Dorm 5108 | Mattheo Riddle

six.

Strong winds wrestle against the castle walls as the snow falls in an endless drizzle onto the ground. The grounds are already littered in a white sea of flurries. Lessons ended early, allowing Friday morning and evening to be all mine. I sit on the tiled floor, my laptop in front of me, a soft blanket wrapped over my shoulders and a warm cup of tea in tow. The weather called for 8 inches of snow and I've learned to never trust the weather personality on the radio news station. Their predictions usually fall flat into disappointment, but as the day progressed, 8 inches seems to be an understatement.

"What are you going to do tonight?" Mattheo steps briskly from the stairs and is fully dressed in all black. Him wearing all black, along with his attentive nature, is definitely not helping me see him any less attractive. It would be one thing if he was a handsome man with a prick personality, but Mattheo is charming, kind to the heart, and is surprising in all ways possible. He's patient and somehow understands all of my emotions. But I'm afraid he's starting to make a dent in a place that I thought was stone all this time.

He has another date tonight, but I don't ask if it's with Bella. I still find it a bit silly inquiring about his personal life, but also strange because I have told him so much about mine but the only thing I know about him is his unrequited love for Ria, and nothing more.

"Not sure. Probably just head up to the Astronomy Tower, maybe build a snowman in the courtyard." A small, innocent laugh escapes my lips as I X out of the wikihow page on 'How to be a Good Friend' before Mattheo sees it. I've eased up on my outer walls with Mattheo. He's shown me a unique kind of manner that doesn't deserve the cold attention I've bestowed upon him.

Ultimately, I am trying to be a friend.

He walks over to where I'm sitting and squats down. "Save me some snow if you do, so I can build one right next to yours. Even snowmen shouldn't be by themselves outside, yeah?" He's making it difficult for me to like him less. His kindness in making sure I don't feel alone is tearing away at my barriers. He makes being friends so easy and I wish that the world was more like him. If it was, then perhaps maybe one day I could walk with my head held straight and not avoid it.

"We'll see. Making a snowman is a difficult task. It's a special art and I'm not sure a gentleman like yourself has the required training to do so."

He chokes in a hard breath, "Rhi, are you making jokes with me? Was that humour spilling from your lips?"

I shrug my shoulders indifferently and wrap the blanket closer around me. "Well, you did say my lips are my best feature, so you tell me."

His head falls, messing up his sun-kissed brown curls, but he shakes it out of his face once his attention is back on me.

"A joke and sarcasm. You're warming up to me, aren't you?"

"You make it quite easy to,"

"Good," he gives me a genuine smile that reaches his eyes and brightens his whole demeanour. "Alright, I'm off."

I flip open my laptop again as the common room retreats to silence. I miss hearing Mattheo's voice when I'm alone. Even when I behaved uncivilly, speaking with Mattheo wasn't difficult. I told stories that I would think twice about before exposing to another human being. It is more than what I can do with most people. He has a quality that draws me in and I'm scared that it will be hard for me to leave it behind if forced to.

I read the notes on the wikihow page on friendship and feel like an idiot in doing so. Even the 11 and 12 year olds I tutor are better at being friends, but I'm making an effort and that is more than I ever did for the girls back at Durmstrang. Friendship is a concept that I have had trouble with ever since I was a kid. I was filled with apprehension and anxiety. I didn't know how to respond agreeably because I was desperately afraid of being despised. The idea that other kids would make fun of me to my face and notice the dire imperfections scared me off to any design of socialisation. Kids can be nice but they also tend to be very brutal when given the chance. I believed that I was that chance–I was the golden ticket to cruelty. But for Mattheo, I'm going to give it my best effort. Who knows; I might succeed and even try my luck with a third friend.