom without even thinking to

never step into a teacher’s office, and anyone inside would definitely wait for his permission to leave. But he had no idea that Quinlyn wasn’t like most

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

Chapter 23

just shook her head, her eyes wide and

pressed on.

the table and Quinlyn saw nothing to be afraid of. But the silence from

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

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

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

a tattletale,” she said,

girls exchanged nervous glances. At 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 the room.

the restroom, he found the office empty. “They’re getting bold,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

his teeth, his gaze falling on the ruler and marbles still on the table–remnants of the

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

and walked over,

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

his things, the teacher was already pulling him along. “Let’s go. We don’t want to keep the principal waiting, the teacher said.