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

✨ Chapter Twenty

Remember when I said today would heighten my relationship with Zack? I was pranked.

The four boys, along with Professor Yuugo, had run off, insisting that Emma and I costume shop on our own. Oliver's face was bright red when he said that, so I assume he meant for us to choose something... "cute" to wear. Cute or scandalous. Professor Yuugo had written down a spell on a small yellow post-it, which would signal to him where we were when cast. He threw his credit card at me too, telling me to buy as many marshmallows as my heart desired. I glanced behind me, my orange haired companion sifting through the hangars of Halloween costumes. "Ooh, a vampire." She giggled, holding the plastic wrapped outfit over her body. "That would look good with Oliver," I commented, hopping to her side. "Since he has red eyes and all. He'd make a great Dracula." Her expression immediately shifted, the metal hangar clacking as she placed it back on the shelf. Emma wasn't one to strain others with her problems. She would always try to carry her weight and everyone else's on her back. She's a great friend. "Did something happen?" I asked, touching her shoulder. I had to repay her lifetime of loyalty as much as I could. She forced out an obviously fake smile, shaking her head no. "I'm fine, y/n." She was lying. "Does it have to do with Oliver? Or Norman? Was Ray bullying you?" "No, I said everything is okay." She pulled out an angel outfit, toying with the tinsel halo hanging from the costume's headband. "Emma, please." I forced her hand down, pushing the white robe back into the cluster of clothes. She sighed in defeat, dragging herself through the large aisles of 'W&W', the most popular department store in Neverland. "When I rode with Oliver today, he asked me if I liked anyone. I told him I did. And he replied with 'I hope that lucky boy is me'." All I wanted was for Emma to be happy. And that should've been a happy thing- Oliver lowkey confessing to her, I mean. So what went wrong? I turned towards the girl, walking slowly to my right. "Well, Emma? Is it him?" She bit her lip, giving the ground a cold, hard stare. "I- I dunno. I'm not... completely over Norman." "And why is that?" "He's just been different lately. I don't know what happened to him, but he's been so... so weird." Did Norman wake up after I gave him that pep talk? "What do you mean?" I giggled, grabbing her hand. I pulled Emma onto a rare empty bench, the bustling city quite crowded today. Her peachy cheeks were tinted light red, her curious green eyes averting from my gaze. "W-Well, for the first time in sixteen years, I saw Norman blush. And it was c-cute." I playfully slapped her shoulder, responding in a sing songy tone. "What'd you do to him, Emma!" She grabbed her face, crossing her legs nervously over each other. "I just tripped! And I fell onto him! And he softened my fall, but I was right on top of him and- and-" I laughed loudly, getting up. That was a good enough break. Emma, still sulking, skipped to my side. "So how's your love life been going? I haven't heard too much about Zack lately." It's not that I haven't spoken about Zack to her. It's just that nothing had happened between us. I seem to have caught myself in some weird limbo called the friend zone, ever since he came out to me. It must've been really difficult, telling someone your true feelings after you've repressed them for so long, and I should've been grateful that he trusted me to that esteem. Yet still, I still found myself to be regretting that day more often than not. My fists clenched on their own, Emma dragging me into a more expensive cosplay shop. "Isn't it selfish of me? To still want him?" She tilted her head, walking me to the first aisle. "No? I don't think so? Oh cute, cat girl outfit." "Wait- Emma- You don't think I'm being..." "Ignorant? Annoying? Selfish? No, of course not. I knew you were going to feel that way. You always find some weird way to blame yourself for anything that goes wrong." I chuckled sadly, pulling out a vampire costume. She wasn't wrong. "Zack didn't choose to love Oliver. He just did. And even now, he thinks it's shameful, that he loves someone who just happened to be a boy. You didn't choose to fall in love with someone who already liked someone else. If anything, you two are in the same boat." Emma was... strangely philosophical today. But it was nice. My heart warmed up, comforted by her kind words. "I seriously love you, weirdo." I squeezed her waist from behind, peeking at the pile of hangers in her arms. "You can thank me for my wisdom by trying out this one, y/n." She giggled mischievously, holding out the most gorgeous costume I'd ever seen. "This is... a bit scandalous, Emma." I blushed, holding it up. But it was so pretty. Could I even pull this off? The orange haired girl smiled in response, pushing me in the direction of the dressing room. "Since you already think you're a bad girl for liking Zack, why don't you go all out?" "E-Emma!" I stuttered, my friend slapping my ass as she shut the door behind me. "Shout when you're done! I'm gonna keep looking!" The costume she had given me was a... devil girl costume... for lack of a better term. No- actually, the better term was succubus. A god damn sex demon. The dark crimson dress had a rather deep cut corset top, the stitches of the gown a beautiful golden thread accent. The skirt of the dress was rather short, falling halfway down my thighs. A soft white tulle kept the skirt fluffy and afloat, as I tried to adjust my mostly exposed chest. I glanced in the mirror, my entire face turning bright red within the second. Was that- was that really me? The tall black heels the outfit came with clicked as I stepped towards the mirror wall. It- It can't be me- I'm not this pretty- I don't have this perfect body. I reached out my hand and the image followed. A knock on the door startled me, Emma's curious voice asking me if I was ready. "D-Don't make fun of me," I stuttered, hesitantly unlocking the white door. Emma froze in her tracks, her smug smile wiped off her face. "y-y/n? Is that really you?" I nodded shyly, my gaze falling to the ground. Her warm fingers brushed past my forehead, adjusting the red glittery demon horns that outfit came with. "You're so pretty, y/n," she whispered, still in awe. "If any girl could change Zack's mind, it's definitely you." "R-Really?" I smiled, turning back to the mirror. The person staring at me right in the eyes was indeed me. And yeah, I looked pretty hot. "Maybe we could get some stockings or something, my legs feel way too exposed," I muttered, straightening my skirt. "And a cool cape!" Emma chimed in, playing with my hair. "Makeup, eyeliner, blush, lipstick," She giggled at the last word, pinching my right cheek. "Don't get too much of it on him, y/n." "Too much what?" "Oh god, you never thought about... kissing? Like- Kissing Zack?" My reflection turned tomato red. No. I hadn't really thought about... using my lips... to make contact with another human being's lips... "Apparently, shit goes down at the Halloween Gala. A lot of making out, a lot of hooking up." I flicked her forehead, reprimanding her for her dirty mind. "We're 16, idiot!" Emma shrugged in response, pinning my hair up with a scrunchie. "Yeah, but that's the point! We're teenagers! Let's live our lives, y/n. Let's have fun on October 31st. No regrets, okay?" Emma was right. I hadn't been living life to its fullest, and these five years of grieving had been such a waste. "The only regret happening is going to be the Professor after we buy this $200 costume." "And that's just the start of the list," Emma giggled, helping me take the tight corset top off. I'm going to wear this sexy skin- showing costume to make a boy notice me. It was embarrassing to say, let alone think of. But I liked the confidence that silly outfit gave me. So, kissing. I wonder what that would feel like. I gently grazed my lower lip with my right thumb, just the image of Zack's lips being in a foot vicinity of mine making me burn up. I'm excited. Excited for Halloween.