Jennie's POV
The salesman is a creep and smells like stale cigarettes, but I can't be picky any longer. After an hour of negotiating, I write her a check for the down payment and she gives me the keys to a decent 2010 Corolla. The white paint is chipped in a few places, but I managed to talk her down low enough that I can let it slide. I call my mother before I drive out of the lot to tell her, and of course she says I should have gotten a bigger car and lists the reasons why. I end up pretending to lose service and shut my phone off.
It feels amazing to drive my own car. I no longer have to depend on public transportation and now I can drive myself to my internship. I hope my cutting ties with Lisa doesn't affect it. I don't think it can, but what if she is bored with just simply making me cry and does something to ruin it? Maybe I should talk to Marco and try to explain that Lisa and I are no longer . . . dating? She thinks we are dating, so I will have to come up with something besides "Your daughter is the cruelest person in the world and she is toxic to me so I can no longer be around her."
I turn the radio on and turn it up louder than I usually would, but it does what I need it to. It drowns out my thoughts and I focus on every lyric to every song. I ignore the fact that every song seems to remind me of Lisa.
Before heading back to campus, I decide to go buy some more clothes. It's getting colder, so I need some more jeans, and besides, I'm growing tired of wearing my long skirts all the time. I end up buying a few new outfits to wear to Vance, some plain shirts and cardigans, and a couple of pairs of jeans. They are tighter than usual but they look good on me.
Wendy isn't in the room when I return, which is good. I really think I may need to look into changing rooms. I do like Weny, but we can't continue to live together if Lisa is around. Depending on how much I will be making at my internship, I could get my own apartment and live off campus. My mother would lose it but it isn't up to her.
I fold my new clothes and put them away before grabbing my toiletry bag and heading to the showers. When I return, Wendy and Rosé are sitting on her bed, looking at her computer.
Great.
She looks up sleepily. "Hey, Jennie, did Lisa ever find you last night?" When I nod, she asks, "So did you work it out?"
"No. Well, yeah, I guess. I am done with her," I tell her. Her eyes go wide; she must have assumed she would sink her claws back into me.
"Well, I for one am glad." Rosé smiles and Wendy swats her arm. Her phone beeps and she looks down.
"Bambam is here, we gotta go. Wanna come?" she asks.
"No, thanks. I'm gonna stay here—but I did get a car today!" I tell her and she squeals.
"Really! That's awesome!" she says and I nod. "You'll have to show me it when I get back," she says and they head for the door. Wendy walks out but Rosé lingers in the doorway.
"Jennie?" Her voice is as smooth as velvet. I look up and she smiles at me. "Did you think about our date?" she asks, staring into my eyes.
"I . . ." I am about to reject her, but why? She's very attractive and seems sweet. She didn't take advantage of me when she easily could have. I know she would be better company than Lisa; anyone would be, honestly. "Sure." I smile.
"Sure as in you will let me take you out?" Her smile grows. "Yeah, why not?" I reply.
"Tonight, then?"
"Yeah, tonight is good." I don't think tonight is a good idea, seeing as I have studying to make up for, but I'm still ahead of the course despite having missed a few classes this week.
"Awesome, I'll be here at seven, yeah?" "Okay."
She brings her lower lip between her perfect teeth. "See you tonight, beautiful," she says and I flush, waving goodbye as she leaves the room.
It is four now, so I have three hours. I blow-dry my hair and curl the ends, and to my surprise it looks really good. I apply light makeup and put on one of my new outfits, a pair of dark jeans, a white tank top, and a long brown cardigan. My nerves are getting the best of me as I stare into the mirror. Maybe I should change? I switch to a blue tank top and a button-up shirt. I can't believe I am going on a date with Rosé. I've had one boyfriend in my entire life, and now I am going on a date with Rosé after all this mess with Lisa. Maybe guys with tattoos and piercings are my new type?
I pull out my old copy of Pride and Prejudice and begin to read to pass the time. But my mind wanders, and thoughts of Kai continue to preoccupy me. Should I call him? I reach for my phone and scroll through the names until I reach his. I stare at the screen; my guilt and my common sense fight it out until I toss my phone back onto my bed.
WHAT SEEMS LIKE just minutes later, there is a knock at the door. I know it must be Rosé because Lisa wouldn't knock. She would rudely barge in and throw my stuff all over the place.
When I open the door I can't help but gape. Rosé is dressed in tight black jeans, white sneakers, and a T-shirt with a cutoff jean jacket over it. She looks so hot.
"You look beautiful, Jennie," she says, and then hands me a flower. A flower? I'm both surprised and flattered by Rosé's thoughtful gift. "Thank you." I smile and bring the white lily to my nose.
"Are you ready?" she asks politely.
"Yes, where are you taking me?" I ask her as we walk outside.
"I figured we'd just go to dinner and a movie, something casual, no pressure." She beams.
I reach for the passenger door handle but she stops me. "Allow me," she says with humor in her voice.
"Oh. Thanks."
I'm still nervous, but Rosé's so nice it makes it easy to start to relax. When we get into the car she keeps the radio off and makes small talk, asking about my family and my plans after college. She tells me how she is going to WCU for environmental science, which surprises but intrigues me.
We arrive at a casual café-style restaurant and sit out on the patio. After ordering our meals, we continue chatting until the food comes. Rosé eats all of her food and begins to steal fries off my plate.
I lift my fork menacingly. "If you take another fry, I'll have to kill you," I tease.
She gives me a mock-innocent look and laughs with her tongue between her teeth. I find myself laughing for what seems like ages, and it feels great.
"You have an adorable laugh," she says, and I roll my eyes.
We end up going to see a cheesy comedy that fails to entertain either of us. But that's okay, because we entertain ourselves with small jokes to each other during the movie, and toward the end she puts her hand over mine. It's not uncomfortable, like I had assumed that it would be, but it doesn't feel the same as when Lisa does it. And right then it occurs to me that I made it hours without even thinking of Lisa, which is a refreshing change from her consuming my thoughts every day, all day.
When Rosé gets me back to campus, it's almost eleven. I'm glad it's Wednesday—only two more days until the weekend, when I can catch up on my sleep.
She gets out of the car and walks over to me as I adjust my purse on my hip. "I had a really nice time; thank you for agreeing to come out with me," she says.
"I had a nice time, too." I smile.
"I was thinking . . . remember when you asked if I was going to the bonfire?" When I nod, she asks, "Do you mind if I come along?"
"Sure, that would be fine. I'll be going with Jisoo and her girlfriend, though." I don't recall Rosé joining in on the group teasing Jisoo, but I just want to make sure she knows that it is not okay.
"That's fine, she seems nice," she says and I smile.
"Well, it's settled, then. Meet you there?" I suggest. There is no way I am taking her to dinner at Jisoo's house.
"Sounds good. Thanks again for tonight." She takes a step closer.
Is she going to kiss me? I start to panic. But instead she wraps herbhand over mine and brings it up to her mouth. Placing one single kiss on the top of my hand, her lips are soft against my hot skin and her gesture is very sweet.
"Have a good night, Jennie," she says and gets back into her car.
I let out a deep breath, relieved that she didn't try to really kiss me. She's cute, and was a good kisser during Truth or Dare, but the timing just doesn't feel right.
THE NEXT MORNING Jisoo is waiting at the coffeehouse for me and I tell her about Rosé.
Annoyingly, the first thing she says is "Does Lisa know about this?" "No, and she doesn't need to. It's none of her business." I realize my tone was a little too harsh, so I add, "I'm sorry, it's just a touchy subject." "Obviously. Just be careful," she warns me sweetly and I promise her that I will.
The rest of the day zooms by and Jisoo doesn't bring up Lisa and Rosé again. Finally it's time for Literature, and I hold my breath as Jisoo and I walk into the room, where Lisa is sitting in her usual seat. My chest aches at the sight of her. She glances over at me but then turns back to the front of the room.
"So you went out with Rosé last night?" she asks as I sit down. I was praying that she wouldn't talk to me.
"That's none of your concern," I reply quietly.
She turns in her seat and brings her face close to mine. "Word travels quickly in our group, Jennie, remember that."
Is she trying to threaten to tell her friends about all the things we did together? The thought makes my bile rise.
I turn away from her and focus my attention to the professor, who clears his throat and says, "Okay, everyone, let's start where we left off yesterday discussing Wuthering Heights."
My stomach drops. We aren't supposed to be discussing Wuthering Heights until next week—this is what I get for missing class. I feel Lisa's eyes on me. Perhaps, like me, she is thinking about the first time I was in her bedroom and she caught me reading her copy of the novel.
Our teacher paces before us, his hands clasped behind his back. "So, as we know, Catherine and Heathcliff had a very passionate relationship, their passion being such a force in the novel that it ruined essentially every other character's life in its wake. Some argue that they were terrible for each other, and some argue that they should have married one another instead of fighting their love from the beginning." He pauses, looking out at all of us. "So, what do you think?" he asks.
Usually, I would raise my hand immediately, proud to show off my expert knowledge on classic novels, but this one hits too close to home.
A voice from the back of the room answers, "I think they were terrible for one another; they fought constantly and Catherine refused to admit her love for Heathcliff. She married Edgar, even though she knew she was in love with Heathcliff the entire time. If they would have just been together in the beginning, everyone would have been a lot less miserable."
Lisa looks at me, and I feel my cheeks heat up. "I think Catherine was a selfish, pompous bitch," she lets out. Gasps fill the room and the professor glowers at Lisa, but she continues. "Sorry, but she thought she was too good for Heathcliff—and maybe she was, but she knew Edgar could never compare to Heathcliff and yet she married him anyway. Catherine and Heathcliff were just so similar that it was hard for them to get along, but if Catherine wasn't so stubborn they could have lived a long and happy life together."
I feel foolish as I, too, begin to compare Lisa and myself to the characters in the novel. The difference is that Heathcliff loved Catherine tremendously, so much so that he sat by idly as she married another man before he finally married someone else. Lisa does not love me that way—or at all—so she has no right to compare herself to Heathcliff.
The entire class seems to be looking at me, waiting for my reply. They are probably hoping for an argument like last time, but I stay quiet. I know Lisa is trying to bait me, and I will not fall for it.