HARROWGATE UNIVERSITY, CALIFORNIA

Your Friday plans fall apart at the last minute and you end up at the Delta Theta party, one of the busiest fraternities at Harrowgate. Cormac has stayed home studying, so you get ready to enjoy the night with your friends.

[23:47. DELTA RHO.]

The living room is packed. You try to make your way through the hallway when someone bumps into you and your drink ends up staining your clothes. Your phone falls to the floor.

You look up and find yourself face to face with Gearóid Fallowfield.

He looks at the stain and then gives you a mocking smile.

Gearóid looks over your shoulder, searching for someone in the crowd.

He walks away without apologizing.

You mutter through your teeth as, with your stained clothes, you decide to look for a bathroom on the second floor.

[00:16. SECOND FLOOR.]

You're looking for the bathroom when you hear a familiar voice on the other side of a half-open door.

a girl says.

You approach without making a sound.

Cormac responds.

The silence lasts a few seconds.

he admits.

Sinéad says.

Then you see them.

Sinéad strokes the back of his neck and Cormac kisses her with a familiarity that turns your stomach.

Your boyfriend is kissing another woman. She is not the villain of this — she is being lied to too, and some cold part of you knows it. And it doesn't look like the first time.

You throw the door open

The two of them separate quickly; you can see in both their eyes how the whole lie cascades to the floor when they see you in the doorway.

Cormac stammers.

You take a few steps back and he starts walking slowly toward you

you tell him

Suddenly a tall figure crosses the corner of the hallway, and your judgment is so clouded that you only think of a thousand ways to make him feel the way he broke your heart in seconds, completely ignoring the identity of the boy who was now the easy way out.

You walk toward the boy in the hallway and ask — one flat word, no explanation. He says yes before you finish it, so you pull him down by the hoodie and kiss him. You pull away from the boy and turn toward Cormac.

You look at whoever you had kissed and your face goes almost pale, Gearóid Fallowfield

You run away from the place, going down the stairs at dizzying speed in search of cold air; you need to leave that place now.

As you walk, running your hands through your hair and whispering curses to yourself, you hear a voice behind you.