An untimely love.

An unknown rival.

A raging fury.

2 days before the Midterm Examination

(Saturday)

Clambered with a dazed look, Lisa’s eyes were stilled at the closed door which was loudly shut by a fuming brunette. Seemingly lost on what happened to cause such reaction. She looks down for a moment to give it some thought and like a sudden surge of cognition, her eyes widened in shock and of embarrassment.

It took her a moment to realize that Jennie’s ear-piercing screech followed by the loud bang of the door was incited by her ludicrous actions.

Maybe it was the malfunctioning of her brain’s synapse in diffusing its impulse across her nerve cells or it was her body’s involuntary response to the serotonin hormone that was evoked into her bloodstream caused by merely ogling at the brunette…

Or maybe…

It’s just plain stupidity when she decided to do that.

She tightly shut her eyes as a blush of embarrassment waddled instantly into her cheeks.

I screwed up. I screwed up. I screwed up.

She meant to apologize for her previous words and actions when Jennie confronted her back then in the hallways of their school but she only managed…to ruin it more.

Sighing defeatedly, she drew her legs up to her torso and hugs herself despite her reddened face. Reflecting on how her brain has a mind over its own whenever she’s with the brunette, voluntarily taking over as she utters a word and impulsively taking actions that she herself would later found out to be downright embarrassing.

Whether it’s a sudden feeling of guilt, a wave of panic, an ecstatic joy, or a rage protectiveness. These were the feelings – which she was sure back then – that she’ll never experience.

It was all new to her.

These feelings of extremities that only Jennie…can stir within her.

***

The midterm examinations were about to start within a few minutes but Lisa finds herself blankly staring at their now vacated room.

Weren’t the exams today?

She wheels back to the doorway and inspects the sign that was hung beside its side just to make sure she was indeed in their classroom.

This is our classroom. So why am I…the only one who’s here?

“Hey! The exams are about to start you know!” a voice shouted across the hallways.

Lisa reels towards its direction and saw Chaeyoung walking towards her and at the same time balancing the stack of test papers and folders she was carrying in between her arms.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in your assigned classroom?” Chaeyoung asked.

“I am?” Lisa utters in hesitance. Comprehension suddenly washed over the raven-haired’s face as she stares at Lisa’s confused expression.

“Here. Hold this.” Chaeyoung urged, shoving the papers towards Lisa.

“What?” Lisa questions but nonetheless took hold of the papers. Chaeyoung inspects through its pile and withdrew a paper from Lisa’s hold. She scans through its contents and nodded. “Lalisa Manoban. Class 3-1. You are…assigned at Room 245. 2nd floor. Just beside the Physics lab.”

“What?” Lisa just questioned Chaeyoung once again. “What do you mean?”

Chaeyoung grabs the papers back from Lisa and explains simply. “We use different classrooms during major exams. And the class is divided into two groups.” She playfully bumped Lisa’s shoulder as she resumes her walk. “I was sure it was announced last week. You should listen, you know.”

It was only then when Lisa vaguely recalls their president’s announcement before the examination week.

It wasn’t like she was turning a deaf ear on it.

It’s just…her thoughts are elsewhere…

“C-Chaeyoung! Wait!” She stuttered when the raven haired was already at a distance, mentally berating herself on her difficulty with conversing with other people.

Chaeyoung paused and turned to her, titling her head to the side. “Yes?”

Lisa nervously fiddled at her skirt as she looked upon Chaeyoung’s expectant gaze. She was still unused to it, to be the receiving end of someone’s kindness but…she wants to change.

A willingness that was surprisingly rooted to an unknown valor.     

“T-thank…you.”

***

Boredly playing with her pen, Lisa for the umpteenth time glances at the wall clock of their room. And like all their previous examinations, she’d already finished the tests with a profuse amount of time to spare still. She leans to her desk with a propped arm as she cups her cheek with a hand, mindlessly staring at the walls of their classroom.

It was already the last day of the Midterms and she was yet to apologize to Jennie. She didn’t expect that she wouldn’t be in the same room assignment with her and the more the days seems to pass the more she’s getting anxious, worried on Jennie’s thoughts about her.

Does she hate me now?

Oh. Yea.

She doesn’t stupid.

She loathes you.

She suppresses a groan as she loudly smacks a hand at her forehead. Its sound resounding loudly across the room making her classmates to pause and regarded her with looks of disapproval.

She bows her head lightly and hardened her expression, concealing her embarrassment with a stoic face.

She crosses her arms against her desk and rests her head to it but all the while continues her thoughts about the brunette.

She recalls Jennie’s image with such vividness that she can’t help but chuckle lightly.

The image of Jennie’s roaring outcry was too cute for her to handle, with her cheeks puffing up with a reddened rage but somehow…she still manages to look good.

She loathes me.

But it’s okay…because…

Stupidly smiling by herself, Lisa finished her train of thoughts with a speck of optimism.

I love her.

***

Arriving sharply on time, Lisa nervously taps her fingers against her desk while stilling her hunched posture – apprehensive and jumpy at the same time – her head briskly snapping back at the doorway whenever the door squeaks as it opens.

“Okay. We’ll start the meeting now.” Jisoo came up to the front once their classmates took their seats, already starting the meeting as she neatly wrote at the whiteboard the things they’ve need to accomplish in the meeting. 

Distracted yet still hopeful, Lisa ignores the arguments that soon ensued between their classmates who have varying opinions between the suggestions that was regarded. Her attention was still fixed at the doorway, eyes trailing back and forth as she tries to recall the words that she’s been practicing over and over when the chance to apologize to the brunette arrives.

However, her hope seems to deflate as the minutes of waiting turns into an hour of disappointment. With a gloomy frown, she finally acknowledged that Jennie won’t be attending the meeting.

Where…is she?

She lowers herself at her seat and she could feel her mood turn into a downhearted one. She doesn’t even plan on showing up for the meeting in the first place – let alone the Cultural festival – as there are more important matters that she should attend to. Adorning that same bored look, she finally turned her attention to the meeting and tries to grasp the topic that was now being discussed.

“So…Let me repeat. We’ll do a maid café concept. We’ll have 3 committes. For the food, service and location. The food committee or the chefs are: Hanbin, Hayi, Seungyoon, and Hyunwook. The service committee or the maids are Jennie, Ahn, Hyesun, Soo and Hee-ae. And…the rest will be on the location committee.”

The announcement caught her attention.

Jennie as a maid. Lisa inwardly smiled, expertly surmising that Jisoo probably assigned Jennie at the role without her own consent.

She’ll be so y…wearing a maid outfit.

Her thoughts easily wandering on what would it look like if Jennie wears the outfit. However, heat seems to spread across her cheeks when her brain musters an image of Jennie wearing a very provocative outfit, showing off more skin much to Lisa’s pleasure.

I’m not a ert. I’m not a ert. she mentally justified despite her blush. Geez. Get a grip.

She covers her cough with a hand and tries to listen at the discussion once more, forcing her mind out of the gutter. 

“Are there any questions?” Jisoo asked the class. 

Raising a hand, Suhyun appealed. “We’ve got two problems though. We have no pastry chef nor a location.”

Jisoo admitted with a nod. “You’re right.”

“How about the Home Economics hall then?” Hanbin suggested. “It’s the perfect place. It has a kitchen and a dining area.”

“The only thing is…Can we get the permission to use any facilities at all?” Suhyun inflicted directly at Hanbin. “The last time I checked the principal was disappointed at us because of last year’s presentation.”

Lisa glanced at Hanbin who’s now struck by Suhyun’s remark. He lowers his head and mutters. “I guess...you’re right.”

“THAT’S IT!”

The president suddenly shouted with a slam against the table, making the class to jump slightly at their seats. Scrolling through her phone, she eagerly types a reply and looks up to the class with a smile.

“Suhyun. Thank you for pointing that out.” Jisoo glanced from her then to Hanbin and turns back to the class once more. “Don’t worry. Leave the home economics hall to me. And for the pastry chef. Hayi texted me…”

Jisoo grins at them widely, failing to hide her excitement.

“…Seungwan is back.”

***

Son Seungwan.

It’s the name which Lisa keeps on hearing for the past few days. The person whom majority of the students kept on talking about and she couldn’t deny that this person certainly piqued her curiosity. And it wasn’t because she has this habit of eavesdropping but Lisa would often find herself being in the right place and timing in the center of gossips.

And based from the ‘information’ that she’d heard from merely sitting around her gossiping classmates, she only knows four things about Seungwan. One, she’s the daughter and apparently the only heir of one of the up–and–coming telecommunications company of the country. Two, Hayi is her childhood friend. Three, she’s the only chosen student to represent the school for the Student Exchange Program due to her exemplary communication skills, and good standing in academics.

And lastly, the exchange student happens to have…a close relationship with Jennie.

A rumor that intrigues her as she overheard her classmates’ speculation about the exchange student.

“Don’t you think it’s weird? Jennie wasn’t even close with Seungwan when we were still freshmen. Seungwan would only hangout with Hayi, and Jennie would hangout with Jisoo.”

“Aren’t they in the same club?”

“No they aren’t. Seungwan is in the Literature Club and Jennie is part of the Science and Math club.”

“Who knows? Maybe they’ve become closer last year?”

“Maybe…because I swear. They sometimes act like…”

“Like what?”

“Like they’re a couple.”

“That’s not true. You should stop this nonsense.”

“Maybe…you're right.”

Even though her classmates easily waved it off, Lisa was sure something happened back then.

Her gut feeling gnawing at her as