fingerprints on my skin || jenlisa

She's A Dork

Jennie entered room B206 for chemistry class. The professor was nowhere to be seen yet, even though the course began in five minutes. Then again, Professor Marsh had a reputation of being notoriously late.

Girls glanced at Jennie while she made her way to the back of the class, even a few guys tried to catch her eye. She would have preferred a seat in the front, but others needed it more than she did to pay close attention. Chemistry was one of those courses she considered to be a walk in the park.

Jennie heard hushed conversations as she sat down. Her peers weren't subtle enough with their curious gazes and with the way they kept dropping her name in their discussions. Last time they whispered whether she stopped dating girls, but this time it was much worse. She curled her fingers around her pen, almost snapping it in half as they gossiped how she was seen leaving the room of a senior.

Of course, why would Jennie ever think they wouldn't talk about that? The people going to school here were invasive as fuck, and it didn't surprise her she was caught exiting Chaeyoung's room. Nothing happened, but voicing that truth would be like talking to a wall.

And so, another rumor spread, of how Jennie was into older women, and how she was a home wrecker. As far as she was concerned, they could all go fuck themselves. The sickening part was how some girls had the audacity to give her heart eyes, romanticizing what they thought she did.

"Is this seat taken?"   

Jennie dropped her pen. "Joy, hello," she said, smiling up at the girl with the cute Korean accent. Her eyes drifted briefly toward the seat next to her. "No, it's not," she answered, gesturing at it, surprised Joy didn't choose to sit at the front row as usual, or in the middle at least.

"I have a feeling Professor Marsh will be delayed for another five minutes, give or take."

Jennie raised a brow. "What makes you think that?"

"I'd like to say it's just a hunch, but when I left Starbucks, she was in line to get some coffee."

"Someone ought to buy that woman a decent watch," Jennie mused, sharing a smile with Joy. "Though if I'm being fair, I don't think I'd be able to function if I don't start my morning with a cup of coffee," she said, on second thought. "I'd miss a couple minutes of class for that any day."

"I'm more of a tea-drinker myself, but when you take care of a friend with a hangover and stay up half the night, something stronger is required."

"I hope your friend is okay," Jennie replied with a frown.

Joy took out a notepad and a pencil, sketching while everyone waited for the professor to arrive. A few latecomers made a quick dash into the classroom, rushing to get a seat as if a quarter of them being free wasn't enough to choose from.

Jennie snorted when she saw Joy draw flowers. "Typical," she whispered, trying to cover up what she said with a sigh, glancing away as Joy looked at her. "So, you sketch?"

"I dabble," Joy answered, moving her pencil in smooth motions over her paper.

Jennie chanced another peek. "I'd call that more than dabble," she appraised, admiring the eye for detail Joy put into her drawing, how it looked as if the flower could be taken right out of the page. "My best friend draws, too. She likes to draw tattoo designs."

"Irene," Joy said with a strained smile. "I'm aware."

Jennie frowned at the bitterness in Joy's voice, but if she put two and two together, she could take a rough guess who Joy's friend was. It was possible Wendy didn't stop after that bottle of vodka Irene shared with her two days ago. She decided not to question Joy about any of that.