𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐔𝐒 | mattheo riddle

fourteen 𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓

・・・❦・・・

MATTHEO AND VANESSA walked into the great hall for dinner, their hands interlaced. the chatter of students filled the room, but it felt like all eyes were on them. vanessa straightened her back, ignoring the whispers and looks. they made their way to the slytherin table, sitting down next to theodore and pansy.

as they settled in, pansy immediately launched into a conversation about their latest potion assignment, and theo chimed in with his usual dry wit. vanessa tried to focus on the conversation, but she could feel all the eyes on her, judging her because of the rumors izzy had spread and because everyone knew that berkshire and mattheo got into that fight earlier because of her. the weight of their stares pressed on her, making her feel suffocated.

after she finished her meal, vanessa leaned over and kissed mattheo's cheek. the gesture was small, but it was a declaration — a statement to everyone watching that she didn't care about their opinions. she could do whatever she wanted with her life and it didn't matter what other people thought of it. she could kiss, fuck or like whoever she wanted to. mattheo looked at her, a slight smirk on his lips, and continued his conversation with theo and pansy.

the dinner was very short for vanessa. she felt extremely drained and exhausted, and decided to head back to her dorm room for some much-needed sleep. she excused herself and made her way through the dimly lit corridors, her mind racing with thoughts of everything that had happened.

so, of course, when she entered the dormitory, she was met with the sight of izzy lounging on her bed, reading some school book. vanessa felt a surge of annoyance but also a steely resolve. she wasn't going to let izzy get away with everything without having the final word.

"oh, look who it is," vanessa said, her voice dripping with mockery. "did you miss me?"

izzy looked up, visibly surprised. "what the hell do you want, burkeley?"

vanessa smirked. "just wanted to have a little chat before i move out of this dorm room to the one pansy lives in."

izzy laughed, though there was no humor in it. "i didn't know you took it that seriously."

vanessa let out a laugh of her own, though it was hollow. she slowly walked up to izzy, her posture intimidating. "oh, i didn't take it that seriously. i just can't stand sleeping in the same room with someone so pathetic and stupid."

"excuse me?!" izzy spat, sitting up straighter.

"you're excused," vanessa replied sweetly. "but just so you know, izzy, whenever we cross paths or our eyes accidentally meet, remember that behind these eyes is a deep, burning hatred for you."

izzy stared at her, at a loss for words. vanessa's smile was saccharine, masking the bitterness underneath.

"you know, i actually feel sorry for you," vanessa continued.

"why would you feel sorry for me?" izzy snapped, trying to regain her composure.

"because you're pathetic, izzy," vanessa said, her voice softening as if she were speaking to a child. "in my eyes, and in the eyes of everyone else, too. soon enough, everyone will know how much you lied and how wrong you were for what you did."

"are you really gonna tell everyone?" izzy asked, her voice trembling slightly.

vanessa shook her head, smiling. "i won't have to. in the end, the truth always comes out, no matter how hard you try to hide it."

as vanessa turned to leave, she paused at the door and looked back at izzy. "oh, and by the way, i saw lorenzo berkshire kissing a new girl at dinner. i guess you guys weren't soulmates after all."