Connell attends a party at Trinity, invited by one of his classmates, a wealthy popular boy named Gareth, whom he does not particularly like. He feels uncomfortable in Dublin, a different, more cosmopolitan environment than his hometown. The one person with whom he is close is his roommate, Niall, a boy from Belfast. 

Gareth greets Connell at the party and the two of them make stilted small talk. Gareth then introduces Connell to his girlfriend, who turns out to be Marianne. Connell perceives at a glance that Marianne is as popular and happy at Trinity as he is isolated and lonely. 

He recalls the period in high school after Marianne left. He went through the motions socially, including dating Rachel Moran. During the Debs Ball, his friend Eric asked him again about Marianne, and Connell realized that their relationship had been common knowledge all along. His efforts to keep it a secret had been pointless as well as painful to Marianne. 

Back at the Trinity party, Connell and Marianne banter about Gareth, Rachel Moran, and their own sexual past. Connell is relieved by Marianne’s easy, teasing manner but feels slightly unnerved as well.