From Day One | JENSOO

Memory lane

Jisoo is eleven, Jennie is ten

"Ow, ow, OW!"

"Stop squirming around then it won't hurt so much! Jinyoung, bring me the band aids."

Jinyoung rushed into the house while Jisoo inspected Jennie's arm. The cut didn't look that bad, nothing Jisoo hadn't seen, but this was probably the first time Jennie had gotten hurt to the point of blood.

"I'm going to lose my arm, aren't I? And I'm right handed, too!" Jennie moaned painfully. 

"You're not going to lose your arm."

Jinyoung came back, his arms full of boxes and packages. He dumped everything at Jisoo's feet. At seeing all the supplies, Jennie's fear doubled.

"Maybe we can just leave it as it is. I mean, it isn't all that bad," Jennie tried to reason as Jisoo unwrapped some clean bandages.

"It'll become infected, Jendeuk. We can't leave it."

Jisoo sifted through the pile for hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls. She turned over the bottle once on the cotton ball to wet it and told Jinyoung to cap the bottle.

"Okay, this is going to sting a little—"

"No!" Jennie kicked her feet and pushed herself away from Jisoo. "Can't we just wash it with water?"

"Water won't disinfect it." Jennie had tears in her eyes and if Jisoo could she would have gladly taken the cut for Jennie but she couldn't. 

"Jendeuk, look at me. It will only hurt for a second, I promise."

Jennie sniffled and rubbed her eyes with her good arm. She gave the cut arm to Jisoo and looked in the opposite direction.

"On three, okay? One, two, thr—" "OW!"

*

The next day Jisoo, Jennie and Jinyoung gathered at recess where Jennie was boasting her battle scar. Some of the kids had surrounded her to see the zigzagged cut. While Jennie was distracted Jisoo took the opportunity to speak to Jinyoung privately.

"Which one was it?"

Jinyoung pointed to the other side of the playground, next to the swings. The swings were a hot commodity; everyone loved to play on them but only a few designated kids were allowed. Jennie wasn't one of those designated kids and it was how she got the cut.

Jisoo had wanted to say something first, maybe explain to those morons that shoving someone while they were on a swing was a stupid idea, but by the time she crossed the playground, her hands were fisted and she was seeing red.

"If you push her or anyone else ever again, I'll hit you twice as hard. Got it?"

She looked up at the rest of the dumbfounded boys as they fearfully backed away from Jisoo. They nodded their understanding and ran off, as did the boy with the bloodied nose.

Jisoo got a week of detention after that. It wouldn't be the first time she'd get in trouble because of Jennie. 

*

Jisoo is thirteen and Jennie is twelve

No one below the age of twenty ever watched the weather channel willingly. Jisoo and Jennie were beginning to regret that.

They were coming back from a trip in the woods when the sky had turned an ominous gray and the soft rumbles that they thought belonged to the stream were actually a predecessor to the looming storm.

"I told you we should have stayed home," Jennie fussed as more thunder rolled through the clouds.

They had ventured further than usual and the darkness that was slowly developing was destroying Jisoo's sense of direction. She needed Jennie's support right now, not her complaining.

"This is getting stupid too. How many times are we going to go into these woods? There's nothing here but dirt, rocks and trees. We could have gone to Nayeon's party like I suggested and I wouldn't be ruining my new shoes right now!"

"You used to like coming here—" 

"Yea, when I was eight!"

"Besides, that girl is mean. I don't know why you would want to hang out with her." 

"Nayeon is awesome. I heard that her parents already bought her a car."

"What for? So that she could sit in it?"

The sky growled again, much louder, like it was right overhead and in response Jennie took Jisoo's hand. Jisoo glanced at their hands; it was becoming a rarity these days. Jennie had decided at some point that she was too old to hold Jisoo's hand though that only seemed to apply when they weren't alone. However, the time they had to themselves was becoming less and less. There was always someone with them nowadays, someone butting in and whisking Jennie away.

"We're going to get soaked and it'll be all your fault."

"We're not. Look, there's the opening." 

"Finally."

Jennie dropped Jisoo's hand and took the lead. For the first time Jisoo was the one to trail behind. When Jisoo's house came into view Jisoo walked faster and got in step with Jennie. All they needed to do was cross the street. They were about to when a few sudden bright flashes blinded them. Acting on instinct, Jisoo pulled Jennie close and clasped her hands over Jennie's ears just as the high pitched crackling of the lightning snapped to the ground. Jisoo could feel the cement underneath her shoes vibrate. Wherever the lightning had struck, it had been very close.

Jennie slowly peeled her eyes open, Jisoo's hands still covering her ears. 

"Thanks."

"We should go before it starts to—"

The rain gave no warning, coming down on them in buckets. It took them no more than ten seconds but by the time they reached Jisoo's porch, they were wet from head to toe.

"Sorry. I guess we did get soaked."

Jennie spread her arms to the sides, heavy water dripping from her clothes. Jisoo couldn't help but laugh.

"You look like a scarecrow."

Jennie glowered at Jisoo but her expression changed when she saw how haggard the girl was as well.

"Well you look like a wet rat."

"Hey," Jisoo shouted, feeling insulted. She lowered her head and shook it, sending water onto Jennie like a sprinkler.

In retaliation Jennie shed her wet jacket and used it to hit Jisoo. The fight escalated steadily until Jisoo could take no more, having received one or two hard slaps from Jennie. She grasped Jennie's waist and tackled her towards the wall.

"Okay, okay, you win!" Jennie laughed out as Jisoo began tickling her.

So Jennie wouldn't have a chance at hitting her anymore Jisoo held down the girl's hands.

"Drop the weapon," Jisoo ordered, but she was still smiling and Jennie couldn't take her seriously. 

"Drop it."

Jennie rolled her eyes and complied. Their breathing was ragged from their little fight and Jennie's chest pressed against Jisoo's every time she exhaled.

"Okay, I dropped it. Now let me go."

Jisoo was going to but then somewhere in her brain that command perished. Her eyes drifted to Jennie's lips, covered in round droplets, and she wanted to wipe them but then Jennie's tongue darted out, licking the water away.

She looked back up at Jennie eyes, staring with the same kind of intent as Jisoo. It seemed like the next thing to do, to just lean forward and—

The sky exploded with another roar of thunder and Jennie shrieked, burying her head into Jisoo's neck for shelter. It brought Jisoo back to reality.

"Let's go inside before we get sick."