Ben and Whitney frequently ate lunch together, and went out to dinner a few more times. Things were friendly between them, but Whitney felt like they were not making any progress toward a relationship. She told herself to be patient and let things happen naturally, and, for the most part, she stuck to that plan. Kate still followed Ben around constantly, but Whitney did her best to just avoid her. Alex told Whitney that Kate was working on confronting her problems. Whitney just nodded and did not ask for more details. One morning, Lincoln came to class looking particularly distraught. At lunch with Elise and Jamie that afternoon, Whitney asked about it. “What’s wrong with Lincoln? I’ve never seen him with such a gloomy face. Not even the day grades came out!” Whitney said. “Professor Neals chose a research assistant, and he did not choose Lincoln,” Jamie said. “Oh, no!” Whitney said.
