{12: Joe}

                                    

                                          
"Ribbons. Ribbons!"
I turned around to my name being called, seeing Joe run towards me. My heart sunk. 
Yet, I looked at him as I waited for him. Nothing about looking at him made me smile. For once. 
"Ribbons, hey," he said as he stepped beside me, holding onto his bag. "I haven't seen you around lately. How have you been?"
I shrugged. "Busy. I've been busy."
He frowned, nodding. Of course he noticed that I was being dry.
"Look, I was wondering if we could meet up sometime. You and I?"
Then I frowned. "Meet up?" I asked before I could stop myself.
Joe nodded. "Yeah... I mean, we haven't spoken in a while, so maybe we'd want to catch up-"
"I thought we broke up, Joe?"
He nodded, and I saw him growing with realization. 
"I'm sorry," I said, looking down the hall at the great hall. "Mattheo's waiting for me... So I- I have to-"
"What do you see in him?"
That's not random at all, Joe. 
I frowned. "I beg your pardon?"
"What do you see in Riddle, Ribbons? He's a jerk. He's rude. He's you-know-who's son. He's a moran."
I scoffed. "And I'm a Rogers. So what?"
His face lit with realization. "I didn't mean it like that, Ribbons. I just-"
"Seriously, Joe. What has gotten into you?" I scoffed.
He chuckled in disbelief. "You're kidding me?" He laughed, shaking his head. "You're scooping so low for Riddle? It wasn't even a month before you went to the nearest fuck boy. Come on, Ribbons. What's up with you? You're going on like a whore-"
"Oh fuck off, Joseph."
And then I turned around and walked away. That came out ruder than I intended. 
I mean, sure... I'm supposed to be happy that Joe is concerned about me, but Mattheo's not a bad guy. He's actually nice, and sweet, and caring. He's also just a human. And it made me mad that Joe thought so little of him. It made me a lot madder now that I knew Mattheo better.
Sure, Joe has never liked my friends. They drink, smoke, have sex. They're not Raveclaw material for sure; but he has never said anyone bad, until Mattheo. Jerk.
I sat down beside Mattheo, and he automatically slid his hand onto my leg, before seeing Joe enter as well, but I didn't look at him. 
"Should I kiss you?" He asked, seeing Joe glance at us. 
"I don't care," I said, pulling my Herbology homework out. "He can rot."
Mattheo looked at me in disbelief. "I'm sorry?"
I sighed, finally looking at Mattheo. "Joe stopped me outside the great hall, asking me if he and I could meet up. I told him that we had broken up, and you were waiting for me. Then out of the blue he bit that you were a jerk; a moran; rude; and your father's son. I freaked. He was so insincere and rude. Honestly."
I groaned, looking back down at my homework. 
"So now he has to rot?" Mattheo frowned. 
I sighed. "He said I was scooping low for some fuck boy and that I was going on like a whore."
Then, Mattheo's eyebrows lift as he looked at me, hoping I was joking. He then looked up, before back down at me. 
"He called you a whore?"
"Said I acted like one," I corrected.
"Like a whore?"
"Yes."
"That's the same thing, princess..."
I sighed. "It's not."
Mattheo nodded, still looking around the great hall. "I'll be right back," he said, before placing a kiss on my temple. Then he stood up. "Stay here. I'll come back."
I nodded, not looking up from my homework. Then he vanished.