— ★ —
â›â› can’t help observe and stare âœâœ
—08:00
the huge campus of wakeone prestige academy bustled with chatter of students as they head to their classes, early in the morning
the guy famous for being young and rich tall and handsome was also heading towards his lockers when someone deliberately bumped into him
“oh! ricky” the person said “didn’t expect to see you here” she exclaimed feigning surprise
oh it’s hua again..
ricky looked taken aback but managed to keep his cool composure “ok?”
“how have you been?” she asked, her tone overly sweet
“good” ricky replied uninterestedly while taking out some files of papers
“that’s nice to hear,” xiao hua continued as her eyes locked onto his
“you know, i’ve been thinking about us lately”
ricky’s expression tightened, sensing where this was going
“didn’t ask” he mentally rolled his eyes and closed his lockers not even sparing a glance at her
xiao hua’s face hardened, her grip on her bag tightening
“i- i know you didn’t im just saying”
“stop bringing that up or either just leave me alone” said the taller boy, his tone slightly stern
“funny how you can move on so quickly, while i’m still here dealing with our aftermath of our breakup?” she spoke as her tone lowered down in sadness
“and what ricky, did i mean nothing to you?”
“dealing?? with our aftermath?? i have all the rights to move on from someone who cheated in the first place”
ricky’s voice remained firm as hua’s expression shifted and she lowered her gaze
“how many times am i going to say i didn’t cheat! you think you can just throw me away without any consequences?”
“obviously” ricky’s patience was wearing thin “im not stupid i don’t want to get involved with you again”
xiao hua’s heart sank a little upon hearing his cold tone
she then leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a menacing whisper “are you sure about that? you better think twice because i have plenty of dirt on you”
ricky’s eyes narrowed “and that is?”
a sinister smile played on xiao hua’s lips
“you know the one where you and your friends did some things you wouldn’t want anyone to find out?” she suddenly said
ricky’s jaw clenched “you wouldn’t dare”
xiao hua’s gaze never wavered
“oh i would, imagine if certain people found out about your little escapades, your reputation would crumble”
ricky’s fists clenched at his sides, a mix of anger and frustration growing within him “that was just for a joke, you’re bluffing”
hua chuckled darkly “oh were you?” she tilted her head
“think about it babe, get back with me or your precious reputation will come crashing down”
ricky’s mind raced as he realized the extent of hua’s manipulation
he couldn’t believe she would stoop this low, but he also knew he couldn’t let her control him
“i won’t be fooled by you”
he said and continued “you can do whatever you want, but i won’t give in to your threats”
xiao hua’s expression twisted with anger and ricky smirked gazing into her eyes
“what? does daddy’s little princess can’t handle someone telling her ‘no’ ?”
her eyes then raged furiously at his response but she quickly composed herself
“whatever ricky, but remember you brought this on yourself”
with that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving ricky standing there and he sighed in frustration
–
“hey lovelick-” someone called out to him with a smile but then ricky slammed his textbooks on his desk and sat down with an annoyed face
“-nevermind hey ricky, not so lovely today” gyuvin, his seatmate said
“hey” ricky responded coldly and started taking out his books for the first class of the day
“are you mad?”
“no gyuvin im literally so happy”
“oh- good for you i guess”
“shut up”
“ok i will, but before that wHY DID YOU REPLACE ME WITH CHENLE“
“omg don’t start this with me right now kim gyuvin“
“fINE! ik you’re not in the mood to talk but why him?”
“literally stop talking”
“ok i’ll stop”
“you’re still talking”
“IM NOT”
“YOU JUST DID”
“YOU KEEP TALKING TO ME”
“OMG KIM GYUVIN CAN YOU SHUT THE HELL UP”
“OK FINE”
“YOU TALKED AGAIN”
“YOU TOLD ME TO STOP TALKING AND I RESPONDED TO LET YOU KNOW I WILL STOP TALKING”
“OMG CAN YOU STOP JUST STOP”
“STOP WHAT”
“STOP THAT CAN YOU SHUT UP”
“I WOULD, BUT YOU KEEP TALKING TO ME RICKY”
“OK SO SHUT THE FUCK UP NOW”
“OK I WILL”
“STOP!”
“I DID STOP”
“OMG SHUT YOUR FUCKING FACES!” jeonghyeon suddenly shouted in between them and shut the tom and jerry duo real good
“im reading here”
“ok genius lee”
–
she strategically placed herself in his path, feigning vulnerability and drawing him into conversations
but as for the boy, at least he knew his worth and even if she spreaded misinformation and leak his past behaviours, he won’t be to bothered to be affected anyway, but it also seemed hua was aware she can’t really do anything about it
as break time arrived the trio, gyuvin jeonghyeon and ricky talked among themselves
“let’s go find jingxiang and eat”
“his classroom is so far awayy”
“then we’ll just eat there” jeonghyeon shrugged as they stood up to leave but ricky suddenly stopped
“i have to go somewhere, i’ll catch up”
“where?”
“i have books to return”
“alright then bye”
the two waved at him and left in a blink
as ricky went to the library to return the book, he wasted no time and headed to jingxiang’s classroom
but then someone suddenly appeared in front of him
“hey ricky” he was taken aback at first but sighed in annoyance when he saw who it was
“i was wondering if you could help me with my math work, im so lost” xiao hua said and pouted
ricky sighed inwardly ; he thought of walking away at first but agreed to assist
as they sat in the library heads bent over textbooks, hua took her chance accidentally brushing her hands on his or slightly lean over to his shoulders
her attempt though, had no effect on the boy
“hey” ricky muttered making her turn to him “what exactly are you trying to do” his voice, cold
“what?”
“you know that even if you try to ruin my reputation it wouldn’t work” he snickered and looked away
“then why did you insist in helping me here?” she frowned
“well, im not as evil as you” he responded casually as he read some books and hua scoffed at his words and continued her own work
“ricky, let’s get some snacks” xiao hua whined while shaking his left arm attempting to catch his attention
“finish your work first” ricky said pointing at the math equation he had set for her
“but it’s so difficult, im hungry” she pouted but got no response
hua then folded her arms and then suddenly smiled trying to come up with conversations as much as possible “do you still remember my favourite drink?”
“no” ricky replied nonchalantly, eyes fixed on his phone
“wow, you’re so fake”
“dont care” ricky played no expression on his face and kept on scrolling through his instagram
xiao hua’s expression hardened as her soft affectionate eyes turned into a glare
after some time, he got a text and wasted no time in looking at it knowing it’s the only way he can escape hua’s grasp for a while
ricky smiled softly seeing the notification and opened it
–
[ wanwan ]
•online
wanwan
where the fuck is you
wanwan
and gyuvin too
wanwan
we’re getting strawberry ice creams after lunch hehehe
wanwan
r1cky
hi
wanwan
hiiii
r1cky
eat slowly i’ll come
wanwan
no we will not
wanwan
we’re going now🙄
r1cky
wait
wanwan
we’re at the rooftop, wya anyway
r1cky
im helping hua with her math
wanwan
oh- ur with hua?
r1cky
dw bout it haha idek her
wanwan
whatever dawg byee
r1cky
dude
[ delivered 12:37 ]
r1cky
i did not just get ghosted by xu wanyi [ backspace ]
–
“who are you texting and why are you smiling like that?”
hua asked looking a bit displeased and ricky’s smile dropped as soon as she started talking
none of your business lol
“so hua, you can solve the basic ones now” he said shoving his phone in his pocket
xiao hua nodded and smiled sweetly
“k bye im having lunch with my friends” he said without sparing a glance at her and tried to stand up but she grabbed his arms
“wait! i have more questions”
“just ask the teachers”
“i don’t understand the teachers”
“just go to a tutor”
“but can we spend more time together” she asked holding onto his hand
“leave me alone, im hungry” he mentally sighed and let go of her grip and xiao hua stood up staring at him “man, i cant even have lunch properly” ricky mumbled and started to walk away
“before you go..” she started, her tone softening “who were you texting while smiling like that”
she pouted and folded her arms in disappointment
ricky scoffed at her behavior, his gaze locked with hers and he paused for a moment before responding
“.. my girlfriend”
a smug expression spread across his face as he turned away, leaving her standing there
“so you want me to ruin your reputation? is that what you want?” she spoke in a slightly louder tone
ricky turned around and walked backwards “like it’d actually affect me” he smirked and walked away
his lingering perfume filled her senses and xiao hua clenched her fists in anger and watched ricky’s retreating figure
no way, he’s just saying that to avoid me
even if he does have one.. i’ll kill her
–
“wanwan why aren’t you eating” zhanghao asked looking at his friend who zoned out again
he then dug his spoon into her ice cream and scooped a huge chunk of it and that was when she came back to reality and she smacked his head “HEYY“
“YOU WEREN’T EATING”
“i WAS”
“YOU WEREN’T”
“I WAS!”
“NUH UH”
“SHUSH!” hanbin shushed them and continued eating his ice cream
zhanghao hanbin gunwook yujin matthew taerae and wanyi were chilling at the rooftop eating ice creams
gyuvin was having lunch with his other basketball player friends and ricky was nowhere to be seen
“do y’all ever wonder how sad and miserable jiwoong would be everyday because his amazing most coolest and funniest friends aren’t in uni”
“omg for real”
“i bet he cries because we’re not there”
“nah he told me he’s having the time of his life”
“HE WHAT”
“he said we’re a bunch of menaces and he’s glad we’re not in uni yet”
“hAHAH”
“let’s visit him in his dorms then”
“matthew literally just said jiwoong doesn’t want us”
“he’s just joking obviously”
they laughed among themselves as they enjoyed their ice creams when suddenly the door to the rooftop smashed opened
all of them turned their heads towards the door in sync and saw a panting ricky gasping for air
“damn” gunwook said and ricky tiredly approached them
“hey”
“WHASSUP! RICK”
“so where the ice cream at?”
“we’ve already finished it”
“oh man” the white haired boy whined and lazily sat down with them
wanyi was quietly observing his behavior and smiled brightly at him “we bought one for you too!” she said and handed him an ice cream cup
ricky was surprised at first but then he took it smiling softly
“oh thanks”
“it’s probably melted”
“YEAH! yOU TOOK SAUR LONG” yujin said and folded his arms
“sorry..”
“GUYS I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE TOURNAMENT” gunwook suddenly said with a burst of energy
“that was random”
“chill it’s just in a month”
“one week already passed! SO IT’S IN A FEW WEEKS”
“what’s so exciting about it” ricky muttered putting a scoop of ice cream into his mouth
“because you and gyuvin are playing duh!”
“i’ve printed a whole ass banner”
“damn”
“anyways,” zhanghao started with a sudden change of tone and eyed them
all the guys except for ricky understood his expression and taerae yelled “guYS DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS IN THE SCHOOL’S BASEMENT”
“WHAT REALLY”
“LET’S GO FIND THE FORBIDDEN CURSE”
taerae exclaimed and the guys stood up to leave while ricky was just sitting there minding his own business eating
“WAIT REALLY?? I WANNA COME TOO!” wanyi said and stood up excitedly but hanbin pushed her back down
“no, stay here no giirrlsss are allowed” he said making the girl frown at him
[ a.n ] chittaphon once showed us a dance for “girrlllsss” apparently
the guys then ran towards the exit and disappeared isolating ricky and wanyi alone in the rooftop
which was their intention
wanyi then shifted her attention to the white-haired boy who was completely engrossed in eating his strawberry ice cream
when he caught her gaze, their eyes met and a soft, tender exchange ensued
he looked at her with a gentle intensity
“enjoying it?”
“i wouldn’t be eating it if i didn’t”
his big round eyes staring so softly at her with a spoon in his mouth
wanyi find his stance so cute and couldn’t help but smile at him
she then cleared her throat, gathering her courage and began as her voice trembled slightly
“uhm ricky,” she started nervously “this might come across a bit personal to ask but im just curious about it..”
“mhm?”
“do you still have feelings for xiao hua?” she asked softening her voice as her tone got lower
ricky was was caught off guard by wanyi’s unexpected question ; his heart fluttered at the thought of her inquiring about his feelings
wanyi sat down beside him, her heart racing as she anxiously awaited his response
so wanyi sure knows about me and xiao hua..
he took a deep breath and finally admitted “no, i don’t”
as ricky gazed at wanyi, a soft smile tugged at the corner of his lips as his gaze remained locked with hers
“you don’t?”
she asked again and his expression was earnest and open “no wanyi, i don’t have any feelings for her anymore” he affirmed gently
“my heart is somewhere else now”
their eyes locked once more, a current of unspoken feelings passing between them as if the world around them had faded
a wave of emotions, a blend of longing and uncertainty, swirled within her chest
her smile faltering just slightly with the realization that ricky’s heart was no longer unoccupied ; she was relieved but a subtle undercurrent of sorrow coursed through her
her heart seemed to pause for a moment, as if suspended in time, before it sank ever so slightly
“why do you ask?” ricky’s voice held a hint of curiosity causing him to tilt his head slightly as he tried to get a clearer view of her
her sudden shift away from their eye contact didn’t go unnoticed by him
“oh it’s nothing” wanyi faced forward as her fingers nervously fidgeted
“nothing?” he asked in a soft yet teasing tone, the ice cream spoon still lingering in his mouth as he watched her
ricky’s eyes narrowed playfully with a mischievous glint dancing within them
“yes, really” she insisted, her cheeks warming at the intensity of his gaze
“really..?”
“y-yEAH! stop that” wanyi’s response came out more forcefully than intended with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration
“im not doing anything”
“s-stop staring at me”
wanyi’s gaze darted around the rooftop in an attempt to evade his intense gaze
but she could sense ricky’s unwavering attention from the side of her eye and her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red
ricky slightly chuckled at wanyi’s adorable attempt to escape his gaze and it was evident that his presence had an effect on her, and he found it endearing
he knew his unspoken rizz was strong
wanyi’s fingers toyed with the edge of her empty ice cream cup as she stole glances at ricky
her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink whenever their eyes met and her shy smiles punctuated their conversation
whenever she spoke, ricky’s eyes remained fixated on her and every so often the boy’s eyes would linger on her lips, a fleeting hint of desire flashing before his gaze returned to her eyes
his playful demeanor seemed to intensify whenever her words trailed off, his smile deepening as if inviting her to continue
wanyi found herself getting lost in ricky’s playful charisma and her nervousness slowly giving way to a sense of ease
“wanyi,” ricky broke the silence “would you hate me if a rumour spreads about me, which turns out to be true?”
“what kind of rumour?” wanyi tilted her head
“anything… anything bad you can think of” he lowered his head
“how can i ever hate you?” wanyi chuckled “if it’s something you don’t do anymore”
ricky slightly smiled and lifted his head to look at her “really?”
“yup” wanyi smiled, their gazes locked into each other’s eyes, no more shyness of wanting to look away
just then the school bell’s distant chime finally rang through the air loudly, ricky stood up from the bench they sat on and stretched his arms
ricky smiled still staring into her eyes “shall we head to class?” he asked and wanyi smiled “oKIE”
the duo then headed towards the exit not realising xiao hua was witnessing their connection all along
the cool breeze ruffled her hair as her heart clenched in realisation that wanyi, the friend she had made on her very first day, was the girl ricky had been referring to
xiao hua’s hands curled into fists at her sides at the sight of the two sharing a connection she hadn’t anticipated ; and ignited a fire of jealousy within her
she had to remind herself that ricky’s words had been a strategic ploy to push her away, not a genuine declaration of his feelings for wanyi
with a flicker of resolve in her eyes, she turned away from the door and walked down the hallway before they can notice
–
by reaching her classroom wanyi’s gaze landed on zhanghao, who was engrossed in his phone
his eyes lit up at the sight of her, a smile spreading across his face
“how’d it gaur?” he asked with a grin
“uh- great i guess” wanyi sat down and zhanghao was a bit concerned seeing that her usual smile was not on her face
“what’s wrong? did he bully you” zhanghao said teasingly
“what! noo, i want to move on from him”
“ARE YOU STUPID”
“I-“
“WHYY“
“BECAUSEE.. i asked ricky if he’d move on from.. you know” she started and glanced over to the empty seat next to her, her eyes conveying a meaning that words couldn’t capture
it was a silent signal, a nod towards xiao hua’s usual place
“ohhh..” zhanghao nodded understanding what she was trying to say
“well.. he said he has no feelings for her anymore but, he said his heart belongs somewhere else now” wanyi said, her head hung low and her voice tinged with a hint of sadness
“dayum that’s crazy”
“tHAT’S ALL YOU GOTTA SAY?”
“IM SORRY I- damn but hey dont give up yet” zhanghao reassured her being the only one who knows wanyi was the one ricky wanted
“no hao, it’s no use i’ll just get hurt again” she admitted, her voice carrying the weight of her emotions
“i was ignored by him so many times, and honestly, it hurts too.. ricky is my friend now and my feelings are still there, but it hurts even more knowing he likes someone”
hao just nodded at her words and just then xiao hua walked in the class putting on her usual fake smile
“hii” she smiled at wanyi who obviously returned the smile “hello hua!”
xiao hua seated herself and zhanghao took a subtle glance at his seatmate and whispered
“.. be careful around xiao hua you hear me?” he said and wanyi just nodded at his words
what a long ass (ride) day
– after school
“hey wanyi” xiao hua approached the girl with an inviting smile who was packing her stuffs
zhanghao who was seated next to wanyi mentally rolled his eyes
“what’s up?” wanyi responded and hua paused for a moment as she bit her lips
“i was thinking if you’d want to go to a cafe with me so we can spend some time together”
caught off guard by the unexpected invitation, wanyi hesitated for a moment
“oh that sounds nice hua, but i’m not so sure about that-“
“why not?” the taller girl tilted her head and her smile unwavered
“uh-” wanyi stopped her words suddenly, trying to come up with an excuse
“i have plans with my friends today”
“oh.. can i come too?”
what-???
“no, you can’t” zhanghao interrupted their convo and held wanyi on her wrist and walked out with her
“wanwan, you’re too nice” zhanghao started as they walked out
“just because she’s ricky’s ex doesn’t mean i should be rude to her”
“uhm haha no you should be mean to her”
“i don’t know how to be mean”
“just avoid her ok“ he stopped midway and intensely stared into her eyes “you promise?”
with a sigh wanyi smiled at him “fine.. y’all are so serious about this it’s kinda scary”
“she just hasn’t shown her true colours yet”
“ahh.. ok” she smiled sweetly and zhanghao sighed in disappointment, since he couldn’t get mad at his friend who was just purely innocent
“just don’t fall for her words”
– ★ –
ong bro is it that serious??
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