Pull the trigger (Norman x Ray)

Chapter 6: (Norman)♧

" I can't believe he would accuse me of something like that!" I complained to Akira and Jeremy at lunch the next day.

"I mean, can you really blame him? Your family doesn't have a good reputation. Ever since your dad took over the education system, things haven't been going that well. There's an increase in suicides and dropouts in the academy. Most students care more about the scores on different exams than learning the information." Akira stated.

"Aki's right. Most kids are terrified of being kicked out of the academy. Getting in is difficult, so it sucks to be kicked out." Jeremy agreed.

"Whatever. I'm still offended." I argued, slowly shuffling away from them.

"Stop being annoying, Norman." Aki sighed, "I get that you're offended, but Ray made some good points."

"Fine, whatever," I grumbled, noticing Ray reading a book at a nearby table. "I'll catch you guys later!" I heard Jeremy say something I couldn't hear as I ran toward Ray. I took a seat across from him and waited for him to notice my presence. Spoiler alert! He didn't even look up once.

"That's an awful book."

Ray looked up from his book, "That's colorful coming from someone who looks like they haven't touched a book in years."

"That's actually kinda true," I answered, laughing at his disbelief. "Dude, I've been sitting here for like 5 minutes and you didn't even notice me."

"Technically, I did notice you. I just didn't care enough to acknowledge you." He smirked.

"That actually kinda hurts." I clutched my heart and cried out in pain. Ray began laughing at my dramatic attempt to get some recognition and I couldn't help but stare at his face. His eyes sparkled when he laughed and his lips always showed faint hints of a smile when he was done.

"Hey..." I immediately shifted my eyes away from his lips and directed my attention to his eyes when I heard Ray's voice quiet down. "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

"It's nothing. I shouldn't have reacted like that." My friends were right. Ray had every right to accuse me of being exactly like my dad. I just hope I can change his mind about me.

Ray smiled at me, and I swear my heart was doing flips. There's something about him that makes me want to extend this mission as much as I can. Or just not complete the task after all. The only flaw to that is how my dad would react. I don't know what's more important. Ray? Or my dad's approval?

"So you wanna hang out after classes?" Ray asked, bringing me back to the present. I always seem to zone out when I'm around him. What is he doing to me?

"Sure, I know a quiet place close to here if you're interested." Ray and I agreed to meet up in a couple of hours.

...

I was scrolling through my phone when I heard someone call my name. I threw my phone under the covers of my bed out of habit and jumped up.

"D-dad?" I stuttered out of shock.

Wait, what?

What in the actual fuck.

"I just came to check in on you. I was coming back from a meeting at Grace Field and I decided to see how your mission was going." He smiled, inviting himself to sit on my bed.

Grace Field was nowhere near the academy. He probably thought that I couldn't complete the job.

"I'm planning on completing it today. We're hanging out in a bit."

"That's great news. I'm really proud of you, Norman."

He's proud of me?

"I should get going now. Call me when the task is complete." He waved his hand and walked out of the dorm.

He didn't even ask how I was doing or how my classes were. He just cared about the damn mission. Why do I even care so much about his approval? It's not like he gives a shit about me!

Why do parents have to be so confusing?

Is it so hard to want him to acknowledge me for once?

My eyes shifted to a notification that had just popped up on my phone.

Ray.

I grabbed my phone and tapped on his contact.

Ray ❤️: Wanna meet a little early? I'm rlly bored

I smiled at his text before responding.
Norman: Sure I'll pick you up
   
I grabbed my keys and a jacket before running out the door.

Hold up.

Ray and I share a dorm.

Norman: Wait where are you?

Ray ❤️: Parking lots. I'll wait for you

I paused for a moment and walked back inside the dorm. My eyes spotted the carefully hidden weapon my dad had given me for the mission. I walked towards it and took it out of it's hiding place. One look at the thing made my stomach hurt. Was I really thinking of hurting someone with that? Hurting Ray? I slammed the case shut and hid the weapon again.

I walked towards my car to see Ray leaning on it with his phone in his hand. His shoulders looked tense and he seemed to be typing quickly. He looked up and waved before shoving his phone in his back pocket.

"You took your sweet time." Ray said, running his arms to keep himself warm. "It's fucking cold out here."

"Hey, I wasn't the one who told you to come outside without a jacket. It's literally zero degrees out." I scolded.

"Whatever, I'll survive. I'm totally capable of staying in the cold."

"Is that why you're shaking?" I smirked. Ray glared at me and I took it as my cue to unlock the car. Ray jumped in and turned the heater on.

The drive was silent aside from a few comments from Ray about how bad my driving was. The silence was unsettling. When it got too quiet Ray would shuffle his legs and reach for his phone, but he'd never take it out. He kept tapping his fingers on his thigh and his eyes couldn't focus on one single thing.

"Norman! Watch out!" Ray screamed with his hands blocking his head as a car took a swift turn away from us. I slammed the breaks and stared at the car that was somehow in the wrong lane. Ray unbuckled his seat belt and ran out of the car before opening my door.

...

A/N

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this book! I'm so sorry about the extremely late update. I've been really busy with school and classes. I've been super stressed lately but I promise that I'll start updating more frequently. I hope you all had a great week and it's finally the month of love!

And finally my birthday is almost here!

(Please let me know if there are any mistakes in this chapter)