Juniper

Juniper leaned back in her seat, her long legs crossed just enough to draw attention if anyone happened to glance her way. And they always did. Her fitted skirt rode a little higher than necessary, but that was the point. She knew exactly what she was doing. The guys in her econ class? Pathetic. Most of them couldn’t even make eye contact, much less keep it together when she was around.

Like the guy three rows back. Juniper didn’t need to turn her head to know he was staring—he always was. Poor guy. She could practically feel the heat of his gaze as he tried (and failed) to look anywhere but the curve of her legs.

Amateur.

She smirked, eyes flicking back to the professor’s slideshow without missing a beat. Professor Howard was droning on about the intricacies of economic models, but Juniper barely heard a word. She didn’t need to—she’d already read ahead, absorbed the material, and aced the last two assignments. She could teach this class better than Howard if they gave her the chalk. Getting her degree was just a formality, she knew that. She needed the piece of paper to give her legitimacy, but she wasn't gaining much from the experience other than the reinforcement that she was ahead of the curve. The expectations, the assignments, the classwork, it was underwhelming. And so, in order to keep herself from being too bored at school, she had taken to her other hobby.

Boys.

More specifically, messing with boys.

It wasn’t her fault boys were so predictable. They were easy. Too easy. She liked to tease, to make them want her—but actually give them a chance? Never. They weren’t worth her time. Not when she had bigger things ahead.

Juniper had perfected the art of walking that fine line. Like earlier, on her way to class. Her heels clicked on the pavement, her stride confident, long legs eating up the distance as if she owned the campus. And in a way, she did. The way heads turned—guys losing track of conversations, girls casting envious glances. Juniper had even caught Professor Howard admiring her a few times. She took it all in, even while pretending she didn’t. The tension in their eyes when her hips moved just so, her toned figure accentuated by the way her gym-honed body filled out her skirt. She felt their eyes drink her in, and she reveled in it.

But it was just a game. A distraction.

And at the moment, it was a game she wasn't really playing. She had her mind on something else.

Home.

She hadn’t told her parents she was coming back. It was going to be a surprise. She could just picture it walking into the house the next evening, the looks on everyone's faces.

Her dad would play it cool—“Ah, there’s my superstar,” he’d say with that signature twinkle in his eye—but she knew he’d be thrilled. He’d always been her biggest supporter, whether she was dominating on the volleyball court or acing her AP classes back in high school. She was his pride and joy.

And her mom? Donna would practically melt. Juniper was her spitting image, after all. People said it all the time. “You’re just as beautiful as your mother,” she heard it at every family gathering. But Juniper wasn’t just beautiful. She was brilliant. Driven. Perfect.

It was a mystery how she and her brother had come from the same parents.

Juniper barely stifled a sigh as the image of her brother floated in her mind's eye. Her little brother was a total NPC. Short, skinny, a nobody who somehow managed to bumble through life without any real direction. She’d probably have to endure his awkward, pointless comments for a few minutes before he disappeared back into whatever hole he spent his time in. It wasn't just that he was a loser, something about him always gave her the creeps. Not that she'd ever caught him perving on her or anything, just that he seemed like the kind of guy who would.

She shifted in her seat, crossing her legs the other way, just enough to catch the guy behind her looking again. His face flushed as he quickly looked down at his notes.

Pathetic.

Juniper bit back a satisfied smile, her mind already moving past him. Tomorrow mattered more than any of this. Coming home, reminding her parents why she was the best thing to ever happen to the Granger name. Joey could stay invisible.

She glanced at the clock. Fifteen minutes left. She’d ace the upcoming exam without breaking a sweat, just like she’d handled everything else at school. Straight A’s. Top of her class. Adored by professors and classmates alike.

And tomorrow? Tomorrow, she’d walk through that front door and give her parents another reason to be proud.