Chapter 57

It took a week to get everything fully unpacked in Jennie's new house. She'd lived in her previous home since she was a young child, so she had no idea how much work moving would be. The new house still felt alien to her, but she knew it would become her home in time. With her mother's pictures displayed in almost every room, it felt like her spirit moved with them.

Although it took longer than Jennie had anticipated, she was finally able to feel safe with the thought that Kai was locked up and unable to hurt her anymore.

Things were going back to normal, so it was time to finally return back to school and to her old routine.

Since her therapist recommended going back to school on Friday so she could get a feel for it again before the weekend, that's what she did. It felt a bit silly to go back for one day and then gone for the next two, but it did feel comforting. Returning felt scary to Jennie for some reason, likely because she just hadn't been there in so long.

But even if the first day back was uncomfortable and strange, she had some... 'plans' to look forward to that evening.

The thought sent shivers down Jennie's spine as she finished getting ready that Friday morning. She stared at herself in the mirror, making sure her makeup and hair were perfect. After all, she'd be seeing some faces she hadn't seen in a while...plus one she had.

"Come on, Jennie, we gotta go!" her father called up the stairs.

"Coming!" she called back, looking in the mirror one last time before running out to go down the stairs.

Although Nayeon usually picked her up, her father would be taking her that day. Since the new house was farther from school, her and her dad decided that it would be a good time to buy her a car of her own to take. They'd go searching around that weekend, and Jennie would be lying if she said she wasn't excited.

She'd never had much of a desire for her own car since she wasn't one to go out that often. If she ever needed to, she could borrow her dad's SUV, but now she had more reasons to get her own.

"Are you excited?" Jennie's father asked as they drove off to school.

"A little," Jennie replied

"Nervous?"

"For sure."

He chuckled a little. "Well, I'm so proud of you for doing so well. I know you're going to get back into your schedule just fine."

Jennie smiled. She was so fortunate to have a father like hers - supportive, patient, and loving. Her entire network of support had been pivotal in getting back on track. She felt so lucky to have one.

They finally pulled up to the school and Jennie stared at the building she hadn't seen in over a month. She took a deep breath, and her father squeezed her hand encouragingly.

"Go get 'em, Jennie," he said.

"Thanks, dad," she said, regarding him with a smile before opening the car door to get out.

"Oh, and Jennie?" her dad called once more after she hopped out. She held the door open and looked back at him, confused.

"Don't forget to call me before you go over there tonight," he said.

Jennie flushed when she realized what he was talking about. "I got it, Dad."

"And make sure you be safe. Remember that talk we had the other night-"

"Oh my god, Dad! Goodbye!"

She heard him laughing as she slammed the door shut, running towards the entrance of the school as if she was escaping from her utter embarrassment.

Jennie entered the school, seeing the rush of student near the front doors as they waited for the first warning bell. The honour student's mouth went dry as she felt as though she was being watched by everyone. It was nerve-wrecking being back after such a long absence - especially when she had a reputation.

She texted Nayeon and Irene to see where they were at, promptly receiving responses that they were almost at the school.

Before she could even put her phone down and move to a place to wait for her friends, she caught the eye of a familiar figure standing against the wall a little way down the hallway.

"Jisoo," she blurted out.

The pretty blonde broke into a wide smile, one that was more genuine than Jennie had ever seen before.

The cheerleader hurried over to her.

"Jennie! You're back!" she squealed, pulling her into a massive hug.

Jennie awkwardly returned the embrace, patting Jisoo's back. "Yeah, yeah."

Jisoo pulled back, still smiling like an idiot. "You should've told me you were coming today! You wanted it to be a surprise, didn't you?"

"Yeah, sure," Jennie replied sarcastically, but she could've fight off a smile.

Jisoo had texted her often during her absence, but the cheerleader still didn't know the details of what had happened. She had been surprisingly delicate about the situation, not prying too much, but still being there for support. She offered to come over several times, but Jennie hadn't been comfortable seeing anyone outside of her family or Lisa. She didn't want to have to tell them about the incident for fear of re-living it.

"I heard you still got the highest scores in the grade on the midterms," Jisoo said.

"Yeah, and I've still been doing schoolwork online since I've been gone," Jennie replied. She sort of needed to if she didn't want to be way behind once she returned to school.

"That's so like you," Jisoo teased. "But you won't have any real competition anymore."

Jennie raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Did you hear? Nancy transferred to a different school."

Jennie was surprised. She hadn't even thought about her old enemy since all the drama with Lisa happened.

The girl had been laying low since getting reprimanded by the administration - she must've wanted an escape from the bad reputation she earned. Well, whatever. Jennie honestly hoped she got the help she needed.

"But seriously, are you doing, okay?" Jisoo asked, her tone suddenly becoming more somber. Her blue eyes bore into Jennie's, and her expression was laced with obvious concern.

Jennie hadn't realized how much the blonde cared about her, but she found out when Jisoo formed a vital part of her support network during the whole incident. Even if she couldn't be there for her in person, she always checked in on her over text.

In spite of all the time she spent getting on Jennie's nerves and being nosy...Jisoo was a true friend.

"Yes," Jennie answered. "I'm doing a lot better...thank you."

"Good," Jisoo said with a small smile.

"And I know I've kept you in the dark about everything," Jennie continued.

"Would you be able to have lunch sometime next week so we can talk?"

Jisoo pulled her into yet another hug, this time more tender. "Of course."

When they separated, Jennie felt her phone vibrate and saw a text from Nayeon saying that her and Irene had arrived.

"Alright, well my friends are waiting for me," Jennie said. "See you in 6th period?"

"As always," Jisoo replied with a smile, waving as Jennie started to walk in the other direction.

"Oh, and Jennie?"

Jennie stopped and turned to look at Jisoo quizzically.

"I want all the juicy details about your romantic date with Lisa tonight!"

Jennie's face immediately lit on fire, and she glanced around to see if any other students had heard Jisoo.

"H-how did you-" she began to ask, stammering.

Jisoo smiled, this time making use of her usual demonic smirk. "Because Lisa blew me off when I asked if she wanted to hang out after school today. You should've seen her face when she blurted out that she'd be with you."

Jennie was sure it was similar to the face that she was making now.

"Okay, bye Jisoo!" she yelled, immediately making her escape.

"Love ya Jennie!"

---

After being tackled by her blubbering pair of friends before class, Jennie did her best to readjust to her old classes. It was definitely strange being back behind a desk in a classroom of twenty other students. She's mostly just seen the inside of her bedroom for the past several weeks.

But school was her element, so she quickly became comfortable with the environment again. She studiously took notes and visited with Nayeon and Irene after classes.

As the afternoon approached, she was especially looking forward to a particular class. It was even hard to focus in the library during lunch where she caught up on some extra homework.

She honestly felt a little ridiculous - looking forward to seeing someone she'd already seen plenty enough.

Although time seemed to be passing by painfully slow, lunch ended, and sixth period was finally next up on Jennie's schedule.

Heart pounding, she headed up to that old hallway on the second floor of the east wing. A wave of nostalgia crashed into her as she approached the door for room 237. It felt like an eternity since she'd been there.

Slowly, she opened the door, florescent light filling her view as she entered the classroom. To her right was Mr. Morrison sitting at his desk, regarding Jennie with a smile.

"Good to see you back, Jennie," he said.

Jennie nodded to him before looking towards the opposite side of the room.

And there she was.

Lisa beamed when her eyes caught Jennie's, and Jennie half expected her to run across the room and pull her into a hug. But they were at school, not at Jennie's house, so the blonde stayed firmly in her seat.

Jennie walked over, unable to keep the corners of her mouth spreading into a smile. She sat next to her girlfriend, ignoring her usual spot a desk away.

"It's been a while since I've seen you walk through that door," Lisa said, still grinning like an idiot.

"Especially since I always got here before you anyway," Jennie teased.

Lisa's eyes flickered up and down, taking Jennie in.

She leaned a little closer, her voice dropping to a lower volume. "Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah," Jennie replied. "It's weird to be back, but easier than I thought it would be."

Lisa smiled once more. "I'm glad. I was a little worried, especially since I was late getting here this

morning."

"What a day to be late," Jennie teased, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I already feel bad enough," Lisa said. "Plus, it wasn't my fault I had to jump start my car."

"Excuses," Jennie replied. Then she noticed that something felt like it was missing from the usual sixth period sociology scene. She quickly pinpointed what it was. "Hey, where's Jisoo?"

The warning bell had just rung, and usually once it did it meant that Jisoo wasn't going to show up.

"Maybe she ditched?" Lisa suggested.

Jennie thought back to the morning when she saw Jisoo - the cheerleader had told her she'd see her in class. But perhaps there was more to it than the girl just not wanting to come to class. She was smarter than she seemed, after all.

But Jennie was honestly relieved. The last thing she needed was for Jisoo to be watching their every move with the knowledge that they were together again.

"I heard you turned down a date with her," Jennie teased.

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Date?"

"Yeah, for tonight."

Lisa scoffed. "As if. You jealous of her again?"

Jennie rolled her eyes.

"Well, she is prettier than me."

"Lies, all lies," Lisa replied. "Plus, I think she's more attached to you anyway."

"I don't know what planet you're living on."

Lisa smiled, her expression suddenly turning a little dreamy. It made Jennie's skin tingle, and she suddenly felt the urge to kiss the other girl. The urge only grew when Lisa leaned closer to whisper in Jennie's ear, causing the brunette to freeze up.

"I'm looking forward to tonight," Lisa breathed. Her voice was more nervous than suggestive, but it still sent shivers throughout Jennie's body. Lisa pulled back, sitting straight up.

"You don't know how hard it was to convince my mom that I didn't need Jieun to stay over while she went on her work trip," Lisa said, her voice returning to its normal octave.

Jennie laughed a bit nervously, ear still burning from Lisa whispering into it. "What, she doesn't trust you?"

"She thinks I'd throw a party or something," Lisa said, shrugging.

"But she calmed down when I said I'd invite my honour student friend to sleep over."

Naturally, Lisa's mother still didn't know about the true nature of their relationship. Jennie was certain that Lisa wasn't planning to let the cat out of the bag until she moved out. For now, they'd just have to take advantage of her mom's ignorance.

"We're not gonna get any surprise visits from your sister, are we?" Jennie asked.

"No....honestly, I just told her that I was having you over and that was enough to make sure she stays far away," Lisa admitted, laughing nervously.

Jennie knew now that Lisa's sister was aware of their relationship. It put Jennie on edge, but Lisa assured her that Jieun wasn't going to judge or spill their secret to her mother. But that didn't stop Jennie from feeling awkward and embarrassed. Especially now that Jieun knew the two girls would be at Lisa's house alone for the night.

"Hey, it was the only way I could make sure she doesn't check on me," Lisa explained, noticing Jennie's discomfort.

"My mom'll be harassing her about it the whole night."

"Ugh, I'm never gonna be able to look your sister in the eye," Jennie groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Well, if it helps, she won't be able to look you in the eye either," Lisa offered.

Jennie gave her the side-eye. "It doesn't."

"Alright, class, we're going to continue where we left off yesterday in the Power Point," Mr. Morrison announced, pulling up a presentation on the smart board.

Although Jennie did her best to engross herself in the lecture, it didn't help when her mind was flashing to what could happen that night. Or that she kept catching Lisa glancing at her out of the corner of her eye. Or that Lisa's foot would sometimes drift over to knock against hers.

Needless to say, her brain wasn't retaining any sociology for that day.

---

"Okay, I'm going to borrow your shower."

Lisa looked over at her, puzzled, as she untied her shoes at the entrance of her house.

"Geez, at least take off your jacket first," Lisa joked.

She stood up after pulling her shoes off, helping Jennie slip her jacket off of her shoulders. Jennie froze up from the touch, and she already almost felt like she was going to faint.

Once Lisa hung the jacket on the coat hanger, she turned back to Jennie, their faces a little close for comfort as the taller girl leaned down. Lisa's eyes flitted down to her mouth, and she started to close the distance between them, pressing their lips together.

Jennie's mind went blank for a second, and she got lost in the kiss. Lisa smelled so good, like summertime, and Jennie felt herself losing grip of her self-control.

But when Lisa's tongue touched her lower lip, she froze, forcing herself back to reality. She pulled away, holding Lisa back by putting a hand over her mouth.

"I-I told you, I just need to borrow your shower really quick," she stammered, out of breath.

Jennie stiffened in shock as she felt Lisa's tongue against her fingers, and she recoiled her hand before it was caught by the taller girl. Butterflies erupted in Jennie's stomach as Lisa continued to lick Jennie's fingers, the tingly feeling spreading south down her body.

"You didn't take a shower this morning?" Lisa asked.

"You smell really good."

"Well, I did, but I..."

Jennie gasped when Lisa took one of her fingers into her mouth. She took a step back, but Lisa quickly followed, snaking an arm around her waist to keep her in place.

"So? What's the problem?" Lisa questioned after releasing Jennie's finger. Her tongue coiled around another one, and Jennie couldn't look away from the horribly provocative display.

"I...well...I don't..."

The words wouldn't come out properly as Jennie's instincts were prompting her to give in. She wanted to drag Lisa to the nearest bed right then and there, but nervousness was rendering her paralysed.

Finally, she snapped, ripping her hand away and struggling out of Lisa's grip. Lisa stared at her, confused at the sudden escape.

"I-I... I'll be right back!" Jennie squeaked before running up the stairs to the second floor of Lisa's house.

She held onto the strap of her backpack as she frantically searched for a bathroom, finding one near the end of the hallway. She rushed in, slamming the door behind her, faced flushed and breath erratic.

I'm acting like a crazy person, she thought.

Nonetheless, she took advantage of her time alone, ripping her clothes off and hopping into the shower.

The cold water helped her calm down, and once she stepped out and dried off, her heart had finally returned to a more normal pace.

She dressed in an extra pair of clothes she brought in her backpack and braced herself. Despite not taking the time to wash her already cleaned hair, she'd been in the shower for almost thirty minutes, and she felt like an idiot as she left the bathroom to search for her girlfriend.

Descending the stairs, Jennie found her sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. Lisa looked up when she heard her approach.

"Well, hello stranger," Lisa teased.

Jennie averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for pushing you away and using your bathroom without permission."

Lisa chuckled and patted the couch next to her. Jennie walked over and sat next to the blond girl.

"Well, I can't say I've ever seen that from a house guest."

Jennie buried her face in Lisa's shoulder, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry."

Lisa played with Jennie's hair a little which caused the honour student to calm down slightly. "No, I'm the one who should say sorry. I shouldn't be trying to rush anything."

Lisa sounded genuinely guilty which prompted Jennie to raise her head to look at her. "It's not like I don't also want to..." She trailed off, embarrassed.

Lisa offered her a small smile. "Well, we've got all night to hang out, so why don't we start by getting something to eat?"

Jennie smiled back, feeling a little relieved at the calmer atmosphere.

"That sounds great."

---

They ordered Chinese food which took unexpectedly long to get there, so they played video games to pass the time. Surprisingly, Jennie had a knack for fighting games, and beat Lisa basically every round. She couldn't help but taunt her girlfriend, but Lisa never got irritated. She would just smile and seem genuinely happy about it.

They ate their food and went for a walk in the nearby park that they had a bit of a history in.

However, instead of making out, they walked around, passing a small lake that glowed orange as the sun set behind it. When it started getting especially dark, they returned to Lisa's house.

They opted to watch a thriller movie that Lisa recommended, but as the time crept later and later, Jennie was having trouble paying attention to it as she cuddled in Lisa's arms.

Once it was finally over, they retreated to Lisa's room where Jennie waited for Lisa to finish a shower of her own. Jennie sat still on the bed; heart racing as fast as it did when they first walked in the front door.

It was finally time. It was going to happen.

A cascade of thoughts and worries spun around in Jennie's head, but they were interrupted when Lisa's tall figure appeared in the doorway. She had a towel around her neck and was dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts, but she looked ridiculously attractive to Jennie.

"Sorry you had to just wait here," the tall blonde said, taking the towel from her neck and placing it on her desk chair. She walked over to the bed, crawling over to sit beside Jennie.

The smell of shampoo and soap was dizzying, and Jennie had to struggle to keep calm.

"I-it's fine, I was just checking Instagram the whole time." Jennie lied. She hadn't been doing anything besides staring into space and overthinking.

Lisa hummed in reply, slowly moving forward to kiss Jennie's cheek. Once again, Jennie froze, completely at the mercy of the other girl. Lisa kissed along Jennie's jaw before moving to her lips to kiss her agonizingly slowly.

Jennie was starting to melt into the kiss before suddenly, the world spun around, and she found herself lying on her back with Lisa hovering over her.

Jennie looked up at the blonde, shocked to find that she was blushing profusely with an anxious expression on her face. With how fluid and calm Lisa had been all night, Jennie was surprised to see this scared, uncertain side of her.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Lisa asked. "I mean, I'm a girl, and you haven't been with a girl before, so I don't want you to get shocked and-"

Jennie interrupted Lisa's rambling by letting out a laugh. As she giggled, Lisa stared at her, completely confused.

"What?" she asked, seemingly a little offended

"No, no," Jennie said between laughs. "It's just, I totally thought I was the only one who was nervous about this whole thing. But I forgot that you're you and that you'd totally worry about something like that."

"Well, of course I'm nervous," Lisa said, blushing.

"Especially since now you're laughing at me."

"I'm not laughing at you!" Jennie protested half- heartedly.

But Lisa was unconvinced. She pouted, so Jennie reached up and pinched her cheek.

"You know, you're really asking for it," Lisa said, pretending to be stern.

"Asking for what?" Jennie asked, smiling sheepishly.

Lisa didn't answer. She just placed a palm on Jennie's stomach, slowly sliding it downwards.

Jennie's smile immediately disappeared, and her breath got caught in her throat. Heat spread wherever Lisa touched, but Jennie's entire body erupted into flames when her hand crept under the waistband of her pants. She gasped when Lisa's fingers made contact over her underwear, and the blonde smirked, red-faced.

"See, that's a better expression," Lisa breathed.

"Ah, Lisa, just so you know," Jennie choked out, propping her upper half up on her elbows. "I've, uh.... never done anything like this before, so I don't really know what to do. I mean, I've looked it up, but I still don't-" Jennie cut off, worried her voice would falter into something more embarrassing as a result of what Lisa was doing with her hand.

"You mean you're a virgin?" Lisa asked bluntly, and Jennie flashed her a glare.

"Of course, I am! I only dated a boy in middle school, and I've been drowning in schoolwork ever since..."

Jennie cut off once more, placing a hand over her mouth to muffle her voice.

Lisa smiled, her expression turning gentle. She leaned down a pressed a kiss to the side of Jennie's temple.

Jennie reached up to cling onto her back.

"It doesn't matter to me," Lisa whispered. Her other hand moved to the hem of Jennie's shirt, silently asking for it to be removed.

Jennie sat up to do so, Lisa moving backwards to allow her. But before she did, she pressed their lips together, an overwhelming surge of affection overcoming her. She tangled her hands in Lisa's hair, pressing their bodies together.

Once their lips separated, Lisa made her worries clear one more time. "You promise you won't regret this?"

"Of course not." Jennie answered.

And once it was all said and done and they sank together in the bed to sleep, huddled in each other's arms...

She still didn't.