Greendale's Oddest Human Beings

Unexpected Behavior

    Ruth didn't have many choices when it came to choosing partners in Spanish class (or any class really). She would work with Abed, but he always worked with Troy and Abed wasn't comfortable with much change in his life, even in small amounts. Her lack of choices meant that she would have to continue working with Sam, A.K.A. her only option.
    The young woman tried to make it as clear as possible that she didn't work with him because she liked him. She didn't like him. It was hard to tell if he understood because, while he seemed to enjoy her company despite her coldness, he appeared to be kind to absolutely everyone.
    Due to Ruth being stuck with Sam as a homework partner, she found herself, yet again, alone in the library with him at about 6:30 PM. Though she tried to stay focused, it had been even more of a struggle since the whole "like like" thing; it was like a puzzle she was trying her hardest to solve. What did Troy mean? Why did he say it? Why wouldn't he tell her or Abed what it meant? Maybe saying that someone's head is spinning is overdone, but Ruth's head was spinning.
    Sam took notice of Ruth's inattention and finally decided to say something. He, of course, didn't expect a solid answer or really an answer at all, but he decided that it was worth a shot. "Hey," he said to Ruth, catching her attention. She looked up and him for a second before looking back down at the paper she was (supposed to be) writing on. "You seem distracted," he pointed out gently, trying not to make Ruth uncomfortable or defensive.
    For pretty much everyone except for Abed, talking to Ruth was like trying to interact with a snapping turtle; she was almost always in her shell and she could snap at any moment when she was out of it. That was how it seemed, at least. Ruth's snapping-turtle temperament meant Sam had to be extra careful.
    When Ruth didn't snap, Sam carefully kept going. "Are you okay?", he asked. To his surprise, Ruth actually responded. "I've encountered somewhat of a puzzle," she told the young man. She didn't look up at him or show any emotion. Sam took a moment to calculate what he should say next. "Maybe I can help," he offered. Ruth shrugged. "Maybe," she said softly. The fact that she didn't shoot him down was a sign to Sam that he could keep going. "What kind of a puzzle is it?", he inquired. "Well, it's a situation that I don't quite understand," Ruth said, then turned ever so slightly to Sam, still avoiding eye contact.
    "My friend said something that Abed and I didn't understand and he refused to explain it to either of us... I'm not sure why it's so puzzling to me, but he acted like we were supposed to know," she paused, "but I don't know," she admitted. Sam looked at the woman in front of him, taken aback by her honesty and, well, the fact that she was saying more than just a couple words to him. Once the shock had faded a bit, he realized how warm his heart felt. 'Is she... opening up to me?', he thought.
    "Well?", Ruth pushed for a response after him saying nothing for too long. Sam snapped out of his thoughts and finally responded. "Well," he said, taking a second to think about what advice to give Ruth, "maybe you shouldn't put so much effort into figuring out what your friend meant. If he's not going to tell you, then why let it impact you so much? I think that you should let it go. Maybe you'll get an explanation, but maybe you won't. You just have to... be okay with not knowing sometimes."
    Ruth pondered Sam's answer for a second before nodding. He was right. She probably wouldn't get an answer, and the only two options she had at that point were to either keep stressing over the situation, or to let it go. The latter definitely seemed preferable.
    She turned back to her paper silently, not giving an answer for a moment, which caused Sam to feel anxious. His anxiety quickly faded when she said something that he never expected her to say. Something... dare I say... nice. "Thank you," she said genuinely. Sam couldn't help but smile. Maybe she was opening up to him.

Author's Note:
I've never done an "author's note" before or really interacted with readers in any way, but I thought I'd let you know that I have plans to write many more chapters, a couple of which are going to mean a lot to me personally.