First Meeting

The clock ticked ominously on the wall of the school library as Liv Hayes waited, her patience wearing thin with each passing minute. She had arrived promptly at the agreed-upon time for their second project meeting, armed with color-coded notes and a detailed outline. Yet, Ethan Carter was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, Liv glanced at her watch once more before sighing in frustration. She couldn't afford to waste time, especially when deadlines loomed ominously on the horizon. Just as she was contemplating whether to start without him, Ethan breezed into the library with his characteristic nonchalance.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Ethan greeted casually, as if his tardiness were a mere triviality. He dropped into the seat across from Liv, flashing her an apologetic smile that did little to appease her irritation.

Liv resisted the urge to snap at him, reminding herself to maintain composure. "We agreed on a time," she replied evenly, her tone clipped. "I've been waiting for fifteen minutes."

Ethan shrugged, unfazed by her evident annoyance. "Traffic," he offered lamely, as if that explained everything.

Liv raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "We're in a school library, Ethan," she pointed out, her frustration mounting. "There's no traffic."

Ethan chuckled, a sound that grated on Liv's nerves. "You know what I mean," he replied vaguely, leaning back in his chair as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Resisting the urge to argue further, Liv took a deep breath and redirected their focus to the task at hand. "Let's get started," she said briskly, pulling out her notes and agenda. "We need to finalize our topic and outline the structure of our presentation."

Their collaboration that afternoon was nothing short of chaotic. Liv attempted to steer the discussion towards their project goals, while Ethan seemed more interested in discussing the latest football match and sharing anecdotes about his weekend adventures. Their ideas clashed repeatedly, each suggestion from Ethan met with skeptical scrutiny from Liv.

"This isn't working," Liv finally declared, frustration seeping into her voice as Ethan veered off-topic for the third time in as many minutes. "We need to focus if we're going to meet the project requirements."

Ethan leaned forward, his expression earnest. "Look, Liv," he began, his tone surprisingly serious. "I know this isn't ideal, but maybe we're overthinking it. Let's simplify things and go with what feels right."

Liv shook her head, her patience wearing thin. "We can't afford to 'go with what feels right'," she retorted, her voice sharper than intended. "This project is worth a significant portion of our grade. We need a plan."

Their meeting ended on a tense note, both Liv and Ethan feeling frustrated and unheard. As they packed up their belongings, Liv couldn't shake the sinking feeling that their partnership was doomed from the start. Ethan, for his part, seemed unfazed as he waved goodbye with a careless grin, leaving Liv to stew in her doubts.