The study room in the school library was warm with sunlight streaming through the large windows. The rectangular table was scattered with open notebooks, textbooks, and colorful markers. Six group members were seated around it... Ara, Ningning, Giselle, Chenle, Karina, and Danny.
Ara sat at the head of the table, her planner open, carefully jotting down ideas. Beside her, Giselle was already taking notes, neatly organizing tasks into bullet points. Ningning leaned back in her chair, chewing on her pen, eyes shifting between the group, looking mildly exasperated.
At the other end, Karina and Danny lounged in their seats, clearly uninterested. Chenle slouched in his chair, spinning a pen between his fingers, looking more entertained than focused.
Ara looked up from her planner. "Okay, so for the presentation, we need to divide the research into sections. I was thinking we could start with..."
Danny leaned forward with a smirk. "Start with Ningning giving me her number. Might as well make this project fun, right?"
Ningning groaned, glaring at him. "Oh my god, Danny. For the last time, no."
Giselle didn't even look up from her notes as she snapped, "Can you not? Some of us are actually trying to work here."
Danny ignored her, still focused on Ningning. "Come on, Ningning. You'll change your mind eventually. I've got plenty of charm to spare." He inched slightly closer.
Ningning didn't miss a beat. "Yeah, it's overflowing. Unfortunately, it's wasted on me." Her tone was flat, unimpressed.
Chenle snickered, and Giselle rolled her eyes. Karina smirked at Danny's antics, but Ara frowned, uncomfortable with the disruption.
Clearing her throat, Ara tried again. "Um, can we focus? The research needs to be split up..."
Karina leaned forward, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Oh, Ara. Always so serious. Maybe you should loosen up a little."
Giselle stiffened. "Maybe you should actually help, Karina. Or is that too much to ask?" Her eyes narrowed.
Karina leaned back, feigning innocence. "Helping? I'm here, aren't I?"
Danny smirked. "Speaking of helping, Ningning, how about we team up? Bet we'd make a great pair."
Ningning didn't even glance at him. "Sure, Danny. You can help by staying as far away from me as possible."
The tension in the room was thick. Ningning nudged Giselle under the table, a silent reminder to stay calm.
Ningning cleared her throat, shifting the focus. "Alright. Here's the plan. Ara and Giselle will handle planning since they're clearly the experts. Chenle and I will take care of creative stuff... presentation design, visuals, that kind of thing."
Chenle groaned dramatically. "You guys sound like my mom. Can't we just, I don't know... wing it?"
Ara frowned. "Wing it? Chenle, this is 40% of our grade. We need a plan."
Karina raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you and Chenle swap? He seems more like the research type."
Chenle grinned lazily. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Ningning rolled her eyes at Danny's expectant look. "Danny, it's simple. Read a few articles and do your part. You've got this."
Danny winked. "Anything for you, Ningning."
Giselle clapped her hands briskly, ignoring him. "Great. Now that we have roles, let's set some deadlines..."
Karina sighed dramatically, cutting her off. "Deadlines already? Can we at least get through one meeting without Ara turning into a drill sergeant?"
Giselle's grip on her pen tightened. "Some of us actually care about our grades, Karina."
Ara jumped in, trying to mediate. "Okay, let's focus on the first step: dividing the research topics. Giselle and I can help if..."
Karina muttered under her breath. "Of course you can."
Danny snickered, Chenle hid a frown, and Giselle exhaled sharply, her patience wearing thin.
Ningning, sensing the growing frustration, sat up straighter. Her voice was firm this time. "Enough. This isn't a debate. We're all stuck in this group, so let's just do the work and get it over with."
The room fell quiet, though the tension lingered. Ara took a deep breath and quickly scribbled down a list of research topics, determined to push forward. Giselle leaned in to help organize them. Ningning made small suggestions for visuals, while Chenle leaned back, pretending to yawn but jotting down a few ideas.
Danny continued to smirk occasionally, and Karina leaned against the table, barely participating. Still, the work moved forward... slowly, carefully, and with as little drama as possible.
By the time the sunlight shifted across the room, the group had at least set their topics and assigned roles. Ara felt a small spark of relief. With Ningning and Giselle keeping the focus, maybe this project wouldn't be as impossible as it seemed.
