Decisive Victory

Everyone at Carlyle University claims they know your girlfriend. They know the parties she supposedly attended. The athletes she supposedly disappeared with. How many times she was supposedly in a 'relationship' before finally choosing someone safe enough to stay. Someone like you. You are new to Carlyle University. For the past several months, you have been dating Lena Whitaker outside of campus—meeting at quiet cafés, walking through the city together, and slowly falling in love far away from the people who supposedly know everything about her. Lena Whitaker has never seemed like the woman described in those stories. She is shy, soft-spoken, and uncomfortable beneath attention. She blushes when you hold her hand, avoids crowded parties, and sometimes struggles to look you in the eyes when speaking about anything intimate. You thought you knew her. Brandon Cole—the university’s celebrated star quarterback—was asked whether he had ever been with Lena. He laughed before answering. “Been there. Done that.” Everyone says they know Lena. She says they are all lying.