"Ruby Jane, I just also want to ask what abomination is that in your hair?" Jennie's dad asks.

"What is it, Dad?" Jennie holds some strands closer to her face.

"That hideous colour."

Lisa looks at Jennie and sees the blonde tips. It was cool, but Jennie's dad thinks otherwise so Lisa didn't say anything.

"It's the new trend today." Jennie says with burrowed eyebrows.

"Half-assed dye?"

The comment of Jennie's dad made Lisa suffocate yet again when her food got stuck on her throat.

"Honey!" Jennie's mom lightly slaps the man as to remind him of his words.

Lisa sees Jennie as the latter's mouth slightly opened in shock.

"D-Dad!" Her cheeks were getting redder.

"What? It's true." He shrugs, and Lisa really finds him cool, "If you're going to decide on a colour, just choose one! If you like it black, then just dye it black! If you want that-," He motioned to the latter half of Jennie's hair, "-that funny colour then," He shrugs once more, "God bless."

Lisa unintentionally laughs, so Jennie shoots her glares again.

But then Jennie's mom laughs, and then Jennie's dad laughs. Until it was all of them laughing except Jennie.

"Ruby Jane," Her dad clears his throat, "I allowed you to dye your hair because I don't know why your school is not strict with that, but I only expected decent ones. I want you to dye that into something else before our reunion. Go with Lisa and have that fixed tomorrow, okay?"

He said it so fatherly, it didn't sound like he was scolding Jennie. Lisa can tell it was purely out of concern.

"Yes, Dad." So Jennie could only agree.

"Maybe Lisa can have her hair dyed, too." He suggests.

"Yes, why don't you have one as well, Lisa dear?" Jennie's mom supports the idea once more.

"A-Are you sure?" Lisa is bewildered at how nice Jennie's family is when Jennie is not.

"But of course!" Lisa's father exclaims, "Ruby Jane, you and Lisa fix yourselves for Tuesday. Buy decent clothes and have decent hair. Have I made myself clear?"

Jennie slyly looks at Lisa first, then to her father, "Yes, Dad."

"Th-Thank you so much! I will pay you once I already can." Lisa bows her head repeatedly again.

Making Jennie grab onto her collar once more and stop her from doing so.

--------------

"Guess who wanted me here?" Lisa hums as she stretches on the soft bed provided for them – for her, the 'guest'.

"Shut up. I already told you it's not what you think." Jennie climbs to her own bed, "My parents just misunderstood the story. Don't get your hopes up."

"Yeah, yeah. That's what exactly happened." Lisa continues to tease Jennie as she slumps comfortably, "Where will we go tomorrow?"

"Let's buy your dress first."

"Don't you have something in that big closet of yours that you can lend me so your parents don't need to spend money anymore?"

Jennie rolls her eyes, "Lisa, look at you. You're a giant. Nothing of my perfectly petite dresses would fit your enormous body."

Lisa doesn't know whether to laugh at Jennie's capability of funny insults or keep a straight face because she did insult Lisa's enormous body.

"Plus, I don't want your skin touching the fabric of any of my clothes," Jennie insults further, but Lisa can't seem to take it seriously because she was already laughing in her head, "I don't want your stench on them. Eww." Jennie pretends to shiver.

"Alright, alright." Lisa gives up, she's sleepy again, "So we'll buy for me tomorrow. Does that mean another month of slavery under you or what?"

A pillow hits Lisa's side as she hears, "No, you idiot."

Lisa turns to see Jennie smiling,

"I already told you that the tab's on me, remember?"

------------------

"Why am I the only one buying? Aren't you going to buy, too?" Lisa asks as they walk.

"I have a lot at home already. Most of them are still unused, I'll just pick later." Jennie's pronunciation and tone are starting to go back to her native ones which make Lisa lean in closer to hear her properly.

Lisa can hear the people talk in this strong accent she actually has to catch up to Jennie physically if she doesn't want to drown in their dialect.

The dialect is still somehow different from what she was used to, that it makes her hard to understand what the people are saying.

She only understands most of the words thanks to Jennie and her constant tongue when she talks over the phone with anyone from home.

"Hey! Don't leave me!" Lisa runs to Jennie, because Jennie still keeps distance when they're walking together, "Your parents say take care of me."

Jennie turns to Lisa and smirks,

"They're not here, are they?"

-----------------

Lisa catches all the pieces of clothing Jennie is throwing her way.

"Try this one."

"And this one."

"No, no. I think this one is better."

"Try on this one, too!"

When Lisa can't hold anything anymore, she says, "Wait! I haven't even tried anything yet! You just keep on throwing stuff at me."

"Then go try some already!" Jennie turns the situation around again.

Lisa grunts as she's tired to argue so she just grabs what she can and goes inside the fitting room.

"How is it?" Lisa hears from the other side of the door.

"I'm not even naked yet, Jennie!"

Lisa can hear Jennie giggling. She really knows how to piss Lisa off.

"Then do it faster!" Jennie commands as she still laughs.

"I am! What do you even think I'm doing?"

Silence.

Lisa focuses on putting the dress when, "How do you even wear this?!"

She hears Jennie click her tongue, "What is it, you dupe?!"

"I can't zip it!"

"Come here!"

"No! You come here!"

"How can I go there if the door is closed?!"

"Tch!" It was Lisa's turn to click her tongue as she most certainly did not want Jennie to see her half naked, "I'm warning you, Kim! Don't you dare touch me!"

"Like I dreamed of even touching a fibre of you."

Within moments, the door of the fitting room Lisa was in opens.

"Don't stare." Lisa peeps first before warning Jennie, she was feeling shy.

"There is absolutely nothing to stare at." Jennie grins as she makes fun of Lisa.

Jennie eats her own words when Lisa turns so her bare back was facing Jennie.

Lisa was trying a strapless black dress which also shows the bra she's wearing for the meantime.

Lisa feels more uneasy when Jennie wasn't doing anything at all, because Lisa can feel Jennie burning holes in her.

She looks at the mirror and sees Jennie openly staring at the view in front of her.

"Like what you're seeing?" It would have come of smoother if there was not a lump in Lisa's throat as she grows more uncomfortable with each second.

Lisa sees Jennie snap out of her thoughts when the latter meets her gaze through the mirror.

"I-I don't!" Jennie looks down, and Lisa sees the same colour on Jennie's face during dinner last night.

"Then zip it already!"

Jennie does what she's told without looking. Lisa feels Jennie's hand trembling as she accidentally touches Lisa's skin instead of the zipper.

"Skin, skin." Lisa reminds a spaced out Jennie as she might zip her skin as well.

"O-Oh, sorry."

Sorry.

A simple word. A one-word expression most people use.

But Jennie is not one of those 'most people', so it baffles Lisa to hear it out of Jennie.

"What?" Lisa asks to make sure.

"What?" And Jennie asks back.

"You just apologized."

"I-Is that so?"

Lisa gets more and more awkward because Jennie is not fighting back like she usually does.

She was about to ask but Jennie finally zips Lisa's dress and hurriedly leaves without saying a word.

So Lisa was left tinted red and confused,

"What's wrong with her?"

-------------------

After settling down in buying the black dress Lisa tried on – after trying almost another 10 dresses – they decided to go the parlour.

"What colour will you dye your hair?" Lisa asks as she tries to keep her pace with Jennie.

"Hmm, I was thinking pink."

"Seriously?"

"Of course not." Jennie smiles as she slaps Lisa on the arm, "Father would kill me."

"Then black?"

Jennie stops when they reached the parlour. They sit first before Jennie asks,

"Do you think it'll suit me?"

"Wasn't black your original hair colour?"

"Well, yeah. So I think it's kind of boring already."

"It does make you look more boring."

Another slap.

Lisa continues to laugh, "But seriously, you look colder than you already are with your black hair.

She then adds, "I think brown suits you more."

When Jennie doesn't answer at once did Lisa initially think that she shouldn't have suggested anything instead.

But then Jennie asks, "You think so?"

A smile forms on Lisa's lips, "I know so."

-----------------------

"I want something extreme for your hair."

Lisa immediately backs away when she heard Jennie say those words.

"No, I don't want anything done with my hair."

"Dad said so."

"Can't I just cut it?"

"No, I can't be the only one dyeing my hair. You're so unfair." Jennie, without her knowing, childishly reasons.

"It's not my family who's reuniting." And Lisa reasons back.

"Tch! Just do it!" Jennie tugs some of Lisa's hair, "I demand you."

"Come on, Jennie! I won't tease you for a day."

"No."

"For a week?"

"No!"

"For a whole month!!"

"NO! I want your hair to be blonde!"

"NO!" Lisa tries to get up from the chair where Jennie is hopelessly pushing her down to.

"Light blonde? Dark blonde? What do you think?" Jennie asks the hairdresser for suggestions.

"Jennie!!" Lisa fidgets as Jennie holds her down harder.

"What do you want, Lisa? Light or dark?"

"NONE!!"

"Dark, it is." Jennie smiles at the hairdresser.

"Wha-?! I didn't say anything! No, no!"

Lisa reaches out for the stylist that already made her way to the supplies, "Make it light! Make it light blonde!"

"See?" Jennie tilts her head down to look at Lisa, she smiles, "It's not that hard to choose."

Lisa could only stare at the brightness Jennie's smile is bringing, she sighs and says in defeat,

"I hate you so much."

-------------------

Lisa might have chosen what shade of blonde she wanted, but it was still Jennie who had the last say.

When Jennie was not pleased when she saw the colour mix, she asked for the stylist to add a little bit more orange and a little more light on the blonde side.

Lisa could only sigh as she was not able to protest anymore because she's already sitting on the chair and has hair tangled with the stylist's hands.

Jennie was right on the other side so Lisa was not able to stare demeaningly at her.

A couple more minutes passed and Lisa hears Jennie say from the other side, "I'll be in the waiting area. Don't want to see you yet." She teases.

Lisa teases back, "I don't want to see you for the rest of my life."

And Lisa feels the familiar warmth pile up her system again when Jennie says,

"Ha! That'd be impossible."

Because even if Jennie harmlessly said those words, Lisa thinks that maybe, subconsciously, Jennie wanted to see more of her.

---------------------

Lisa's eyes never closed even once the moment she sees her new self.

She was mesmerized by her own look that she admitted that maybe Jennie chose the right idea for the first time.

Lisa never knew that this hair colour will be nice on her.

She mentally takes note to thank Jennie later.

Lisa bows another hundred times at the stylist as a sign of her thanks. After that, she proceeded to the waiting area where Jennie is, well, waiting.

Lisa's heart skips a beat when she finally sees who she's looking for.

A very pale girl that is toned white the most wonderful way with her now light brown coloured hair falling perfectly on the perfect places on her perfect face.

Did Lisa just say Jennie's face was perfect? What is wrong with her – with herself?

Maybe Lisa just didn't want to acknowledge it, but she had always thought of Jennie as a very beautiful person, physically. Lisa's not sure about Jennie as a person.

No. Not yet.

"J-Jennie." Lisa says shaken as it becomes harder for her to breathe.

"Are you done?" Jennie looks up from the magazine she was reading, and the same magazine falls from her lap when she sees who it was, "L-Lisa."

Lisa quickly looks at the floor when Jennie didn't stop looking at her for more than a second.

She timidly says, "... Yes."

Jennie was not speaking, so Lisa lets her face flush red again.

"I-It's you, right?" Jennie's question made Lisa bite her lower lip in more embarrassment.

"Wh-Who else, you dumb butt?" It was the lamest of insults Lisa could think of at the moment. Her mind still shrouded in humiliation because she knows Jennie is still looking at her.

"W-Well," Lisa sees Jennie stand up, Jennie continues, "We don't have all day. L-Let's get going."

"O-Okay." Lisa could only follow the trail left behind by the shorter girl.

Lisa raises her head when Jennie starts handing Lisa their bags and taking the lead in walking and paying to the cashier.

They exit the shop silently and Lisa watches from behind how Jennie's hair complimented her skin more.

Lisa wishes that she could see Jennie's face but is too shy to even face Jennie.

"Wh-Where are we going next?" Lisa asks.

"I, I think I want to go home already." Jennie says over her shoulder.

And Lisa's heart won't keep still after seeing Jennie's side profile.

"Al-Alright."

They reached their car and Lisa opens the door for Jennie, still not looking at her when she did.

Only when Lisa gets in and closes the door did Jennie starts speaking, "The stylist did a good job."

"Yeah."

Lisa sees from the corner of her eye that Jennie only nods in response.

Jennie then says, "Your hair's cool."

"Yours, too."

Another dreadful silence.

Lisa was nervously tapping her fingers on her lap. She can't help but steal glances at Jennie through the car's rear-view mirror.

Jennie is indeed beautiful.

Lisa was fighting her inner self whether she'll say it up straight to Jennie and compliment her because it's true or face a humiliating mocking and teasing from the other girl.

Lisa foolishly chooses the first one as she cannot contain herself anymore.

Lisa says, "You're beautiful."

She bites her lips harder with every second passing. She looks out the window first then brings herself to face Jennie, who was already looking at her.

The butterflies Lisa keeps hard to cage finally run loose through her whole body.

Jennie has never seemed so beautiful, and Lisa felt that it was only right that she did say it to Jennie.

In that moment, Lisa didn't care if Jennie would laugh at her or make fun of her.

Lisa has prepared herself for that.

But what she was not prepare for is with what Jennie says in reply with a smile,

"I thought you'll never say that."

And Lisa finally loses it when Jennie adds – her smile getting brighter and brighter,

"You're more beautiful."