Filed to story: That Campus Prince Is a Girl
She remembered how warm Eddie used to be to her when they were in Regalburg. She couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable about it.
But she’d been the one trying to keep her distance from Eddie anyway, so she really didn’t get why she was feeling this way now.
In the end, Eddie set his plate down. After all, there was no way he could just stand there and eat.
They were at a small table for two.
Vicki didn’t have much of an appetite and only took a few dishes.
After setting his plate down, Eddie went back for a few more things. He turned to Vicki and asked politely, “Ms. Shaw, is there anything you want to eat? I can get it for you.”
Vicki shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Eddie sat back down. The two of them ate in silence.
In the bustling restaurant, their silence made them seem out of place, as if they were isolated from the lively crowd around them
Eddie usually ate quickly and gracefully, but tonight, he made a point of taking his time. He never lifted his gaze to look at Vicki directly is kept watching her from the corner of his eye.
So when Vicki accidentally bit into something spicy and started looking around for water, he immediately slid his untouched glass of watermelon juice toward her.
Vicki took it and quickly took a few sips to cool the burn in her mouth. Only then did she finally look at Eddie with gratitude. “Thanks, Eddie
“No problem,” Eddie said flatly. He didn’t even bother to look up at her.
Vicki bit her straw, glancing at Eddie’s distant look, feeling a bit puzzled.
When he handed her the watermelon juice just now, his face seemed a little anxious. ‘Did I imagine it?’ she wondered.
After that, neither of them said another word. Vicki finished her dinner first, said goodbye, and left.
Once Vicki was gone, Eddie lost his appetite completely. He set his fork down, figuring Vicki was probably back in her room by now, and then got up to leave.
With one hand in his pocket, Eddie was almost at the elevator when he heard Vicki’s cheerful voice. He stopped in his tracks.
“Baron, Rachel, you guys are back. Did you have dinner yet?” Vicki called out.
Rachel hooked her arm through Vicki’s. “Yeah, we already ate. Vicki, did you have fun today?”
“I just wandered around a bit. Where did you two go?” Vicki asked.
The three of them chatted as they stepped into the elevator.
Only then did Eddie finally step out. He felt like some kind of creep, secretly keeping tabs on Vicki’s every move.
‘Things will be easier once I’m back in Steerfall tomorrow,’ he told himself with a sigh. As long as he kept his distance from her, he could control himself.
It was months later, right before the New Year, when Eddie saw Vicki again.
In winter, Regalburg was a world of ice and snow. Everywhere one looked was covered in a blanket of white.
The Quinn Manor was no exception, draped in a silv of snow.
Beth linked her arm through Eddie’s as they walked along the cobblestones. “You didn’t come to Regalburg for your grandfather’s birthday last time. Later, you should apologize to him in
Eddie nodded with his usual calm. “Alright.”
Beth glanced at him, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
Eddie was so steady and reserved now, but she still remembered that he used to be such a lively, lovable boy.
Beth added, “Rachel’s only three years younger than you, and she’s about to marry. You should hurry up.”
Rachel was Eddie’s cousin and the girlfriend of Vicki’s brother, Baron.
This trip to Regalburg was to discuss Rachel and Baron’s wedding.
Beth, as Rachel’s aunt, had been invited back by Rachel’s parents.
With the New Year approaching, Beth brought Eddie along to visit his grandpa.
Baron had lost his parents when he was young, and Vicki was his only little sister. Of course, she was at the Quinn Manor today, too.
Vicki stood in the snow yard, bundled up in snow boots, leather gloves, and a thick down jacket. Even with all those layers, she didn’t look bulky at all-even from behind, she looked adorable.
She was reaching up to touch the snow piled on a pine branch.
Eddie came to a halt without even realizing it. Beth stopped as well. Following Eddie’s gaze, she spotted Vicki.
With a smile, Beth said, “That’s Baron’s sister, Vicki, right? She’s pretty cute. I’ll go find your grandfather first. You come over in a bit.”
Their voices caught Vicki’s attention. She turned around and saw Beth and Eddie.
Vicki’s cheeks were rosy from the cold, but she smiled politely and greeted them, “Hi, Mrs. Saunders, Eddie.”
Eddie gave her a small nod, then turned to Beth. “I’ll go with you. It’s been a long time since I last saw Grandpa.”
Beth glanced at him, then at Vicki. She chatted briefly with Vicki, then went off with Eddie.
Vicki watched them walk away, brushing the Vicki from her gloves, her eyes deep and unreadable.
Eddie went to greet his grandpa. While Beth was chatting with her dad, Eddie excused himself and stepped out.
Before he knew it, he found himself back at the spot where he’d seen Vicki just moments ago. To his surprise, she was still there.
Vicki was busy building a snowman, having just finished the body. All that activity had made her a bit warm.
She’d taken off her down jacket, and with only a thin wool sweater on, she looked quite lightly dressed for the weather.
Her plaid skirt swept through the Vicki, the hem already a little wet. But she didn’t mind at all.
Eddie just stood there, unable to take his eyes off her.
Vicki finished the snowman and smiled, clearly proud of her handiwork.
Eddie found himself smiling too, without even noticing.
Just then, Eddie’s phone started ringing in his pocket.
Hearing it, Vicki turned to look right away.
Eddie instinctively took a couple of steps back, wanting to hide.
“Hi, Eddie,” Vicki called out, giving him a friendly wave. her, but the Quinn Manor was so big and empty, and there was nowhere to
Eddie gave her a cool nod, turned around, and pulled out his phone. It was Beth calling to tell him lunch was ready.
Just then, Vicki got a call from her brother, too. “Okay, I’ll be right there,” Vicki replied. With that, she made her way over to the stone path.
She’d been playing in the snow for so long that the bottoms of her snow boots were soaked through. The moment she set foot on the stone path, her right foot suddenly shot out from under her.
“Ah,” Vicki yelped as she lost her balance, panic flashing across her face.
“Watch out,” Eddie cried out.
He moved before he even thought about it. In a split second, he tossed his phone aside-it arced through the air and landed with a clunk in the frozen artificial lake nearby.
But Eddie didn’t have time to worry about that. He dropped to his knees on the flagstones, sliding forward, and caught Vicki in his arms just before she hit the ground.
Vicki thought she was going to hit the ground hard. The flagstones were so unforgiving. She was sure it would hurt like hell. She might even break a bone.
She almost shut her eyes out of fear, as if trying to what was coming. But the pain never came. Instead, she landed on something soft.
Confused, Vicki opened her eyes and realized she was in Eddie’s arms.
Just a moment ago, Eddie had been standing a few feet away. ‘How have I ended up in his arms?’ she wondered.
Noticing the dazed girl still in his arms, Eddie finally let out a slow breath.
But he quickly snapped back to reality. He reached out, pulled Vicki to her feet, and took a couple of steps back, putting some distance between them. “Ms. Shaw, are you okay?”
Vicki waved her hand. “I’m fine. Eddie, are, you okay? Wait? Eddie, your pants are ripped. Is your knee alright?”
Eddie saw the worried look on Vicki’s face and froze for a second. He looked down and, sure enough, there was a hole at the knee of his pants. He must have torn it when he slid across the flagstones.
“Oh, no, Eddie, you’re bleeding,” Vicki cried, her eyes going wide as she realized it wasn’t just his pants-his knee was scraped up badly, a mess of blood and raw flesh.
Only then did Eddie notice that his knee was starting to hurt.
