The Integrity Interview

009

Mira spent the night staring at her ceiling, replaying the almost-kiss on a loop.

She had stopped it. She had said I can't do this. But the truth was more complicated. She hadn't stopped it because she didn't want it. She had stopped it because she wanted it too much. And wanting Sebastian Kessler... her rival, her fake boyfriend, the boy with a scandalous past and a father who collected leverage, was a kind of madness she couldn't afford.

At 6am, she opened her laptop and stared at the essay prompt.

Is honesty always the best policy in matters of the heart?

She typed: Honesty is contextual. Matters of the heart require discretion to protect all parties involved.

She deleted it.

She typed: Sometimes love means lying.

Deleted.

She typed: I am currently fake-dating my academic rival and I think I'm falling for him.

Deleted so fast her fingers cramped.

She closed the laptop. She would write later. When her chest didn't feel like someone had cracked it open with a crowbar.

***

At 9am, someone knocked on her door.

Mira opened it. Jenna stood in the hallway, pink hair dull, eyes swollen, holding a box of donuts like a white flag.

"Go away," Mira said.

"Please. Five minutes." Jenna's voice cracked. "I know you hate me. You should hate me. But I need to say..."

"You need to say what? That you're sorry? That it was a mistake? That you didn't mean to destroy our friendship?" Mira's voice was cold. Not the ice queen cold. Something worse. Something tired. "I know all of that, Jenna. It doesn't change anything."

Jenna's face crumpled. "I was jealous of you. Every day. You're so perfect..."

"I'm not perfect. I'm just better at hiding it than you are." Mira leaned against the doorframe. "You didn't sleep with Ethan because you wanted him. You slept with him because you wanted to feel like you could take something from me. Congratulations. You succeeded."

Jenna sobbed. The donuts dropped to the floor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Mira walked to the door and opened it, small enough for a fly to pass through.

"Sorry doesn't fix it." Mira's voice softened, just a fraction. "But I'm not going to hate you forever. I don't have the energy. Just... leave me alone. For now."

Jenna nodded. Wiped her face. Walked away.

Mira stared at the donuts on the floor. She didn't pick them up... she closed the door.

***

The debate team meeting was at 2pm.

Mira arrived early, sat in the back, kept her eyes on her notebook. She could feel the moment Sebastian walked in, the room's temperature shifted, voices lowered, heads turned. He was the scandal. The villain. The boy who had almost destroyed the team's reputation.

He sat two rows ahead of her. Didn't look back.

Coach Morrison, a woman in her fifties with the energy of a drill sergeant and the patience of a saint stood at the front of the room.

"Covington finalists," she said. "We have two: Chen and Kessler. Congratulations, you're now enemies and teammates simultaneously. Deal with it."

Someone laughed nervously.

Coach Morrison continued. "The committee has added a new requirement: preliminary integrity interviews. Each finalist will be questioned together about their relationship, their academic record, and their suitability for the scholarship." She looked directly at Mira, then at Sebastian. "You two will be interviewed together. Tomorrow. 10am. Be honest. Be professional. And for God's sake, don't kill each other on camera."

The room buzzed. Mira felt forty pairs of eyes on her. She didn't look up.

After the meeting, she gathered her things slowly, waiting for the crowd to thin. Sebastian did the same. They ended up walking toward the door at the same time, a careful three feet apart.

The hallway was crowded. People stared.

Sebastian's jaw was tight. "We need to talk."

"Not here."

"Then where?"

Mira glanced around. "Elevator. Everyone takes the stairs."

***

The elevator was small. Fluorescent lights. A faint smell of coffee and old carpet.

The doors closed. They were alone.

Neither spoke for ten floors.

Then Sebastian said, "We need to talk about what almost happened."

Mira's heart slammed against her ribs. "Nothing happened."

"Exactly." He turned to face her. The elevator was tiny, he was close enough that she could see the exhaustion under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders. "Nothing happened because you stopped it. And I've been lying awake all night wondering why."

Mira swallowed. "Because of rule number three."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

Sebastian stepped closer. His hand braced against the elevator wall beside her head. Not trapping her. Just... present.

"You're afraid," he said quietly. "Not of me. Of yourself. Of what it means if you admit this is real."

"I'm not afraid of anything."

"Everyone's afraid of something." His gray eyes held hers. "I'm afraid of becoming my father. You're afraid of needing someone. Two broken people in a fake relationship pretending we're fine." He leaned closer. "We're not fine, Mira."

Mira's breath came shallow. "Sebastian..."

The elevator doors opened.

Cassidy stood in the doorway.

She was beautiful in the way expensive things were beautiful, polished, deliberate, aware of her own shine. Blond hair in a perfect wave. Red coat that probably cost more than Mira's rent. Her smile was cold and familiar.

"Well, well," Cassidy said. "The happy couple. Don't let me interrupt."

Sebastian went pale. His hand dropped from the wall. He stepped back from Mira like he'd been burned.

"Cassidy," he said. His voice was flat. "You're back."

"Missed me?" Cassidy's eyes traveled to Mira, lingered on her face, her clothes, her hands. "So this is the famous Mira Chen. The debate champion. The new girlfriend." She tilted her head. "He always did have a type."

Mira's blood went cold. "What type is that?"

"Brilliant. Ambitious. Easy to destroy." Cassidy smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to finish my degree. And maybe... clear up some misunderstandings about last year."

Sebastian stepped forward, blocking Mira slightly. "Don't."

"Don't what? Tell the truth?" Cassidy laughed. "Relax, Seb. I'm not going to ruin your little fake relationship." She looked at Mira again. "Enjoy him while it lasts. He's very good at leaving."

Then she walked away, heels clicking on the marble floor.

The elevator doors started to close. Sebastian caught them with his hand.

Mira stood frozen. Her chest was burning. Jealousy. Anger. Fear. She refused to name it.

"She knows," Mira said quietly. "About the fake relationship."

"Cassidy knows everything." Sebastian's voice was tired. "That's what makes her dangerous."

He didn't follow Cassidy. He stood in the elevator doorway, watching her disappear down the hall.

Mira watched him watch her.

And she felt, for the first time, what it might be like to lose Sebastian to someone who had already had him.