october | ningselle (ON HOLD)

V

now

Giselle's face is blank as she sits with Karina.

Karina is currently reading, so she isn't paying attention to anything around her, but a voice interrupts them, shocking Karina and irritating Giselle. The voice is that of Karina's boyfriend Jeno, and he's calling for her again, asking how her day was. She replies, but Giselle isn't listening; she's too busy staring.

At her best friend.

Who's currently giggling.

With Zhong Chenle.

The disjointed words poke at the fabric of Giselle's thoughts like needles through scratchy cotton, frustrating her to no end. It's been two weeks since the two Chinese teenagers met, and they've been all over each other every moment. Ningning hasn't been going to Giselle's house after school like she usually does, instead choosing to hang out with Chenle at the local cafe. She's seen them do homework together and laugh while Giselle goes home alone.

It would be stupid to say that she isn't jealous, because she is.

She's really, really jealous- not just because she is in love with her best friend, but because she's now losing her best friend to Chenle.

As Karina gets up to go with Jeno, Giselle sits blankly in her chair.

Irene pokes her, startling the Japanese. "Wha?"

"Are they dating?"

"Who?" Giselle turns to Irene, confused.

"Yizhuo and the hot new boy, duh," Irene says like it's no big deal, raising her perfect eyebrow as if Giselle should've grasped such an easy concept. "They've been hanging out so much they've got to be dating."

"I- uhh," Giselle mumbles like an idiot, then manages to get out, "How should I know?"

"Aren't you Yizhuo's best friend?" Irene tuts at the end of the sentence.

"Not anymore, I guess," Giselle replies irritably, flicking her fingers in Ningning's direction.

She looks like she's having the time of her life.

"She's found someone new."

Ningning smiles at Chenle. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, if she doesn't support you, she's not your friend," Chenle says, combing his long fingers through his perfect hair. Ningning blushes a little when Chenle meets her eyes seriously. She thinks that she really likes this boy. "It's not her life."

Unbeknownst to Giselle, both Ningning and Chenle had heard Giselle speaking to Irene, and agreed to talk about it later. Yes, Ningning and Giselle haven't been hanging out as much, but Giselle is being dramatic, in her opinion. They'd known each other for years. Giselle didn't get Ningning all the time, and honestly, it was time for Ningning to hang out with people in her year too. It was better that way, to expand their friend group.

Chenle and Ningning are in a cafe near the school, homework spread out in front of them, intermingled with two coffees. They're mostly paying attention to each other though, and Ningning chances a look out the window into the rain.

Students are streaming away from the direction of the school, probably glad that it's Friday. Ningning doesn't have anyone she'd rather spend her Friday with though, and the sweet boy across from her makes her stomach turn (in a good way). They've been going on these sorts of quasi-dates for two weeks now, and they haven't clarified their feelings yet, but Chenle seems to really like her.

And she likes him too.

Ningning looks out the window again and sees something surprising.

Or rather, someone.

Giselle stands with Karina, Winter and Jeno. As usual, Winter is giving Jeno a death glare (the boy has never figured out why she hates him; he doesn't know it's because she likes Karina) while Karina stands with her arms loosely around Jeno's. Giselle is standing opposite them and it looks like they're all arguing. Winter is snapping at Jeno, who grips Karina's arm tighter, resulting in Giselle swatting him.

Ningning almost laughs at the scene. Her best friend has a black beanie on, as if that'd protect her from the rain. Her sandy blond hair is slicked with water and hanging from her face in sheets, and she gestures furiously, yelling something at Jeno while Winter nods too, agreeing with her.

Giselle has that look in her eyes; the look she gets when she's so against something she'd die before it happened.

Ningning squints, as if she can lip read. It looks like Giselle is repeating, No, not there, and Winter is yelling something like, We won't let you, while Karina just stands there looking confused. It's the most angry Ningning has seen her best friend and Winter in a while.

But then she remembers Giselle's comment and turns her attention back to Chenle, but as the next minutes pass, the conflict outside only appears to get more pressing. Some of Jeno's friends arrive and Giselle yells at them too, waving her hands. One of his friends- Haechan, she thinks his name is?- approaches Giselle and shakes his head at her, and she responds by rolling her eyes at him.

What is going on?

Chenle is still talking.

"-and I think it's best if you use this one method instead of the other, they won't notice it and it's the short way, so it'd be better if-"

"I'm sorry, Chennie, I'll be right back," Ningning says, distressed, and stands, darting out of the shop.

The door jingles as she leaves, but the sound doesn't even register as she runs to Giselle.

"What's going on?" she asks, and her best friend takes a moment to turn and look at her. It's raining, but Giselle's eyes fix on her like she's the only person in the world.

And then time resumes and Haechan turns to her and opens his mouth.

Giselle interrupts him. "These idiots and Jeno want to take Rina to some bar on the edge of town, and we have no idea where the hell it is and they won't tell us. Rina isn't saying anything, and Winter is screaming like a maniac and probably ruining whatever cobwebbed vocal cords she's got sitting in her neck. Jeno is being insistent-"

"-because he's her boyfriend-"

"-and we're her best friends," Giselle screams back in response to Haechan. "This is stupid!"

"It's just a bar," Ningning hears Jeno yell, and Winter screams back, "And where is this bar again!?"

Karina is just standing there, and Ningning is staring, but not at her.

She's staring at Giselle.

Giselle just talked to her like nothing was wrong, and then something clicked in Ningning's brain- Giselle is fiercely protective of her friends.

Especially Ningning.

So the reason she said what she did to Irene- maybe it was because she felt like she was losing Ningning?

Ningning understands that, and she gets that Giselle loves her friends and would fight to the death for them. But Ningning wants a little freedom.

Finally, when Winter has screamed and cursed Jeno out enough, she returns to her shell and furiously yanks the hood of her rain jacket up, storming towards her car. Karina stands in the rain shell-shocked, then dumbly follows Winter, who promptly runs toward her car, gets in, and peels out from the lot faster than lightning, leaving Karina standing there in confusion.

Love is complicated, Ningning thinks.

Little does she know the girl next to her is thinking the same thing, her eyes on Ningning as Jeno's friends walk away.