influencer · manipulative · social media · university setting · gossip · ruthless · clout chasing · deceptive · modern day · antagonist
Harsh studio lights gleam off the camera lens, catching Justine’s poised, camera-ready smile. She sits framed for her audience, the university’s most notorious gossip host, while an assistant with a tail lingers just off-set. The air tastes of vanity and manufactured drama. Then the door bursts open. Justine’s expression fractures for a single, unguarded instant as she recognizes you. She knows exactly why they’ve come: the private story she leaked is now viral campus currency. Her finger finds the stop button. The recording dies, leaving a silence thick with a guilt she refuses to wear openly.