What Real Magic Feels Like

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I never saw Zeekrie for a whole week after that night. I was beginning to think he disappeared. I pushed him to the back of my mind for a while, and forced myself to realize that maybe he didn’t want anything more than just that one night. Maybe I misunderstood him.

But that kiss was real. I could tell there was something there. I waited for him to call me, and I waited for him to text me back. He never did. So I just ignored him and pretended that the night never happened. I made myself believe that the night that was the best night of my existence never happened. It was for the best, right?

Then I had to teach him in class. The first day of Wizzie School started, and I walked through the classroom door expecting to see immature losers with no experience with magic. Well, I did see them, but I also saw Zeekrie. He was goofing off with the rest of the class throwing wads of paper across the room, not even acknowledging my presence.

I walked up to the front of the class and sat in my new desk. It felt weird being the teacher, instead of the learner. I coughed a few times trying to get the students to pay attention. And I glanced at Zeekrie, and I tried to get him to see me. He was too busy being immature like the rest of the guys.

“Welcome class. I’m Anastrah and I will be your teacher.” I announced loudly trying to get my voice across the booming class of wizzies. This finally got them to shut up, only to be followed by a loud stream of laughter.

“Wait- so you’re the teacher? How old are you? Thirteen?” One of Zeekrie’s friends asked. Zeekrie laughed too, which made my heart drop.

“Yes, I’m thirteen and a half. But I’m sure I know more magic then all of your dumb skulls put together,” I began and glanced at my name chart. I found his picture and discovered his name. “Now, Mr. Treves. Would you please take your seat so I can start?”

Everyone shut up. They were probably shocked by my sudden change in voice. I wasn’t going to let my class run me; I was going to run my class.

Zeekrie had no intentions of making eye contact with me. He didn’t talk to me during the lesson at all. He just sat in the back of the class talking to Treves all hour. Why was he ignoring me? Why was he acting like he didn’t know me? Was it because I was simply his teacher now? It didn’t make sense.

During the class I just talked about the basics like levitating or walking through walls. Nobody really paid any attention to what I was saying. It was like I was invisible to them, and they didn’t think I was worth listening to.

When the bell rang, everyone shoved outside of the door, but I grabbed Zeekrie’s arm on the way out. Everyone plowed around him trying to exit the crowded room, but I forced Zeekrie to stay. He rolled his eyes and faced me. I smiled at him, “Are you okay? Why won’t you talk to me?” I questioned.

He sighed, “I need to get to my next class, okay?” He told me. He tried to walk away, but I wouldn’t let him. Why was he acting so strange? I pulled him over to my desk and I sat with him.

“No. Tell me why. I deserve to know why you would just kiss me one night and then ignore me! Is it because I’m your teacher? Because you knew that from the moment I met you.” I complained.

Zeekrie rolled his eyes again and frowned. “You take your magic very seriously. And you’ve got like this plan, right?” He asked.

“So?” I questioned.

“So, I don’t want to screw it up.” He told me.

“How would you screw it up? I want to spend time with you, Zeekrie.” I insisted.

“I’m no good, okay? I’m not going to be 24/7 focused on magic, and I’m probably not going to get all A’s. Honestly, I don’t really care about this whole magic thing. I can live perfectly in Dimitre without it.” Zeekrie explained.

I sighed. “You won’t screw anything up and,” I began. But Zeekrie got up and quickly vanished from the room. And that was it. He didn’t want to spend time with me because he didn’t want to screw my plan up? That was the stupidest excuse I had ever heard.

That night, I decided to walk over to Zeekrie’s apartment and talk to him. I wasn’t going to give up this easily. I knocked on his door, and it only took him half a second to open it. He frowned when he realized it was me. “What?” He asked sternly. “Why can’t you just pretend like that night never happened, Anastrah?”

I smiled, “Because it did happen. And I’m not going to give up just like that! Listen, you’re not going to screw up my plan so why don’t you tell me the real reason why you won’t talk to me? The real reason.” I asked.

Zeekrie sighed and cracked open the door more inviting me in. His apartment was clean and homey. Just like all the other apartments. I sat down on his couch and he sat on a rocking chair, and we were divided by a coffee table. “Okay. Here’s the real truth.” He began; he flipped his hair away from his face and glanced out of the window. “Back on Earth, I had a girlfriend named Sadie. She was amazing, and kind of like you. She was smart and beautiful and… perfect. She deserved more than me, but for some reason she stayed with me.” Zeekrie paused and took a sip of water.

“Anyway, so one day I took her to a party with me. We were drinking a little, and things got a little out of control. She was a lot older than me, so she had her driver’s license. She drove home drunk, Anastrah.” Zeekrie paused again and looked down at his feet, “She died.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He shook his head trying not to let me see the single tear falling from his eyes. I reached across the coffee table and grabbed his hand. “It’s not your fault,” I began, “It was her choice to drink. So don’t beat yourself up.” I explained.

Zeekrie looked up at me and frowned, “I don’t want to mess your life up too. I care about you too much.” He told me.

I smiled, “Well if you refuse to talk to me, then I’ll be messed up anyway.” I explained. I leaned in for a hug and we talked for hours and hours at his apartment. He told me about Sadie, and how much he missed her. He told me how he hated himself so much for what he did, that he started cutting himself and he had to go to therapy. And he told me how, before he met me, he thought he’d never find anybody else to love.