In Taylor Swift’s “August,” James eventually returns to Betty. Their relationship forms the central love triangle shared by three Folklore songs: “August,” “Cardigan” and “Betty.”
“August” is told from the viewpoint of the unnamed girl who has a summer romance with James. She knows, at least partly, that James is involved with someone else, but she hopes their connection might become permanent. When summer ends, James reconciles with Betty.
“Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” presents James’s perspective. The songs are fictional and were designed as connected character studies rather than straightforward autobiographical accounts.
Listeners sometimes call the narrator of “August” Augustine or Augusta because Swift used those names in her imagination, but the song itself never names her. Betty, by contrast, is explicitly named in both the song titles and lyrics of the trilogy.