Choices || OC x Gender Neutral Reader

1 - Night Owl

Y/n angrily drove their eraser into the rough paper, fading the dark sketch. Damit, they thought, Why did I press so hard when drawing? They placed their palms against the edge of their desk and pushed, sending the chair teddering back until the back wheels hit their carpet's fringe. They let out a burned-out sigh, causing a strand of their h/c hair to flitter away from their scrunched-up face.
"How am I supposed to get into art school when this is what I'm working with?" they growled softly to their ceiling, splaying their arms out before them as if to signify their art was one big mess. After a moment they doubled over and buried their face in their hands, pressing hard against their closed e/c eyes.
Y/n jumped at the light knocking against their door and their mom entered.
"I heard you groaning and sighing again. What happened?" the lean woman moved to sit on the edge of y/n's bed across from them. The h/c-haired teen gritted their teeth slightly. As much as they loved their mother, her constant pestering could get very annoying at times.
"I'm fine. Just artist struggles," they murmured coldly. Y/n's mom lifted an eyebrow. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and stayed like that for a moment, poised and thinking. Y/n stared back, unmoving. After a moment that seemed to drag on forever, their mother stood with a sigh and a slight smile.
"You're as hard to read as me. I will never understand you." She chuckled a little and moved to the doorway but stopped with her hand against the frame. "You know you could always go for Brooke High, right? Art school isn't your only option," she said without turning.
"I won't make it past the first semester in that stupid private school. I don't know anything a normal school would teach, but I do know art." y/n said almost grimly.
"I know but it sounds like a great school and I think it would be a really good opportunity for you to grow and learn." Her mom said in her lecture voice.
"Mh hm.." y/n mumble-groaned. They swung their chair back and forth with their foot. Their mom gave them a disapproving look before turning towards the hallway and closing the door behind her.
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Later that night y/n lay on their back on top of their navy blue blankets, staring at their ceiling. they twisted around, snatched their sketchbook from their nightstand, and began flipping through their drawings. They were good, but is this really what they wanted? Maybe their mom was right? Or perhaps they were just tired. Either way, they lifted themselves from their bed and slipped on their boots. Pulling on their jacket they quietly pried open their window and slipped out onto the roof. they secured themselves to the tree a few feet away and slid down it like a pole, successfully sneaking out. The slight breeze swept through their hair and tugged them forward. Before they could take more than a few steps, a meow sounded from behind them. they glanced over their shoulder just in time to see a flash of black and white streaking down from the roof. Luna, y/n's tuxedo cat, quickly padded up to them with a needy meow.
"I take it you're coming with me?" they asked, not expecting a reply. The feline blinked her grass-colored eyes in response. Y/n gave a quick nod and continued forward. They strolled casually towards the gas station, planning on getting a slushie or maybe coffee, depending on how they felt when they got there. There was a light chill hanging in the air that cooled y/n's spinning mind. Luna trotted loyalty at their heels, most likely knowing the route with how often y/n took it. Before long they found themselves pushing open the gas station doors and their e/c eyes were flooded with bright, buzzing lights. They moved robotically to the back of the store and grabbed a flimsy plastic cup which they then pressed against the levers, filling it with sweet colorful slush. After they had collected each color of ice in the cup they snatched a lid and made their way to the front of the store. There were two people in line in front of them, not including Luna. Y/n stared down at the cold colors swirling around in the tall cup, deep in thought. Maybe I should consider it... they moved the white straw with their thumb and index finger, causing it to slice through the color and send them rushing back behind the slim tube. They were snapped from their trance when a voice sounded in front of her.
"Is this your cat?" Asked a monotone voice. Y/n's head snapped up to see a tall boy with thick black hair hanging over half of his face staring down at her. His weary violet eyes bore into their e/c ones, but his finger pointed downwards at Luna, who was weaving through and around the boy's ankles.
"U-um yeah- yeah it is sorry." they quickly dropped to the ground and scooped up their cat.
"It's fine. I like cats." He said simply before turning back around to pay for his coffee (or what they thought was coffee, they couldn't see what was in the cup). He moved quickly towards the gas station doors. Y/n couldn't help but blush slightly when he brushed back past them, their eyes locking ever so briefly. So brief they might have been imagining it. They fumbled over themselves and their money before they awkwardly paid. they snatched their slushy and called Luna to their heel so they could move quickly but casually to the exit. they practically burst through the doors and looked around almost frantically. their heart fluttered with excitement in their chest when they spotted the black-haired boy, but it swiftly sank when they realized he was going in the opposite direction of their house. Whatever. I don't even know him. I have to calm down. They sighed and made their way back to their house with their cat and slushy, the boy still in the back of their mind.