Slow Motion (Jenlisa)

4. Does it bother you?

I've probably never changed clothes so fast as I did today. After this endless game of basketball, I had to get home quickly. Not only was I sweating from head to toe, but I was also afraid of running into Jennie again. I knew it wasn't necessary, after all I had told her clearly to stay away from me at all costs. Of course, there were times when we needed to talk, but it wasn't today's gym class, and even that brief conversation brought up a lot of demons I'd forgotten about over the years.

As soon as I walked into our house, my mom's voice came from the kitchen. She usually left for work before I finished school and came home late at night. It was a miracle that we ever saw each other during the day. But because of that, every interaction we had always made me happy.

"Lisa? Is that you?" She had a strong accent; we moved from Thailand when I was about nine. Even in those 11 years, she didn't get rid of that accent, and I was actually glad. I loved it and every time I heard her speak, I felt at home.

"Yeah, it's me. Where's dad?" I answered with a smile on my face.

"He's finishing work later, he'll be here in about an hour." I nodded and sat down on the barstool next to her. At home things were a little more complicated when it came to language. My mom and I spoke mostly Thai, but sometimes English out of habit because we had to speak it with dad, since he was from Switzerland. He and mom met and got married when I was very young, and a few years later we moved to Korea. He only learned a few phrases in Thai, so it was easier to speak English at home in his presence. They both knew a little Korean, but probably wouldn't be able to hold a long conversation. So I had to go with them to different offices when necessary. I hated such duties, but what wouldn't I do for them, right?

"You didn't have to go to the hospital early today?" I asked after a short silence.

"I'm about to leave, but I have to stay a little longer. Maybe I'll see you in the morning when you go to school." She replied with a sigh as she got up from the small leather stool. I gave her a weak smile, which she returned, and with a gentle pat on my head, she headed to the door.

"See you tomorrow, sweetheart."

"Bye, Mom."

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About an hour and a half later, dad came home. After a quick hello, he kissed me on the forehead and hid in the kitchen. He worked as a cook and never took a break from cooking even at home. It was his passion and I loved watching him work since I was little. But today I had to miss it, Jisoo and Rosé wanted to meet outside and I decided to join them.

I just put on regular jeans and a light flannel jacket, even though it wasn't very cold outside, but you never know. I quickly put on my sneakers at the door and ran out of the house after saying goodbye to my dad. The girls were waiting in a park a few blocks from our house, maybe a ten minute walk, and since I was already late, I decided to stop at a cafe. I ordered two lattes for Jisoo and Rosé and a hot chocolate for myself, I'll never be too old for that.

Soon I saw my friends in the distance, Chaeyoung waving happily at me from the bench, while Jisoo was looking intently into a small fountain next to the bench. I quickly walked over to them and carefully took the three cups out of the paper holder.

"What is she doing?" I asked Rosé with a small nod to the little brunette.

"She said she dropped something in it." She shrugged and took the cup from me with a smile. Meanwhile, Jisoo was hanging almost completely over the edge of the fountain. It was a great sight and definitely worth a picture. So I took out my phone and snapped a few photos before walking over to the dark-haired girl.