Chapter 3
The clocks have mocked her, and her impatiently tapping legs, all day, but the clock in her last class of the day is the one that really tests her sanity. That, or maybe it’s the way Hyunjin is staring a hole in the back of her head from the back of the classroom that has her patience withering.
The boy still hasn’t approached her, which is strange considering he’s always seemed the type to never fear rejection. He’s the type to present projects first, never afraid to hear any mocking comments when he stumbles or cares when the rest of the students laugh when he stutters out his words.
Jennie admires that, really she does, but it’s not quite enough to catch her attention in a romantic way. Perhaps if she wasn’t so caught up in the girl that prefers stray cats over Jennie’ lips, they might have a chance, but alas, Jennie’s attention has been stolen by the foreign girl for days without a sign of her thoughts returning to normal.
The moment the clock strikes the final minute of class, Jennie is grabbing her things. The bell rings only seconds after, but it’s caught the rest of the class, including Hyunjin, off guard. She takes the opportunity to sprint out of class, startling the students around her, for Jennie is almost always the calm and collected type when she struts out of any room.
The other students already patrolling the halls scurry out of her way, a little bit of fear coating their faces. They probably assume Jennie is off to kill someone with how fast she’s going. She thinks the only time that the others have seen her with such determination in her steps is on the volleyball court.
She passes Chaeyoung, who gives her an odd look, before practically throwing her things into her locker. She makes a small mess, but she doesn’t take the time to fix anything, slamming the locker door shut and slipping away quickly.
Part of her thinks about waiting for Chaeyoung, but that would look strange, would it not? Jennie decides it would be better to head out to the parking lot instead, to wait for the others. Perhaps she should feign surprise when she sees Lisa and Chaeyoung approach Jisoo’s car even though she invited them.
No, that’s stupid. The rest of the school’s opinion on who gets in and out of Jisoo’s car shouldn’t matter. Jennie does, however, hope that no one spreads the word of the four together. Her parents surely wouldn’t be fond of finding out that Jennie has friends that don’t meet their standards. If she would even call them that.
She’s the first one to Jisoo’s car, and it shouldn’t surprise her with how quickly she was moving, but part of her is still startled at the revelation. She’s never made it here before Jisoo, preferring to take her time to get home.
Jisoo doesn’t take long though, arriving a few minutes later. She gives Jennie a look of disbelief. “Um, excuse the fuck out of me, but why are you here so early?”
Jennie wonders if her parents would like Jisoo as much as they do if they knew of her foul mouth. Of course, Jennie’s is just as bad sometimes, but they would most likely place the blame on her best friend if they found out.
“Class let out early.” Jennie lies easily.
Jisoo’s eyebrow raises, but the answer seems to appease her. Jennie is going to have to work hard today to keep Jisoo from uncovering her secret thoughts, but that’s okay. Jennie is amazing at everything she does, she can do this.
Jisoo pauses before she unlocks the door. “Hey, they know how to find us, right?”
“Everyone knows where we park.”
Jisoo gives her an incredulous laugh. “ We? You don’t park shit. I park.”
“I could park.” Jennie bites back.
“You drive like an old lady that needed her license taken away ten years ago.”
Jennie pouts at her, knowing that she’s actually correct. “Whatever.”
Jisoo winks, probably internally celebrating her win.
“Uh, are we interrupting?” Jennie jumps, a gasp actually leaving her mouth at the voice that comes from behind her. “Are you okay?”
Lisa is peering at her with worried eyes. Chaeyoung is behind her, looking terribly amused. Jennie is convinced that Chaeyoung has never seen anything as funny in her life as Jennie being not nearly as perfect as she likes people to perceive. She's pretty sure that’s why Chaeyoung has always so willingly helped her after parties.
“I’m fine.” Jennie places a hand on her heart, silently telling it to stop beating so hard, especially because she doesn’t know if it’s a reaction from being startled or because of Lisa’s presence. “Hi.”
Lisa gives a dopey grin. “Hi.”
Jisoo pops her head over the roof of the car. “Hi!”
Chaeyoung offers a tiny wave. “Hi.”
The four stand in an awkward silence that has Jennie clenching her teeth, but Jisoo is quick to the rescue. “Soooo, to Jennie’s house?”
Chaeyoung frowns in confusion, her eyes meeting Jennie’s in a question not meant for the other two. Jennie thinks it means something along the lines of since when are people allowed over? Chaeyoung is aware that Lisa staying over was supposed to be a one time thing, and yet here Jennie is, inviting her back days later.
It doesn’t look good on Jennie’s part to do so, and Chaeyoung is aware of that. Jennie is starting to wonder if she should be more afraid of Chaeyoung finding out her secret than she is of Jisoo finding out. Chaeyoung is annoyingly perspective, even without being able to poke around Jennie’s brain like Jisoo is.
Jennie shrugs back at her, not quite answering it. “Yeah, to my place.”
Lisa tugs Chaeyoung into the backseat while Jisoo and Jennie take the front. Jennie hopes that they’re ready to experience the speed demon that Jisoo is on the road.
“I’ll introduce you to Leo.” Lisa tells Chaeyoung, leaning into her shoulder. “He’s so cute.”
Chaeyoung balks. “Le- What? You don’t like boys.”
Jennie is watching them through the rear view mirror to her best ability. She hopes they don’t notice because it’s a bit weird of her. Jisoo is paying them no mind at the moment, checking her phone before they leave, probably to find a playlist.
Lisa blushes, spluttering. “No! It- It’s obviously not a boy. It’s a cat. Jennie has a cat that lives outside that she feeds and he’s my friend now.”
Jennie is starting to wonder if she should be offended that Lisa seems to be more interested in a cat than her. It’s doing terrible things to her ego. Jisoo might argue that it’s a good thing, that Jennie’s ego is far too large on its own.
Chaeyoung catches her eye in the mirror and Jennie panics, staring Jisoo’s phone down in hopes that it might make the girl pick a playlist faster.
“I’ve met the cat already, but I didn’t realize it had a name.” She hears Chaeyoung tell Lisa.
“It didn’t.” Jennie spits out, hoping that her speaking with them might make Jennie feel less strange for the staring she did. “Lisa named it.”
Chaeyoung laughs. “Of course she did.”
Lisa whines, but Jennie doesn’t dare look back. She’s on thin ice already and it hasn’t even been ten minutes. “I just really like cats.”
“Got it!” Jisoo spooks all three of them with her loud voice. “Ready to go?”
Jennie sighs with relief before turning back to eye the two in the back. “You should put on your seat belts. Jisoo is a scary driver.”
They both laugh her words off, but Jennie wishes they didn’t think she was joking around with them. She’s very serious about Jisoo possibly killing all four of them because she doesn’t know how to behave with her music playing.
Jennie must really be desensitized to Jisoo’s driving though because Chaeyoung actually screams twice while her best friend swerved from lane to lane. Jisoo had laughed maniacally the entire time, her amusement audible over her music, and it was probably the most fun that Jisoo has had in years in all honesty. She doesn’t get to torture many with her driving skills anymore now that Jennie hides her fear.
Chaeyoung dives out first when they finally arrive, pulling Lisa through her door instead of waiting for the girl to open her own. Jennie is actually a little worried for her, but Jisoo is reveling in their fear. It’s very strange, as if they’ve completely reversed rolls.
“You uh… you okay?” Jennie calls, slamming her door shut.
Chaeyoung gives her a wild look over the top of the car, leaving Jennie amused. “I’m never getting in this car again.”
Jisoo pats her on the shoulder. “You kind of have to. If you don’t then you’re walking home.”
“Jennie.” Chaeyoung whines, pouting at her.
Jennie knows exactly what Chaeyoung is silently begging for. “No, I don’t drive.”
Chaeyoung stomps her foot, like the child she secretly is. “Ugh.”
Lisa is busy laughing at her friend. Jennie finds herself starting for a few unnecessary minutes. She misses the strange look Jisoo gives her, but she definitely catches the one Chaeyoung sends her.
Jennie coughs uncomfortably, leading the three into her house and up the stairs to her bedroom. There’s something unnerving about having Lisa here again, but Chaeyoung and Jisoo’s presence settles her nerves just the slightest.
Jennie opens the window and falls back onto her bed, waiting. Jisoo flops next to her and Chaeyoung daintily takes a seat at the edge. But Lisa goes straight for the opened window, waiting for Leo to make his grand appearance.
Part of Jennie wishes for Leo to take his time, so Jennie has an excuse to keep Lisa around, but the cat doesn’t take long at all, jumping into Lisa’s arms only a few minutes after Jennie opened the window. He’s gotten used to Jennie letting him in at this point and was probably waiting for her to do so.
“Leo!” Lisa presses kisses to his head, backing up until her knees hit the bed and practically plopping herself into Jennie’s lap. “Say hi to Jennie, Leo!”
Jennie’s breath catches when Lisa looks down at her, taking Leo’s paw to wave and pretending to speak as the cat in a deeper voice. “Hello, Jennie. Thank you for always feeding me and letting me into your warm house.”
Jennie knows the other two are watching them, but she can’t really find it in her to care, responding to Leo as if he were the one that actually spoke. “You’re welcome, Leo. I think Lisa is better with you than I am, but I’m glad you’re around.”
She is glad that he sticks round the house, but she fears the day her parents catch wind of his presence or the extra bag of cat food she keeps in the pantry. None of the house cleaners or personal cooks have mentioned it, thankfully, and her parents aren’t often the type to cook anything, so Jennie has been safe so far.
“See, Jennie, I’ve always been afraid that you’re crazy, but now that you’re talking to a cat…” Jisoo trails off, giving her a teasing look.
Chaeyoung snorts. “At least yours isn’t pretending to be the cat.”
Jennie rolls her eyes at both of them, reaching a hand out to pet Leo’s tiny ears, hand grazing Lisa’s every couple strokes. Lisa doesn’t act like she minds the contact so Jennie allows herself to be content with the subtle touches.
“You guys are just jealous that Leo likes us more.” Lisa sticks her tongue out at them.
Chaeyoung scoffs. “Excuse me, but I’ve known Leo longer than you.”
Lisa hums. “Oh yeah, you and Jennie are friends, right?”
Jennie interrupts before Chaeyoung can answer that. “I don’t have friends.”
There’s an abrupt silence, although not awkward, it’s certainly not pleasant either. Jennie doesn’t know why she said it like that. She just wanted to spare Chaeyoung from the usual spiel she gives of ‘oh no, Jennie and I aren’t friends. We’ve just known each other forever.’ It’s tiresome always hearing it.
“Oh.” Lisa nods, a little resigned.
“I don’t know why I said that. Obviously I have Jisoo and she’s my friend.” Jennie doesn’t like that look on her face, so she forgets the usual denial and tells the truth for once. “There’s just certain people I’m supposed to hang out with. My parents aren’t fond of anyone under a certain...”
Jennie doesn’t know how to continue without coming off as a bitch. It shouldn’t bother her, because she’s never worried about anyone like that before, but she's never wanted to be a bitch to Chaeyoung and she definitely doesn’t want to be one to her newest infatuation..
“Under a certain status.” Chaeyoung looks her dead in the eye, looking a lot more comfortable saying it than Jennie feels. Which… she’s probably had plenty of time to stomach the thoughts, the reasons why Jennie is never seen with her within the public eye. “Or isn’t in the same money bracket. Or doesn’t wear those fancy clothes.”
Jennie unconsciously squeezes hold of her shirt, the one that her mother would kill her over for ruining it with her closed fists. Leo bumping his head against her bruised knuckle is what makes her release her hold.
“Yeah, something like that.” Jennie admits.
Another silence falls over them, this time much more content than the last. Chaeyoung doesn’t seem like she holds anything against Jennie, but now that the words have been spoken aloud in the group of people she admittedly holds closer than anyone else, she feels guilty.
Lisa hums eventually, batting at Leo’s paws. “That’s really stupid.”
Jisoo snorts. “You’re telling me. Jennie and Chaeyoung have been secret friends for years and her parents haven’t caught on. I don’t know why she thinks they would ever figure it out.”
Jennie scoffs, offended by their sudden camaraderie. “People talk-”
“When do your parents talk to teenagers?” Jisoo gives her a look, one of those looks that make Jennie feel like Jisoo thinks she’s stupid. Jisoo gives her those a lot. “Or those teenager’s parents?”
Jennie opens her mouth, but nothing comes out, for she has no real argument besides her lingering fear of her parent’s hypothetical wrath. Lisa laughs at her, not in a mocking way, but she’s certainly amused by her baffled expression.
“You should have lunch with us tomorrow.” Lisa leans into her a little, her shoulder hitting Jennie’s playfully. “We won’t tell on you.”
Jennie can feel it, the importance of her answer here. She could say no and go on her life like normal, hiding her friendship with Chaeyoung and getting over this crush on Lisa, or she could say yes and explore something new.
“I don’t eat school lunch.” Jennie pauses, taking in the frowns around her. “So do you want me to order you guys something when I get lunch or am I just going to have to sit with you and smell their disgusting excuse for pizza ?”
Jisoo blinks at her in surprise and Chaeyoung sits up to give her an incredulous look. Lisa merely laughs, patting her leg in excitement. Leo doesn’t like all the excitement and jumps away from them to climb out the window.
“Oh! Bye, Leo! I’ll come see you again.” Lisa waves at him, like she thinks the cat might actually be able to understand her. Still, Jennie doesn’t refute her statement, a little excited by the promise she’s made. It means Jennie will be seeing Lisa around her again at some point.
“Can you order me a steak?” Jisoo jokes, pulling at Jennie’s leg just to irritate her.
“No.” Jennie kicks her away.
So much for making Lisa a stranger.
---
Later that night, when Jennie has had a bubble bath and finished her moisturizing routine so she can look extra pretty for lunch tomorrow, she gets a message from her best friend and curses herself for being so damn transparent.
Jisoo: Damn, guess Hyunjin doesn’t stand a chance against Lisa. She’s got you hooked by your demon claws that you call nails.