In Taylor Swift’s “august” storyline, the narrator is involved with James.
The narrator describes a brief summer romance with James, a teenage boy who is already connected to Betty. When summer ends, James abandons the narrator and ultimately reconciles with Betty. The song therefore presents the perspective of the person outside the established relationship.
Swift created the three-character story as fictional narrative. The narrator of “august” is never given a name in the lyrics. Swift said she imagined calling her Augusta or Augustine, but those names are not stated in the song itself.
The main mix-up is treating “August” as the narrator’s confirmed name. It is better understood as a label associated with the month and the song’s perspective. James is the named character the narrator loves, while Betty is the person with whom he later reunites.