READY FOR LOVE | JENLISA

Chapter 16

Lisa

Running off the field to the side-lines, I find my hand towel and wipe the sweat pouring down my face. It's hot as hell out today. Grabbing my water bottle, I take a long drink, needing to take a deep breath after, since I never fully caught my breath from the last play.

Placing my hands on my hips, I take a moment to catch my breath. When my lungs cease to burn, I pick back up my water bottle, guzzling down the remains. While chugging my water, I gaze over the rim of the bottle, spotting a number of kids walking by. Probably from a class that just let out.

Scanning the pack, I spot a slender brunette strolling by with a powder blue backpack, talking to a blonde haired girl with fair skin and large glasses.

Finishing my water, I drop the empty bottle on the ground next to my things, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand before jogging over to the pair. I realise Jennie's eyes are already trained on me, a smile curving her lips.

"Hey, Finch." I greet her once I'm within talking distance. "Hey, Rosé." I greet her friend, slowing my jog and stopping a few feet in front of them.

"Hey." they say in unison, Jennie flashing me that sweet smile of hers while Rosé clearly checks out my arms glistening with sweat.

"Looks like you're feeling better." Jennie notes, her smile softening as she gives me a cautious once over, trying to detect if anything is still wrong.

After my confrontation with Somi, I walked back into the lecture hall and gathered my things, knowing I couldn't sit and listen to the rest of the lecture with all the awkward tension hanging in the air. I said a quick goodbye to Jennie before I walked out, telling her I wasn't feeling too well. She understood, kindly offering to lend me her notes later to copy what I've missed.

"Yeah, a bit better. I may be suffering from heat exhaustion now, but I'm definitely better." I joke.

"Yo, Manoban!" Bambam yells out, and I look over my shoulder at him. "Stop flirting with girls and get your ass back on the field!" he jokes.

I flip him the bird before twisting back around to face Jennie and Rosé.

"Nice tattoo." Rosé notes, catching a glimpse of it on my upper back when I must have turned around.

"Oh, thanks." I say, instinctively reaching my arm up and around to massage the top of my back, right below my shoulder where my tattoo ends. "So, Finch, any leftovers from last night?" I tease, although I wouldn't be opposed if she actually offered for me to come back over and have dinner again.

She lets out a small laugh. "I think so. I mean you're more than welcome to stop by and see if my dad's home and willing to share some with you. I'm sure he'd love to talk football again. Don't know if my mom would like sitting at a table with just the both of you talking about football, though."

"You're not going to be home tonight?" I gather, feeling slightly disappointed for some reason.

"Don't even think about hanging out with Jen on Tuesdays." Rosé says. "Getting her to hang out on a Tuesday evening is like having the pope to show up to your birthday party. Impossible."

Jennie flashes her friend a dry look, rolling her eyes. "Sorry, I just have a commitment. I meet up with a friend every Tuesday night for dinner." she explains, giving me an apologetic look. I vaguely remember her mom freaking out last night when she thought it was Tuesday and Jennie was home for dinner.

"It's no biggie." I assure her. "I can take a rain check."

She gives me a soft smile before her eyes grow wide in realisation. "Oh, I have those notes from lecture today if you want to copy them." she says, starting to shrug off her backpack.

"That's okay." I stop her. "I'm kind of gross right now." I say, flashing her my sweaty palms. "I don't want to ruin them. Or possibly lose them. Any chance I can copy them tomorrow? Maybe we can do lunch together?" I ask hopefully, realising we both have a lunch break between lab and our English class tomorrow.

"Uhh..." she thinks about it for a moment, hesitating. Rosé nudges her with her elbow, and the two girls share a look before Rosé gives an affirmative nod. Seeming settled, Jennie turns back to me, smiling. "Sure, that works."

I flash her a grin before starting to back away slowly, knowing I need to get back to practice. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." I affirm before turning around and jogging back towards my teammates, feeling excited about tomorrow.