I Fell In Love with a Nerd | Jenlisa [COMPLETE]

Chapter 22

After Lisa left Rosé sobbing on the floor of her unit, she couldn't stay there for now. The walls felt like they were caving in. Everything smelled like Lisa, looked like Lisa, and she could still feel Lisa's warmth lingering in the air. She had to run, had to breathe.

Pulling her coat tighter around her frame, she left without knowing exactly where to go—until her feet led her to the one place that had always been her sanctuary, her ballet studio.

But tonight, even that place felt hollow.

Still, she walked through the chilly street, her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned pale. Her eyes were red and swollen, her makeup ruined, and her mind clouded with pain.

She stopped at a nearby convenience store, walked in without greeting the staff, and grabbed every type of alcohol she could get her hands on. She didn't care what it was—as long as it burned going down. She needed the burn. She needed to feel anything other than this.

She decided to drink at her studio and when she entered, the scent of pinewood floors hit her. Her safe haven. The mirrors on the wall reflected a version of herself she could barely recognize.

Broken, angry, desperate.

She switched on a few dim lights in the corner, enough to cast light on the polished floors but leave the rest in shadow.

She laid the drinks on the small table near the stereo. Her hands moved with a strange calmness, opening the first bottle and downing it without pause.

Then another. The burn down her throat gave her something else to focus on— a flashbacks struck in her head.

She was nine. Standing in the center of the living room, wearing her first ballet shoes. Her mother's face was twisted with rage.

"You embarrassed me!" Mrs. Park screamed, slamming the door shut behind her. The sound echoed through the house like thunder.

"I—I'm sorry, Mommy... I tried my best," little Rosé whimpered, backing away.

"Your best?" her mother hissed.

"You were clumsy! All those lessons and you fell on stage like a fool! You think that's what a ballerina looks like? how could you make a mistake and lose in your first ballet competition!?"

Rosé sobbed, her tiny body shaking. "Mommy, I'm so sorry..."

Without warning, her mother threw her rehearsal tape across the room, shattering it against the wall.

"I should've never let you dance!" she screamed. "You're so weak, Rosé! You don't deserve to be my child!"

Then came the slap. Sharp. Cruel.

Rosé stumbled back and collapsed into a corner, her knees drawn to her chest. She cried into her arms, repeating, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'll do better next time...mommy..."

But her mother had already turned away.

Back in the studio, Rosé wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffing hard. She opened another bottle, the burn less harsh this time.

"She was right," she murmured bitterly. "I'm weak."

Eight years ago.

The hall was packed for auditions. Judges sat in front, bored and disinterested. Seulgi, one of the judge, yawned and waved her hand at a young woman near her.

"Lisa! Just sit for a while. You might see something interesting."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "I don't even watch competition like this...Why did you bring me here?"