Jennie

Lisa drives us to a cute little restaurant away from campus. I couldn't relax at all as we both got ready just now. I nearly had a mental breakdown thinking Rosé would come storming into the bathroom just as I was rummaging through Lisa's cupboard for a spare toothbrush. It's not until we left the house that I could breathe easy.

"This place is cute," I tell Lisa. She smiles at me and points out her favorite dishes. We both end up ordering eggs, toast and bacon. Can't go wrong with the basics.

I almost moan out loud when I take my first bite and Lisa laughs at me. "The options here are simple, but everything is so good."

Part of me wants to know how she discovered this place and how it came to be her favorite breakfast place, but a larger part of me fears I wouldn't like the answer.

I sip my coffee silently, feeling oddly out of it. Every once in a while I catch a glimpse of the person she used to be. Sometimes I catch her looking at me a certain way that makes me think she must still have some feelings for me. But other times it's like it's only fleeting lust and nothing more. Like I'm just another girl she finds hot.

"How has college been, Nini? It's been, what, three months?"

I freeze and stare at her with wide eyes. "Don't call me that," I snap. She looks up at me in surprise and smiles before looking away. I clear my throat awkwardly. Lisa has never once called me Nini, not even when we were kids. It's always been a name that only family has ever used, and I've never seen Lisa as family. She's always been so much more than that. Even when we were younger, I never saw her like my sister, even though I've always thought of Rosé as my sister.

"I'm sorry, Lisa. I mean, of course you can call me that. That was unwarranted."

She chuckles and takes another sip of coffee. "It's fine, Jennie. I guess we aren't close enough for me to call you Nini, huh?"

My heart clenches and I'm not sure how to explain, how to talk myself out of this one. "You've never called me Nini before so I was just a little startled, that's all."

Lisa looks at me and smiles. "I see. But my parents and Rosé call you that, so isn't it only natural that I'd call you that too?"

My heart twists even more and I nod, my head moving only slightly, as though I can only just make myself do it. "I…yeah, of course. Of course, Lisa."

It's weird that something as simple as this makes me feel so damn heartbroken. She's drawing a line between us. Is she saying she's going to start seeing and treating me as family now, or am I overthinking it?

"Never mind," she murmurs. "You'll always be Jennie to me. You'll always be my Minx."

I look into her eyes, startled. I bite down on my lip and look away, clearing my throat.

"College has been fine. Not as fun as I thought it'd be. I'm mostly just studying, actually. I'm more homesick than I ever thought I'd be. It's crazy, but it's actually your mom I miss most."

Lisa nods in understanding. "That's not crazy at all. You two are so close. I'm sure she misses you too. You two been calling or texting?"

I nod. "We text every morning and every night, and I try to call her every other day or so too."

Lisa smiles at me adoringly. "That's why you're Mom's favorite. She texts Rosé and me too, but I bet you're the only one that never fails to text her back."

I shake my head. "I'm not her favorite," I say. Lisa looks at me in disbelief and I smile at her.

"College is more than just studying though, Jennie. You should have some fun too. I'm sorry for not checking in with you more. I know things between us… have been different. But if we can, I'd like for us to be friends again. Let's try, okay?"

I nod, my heart beating wildly. I'll take whatever Lisa will give me. "Yeah, let's try," I murmur. I'd want nothing more than to have Lisa back in my life, fully.

We're both quiet as Lisa drives me back to my dorm. It's like we both want to get back to where we were, but neither one of us can pretend that we're truly just friends.

She hugs me as we reach the building, and I smile up at her. She brushes my hair out of my face tenderly. "Tutoring session next week?" she asks. "We need to get you back on track so you can actually start to enjoy college."

I nod gratefully and wave as she walks away. I feel all out of sorts, my stomach is fluttering excitedly and my heart feels lighter than it's been in weeks. God, I hope I'm still drunk.

I walk to my dorm room lost in thought and jump in surprise when Rosé walks up to me before I reach the door. She hugs me tightly.

"Thank you, Nini. God, I'd be so dead if Lisa caught me."

She grabs my hand and drags me into our dorm room, her eyes roaming over my body. "Wait a minute. Why are you still in last night's clothes?"

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. "I couldn't get in because I didn't bring my key card, and you freaking left me. What the hell, Rosé?"

She groans and runs a hand through her hair. "Shit, I didn't know you didn't have your card. I wouldn't have left with Jaehyun if I'd known."

"I don't get why you left without telling me at all."

Rosé's eyes flash with mild annoyance. "We really need to find you a boyfriend, or like, a hook-up or something. You'll get it then."

I walk to my bed and sit down, ignoring her comment. Rosé's expression turns dreamy and she smiles as she sits down next to me. "Ugh, Jaehyun is amazing. We decided we wouldn't be together officially. We're both just having fun, that's all."

I bite down on my lip, unsure what to say to her. "He lives with Lisa, though. It's not like you can keep it from her forever."

Rosé purses her lips and looks away. "Yeah, well, we aren't dating. And to be honest, I don't think it'd really matter if we did. Lisa and Jaehyun's friendship isn't really like ours. Jaehyun is never at our house, and our families aren't friends and all that stuff. Even if we dated, I don't think it'd be so bad."

I have no idea what to say to any of this. I don't understand their relationship at all. I can't tell who is stringing who along, and for once, I don't have it in me to care. Even if I warn her, she won't listen, anyway.