I Hate You, Don't Leave Me

Chapter 27

Tension in Blackpink House was high today as everyone got ready for the YG Kickball Tournament. No one was as excited as Jennie, but everyone was still buzzing around to get ready to go, and nerves were as high as the hopes that Blackpink would finally win this year. Lisa hadn't been as focused on kickball lately what with all that had been going on between her and Chaeyoung, but now that the day was finally here, Lisa found herself more than a little nervous as well. She had participated in every one of their mini-tournaments, and it seemed like her plan was working. They had lost almost every single practice game, and she knew that Blackpink's statistics for the season were at an all-time low. She only hoped that this plan would help Blackpink to win.

After tying her shoelaces, Lisa gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror, running her hand over her neat ponytail and nodding at her reflection as a way to convince herself that she could do this. She was just about to go downstairs to join her housemates when she felt Chaeyoung come up behind her and begin rubbing her tense shoulders. Clearly, her nervousness was much more obvious than she had thought. Or maybe Chaeyoung just knew her too well to miss it. Lisa leaned into the girl that had stolen her heart, sort of surprised that Chaeyoung was back in here at all. She wondered if the blonde had seen her nerves a long time ago.

The two of them had stopped changing in front of each other ever since they had agreed to take things slow, not wanting to tease one another, especially on a serious day like this one. Chaeyoung had changed in the bathroom today, while Lisa changed in their shared room, and the brunette wondered why Chaeyoung had even come back in the first place. Perhaps she just wanted to check on Lisa after having picked up on how nervous she was, or maybe Lisa was taking too long, and everyone else was already waiting for her downstairs. She hoped that it wasn't the latter.

Lisa turned to capture Chaeyoung's lips in a chaste kiss, hoping to draw strength from the familiar feeling of the blonde's soft pink flesh against her own. Chaeyoung only allowed it for a second before pulling away again with a sympathetic look. "Nervous?"

Lisa nodded, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "Aren't you?"

"I think everyone is, Lis, but you seem extra nervous."

Lisa bit her lip and tried to pretend that she didn't notice the way that Chaeyoung's eyes were drawn like magnets to the action. She quickly let it go. "It's just that everyone is so sure that we're going to win, and Jennie is so excited, and it's my plan that's got everyone's hopes up. What if we lose? I don't want us to lose."

"Look at me." Chaeyoung turned Lisa around, bringing her hands up to cup her girlfriend's cheeks. "If we win, that would be amazing, but it doesn't matter if we lose. I mean, everyone will be disappointed for a bit, but they'll get over it, and we'll have another shot next semester. Just because you came up with the plan doesn't mean that you are responsible for the outcome of the tournament. We all share the responsibility equally, so don't worry about whether we're going to win or not. Let's just get out there and have fun with our housemates because, even if we lose, we get to spend the entire day together having a blast."

Lisa's shoulders slumped. "I suppose you're right, Chaeng."

"I am right, Lisa," Chaeyoung said firmly. "Say it. 'It's okay if we don't win.'"

"It's okay if we don't win," Lisa repeated, but she wasn't sure if she believed it. She would be incredibly disappointed, especially since she had wanted this almost as badly as Jennie during her freshman year. She wanted it pretty badly this year, too, not only for her teammates, but also for herself.

Chaeyoung saw right through her and was clearly determined to dispel Lisa's nerves. She squished Lisa's cheeks together. "Say it again."

Lisa tensed up at the tight grip on her face, but her fear was quickly driven away when she saw how ridiculous she looked in the mirror. "It's okay if we don't win."