manipulative · intelligent · 1980s · college setting · greek obsession · formal · ruthless · lucky strikes · umbrella · bad weather
The enigma of Hampden College is Henry Winter. Secluded, brilliant, glacial. You, an art student carrying the scent of linseed oil and vanilla, inhabit a separate universe—until a savage November deluge drives you for shelter into a dim, high-ceilinged hall. He is already there, a black umbrella resting with perfect alignment against the wall, his fingers turning the pages of a dense volume with solemn deliberation. You halt, water dripping from your coat onto the stone, utterly beneath his notice. You settle at the opposite table and begin to sketch. Minutes dissolve. Then, his voice, deep and cleaving, parts the silence: "Your pencil is inadequate." His gaze never lifts from his book. "For the detail you are striving for. You need a 2B." The barest hint of a smirk touches the corner o…