»I can't believe it, this is our senior year!«, I heard Park Sooyoung, my best friend, calling from afar. Her ten centimetre heels clattered on the asphalt as she ran excitedly in my direction. Typical, I thought eye-rolling as I watched her catch the attention of the other students while her narrow figure came closer and closer. She pulled me into a tight embrace, which I return briefly. 

»You must tell me everything! How was L.A.?«, I heard her speak much too loudly, while she hardly breathed a breath between each word, so that some of the students who passed us turned to us briefly and looked at us partly sleepy and grumpy, partly admiring and appreciative. 

I pulled her with me and led her towards the entrance of our school, which stood in front of us like a castle, while I answered her. »Good morning to you too, Sooyoung.«, in a more moderate tone. »Yes, yes.«, she only waved it away and looked at me curiously from the side. Knowing her, she wouldn’t rest easily until she had lured every detail out of me. 

I sighed silently, because I had neither the desire nor the nerves to remember my holidays and especially this miserable holiday in L.A. in the early morning - whereby "miserable" was an understatement - and thought about how I could change the subject as quickly as possible,  which really wouldn't be easy with Sooyoung. 

But even before I had come up with a reasonable answer, I suddenly felt two arms closing around my middle and a much too wet kiss on my cheek. »Good morning, baby.«, a familiar voice whispered in my ear a moment later. Warm breath also brushed over my skin, causing me to falter for a moment before I looked over my shoulders directly into the eyes of my girlfriend. 

»Oh, good morning, Jisoo.« Sooyoung greeted her in my place, and through her hair with her fingers. »See you later. Have fun you two lovebirds!« At a speed I can't imagine - don't forget her heels - she finally rushed past us, leaving behind only a slight trace of her expensive, rose garden-scented perfume. 

I shook my head hardly noticeably, but was secretly relieved to have been spared an answer to her question for the time being. »Hey.«, I now whisper to Jisoo as I slowly turn to her. I tried to smile and hoped it didn't look too fake. She smiled back - and with her, it looked as if she was actually happy to see me. 

Well, that's not to say that I wasn't happy, but my guilty conscience was gnawing at me, since I hadn't let hear from me in the past three weeks, except for a short SMS in which I claimed how busy I was. In my defense, however, I would like to say that she had not contacted me either! »I missed you.« Jisoo started again after a short moment of silence and stood briefly on her tiptoes to give me a gentle kiss on the lips. 

I cleared my throat and took a barely noticeable step back, but avoided looking her straight in the eye and finally nodded. I knew that I had to tell her how much I had missed her, my princess - while smiling radiant - but somehow everything inside of me was suddenly resisting against it. Even if I had wanted to, I could not say it out loud. »Did you have a nice holiday?«, I asked her instead and put an arm around her waist. 

I hoped - or rather, I assumed - that Jisoo wouldn't be particularly distracted by this abrupt change of topic and would simple take it. And I was right, because Jisoo just scratched her nose before she answered me. »Oh, most of the time I was out with the girls, trying out many new dishes at El Dorado.«, she confessed with a grin, while a dreamy sparkle appeared in her eyes. »You gotta try this one.« 

Typical Jisoo, I thought. No sooner was she left alone for a few weeks, than she ate like a bottomless pit and yet could still hold her slim figure. El Dorado was by far the most sought-after snack snack bar - club in the Region. Mostly young people between seventeen and twenty-five met there after school or on weekends to enjoy the music in the back of the building, which had been converted into a dance club, or - as in Jisoo's case - to eat a dish or two at the snack bar.

Inconspicuously, I risked a sideways glance at her and had to admit somewhat enviously that she still - and despite her sometimes unbridled appetite - possessed the same athletically slender figure as I remembered it. On closer inspection, Jisoo was the typical beauty - she had the perfect size, is athletic, had such infinitely deep dark eyes and long black hair. 

She was by far the sweetest girl in the school and I, of all people, was her boyfriend. I should consider myself lucky, really ing lucky, but somehow it just seemed like i