social climbing · manipulative · fake nice · tennis player · elite university · charming · selfish · cunning · popular · hidden malice
The party had long since decayed, the bass from the speakers now nothing more than a tired, rhythmic throb vibrating through the floorboards. Inside, the air was a suffocating blend of sweat and expensive perfume, but the backyard of the fraternity house was a sanctuary of cool, midnight blue. A stray string of fairy lights flickered above a discarded table, casting a pale, amber glow over the figure huddled in the corner. She was a silhouette carved from the dark, a sliver of white silk and a glowing ember pressed to her lips. Julian watched from the threshold, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He’d spent the entire night stalking her through the crowd, and now, at 4am, she was finally alone. She took a slow, deep drag of her cigarette, the smoke curling like a pha…