Chapter 119

The three biggest headaches in the entire school were brawling, and no one dared to step in. Honestly, no one even knew who they’d grab if they tried. The whole thing was chaos, completely out of control.
Charlotte, though, just looked bored. She slid back into her seat, taking her time as she packed up her stuff like she was at the end of a normal day.
A few minutes later, Ronald Lee and Eleanor burst into the study hall. The moment they saw the scene, both of them stopped short. Their faces went chalk white.
“Stop! All of you, knock it off!” Eleanor shouted.
Both teachers waded in, pulling the three guys apart. None of the boys were holding back, and all of them had marks on their faces. Since it was two against one, Dennis was the one who ended up looking the worst.
“This is ridiculous!” Eleanor was so mad she could barely catch her breath. She planted her hands on her hips, gasping. “This is a school. What on earth are you doing, fighting like this?”
“All three of you, to the dean’s office. Now.”
“And Charlotte!” Ronald’s eyes narrowed. His lip, still healing from a recent injury, curled as he snapped, “Her again. She’s the reason Vanguard High’s reputation is tanking.”
On the way over, Nancy had already given her version of the story, making it sound
even worse.
Eleanor frowned, then called out, “Charlotte. Shirley. You two as well.”
“Charlotte Shirley just stood there, totally stunned, her eyes wide and scared.
Charlotte had actually hit Dennis. Twice.
Everyone knew Dennis’s dad was on the board and donated a ton of money to the school every year. Nothing bad was ever going to happen to Dennis.
But Charlotte…
“I’ll explain everything to the teachers,” Charlotte said, getting up slowly. She gave a little shrug and a half-smile, her eyes calm. “Let’s go.”
Shirley hurried after her, legs trembling. The last time she’d gone to the office was three years ago, when someone accused her of cheating. Just thinking about it made her shiver.
As Charlotte was led away by the teachers, Olivia watched with a dark, satisfied smile.
***
The office felt colder than usual, completely silent.
Five students stood in a line against the wall.
Ronald and Eleanor were on their phones, calling parents one after another.
Since Shirley’s only family was her sick grandmother, and she hadn’t even thrown a punch, the teachers skipped her Parrish’s and Denniss. parents had already been called.
Only Andrew and Charlotte were left.
Eleanor opened Charlotte’s student file. In the “Family” section, there was just one, bold line, scrawled in wild handwriting.
[Orphan. Parents deceased.]
Eleanor’s eyes flickered. If she didn’t know Olivia was actually Charlotte’s sister, she might have believed it.
Charlotte leaned back against the wall, looking exhausted. Her voice was quiet but steady. “Do you really have to call him? I can handle my own problems.”
Before Eleanor could answer, Ronald snorted. “Getting scared now? Should’ve thought of that before you caused trouble.”
“Ms. Adams, call the parent.”
Eleanor pressed her lips together. This was serious. She couldn’t avoid contacting a parent. Honestly, she was also curious to hear what her dad would say about Charlotte.
“Fine,” Charlotte said, blinking slowly, her face unreadable. “If he wants to come, that’s on him. If he has a heart attack, don’t blame me.”
Once Steven had been notified, Eleanor glanced over at Charlotte Her expression shifted Just by the way he talked, it was obvious Steven couldn’t stand Charlotte. He clearly treated Olivia very differently.
After hanging up on Steven, Eleanor dialed Andrew’s parents’ number.
No service.
She tried again. Still nothing.
Eleanor frowned, hesitating. She
couldn’t let this slide without
contacting a guardian. After a
moment, she took a deep breath and called the one number she almost never dared to use.