𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 | niki

19 | rollercoaster of emotions

Since McGonagall had requested for a verbal report, regarding how Niki has been doing in our study sessions, the guilt has been growing stronger for lying to her. Not only that, my fear for losing the Head Girl position does too.

If this guy flops his Christmas mock exams, I'm so screwed, because it'll all be down to me. His grades wouldn't have improved, and then the Headmistress would think that I'm messing around and not good enough to help him.

That's why I've been laying on my bed this whole time, screaming into my pillow as I think of a way to get Niki to come to the library in approximately an hour before it reaches seven, our designated time for study sessions in the library.

We haven't communicated in weeks, but I need to find away to let him know. I don't want to text him, because that's too informal and we're not on that level anymore.

But just then, my owl, as if it's reading my mind, tweets at me. An idea pops up into my head.

I take a piece of paper and a pen, and scribble down on it:

Dear Nishimura Riki,

Please come to the library at seven o'clock for your study session. It is vital that you attend, as by request of Headmistress McGonagall.

Yours sincerely,

Nari Akiyama

This is formal enough, right? I mean, McGonagall didn't request for him to come today because she thinks that we're going anyway, but I didn't want to make it seem as if I'm practically begging him to come because I want him to. Because I really don't.

I send off the letter in an envelope using my owl, and don't even expect a response from him. He'll either turn up, or he won't.

***

I rock up to the library, seven o'clock on the dot, and take a seat where Niki and I usually sit. Even though he used to show up first every time in the last, I'm not shocked at all he's turning up late.

He may not even have checked the letter, or he simply refuses to come because we're not on talking terms.

But I jump in my seat when I hear the doors of the library opening and closing with a thud, footsteps gradually getting louder and louder. My heart races ever so fast, and I begin to grow sweaty.

I glance up, and the tall Slytherin boy is stood before me, wearing a short sleeved black T-shirt and joggers, his hands in his pockets. His eyes meet mine, but there's nothing but a blank expression on his face.

He sits down opposite, across the table from me, not directly beside me as he usually does. The soft candle light glows his face, revealing his angry expression.

I swallow as he leans back in his chair, and raises his brows at me, waiting for me to speak.

"We need to continue the study sessions." I manage to make out, feeling as if I'm about to throw up but then I force myself not be nervous, and remember what he did to me so that my remaining feeling of anger overrides the anxiety.

"There's something called texting." Is all he says, showing me his phone and slapping the letter I had sent him down onto the table. "Dear Mr Nishimura Riki? Yours sincerely?"

I begin to grow red in ultimate embarrassment.

"I'm not the smartest of people but I do know that you only use those terms if you don't know the person you're sending it to, Nari." His tone is fierce, and not how it usually is when he used to speak to me.

"I don't know you." Is all I reply with and he looks away with a scoff before I continue. "I think we should go over the potions classwork we were given."

"I'm sure you went through that with Riddle too, no? I don't want you to be repeating yourself."

His snarky response takes me by surprise, but I try not to show it.

"Have you been following us now?" I ask, slightly amused by the lengths this boy would go to.

"I have eyes and ears everywhere." He states. "Giggling and laughing with him? What's that all about?"

"Am I not allowed to?" I scoff, shocked as to why on earth he's questioning me right now but he doesn't even answer my question.

" Why would-" He takes off his ring and slides it over to me. "'Forever yours - Nari' why would you have this written on the ring? Huh?"

I look down at the ring in front of me, staring at it blankly. "I-"

"Why say forever and then leave me?" He asks, his voice shaking slightly and his tone a lot more softer and distressed compared to how angry he sounded just a moment ago.

I look up at him and before I can even react to what has been said, our heads spin towards the library doors as we hear it opening and shutting, voices approaching us.

Without even a second to waste, the two of us get up instantly and run through the book shelves, and Niki crouches down behind one, pulling on my wrist making me sit down directly in front of him.

His legs are apart and I'm sat between them, my back resting against his chest. I struggle to catch my breath.

The darkness of the night and lack of candle light to clear our vision creates a shadow over us, so we're hidden away. If anyone were to see us, they'd have to look twice.

We're not too far away from the people who just walked in, and I swear as the voices get louder and more clearer, they sound oddly too familiar.

I turn and look at Niki who looks at me almost exactly at the same time when we realise who they are.

Hana and Jake?

I dare even attempt to speak to Niki at this moment, still trying to control the roller coaster of emotions that I just experienced within the past minute.

A moment passes and I swear I hear them making out, and I gasp but Niki's reaction is way to quick, as he covers my mouth with his hand. I push it off of me and look up at him with a glare.

"How the hell is Jake getting more action than me, the fuck?" Niki whispers and my eyes widen, as I tense up at his comment.

Before I can even think about how to get out of this extremely awkward situation, I swear I see something on the ground crawling towards us, and I prevent a squeal from escaping my mouth and budge back further into Niki, grasping onto his legs in fear and he lets out a breath.

"Fuck, Nari what are you doing?" He asks.

"Niki there's literally a spider on the floor." I whisper loudly and he begins to get distressed too, but pretends to keep his cool.

He instinctively holds onto my hands that are still gripping onto his legs, and that's when we both scream as we feel the creepy crawly climb onto our hands.

Niki stands up instantly, pulling me up with him as he picks me up by holding onto my waist and we run away as fast as we can, and stop when we see Hana sat on a table, with Jake stood in front of her, the two of them looking just as frightened as we are.

"Oh my god, no way you two!?" Jake exclaims, as me and Niki stand there side by side, trying to catch our breath.

"You'll never guess what we just went through." Niki says and I nod, taking a step away from him as I realise I'm stood way too close. "Nari got super scared of a spider that crawled onto her."

"What!?" I exclaim in shock.

"We heard you both screaming." Hana laughs. "What were you two doing here alone anyway?" She asks, wiggling her brows at me and I glance up at Niki who's already looking at me.

He widens his eyes as if to say, 'Don't you dare tell them'. I made a deal with him not to tell anyone about our study sessions so I guess I couldn't explain that.

"I could ask the same thing to you two." Niki responds and Hana and Jake go bright red.