Chapter 75

Having grown up in Northpine, Theobald had heard of Westside High. It was known as the worst high school in the city, filled with delinquents just coasting by, a chaotic environment where only a handful of students ever made it to a decent university.

While his and Simon's grades couldn't compare to Marguerite's, they were both Pinecrest graduates. He had gone on to a top-ranked university, and Simon had gotten into the Northpine Conservatory of Music.

How had Aaron ended up at Westside High? Had he been adopted, or did he grow up in an orphanage?

Theobald stepped outside the school gates and called Anna. "Look into a student at Westside High named Aaron."

Anna would use her network of contacts to gather the information-there were people who specialized in this sort of thing, for a price. Marguerite preferred to find things out on her own, but he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

He bought a few drinks from a small store by the gate. When he returned to the tree, he saw Marguerite and Green-hair laughing and talking. Marguerite had that magical ability; she could strike up a conversation with a stray dog.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling her exquisite face as a gentle breeze lifted the wisps of hair at her forehead. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

He was glad he knew what his sister was up to. If he had stumbled upon her getting this friendly with a punk like that, he would have been genuinely upset.

"Drinks."

He approached and offered the selection to Marguerite first, then handed a random one to Green-hair. The black prayer beads on his wrist caught the dappled sunlight.

It was a Coke, Green-hair's favorite. "Thanks, buddy."

Marguerite had gotten the information she needed. She twisted open her drink and took a sip. “Thanks for sharing so much with me, handsome. I have to go now. Bye."

Green-hair looked reluctant to see her leave. "Bye, beautiful. My name's Hans. If you ever come back to Westside, just drop my name."

Marguerite blinked. "What's that get me?"

Green-hair puffed out his chest. "Respect!"

Marguerite laughed. "No problem. I'll buy you breakfast tomorrow. Just go to any breakfast joint and you can buy it with your own money."

Green-hair laughed along with her.

Back in the Bentley, Theobald kept one hand on the wheel. "What did you find out?"

Green-hair had told Marguerite everything he knew.

She started with what they already suspected. "Aaron is the kingpin of this school. He made a name for himself by knocking out two of the principal's teeth."

Theobald steered the car off campus. "What did the principal do?" Aaron wasn't the type to attack someone without reason, and the fact that the principal hadn't expelled him suggested he had something to hide While the vast majority of teachers and principals were good people, every group had its bad apples.

Marguerite said, "Hans didn't know the specifics, only that Aaron wasn't expelled because his mother came to the school and raised hell."

Hearing that Aaron had a mother stirred a strange feeling in Theobald, but it was mostly relief. It meant he hadn't grown up in an orphanage; he'd had family. "What did she do?"

Marguerite rubbed her nose. "He

heard his mom marched into the

principal's office and... relieved

herself. Twice. Threatened todo it

every day if they expelled him

Theobald was silent.

A brief, stunned silence filled the car. Marguerite had been just as speechless when

she first heard it. But then, it clicked.

"It probably means Aaron's mother isn't... well. Hans said the rumor around school is that she has mental health issues."