The One I Can't Stand

"Why do you hate me so much?" I asked, already regretting it.
He smiled like he'd been waiting for that question.
"I don't," Lucas Harrington said. "I just don't like you."

⸻

Avery Mitchell and Lucas Harrington have been in the same friend group for years.
They don't get along.
They never have.

It's not loud hatred.
It's worse.

It's eye rolls, sharp comments, and pretending the other doesn't exist while being painfully aware of them at all times.

Avery thinks Lucas is arrogant, annoying, and impossible to read.
Lucas thinks Avery is stubborn, infuriating, and way too good at getting under his skin.

Their friends think it's harmless.
Just banter.
Just tension.

But hate doesn't linger like that.
And it definitely doesn't feel like this.