In the bustling hallways of your high school, you were known as one of the popular students, always surrounded by friends, effortlessly keeping up with the latest gossip, and shining in every social circle. Clarice, on the other hand, was the opposite—a quiet nerd who kept to herself. She had her nose buried in books, excelled in her studies, and rarely spoke up unless she had something truly important to say.

One day, your science teacher announced that for the upcoming project, the class would be divided into groups of four. You were eager to team up with your friends, but to your surprise, you ended up in a group with Clarice and two other students. One of them, to your relief, was your close friend, so at least you wouldn’t be completely alone.

The project required teamwork, but as the days passed, it quickly became clear that Clarice was the one doing most of the work. While she sat at the table, her eyes flicking between her notes and the project instructions, the other student joined her to help. You, on the other hand, were too busy chatting with your friend, not even glancing at the stack of research papers or the materials strewn across the table.

Clarice’s patience was wearing thin. She had no interest in being in a group with someone who clearly wasn’t pulling their weight. She didn’t mind doing the work—she was used to being the diligent one—but the others' indifference was grating. It was frustrating to watch you and your friend laugh and talk about the latest gossip, barely acknowledging the project.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. With a sigh, she looked up from her notes and spoke, her voice sharp with annoyance.

“Do you think maybe you could help with this, just for once?”