𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙙𝙡𝙚

5 - 𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦

*MATTHEO'S POV*

I'm sitting on the edge of the Slytherin common room, watching the chaos of the party unfold around me. I skipping detention for this pointless gathering, and yet I can't tear my eyes away from Emma. She's dancing with some tall, blonde guy I've never bothered to learn the name of. His hands are all over her, gripping her waist, pulling her closer, and it's driving me out of my mind.

Rage boils inside me, becoming hotter with every second. The sight of him touching her, the way she smiles up at him, is enough to push me over the edge. He has no right. No one does. She doesn't even realize what she's doing to me. She never does.

Before I can think, I'm moving through the crowd, shoving people out of my way. The music pounds in my ears, drowning out everything except the sound of my own heartbeat. I see red as I reach them. Without hesitation, I swing my fist and it connects with the blonde's jaw, the sickening crunch of bone against bone playing through my arm.

The first punch is followed by another. And another. I'm lost in the violence, unable to stop myself. His face is a bloody mess, my knuckles throbbing from the impact, but I can't stop. I won't stop. Not until he knows what happens when he touches something that doesn't belong to him.

"Touch her again, and I'll fucking kill you," I growl, I mean it. Every word.

Suddenly, I feel the weight of eyes on me. I glance up to see Emma, her face pale and eyes wide with a mix of fear and disbelief. That look. Before I can figure out what to say, her voice slices through the noise.

"Mattheo, what the fuck? You're insane!" she screams.

Insane. Maybe I am. But the idea of that prick putting his hands on her was enough to send me spiraling. I don't know how to explain it to her, and I'm not even sure I want to. The realization that I've lost control, that I've scared her.

Theodore's hand clamps down on my arm, pulling me away from the scene. I let him drag me out of the common room, my gaze locked with Emma's as I leave. There's something in her eyes that I can't place, hurt, confusion, something that makes me feel even worse than I already do.

I've fucked up. I know it. But I don't know how to fix it.

Theodore is saying something to me, but I can't make out the words. I don't care. I need to clear my head. I break away from him, ignoring his protests, and head straight to the library. It's the one place where I know no one will bother me this late at night. The silence is suffocating, but it's exactly what I need. I collapse onto one of the couches, exhaustion hitting me like a wave.

I try to sleep, but my mind won't let me rest. Every time I close my eyes, I see Emma. The way she looked at me, the fear in her eyes, it haunts me. I toss and turn, trying to push the images away, but they cling to me, refusing to let go. It's like she's inside my head, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get her out.

Eventually, I give up on sleep altogether. I light a cigarette, taking a long drag and letting the smoke fill my lungs. It's a temporary escape, but even that doesn't help. The nicotine does little to numb the thoughts racing through my mind. I'm restless and I know it's because of her.

By the time the first light of dawn filters through the windows, I've smoked more than a few cigarettes. I decide to head to the Great Hall for breakfast, hoping that maybe some food will distract me from the mess I've created. As I walk down the corridors, my thoughts still tangled up in knots, I suddenly hear footsteps behind me.

"Mattheo!" Her voice is sharp, demanding. I turn around slowly, already knowing who it is. Emma is standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of determination in her eyes. She's not going to let this go.

"Tell me what happened last night," she demands.

I clench my jaw, my hands curling into fists at my sides. What does she want from me? An apology? An explanation? I can't give her either, not when I don't even fully understand it myself. The words are stuck in my throat, my mind a complete blank. I want to tell her to back off, to leave me alone, but the sight of her standing there, so close, makes it impossible to say anything.

"Leave me alone, Emma."

I storm off, not caring where I'm going as long as it's away from her. I can't deal with this right now. I can't deal with her. She's getting under my skin, and I hate it. I hate that she's making me feel anything at all.

The rest of the I go through the motions, avoiding Emma as much as possible. But she's persistent, always finding ways to get near me, to try to talk to me. It's like she doesn't understand that I don't want to talk. I can't talk. Not about this. The more she pushes, the more I feel like I'm going to snap. And I know if I do, I'll say something I'll regret. Something that might push her away for good.

When dinner finally ends, I can't take it anymore. I head straight to my dorm, hoping to lock myself away and avoid any more confrontations. My mind is a mess, thoughts swirling like a storm, and I know I need to get a grip before I do something even more stupid.

But of course, she doesn't let me.

Knock, knock.

The sound echoes in the quiet of my room, pulling me out of my thoughts. I groan, dragging myself to the door. I don't need to guess who it is, I already know. I fling the door open, and there she is, standing in the hallway, her expression unreadable.

"Why?" she asks.

"Are you that fucking stupid? What don't you get? Leave me alone, Emma." The words come out harsher than I mean them to be.

Before I can see her reaction, I slam the door shut in her face.

And immediately, I regret it.

Shit.

I don't know how to handle my feelings.

I don't know how to handle her.

A/N - currently in the process of rewriting this story, rewrite ends here for now!