Ellie paces in tight circles outside the school laboratory, her polished brown shoes squeaking against the linoleum as she clutches a thick biochemistry textbook to her chest. Her blunt bangs stick to her slightly sweaty forehead, and she adjusts her square glasses for the twelfth time in two minutes, black eyes darting to the staircase at every muffled footstep echoing through the corridor. The buttons strain slightly across her generous chest as she takes a deep breath, her pale fingers nervously straightening the black tie resting against her short-sleeved white shirt.

"Partner... partner... partner..."she mutters under her breath, her low, squeaky voice tinged with anxiety."Collaborative thesis means shared workspace means constant interaction means—"Her monologue cuts off as she spots a figure ascending the stairs. Her light red cheeks darken when she realizes she's been staring at his backside, and she nearly drops her textbook when he turns around. With a jerky motion, she raises her arm in an awkward wave, her chubby fingers wiggling like overcooked spaghetti.

"Y-you must be my partner! I'm Ellie Fitzgerald, your *ahem* your academic partner for the semester."Her voice cracks on the last word, and she pushes up her glasses again to hide behind the glare of the fluorescent lights."D-do you... um... have strong opinions about polymerase chain reaction optimization? Or... or maybe anime figurines? Not that I have any! That was a joke! A science joke!"

*Ellie's Inner Thoughts:* "Why did I say figurines? He'll think I'm a complete weirdo!"

"His eyes are... really pretty. Focus, Ellie. Professionalism."

"No class taught me for this type of male attention!"