Days had passed, and the atmosphere between Orm and Ling had grown… strange. It wasn't just the usual fights and sarcastic remarks anymore. Whenever they were alone, the air would shift. Their sharp words would disappear, replaced by an awkward silence that felt almost… warm. But the moment anyone else was around, they reverted to their usual routine of fighting like wild animals.Even at college, their rivalry wasn't limited to the walls of their shared house. They'd bicker loudly in the cafeteria, exchange glares across the campus, and couldn't seem to go five minutes without a confrontation.So when Professor Daman announced that they'd be assigned to the same group for an extracurricular research project, the class collectively held their breath."Orm and Ling, you'll be working together," Professor Daman said, scanning his list.Orm's head shot up. "What?" she blurted.Ling looked equally horrified. "Professor, are you sure—""No arguments," the professor interrupted. "You're paired with whoever I've assigned. This project is meant to help you all collaborate, even with people you wouldn't normally work with."Orm slumped in her seat, groaning. "Great. Just my luck."Ling sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is going to be a disaster."Phon, who was also assigned to their group, smirked. "Well, this should be fun to watch."The group met in the library after class to start their work. As expected, the division of labor was far from equal. Ling, ever the perfectionist, immediately took charge, outlining a plan and assigning tasks to everyone."Okay," Ling said, her voice authoritative, "we're researching sustainable energy models. I'll handle the data collection. Phon, you'll compile the information into a presentation. Orm…" She hesitated, clearly unsure what to trust Orm with. "You… can draft the introduction."Orm raised an eyebrow. "The introduction? That's it? What, do you think I can't handle anything more complicated?"Ling crossed her arms. "I think it's the safest option if we want to get a good grade."Orm opened her mouth to argue, but Phon nudged her. "Let it go, Orm. Just do the intro and relax."For the first hour, Ling and her two nerdy friends worked diligently, typing and taking notes with laser focus. Meanwhile, Orm and Phon sat at the back of the table, whispering and occasionally laughing about something unrelated.Ling's patience wore thin."Orm," she said sharply, turning to glare at her, "are you even working?""Yeah, yeah," Orm replied lazily, waving her hand. "I'll get to it."By the third hour, Ling was fuming. She slammed her pen down, startling the entire group. "This is ridiculous. You haven't done anything useful all day!""Excuse me?" Orm said, sitting up straighter."You heard me," Ling snapped. "You're slacking off while the rest of us are actually trying. Do you even care about this project? Or do you just enjoy wasting everyone's time?"Orm clenched her fists, but she held her tongue. She didn't want to cause a scene—yet.By the end of the day, the group still wasn't finished. Ling's frustration reached its peak. She stood up, her voice rising as she addressed Orm."This is why I can't stand people like you," Ling said, glaring at her. "You're lazy, irresponsible, and you don't take anything seriously. Do you even have a plan for your life? Or are you just planning to drift through life doing nothing?"Orm's jaw tightened. "I did my part," she said through gritted teeth. "Maybe not up to your impossible standards, but I tried.""Tried?" Ling scoffed. "Your 'trying' is an insult to everyone here. You have no future, Orm. None. You're going to end up in the slums because you're too dumb and lazy to do anything else!"The room fell silent.Orm's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. She could feel the stares of the other students, and from the corner of her eye, she saw a few of them trying to stifle laughter.The humiliation was unbearable. Her cheeks burned, and tears welled up in her eyes.Without a word, she grabbed the stack of research papers they had been working on and tore them in half."Orm, what are you doing?" Ling shouted, her voice filled with shock.Orm didn't answer. She threw the shredded papers onto the floor and stormed out of the room.Phon jumped to his feet, glaring at Ling. "Nice going," he said before rushing after Orm.Outside the ClassroomOrm stood under a tree outside the library, wiping her eyes angrily. She hated that she'd let Ling get to her, hated the laughter of the other students, and hated how helpless she felt.Phon approached her cautiously. "Orm, are you okay?""Leave me alone," she snapped, her voice trembling."Orm, seriously—""I said, go away!" she shouted, turning her back on him.Phon hesitated, then sighed. "Fine. But if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."---Ling's SideBack in the library, Ling stared at the shredded papers on the floor, her anger boiling over."She's unbelievable," Ling muttered, pacing back and forth. "I do all the work, and she tears it up? She's the reason we're going to fail!"Her friends tried to calm her down, but Ling wasn't listening. She felt betrayed. This was the first time she'd failed to complete a task, and it was all because of Orm.After a moment, Ling took a deep breath and started gathering the torn pieces of paper. Her friends joined in, helping her collect what they could."I'm going to fix this," Ling said firmly. "Even if it kills me."Once they had the pieces, they went to explain everything to the professor. Ling, trying to hold herself together, excused herself to the washroom, where she finally let the tears fall.Meanwhile, the professor, angry at the situation, called Orm's parents to report her behavior.That evening, Orm's phone rang. She answered it reluctantly, already knowing what was coming.Her mother's voice was sharp and scolding. "Orm! What is going on with you? I just got a call from your professor. He said you tore up the group's project! Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is?""Mom, it's not what you think—" Orm tried to explain, but her mother cut her off."Not what I think? Then what is it, Orm? You're supposed to be there to study, and instead, you're fighting and bullying people? We sent you to college to make something of yourself, not to cause trouble!""Mom, I wasn't bullying anyone!" Orm shouted, her voice cracking."Then why would your professor call me about it? Orm, this is unacceptable. You need to get your act together, or we're pulling you out of University!"Orm hung up the phone, her hands trembling. She felt anger, humiliation, and helplessness all at once.After washing her face and calming down, Ling stepped out of the washroom. She was still upset, but she knew she had to keep it together if she wanted to salvage the situation.As she walked back to the classroom, a girl she didn't know approached her."The professor wants to see you," the girl said.Ling frowned. "Why?""I don't know," the girl replied. "But you'd better hurry."Ling nodded, following the girl without question. She had no idea what the professor wanted, but she had a sinking feeling it wasn't going to be good.