Flashback: 

"When will you just leave me the hell alone?" Jennie asks in irritation as she once again threw away a rose that I had given her. I smile softly,

"When you love someone."

There she stood.

Smiling her gummy smile with her feline eyes squinting in delight as she laughed loudly with her friends near her locker. But opening her locker she scrunches her delicate face in annoyance seeing another rose. I felt a pang in my heart as she scoffed and rolled her eyes before throwing it to the ground and walking away with her friends trailing behind.

"Damn Manoban, that's the, what? 100th Time she rejected your gift? When will you give up and stop hurting yourself?" Jisoo asks with a sad expression etched into her face. I smile sadly to myself as I watched her leave the hallway,

"When she loves someone else." I reply before shutting my locker and draping my arm over Jisoos shoulder and leading her towards our classroom.

No matter how many times I get rejected, I don't think I'll ever love someone the way I loved Jennie, my ex best friend.

You see, Jennie and I grew up as neighbors and were in separable since I could remember. She was someone I could always rely on and I was someone who she could always count on. That was until I confessed my feelings that I had for her in middle school.

She didn't say a word.

She just stood up and walked away from me.

She avoided me.

And when high school started she became cold and distant. It was as if we had never met before. But, that never stopped me from courting her.

Did I regret confessing?

In a way, no. 

Why keep something a secret when you know it would only just consume your very existent?

I write her letters, she rips them apart.

I give her roses, she throws them to the floor.

I buy her lunch, she pushes it to the side.

I give her my heart, she avoids it at all cost.

So I ask myself, when is it time to say, enough  is enough and it is time to move on? 

I made a deal with myself. The moment Jennie gives her heart to someone, who would be known as the luckiest person in the world, I will let her go and be free from this pain.

.............

"Did you hear? Jennie and Hanbin are dating!"

"I heard Jennie's dating the quarterback!"

"Jennie's so lucky!"

No, Hanbin is the lucky one.

I look down at my tray of food and continued to pick at it as the new gossip arises in the cafeteria. Every word that was spoken, regarding Jennie's new love life, was increasing the pinching in my chest.

I guess it's time.

I look up and noticed Jisoo rushing towards me with a worried expression. She slams her tray down and quickly grabs my hand in hers.

"Are you okay?" She asks as she scans the pain in my dull eyes. I guess she's heard the news.

I squeeze her hand and look over to the cafeteria doors that revealed Jennie gracefully walking in with a small smile. She sits on the table for moment and begins to talk with her friends. Usually, I would be handing her her tray of food at this very moment.

Suddenly, she looks down at the table and furrows her eyebrows in confusion. She begins to look around the cafeteria, as if she was searching for something, or someone.

Perhaps Hanbin.

I felt my heart quicken it's pace when she suddenly meets my gaze and locks it. Her eyes seem to hold something unfamiliar to me. It was as if she waiting.

But for what?

Wanting my heart to ease, I quickly look back at Jisoo and smiled tightly,

"I will be." 

...............

It's been weeks since I have ended my routine in courting Jennie. 

No more letters being ripped apart.

No more squished, dead roses on the floor.

No more wasting money on untouched food.

No more leading my heart to destruction.

But, still, the pain has yet to subside.

Walking towards my locker, I had unconsciously looked over to Jennie who seemed to be opening hers simultaneously. I frown slightly seeing a look of discomfort as she stared at the inside of her locker . 

How badly I wished I could give her another rose. But she had someone else now. 

She begins to move her books around, as if she was searching for something that was no longer there.

If only we were still close, I would've helped her search what she was looking for in an heartbeat. 

However, I felt myself mentally scowl seeing as Hanbin had walked in with a single rose in his hand. He walks over to Jennie who seemed to be still in search for something unknown in her locker. She backs away from her locker and glares towards it. 

I wanted to chuckle at her cute pout but I could only frown when Hanbin had stuck out the rose to the side of her face from behind causing her to glow in excitement. She quickly faces him, and what was puzzling about her reaction left me highly confused. 

Her face had dropped for a second.

She smiles softly before taking the rose from his hand and thanking him.

A reaction I never had when I would give her a rose.

"Hey Lisa!" A loud voice booms through the hall causing me to flinch in surprise. Hearing that, Jennie had quickly turned and met my eyes. I feel my breath hitch in the back of my throat as the unfamiliar look settled in her eyes again.

Don't Lisa. You made a deal.

I send her a short nod with a blank expression before turning towards my best friend. I chuckle seeing her excited self dragging the new student by her wrist. She was blushing in embarrassment and smiling apologetically towards the students Jisoo was rudely shoving past.

"Hey Chu! And Chaeyoung right?" I ask. Chaeyoung smiles and extends her hand,

"Yes and you're Lisa right? Jisoo Unnie spoke to me about you." She says. I smile softly and accept her handshake before pulling away,

"Good things I hope." I tease. Jisoo rolls her eyes and playfully punches my arm,

"As if." She replies. Chaeyoung grins, seeming to be amused with our interaction.

Jisoo and I became best friends the moment we were partnered up in or science class in freshmen year. We at first hated each other, but after presenting our science project, we began to laugh hysterically seeing the teachers hair completely falling because of our experiment.

Don't worry about it.

And since then, we became as close as sisters would be. 

"Don't mind her Chaeyoung, Lisa's a strange one. I would avoid her at all cost." She playfully states. Chaeyoung smiles and giggles, causing a pink tinge to grow on Jisoo's cheek. I smirk knowingly,

"It was nice to meet you Chaeyoung but I have to go. See you girls later." I chuckle out before turning around and leaving the two blushing duo behind. 

Good for Jisoo in finding someone who will reciprocate her feelings.

I wonder how that feels like?

Noticing my surroundings in the hallway I was walking down, I had quickly held in my breath as I realized I was walking past Jennie. 

One glance wouldn't hurt right?

I casually flicker my eyes towards Jennie but quickly looked away as my heart began to double in rhythm.

She was already staring at me.

.............

Damn it Jisoo.

Another week has passed by and already she asked me to buy her a rose for Chaeyoung. She had to rush to class early to speak to her teacher to get extra credit and had completely forgot to buy a rose for Chaeyoung.

"She deserves a rose for being absolutely perfect." Is what she told me through the phone. 

How could I say no to that? 

Besides, she has no choice in paying me back.

Walking down the hall with a rose in my hand and the written note that Jisoo had written felt odd. This was the first time I wasn't giving this rose to Jennie and held a note that wasn't mine. 

I leaned my back against my locker and began to stare at the rose deep in thought while twirling it around my fingers.

"Looks like Manoban has another rose." I hear a voice say in front of me. I look up to be met with Ir