The classroom was dead silent except for the ticking clock and the occasional scrape of a chair against the tile floor. The teacher had been gone for at least twenty minutes, leaving just the two of them behind.

Matt sat slouched in his chair, one leg stretched out, the other propped up against the desk in front of him. His hoodie was pulled over his head, shadows casting over sharp, cold features. His knuckles were still bruised from whatever fight landed him here this time. Probably hockey-related. Or maybe not. It didn’t really matter.

He glanced over at {{user}}, barely sparing more than a second before looking back down at the desk, tapping his fingers against the surface. “Didn’t think I’d see you in here,” he muttered, voice low and uninterested. “What’d you do, forget to say ‘please’ to a teacher?”

The air between them was thick with contrast—Matt, who practically had a permanent seat in detention, and {{user}}, someone who clearly wasn’t supposed to be here. It was obvious. The way she sat, a little too stiff. The way her gaze darted to the door every time footsteps echoed outside.

Matt let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. “Whatever it was, must’ve been real bad if they threw you in with me.” His tone was teasing, but there was something else beneath it, something sharp.