They Never Learn

Carly Schiller is a freshman at Gorman. She arrives at her dorm on a sweltering day, driven by her parents. Her relationship with her father is strained, as he is a domineering, emotionally abusive man. Carly cannot wait for her parents to leave. She meets her sophomore roommate Allison Hadley, a glamorous, self-assured girl unlike herself. After a brief introduction, Allison leaves with Wes Stewart, a student whom Carly assumes is her boyfriend.

Scarlett has gathered with English department colleagues, including Dr. Stright and interim chair Dr. Kinnear, for a back-to-school faculty meeting. Dr. Kepler is the first to bring up Tyler Elkin’s death, and it becomes the top item on their agenda. As they discuss the case, Scarlett muses on her crime: The police have tentatively indicated that Tyler died by suicide, and because of their relative ineptitude, she is not particularly worried about being found out. She used a box of rat poison Tyler had in his garage, and thus anticipates a quick investigation. Kinnear exhibits multiple microaggressions in his brief exchange with Scarlett, and she contemplates selecting him as her next victim.

Carly is on her way to her English course, an advanced seminar that she has been allowed into based on the strength of her writing sample. She is nervous, still uncertain of her new surroundings and intimidated by her roommate Allison, who seems certain. Upon reaching her classroom, she sees Allison’s friend Wes among the students. Pretending she does not see him move his backpack aside so she can sit next to him, Carly slides into a chair on the opposite side of the room. When her professor enters, she is struck by his youth. He goes by his first name with his students, and she is surprised by this lack of formality.

It is Friday evening, and Scarlett is at home. She is working on her application for a competitive Women’s Academy fellowship, which would enable her to spend the following year researching in London. Her graduate teaching assistant, Jasper Prior, arrives with a pile of books she requested from an interlibrary loan. The two are engaged in a sexual relationship in addition to their professional one, and Scarlett suspects Jasper shares her cold, detached ability to compartmentalize violence. He tells her that he’ll see her the next morning, as an all-campus meeting has been convened about Tyler’s death.

Carly receives a phone call from her mother. The two chat briefly, and her mother asks if she has made friends. Allison enters the room, and Carly hangs up. The two girls talk about their schedules. Allison is envious that she secured a seat in the seminar of the professor whom many female students find attractive. Carly mentions Allison’s boyfriend Wes is in the seminar. Laughing, Allison explains Wes is not her boyfriend, but a high school friend, and that she is “kind of over dating boys at the moment” (32).

Scarlett has gathered with her fellow faculty to attend the all-campus meeting about Tyler’s suicide. Kinnear announces a new suicide-prevention initiative, and Scarlett is relieved that Tyler’s death has been accepted as such. However, her relief is short-lived: Kinnear explains part of this initiative will be an in-depth investigation into other suicides on campus, including interviews and the construction of a database. The project will be spearheaded by Dr. Samina “Mina” Pierce, a Psychology professor whom Scarlett knows to be more thorough than the local police.

Carly is in her dorm room. Allison asks what she is doing, and tells her that on a Saturday night, studying is not an option. She leads Carly to the roof, where she has prepared a small party with snacks and DVDs. She tells Carly to pick a film, and Carly chooses Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Carly has not seen the film, but is familiar with the titular poem by Alexander Pope. As they watch, Allison brushes her hand against Carly’s, and sits close to her. She also confesses she is anxiously awaiting the result of a recent audition for the role of Sally Bowles in the school’s production of Cabaret.

Having offered to assist the school’s task force, Scarlett meets with Mina. Mina has enlisted the help of Scarlett’s favorite student, Mikayla Atwell—though she dismisses the girl just as Scarlett arrives. Mina asks Scarlett about Tyler’s performance in her class; she has already gleaned from Tyler’s other professors that he was lazy and uninterested in school. Scarlett is taken aback by her frankness. Mina notes the strangeness of Tyler’s suicide: He does not fit the emotional model for many of the school’s recent suicides, and his method is uncommon for a young man.

Allison, Wes, and Carly check the cast list for Cabaret. Allison has been cast as Sally Bowles, and she is thrilled. She continues to be physically affectionate toward Carly, though she stops to flirt with Bash, the play’s Emcee. His response is cool, and after he leaves, she tells Wes and Carly that she hopes this will be the year he finally notices her.

Scarlett and Jasper are teaching an advanced Shakespeare seminar. Mikayla dominates the discussion, and then asks to meet with Scarlett, her advisor. The two relocate to a nearby coffee shop to discuss potential courses for the upcoming semester. There, they meet Kinnear, who admits he also applied for the Women’s Academy fellowship; he cheerily notes the fellowship is not limited to female applicants. Seething, Scarlett recalls his recent theft and presentation of a scholarly project she hopes to further research in London. She vows to find a way to prevent him from taking the fellowship, even if it is offered to him.

Carly and Wes are in their writing seminar. Wes finishes reading his most recent story, and it is well received by his classmates, though Carly finds it saccharine. She is dreading her own reading, but class comes to an end and her presentation is delayed until the next meeting. She and Wes proceed to the dining hall for lunch. Along the way, Allison joins them. Lunch is a noisy, crowded affair, and Allison is uncomfortable. She flirts with a still-disinterested Bash, and Carly sits quietly next to Wes.

Scarlett has trailed Kinnear to the Gorman Tap, a local bar that caters to faculty. Although Kinnear often brings undergraduate girls with him, he is alone tonight. Scarlett is furious that he is vying for the Women’s Academy fellowship, which she is certain that he does not want. She feels the urge to kill again, and on her way home, she runs into Mina.

Carly and Wes await Allison, who planned a night out in Pittsburgh. At the last moment, Allison texts that she cannot make it, and the two decide to proceed without her. In the car, Carly and Wes get to know each other, and he promises to make her a mix tape. They have dinner at an Indian restaurant, where she feels underdressed. She notices an elegant young woman at a nearby table and feels shabby in comparison. Then, Carly notices the woman’s dining companion, a man nearly 20 years her senior, is her own father.

Scarlett and Mina talk in the blustery cold outside of Gorman Tavern. Kinnear exits the bar, notices Scarlett and Mina, and points to his watch and hurries away. Mina, who was married to Kinnear, shakes her head at having once loved the arrogant man. As the women part, Scarlett sees Jasper leave the bar with a date; he notices her.