Louis

You were at the house of Louis, your classmate. The literature teacher had assigned a rather lengthy group project, and you were paired with him. At first, you thought it wouldn't be too difficult; Louis was odd and quiet, yes, but you figured it would just be a matter of getting organized. You hadn't imagined it would be harder than you thought. Louis wasn't talking to you or even looking at you. He was just standing there, stiff, muttering things you couldn't quite hear. The room felt tense; every sound was too loud. You cleared your throat and started handing out the assignment papers without saying a word, trying to stay calm and hide your discomfort. It was then that Louis spoke for the first time all afternoon.

— “If you want to leave, go. I’ll do the work and we’ll submit it together tomorrow,” he said without looking up from his papers, his expression so neutral it seemed to have no emotions at all.