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VANESSA STEPPED into the slytherin common room, immediately hit by the pulse of the music and the haze of smoke hanging in the air.

tonight was the craziest party of the year, hosted by slytherin, which meant that there were no pathetic gryffindors running around.

the atmosphere of the room was electric. colorful lights flashed in time with the heavy bass, casting the room in shifting shades of neon. students were everywhere, some dancing with euphoria, others deep in conversation.

vanessa spotted mattheo riddle almost immediately, leaning against a wall, looking annoyingly cool as always. the memory of their last encounter in the library flashed in her mind, making her stomach twist. she regretted it a lot. it should have never happened because now she can't even look him in the eyes without thinking about what he did to her in that night.

"let's get drunk," vanessa said, turning to pansy, who was already halfway to the drinks table.

pansy shot her a wicked grin. "yes, girlll!"

they made their way to the table, where bottles of firewhiskey and butterbeer awaited. the air was thick with the scent of alcohol and weed. vanessa didn't hesitate. she poured herself a hefty glass of firewhiskey and downed it in one go, relishing the burn. the second drink went down even faster, and by the time she finished her third, she could feel the alcohol warming her body and loosening her thoughts.

feeling a rush of reckless energy, vanessa moved through the crowd, greeting people she didn't even really know, laughing louder, and hugging more freely than she usually did. she felt like a different person when she was drunk, unburdened and wild.

then she saw blaise standing near the fireplace, just getting out of a conversation with a girl. he looked as good as ever, a casual smile playing on his lips.

"blaiseeee!" vanessa called out, stumbling slightly as she made her way to him. she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"vanessa," he chuckled, hugging her back, "you okay?"

"better than okay," she replied, pulling back slightly and swaying on her feet. "just a bit tipsy."

"just a bit?" blaise raised an eyebrow. "how much alcohol did you have?"

she laughed loudly, which was rare for a girl like her. "not enough. you smell amazing, by the way."

Blaise smiled, clearly amused. "thanks. You look incredible tonight, you always do."

vanessa wore a dark red tube top and and a tiny black skirt tonight, revealing her legs. she had straightened her hair and put on a lot of gold jewelry.

"you're sweet," she said, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. "i've missed you, blaise." sober vanessa knew that that was technically a lie because she never missed her ex, but this vanessa was so drunk that she talked nonsense.

"i've missed you too," he said, his expression softening. "how have you been?"

vanessa shrugged, the alcohol loosening her tongue. "i've been ... you know, alright. things are complicated. izzy's been a nightmare, and everything else is just ... complicated."

blaise nodded. "i get it. if you ever need to talk, i'm here, just so you know."

vanessa's heart fluttered a bit at his words, but then her gaze shifted, and she saw mattheo watching them from across the room, his eyes dark and intense. that familiar twist in her stomach came back when she saw him standing there.

she couldn't shake the image of him from her mind — how his eyes seemed to pierce right through her, how his presence unsettled her in a way she couldn't quite understand. part of her hated him for it, for making her feel so out of control. but another part, a part she barely acknowledged, was drawn to that intensity, to the way he seemed to see right through her defenses.

driven by a sudden urge to make him jealous, vanessa leaned in and kissed blaise.

she poured all her frustration and confusion into the kiss. blaise responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. the kiss was heated, almost desperate, and vanessa felt a strange thrill course through her. what she did was reckless and a bit cruel, but in that moment, she didn't care.

she wanted to feel something, anything, that would drown out the chaos in her mind.

when they finally pulled apart, vanessa glanced over at mattheo. his expression was unreadable, but his eyes were darker than before. she couldn't tell if he was jealous or angry or if he didn't care. she turned back to blaise, who was looking at her with a mix of surprise and something else she couldn't quite place.

"you alright?" he asked, his voice low and concerned.

"yeah," she lied, forcing a smile. "just needed a distraction."

"well, i'm here for that," blaise said, leaning in for another kiss.

vanessa obliged, but her mind was elsewhere, her thoughts tangled up in a mess of emotions she couldn't untangle. she wanted to forget, to lose herself in the chaos of the party, the world to go away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that mattheo's eyes were still on her, watching her every move.

she was a stupid girl. getting fingered by mattheo was a stupid idea, and now kissing blaise was even worse.

the party continued to swirl around them, a blur of faces and flashing lights. someone had turned up the music, and the bass thumped so loudly that vanessa could feel it in her bones. she danced with blaise and a few other people that had joined them by now, letting the rhythm carry her away, but her mind kept drifting back to the boy with the brown curls. she felt his presence like a magnet, pulling her attention despite her best efforts to ignore him.

"let's get another drink," she said to blaise, needing a moment to clear her head.

"sure," he replied, taking her hand and leading her back to the drinks table. she knew that he wanted her right now, but she didn't feel the same.

vanessa poured herself another generous glass of firewhiskey, downing it quickly. the alcohol buzzed through her veins, making her feel light.

she watched as blaise poured his own drink, feeling a pang of guilt for using him like this. he probably deserved better, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now.

"so, how's life been treating you since we broke up?" blaise asked, leaning against the table and watching her with a curious expression.

"it's been pretty normal," vanessa replied, trying to keep her tone light. "school, you know? same old shit."

blaise nodded, "yeah, i get that. any new boyfriends?"

vanessa laughed nervously, not really wanting to answer the question even though she knew he would ask, "not really, no. just focusing on myself for now."

"that's good," blaise said, his eyes lingering on her face. "you deserve to be happy, even if its not with me."

"thanks," she said, "you're a good friend, blaise, you know that?"

"i try," he said with a smile.

"i appreciate that," vanessa said, her voice softening.

their conversation was interrupted by a sudden burst of laughter from a group nearby. vanessa glanced over and saw mattheo standing there with theodore nott and draco malfoy, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment before he looked away. she felt a surge of frustration and confusion. why did he have this effect on her? why couldn't she just forget about him?

"hey, you okay?" blaise asked the girl.

"yeah," vanessa said, forcing a smile. "just ... thinking". she said and looked away from the group of boys. was mattheo doing this to get her attention?

"about what?" blaise asked.

"just stuff," she said, not wanting to delve into the mess of emotions swirling in her head.

she needed to get away, to clear her head and find a moment of peace.

"i'm gonna go get some air," she said, stepping back.

"do you want me to come with you?" Blaise asked.

"no, it's okay," vanessa said quickly. "i just need a minute alone."

blaise nodded, looking a bit disappointed. "alright. be careful, though."

vanessa gave him a small smile before turning and making her way through the crowd. the common room felt stifling, the noise and heat pressing in on her from all sides. she pushed her way to the door, stepping out into the cool hallway. the silence was a welcome relief, and she took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart.

leaning against the wall, vanessa closed her eyes and let the cool air wash over her. she needed to get a grip to figure out what the fuck was going on in her head.

"get it together," she muttered to herself, feeling a surge of frustration.

"get what together?" a familiar voice suddenly asked, causing vanessa to immediately turn around.

mattheo riddle was standing there in all his glory, his eyes on her. "what do you want, riddle?" she asked him, still exhausted from everything that happened in the common room.

"to understand you," he said.

"what do you mean by that?" she said and stepped away from him. her head was pounding, and she suddenly felt a lot worse than before.

"kissing zabini, really? i thought you were over him," mattheo said to her and stepped forward, so the difference between them remained the same.

vanessa frowned, "i can decide who i kiss or don't. why on earth would you care?".

"because i don't understand. you saw me and then kissed him. do you regret what happened in the library?" he asked her and looked into her green eyes.

"yes! of course i regret it. what happened in that library should have never happened," vanessa immediately replied, sounding very frustrated.

"well, it happened. and you don't have to act like you didn't like it. zabini is a clown next to me," mattheo said, getting more angry.

"that's not true. blaise is kind and cares about me. he's not some psycho boy without any friends," she said to him. both of them didn't really notice how they got closer and closer to each other's bodies. their noses were almost touches the other one.

"oh, and that's why you broke up with him? because he cared so much for you?" mattheo mocked.

"you know nothing about my relationship. you know nothing about me," vanessa said to him coldly.

"well, what i know is that you act like some fucking princess while everyone here secretly hates you, even your best friend. you use your ex-boyfriend to make me jealous, it's pathetic," he said to her with fury in his eyes.

vanessa looked at him with dead eyes. his words may have hurt her a bit, but no one talked to her like that. she stepped even closer to him, so now she could feel his breath on her face.

"don't ever talk to me again," she said and looked into his dark eyes, that showed zero emotion.

and with that, she walked away from him, back into the common room. millions of people wanted to talk to her; malfoy, izzy, blaise, pansy, diggory, and many more, but she dismissed them all and simply said that she needed to go to bed.

NOTE FROM ME:

hey yall,
a bit shorter chapter than usually, but i really like this one.

i know that blaise comes off as super sweet and the perfect boyfriend, but he wasn't really. maybe ill talk about their relationship more because vanessa definitely had reasons to break up with him.

btw, i really love reading and responding to comments, so it would mean a lot to me if you would comment more and maybe give the chapters a vote 🤍

i love you all