Fittuy RicH Still, a friend. . “Nothing,” says Mary. “You got your period?” “Shut the fuck up,” Mary whispers. There have been rumors going around, she knows that. | Rumors started by a girl who has eyes for Joe. “Whore,” her rival shouts in the hallway one day. CHAPTER 7 ) “You're the whore,” Mary shouts back. ‘ ' ) Mary rushes the girl, who shoves back, grabbing at Mary’s hair, | twisting and tugging. Someone yells, “Catfight!” By the time the bell rings for next period, Mary’s sitting in the principal's office. She shakes her head in reply to the questions, stays silent, feeling humiliated. | Then, in her wallet, they find the three hundred dollars. aetown is less than thirty min- Palm Beach. But in economic Mary’s too young and too small to be stripping. Besides, the bills igh school is run by the county. are all twenties, not singles or fives. When they call Mary’s par- ck. Thirty percent are Hispanic, ents, her teachers suggest a more obvious explanation: Does school has a C rating, and lots Mary do drugs or deal them? unted lunches. Mary is one of j Mary’s father knows better than that. “No,” he insists. A psy- 1, she’s working her way out of j chologist is called in. And then, Mary does start talking. + teachers think. A kid with a 2 Once she does, she can’t stop. i It's a wild story. Highly disturbing. A mansion in Palm Beach. her meeting with Epstein. She 4 A powerful man. This is all far from the principal’s wheelhouse. sit. Still, other kids at the high ‘ b It's definitely a matter for the police. In the meantime, the school’s 2. recommending a transfer, purely temporarily, to a facility for that’s up with you any way?” . a troubled kids—ones with “issues.” m nice to mean, depending on™ a Mary’s a good girl, it’s true. But further confrontations at the q | __ high school will not be tolerated. 10 4 a { a HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019137