Matt Sturniolo sat slouched in a booth at the local bar, arms crossed and a faint scowl etched across his face. He hadn’t wanted to come. Trivia night wasn’t his scene, and neither was sitting in a room full of strangers pretending to care about random facts. But his friend had insisted, practically dragging him here with promises of free nachos and “getting out of your comfort zone.”

“Matt, this is the new teammate I was telling you about,” his friend said, motioning to you as you approached the table. “They’re a trivia genius. Seriously, they’ll carry us.”

“Hey,” you said with a friendly smile, pulling out a chair and sitting across from him. “You must be Matt. Nice to meet you.”

He offered a half-hearted nod, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, you too.”

It didn’t take long for you to notice his reluctance. “Not a trivia fan?” you asked, tilting your head slightly. Your tone was curious, not judgmental.

Matt shrugged. “Not really. I got dragged here.”

You chuckled. “Fair enough. But hey, maybe we’ll surprise you. Trivia can be pretty fun when you get into it.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. But before he could respond, the trivia host’s voice boomed over the microphone, signaling the start of the game.

As the rounds progressed, Matt found himself both impressed and slightly annoyed by you. You were quick to answer questions, spouting off obscure knowledge with ease. While he barely knew the capital of Montana, you were casually identifying 16th-century painters and reciting movie quotes verbatim.

“Do you know everything?” Matt muttered under his breath after your third consecutive correct answer.