As I regarded his face, I tried to recall him from the season one contestants... and fell flat. Why didn’t I remember him?
Matteo chuckled. “You look like a sad puppy right now.”
“Huh?”
“You seem guilty, like you committed a heinous crime.”
“Iamguilty! It’s my fault you got hurt. I feel terrible.”
“With all due respect, I have two black eyes,” Matteo said with a dry grin. “I thinkI’mthe one who feels terrible.”
I groaned. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I’m joking, Thystle.”
My heart fluttered when he said my name. He already knew it, but the only reason I knew his name was because Jade told me.
“So, what brings you here to my sickbed?” Matteo asked. At least he was in a good mood.
“I came to apologize,” I murmured. “I heard about the fight. I’m so sorry, that never should’ve happened on my watch.”
Matteo seemed a bit surprised. “How could you stop a fight you weren’t present for?”
“Still. I invited a lot of contestants. Too many, by the sound of it,” I mumbled.
Matteo shrugged. “The producers should’ve known how many contestants the show could accommodate. It’s their responsibility to deal with that sort of thing, not yours.”
I made a face at him. “Are you always this logical?”
He grinned. “Sorry. I’ll let you mope, emo kid.”
My eyes widened, rising in my seat. “Wait. What did you just say?”
Matteo’s expression flickered with hesitation. “I’m sorry, that was too forward of me—”
“You know the difference!” I cried, ecstatic. “You know I’m emo and not goth!”
Matteo’s jaw dropped, then he laughed in relief. “Well, yeah. It’s obvious. Doesn’t everybody?”
In my excitement, I grabbed his arm. “No! My idiotic brothers call me goth all the time when they’re making fun of me!”
Matteo clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You should keep better company.”
“Like you,” I said, leaning forward in my seat. I couldn’t help myself. I’d never met a single person in real life who understood that part of my identity, and now one had been served to me on a silver platter. Er, hospital bed.
Matteo paused and blinked, which looked painful given his swollen eyes. “If you say so.”
At his hesitation, I realized my hand was clamped on his arm. I let go and sat back in my seat with an awkward clear of my throat.
“My bad,” I said. “Um, anyway. What was I saying? Oh, right. Sorry about... everything. We got rid of the boozed-up dickheads, so there shouldn’t be any more problems.”
“That’s good,” Matteo said, nodding.
“Do you want monetary compensation or something? For the injuries?”
My offer was genuine, but Matteo chuckled like I was being silly. “The nurse cleared me of anything serious, like a concussion. It’s only a plain old pair of black eyes. I’ll live. But I appreciate it.”
I sighed in relief. “What happened anyway? You don’t strike me as the type to get into fights.”
