28 Days || Jensoo

Chapter 5

Jennie awoke in the still light of the early dawn. The unfamiliar noise of birds and wildlife - and the absence of traffic and the din of city life - left her feeling strange. Sometime in the night, her mattress had shifted in from the walls of the tent, probably when she realised that the condensation had seeped through. It was warm and cosy, so long as you didn't touch the walls, where the sodden wet canvas felt slimy and cold.

Jennie shifted onto her side, and realised that she wasn't the only one who had drifted into the middle of the tent. The gap that once been between their mattresses had closed and Jisoo Kim, gorgeous purple haired and brand-new friend, now lay fast asleep inches away from her. Jennie thought about getting up, getting out and going for a hell of a long run, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the face in front of her. Instead, she lay as still as she could, taking in every simple nuance of the girl in front of her. In her sleep, her face was relaxed, her lips were parted slightly and Jennie watched their ripe fullness move ever so slightly with each breath that moved in and out. She felt her stomach flip over, but still she didn't move. It was like she was memorising this face, this madonna in front of her. She was still staring when Jisoo moved, and Jennie started backwards, hitting the edge of the tent, and was rewarded with a sudden sodden slosh of water straight down the back of her top. When she looked back, Jisoo was up on one elbow regarding her quizzically.

"Wet tent," she mumbled, like it was an explanation. She bolted out the front of the tent, grabbing her things on the way, and making for the toilet block. She didn't stop to look at the purple haired; she'd probably seen enough for the day.

Jennie was up so early that she had the shower block all to herself. The upside of this was that there was plenty of hot water. She was halfway through when she heard someone enter the shower next to her. Some sixth sense told her it was Jisoo, and she turned away from the other cubicle, despite the expanse of board and locked door separating them, trying to rid the image of the purple haired, naked with hot water running over her, from her mind. She slammed the taps off rather violently, dressed quickly and left like she was fleeing the scene of a crime. By the time Jisoo returned to the tent, the rest of the camp was stirring and Jennie was cramming the last of her belongings in her backpack.

Jennie felt Jisoo's eyes on the back of her neck. The hair rose slightly in response. She let it go, pretending not to notice. Something about the deliberate pointed nature of her motions must have caught the purple haired's attention.

"Are you okay?" she enquired.

"Mmm," replied Jennie, non-committally. She was getting ready to pull out of the tent when Jisoo turned to her.

"So, I'm carrying the tent then..." She let the comment drop.

"Huh?"

"You've packed," Jisoo pointed out. "but the tent's still up."

Shit, now you look like an asshole or an idiot. Well, quick, make a decision: which one do you want to be?

"Sorry, I'll repack. Just got ahead of myself," she mumbled.

Idiot it is.

"No problems," Jisoo replied, as Jennie backed out of the tent. At the edge of hearing she heard the purple haired add, "Guess you're not a morning person." Well, that was true.

The camp dismantled slowly, under the growing pressure of teachers to get it done. After breakfast, they were all assembled and told to find their buddies. Jisoo appeared next to Jennie, backpack attached and sunny disposition in obvious show. Teachers tried their best to quiet everyone down, which was an effort. Once everyone was calm, and they'd righted the few people who'd overbalanced due to poorly weighted backpacks, they were told what was going to happen for the day. Jennie was not impressed.