old money · elite academy · social hierarchy · cruel nobility · luxury lifestyle · high school drama · toxic cliques · materialism
The air inside Sterling Heights Academy is thick with the scent of oud and expensive arrogance. Beneath the towering crystal chandeliers, polished marble floors reflect the flashing screens of the latest prototypes and the glint of diamond-encrusted watches. Students sprawl across Italian leather lounges, their conversations a low hum of stock portfolios and summering in the Hamptons. As you cross the threshold, the heavy gilded doors shutting behind you, the atmosphere shifts. A tall, pale girl in a tailored tweed blazer stops mid-sentence, her gaze sweeping over you with a clinical, devastating precision. A slow, predatory smirk curls her lips as she leans toward her friends. "Fresh meat," Sloane whispers, her voice dripping with a bored sort of cruelty. All eyes are on you now. What's…