The cafeteria was packed when I entered it by Friday noon. No seats were available; even its dark and eerie corners were occupied.
I was supposed to meet Lisa here thirty minutes ago, but my dearest boyfriend just had to see me asap after canceling three plans this week.
I am just so loved.
'Lis, here already. Where r u?'
I sent her the text and scanned the place one last time. I badly need to sit down to something after the conversation I had with Travis a few minutes ago.
I was in the middle of a lecture when he texted me, saying he needed to see me for something. You'd think with the amount of time he had ditched me, I wouldn't assume he had something planned for us, and yet I did. I was beaming through the rest of the lecture, despite the unfamiliar terms our professor had been throwing at us. I felt hopeful and happy. I took my time leaping through the corridors, imagining what he was planning... and then I got to our meeting spot, and the dimwit wasn't even there.
Irritation made its way through me, but I tried to shrug it off. The thought of him ditching me, like he always does, crossed my mind, but again, I brushed it off. I thought that maybe something got in his way, making him late.
"I'm at the studio, can you come? I have food!" Lisa's text read.
I dragged myself to the other side of the campus, heading towards the dance studio with her clothes. She left it this morning, so she had me bring them with me when I got in for my 8 a.m. class.
I walked in on Lisa and Rosie practicing; that's what they've been doing these days, and another girl was recording them.
"Hey!" I called in as I dropped my backpack beside the door and headed their way. The other girl turned to me just as Rosie did a quick 180 and came running when she saw me.
"I haven't seen you in days!" She said, pulling me along with her until we were standing face-to-face with the girl.
"Yeah, I thought we wouldn't be busy considering it's only the first week, but our professors have been bombarding us with activities lately."
"Sucks to be you," Lisa commented as I handed her the paper bag with her clothes. "We're all free every Friday."
She gestured her hand to the three of them, making me look at the girl. She was just standing there, either looking down on her phone or looking at us back and forth as we conversed. I think I've already seen her; I just don't remember where.
She was watching the video on her phone when Lisa cleared her throat. The girl, startled, darted her cat-like eyes at my cousin. They were staring into each other's eyes for a few seconds before Lisa put her right arm on her shoulders and grinned at me.
"I want you to meet someone," she started, and I noticed how the girl squirmed. Was she uncomfortable or embarrassed? I'm not sure.
Rosie clapped her hands, earning our attention, but she was quick to tell Lisa to continue.
"This is Jennie..." The girl, a little bit shorter than me, nudged her, then softly smiled. That was when it clicked.
"Your girlfriend," I said, finishing her sentence.
Rosie gasped after unexpectedly moving from my left to their backside.
"You knew? How?!"
"I'm a mind reader, you know?" I answered, grinning. Lisa scoffed, probably remembering the time she thought psychology students like me read people's minds.
I turned to Jennie, who now stood still and comfortable beside my cousin. I guess she wasn't embarrassed or uncomfortable a while ago. Perhaps she was nervous about my reaction.
"Hey, hi." I greeted her with a warm smile and offered my hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm—"
"I know... Lisa told me about you."
I eyed my cousin, who's now grinning from ear to ear.
"Good things, I hope."
I spent the rest of the afternoon talking with the girls and mainly getting to know Jennie. I learned that she's in her last year as a business student and is a year older than the three of us. She's also actually a lot more confident.
"We should do a girls' night. I can finally do it with you guys without feeling like I'm third wheeling or something," Rosie blurted while munching some friend chicken.
"Roseanne Park, we've told you this before. You aren't third-wheeling. We want you there!"
"I know, I know. But it's not you guys, it's me! I'm afraid I might ruin some lovey-dovey moments with my presence!"
Jennie grimaced at Rosie's defense.
"Please stop saying that word. It's so...err." I giggled at her disgusted look while Lisa mirrored her reaction.
"Fine, fine. Just saying!"
I grabbed a can of juice and noticed how nobody else was in the studio. The last time I went here, on Monday, it was this empty too. If not for their stories, I would've thought Lisa and Rosie were the only members of the club.
"Are you guys not gonna practice today?" I asked once we finished eating. Jennie and Rosie went out to throw the trash while Lisa and I swept and wiped the floor dry.
"Later. Unlike me and Rosie, most of the members actually have classes today, so we had to do the last rehearsal this 2p.m."
"Oh, that's sad 'cause I can't come. I have a quick meeting with my bloc later."
"That's fine, as long as you're there tomorrow."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Duh! Of course I'll be there. By the way..." I grinned and playfully poked Lisa on the side before whispering, "Your girlfriend's pretty."
She smirked my way. "I know!"
We both giggled.
"And hey, congrats on getting your choreography chosen. You deserve it!"
On Tuesday this week, Lisa presented the choreo she's been perfecting to their whole club. I wasn't there to witness it, but as per Rosie's words, the other two held no chance.
"Thanks, that means a lot. And to be honest, I actually thought I wouldn't get it."
"Oh, come on!" Rosie appeared next to me and clung to my right arm. "The first one was so stiff, and the second could barely control her body. Stop being humble. You knew you were gonna get it before they even performed!"
Lisa shrugged with a slight smug look on her face.
Jennie looped her right arm on my left. "Plus, you know how Bada favors you. It's a bit biased if you ask me."
Her girlfriend shook her head in defense. "Now that's absurd. She would never do that. She's a very objective person."
Jennie nudged me lightly. When I turned to look at her, she nodded Lisa's way.
"I'm not sure anybody has told you, but Lisa has another girlfriend."
My eyebrows shot up at that.
"Say what now?!"
Lisa sighed, exasperated, like they'd had this conversation before.
"Jen, seriously?"
"I'm kidding! It's actually cute how you act towards her." There was no hint of jealousy in Jennie's voice, so I guess she was, in fact, just kidding. Hopefully, because I don't know what I would do to Lisa if it were true.
"Right? She's so cute when she defends her." Rosie pointed at my already pouting cousin. "Hey, Lis. I think you picked the wrong course; you should've done law instead."
"For real, though. I think our friendship's the farthest thing from her mind when she decided."
Jennie and Roseanne kept teasing her while I stood there, occasionally nodding at their remarks.
"I'm sorry, who are we talking about?" I asked with a dumb smile on my face.
"Bada." I shook my head. "The one who's call you answered?"
The three of them exchanged looks before answering me in chorus, "The chairwoman!"
*
"Jen? Hey, where are you?" My left hand wet up to cover my other ear as I tried to hear Jennie amidst the raging crowd.
It's Saturday, the day of Lisa and Rosie's performance. The duo came here early, while Jennie and I came together about twenty minutes ago. She offered to get us some food while I stayed on the bleachers, guarding our seats and stuff.
"Sorry, the line's quite long, but I'm on my way."
I ended the call, and just as I was about to text Lisa where we were seated, her name flashed on my screen.
"What's up, cousin?"
"Are you guys here already?" I heard shouts on her end of the line; someone was calling her name.
"Yep, why? Are you up next?"
I waved my free hand when I saw Jennie climb her way up the bleachers. She was carrying two hotdog sandwiches along with two cups of drinks.
"Yes, we'll play after the band. Where are you guys seated?" another shout of her name, and I sensed her covering her phone due to her muffled voice. "Just a quick sec, B. I'm talking to my cousin."
"Bleachers, the one across the stage."
Jennie reached our seat just as I heard Lisa's dramatic gasp. I rolled my eyes before she could even respond.
"But that's so far! How are you gonna see me?"
"Lis, there's a giant screen we can watch from. We can literally see your performance wherever we sit."
"That's not enough, cousin. They're not going to show my face every time. Duh! Where are you even seated? I bet you can't see me waving at you right now."
"I actually can. You look like an idiot, so stop it." That was a lie. I could barely see anything from our seats. We were that far. But like I said, we can always watch their performance through the gigantic screen on both sides of the stage.
"Hah! I wasn't waving, you lying bitch! You know what? Let me see what I can do. Call you again in a while!"
"What did she want this time?"
I reached for the hotdog sandwich Jennie handed me and chomped on it before answering.
"Know where our seats are. She said she'll see what she can do and will call me again in a while. Not sure what she meant by that."
Jennie clasped her hands. "Oh! I bet she's using the sister card."
"What's the sister card?"
Jennie gulped the big bite she took and gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a tissue.
"She and Bada are really close. She's like her younger sister. If Lisa defends her like her life depends on it, Bada does what Lisa wants, as long as it's not illegal, of course. The girl has a soft spot for her, and let's just say your cousin knows when and how to use it."
I nodded, understanding what she said. I mean, to be honest, I find it hard to say no to Lisa myself. Not to mention when she uses her puppy eyes, man, you either do what she wants or feel guilty the rest of your life.
Lisa indeed called me a couple of minutes later, telling us to come backstage. I told Jennie about this, and she grinned as she led the way down the bleachers all the way to the back of the stage.
We entered the backstage gate and searched the crowd of performers. There were a lot, but the area was open and wide, so it wasn't that hard to navigate.
We found Lisa and Rosie side by side, chatting with whom, I assume based on the similar outfit, is also a member of their club. They stood directly behind the stage, just a few steps from the gate that led to the front of the stage.
Jennie waved at them as we walked closer to where they were.
"Hey, good luck on your performance!" She said, kissing my cousin on the cheek.
"Aww!" Rosie cooed, clinging her arms to me. "I guess I'm the only single person in here."
Lisa patted her back, reassuring her. "That's fine, Ro. At least you aren't getting ditched by someone you call your boyfriend."
That caught me off guard. Heat flashed through my body as Lisa's remark sank in. She did not. I bit the insides of my cheeks when I felt my mouth about to shake.
"Really? Lisa?" I asked in disbelief, suddenly aware of Jennie's gaze and the empathic stare Rosie's giving me.
"What? It's no secret how he treats you!"
I avoided her eyes and focused on what was behind her instead. Performers were running here and there; some of them were even still practicing together, while others huddled together to take pictures.
I unhooked Rosie's arms on mine and hugged myself, suddenly aware of the chill the afternoon breeze brought.
"I'm just gonna go to the comfort room real quick."
I didn't wait for their response and ran out of the area, Lisa's words ringing in my ears.
Ok, I get it. Travis is a prick. He cancels his own plans and ditches me often. But hey, she didn't have to open it up; there was no need to. She could've said something else—maybe changed the subject or something. Anything but mention that! It's not helping that Jennie was there. Considering how she turned to me with a surprised look, it's safe to say she didn't know about it until a while ago. Oh, God, how embarrassing.
I threw the half-eaten sandwich in the bin, along with the unopened cup of soft drink. I was about to get inside the outdoor comfort room when I had the sudden urge to kick the bin. So I took a few steps back and did exactly that a couple of times, only stopping when the door opened and out came a girl. What I noticed first was not the surprised look on her face, but her puffy red eyes. She was obviously crying, while I was abusing the bin.
I didn't get the chance to ask if she was fine. The girl had already run off in the opposite direction, back to the main building, when I opened my mouth. I stood there watching her disappearing figure, realizing I wasn't the only upset person in the place a few seconds ago.
I faced the direction of the comfort room again, threw the bin a disgusted look, then headed to the door. Unsatisfied with what I did to the bin, I twisted the knob, then kicked the door harshly. It wasn't until I heard a loud thud and someone shrieking, cursing at the other side of the door, did I realize how stupid that was. I wasn't aware somebody else was still inside, not that it matters; what I did was still wrong.
The door swung fully open, revealing a figure that towered over me. I took a step back, aware of our proximity, then nervously looked up. Her blonde hair hanging on both sides of her face caught my attention, and then her bangs that's almost covering her pretty brown eyes.
"Crap, I am so sorry. I swear I didn't know someone was inside. I know it's no excuse, but I really didn't mean it," I apologized.
I was ready to be slapped, have my hair pulled, or something. I was ready for the girl's revenge, ready for her rage, because no decent human being would do that, but she didn't do anything. She only stared at me, which only made me feel uncomfortable because she looked furious.
"Uhm...are you ok? Do you need help?" I asked as I scanned her face, but I was always drawn back to her eyes. Gone was the rage I saw earlier. She looked confused this time, and then there was something else. Recognition? Surprise? I'm really not sure. "Miss? Which part did you get hit? Did you get hit hard?"
Crap. Was she hit in the head?
I reached for her arm to shake her a bit and wake her up from her trance, but the girl was quick to dodge my hand. She lightly pushed me sideways, and in no time, she had gone and walked away.
I stood there by the door, unsure of what to do and nervous about what she was about to do.
What if she tells the discipline committee? Good God, what just happened?