Chapter 2 - THE ENFORCED EXITThe walk down the long, echoing corridors of Pine Hill Academy felt like walking a mile through a nightmare. Emma sniffled softly, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her clean white shirt.
"Don't cry, Emmy," Lily muttered, swallowing her own tears. "Mommy said today was only for today. Tomorrow is payday."
They reached the grand double doors of the principal’s office. Inside sat Mrs. Gable, the stony-faced secretary who knew every student by name—and every family's tax bracket by heart.
Mrs. Gable looked up over her designer reading glasses, taking in the sight of the barefoot twins standing before her desk. Her expression didn't soften with pity; it hardened with bureaucratic annoyance.
"What are you two doing out of class?" Mrs. Gable asked, her voice sharp. "And where are your shoes?"
"The substitute lady sent us out," Emma said, her voice barely a squeak. "She said we don't belong here without shoes."
Mrs. Gable sighed heavily, reaching for a pink dismissal slip. She didn't bother asking if they were okay, or if they had eaten breakfast. To Mrs. Gable, poverty was a contagion, and the Parkers were tracking it across the pristine carpets of Pine Hill.
"Principal Sterling is in a board meeting with the district donors," Mrs. Gable said coldly, scribbling furiously on the pad. "I am not interrupting him for this nonsense. Call your mother. Tell her to come pick you up immediately. You cannot sit in the waiting room looking like... like this."
She handed the pink slip to Lily.
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Ten minutes later, the twins were sitting on a cold concrete bench outside the front gates. The morning air was sharp, chilling their bare soles. They didn't have cell phones, so they had to wait for the public payphone near the bus stop to ring—or rather, wait for their mother to answer the emergency line at Mel's Diner.
As they sat there, a sleek, matte-black Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up to the VIP drop-off zone.
