Me And The Dark

Chapter 8

Valentina

The weekend after Halloween gave me the opportunity to avoid Mattheo as much as possible after what had happened, or rather almost happened, in the broom cupboard.

I still wasn't sure how I felt about it, so when the boys offered me a Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks, I pretended to be ill to stay away.

I spent most of the weekend lying on my four-poster bed, staring at the stone ceiling of my dormitory.

My state of mind was tense and angry. Mattheo Riddle was my best friend, and to have such indecent thoughts about him frustrated me.

These thoughts were probably fuelled by the fact that I hadn't seen him since that party.

It was a bit all or nothing: either our friendship remained intact or it created an awkward tension between us. I simply preferred to act as if none of this had ever happened.

It was Monday and I knew I couldn't hide forever. Eventually I got up, took a long shower to freshen up, then changed into my uniform.

A deep sigh passed my lips as I made my way towards the door of my dormitory.

As I descended the stairs, I was greeted by the common room full of Slytherins getting ready for a new week.

Unfortunately, my gaze caught Mattheo's silhouette, chatting to none other than that bitch Selena Evergreen.

I quickly looked away, trying to ignore what I had just seen. However, Theodore intercepted me by putting an arm around my shoulders, drawing me into conversation.

"How's our favourite girl doing?" asked Theo with a broad smile as he walked alongside me, closely followed by Enzo.

"It's getting better, I guess," I managed to reply, feeling guilty for lying to them.

"Well, because you've got a herbology homework to do for us," he announced with a teasing wink.

"Ugh... I was sure you'd forgotten," I grumbled, throwing my head back.

"How can we forget that you're going to give us the best mark?" added Enzo, sniggering as we approached the Arithmancy room.

I settled into my usual seat, momentarily forgetting that Mattheo was sitting next to me. He was silent, seemingly lost in thought.

Arithmancy was the subject I did least well in, even worse than Potions.

It was a real headache for me, as numbers had never been my cup of tea, and I didn't understand how you could predict anything by working with numbers.

The lesson passed without us exchanging a word, just a simple "Hi" when Mattheo sat down next to me.

I tried to stay focused on my note-taking while Professor Vector taught.

I was determined to do well in this subject, with the Christmas holidays coming up, and I didn't want to fight with my parents about it.

I stopped writing for a moment when a piece of paper landed on our desk. It had come from Evergreen's desk, and she was looking at Mattheo with gentle eyes.

My throat knotted with incomprehension and a hint of disgust. How could Mattheo, my best friend, for whom I'd fought that bitch who'd given me a black eye that lasted more than a week, dare to flirt with this-

"Miss Pierce?"

Professor Vector's high-pitched voice jolted me back to reality, and I realised that my fingers, clenched on my thighs, had begun to take on a bluish tinge.