The text from Emily came that evening:
Emily: Hey guys! This is our Psych group chat. Let's find a time to meet. I'm good Tuesday/Thursday afternoons. How about you two?
Tasha saw the "Liam Carter" contact appear in the chat. She felt a shiver. She quickly typed her reply.
Tasha: Tuesday afternoons work for me!
Then she waited. Liam's response didn't come right away. Tasha kept checking her phone, feeling annoyed. Of course, he'd take his time.
Finally, about an hour later, a message from Liam appeared.
Liam: Tuesdays are fine. Library, 3 PM. Don't be late.
Tasha stared at the message. Don't be late? He wasn't even asking if it worked for them; he was just telling them. And the tone! So demanding.
Tasha: Wow, thanks for asking so nicely, Liam.
She typed it fast, then hesitated. Sabrina had told her to ignore him. But this was a group project. She couldn't just ignore him. She deleted the message.
Tasha: Tuesday 3 PM works. See you there.
She pressed send, trying to sound as unbothered as he was.
Emily sent a message right after.
Emily: Great! See you both Tuesday at 3 in the library, on the main floor, near the big windows.
Tuesday afternoon arrived, and Tasha felt nervous. She walked to the library, her Psych textbook clutched in her hand. She spotted Emily already at a large table near the windows. Liam wasn't there yet.
"Hey!" Emily smiled. "Thanks for coming early. I just started looking at the project guidelines again."
Tasha sat down, trying to appear calm. "No problem." She kept an eye on the entrance.
Exactly at 3 PM, Liam walked in. He looked around the library, his eyes scanning quickly until they landed on their table. He walked over, silent and unsmiling, and pulled out a chair.
"Hey, Liam," Emily said cheerfully. "Thanks for making it on time."
Liam just grunted, pulling out his laptop and opening it. "Let's just get this over with."
Tasha felt her annoyance rise. This was going to be a very, very long project. She glanced at Liam, who was already looking at his screen, completely ignoring her. She took a deep breath. She had to find a way to work with him, even if he was the most irritating person she'd ever met.