I thought it would be interesting to make his life almost a foil to her life... The gifted "golden child" and the mistreated young lady. Makes it interesting. I also had this idea while writing his girlfriend that maybe she's the normal, accomplished student who kind of gets roped into bullying... Because he's the only one she's ever bent to, she tries to go along with what he likes (because she wants to be as effortlessly successful as him). Something of that nature... I don't want the girlfriend to be a terrible person, for some reason. :P