Tasha stormed back to her dorm room, still annoyed from the library. She burst through the door to find Sabrina humming along to music, already unpacking some of her things.
"You will not believe what just happened!" Tasha announced, throwing herself onto her bed.
Sabrina turned, pulling out a brightly colored scarf. "Let me guess... Liam?"
Tasha groaned. "How did you know? He's like a bad penny, he just keeps showing up! I went to get coffee, and he was right behind me, then he had to make some stupid comment about me being slow!"
"He really has a talent for getting under your skin, doesn't he?" Sabrina said, chuckling softly.
"He does! And I hate it!" Tasha sat up, frustrated. "I came here for a fresh start, to meet new people, and all I do is run into this arrogant jerk who thinks he owns the place!"
Sabrina sat on her own bed, looking at Tasha seriously. "Okay, but think about it, Tasha. Why does he annoy you so much? Is it just because he's rude, or is there something else?"
Tasha thought for a moment. "He's just so... dismissive. Like I'm not even worth his time, even when he's bumping into me or making comments. It's like he thinks he's better than everyone."
"He probably does," Sabrina agreed. "His family is super rich, remember? Some people get like that."
"Well, he needs to get over himself!" Tasha said, punching her pillow lightly. "I wish I could just avoid him. But he's in my Psych class, and now he's in the library, probably even eating at the same times as us!"
Sabrina smiled kindly. "Maybe it's not all bad. He is supposed to be super smart. Maybe you can learn something from him. Or at least learn to ignore him better."
"Learn to ignore him better?" Tasha repeated, horrified. "I want him to disappear! I want him to transfer to another university!"
"He's not going to disappear, Tasha," Sabrina said gently. "So you have two choices. You can let him ruin your mood every time you see him, or you can just decide he's not worth your energy. Treat him like background noise."
Tasha lay back, staring at the ceiling. Background noise. Could she do that? Every time he spoke, every time he looked at her with that bored expression, it felt like a direct challenge. She didn't like feeling small or annoyed.
"It's just... I didn't expect this," Tasha mumbled. "I thought university would be all fun and new friends. Not... a constant battle with the rudest guy on campus."
"It's still going to be fun," Sabrina promised, coming over to sit on Tasha's bed. "We're here together. We'll meet other people. And who knows, maybe Mr. Grumpy will eventually run into someone even ruder than him." She grinned.
Tasha managed a small smile back. "I hope so. Or maybe he'll trip and fall into a fountain."
They both giggled. Sabrina was right. She couldn't let Liam ruin her entire university experience. She just had to find a way to deal with him. But what exactly that way was, she had no idea.