Jisoo saw Lisa approaching a stood up to walk away. "Jisoo wait I-" the Thai was interrupted. Jisoo held her hands up in the air, "hey this is nothing to do with me, the is between you guys", the older girl patted Lisa's shoulder and smiled, "I'm sure you have a good reason, I'll see you tomorrow".
"Chaeng?" Lisa sat on the bench next to her crying friend, "are you ok?". Rosé wiped her tears and sniffled, "It was awful Lis, I could hear people laughing at me when I played the wrong chords and I just choked, I couldn't remember anything" she started to cry again. Lisa pulled the Australian's head onto her shoulder and cuddled her, "I am so, so sorry Chaeyoung". Rosé shook her head, "it isn't your fault I suck. I should just give up". "No no no, don't say that" the brunette protested, "you are really talented, this is my fault I should of been there, I'm sorry". "Where were you? Is everything ok?" the redheaded Rosé asked with concern, always thinking about other people before herself. Lisa thought carefully about what she was going to say, she couldn't tell the truth she couldn't say she was in the past through a magic door, Chaeyoung would call the doctors. And what was Lisa even doing there anyway, trying to comfort a girl from the past who was upset at her boyfriend, who she went off with anyway...and kissed him. -I'm pissed off again, why am I pissed off-.
"Lis?" the Australian asked, noticing the her friend had zoned out completely. "Huh? Oh sorry. I uh, I had to do something and I thought I'd be quick but it took longer than expected" she smiled nervously at her roommate who just raised and eyebrow. This was the second time today that Lisa had been vague with Rosé and refused to really say where she'd been, she didn't know whether to be worried about the younger girl or not. It wouldn't be for the last time either.
Over the next couple of weeks Lisa's behaviour continued to worry her friends, she was always tired, she even had to borrow Mino's prescribed medication that he used to help him concentrate during studying just so the Thai could stay awake during classes. The daylight hours were the only time the girls ever got to see their friend, at night she disappeared, always sneaking out of her dorm at exactly the same time and coming home again a couple of hours before classes started. Never any explanation and always completely vague. Her friends felt as though she was living a double life but they couldn't figure out what was going on.
"I think she has a secret boyfriend" Nayeon added to the conversation when Lisa's name cropped up again. Irene wasn't convinced, "but why would she hide it from us? She's never hidden he relationships before". Yeri took a bite out of her sandwich, "maybe he's a real geek and she's embarrassed by him". Jinny laughed, "yeah or like really old". A few of the girls started laughing and joking about this fictional hideous monster of a boyfriend but some of the group didn't find the jokes funny and were genuinely concerned about Lisa. "Guys stop it" Momo interrupted, "it's more serious than that, you guys don't sit next to her in classes or have dance class with her, she isn't herself, she has to have pills to keep her awake and her mind is always elsewhere like there's something she can't stop thinking about to the point she's unware of anything going on around her". Jisoo nodded in agreement, "exactly! That's what me and Rosé were saying the other day, it's like Lisa's here but not here at the same time, if that makes sense". Momo nodded back with a sad expression on her face.
"You're right, we shouldn't joke about this" Seulgi added while brushing her long black hair out of her face, "Lisa could be in trouble for all we know and even if she didn't tell us she'd definitely tell Rosé but she hasn't so whatever it is she feels like she can't talk to us about, which isn't like her at all". The girls who laughed suddenly felt guilty, in honesty they were worried about the Thai too. Nayeon sighed, "have you guys noticed that Lisa doesn't seem to be interested in any of the things she used to be passionate about?". "Yes like dance class!" Momo added. Seulgi nodded, "I noticed that too, she pays no attention at all and her mind is always on other things, I heard the teacher telling Minzy that she had to kick Lisa out of the dance crew, Minzy sunbae is trying her hardest to keep Lis in the team but I don't think it will last much longer, it's like no matter what Lisa is doing she's counting down the minutes till she can leave, like she can't get away quick enough even though dancing and hanging with us used to make her happy". Yeri quickly swallowed her sandwich, she didn't want to talk with her mouth full because Irene kept hitting her when she did that, "have yall noticed that history class is the only thing she takes any interest in?". "Yeah what the hell is with that?" Jinny added in agreement.
Rosé was present with the group but wasn't talking, the situation with Lisa was hitting her harder than anyone, Lisa was more than just a friend, she was a roommate and felt more like a sister. The two girls came to Korea from their respective countries at the same time, met each other during registration on their first day at the school and instantly became friends, they chose to share a dorm with each other that very day, they were always together, inseparable, but every day the Australian felt the Thai slip further and further away from her, she was losing her best friend and she didn't know why or how to fix things.
"Rosie, are you ok?" Miyeon asked softly as she noticed how quiet the girl was. Rosé shook her head, her eyes starting to fill with water, "I'm scared for Lisa. I just keep thinking that something is really wrong and she needs help but there's nothing I can do. I just want to know she's safe and happy". Jisoo quickly embraced the younger girl and tried to console her while Yeri rubbed her arm supportively. Nayeon sighed, "we need to follow Lisa or something but don't let her know. We need to know what's happening for her sake"
"What could possibly be so important that'd she'd just abandon her entire life like this?"
Lisa held her arms against her stomach, her legs wriggling a little as she giggled hysterically. Jennie playfully pushed Lisa and gasped dramatically, "don't laugh at me it was the worst day of my life oh my God!". Both girls were laying on the grass in the public park in the town, Lisa was wearing a fashionable multicoloured flowery dress, with a braded band around her head like a true hippie, an identity she was starting to take seriously in order to keep up the lie. Jennie was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with a thick white line down the middle and a plain black skirt that finished half way down her thighs, it wasn't the shortest skirt in the world but her parents certainly wouldn't approve. "Oh come on, it couldn't have been that bad, don't be such a drama queen" the Thai jested as she pushed Jennie back. "LISA THE WHOLE SCHOOL SAWMY UNDERWEAR! IT WAS MORTIFYING!" the elder yelled trying to disguise her smile. Lisa had started to calm down but now burst out laughing again, even harder than before, "stop, stop I can't take anymore" she pleaded while holding her hands over her face.
"Jerk" Jennie huffed, a smirk on her face as she lay back down on the grass and looked up at the sky, "you have to tell the most embarrassing thing to happen to you. That's the rule Manoban". The Thai groaned, "ugh do I have to? Can't we just talk about your underwear?" she joked. Jennie gasped again and pulled up a handful of grass, throwing it on Lisa in a childish rage, though she was only messing around. Lisa giggled again, Jennie found her laugh infectious and couldn't help but smile every time she heard it. "Ok ok I'll tell you, just please stop throwing grass" the brunette quipped, "right ok it happened a couple of years ago when I was at my school before I came here" she had told Jennie that her school she attends in modern day Korea was in fact the school she attended before enrolling at the American high school. "So it was my first day and me and the Australian kid I'd just met were heading back to our new dorm room after the newbie party that night. We get back and I took a shower because I'd spilled drinks on myself, Chaeyoung was cooking chicken in the kitchen. I take my shower, wrap myself up in a towel because we hadn't unpacked our boxes yet and we sit down together watching TV and eating our meal right? After about an hour some girl walks into our dorm and stares at us with her mouth open, like we were the biggest freaks on the planet" she continued. Jennie tilted her head to look at the younger girl, "why? what happened?". Lisa sighed and started to chuckle, "turns out it wasn't our dorm, our place was two doors down. I had taken a shower, was wearing her towel and we were both there eating this chick's chicken on her couch at like 1am". The elder started to cackle at the other's stupidity, "oh my God you idiot! what happened after that?". Lisa grinned, "although that's a story of one of my most embarrassing events, it's also the story of how me and Rosé met our best friend Jisoo".
The girls lay on the grass talking and looking at the clouds for a good two hours or so, everything was so peaceful and calm, there was a cool breeze in the air but nothing too cold, just the right temperature for chilling in the park. Music played from a young man's car radio in the distance which added to the calming atmosphere.
"I'm sorry if I'm boring company" Jennie blurted out, out of nowhere. "Huh? What makes you say that you weirdo?" the Thai responded. "I know you hippies go to live music shows and get high and stuff and do really fun things like all the parties you go to, and your old friends sound like such fun people and then there's me...taking you to a park to look at the clouds" the elder said as her mood dropped, sounding apologetic. Lisa sat up and adjusted her position to face Jennie, who was now sitting up as well, "Jen don't be so silly. The parties are fun and stuff sure but that isn't all I'm interested in doing, I love hanging out with you. I'm having a blast seriously, this is the most fun I've had in a while. There is nothing even remotely boring about you...trust me on that one". Jennie smiled and sighed in relief. "...moron" the Thai added quietly but loud enough for the black haired beauty to hear. A smirk crept across Jennie's face, "ok that's it, you're getting grass stuffed down your dress". "Oh really? I'd like to see you try" Lisa responded playfully, challenging the elder.
Jennie grabbed more grass swiftly and tried to approach Lisa with it but the Thai grabbed her wrists to stop her. Jennie managed to wriggle free and threw the grass in the air so it showered over the younger girl like rainfall. "Oh you are so dead" the Thai yelled as she began to chase Jennie all over the park. The elder squealed and giggled as the brunette tried to spank her butt with a stick she'd picked up from a near by tree. Jennie tried to hide behind a bench but Lisa just jumped over it and almost landed on her grass throwing tormentor. The two girls wrestled with each other for a while, both trying to take control of the stick until they instead resorted to tickling. They fell down backwards onto the floor, both laughing. Lisa had fallen on top of Jennie and was now leaning on her hand, their bodies touching and their faces only inches away from each other, nowhere else to look but into each others' eyes. Butterflies swarmed inside the Thai's stomach, she desperately tried to disguise it but her heart was pounding so fast she could only pray that the black haired girl couldn't feel it against her own chest. Both girls' breathing deepened dramatically, getting heavier and heavier the longer they stayed in that position. Lisa started to sweat with nerves, she swore she was shaking -what the hell is happening to me, why am I feeling this way. She's going to notice, she's going to be disgusted and never want to see me again. I need to calm down-. But Lisa couldn't calm down and the next few moments would make things even worse. Was this real? Did Lisa really just see what she thought she saw? -Did she just...-. The Thai was sure, it only happened for a split second, so quickly that if the younger girl had blinked she would of missed it, but she knew what she saw, Jennie's eyes definitely lowered and she gulped as her gaze had settled on Lisa's lips. It was only for second, she then looked back up and reconnected their eye contact but it happened, it definitely happened.
Lisa quickly rolled off of Jennie and picked herself up off the floor, extending her hand down to help pull the elder up to her feet. "So uh, you wanna grab something to eat or whatever?". Jennie, equally as nervous as Lisa nodded silently and forced a smile, "yeah, I'd like that".
The two girls sat in their favourite window booth in the diner that had become a regular hang out spot for the girls after school. They read the menus even though they always ordered the same thing, jumbo cheese burgers with fries and large milkshakes. "Do you want to come to a concert with me soon?" Jennie asked as she took a sip of her milkshake through the straw to help her swallow the bunch of fries she had stuffed into her mouth. Lisa looked up from her food that had gained her full attention until this point, "a concert? who is playing?". Jennie took a bite into her burger, "the Rolling Stones" she answered with food still in her mouth. The Thai's eyes widened and her mouth hung open in awe, "the Stones?!? The actual Rolling mother effing Stones?! HELL YEAH! Oh my freaking God!" she yelled. Jennie laughed at how much Lisa was freaking out with excitement, "awesome, I'll tell Johnny to get the tickets. It's going to be so cool". Johnny was Jennie's boyfriend, the similarity in the couple's names were something Lisa often had fun with, she had got to know the boy since Jennie introduced them and she now considered him a friend, she'd unfairly misjudged him in the past and had now come to realise that he was a pretty nice guy. Lisa nodded frantically while drinking her shake, straight from the glass because the straws were taking too long, she reached her hand across the table to give the elder girl a high-five.
"Are your parents gonna let you go?" Lisa asked, suddenly remember how protective and strict they were with their daughter. Jennie smirked mischievously, "they're attending a war veterans dinner that day, they won't know I'm gone". "Oooh rebel, watch out everyone!" Lisa jested playfully. Jennie threw a fry at her in protest of the younger girl's mockery, "hey, I can be rebellious if I wanna be ok?". The Thai rolled her eyes, "sure...". "I can!" Jennie whined like a kid. The brunette chuckled, "ok, answer me this bad girl, have you ever snuck out of your house at night to hang out with your friends or just to get out on your own?". "..no" she replied, feeling like a sheltered baby all of a sudden. Lisa face palmed, "Jen, I've seen your house, the garage is literally right underneath your bedroom window, you could so easily climb out and jump down and your parents would never know anything about it". The elder girl kicked Lisa underneath the table, "the thought never occurred to me ok!". "Such a goody toe shoes" Lisa teased as she reached over the table and pinched Jennie's cheek, immediately getting her hand swatted away by the sulking black haired girl. "I can be bad when I want to be you know...shut up" the elder huffed like a sulky little kid. The time traveller raised an eyebrow and smirked, "ok then wild child, it's the weekend tomorrow so at midnight tonight I'm coming to come to your house and you are going to sneak out, then we'll have some fun. Unless of course...you're scared?". Jennie was not a person to back down from a challenge, especially if she felt her pride was at stake, in that sense she could be easily manipulated, "ok Manoban, deal! See you tonight hippie".
Lisa smirked again and winked cockily at Jennie before both girls continued to eat their meals. Tonight was going to be an interesting experience for the both of them.