Journals [Chaelisa]

chapter 3

The following day at lunch, Chaeyoung was the first to sit down. She patiently waited for her friends to gather around her. She'd brought her numerous lists and was prepared to analyze them with her friends. She needed their opinions, just in case hers were biased. She didn't think she was. She wasn't shallow or anything, only considering good-looking people. Because someone who had a mind like that was amazing. No matter what.

The line seemed to move extra slow today. As she watched them from their table, she saw that they were in no rush either. They were so busy talking, they didn't even notice when other people moved in front of them. She groaned and strode over to them as she grew impatient.

"Hey," Jennie said with a smile, pulling her into a quick side-hug.

"Hey Chaeng, what's up?" Jisoo greeted her.

"Hi," Somi said enthusiastically.

Lisa simply waved. She was always awkward whenever Chaeyoung first came around. It took a few moments to calm the butterflies. She thought it would've gotten better with time, but apparently that wasn't the case. The butterflies she had right now were relentless. Probably because Chaeyoung's form of greeting Lisa was with a warm hug. It always lasted a few seconds. Just long enough to make her heartbeat spike. When Chaeyoung pulled away, Lisa wore a contented smile. Lunch was definitely her favorite part of the day.

"Can you guys hurry up? I have something I really want to show you," Chaeyoung stated tentatively.

"Don't rush me," Jisoo said as she jokingly flipped her hair.

"Yeah, we can only go as fast as the line is going," Jennie laughed.

"Not true. You could pay attention and realize when people are skipping you. Like he just did," Chaeyoung said as she pointed to the boy who had stealthily slid in front of the girls.

"What's the rush? What do you need to show us?" Somi questioned.

"I made a list. I was serious about finding out who it was," Chaeyoung informed them.

"What kind of list?" Jennie asked interestedly as she attempted to grab it from Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung pulled back and figured out how to get them to come to the table. Bribery. "I'll show you when you guys decide to come sit down," she smirked as she walked back towards their table.

Well, Lisa was dreading this lunch period. Perhaps it wasn't her favorite after all. Maybe she should replace it with math. She liked math second-best. Chemistry would definitely be at the bottom, because why?

Lisa frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. She really was not looking forward to this conversation at all. There wasn't any chance of Chaeyoung putting her on that list. She didn't see her that way. Lisa wanted her to, though. Once again, she went in circles with herself. She really needed to consider sorting out the pros and cons of all of her wants and needs. Because being a world of contradictions wasn't very fun.

Soon enough, Lisa found herself perched at the table along with her other friends. Chaeyoung was finally sated. She barely let Jisoo take her seat before she divulged her theories.

Chaeyoung presented her lists on the table and spread them out. She pointed to each of them and gave a brief description of what they entailed. It wasn't necessary. All of the girls could read. And the lists were all clearly labeled. Lisa took a special interest in gazing at all of the names. She thought of it as her competition. Chaeyoung thought of it as possibilities. Except for one. One of those names was a mistake. Several mistakes.

Lisa shared that mindset too. When she saw her name written in Chaeyoung's perfect print, she couldn't believe it. Her heart swelled and dropped within the same instance. Her name was there, yet it was crossed out. Of all of the names on the list, hers was the only one that was crossed out. The only one. That information didn't exactly sit well with her.