Baby Steps

Chapter 2: The Talk

Chapter 2

Thursday, 4pm, YME University

It has been 5 days since that incident and honestly, Chaeyoung felt weird not having Jennie budge in here on Tuesdays or Thursdays to request impossible things since baseball training were usually held on these 2 days. She honestly wonders if Jennie had told anyone yet.

She shook those thoughts off before focusing on the budgeting for the school clubs. She then heard someone clear their throat. Looking in that direction, she sees Jihyo looking at her.

Raising her eyebrows at Jihyo, she's surprised when Jihyo walked towards her and felt her forehead.

"Unnie.. What are you doing?"

"You have been very off lately, and very distracted. Are you feeling okay? Are you under too much stress?" Jihyo asked, concerned.

Chaeyoung bit her lips, contemplating if she should come forward with the truth. She chose to hide parts of it in the end.

"I...It's just because someon-"

"Someone?! Are they bullying you? Was it Jennie? I knew something was fishy when she avoided me in the cafeteria yesterday."

"No! It's not that, it's just, last week, at Lisa's party, Jennie... She..." Chaeyoung paused. Chaeyoung doesn't lie. She doesn't know how to tell lies. Therefore, at this rate, she's most probably gonna spill the whole truth out.

"Yeah, I know you guys left together, Tzuyu said Jennie wanted to send you home but you denied so she accompanied you to wait for the taxi." Suddenly, Jihyo wore a playful grin, "Why? Did you had a 'Shim-Koong*' the moment when she was being so nice suddenly?"

[Shim-Koong means heart racing]

Chaeyoung flushed red before sputtering out a high pitched "Whatttt, no way! AS IF I WOULD FALL FOR A JERK LIKE HER!"

"Well, your overreaction makes whatever you just said invalid," Jihyo laughed. Seeing Chaeyoung's head hanging low, still with the tip of her ears red, Jihyo patted her head. "It's okay to have a tiny crush Chaeng ah, Jennie is actually not a bad person, she's just too childish for her age which is why she finds it fun to tease you. If you want to get to know her better, we can go and watch the baseball team's opening match this saturday morning, I'm sure Tzuyu or Momo, or even Seungwan could us get in for free."

"I'll think about it..." Chaeyoung replied with her head still hung low, allowing Jihyo to give her another pat on the head before Jihyo moved back to her seat.

Chaeyoung placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart palpate fast. Yes, she was mad when she found out that Jennie had her first time, but when Jennie didn't come and annoy her these past weeks, she felt weird. It was difficult to describe but something felt missing.

And thinking back to all the times Jennie annoyed and teased her, she admits that she has never felt actual anger for the said girl. She always had this gummy grin whenever she barged into the council room and demanded something for Chaeyoung. And she has never made Chaeyoung take the blame, whenever Nayeon went and questioned her, Jennie always replied coolly with a "Yeah I did it, so what?"

Chaeyoung silently went back to doing her work after self-reflecting for a few minutes.

An hour later, when Tzuyu's head popped in with a 'hi', Jihyo packed her bag and waved Chaeyoung goodbye.

"Wait, Jihyo unnie!"

Jihyo turned back, arms linked with Tzuyu, "hmm?"

"I... I will go with you guys this saturday.." Chaeyoung said hesitantly.