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Ray would do anything to keep Norman and Emma safe. To keep them happy. So when Norman told him that he loved Emma, he wanted to support that. He wanted the very best for his best friends in this horrible corrupted world.
Then, something he didn’t want to happen actually happen.
He started to like Emma in a romantic way.
It was subtle at first. Every time he saw her, the boy was content. He thought it was what a normal best friend would feel. Ray wanted to keep Emma company, her energetic personality was contagious.
He started checking her out. Looking out for her, of course. He couldn’t like her. He wouldn’t. But he did.
Ray could spot her brilliant orange hair anywhere. He could be lost in those entrancing emerald green eyes for hours. He didn’t though. The boy thought that was kinda creepy coming from him.
Ray thought he wasn’t the one who could be by Emma’s side. He wanted to. One thing for sure was this.
Norman was clearly the better choice. He was smarter, he was nicer, he was FUCKING TALLER. Ray couldn’t compete with Norman.
And that was what disgusted him. Norman trusted Ray. Ray of all people. Ray who once was a traitor ( That was back in nursery and by traitor he means tattletale ).
Ray would sit at the back of the class, where nobody would see him, and daydream.
He imagined how nice would be holding Emma’s hand, interlocked fingers and all. How he would say something stupid just to hear her addictive laughter ( he already kinda did this but he wanted it for himself).
He was becoming selfish and he hated it.
When Ray was in one of his little daydreaming sessions in Drama Class, the teacher announced special project that would be due in two weeks. The teacher also said that the project would be in pairs. That perked his interest.
Ray quickly looked for Emma, which wasn’t hard. When his dark eyes landed on the girl, his heart stopped for a second. Emma was looking at Norman to be her partner and the boy was looking back.
Ray wasn’t Emma’s first choice. It was Norman.
Like a miracle, Emma quickly glanced at him and smiled. At that moment, the teacher announced that he would choose the partners and you could hear the whines of the student.
Ray still had a chance.
But life wasn’t fair. It could ruin his chance with just a snap of it’s finger tips. And it did.
Emma was with Don, a nice guy actually. Norman was with sweet old Anna and Ray with Gilda. He was not complaining he was with Gilda but he wanted something else. Someone else.
The teacher told the students that each pair would choose one of the three categories to showcase in front of the class. Dance, Music or Singing. This would help them be more comfortable on stage and to help those who have failing grades.
This was stupid, Ray thought. He didn’t need to do this with being one of the top students in the school. Yet when he saw how excited Emma was, he couldn’t say no to this.
The teacher assigned them with a singing part. Oh how he hated singing in front of other people. He only sang with is mother of best friends and those were rare times but he had to do these. So he began to work with Gilda. She is a pretty shy girl and when the teacher told them they had a singing part she almost fainted. Gilda is nice to everyone including Ray. The boy has never met such a patient person before. It was a nice change of pace.
They couldn’t pick a song right away. Both kids had different taste in music. Gilda wanted one of those pop songs that everyone knows and Ray wanted a darker song. They decided to pick a song at lunch time, where they would be discussing more about the project.
When the bell announced that it was lunch time, Emma went quickly to Ray.
“ Ray! Let’s eat together! “
She happily exclaimed. Ray smiled at her. Emma went to him. Emma looked for him. Emma cared for him. His smile turned sad.
“ Sorry Emma, I’m eating with Gilda today. We’re going to discuss the project.”
Emma frowned. She looked disappointed. She spoke a weak okay before looking for Norman. Ray mentally cursed at himself. He made her sad.
Ray was sitting alone under the tree in the courtyard of the school. He was waiting for Gilda to get her lunch. The boy looked up at the blue sky. The wind felt nice on his face. He thought of Emma.
He always thought of Emma when he was in peace. Ray wished he could enjoy this afternoon with her. He wished he could love her freely, not caring about other people. But he cared. Especially he cared for Norman.
He stared whistling a song. A song he knew Emma liked. A song he says he hates but actually likes. Because of Emma.
“ That’s it! “
Ray quickly turned to where he heard the voice. Gilda stood there, smiling widely. The boy looked away embarrassed.
“No no, don’t be embarrassed! “
Gilda tried to calm him down. She didn’t mean to scare or embarrass him in anyway. The girl sat down next to him and smile more softly.
“ Ray, I think we should sing that song. “
Ray looked at Gilda in disbelief. That song? Is she insane? He then thought about this for a little longer. The boy agreed with Gilda. He had a plan, a stupid one, but still a plan. If he succeeds, then Emma will know. He hopes she accepts him as he is.
The day has come. Everybody was getting ready for the big presentation. Ray and Gilda were in a corner of the classroom, practicing. Ray was getting nervous but he didn’t show it. He will do this and get rid of these bottled up feelings once and for all.
The teacher called up the Dancing acts first. They were okay except Emma’s group because their act was amazing. They twirled around and looked like they genuinely were having fun. Don has the strength to lift Emma off her feet. Emma has the athletic ability to do things even professionals had trouble with. The teacher gave them a perfect score. They deserved it. Emma deserves it.
Next were the Music acts. These people were assigned some instruments and had to look up some . Norman and Anna practice both the violin and viola. Words couldn’t describe their synchronization. It was literally music to the ears. They were in sync and they matched their melodies in such a way that it brought actual tears to the student’s eyes.
Last but not least, the singing acts were up. The students sang all kinds of song from ballads to heavy metal ( the teacher was a little disappointed with those ). Ray was getting more nervous by the minute. He... He can’t do this. he needs to go. This was a bad idea.
Suddenly Gilda grabbed his hands and looked at him determined.
“ Ray, I know we can do this! ”
The girl exclaimed. Ray was kinda glad that Gilda encouraging him even though he can clearly see she is as nervous as him. The dark haired boy nodded to her.
“ Gilda and Ray, you’re up. “
The teacher announced. Almost robotically the duo got up from their seats and made their way to the stage. They checked that everything was okay before getting in position.
There he was, standing in front of his class about to sing a song. A song that reminds him of his emotions. Nervous as he was, Ray looked up to the crowd and found Emma. They made eye contact. Black looking at green. He released his breath he didn’t know he was holding. Ray then looked at Gilda and she nodded. A soft piano could be heard in the background as both students were preparing to sing.
Ray started to sing;
“ If I could begin to be...”
He looked at Emma once more.
“Half of what you think of me. I could to about anything. I could even learn how to love.”
Gilda followed;
“ When I see the way you act, wondering when i’m going back. I would do about anything. I would even learn how to love like you...”
In this part both Ray and Gilda do an improvised harmony before the boy sang,
“ I always thought I might be bad, now I’m sure that its true-“
Emma’s mouth hung open as Ray sang beautifully,
“ Cause I think you’re so good and I’m nothing like you.”
Gilda followed up with the next lyrics as Ray looked around to find Norman with a confused and solemn smile on his face. The silver haired boy wasn’t stupid nor oblivious as some may think. Norman had his suspicions of Ray’s feelings towards Emma but couldn’t prove anything. Ray looked down, unable to see Norman eye to eye as he turned around once more to sing the final words.
“ If I could begin to do something that cause right by you-“
Ray felt a blush creeping up his face. Shit... everyone can see and he can’t hide it.
“ I would to about anything, I would even learn how to love...”
Gilda sang the last lines before the harmony came up again. As the song finish, every student clapped amazed at the performance. Emma was clapping, a slight blush in her face. Ray would say she understood his message but he wasn’t sure. He inmedeatly blushed harder. The black haired boy just confessed secretly to his best friend who was the crush of his other best friend. As the teacher congratulated them, Ray literally ran out of the classroom, unable to handle his emotions properly. He didn’t care if he skipped the class or the next one, Ray need to get out of there.
Ray knows Emma and Norman are going to hate him for this.
Oh god, he is so screwed.