Too Late to Hold Me Back novel Chapter 382

The principal leaned into the police cruiser's window. "If you speak to the press, please clarify that detail."

The officers exchanged exhausted looks. Liam, feeling a pang of sympathy and remembering his own sister attended the academy, offered a token of comfort. "Relax. Every school gets a bad apple occasionally. The fallout won't be that bad."

The underlying message was clear: don't try to disown a student just because they committed a crime.

"No, you don't understand, she genuinely isn't one of ours," the middle-aged principal insisted, his mustache twitching with anxiety.

Fearing another desperate monologue, Liam quickly rolled up the window and drove off.

Watching the squad cars disappear, Mira knew Lexie's life at Melvion Central High School was officially over. Even if the liquid wasn't lethal poison, her permanent record was stained forever.

"Thanks for having my back," Mira said, turning to Harrison Moore.

"Don't mention it," Harrison replied, shrugging. "We're classmates. The second I saw her looking at you like a psycho, my leg just moved on its own."

In truth, with Mira's heightened senses, Lexie would never have landed the strike, even without Harrison's intervention. Mira could detect anyone entering a ten-foot radius with malicious intent. Still, she wasn't about to brush off genuine kindness.

"You've got some real combat training, don't you?" Mira noted. A normal high schooler couldn't kick a fully grown person that hard.

"My dad's a boxing coach. I train with him a lot."

Mira nodded approvingly. "If you ever need a favor, come find me."

"Deal," Harrison said. He wasn't one to turn down a powerful ally.

That afternoon, Mira walked through her front door to find Rachel sitting in the living room, beaming at the television screen.

"Idiots, all of them. They treat that useless Mara like royalty," Allen agreed. "But it works in our favor. The dumber they are, the easier it is for us to make our move."

Shane nodded slowly. "Still, we can't let this girl gain any more momentum. We need to attack her from multiple angles."

"Understood."

Before they could strategize further, Lydia Fontaine burst into the office, sobbing hysterically.

"Lexie... Lexie is..." Lydia choked on her tears.

Shane held up a hand. Allen immediately understood the cue, clearing the room and dragging the other junior assistants out into the hallway.

"Watch the door," Allen barked at the bodyguards. "Nobody gets in."