𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚

4 - 𝘉𝘢𝘥 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥

*EMMA'S POV*

What did I just do? He's going to come after me for this, I just know it. But even as embarrassment swirls in my chest, I can't bring myself to regret it. He was a total jerk, and he deserved it. Still, the thought of facing him again fills me with anxiety.

There are moments when I genuinely want to rip his face off, and right now, that urge is stronger than ever.

I need to talk to Pansy. Without glancing back at Mattheo, I head for her dorm. My mind is spinning with what just happened, and I know I'm in for a rough time after this. The walk through the endless hallways feels like it takes forever, my thoughts racing as I try to process everything. When I finally reach Pansy's dorm, I knock impatiently, praying she's there. The moment the door opens, I push past her and march inside.

I stop short when I see Lorenzo and Blaise sprawled on her bed, looking entirely too comfortable. What exactly has she been up to with them? Not that it matters right now, my problem with Mattheo is far worse.

"What happened, girl?" Pansy asks, her voice with concern.

"I... sort of just slapped Mattheo," I admit, trying to sound more confident than I feel. Saying it out loud, though, makes me feel a little badass. He had it coming.

"You did what?!" Lorenzo exclaims, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Blaise, on the other hand, just grins. "I respect you for that, Emma. Someone needed to put him in his place."

I can't help but smile at my friends' reactions. They're the best thing that's ever happened to me, my ride-or-die since our first day at Hogwarts. We've been through it all together, and I'm beyond grateful for them.

They were all there when Mattheo humiliated me in class, so I don't hold back as I recount every detail of what happened afterward. As I talk, they listen, hanging on to every word like they're living through it with me. I can tell they're invested in this, maybe even more than I am. But despite their support, I can't shake the feeling that Mattheo and I are too far gone to ever get along. There's too much bad blood between us, too much history that neither of us is willing to let go of.

We spend the next hour gossiping and laughing, the tension from earlier slowly fading away. Just as I'm starting to feel like myself again, Draco sends a message to our group chat:

Obviously, we're all in. We never miss a chance to party, especially not a Slytherin one. It's already pretty late, so we start getting ready right away. My dorm is on the other side of the castle, so I don't bother going back, I just raid Pansy's closet instead. I find this absolutely stunning purple dress that hugs my curves perfectly. It's so beautiful, I might just have to start stealing from her wardrobe more often.

By the time we're dressed and ready, it's been nearly two hours, and the party is no doubt in full swing. The boys ditched us earlier to meet up with Draco and Theodore, so Pansy and I head to the party together, excited and slightly buzzed from the wine we'd been sipping as we got ready.

As we approach the Slytherin common room, the thumping bass of the music hits us long before we reach the door. The professors are definitely going to find out about this one, but that's a problem for later. Right now, all I care about is having a good time.

The moment we step inside, we're greeted by two wasted Slytherin girls, their breath reeking of firewhisky. The smell of alcohol hangs heavy in the air, but that doesn't stop us from going up to the bar. Within minutes, Pansy and I are taking shots like there's no tomorrow, quickly losing count as the room starts to spin around us. We definitely overdid it, but at this point, I'm too far gone to care.

As I'm nursing another drink, a tall guy with dirty blonde hair waltzes over. I've seen him around before, Stephen, or something like that, but I've never really talked to him. Up close, he's even hotter than I remembered, with broad shoulders, full lips, and this effortless confidence that makes my pulse quicken. When he asks me to dance, there's no way I'm saying no. He's the kind of guy girls dream about, muscular, tall, and with hair that just begs to be touched.

We start dancing, and as the hours pass, his hands become more familiar, more insistent. I don't mind at all, I'm too caught up in the music, the alcohol, and the feeling of being wanted. But as his grip tightens around my hips, I suddenly feel a shift in the atmosphere, like the air has grown heavier.

It takes me a moment to realize that Stephen has let go of me. I blink, trying to clear the fog from my mind, and look around, wondering what the hell just happened. That's when I see it, the dirty blonde on the ground, Mattheo towering over him, his knuckles bloodied and a wild look in his eyes.

Then it all snapped.

Mattheo wasn't just watching me dance, he was watching me the entire night. And now, he's standing there, having just knocked out the guy I was dancing with, looking like he's ready to go another round.

It's chaos all around us, but all I can focus on is Mattheo, his chest heaving with barely contained rage, his eyes locked on mine.

And for some reason, I can't look away.