Living Next Door to the Dunphys (Modern Family)

It was midnight, two hours after the Johnsons' dinner with the Dunphys. The evening had fostered a new friendship as they exchanged stories and enjoyed wine together. Both families promised to meet again soon, while Mathew helped his inebriated parents inside.

[You have (x1) Mystery Box available! Would you like to open it?]

"Yes."

Now within the privacy of his room, Mathew grinned at the small gift box that sat in his right hand before he undid its ribbon.

Immediately, a bright glow filled the room for a split second before a new notification popped in before him.

"I won a skill!" Mathew grinned in excitement as he read the system notification.

[You have won: Ludwig Dieter's Lock-picking/Safe-cracking Skill!]

[Skill: Lock-picking/Safe-cracking: 94]

"Who's Ludwig Die-" Before Mathew could finish, he felt an intense pain erupt within his head. Due to the unexpected ache, he fell onto his bed while holding his skull.

The pain he felt was as if he was experiencing the worst brain freeze imaginable. Thankfully, the misery ended quickly. Lasting only ten seconds. But for Mathew, it might as well have lasted an eternity due to the sheer pain he felt.

"Fuck!" He hissed. "Give a guy some warning."

Pushing himself up, Mathew grimaced and shook his head to get rid of the dancing black spots that swam in his vision. Once the haze finally cleared, Mathew blinked as he suddenly found a wealth of lock-picking and safe-cracking knowledge in his brain. It was all foreign and unfamiliar to him. At the same time, it wasn't. It was odd, but he decided not to give it too much thought.

"I always wondered how those guys in the movies did it. Now I know." Mathew said before he shivered at the thought of having to go through that pain again when he ultimately wins another skill from a mystery box. "Ugh. I'm not looking forward to that."

••o••o••o••

Palisades High School stood like a typical educational institution, its brick facade stretching across the campus with an air of familiarity. Mathew gazed at the sprawling structure, taking in the vibrant scene before him as dozens of students filed through the wide glass doors. Laughter and chatter filled the air, echoing with immature energy, while everyone's backpacks bounced against their backs.

Mathew followed behind a pair of talkative girls as he pushed his bike beside him. Looking left and right, finally, he found a lone bike rack off the left near the school's side entrance. Once his bike was locked, he pulled out his class schedule with a raised eyebrow.

"They should have sent me a map too." Mathew sighed and slipped his schedule away. Without knowing the layout of the school, the schedule was practically useless right now. He debated asking one of the passing students for directions, but he quickly gave up on that idea in favor of looking around. "Let's explore."

Without a care in the world, Mathew started exploring his new school. A few students saw him wandering around but shrugged it off and continued with their own activities. "Where's that classroom?" Mathew mumbled as he pulled out his schedule again, not paying attention to where he was going. "Shit. I'll just call Alex. Otherwise—"

Due to his distraction, Mathew ended up bumping into a blond student who was walking with her earphones on.

Natalia Davis grunted and quickly brought her right foot back to catch herself from falling. With heat behind her eyes, she grabbed Mathew's shirt and pushed him into the lockers to their right. Eliciting a loud metallic bang in the hallway that caught everyone's attention.

"What's your deal?!" Natalia growled out as she glared at Mathew. Who in turn stared down at her with surprise. He noticed that her knuckles were red and bruised. "Well? Answer me!"

"Ugh, sorry? I wasn't looking where I was going. That's my bad." Mathew said with his hands held up, but his voice lacked any fear or concern. He then looked down to see that his class schedule had been ripped in half.

Awh, man. Mathew thought.

Natalia blinked at his answer and at the fallen piece of paper, but she didn't give up. "Yeah, right. Listen here, you piece of shit! You-"

"Natalia Davis!" Striding quickly down the hall, a tall man with a bald head walked straight toward Mathew and Natalia. Seeing the assistant principal, Natalia cursed under her breath and stepped away from Mathew. Unbothered, Mathew watched Sean Mickelson stop in front of the fiery blonde.

"My office. Now!" Sean said with a heavy frown while pointing off behind him. Natalia's fists shook beside her as the voices from those in the hallway echoed around her.

"Look. It's her again."

"How isn't she expelled already? She's always picking fights."

"Shh! She is looking over here."

"What a loser."

Mathew heard everything that was being said with a confused look. Still, what had happened wasn't entirely Natalia's fault. He was also in the wrong. Somewhat.

"Sorry! Sorry! This was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going, and I ended up walking into her." Mathew stepped in front of Natalia while motioning to himself. He smiled disarmingly at Sean while patting himself where Natalia grabbed him. "See? So, there's no reason for anyone to get in trouble. Right?"

The vice principal paused and looked back and forth between Mathew and Natalia. "Is this true, Natalia?" Sean asked Natalia. Who stood in place with a confused expression. Mathew turned back to her and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah… that's what happened." Natalia finally said as the school bell rang. "It was his fault."

"I see... Very well then." Sean nodded and looked around the hallway, where several students were watching the altercation. "What are you all standing around here for? Get to class!"

The vice principal's loud voice caused everyone to scurry off to their classes. Releasing an inaudible sigh of relief, Mathew picked up his ripped class schedule.

"That schedule… you must be our new transfer student. Mathew Johnson, right?" Sean asked as he noticed the paper in Mathew's hands. His statement caught Natalia's attention.

"Yes, sir. That's me." Mathew replied.

"Are you having trouble finding your way around, son?"

"Yeah, a little." Mathew rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish smile. The vice principal nodded and then turned to Natalia. At Sean's look, Natalia looked away with a frown and cursed at the fact that she didn't disappear alongside everyone else.

"That's understandable. I may have a solution to your predicament. Natalia. Why don't you show Mathew here around the school?" Sean said as he looked at Mathew's schedule. "Perfect. You two share the same first period. She'll guide you there, and she'll help you find your way around the school until you get acclimated."

"What?! That's not fair! I-" Natalia huffed in annoyance before a meaningful glance from Sean stopped her from complaining further. "...fine."

"Excellent. Now then, take this pass and be on your way." Sean wrote a quick hall pass and handed it off to Mathew. "Welcome to Palisades High, Mathew. We're happy to have you."

"Thank you, sir." Mathew nodded before Natalia grabbed his backpack and began dragging him behind her. Sean sighed and waved goodbye before heading back to his office.

"So… I'm Mathew. It's nice to meet you, Natalia." Mathew quickened his walk so he could walk side by side with Natalia.

Now that he wasn't pressed against a locker, he could see that she had captivating blue eyes and an attractive face. She wore black compression pants and a black shirt under a red hoodie. Natalia had shoulder-length blonde hair that wasn't particularly styled in any way, but it had a natural wavy look to it.

She looks like a young Scarlet Johansson from the movie Lucy. Mathew thought.

"Don't talk to me." Natalia glared at Mathew and quickened her stride. "Listen, you better remember how to get to your classes because I'm only showing you around today! Got that!"

"Got it." Mathew nodded with a slight grin.

"And don't stand so close to me!"

This girl is feisty. Mathew thought with an amused smile as he made some distance between them.