200 parts Ongoing MatureJuliette Smith is aware that everything she does is on borrowed time. Her popularity, her relationship with her father, with her friends... all of it is on borrowed time. Her existence as she knows it is so fragile.
With the revelation of one secret, all of it could go up in flames, but there's never been any reason for her to disclose it, and there has been every reason for her to hide it; it protects her image.
Esme Panchak is, by definition, a poison to her image. She is everything that Juliette isn't. She's undermotivated, crass, and unapologetically her own person. She's everything that Juliette has trained herself to loathe, and everything she has successfully avoided for three years... but she's enchanting, enticing. Whenever they're together, she can feel her grip slipping bit by bit.
So, when Juliette ends up stuck with Esme as her lab partner, she realizes just how quickly the secrets she's trying to outrun can catch up with her.
