✨ A Little Bit of Magic || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

✨ Chapter Ten

They always say your first love is the sweetest. It's crazy how just a glance, or a wink, or even a wave 'hello' can make my heart pound. Is this what it felt like? My first love?

Zack was always surrounded by girls. Pretty, popular ones like Anna, or hot cheerleaders with spice, like Gillian. And here I was, some stupid, lowly, orphan kid who's parents were murdered five years ago. Why would he ever choose me? I sighed dramatically, gazing at this perfect stature from a distance. "Oi, y/n, you look like a creep. Stop staring at him from behind a corner." Norman sighed deeply, noting the time. "We've been here for ten minutes." The orange haired girl behind me frowned, dragging me backwards. If it came to Norman's opinion, she would fight for it. I tried pulling my arm free from her firm grasp. "Stop it! I wanna talk to him! Emma I swear to God-!" My other hand was grabbed by the annoyed blue eyed boy that actually cared about his classes. "You've been saying that for the past ten minutes, y/n. We're going to be late to dendro." Why can't these people just let me be! My shoulders aches as I finally broke free of their grasps. "Haha, suckers! Oomph-" I immediately crashed into someone's broad chest. God, I hope it's Zack. "S- Sorry!" I muttered, pulling out my sweetest smile. A familiar yet cold voice snapped back. "Watch where you're going, idiot." "R-Ray." I hissed, stumbling backwards. I felt my face grow warm with embarrassment, my sworn nemesis having caught me at my most vulnerable. His shoulder brushed against mine, his brown shoes clicking against the limestone brick floor. They stopped abruptly, those dark gray eyes turning back to meet mine. "Hurry up, let's go." Huh? What? "G-Go where? We have-" "Dendro. In the second lecture hall." I stumbled to his side, struggling to keep up with his fast pace. "How do you know?" The slightest smirk flashed across his face, the rare occurrence of seeing both his eyes startling me. "I'm in that class, dumbass. Or have you not noticed?" He- He was? I punched his shoulder lightly, another warm feeling washing over my cheeks. "O-Of course I noticed! Stupid! I chose to ignore you!" He chuckled slightly, that monotonous voice he'd always used suddenly rang with a little emotion. "Oh really? Where do I sit then?" "That place that you sit in," I mumbled, my gaze falling downwards. Shit, I really never did notice that he was in my class. My train of thought was interrupted by a soft flick on my forehead. "Stupid, I sit next to you. Start using your eyes. We're here." I hesitantly walked into the room, following Ray's figure indeed take a seat in the row next to my group's. God damn it! I hate him so much! That's the only reason why my heart is beating so quickly. I'm upset. I'm mad. I want to kill him right now. But I have to tolerate him. I have to breath. Everything will be okay. Right? His stupid annoying voice call out to me mockingly. "Hey idiot, don't fall asleep." I stuck out my tongue, giving him a cold glare. You're the idiot, Ray.

"Pyro is the most unstable form of magic because it relies heavily on the user's ability to control their emotions and feelings." Ray tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Good. What happens when a Pyromancer loses self control during a battle?" I shuddered at the thought of it. "L- Lightning. Lightning happens." "And how many categories of lightning are there?" "Two." "And they are?" I didn't want to think about it. I didn't want to remember. "W-White lightning, created from a pure fighting spirit, and..." It was... Suddenly getting really warm... My gaze, which was so intently set on the wooden table I sat at, suddenly grew blurry, images of the incident replacing the scenery. "y/n? Are you going to answer my question?" I wish I could... I really do... But- But it hurts- Everything hurts- a scream from a small child rang in my ears, making me shut my eyes tightly. A bead of sweat ran down my forehead, the crackling of thunder drowning out the child's voice. Thunder. The thunder. The lightning. "The bla-" He shoved his hand over my mouth, muffling my words. "Shut up, idiot." A breezes ran through my hair, shuffling away the locks resting on my neck. The wind? But how? I slowly opened my eyes, the soft caramel colored sunset being the second thing to greet me. The first thing was Ray, who was staring at me with a rather concerned expression. His hand slowly fell, instead moving towards the beautiful orange sky. "It's pretty, isn't it?" He whispered, sitting on the open air windowsill of the school's hallways. Yeah, it was, but I was wondering how I even got here. The boy's coal gray eyes reflected the orange light rather beautifully, that usually cold gaze melting warm with the sky. He seemingly read my mind, speaking his words softly. "I dragged you out here while you were... having a panic attack. You didn't seem to notice as you were busy mumbling something about the thunder." I'd already forgotten about that. I hopped by his side, swinging my feet over the ledge. As thankful as I was, I still had one question.

"Why, Ray?"

"Why what stupid? Let's use our sentences."

"Why'd you bring me out here?"

"I don't know. Because there was no lightning in this sky."

"So you knew. You knew about their murders. You knew it was... it was..."

"You don't have to say it. Yeah, I knew how they were killed."

"Why do you seem to care more now than you did before?"

He was silent, those gray eyes never meeting mine again. I think he sacrificed a large amount of his own pride to say that one sentence. "I'm sorry, y/n." His voice was soft, sad, like it was something he'd wanted to say for a very long time. But I couldn't forgive him. Not yet, at least. "I still hate you. I'm still mad at you. We'd been friends forever, Ray. Do you know how much it hurt? After you left me like that? When I needed you most?" He shook his head no, giving me a sad glance. Why... Why did he look at me like that? I think I liked him better when he was being an asshole. I think I liked him better when he didn't make my head and heart feel things. Weird things. "I don't expect forgiveness. I never did. What I did was inexcusable. I just wanted you to know." A droplet of water fell onto my hand. Huh? Rain? But the sky is clear, what is this? I touched my cheek, my fingertips meeting the small river of tears dripping down my face. Ah. My trembling fingers were suddenly enveloped in another person's large, warm hands. Ray was looking the other way, but it was indeed his hands holding mine. My head was still in a daze. The voice talking to me was Ray's. But his cold, sarcastic tone was strangely comforting. "You can't love anyone until you love yourself first. Just know that it wasn't your fault. The accident, I mean. And that if you want Zack to like you, you should have some more confidence. You're not... incredibly stupid or incredibly ugly." The last person I expected to be consoled by was Ray. Though badly, it was still him. I giggled at his sorry excuse for a pep talk, squeezing our intertwined fingers softly. "Thank you, moderately ugly idiot." I watched the corners of his mouth turn upwards in the softest smile I'd ever seen. "No problem, moderately stupid octopus."