Rachel and Griffin, Arguing in the Hall Lounge

After dinner, you make your way back to East Hall. As you walk through the hallway, past the dorm rooms of friends and the girls you’d like to fuck, you get the strange sensation that something is wrong. It tingles at the back of your neck, sticking with you as you pad down the soft carpet under the dim fluorescents of the hall. It’s only when you near the lounge that you realise what it is.

It’s the eerie silence.

At this evening hour, the lounge should be a place of joy and dismay, of students flipping textbooks and shouting at the television, of ping-pong balls pinging and ponging, of Tatiana telling off the freshmen for the booze that Emma sold them. But instead, the tables and couches sit curiously empty.

You blink. Not empty. Two couches, on opposite ends of the lounge, have been turned to face one another. Griffin sits in one of them. Rachel the other.

They stare at each other in silence.

You look between the two of them, at their stony-faces, their hands folded over their chests, their resentment is palpable. You have half a mind to make your exit now and let the two of them sort something out, but something stays your foot. These are your friends. And besides, it’s too late. Rachel has tilted her head just so, glancing at you.

“Maybe Alex has something to share. He knows everything that you get up to, doesn’t he, Griffin?”

Rachel brushes her dark hair to the side and makes her sidelong glance at you just a bit more sultry. Her smile for you is so sweet that you almost feel scared.

“You tell her, Alex,” Griffin barks, his voice echoing through the lounge. “I haven’t done anything at all. Isn’t that right?”

“Uh… I think that…” you pause, remembering at the last second that, technically, you were eavesdropping on them yesterday. “I think I’m missing some necessary context here. What are you two fighting over?”

“Griffin cheated on me with Mars,” Rachel instantly blurts. “And he won’t admit it!”

“Because I didn’t! You’re the one that’s cheating!” Griffin retorts, his face now burning red.

“That’s ridiculous! Who would I even cheat on you with? Why would I even do that?” Rachel shouts, throwing her hands in the air.

“Everybody knows that cheaters always accuse other people of cheating. It’s projection. Simple psychology,” Griffin shouts back. He takes a breath, and then looks to you. “But hey, maybe you’ve seen something, Alex? Has Rachel been spending a little too much time with any of the other guys in the hall recently?”

“You’re the one that’s cheating on me!” Rachel yells. “What the fuck do you mean projection, you’re obviously the one projecting!”

“Okay, okay, now hang on a second,” you say, catching their attention before Griffin can voice his defense. “I just want to get things straight. Rachel. You’re saying that Griffin slept with Mars, and that you’ve been faithful?”

“Yes,” she says, sounding exasperated for all the world.

“Griffin. You say that you’re innocent, but that Rachel’s the one who’s been cheating on you?”

“Only explanation for all the weird shit that she’s pulling,” he says, shaking his head. “Why else would she come up with something like this?”

“I’m not the one who came up with it,” Rachel bristles, indignant. “Plenty of people have told me you slept with her. I don’t care what lies you try to make up, you’re not going to—”

“Fuck that, who even tells you that kinda shit—”

“Guys, quiet down for a second,” you say, astounded by this argument unfolding before your eyes.

Though they’re more than happy to scream over each other, remarkably, they both fall silent at your request. With two sets of angry eyes on you, you realise that you have a choice. Are you going to side with your friend Griffin and call Rachel a liar? Are you going to stick up for Rachel and condemn Griffin? {if GriffMarsTruth == 1} Or, should you try to use what Mars told you to explain this misunderstanding and try to fix their relationship? {endif}