Journals [Chaelisa]

chapter 5

Ever since Chaeyoung had confirmed Zane was the author, she'd been particularly close with him. Actually, the two had been inseparable. It was repulsing and satisfying to Lisa all at once. She hated the fact that Zane was constantly lying to her, but she loved seeing how happy he made her.

Chaeyoung and Zane had exchanged numbers. While she was texting him, he seemed different. Something about him was off, compared to the way he wrote. His vocabulary wasn't nearly as expansive, and he never really talked about the things he'd mentioned in his journal. He was able to keep conversation going, but it wasn't what Chaeyoung was expecting. She was hoping to have intellectual conversations with him about the world and life, but he kept the topics pretty neutral.

She was confused. The writing in his journal wasn't all about her. There were his opinions on a wide range of topics along with his beliefs about certain things. Chaeyoung was able to recall some of them and broach them to Zane so they could discuss it further, but his answers were evasive and gave her little to work with.

"It's so weird. It's like he's one person through writing and a completely different person in real life," Chaeyoung expressed to her friends at lunch.

They were all huddled around the table, listening to Chaeyoung update them on her status with Zane. That's how their lunch periods had been going recently. They sat down, greeted each other, caught up a little, and listened to Chaeyoung divulge more details about her and Zane's budding relationship.

Zane reminded Lisa of a potato. He was so boring and not right for Chaeyoung at all. He was without substance. He just stole everything Lisa said and attempted to mold it into something he could reiterate. Lisa called him a potato in her head. What could be more boring than a potato? Bread was pretty boring. She decided to start calling him Bread instead.

"Maybe he just gets nervous when you ask him about stuff he knows he wrote about," Jennie inferred.

"Yeah. That's like when people ask me to sing. I'm like no. But I be belting out them notes in the shower though," Jisoo added with a laugh.

"Not Somi. She does her Shakira impression at the drop of a hat," Lisa said dryly.

"That's because she can sing," Jisoo countered.

"You can sing too, Jisoo," Chaeyoung laughed.

"Lisa can sing," Jisoo added as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Lisa side-eyed her. She wished Jisoo would stop trying to talk up Lisa in front of Chaeyoung. She knew it wasn't going to do any justice. She knew that she could be painted in the most beautiful light and still be outshined by Bread. He had Chaeyoung's focus. Lisa had been painfully friendzoned now. She was almost coming to terms with it.

Jisoo, on the other hand, was not. She resented how she couldn't tell Chaeyoung. She hated the way Lisa acted now. She was emotionally drained. Everything concerning Zane had sucked the life out of the Thai girl. She was merely going through the motions. She missed her old Oala.

"I know she can," Chaeyoung acknowledged. "Oh my god, and Zane can sing too," she tacked on with a reminiscent smile.

Zane this. Zane that. She was growing to resent the curly-haired piece of Bread. He took over Chaeyoung and corrupted her mind. All of her thoughts were now tainted or linked with him in some way. And Lisa hated every second of it. Chaeyoung's voice didn't make her smile anymore. Her presence didn't make her feel like she was on cloud nine now. Now it just reminded her of what had been taken from her.

"So are y'all dating now or...?" Somi assumed.

"I guess we are. He hasn't asked, so I guess it's not official or anything... But we kiss and stuff so basically," Chaeyoung answered.