Jennie can’t keep still. She continues to pace back and forth Lisa’s room for the past 10 minutes, her phone tightly clenched in her hand.

She can’t keep still, not with the message she just received from her stupid, meddling cousin Sehun.

God damn it, Sehun!

Why must he even come here in the first place?!

But then she glances over Lisa.

Lisa who looks so defenseless as she sleeps, who looks so fragile, and delicate, and… and so lovely.

Jennie shakes her head furiously, hoping weird thoughts exit her mind as well.

She looks at her phone again, thinking hard on what to even reply – if she ever even chooses to reply.

If she even ever wanted to reply.

She only sighs as she sits back to Lisa’s bed.

Maybe her frustrations showed in her actions because Lisa stirs from the sudden impact on the bed, and it somehow makes Jennie feel guilty.

Lisa opens her eyes slowly and Jennie waits for the blonde’s eyes to adjust before Jennie says, “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

Lisa rubs her eyes first as she tries to sit up.

“Don’t.” Jennie holds Lisa into position, “D-Don’t get up yet. You need to rest.”

Lisa looks at her before nodding and falling back to bed.

Jennie lets out a small smile as Lisa closes her eyes.

“Is everything alright, Jennie?”

The question catches Jennie off guard as she continues to sit by Lisa’s bedside.

She hasn’t thought of a reply yet when Lisa adds, “I’m sorry.”

Jennie burrows her eyebrows and she unintentionally puts a hand on top of Lisa’s head.

And if Jennie was still in her right mind, maybe she would have retreated her hand almost immediately,

But she guesses Sehun’s message left her in a way that she lets her hand guides itself through Lisa’s locks,

“Why are you apologizing?” Jennie asks softly as she continues to thread her fingers with Lisa’s hair.

“I…” Lisa continues to close her eyes, and Jennie tries for her poor heart not to clench when Lisa says,

“I’m being a burden to you.”

Jennie doesn’t say anything yet, she only lets her eyes wander Lisa’s face.

And Jennie’s little wandering only stops when Lisa suddenly opens her eyes and meet with Jennie’s.

Their gaze made Jennie stop fiddling with Lisa’s blonde hair as they continue to stare at each other.

And Jennie’s the first one to break it again, afraid that the same disastrous thought – feeling – of kissing Lisa resurfaces.

“Y-You’re not.” Jennie says shakily as she withdraws her hand.

“I am.” She hears Lisa sigh the words, “I’m sick, I can’t do the household chores, I can’t help you with your school works, I can’t… accompany you at times.”

Lisa stops first, and Jennie swears her heart stops with Lisa.

Lisa ends with,

“I can’t do my job properly.”

And Lisa ends Jennie’s heart’s beating as well, because Lisa just has to rub it to Jennie’s face once more,

That whatever it is that Lisa does – to Jennie, with Jennie, for Jennie – is nothing but mere obligation.

A duty, a requirement, a necessity.

A responsibility bestowed – burdened­ – to Lisa.

That Lisa does this – all of this – because she has to.

And of course it hurts Jennie.

Of course, it somehow does.

So Jennie’s only left there, wondering why it has to hurt that much. When she really doesn’t care about Lisa as much – as much as she thinks she doesn’t. When she really doesn’t need Lisa in the first place.

That she already lived even without Lisa, that her life’s already as perfect as it is even without the other girl.

That Lisa is just added to her already perfect life just to add some more spice to it.

And so Jennie likes to fool herself with these thoughts.

Thoughts that Lisa is nothing but her servant, thoughts that Lisa is really just there to serve her.

So Jennie sticks to those thoughts – those true yet painful thoughts – as she says,

“Well, I’m guessing you’ll be fine tomorrow and you’ll be back on your own two feet ready to serve me again.”

Jennie doesn’t say it with jest, she says it like she means it.

Because she does.

She does mean it when she says that Lisa will serve her again.

Just like what Lisa had always done.

Jennie stands up and proceeds to the door, But before she fully leaves, she turns to Lisa and unkindly says,

“Rest for now, tomorrow when you’re better, accompany us at the mall.”

Jennie doesn’t need to specify who’ll be with her, because she knows that Lisa knows who it is.

Because if Lisa doesn’t, then maybe Lisa wouldn’t be roughly biting her own lips.

Lisa does get better the next day, or Jennie thinks the other girl did.

Or if Lisa’s forcing herself.

Either way, Jennie really doesn’t care.

Well, not as much anymore.

Not after her realization last time that Lisa is the servant.

Her servant.

Jennie makes sure that the walls she had built from the beginning is still there and standing, stronger and tougher than ever.

She now protects herself – her feelings – better.

Making sure that she herself doesn’t cross the line she’s drawn between them.

If there really was something to cross over about.

She makes sure that the borders between Lisa and her keep intact, so intact that she doesn’t care if the other girl walks slowly behind – Jennie’s not sure if Lisa’s purposely giving her and Kai some privacy or if Lisa’s still sick or Lisa just really doesn’t want to catch up to them.

Jennie makes sure that her feelings are shielded. She makes sure by pressing herself closer to Kai, she makes sure by leaning nearer to him when they whisper, she makes sure by locking their fingers tighter every chance she gets.

And she doesn’t know why she does.

When it’s clear that the feeling between her and Kai isn’t as strong as before, that their relationship is already strained and cracked.

But maybe Jennie really likes to fix that – to fix them.

So determined that she’s the one who kisses his cheek goodbye this time.

So determined that she looks over at Lisa as she does kiss Kai – smirking lightly when she sees how Lisa can’t seem to bring her eyes to look at them.

And so Jennie feels triumphant again.

Seeing Lisa like that.

Smiling all the way she does as she feels she had protected herself from those aching feelings.

But then her smile fades after the next few days.

Because she just has to hear early in the morning, the nauseating and, not to mention, annoying, loud voice – a voice too familiar for her liking – shouting and announcing,

“Bust the door open, Jendeuk!

“Your handsome cousin Sehun’s in the house!!”

Jennie stops with whatever she’s doing, she sees Lisa do the same as the blonde jerks her head to face Jennie,

Lisa asks, “Sehun’s here?”

Jennie only throws a glance. She feels her throat gets dry.

“Shit.” Jennie mutters.

She honestly forgot that that idiot Sehun will be visiting.

“I’ll open the door for him,” She hears Lisa say,

She sees Lisa stand up to walk to the door, but Jennie suddenly has no control over her body because her hand immediately stops Lisa from doing so – making Lisa to questioningly look at her.

“I-I’ll do it,” Jennie unsteadily says – and she wonders why, “I’ll be the one.”

She continues to say in a low voice, adding much more confusion than she already has, “Just… Just stay here.”

Jennie warily walks to the door, praying with all her might that her fists stay where they are and not land on Sehun’s cheek, or on any part of her cousin if ever he decides to do something that will irk her in any way.

Sehun shakes her hands first before opening the door to a smiling idiot named Sehun.

“My favourite cousin!” He hugs her the moment she opens the door.

“Get off me, dork!” She playfully shoves him, but being born to piss the living hell out of Jennie, he only tightens his hug.

“I missed you!” He says before whispering, “Now, where’s Lisa?”

Now Jennie really pushes him off – hard.

“Why are you even here?” Jennie tries not to spit the words out.

“To check up on you, of course!”

“Liar, you just wanted to see Lisa, don’t you?” She continues to say with clenched teeth.

“What? That’s craz–”

“Just say the damn truth, Sehun!”

“Well, it’s kind of true.”

“Don’t. Go. Near. Her.” Jennie jabs her index finger at Sehun’s chest with every word.

“Are we still having this fight, Jennie? I already told you a million times that I’m not even planning on playing with her.”

“I swear to God, Sehun,” Jennie glares at him, the intensity in her eyes coming through, “If you much as so lay a finger on her, I’m going to cut your hand off.”

“Still that crazy, possessive girl, I see?” Sehun chuckles and it only earns him another hard jab by his arm, stronger than the initial one if possible.

Jennie hisses, “Only if it’s you.”

Lie.

Even with that retarded seal Rosé, she feels infuriated when the former is too close to Lisa.

Jennie thinks, but she quickly pushes the thought off as she focuses back on Sehun who’s now desperately bobbing his head left and right as if looking for something – someone.

And Jennie sees how Sehun’s eyes instantly lights up, as if he sees what he’s looking for all his life.

He seems too happy that maybe he doesn’t realize how his already smiling as he gently pushes Jennie to the side already – eyes still looking front as he does.

He starts walking inside the house even before Jennie gives him the permission to, or even before Jennie’s able to stop him.

To stop him for at least muttering,

“… Lisa.”

Jennie quickly turns back to see how Sehun’s already in front of the girl he just called.

The girl he called that’s already beet-red with the mere mention of her name.

The same, stupid girl – as stupid as he is – that’s already biting her lip in embarrassment, and maybe mixed with the fluttering beating of butterflies inside her stomach with the way he smiles at her.

The same, stupid girl who just has to say his stupid name back, in the same soft manner he did, “Sehun.”

And it’s even more stupid how he giggles – how disgusting, Jennie thinks – as he nervously rubs his nape as he says, “Hey.”

With Lisa mirroring the same nervousness Sehun’s having by biting her lip before saying, “… Hi.”

“H-How have you been?” Sehun asks, his eyes practically glued to the girl in front of him.

“I, I’ve been fine,” Lisa nods before looking back at Sehun, “Y-You?”

He coyly smiles again before biting a lip, “Been missing you.”

He chuckles, and Lisa – who was caught by the comment off-guard for a moment – giggles softly with him.

And Jennie can only roll her eyes as she stops herself from cringing – and her heart from constricting too hard. She, like impulse, stands in between them.

“For hell’s sake,” She quickly gets a hold of Lisa’s hand, unintentionally grabbing it firmly, “Stop flirting, we still need to go to school.”

And she sees Lisa zone out yet again.

For Lisa was staring at their joined hands, and Jennie wonders if she should have let go of Lisa. With the way Lisai’s eyes widen for a split second before having to stare longer than Jennie thought she should.

But Sehun was there, and Jennie doesn’t know why she’s afraid. That maybe when she does let go of Lisa’s hand, Sehun’s would be there to replace hers.

And Jennie doesn’t seem to like the idea, because she only tightens her grip on Lisa.

“I’ll go with you!” Sehun cheerfully suggests.

“You can’t go with us, Sehun.” Jennie starts walking away, tugging Lisa to go with her already, “We have classes to attend to.”

“No, I’ll just go with you until you reached school,” Sehun catches up to them, “Is Mr. Kim still the driver?”

“Sehun, just go some place else! Stop bothering us!” Jennie irritatingly says.

“I promise I’ll be good!” Sehun stands in between Jennie and the doorway, so Jennie only shoots daggers at his direction once more.

“You really are persistent, aren’t you?” Jennie twitches an eye.

“You bet I am, Jendeuk.” He grins, then looks over at Lisa again and winks at the blonde.

Lisa’s blush doesn’t go unnoticed by Jennie, and so Jennie scoffs.

“Look for your own ride to school, Sehun.” Jennie tries to get pass through him, but Sehun thinks otherwise as they continue to block each other from moving to their destinations.

“I swear I won’t step foot in your campus!” Sehun raises his hands as surrender, “I’ll just see to it that you reach school.”

Jennie looks at him before sighing.

She gives up.

“Fine,” Jennie sighs, she admits that Sehun won’t accept ‘no’ for an answer. Sehun whispers a loud ‘Yes’, but Jennie quickly adds, “But you’ll sit on the passenger’s seat.”

“Aww,” Sehun’s enthusiasm decreases.

“Take it or leave it, Sehun. It’s your choice.”Jennie shrugs.

Sehun looks at her first, then at Lisa, then back at her.

He sighs a defeated, “Fine.”

Jennie smiles in victory,

But that smile fades when she sees

Lisa smiling back at Sehun.