For the many weeks that followed, Jennie and Roseanne gradually grew to become inseparable. Lisa eventually gave up on trying to patch her friendship up with Jennie and thus the latter spent all her free time in school with Roseanne.
The two thoroughly enjoyed every single moment together but that was as far as things went. Nobody ever mentioned anything else about taking their friendship to a different level even though they both clearly had strong feelings for each other.
For Roseanne, it was still the inferiority complex. Although it was slowly fading away, she still couldn't muster enough confidence to do anything about her friendship with Jennie. Something just seemed to hold her back every time she wanted to bare her heart and reveal her emotions. For Jennie, it was the fear of rejection, simply put.
One fateful day, however, things were about to change. Or rather, seemed as though they were about to change. There was a storm going on that evening after classes and both girls decided to stay on campus until it died down. The two were perched upon a bench with absolutely nothing to do.
"Gosh, I'm freezing." Jennie rubbed her hands together rapidly, desperately trying to warm her numb fingers.
"Here." Roseanne immediately started to unbutton her coat.
"No, no. I'm fine. Keep it on." Jennie grabbed Roseanne's hands to stop her.
"You sure?" Roseanne looked at her apprehensively.
"Of course! I could just sit closer to you!" Jennie grinned playfully, inching nearer to the other girl until their shoulders touched.
Roseanne smiled and gently picked up Jennie's right hand, rubbing it between hers in an attempt to make the girl feel warmer. Jennie habitually leaned against the taller girl's shoulder, enjoying the contact.
Just then, a question popped into Jennie's mind, the same question she had stowed away deep in the corners of her heart. For some reason, everything felt right at that moment and she felt a little braver than usual that day. After a few more moments of contemplation, Jennie decided to just go ahead with it.
"Rosie-yah..." She started.
"Hm?" The other girl replied softly, still calmly massaging her hand.
"What exactly are we?"
At her question, Roseanne stopped short, and a surge of emotion arose in her heart. It wasn't because she didn't have an answer. She knew exactly what she wanted them to be but she wasn't so sure she was good enough.
She never thought this topic would surface so soon. She wasn't prepared at all. She had frequently painted many scenarios of how she would finally develop enough backbone and assurance to ask the girl out, and this definitely wasn't the time.
She had to make sure she was capable enough of giving Jennie complete happiness before jumping to any conclusions. She loved the girl more than anything else in the world, even more than herself, but she did not want to rush into anything. The last thing she wanted was for Jennie to suffer because of her incompetence. As such, she could only sit there in utter silence.
"Aish, you know what, forget I even asked. I know it's silly and ridiculous." Jennie sat up straight at once and drew her hand back swiftly.
"Jennie... I'm sorry. It's just that... I don't know. My mind's in a mess right now... but it's not you, okay? It's really just me. I..." Roseanne halted when she noticed how upset the other girl looked. She felt so guilty for messing things up.
"Are you alright?" Roseanne inquired temperately.
"I think I'd better go." Jennie hastily seized her bag and walked away in huge strides before Roseanne could pull her back. The rims of her eyes grew warm and a sour sensation built up in her nose as she walked away, and before she knew it, the tears were already falling uncontrollably.
-----
Jennie sat quietly at one of the more deserted corners of the school, sniffing now and then. She had no idea how long she had been crying but she did feel exhausted and her eyes felt puffy.
Unexpectedly, a pack of tissues was presented to her and when she looked up, she saw a somewhat familiar face. She couldn't exactly put a name to it but that varsity jacket looked so recognizable. It took Jennie a few seconds more to realize it was Wendy.
"Um, you could do me a favor and take the tissues, you know." The petite girl spoke.
"Thank you." Jennie hurriedly received the pack and Wendy settled down opposite her without being asked.
"What do you call a guy with a rubber toe?"
"Huh?" Jennie frowned at the random question.
"See if you can answer it!" Wendy smiled warmly.
"I don't know..." Jennie shrugged as she dabbed at her eyes with a piece of tissue from the pack.
"Roberto!" Wendy exclaimed before bursting out laughing herself. This girl sure had a weak sense of humour. It did manage to make Jennie giggle, however.
"I look awful, don't I?" Jennie asked self-consciously. She never expected Wendy, of all people, to pop up all of a sudden.
"What? You looking awful? Impossible." The girl replied and Jennie only smiled slightly.
"So... what made you so upset if I may ask?" At Wendy's question, Jennie looked as though she was gonna break down again.
"Okay, don't answer that. Do you want anything to drink? Are you hungry? How're you gonna go home?"
"How am I supposed to answer all of that in one sentence?" Jennie replied, slightly amused.
"Slowly." Wendy beamed widely, proud that she was able to make the girl feel a little better.
"Well, no, I don't want anything to drink. I'm not hungry, either. I've been taking the subway home ever since..." Jennie paused at the thought of Roseanne and how the both of them have agreed to ride public transportation as far as possible.
"I take the subway home as well. Guess I'll be your travel companion just for today. If it's okay with you." Wendy suggested.
"Mhm... that'd be nice. Thank you, Wendy." Jennie's lips tugged into a smile. She could really use some comfort for now.
"Hey, don't mention it! It'll always be my pleasure."
-----
"Mrs. Song, is Jennie home yet?" An anxious Roseanne buzzed when she saw the lady the moment she burst in through the front door.
"What's the matter? No, Miss Kim isn't home." Mrs. Song's expression grew worried as she set the duster down.
"Ugh, it's entirely my stupid fault. She hasn't been picking up my calls or replying to my texts." Roseanne kicked her shoes off before sending another message to Jennie.
"Did the both of you get into an argument of some sort? Miss Kim seldom gets upset at people." Mrs. Song led the taller girl to the couch and sat her down.
"No, we didn't quarrel or anything... oh, Mrs. Song, my mind's in a clutter right now..." Roseanne grumbled as her brows knit in confusion.
"What happened exactly?" Mrs. Song probed.
"It's complicated... I think I might have upset her... I mean, I must've upset her." Roseanne brought her cell phone up to her ear once more, getting increasingly antsy with each depressing ring.
"I'll try calling her..." Mrs. Song got up to look for the home phone.
"Thank you. I think I'll head out to look for her in the meantime." Roseanne promptly made her way to get her shoes on before leaving.
She didn't have to search for long, though. Just a few meters away from the main gate was Jennie along with a barely familiar face. Roseanne recalled seeing the other girl in many of the lectures she attended before.
On the one hand, Roseanne was more than relieved that Jennie was alright. On the other, she wasn't too pleased about seeing the couple together. Was Jennie actually wearing that girl's jacket? Without wasting another second, she met the duo halfway. Jennie appeared to cringe a little at the sight of her.
"Are you okay?" Roseanne spoke the moment they met.
"I'm fine." Jennie was apparently avoiding eye contact with her.
"Ah, you must be Jennie's bestest friend in the world! I always see the both of you hanging out in school. Hi, I'm Wendy." Wendy stretched her hand out as she introduced herself.
"Roseanne." Roseanne shook it briefly, doing her best not to show her unhappiness.
"Alright! Guess I'll take my leave! See you soon in school, Jennie. Please take care and rest well tonight." Wendy patted the girl's shoulder lightly before turning to leave.
"Hold up. Aren't you gonna take your jacket back?" Roseanne gestured towards the piece of apparel that was still draped over Jennie's shoulders.
"Oh, I'll be fine. I'll get it back some other time when I need it! I'll text you again, Jennie! Goodnight!" Wendy smiled widely before skipping off.
As soon as the girl was out of sight, Jennie tried to make her way past Roseanne but the taller girl extended an arm to bar her from moving.
"Where've you been? I got worried... you didn't answer my calls or reply to my texts." Roseanne begun.
"I'm fine." Was all Jennie said.
"Could you please say something else besides those two words?" Roseanne replied helplessly. Yes, maybe it was all her fault for not being able to give the girl an appropriate answer, but Jennie wasn't making things any easier by behaving like this.
"I'm really tired. I just want to get some sleep." Jennie was still not looking at her.
"Jennie, please don't be like that. Can we talk about this?" Roseanne pleaded.
"Talk about what? What's there to talk about?" Jennie retorted, annoyed and confused.
"I know you're angry. You have every right to be. Were you with Wendy all this while?" Roseanne delved further.
"Why would it matter to you?" Jennie was hostile as ever.
"Alright look, I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry for acting the way I did." Roseanne could only apologize.
"You don't have to feel sorry. It's not your fault. I'm the one who should be sorry for taking things the wrong way."
"Jennie... whatever happened earlier this evening was all a misunderstanding. I just didn't have the courage to tell you--"
"I completely understand, Roseanne. You obviously don't reciprocate whatever I feel. You've only treated me as a friend from the beginning and it was all wishful thinking on my part. Right?" Jennie eventually looked up angrily into Roseanne's dark eyes.
When words aren't enough to express what you feel, actions usually work. Before she knew it, Roseanne had leaned over and her lips were on Jennie's.