Chapter 62
It was at Greenvine High School now. Everyone was on Xtreme’s tail, trying to trace his digital moves, but nobody ever managed to pin him down.
Lenore could have stood up and said she was the mastermind behind it all, but nobody would have bought it–that someone her age could be the mysterious Xtreme. Her age was the perfect smokescreen.
With a snarky chuckle, Lenore covered her tracks, broke down the makeshift computer she’d thrown together, and tossed it into her backpack like it was nothing. Then she headed out of the restroom.
In class twenty–four, Lance was on his umpteenth replay of Lenore’s race against Carlos when the video hiccupped and vanished. “What the…? The video’s gone! So is the post! Everything’s wiped!”
He figured it was a fluke, but a quick search showed all traces of Lenore’s race had vanished from the forum and the web. It was like it never happened.
Tara idly scrolled through her feed, saying, “Hacked, maybe?”
“Who’d bother?” Lance shook his head.
But the videos were gone, and so were all of Lenore’s photos from the school forum. It was as if they’d been erased from the internet.
Lenore entered as the bell rang, her uniform buttoned up to the top, a picture of innocence. Yet, with her edgy looks and defiant vibe, she stood out from the usual student crowd. She seemed off, the air around her heavy with a bad mood.
When he was about to ask something, Kyle thought better of it and slapped Lance on the back of the head. “It’s gone. Focus on class.”
Being slapped suddenly, Lance rubbed his head, sulking. “Lucky I saved a copy,” he muttered under his breath.
At noon, after school, with Lenore still seated, Kyle cautiously asked again, “Aunt Lenore, my parents want you to come over for dinner. What do you think?”
“Can’t,” Lenore replied, her eyes never leaving her phone as she tapped out messages.
Kyle had been hesitant to bring it up. Ever since his parents found out about Lenore at Greenvine High School, they’d been too scared to bother her, nagging at him instead. ‘A formidable aunt can be a pain sometimes, he thought.
“Lenore.” Bonnie appeared at the back door, her eyes sparkling.
Lenore finished her last message, pocketed her phone, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked over, pinching Bonnie’s cheek. “Let’s roll.”
A short walk from school was a small commercial strip. They settled at a snack stand. Before anything else, Lenore put on her headphones and dialed Ken.
She said, “I emailed you the dirt on the illegal car mods and the racing crew behind Carlos in Jinslenburg. Whether you get that promotion or not? That’s up to you.”
It was troublesome to corner the crew late at night in the street, so she burned the midnight oil last night, unearthing the whole operation behind Carlos and hoping Ken would deal with them.
*Lenore…” After Lenore hung up, Bonnie dragged a plastic stool over and sat beside her, her eyes wide as she whispered, “I heard that Victoria Harris from the International Dance Association is performing in Senanville at the end of the month. Can we go watch?”
Lenore raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. “What’s the big deal?”
Bonnie clung to her arm, her voice all sugar and spice. “She does folk dances, just like me. I heard she’s accepting a final student. Please, can we go?” Lenore couldn’t resist her charm and sighed in defeat. “Fine, we’ll go. Now let’s eat. She had a feeling a trip to Senanville was in the cards.
Later, back at school in the afternoon, Kyle and Lance swarmed her as soon as she entered, their faces alight with excitement. “Aunt Lenore, big
news!”
Lenore hooked a stool with one leg and sat, propping her cheek on one hand and looking at them with mild interest. “Lay it on me.”
Lance blurted out, “Lloyd broke Carlos’s leg!”
Lenore’s face broke into a surprised look, and she arched an eyebrow at Kyle.
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Chapter 62
Kyle nodded, his face serious, and he whispered, “Last night, Carlos got picked up by Lloyd’s crew and dragged back. First thing this morning, Lloyd, fresh out of the hospital, broke Carlos’s leg…”
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