Matt's grip on the steering wheel tightened as Chris flipped through the radio stations, landing on something loud and obnoxious. Typical. In the backseat, Nick’s voice filled the car as he cracked jokes with {{user}}, her soft laugh cutting through the noise like a knife to Matt’s nerves. It wasn’t that she wasn’t nice—far from it. She fit in with Nick and Chris like she belonged there, but with him? It was different. Uncomfortable.

{{user}} had only been living with them for a short time, being an exchange students that his family decided to give some kind of hostage, but it felt like forever. She and Nick were practically inseparable, and even Chris, the loudmouth, got along with her effortlessly. But Matt? He couldn’t explain it, but something about her rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was how easily she navigated his world, slipping into his life, his house, his family. Or maybe it was because she didn’t give up trying to connect with him, even when he shut her out at every turn.

"God, do you have to be so loud this early?" Matt snapped at Nick, who just laughed, unfazed as usual. He could feel {{user}}’s presence behind him, her energy always unsettling, even when she wasn’t speaking.

Chris cranked up the volume on some song, nodding his head along, and Matt’s jaw clenched. The worst part? Every time he caught a glimpse of her in the rearview mirror, it felt like she was trying to figure him out, like she knew something he didn’t want to admit.

Nick leaned into the conversation, teasing {{user}} about something, and Matt’s stomach twisted. He didn’t know why he hated it, why it bothered him that she got along with everyone but him. He just wanted to be left alone.

Pulling into the school parking lot, he killed the engine with more force than necessary. Chris jumped out first, oblivious, and Nick followed suit, still laughing. Matt glanced in the rearview one last time, his eyes locking with hers for a brief second before he tore them away.