just want to be seen.

you and Mattheo had shared a harsh rivalry for as long as you could remember. it all started back in first year, when he’d accidentally spilled punch down the front of your white dress. six years later, you’d both moved far beyond that moment, but the hatred remained. the rude insults, the glares across classrooms, the petty shoves in crowded corridors—it was all still there. and the truth was, there wasn’t even a reason anymore. not like before.

Mattheo, in general, was a difficult person. always getting into fistfights, serving detention, talking back to professors—he was the perfect picture of trouble. but behind it all, it was an act. at least in part.

he’d grown up neglected. overlooked. treated like he didn’t matter. buried beneath the tough exterior was still that same lonely boy who only wanted to be noticed. to be heard. to be cared for.

he had tried to be kind. tried to make friends. but it had all backfired spectacularly. he’d been mocked for being too soft, too eager to please. the names, the rejection, his parents’ indifference—it had all piled up until he’d had enough. so he flipped the switch. if he couldn’t have their respect, he’d take their fear instead.

at school, everyone knew him as the boy to avoid—the troublemaking, mean, unpredictable Mattheo Riddle. his last name alone made everything worse.

and every time he got himself into trouble, he would retreat to his dorm afterward and fall apart, hating the life he’d built. wishing he could turn back time. but he knew better than anyone that was impossible.

—————————

tonight, the school gala was in full swing. not the Yule Ball—that was still a week away—but a smaller, glittering affair. music drifted through the hall as everyone laughed and danced under the lights. you stood near the refreshment table, idly sipping your drink, already bored out of your mind. with a sigh, you decided to step outside for some air.

when you slipped onto the balcony, you nearly turned right back around—it was already occupied. a boy in a black suit leaned over the railing, shoulders tense, fresh blood dripping from his bruised knuckles. you froze. you realized he’d probably left someone bleeding. just as you turned to leave, you heard something. a broken whimper.

you looked again, and your eyes widened in shock.

Mattheo?