From Day One | JENSOO

Memory lane

Jisoo is thirteen, Jennie is thirteen

Jisoo stood at the gate, picking up on the noises that accompanied birthday parties. She was atypically nervous—palms sweating, dry throat, jittery legs. It took a lot to make Kim Jisoo nervous and although she was unfamiliar with the feeling she didn't know any other way to deal with it than to just move forward.

The house was a wild mess, in such a state that Jisoo had never seen before. There were balloons on everything that string could be tied to, scattered groups of teenagers, talking, laughing, sucking the helium balloons. She could feel their hyena glimpses questioning (what is that doing here?) and to keep herself from panicking she created a goal. They were distractions to be avoided and she wasn't here to entertain them.

"Excuse me, have you seen Jennie?"

The boy did a double take at Jisoo, his sleazy smirk something that Jisoo had been receiving more and more from the male population since the start of the summer.

"No, but you should stay here. You'll have more fun with me anyway."

Did she not get some memo? Was it written somewhere that once everyone became a teen it was appropriate to act like a horny dog?

"Nevermind. I'll find her myself."

Jisoo checked in the obvious places first: the kitchen, Jennie's room, the pool, and while there were plenty of people in all three locations, Jennie wasn't. There were many more rooms to search through but the closed door of Jennie's father's study seemed odd. The study was always open.

She opened the door and found everyone inside stiff as planks. "God Jisoo, you scared the crap out of us."

Jennie sighed in relief and Nayeon revealed the alcohol bottle she'd been hiding behind her back when she thought it was an adult.

"What are you guys doing?"

Jisoo regarded the bottle disagreeably as she closed the door and stepped further inside the quiet room.

"What does it look like we're doing?"

Nayeon untwisted the cap and took a swig, her face contorting at the strong liquid. She passed it to Jennie who looked a bit more reluctant but tilted the bottle back and drank.

Jisoo could watch no more. She took Jennie by the arm and hissed into her ear. "Can we talk for a sec?"

Jennie rolled her eyes in annoyance but followed Jisoo out. They went up to Jennie's room where it was quiet and private.

"You shouldn't be drinking that, Jendeuk. Your dad's going to be mad if he finds out you've been drinking alcohol, his alcohol."

Jennie sat on her bed with a bored expression.

"He's never home and I don't think he knows exactly how much is in every single bottle."

"Why are you drinking that stuff anyway? It just makes people act stupid."

"We just wanted to see what it tasted like. God Jisoo, don't be such a mom."

Jisoo found no appeal in things like drugs or drinking. Her parents had warned her and explained what that stuff did to a person and she didn't think any of it was fun or cool.

"Look, it's your birthday and I didn't come here to fight," Jisoo said tiredly.

They had been fighting a lot lately; stupid, insignificant things that weren't even worth mentioning but somehow created rifts. For one night Jisoo didn't want things to end with squabbling or one of them stomping out of the room in anger.

She joined Jennie on the bed and fished in her pocket for her gift. The nerves reappeared, shaking her fingers and seizing her tongue.
 
"My uncle finally agreed to let me work for him at the garage. Just paperwork and stuff like that but I got just enough to get you a decent present."

Normally she would have asked her parents for some money but Jisoo had learned that they had hit a financial slump so she decided to pay for the present herself.

Jennie took the little box from Jisoo with timid hands. "You didn't have to—"

"I wanted to. Open it."

Jisoo's look of anticipation and excitement infected Jennie. She forgot about all the people downstairs, half of them she didn't even know and enjoyed another brief moment of childlike happiness. The box was practically weightless but the necklace inside felt like the world in Jennie's hands.

"Do you like it?"

Jennie lifted the tiny pendant with her finger. The heart reflected the light with every move. "Jisoo, I—"

Jennie had no words. No one had ever given her something like this. Her mother always gave her money if she wanted to buy something but there was a difference between a gift that had taken thought and time, and dumping a roll of bills and told to buy whatever.

"It's beautiful, Soo."

It looked so fragile Jennie was afraid to take it out of its box. She wanted to keep it safe so she wouldn't lose it or get it scratched.

"I'm glad you like it because I wanted to tell you something. We're probably not going to be seeing each other a lot since I'm going to high school after the summer and maybe we're too young but I—"

Jennie lowered the box into her lap and focused on Jisoo.

Jisoo knew it was now or never. Her head was buzzing with white noise and it felt like every muscle in her body was tense but she blocked out the obstacles and continued.

"I wanted to tell you—"

"What is that? Did you get it from one of those toy machines?" Nayeon barged into the room with a small army behind her. "Man, I knew you were poor Jisoo but couldn't you have saved up more than a few cents?"

Jisoo looked at all the sneering faces. This time she really did feel like a gazelle surrounded by hungry hyenas. She turned to Jennie for help but the girl had shrunk into herself. Jisoo was defenseless against them.

Nayeon barked a short laugh.

"You're not going to cry are you?" Nayeon mocked in a whiney voice.

Jisoo's eyes shook with frustration; she could feel them water despite how much she was willing them not to. Jennie kept unresponsive, not having courage to look Jisoo in the eye as she abandoned her best friend.

"Come on, Jennie. Remember that boy I was talking about before, Hanbin? The one who's in high school? He's here and wants to meet you."

Nayeon yanked Jennie up and dragged her away from Jisoo.

Jennie turned back only for a second, the image of Jisoo sitting dejectedly on her bed in her mind and the sound of their breaking hearts in her ears.

"Sorry," Jennie whispered and then she was gone.

Jisoo could have chased after her but was there a point? She didn't want to be humiliated anymore and Jennie had obviously chosen her path. She was tired and done fighting every battle by herself.

Neither of them knew it would be the last time they would speak as friends.