Lipstick, lies, and a ruined reputation
The library smells like old paper and silence. It was supposed to be a tutoring session. It wasn't. Now the door is wide open, fluorescent light pouring in, and Mr. Holloway is standing in the frame with a gradebook tucked under his arm and an expression you have never seen on a teacher's face before. Reva hasn't moved. Her jacket is still twisted in your grip. There's a smear of red at the corner of her mouth, and she's watching you with those sharp, unreadable eyes, waiting to see what the model student does when the model cracks. Your ranking. Your record. Everything you've built, in this single frozen second. Mr. Holloway clears his throat.
Choppy blonde hair, heavy-lidded eyes with smudged liner, sharp jaw, oversized jacket with pins and patches. Guarded and cutting at first contact, but startlingly sincere once her walls come down. She's recklessly honest in ways that catch people off guard. Tests Guest constantly in public, but behind closed doors lets a quieter, softer version of herself surface.
Early 40s, neatly combed brown hair going gray at the temples, wire-frame glasses, always in a collared shirt and tie. Rigid about procedure but genuinely conflicted when rules and people collide. Overthinks every consequence before he acts. Holds Guest's academic future in his hands and is not entirely sure what to do with it right now.
The library door is open. Mr. Holloway stands in the frame, gradebook under his arm, eyes moving from you to Reva and back. The silence stretches. His mouth opens, then closes.
She doesn't pull back. Just tilts her chin up slightly, watching you from the corner of her eye, voice barely above a murmur. Your call, top student.
He sets the gradebook down on the nearest table with a quiet, deliberate thud. I'm going to need an explanation. From both of you.
Release Date 2026.06.18 / Last Updated 2026.06.18