My Muse || READER X RAY || The Promised Neverland

🔒 My Muse || Chapter Seventy One

"It was probably something I should have mentioned, right?"

Zack nodded, leaning against the wall on the far side of the room. Emma was jump roping with Oliver, listening to our conversation. 

"Ray had... Told me he wasn't sure if I felt the same way about him that he felt about me. The way he looked at me... Was just off putting. I didn't know what he meant. He told me to think about it." 

"Did you ask?" Emma commented, putting the rope down. 

"I... Didn't..." Should I have? I just didn't feel like I had to. I had other things on my mind. Zack seemingly read my mind, taking a seat next to me. His hand hovered over mine, eventually pulling it back. He frowned. "Do you... still like him?" 

Ray's smiling face flashed in my head. And then his frowns. His angry shouts, jealous door slamming. His cold, plain demeanor towards people initially. Zach was like Ray, except he got sad instead of mad. I felt bad, comparing the two in my head. 

"No, I don't." 

Ray was rude, jealous and a liar. Ray never tells me his feelings, and leaves everything for me to agonize in. He cares, but he's bad at it. I just needed him to tell me three words. 

Zach sighed, relieved. "Then, let's back to working out." His small smile was cute. He pulled the striped white headband on, standing up. "Let's do some real cardio." He offered his hand and I took it, letting him pull me up. "Borrow Gillian's sneakers. We're going for a run."

"Emma, Oliver, wanna come?" I called, opening the door. They shouted an 'okay', skipping behind me. 

"Are you serious? About him?"

"Which him?" I replied, pulling on Gillian's pastel pink running shoes. 

She sighed, glaring at me. Emma's never given anyone that look before. "Zack. You've only known him for two weeks." "And in these two weeks, he's treated me better than Ray ever had." We broke into a run, following Zack's distant figure. "Ooh, drama." Oliver teased, messing up Emma's golden hair. She hissed at him, telling him to go ahead. He laughed, falling into beat with Zach. 

"Ray's been with you for fifteen years." She continued, turning her attention back to me. "He's part of our family." 

"And so are the kids at Goldy Pond, Emma. All cattle children are our family. If you're so upset about Ray, why don't you date him? You've been keen on that, haven't you?" My voice was sharp and cold. I didn't mean for it to be. But I was annoyed, hurt and I didn't want to deal with Emma reprimanding me for something that wasn't her business. 

She didn't reply. She sped up, jumping onto Oliver's back. They were cute together. I shouldn't have said that. I should apologize later. "What happened?" Zach asked, slowing down to my side. I smiled as genuinely as I could. "It's nothing." He was unconvinced, giving me that look. He let me off, instead asking me about my leg. "If it starts to hurt, take a break." 

Ray was never asked me how I was, or remembered things that upset me. 

I did it again. Compare the two. 

"I'm sorry." I muttered, under my breath. The wind hid my voice, Zach humming to himself. Another song popped into my head. Ray's song.