off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ fifty five

The beach trip had been a nice break from regular life, but Vicky had had to land back into reality a lot earlier than she would've wanted. It was seven thirty in the morning, the sun was already shining far too bright, and there she was, walking to school. Summer school. The bane of her existence. Usually, she would have simply skipped, not at all eager to spend any more time at school. But this was her last year before graduation, and her parents were (rightfully) worried about her grades. So just this time, she'd agreed to attend. A little bit. Maybe not every day. That sounded like actual hell.

She'd bumped into Narae on the way, who, the lucky girl, was only going to school to water the plants of its garden. At least she would be able to go home once she would be done, while she would be stuck there... Unfortunately, none of Narae's attempts at cheering her up had worked.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Narae said, persevering. "If you need a break, you can always come to the garden."

Vicky could only sigh. "I don’t know... It's going to be so boring."

It was at this exact moment, as if the universe wanted to make her eat her words, that she noticed a distinctive head of blond hair in the crowd that had formed around the gates of the school. In an instant, Vicky's heart jumped to her throat, and her hands turned clammy. She hadn’t seen his face since the beach trip, but oh, she'd certainly dreamed of it. She could still feel the warmth of his hand, the softness of his fingers in between hers. The gentle smiles he'd given her, the popsicles they'd shared. God, she really was in love with him. Maybe summer school wasn’t so bad, if he was here.

It seemed Narae had noticed her reaction, because she patted her on the back with an amused chuckle. "I guess that's my cue to go," she joked, pulling on the straps of her backpack. "Go see your prince, I'll see you later."

Vicky barely noticed as Narae left towards the garden, too entranced with the magical sight before her. Oh, she wanted to talk to him so much, she wanted to hear his delicate voice. But Ricky, ever so popular, had about a dozen students gathered around him, keeping all of his attention. She couldn’t just jump in there and approach him when he was busy talking to other people. All she could do was simply stand there, her feet rooted into the ground, her heart longing for even a glance from her beloved prince.

Much to her surprise, that glance came right after she'd finished her thought. It was like everything went slow motion as Ricky turned his head, blond strands wooshing in the air, and their eyes met. Vicky's breath immediately caught in her throat, unsure if she'd just imagined it. Surely he hadn’t noticed her, when there were so many people around.

Well, he had done much more than notice her. He gestured towards his friends before backing away from the crowd, then started marching in her direction. Vicky's chest tightened as she watched him. He'd been in the middle of a conversation, but... But he'd abandoned it just to come see her.

"Hey Vicky," he greeted her, a wide, bright smile on his face.

God, and he was smiling so much, too. She was so mesmerized by the sight that she found herself speechless for an entire minute. Only when he cleared his throat, did she realize she needed to speak up.

"Ah, um, hello!" she stammered, knowing perfectly well her cheeks were completely red. "How are you?"

He pouted his rosy lips, and she almost fainted. "Eh, could be better. I wish I was back in Sokcho... Summer school sucks."

That much, she could agree with. "Yeah, I can't wait for this to be over."

"At least," he started, his gaze softening, "you're here too."

At that, Vicky saw the world spin around her, and she had to muster up all of her strength so she wouldn’t fall to the ground. Oh, she really couldn’t do it anymore. Surely he could see on her face, just how much she loved him.