JENNIE

..

..

Years Later

..

I sipped my wine as I listened to Rosé groan about her first day at work. We were sitting comfortably in a booth at the back of Dempsey's bar. Rosé always got herself in the weirdest predicaments. Her weekend beau, who was the biggest asshole ever, was now one of her bosses. And to top it all off, he'd treated her like dirt today, as if the weekend had meant nothing. I hoped that was the end of her stupid little game she liked to play. She was still a fragile girl, and I hated that she had to sleep around to act human.

The alternative was unacceptable though. Those weeks leading to her accidental overdose had been pure hell for the both of us. If the pills hadn't almost killed her, malnutrition would have. She was a shell of herself, and I'd died a little every day from having to see her that way.

Rosé was my best friend. From the moment she bounded into the dorm room four and a half years ago, blond hair bouncing in her ponytail, I had been instantly drawn to her. She'd looked like the typical snotty bitch like I was used to dealing with from my high school—until she smiled. When Rosé smiled, she lit up the room.

I'd tried to avoid her at first, unsure of how to be a normal social being, especially after what had happened with Kai. Quite honestly, I'd wanted to put up walls and not talk to anyone. But with Rosé, it had been impossible because she had been like a cute little puppy that wouldn't go away.

That first day, she stuck out her hand to me. "I'm Rosé, short for Chaeyoung. I'm from Australia." She beamed at me, and my heart craved the possibility of a friendship with someone who didn't know my past. I could be anyone I wanted to be now that I was in college. There was no room in my life anymore for the shy, scared girl I used to be.

Shaking her hand, I just said, "Jennie Kim."

She threw her arms around me and hugged my neck. My heart thudded to life at the prospect of having a real friend. Rosé seemed like a genuine person.

I snapped back to present time when she grabbed my hand. "Shit, Jennie. They're here. Lisa and Jackson are here. We should go."

Of course I swiveled my head to where she was looking so I could give Jackson the evil eye.

Bastard.

I was a little distracted when my eyes skirted over to his sister, Lisa. She looked quite different than her bastard brother. Her hair was brown, but not as dark as Jackson's. It was styled a little messier than her brother's was. When her green eyes met mine, my stomach did a flip-flop.

What the hell?

Lisa grinned at us with a goofy smile and sauntered over to us.

"Rosé! Surprise seeing you here. Let me buy you and your lovely friend here a drink." Her eyes fell to mine when she said 'lovely,' and I felt exposed under her gaze. Rosé looked horrified, so I figured this was our cue to leave.

"We were about to leave," I told her icily as I began scooting from the booth.

"Nonsense!" she boomed and sat down beside me, bumping me back into the booth with her hip. She started barking out orders to the bartender. Jackson finally made it over to the table and sat far from Rosé. She looked like she wanted to puke.

Lisa's thigh touching my own sent a spark of electricity through me and I shuddered, not used to being affected like this. She turned to me and grinned again. I thought they called those "panty-melting grins." Mine were definitely on fire right now.

Her eyes studied my face, probably taking in my glasses, lack of makeup, and messy bun. I didn't care though. This was who I was. She turned and said something to Rosé about Jackson but I ignored her, taking a moment to compose myself. She made me feel weak, like my former self from high school, and it made me sick. No one would make me feel weak again. I was Jennie the Bitch. Something about her affected me though, and I hated the feeling.

"Rosé here was just telling me about her wonderful day at work," I said sarcastically as I glared at Jackson, who was avoiding everyone's gaze.

"Great! I'm so glad, Rosé. I think you'll really like it there. Everyone works hard to make it a successfully company," Lisa told us as our drinks arrived. Under her breath, she muttered to me, "I feared Jackson might have scared her off like he does everyone else. He's an asshole." I laughed in agreement.

Rosé and Jackson were having a silent standoff from across the table. Lisa was completely oblivious as she told some funny stories of her and her brother.

"So, Jennie, what do you do for a living?" she asked, genuinely interested. Here's the part where the girl's eyes would glaze over.

"I'm an assistant production manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mostly I handle our annual pledges from our donors, events, and overall success of the museum. The production manager, Stan, basically gives me all of his grunt work, but it is an awesome experience." I waited for the subject change because it always came about now.

"So do you get to help with any of the exhibits?" she questioned.

My eyes darted to hers.

Why is she inquiring about my job?

We were supposed to be moving on to topics like the weather or sports or some shit.

"Um, well, yes, if they center around an event," I told her hesitantly, still waiting for her to lose interest. I was one of the very few people I knew who was actually interested in this sort of thing.

"So did you get to help any with the Silla? Those ancient treasures from the Korean kingdom so many years ago are absolutely fascinating. I took my mother to see it a few weeks ago."

My jaw dropped. She knew about the Silla?

"Yes. I, uh, helped make sure everything went smoothly and that it is being promoted properly to draw in the crowds we were expecting. It will be one of the highlights at the upcoming gala."

"What gala? Do you need any sponsors?" she asked.

"No, the sponsorships are filled and have been for some time. It's our annual gala that brings in quite a few hefty donations that get us through the next year. I've been working my tail off to make sure it goes off without a hitch."

"Do you need a date for the gala?" she asked, eyebrow raised cockily.

Subject officially changed.

It had only been a matter of time.

"No. I won't have time for that sort of thing. I'll be working the event, so there'll be no time for socializing."

"Let me take you out another night then. Tomorrow night?"

Man, this girl was ballsy. I couldn't stand her brother, and he was my best friend's boss. Not touching that with a ten-foot pole.

My eyes flitted over to Rosé, who was chugging her wine while Jackson undressed her with his eyes. He then stood quickly and excused himself for the evening. Good, I was tired of looking at him.

"No, Lisa, I am going to have to decline your offer. I'm busy. Come on, Rosé. I have an early morning tomorrow so we should go."

She nodded and excused herself to the bathroom. Lisa stared at me for a moment, her eyes searching my own. It appeared that she didn't get turned down often because I could tell that her mind was working as she tried to figure out why.

I nudged her with my knee, indicating that I wanted out of the booth. The shock wore off and she chuckled, scooting out. When I got to the edge, she offered her hand and helped me from the booth. Her hand was large, which made a shiver run through my body. Yep, she totally made me feel weak. Not too nicely, I yanked my hand from hers and stalked over to Rosé, leaving her to stare after us.

..

..

..