Golden Girl | Chaelisa

1

The faint sound of wood clattering against the ground causes the drummer to sigh in frustration. She wipes slippery palms on the rough denim of her jeans, cleaning the sweat off before reaching for the drumsticks again.

Lisa Manoban begins to play with renewed vigor. Steady, rhythmic thumps fill the garage in no time. Her anger drives her hands wild soon enough and the pace picks up, growing rapid as Lisa plays with more speed. She pushes herself to go faster, eager to finally match the tempo she's been working towards for two hours.

Just a bit faster...

Faster...

"Ah!" Lisa hisses audibly and clutches her hand to her chest on instinct. Crimson paints three of her fingers and her drums.

Upon inspection, Lisa notices the dry cracks in her palm have split to the point of bleeding. Her skin is pinkened from exertion and light green in several places, marking healing bruises. Lisa's hands have turned into somewhat of a crime scene. Blood is no stranger to her and neither is the near-constant ache in her wrists.

Lisa merely sighs after assessing the damage, more annoyed with having to take a break than anything else. She stands and walks to the back of the garage, where a bowl of ice water is waiting for her.

The water's color morphs into pale pink as she dunks her hands beneath the surface. The chill that runs up Lisa's spine only serves to remind her of how hot it has grown inside the garage. It traps heat even in December, so now that it's summer the warmth of the room is almost unbearable.

No matter. She'll just have to wear less layers, shorter shorts, tighter tops.

Lisa chews her lip thoughtfully, wondering where she could find more thin, long-sleeved shirts. Her body isn't high up on her short list of insecurities, but the small, circled design just above her wrist makes number one.

Soulmate marks are... personal.

"Lisa." Her aunt, Jieun, walks into the garage through the house entrance. She wrinkles her nose instantly at Lisa's appearance. "Make yourself presentable. The neighbors just moved in. We're going to go say hello."

"I'm presentable." Lisa grumbles, wringing out her wet hands to air-dry them.

Jieun raises her eyebrows, clearly unimpressed. Lisa scowls as she looks down at herself. She's wearing a simple, black tank top that is now soaked through with sweat, and jeans that are in a similar state. Both articles of clothing are darkly colored, so there are no visible stains.

Lisa doesn't see a problem.

She towels off anyways, knowing Jieun won't hesitate to force her into the shower. "Why do we have to introduce ourselves?"

"It's polite."

Lisa wants to explain that she doesn't give a rat's ass about being polite, but unfortunately (or, maybe, fortunately) Jieun is gone before Lisa can get another word out.

Reluctantly, Lisa starts to rifle through some of the larger containers stacked against the wall. She keeps some spare clothes in the second row. Lisa spends a few minutes trying to find something with long sleeves that isn't overly heavy. She settles on a deep blue flannel and carelessly pulls it over her shoulders.

If Lisa adjusts it properly, it doesn't look too bad, despite it being slightly oversized. It might be one of Taehyung's forgotten shirts from middle school.

"Lisa!" Jieun calls. "Come on!"

"Okay, okay." Lisa complains under her breath. She pats her drum kit lovingly on the way out.