Chapter 97
Claire froze, surprised to learn Jasper and Shirley were in the same class. That made sense, though. Birds of a feather, both not exactly star students.
Still, Claire figured Shirley, for all her scheming, wasn’t as bad as Jasper.
“His mom probably took him to the hospital,” Claire said.
Bonnie always looked rich. She wore so much gold and silver it was impossible to miss, and there was no way she’d trust whatever the school nurse said.
Claire had guessed right. Bonnie took Jasper straight to the hospital after school. The results weren’t what she hoped for. Aside from a few minor scrapes, Jasper was completely fine. The only thing that showed up was fatty liver, which was shocking for someone his age and made Bonnie even angrier.
The doctor explained Jasper’s injuries were so minimal they barely counted, and any compensation for medical bills would be tiny. When the doctor found out two girls were the ones who hit him, he almost smiled. That smug look was enough to make anyone furious. It was true: on bad days, it could feel like the whole world was out to get you.
“He’s so useless,” Shirley complained. “How hard can a girl hit anyway? And he goes running to the hospital p>
She turned to Claire. “You better watch out. He might try to get money out of you p>
Claire gave Shirley a serious look. “You’re warning me? I thought you didn’t like me p>
Shirley glared. “It wasn’t you I didn’t like p>
What she really hated was the old Claire, the one who was always a step ahead. But that wasn’t Claire anymore.
“Anyway, just trust me on this. Be careful. If they try to scam you for money and you don’t have enough, I can lend you some p>
Claire raised an eyebrow, half-smiling. “You’re that generous p>
Shirley huffed and stomped her foot. “Fine, be that way. See if I care p>
“Alright, I get it. Thanks. But we already agreed to pay our own medical bills. No one’s getting any money out of this,” Claire said, deciding to stop teasing her.
Shirley’s eyes widened. “How did you pull that off? Last time a boy fought with Jasper; his mom squeezed a hundred grand from the kid’s family. It wasn’t like they even needed the money, but they just couldn’tlet it go and demanded some ridiculous amount. Honestly, Shirley thought Jasper hadn’t even gotten beaten up as badly that time. This time, students said they could hear him screaming from all the way
downstairs.
“Take a guess,” Claire said, keeping it mysterious.
Predictably, Shirley got mad again. “Forget what I said earlier! I still can’t stand you p>
She turned and stormed off. She
was supposed to walk home with Cindy anyway, and maybe she could find out when the James and Byron families were planning to talk about changing the engagement.
“When did Shirley get so nice to you?” Sophia asked. She knew those two had never gotten along.
Claire smiled. “Maybe because we’re not rivals anymore.” They weren’t even in the same race now. There was nothing left to compete for.
Sophia nodded. “So she’s moved on to hating someone else?” She didn’t say the name, but they both knew she meant Cindy.
Claire shrugged. “Who knows p>
When they reached the school gate, the two of them went their separate ways. Jennifer was leaning against her car, waving as soon as she spotted Claire.
“Claire, come on, get in p>
Claire hurried over. Jennifer took the front seat, and Claire climbed in the back with Pandora.
After about an hour, they reached Jennifer’s sister’s place. Chrystal lived in a villa that made her family’s wealth clear. Still, it was a lot like the James family’s house, and Clare didn’t think
S of it. Honestly
after seeing the beautiful courtyards
at Hearth & Kettle, these modern
villas just looked boring.