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

✨ Chapter Nineteen

"Why do I have to see you idiots on a Saturday?" Ray groaned, stretching at the corner of the table. Norman chuckled, nudging his waist. A mildly annoyed Emma rolled her eyes, sitting down with her meal. It way too early in the morning for this. Zack collapsed by my side, falling back asleep. "Why did we have to do this at seven am on a damn weekend, Emma?" The only person fully awake was Norman. His sapphire blue eyes were sparkling, taking a small sip from his cup of steaming hot coffee. He seemed to read my mind, whispering, "Caffeine, y/n. Caffeine is the trick." He passed me the mug, a cloud of steam warming up my face. Well, it can't be that bad, right? I brought the cup to my lips, the hot liquid burning my tongue. "Bleh," I muttered, shoving it back. "Not only is it too hot, it's bitter." Oliver's chuckles were muffled in his pillow of arms, just barely glancing at my distaste for the drink. Apparently, today we were going to town. Grace Field Magic Academy was nestled in between a cluster of mountains, just a mile or two away from Grace Field town. We'd barely ever left the school's grounds just because it was so difficult to fly over it's natural barriers. Both teachers and students at Grace Field resided there, so there was barely any reason to leave either way. Emma insisted that we had to go shopping for our costumes, instead of making a shitty DIY I found in the library. I pulled the dusty softcover from my bag, dropping it in the center of the table. "If y'all wanna go back to bed, we can settle for being cat girls and dog boys." Zack pulled himself up, his eyes shut tight in tiredness. Please." He muttered, reaching for Norman's cup.

Great. That's settled. I shoved the book back into my bag, glancing at Emma. "I'm going back to sleep, good luck, weirdo." I turned around and was instantly met with a very familiar black haired professor. "Okay, kids, who's ready to go to town?" Instructor Yuugo had four broomsticks in his arms, a wide grin on his face. God damn it.

"I don't know how to drive this thing!" I frowned, spinning the thick wooden staff in my hands. The last time I'd been on a broom was when my parents were still alive, and my father would always be driving it. Come to think of it, I don't know where that stupid old broomstick went. I was sent to Grace Field, but what happened to my house? My parent's stuff? I scratched my chin, my brain slowly starting to become functional. "Hey, y/n, wanna ride with me?" Zack asked, tapping my shoulder. My train of thought was immediately derailed with his smile. "S-Sure!" I stuttered, handing him the broom. Emma decided to ride with Oliver, and Norman with Ray. It was quite comedic, watching Ray reprimand Norman for squeezing him too tightly. "I can't breath, stupid! Do you wanna die?" Norman sobbed a "no", hesitantly loosening his grip on Ray's chest. I didn't know Ray knew how to drive. Did he have a license? What if we get caught? Well, we do have an adult with us. I glanced to the casually dressed Professor Yuugo, who was sporting the same beige trench coat he had on that day. The way he spoke with Emma and Oliver was more of a friend than a responsible teacher, which sent some worry down my spine. Well, worst comes to worst, he'll get arrested and we run off at the speed of light. "Hey, y/n." He spoke my name, slightly startling me. "Y-Yes Professor?" I replied, my shoulder brushing against Zack's arm. "I really am sorry, about what happened that day. It wasn't a very good introduction to Pyro. Fire is so much more than... that." No offense, but Professor Yuugo looked like a thug. His black hair was streaked with three lines of white, a small scar running down his left cheek. He had long eyelashes, which could mislead you to believe he was a pretty girl, if you hadn't seen the rest of him. The look on his face right now really was one of regret though. "It's okay, sir. I know Pyro can be... beautiful." I glanced at Ray, still wrestling with Norman, who had a fear of heights. "Let me make it up to you, y/n. Anything you want, let me know. I'll buy it." "That's bribery," Zack chuckled, nudging my shoulder. Eh, it works for me. I shook the Professor's hand, giving him a smile.  "And I accept that offer. I'll be bringing home like ten packs of marshmallows." "If that's what forgiveness costs," He joked. 

Instructor Yuugo led the charge, hopping onto his personal blackwood broom. Following him was Oliver and Emma, the orange haired girl's emerald eyes sparkling. She yelped a "woohoo!" loudly as Oliver's birchwood broomstick started to levitate. She gripped onto his waist tightly, the white haired boy blushing at her touch. I glanced at a distressed Norman, tugging on Ray's black sweater. In a perfect world, Norman and Emma would start dating. In that same universe, Zack and Oliver would also be in love. But where would that leave me? Alone? Like always? Before I could stop it, a sad sigh escaped my lips, imagining that perfect world for everyone- everyone except me. "Hey, are you okay?" Zack asked, pinching my right cheek. I batted his hand away, the action colder than I thought it would be. "What- What's wrong?" He stammered, shoving his hand into his pocket. Ray and Norman were next for liftoff, the white haired one's obvious acrophobia starting to kick in. "Slowly!" Norman shouted, nearly choking Ray. "Drive slowly!" I turned my attention back to Zack, who looked genuinely concerned for me. God, why does he look so sad? Does he care that much? I forced out a smile, booping his nose. "I'm fine, really. Just- Just tired. Any other Saturday I would've woken up at lunchtime." I really, really liked Zack. He joked back, nudging my elbow. "Well, unfortunately you have to spend time with me, y/n." "However shall I recover?" I giggled, hopping onto the back of the broomstick. Zack smiled, pulling off his striped headband. "It's windy up there, y/n. Put this on." His thumbs grazed past my cheeks, the warmth of the wool headpiece sloppily pushing away my bangs. My heart skipped a beat, the intense stare of his obsidian black eyes fixated on my forehead. "There you go," he grinned, patting my head. "It looks cute on you." Zack's large hands enveloped my quivering tiny ones, guiding them around his waist. "Hold on tight, y/n." 

And suddenly, waking up on a Saturday was worth it. I could feel his toned chest underneath the thin white t-shirt he wore, an unholy feeling I felt a few days ago returning to haunt me. It was cold, up in the clouds, but being with Zack- being so close to him made me burn up. In an ideal world, Emma would be with Norman. Zack would be with Oliver. My parents would be alive. That perfect world was forfeited years ago, so I'll write my own story. I'll fight for Zack. I'll change his mind. And today would be a great shot at that!