After their first tense group meeting, Tasha tried to avoid Liam as much as possible outside of their project work. But for the project itself, there was no escaping him. Emily, being the mediator, set up another meeting for them at the library a few days later.
This time, Emily had already found some articles online related to Confirmation Bias and its social impact. "I think these are a good start," she said, pointing to her laptop screen. "We can each take a few to read and summarize."
Tasha leaned over, nodding. "Looks good. I can take the ones about political echo chambers."
Liam, however, was already scrolling through a different set of research papers on his own laptop. "These are better sources," he stated, not looking up. "More scientific. The ones Emily found are a bit too... journalistic."
Tasha felt her jaw tighten. "They're perfectly fine, Liam. Not everything needs to be a brain scan study. Sometimes, real-world examples are more helpful."
Liam finally looked at her, his dark eyes sharp. "Helpful for what? For getting a 'participation' grade? If we want an 'A', we need depth. Rigor."
"And if we want to finish this project without killing each other, we need to agree on something!" Tasha shot back, her voice a little louder than she intended. A few students nearby looked up.
Emily quickly put a hand on Tasha's arm. "Hey, let's keep it down. Okay, Liam, maybe we can combine both? Use Emily's articles for the broader examples and your sources for the deeper scientific points?" she suggested, trying to calm the situation.
Liam looked from Tasha to Emily, then back to his laptop. "Fine. But I'll handle the scientific summaries. I'll make sure they're accurate." His tone implied that no one else could do it as well as he could.
Tasha rolled her eyes, but Liam didn't see it. He was already deep in his reading. For the next hour, they worked in mostly silence. Tasha found her articles, highlighting key points. Emily organized their plan. Liam just typed, sometimes muttering to himself, completely in his own world.
Tasha found herself watching him sometimes. He was incredibly focused. And when he wasn't being rude, he actually seemed... impressive. It was an uncomfortable thought. She hated that she could even think that.
"Okay, I think we have enough to work on for now," Emily said finally. "Let's plan to meet again next week to put it all together. Maybe the dorm common room this time? It's usually quieter."
Liam closed his laptop. "Send me the details." He stood up without another word, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
"Wait, Liam," Tasha said suddenly. She didn't know why. Maybe it was frustration, maybe curiosity. "Why are you always like this? So... rude?"
Liam paused, his back half-turned. He slowly turned his head, his eyes meeting hers. For a moment, his usual bored look was gone, replaced by something unreadable, almost a flash of surprise. Then, it was gone.
"Life's too short to pretend," he said simply, his voice low. Then, he walked away, leaving Tasha sitting there, confused.
Life's too short to pretend? What did that even mean? Tasha watched him go, a strange mix of annoyance and a new, unsettling curiosity swirling inside her. There was more to Liam Carter than just arrogance, and that thought bothered her more than she wanted to admit.