"So..." Jennie broke the ice after having walked in silence side by side with Lisa, since she had met up with her at her locker.
She squinted down at the asphalt that paved the front parking lot of their school, the tiny rocks in the ground reflecting brightly from the sun.
"So?" Lisa shrugged, and offered her right arm to her, wrapping it around her waist instead when she failed to acknowledge the gesture.
"So, how did Irene take things? She was shooting me horrible death glares during math, but I guess that's to be expected."
Jennie shrugged it off, though she truly felt more guilty than she let on. At the beginning, when Irene had what she wanted, it was easy for Jennie to hate her, but now, Jennie had to deal with the feeling of being in the "winner's" position.
"She was really angry with me." Lisa confirmed, "But, you know, she's still a pretty even tempered person, no matter what the circumstances."
Now Jennie rolled her eyes, despite how badly she felt for what she had done behind Irene's back. The brunette had taken the opportunity to tell Jennie off the previous summer, even succeeding in hurting the indestructible Jennie's feelings, and she still had a hard time with the fact that all times before and after that, Irene's character had almost resembled that of a saint.
Why had the mini Mother Teresa's vicious side been spared of everyone at their school, save Jennie? Of course, mental images of Jennie moaning underneath Lisa while her phone rang, flashing a picture of the girlfriend Irene reminded Jennie that karma perhaps had played a part, and that if it were truly a bitch as the expression went, maybe that came even in the form of Irene Bae.
"I think it bothered her more to realize that I really care about you." Lisa continued, humming softly as she gently stroked Jennie's hip, "It was hard for her to lose me to someone else. She never loses at anything."
"Do you think that's because of karma?" Jennie mentioned, while it was on her mind.
"Huh?" Lisa furrowed her brow against the sun, straining to make out the outline of her sky blue car.
"Do you think that Irene seems to win at everything without even trying, because of karma? You know, because she's so nice twenty four seven." Jennie elaborated. She opened the passenger door, by now immune to the students' stares, and climbed in.
"Well I wonder what she did for me to screw her over like this." Lisa mused, sliding in next to her.
"That's just it. I don't think she did anything. I think this thing- our baby- is the product of karma."
"You mean like our punishment for running around like we did?" Lisa chuckled.
"Exactly." Jennie answered in all seriousness, "And I think Irene will end up coming out on top somehow. Getting rid of you will probably be the best thing that ever happened to her."
"Gee thanks." Lisa said sarcastically, letting a pout form on her lips.
She turned the keys in the ignition and then glanced over at the dark haired girl. Her usually glowing face had paled into a sickly shade, and she looked somewhat queasy.
"Are you making that face because of nerves or pregnancy sickness?" Lisa asked, "I don't really know how all this works."
"I don't know. Nerves I guess. I think whenever I get sick it's usually in the morning. Not always though." Jennie inhaled deeply and held the breath.
"Aren't you nervous?" Jennie asked after a couple moments of silence.
"I think I'm growing immune." Lisa breathed, "I mean I was nervous when you first told me you were pregnant. I was nervous when you were suppose to get that abortion. I was nervous when you told me you weren't going to get that abortion. I was nervous when I realized I was going to be a mother. I was nervous about telling my parents I was going to be a mother. I don't see the point in getting nervous anymore."
Jennie scowled. It wasn't fair for Lisa to act so calm when she was still suffering from anxiety.
"Yeah, well, I'm not the one Daddy's going to kill when we tell him." Jennie grumbled.
Lisa gulped, betraying her denial of nerves five seconds previous.
"You really think he's going to try to kill me?"
"Absolutely." Jennie said, a hint of satisfaction in her voice from being able to pull Lisa back down to her state of havoc, "He keeps guns, and he'll probably go get one. Mom will try to stop him, maybe Taehyung too. We'll see."
"B-but we're really going to need your parents help if we're going to have a kid." Lisa gripped the steering wheel tightly, leaving large beads of sweat behind when she changed her hands' position.
"By help you mean my parents' money?" Jennie challenged.
"Well... we are aren't we?"
"Yes." Jennie sighed and gave in, "We are. I guess it's most important that you try not to cut any ties tonight for that reason."
"I didn't pin all the responsibility on you when we were telling my parents." Lisa pointed out with a huff.
"I want you to tell them." Jennie ignored her comment, "I think Daddy will respect that."
"Are you crazy?" Lisa exclaimed, "I'm not going to be the one to tell Daddy! You tell your own parents. That's how these things work."
"Fine! I really hope he doesn't kill you. I really do." Jennie shook her head.
Lisa laughed, "You're psycho dramatic."
"Wait and see." Jennie replied, shooting her a sideways glare.
Lisa nervously glanced over at Jennie, unable to determine if she was being serious or not. Jennie ignored her visual pleas and turned her eyes out the direction of the window, firming her lips into an attention grabbing pout.
Jennie walked Lisa through the front doors of her gorgeous white house, basically a mansion by the average Korean's standards.
Lisa had been there many times before, but never with her parents knowing, and never feeling as apprehensive as she did now.
Rosé sat on the couch, watching some childish cartoon on a wall mounted flat screen. She didn't fail to notice Jennie's annoyed look as soon as she walked into the living room.
"Jesus, Rosie. Again?" Jennie greeted her friend, eyebrows furrowed, while Lisa stood behind her, feeling like a toddler wanting to hide behind her mother's legs. "Don't you have a date with Jisoo tonight? Who even let you in?"
"Hey Jennie. Lisa." Rosé made a point of acknowledging Lisa, noticing how she was cowering with a smirk. She turned back to the cat eyed girl and raised her eyebrows.
"Nayeon let me in. And I do, but later tonight. We're seeing a movie instead of going to dinner." She smiled sweetly. "You did invite me over tonight," she stressed eyebrows raised once more, letting her know that's what she told her parents. "and I would never miss this."
"So tonight's the big announcement?" She asked casually, turning back and staring at the television.
"Yep." Jennie rolled her eyes and glanced at Lisa. She reached for her hand, suddenly needing comfort, and tried to focus on regulating her breathing while Lisa caressed her hand gently.
"We're going to tell them after dinner." She breathed, biting her lip.
"Jennie? Did you just get home?"
Lisa looked up the stairs to her right just as a brunette woman, dressed in an all white Chanel suit appeared. She recognized her immediately as Dara, Jennie's mother. She hurried down the stairs, beaming widely, a trait Lisa had always noted whenever she had seen her.
"Hello Darling." Dara kissed Jennie's cheek, and then smiled at Lisa. She blushed, not certain if she would remember her or not.
"Lisa!" She pulled her in for a hug, while Rosé and Jennie took advantage of her short disinterest in either of them to flick one another off.
"Hi Mrs. Kim." Lisa responded.
"It's good to see you again." Dara said, stepping back to admire the sight of her daughter and Lisa standing next to one another, "I always liked you. I was afraid Jennie had done something to run you off." She winked at Jennie, who rolled her eyes and sighed heavily in response.
"I'm still around." She said, smiling at her clearly fed up girlfriend, "And I'm very glad to be so too. In fact, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of me if you're around much." She nudged Jennie.
"Enough." Jennie warned her sharply as Rosé quietly snorted.
"Are you staying for dinner?" Dara asked her, and then without waiting for an answer, she began walking towards the kitchen. "I'm sure you are, seeing as Rosé is as well." She called back to them.
Jennie grabbed Lisa's hand and led her up the stairs with her. Dara saw this out of the corner of her eye as she was rounding the corner, and she turned around again.
"Jennie!" She called, "Leave your bedroom door open."
"Oh the irony." Jennie muttered under her breath.
-
Lisa had been upset when Jennie refused to fool around with her, so Jennie agreed to make out with her instead to appease her. After about ten minutes however, Lisa grew tired of Jennie slapping her hands away everytime she tried to let them roam underneath her clothes, and she pulled away.
"I don't know when you suddenly turned into such a prude." She grumbled, rubbing the back of her left hand, which had suffered Jennie's most recent smack.
"I'm not Lis. I'm just nervous."
"Well I bet I know a way to make you relax." Lisa started, beginning to crawl towards her.
"Stop." Jennie quickly fended off her approach, "Not right now. I don't want one of my parents to walk in on us on the same night I have to tell them I'm pregnant."
"Fine." Lisa fell back on the bed in exasperation, "Well what else is there to do around here?"
Jennie didn't reply, but instead jumped up off the bed, closing her bedroom door despite her mother's instructions. She peeled off her clothes, stopping when she was left in her underwear, while Lisa leaned foward in excitement.
"You mean we are going to-"
"No." Jennie quickly cut her off. She stormed towards her closet, disappearing into it for several minutes before she returned in a knee length white dress.
"You're changing for dinner?" Lisa questioned with furrowed eyebrows.
"White is the color of purity and innocence." Jennie explained while rummaging through the items laid out on her vanity. She located a white ribbon and tied it into a headband, pushing the bow towards the side.
"So that Daddy will still believe your a virgin even when you tell him your pregnant?" Lisa asked, "Does he really think your precious enough to carry the second coming of baby Jesus?"
"You're not funny." Jennie snapped.
She admired her reflection satisfactorily as Lisa approached her from behind.
"Your mom looked really nice too. I feel too underdressed now." She glanced down at her knit sweater.
"You look fine." Jennie assured her, "But if you want, I could find you something in my closet."
Lisa studied her outfit for a moment before shaking her head, looking at her girlfriend. "Maybe just a bow will do.. Make them think of when I was little and that's all I used to wear when I came over."
"Supper's ready!"
Lisa jumped when she heard Dara's voice sound through the intercom she never knew existed.
"Now that's just preppy." Lisa commented.
"I don't like it either." Jennie agreed, sliding off the bed they had resituated themselves on to make out more while waiting. "Nobody uses it except mom and sometimes Taehyung when he's being a brat."
The two made their way down the stairs, finding everyone else already gathered when they reached the kitchen.
"Lisa!" Jiyong bellowed when he spotted the young girl with her arm wrapped around his daughter. "How's your dad?"
Jiyong landed an agressive (for Lisa) pat on the back of Lisa's back as means of greeting. Lisa winced and imagined what sort of damage Jennie's father could do if he actually intended her harm. Lisa repeatedly tried to remind herself that he was merely a middle-aged man with a slight pot belly and nothing more, no matter how much clout and money was attached to his name.
"He's good." Lisa squeaked, doing her best to smile at Jiyong, and not look guilty.
"I haven't seen you in a while." Jiyong continued, "Did you do something to upset my daughter?"
Lisa started to fake a laugh but caught herself just in time, seeing Jiyong's face and realizing he wasn't joking around. Fortunately, Jennie quickly intervened.
"She didn't do anything Daddy. Lisa and I have actually been dating for a while now, but I choose not to bring her around again until I was sure it was serious."
Lisa noticed how she nearly choked on the word dating. Fucking was the word she meant. She realized with shame that they had never been on anything close to a date.
"So it's getting serious now, is it?" Jiyong chuckled, and pulled Jennie into a tight hug, "Alright then Darling. I'm just looking out for you."
"Jiyong. Sit down." Dara instructed her husband sternly, "You're making poor Lisa nervous. Just look at how her legs are shaking."
Lisa's face reddened in embarassment. Jiyong smiled and found his seat at the head of the table, across from Dara. Lisa and Jennie quickly joined the rest of the family, sitting down in front of plates already covered with food.
They ate in silence for several minutes, and Lisa was beginning to feel uncomfortable. However, when Jiyong broke the silence Lisa wasn't exactly relieved.
"So Lisa, you and Jennie are pretty serious now?" He asked, pulling from his daughter's own words.
"Yes sir." Lisa responded.
"What does that mean to you?"
Lisa gulped, feeling cornered. If she made up some bullshit answer now, would that only serve to make Jennie's parents angrier after dinner when they found out the true extent of her relationship with Jennie?
Jennie evidentally realized this too, because she stiffened, and looked up in alarm.
"Jiyong." Dara warned, noticing how both teens had grown tense.
"I just want to hear her answer." Jiyong replied innocently.
Jennie looked towards her mother to see if she would protest anymore, but Dara seemed to have lost interest already, once again returning her focus to her plate.
"Actually Dad." Jennie sighed, deciding now would be as good a time as any, "We were going to wait until after dinner to tell you this, but Lisa and I have some news. Actually, I think Lisa wanted to tell you herself." She nudged her.
Lisa gulped, feeling panicked. Jiyong dropped his fork down on his plate and leaned back apprehensively, not looking in the least bit happy. Probably because he knew what was coming next. Lisa couldn't very well argue with Jennie now about who got to tell her parents the "news". If she did, she was sure she'd only succeed in making Jiyong angry, something she didn't want.
Jennie placed a hand on her leg and urged her to go on with her eyes. As selfish as Lisa thought she was being, she actually did believe that her father would respond better to Lisa were she to take the initiative and admit to the situation they were in on their own.
"Well, sir, ma'am," Lisa addressed both of Jennie's parents and then cleared her throat loudly, "I love your daughter very much."
Jennie nodded softly to her in encouragement.
"I hope that's the only thing you came here to tell me." Jiyong warned.
Dara too had stopped eating now, and was staring the two teens down just as fervently. Rosé was staring at Lisa and Jennie nervously, trying to keep a cool face and sort of wishing she had went to dinner with her girlfriend instead.
Taehyung and Nayeon both exchanged knowing looks before turning back to their parents and sister's own girlfriend.
"No sir." Lisa responded nervously, "Jennie and I, a-are going to have" she stopped and glanced at Jennie once again, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly, "a baby." she finished.
Dara's eyes closed as if to blink, but did not reopen. She placed her forehead in her palm.
"Oh Jennie." She murmured, "How irresponsible."
Jennie solemnly turned her cat eyes to look at her father, who had yet to utter a word.