Make me Hate You - Matteo Riddle

Chapter 7 - the Anticipation

In the aftermath of the wild night, Aurora woke up with a throbbing headache, her body protesting against any movement. Groaning, she surveyed the dorm room, finding Mara still sound asleep while Ashley was conspicuously absent, likely off enjoying her own intimate post-party activities. Aurora, clad in black leggings and a mismatched hoodie - a hoddie she didn't own and had no idea who the owner was, dragged herself down to the common room, where the remnants of the previous night's festivities were scattered about. Two boys lay sprawled on the floor in a tangle of limbs, while a lone girl slumbered on the green couch.

Opposite her, sat Matteo on the other couch, reading, looking surprisingly composed and not hungover despite the chaos and drunk bodies around him. Aurora's frustration simmered as she caught sight of him, his smirk only adding fuel to her irritation. Matteo's gaze lingered on her disheveled appearance, a knowing glint in his eyes as he remarked, "Well, did you have fun last night?" Aurora merely growled in response, flopping down by the table with her head resting on its cool surface.

Noticing her discomfort, Matteo's demeanour softened slightly as he inquired, "You need hangover potion?" Aurora nodded weakly, her head still pounding from the night's excesses. Without another word, Matteo disappeared into his room, returning moments later with the remedy in hand. He gently helped her lift her head and guided her as she reluctantly gulped down the foul-tasting potion. His hands holding her back. Despite its unpleasant flavour, Aurora felt the soothing effects wash over her, grateful for Matteo's unexpected gesture of assistance, "Thanks."

In the common room, Matteo lounged back on the couch, his gaze trailing over Aurora as she settled nearby. "Nice hoodie," he remarked casually. Aurora's response was a weary sigh. "I don't know whose this is, do you know? Is this Tyler's?" she asked, but her brow furrowed in confusion.

Matteo's confusion mirrored hers: "Why the fuck would it be Tyler's?" he questioned, perplexed by her assumption. Aurora shrugged, not offering any further explanation as she rose from the couch and retreated to her room, 'I need a shower.'

Inside, she found Mara already awake, her expression shifting from curiosity to alarm when she spotted Aurora's hoodie. "Where did you get that?" Mara demanded in a tense whisper. Aurora, caught off guard by Mara's reaction, stammered out an excuse. "I don't know, I just woke up in it," she replied, hoping to deflect Mara's suspicion, 'What is up with her? Why is she so mad?'

But Mara's agitation only seemed to grow. "That is Matteo's hoodie, so I ask you again - where did you get that, Aurora?" she pressed, her tone tinged with urgency.

Panic rising in her chest, Aurora struggled to come up with a convincing answer. "I don't know."
She thought for a second, 'I need to come up with something!'
"Probably in my very drunken state, I took it from the common room and put it on," she said, hoping to quell Mara's growing unease. For a moment, it seemed to work, as Mara's expression softened slightly. But then she ventured another question, one that Aurora wasn't prepared for.

"Aurora. Did anything happen with you two? You know - in the closet?" Mara's gaze bore into her, searching for any hint of deception. Aurora hesitated, her mind racing as she formulated a response: "No, absolutely nothing. We barely talked in there," she lied, the words leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Mara seemed satisfied with her answer, but Aurora couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that gnawed at her conscience as she removed the hoodie, its presence now a painful reminder of the night before.

In her room, Aurora couldn't ignore the lingering scent of Matteo's hoodie, a mix of cologne and vanilla with a hint of those peculiar lemon-flavored wizard candies - they were called 'SHOCK'. Aurora hadn't had one in years but she has seen Matteo eat them before. Chuckling to herself, she tossed the hoodie onto her bed before heading for a shower. Afterward, she emerged clad in baggy jeans and a tight black top with no bra, her attire accentuating her curves as she made her way downstairs, grabbing the soft hoodie.