Chapter 37
“All done.”
Charlotte straightened up and handed the girl a small, plain tube of ointment.
“Put this on for three days. You’ll be fine.”
“Thank you.”
The girl took it like it was a precious gem, carefully slipping it into the hidden pocket of her uniform.
When Charlotte picked up her bag and started to leave, the girl’s eyes brightened and she quickly hurried after her.
“My name’s Shirley Brown. I’m in Class A. If anyone… if anyone bullies you, you have to let me know
Class A?
So she was a special admit. No wonder people targeted her.
Charlotte slowed down, a soft smile touching her lips as she glanced at Shirley.
“You’re going to watch out for me?”
Shirley’s round cheeks turned bright red. She mumbled,
“N-not really. I just… I could tell them not to mess with you.”
“And you think they’ll listen?”
Shirley’s face fell and she shook her head. Her explanations never worked. Still, she couldn’t just ignore it if someone picked on her benefactor.
“I’m Charlotte Main. I’m in Class C. If you ever need anything, come find me. I’ll look out for you.”
Shirley just stood there, frozen, watching Charlotte’s cool, calm figure disappear down the hall. Her eyebrows knit together.
She sighed quietly.
She’s new here. Too innocent. She has no idea how brutal Vanguard High can be.
…
Class C was up on the second floor.
Charlotte walked down the stairs, her pace laid-back, when a sharp voice pierced the hallway.
“Charlotte, what are you doing here?”
Charlotte looked up. Olivia was planted in front of her, eyes wide with disbelief.
The slap mark on her face was almost totally covered with foundation.
Wasn’t Dad having the driver take her to Pathfinder Academy? This was Vanguard High. How did she even get in?
Charlotte barely glanced at her, cold and silent, and kept walking.
“Hey, Charlotte.” Olivia chased after
her, blocking her way. “Do you t
think
just because you’re a Main you get
special treatment?”
“Vanguard isn’t that kind of school. Money and connections won’t get you far here.”
“Even if you snuck in, with your grades and brains, you won’t last.”
“You should just leave before you embarrass the Main family. If you make a scene, Dad won’t forgive you.”
Charlotte stopped. Her eyes, icy and sharp,
grabcked onto Olivia. She grabbed Olivia’s hair and yankel ne
her
into the corner.
Olivia smacked against the wall, pain shooting through her body like her bones were cracking.
It hurt. It really hurt.
“If you say one more word, I’ll break your mouth.”
Olivia remembered what Charlotte had done to Susan and went quiet, biting her lip, not daring to move.
When she finally managed to get up, she saw the Class C homeroom teacher standing in front of Charlotte.
“You must be Charlotte. The principal called me. I’ll take you to get your books and uniform.”
“Okay.”
They left together.
The principal?
Charlotte got in because of the principal? She’d just come back from the countryside. How could she possibly know someone so important?
Olivia immediately called Steven.
When he heard about Charlotte getting into Vanguard, he was just as stunned as Olivia.
“Dad, if you didn’t talk to the principal, then how did Charlotte get in?”
“Don’t tell me she… got involved with someone
Steven’s anger boiled over.
“If she dares to stir up trouble like she did five years ago, I’ll kill her.”
Olivia bit her lip, fingers clenching tight as a cold, hateful smile crept across her face.
So what if she got in?
There were always ways to get her kicked out of Vanguard High. Out of Cabinda, too.
Charlotte picked up her new books and uniform.
Her homeroom teacher led her into Class C.
At Vanguard High, only Class A was elite. The rest, including Class C, were just
regular classes.