28 Days || Jensoo

Chapter 26

She was huddled into herself, a small ball of misery. Jisoo's knees were drawn up to her chest and her head was dipped down. She made a small roll of depression. And despite all her efforts to the contrary, Jennie couldn't not care. Clearly the purple haired hadn't heard her come up the stairs and into the room, because she hadn't looked up. She was just hugging her knees and crying softly. The sound was like knives through the brunette.

"Jisoo," she whispered. It should have been a lot angrier than it was.

Purple haired tresses tossed back as Jisoo's head came up to meet Jennie's gaze. Her face was streaked with the remnants of tears and more were making their way down. There was a sadness in her eyes that made Jennie's heart flip and her bottom lip was quivering in a way that made Jennie's stomach quiver, too.

Then Jennie remembered what she'd just done. And who she'd just done it with. And why she'd just done it. The anger came rushing back.

"What are you doing here?" It came out harshly, and in what Jennie considered a much more appropriate tone.

Jisoo hiccoughed in response.

"Get out." Jennie sounded more defeated than anything. She held the door open wearily and pointed through it. "Out. I don't want you here, Jisoo."

Liar, liar, pants on fire. Should I call the fire brigade?

"Please." Jisoo's whisper was low and hoarse, and it travelled all the way from Jennie's head to her toes.

"Jisoo, I .... I can't do this. Please leave." Okay, now they were both pleading.

You're lying. You want her here. And you want to comfort her. Why do you always have to fight yourself so hard? Because dignity was worth something, wasn't it?

"Please Jennie, I just... I need... I'm sorry." The tears were rolling down Jisoo's face so freely that Jennie wavered for a moment, and then broke. Closing her door with a sigh, she walked over to the bed and knelt in front of it.

"I should hate you," she whispered, brushing Jisoo's hair off the purple haired's tear-stricken face.

"I know," came the whispered reply. "You should."

"Jisoo."

"I'm so sorry -" Jisoo broke again, shuddering with her tears and rocking back and forth slightly. "I'm so, so, so, so, so, sorry."

"Shh, shh." Jennie pulled her forward, tucking Jisoo's legs around her waist and letting the purple haired bury her head in one shoulder. Stroking her hand up and down Jisoo's back, she made soothing calming noises. "It's okay, Jis. It's okay. We'll work this out, okay?"

"I..." Jisoo hiccoughed again. "I don't think we can."

Jennie pulled back a bit. "It's okay. Jisoo, I know -"

"You don't know," Jisoo countered. "You don't know what I've done."

The purple haired was calmer now, but she was pale and her voice had an edge to it that Jennie couldn't identify. Swallowing, Jennie tipped Jisoo's face up so that they were gazing at each other intently and then said, "What have you done?"

"Jennie..."

"What?" She didn't let go of the girl she was kneeling in front of, but her voice got firmer, more urgent. Suddenly there was a panic racing through her that hit like a freight train and harder.

"I..." Jisoo, if possible, went paler. "I slept with him."

Oh fuck. She'd slept with Kai. "Kai?" She let her voice echo her thoughts.

No, you idiot, she slept with the Pope. What the fuck did you expect? That he'd keep his hands off her? She's damn hot. The voice in her head was clearly in no mood to be sympathetic. For once she wished it would be on her side.

"I'm so sorry." Jisoo said again.

Jennie backed off, standing up and looking at Jisoo like the purple haired had grown two extra heads in a matter of seconds. She felt sick, her stomach churning. She watched Jisoo warily, as though one of her three heads was about to strike. A Cerberus, ready, tail of snakes at the wait, just to lash out and bring Jennie down. That's what this was all about, right? Bringing Jennie down?

Actually, I think for once this might be about someone else. You're fucked up all right, but not as fucked up as she is right now. Not the most comforting of thoughts but her head was probably right, and more to the point, whether Jennie liked it or not, Jisoo needed her right now.

Jisoo lurched off the bed, startling Jennie as she leapt. She made it to the wastepaper basket by the desk and then threw up. Thankfully, there was a plastic bag in the basket. For seconds, Jennie watched her empty her stomach into the bag and then walked over, kneeling down beside her and gently pulling the purple haired locks back, out of the way.

It took some time for Jisoo to stop retching. Jennie led her back to the bed and sat her down. Then she cleaned out the waste paper basket before it stank the room out. Besides, she needed to be away from Jisoo for at least two minutes to try and get her chaotic thoughts in some kind of order.

She threw out the tied-off bag with a wrinkled nose and then threw the bin in the laundry for the maid to clean tomorrow. She thought for a minute and grabbed a bucket on her way out. Who knew if Jisoo would chuck again.

Ew. Won't that be fun? Sometimes she agreed with her head. Rarely, but sometimes.

What did she want? Did she want Jisoo? Because something told her that, if she played her cards just right, it wouldn't be a problem. But Jisoo wasn't exactly right for her at the moment.

Have you actually grown a backbone? Found some self-worth? Took you long enough! Was it just Jennie or did the voice in her head just snort derisively?

Shaking her head, and still no clearer, Jennie took the bucket upstairs.

Jisoo was lying on her side on the bed, staring out into space limply. She didn't move and her eyes didn't flicker when Jennie came in. The brunette put the bucket on the floor on the purple haired's side of the bed, then put herself on the other side of the bed. She sat cautiously, not touching the purple haired and not speaking.

They sat like that, Jisoo staring off into the distance and Jennie examining her hands, memorising each line and twist.

"What do I do now?" The whisper from Jisoo caught Jennie's ear and she maintained the silence, not knowing how to answer. "I'm a whore."

"Jisoo, don't say that."

"I am. That's what I'm doing. I'm whoring myself to make my family happy." Jisoo rolled over and looked at Jennie. "I hurt you, I hurt myself, I'm going to hurt Kai, and what for? Nothing. To make a convincing lie for my family. What sort of person does that make me, Jennie?"

The brunette thought about that one for a while, and then answered very carefully. "A desperate one."

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