Jennie carefully ties the laces of her clunky skates, squinting in the dim lights of the roller skating rink. She could just make out the scuffs marring the leather, and for a moment, she wishes that they’d turn the lights back on so she could see what on earth she was doing.

It was a blissful Friday night, and Chaeyoung and Lisa had the idea of trying out something new for a change. Usually, the trio would spend the weekend at one of their houses for a sleepover or gossiping over overpriced cups of coffee at popular cafes. But not this time around.

Her two best friends had dragged her along for the ride, begging Jennie to join with them after school had ended earlier. At first, Jennie had protested. She had a terrible sense of balance and tended to stay away from things that caused her to lose what little she had.

But then, she remembered their impending graduation date. This could be one of the few times the three of them would be able to hang out before heading to college. Jennie gave in with a small smile, pushing aside her discomfort in favor of making happy memories with her friends.

The three high schoolers stepped onto the floor timidly, arm in arm as they tried not to lose their balance. Once they’d gotten the hang of the skates, the three girls let go of each other and began to pick up the pace around the rink, racing each other, giggling and smiling.

All seemed to be going well until Lisa nearly falls over, scrabbling desperately for the rink wall while Jennie and Chaeyoung burst out laughing. The tall Thai girl pouts at them, hanging onto the wall for dear life and whining about being too scared to move back onto the rink.

“You’re the one who suggested we come here in the first place, silly!” Chaeyoung teased, reaching her hand out for Lisa to take. Still pouting, Lisa takes the red head’s hand, and Jennie watches with a smile as the two of them shoot off into the strobe lit room without her.

Jennie makes her way around the rink at a slower, more relaxed pace than Chaeyoung and Lisa. She bobs her head along to the music blasting over the speakers of the rink, moving to the beat of Blackpink’s “Forever Young” as she surveys the rest of the skaters around her.

Beneath the red, blue, yellow, and green lights illuminating the rink, everything seemed to be painted with color. Every face Jennie saw seemed more vibrant, more youthful, beneath them, and with Blackpink's song playing in the background, everything came together perfectly.

At least, it was going that way until Jennie found herself spinning out of control. Suddenly, she fell flat on her back, the air out from her lungs on impact with the hardwood floor. She stared up at the glimmering lights, trying to catch her breath as her vision blurred.

“Oh my god,” she heard a concerned voice call out. A moment later, there was someone bending over her fallen form, the clear scent of intoxicating perfume wafting over her. She felt a pair of soft, warm hands cupping at her cheeks and blinked up at a curtain of black locks.

“Are you alright? Can you get up?” The stranger asked, helping Jennie sit upright. Her hands moved to support the small of Jennie’s smarting back. “What just happened?” Jennie asked in a groggy voice, rubbing at the back of her skull, a soft hiss escaping from between her teeth.

Pain radiated throughout her body. As Jennie’s eyes began to refocus, she blinked back the stars dotting her vision, watching as skaters rushed by them. “You tripped on one of your shoelaces,” the stranger replied softly, chuckling quietly before silencing herself with a cough.

Jennie looked up, about to deny she’d done any such thing, when suddenly she noticed that the laces on her left skate had indeed come undone. She hadn’t tied them as well as she’d thought. “No way,” Jennie muttered underneath her breath, groaning as she tried to get up.

Had it not been for the stranger reaching out in order to steady her, Jennie was certain she would’ve ended up sprawled out on the rink floor all over again. “Thank you,” Jennie murmured shyly, silently cursing at herself for not tying her laces better earlier.

When Jennie finally found the courage to meet the stranger’s steady gaze, she felt yet another breath slipping away from her, as if she truly had tripped and fallen once more. The girl standing in front of her was gorgeous in a way caused her to almost want to take a step back.

The other girl had long black locks, a fringe of bangs that framed her heavenly face, and a pair of shapely lips turned up in a gentle smile. Her dark eyes shimmered like the stars that had been clouding Jennie’s vision, glittering like a kaleidoscope beneath the rink lights.

Not only that, but the other girl’s skin seemed to be glowing. Was she an idol? Jennie wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she’d nearly gotten a concussion or not, but she couldn’t stop staring, drinking in the stranger's beauty as if she were the last thing she was going to see.

The only thing that snapped her out of her daze was the sound of Lisa’s voice as she tore across the roller skating rink, eyes wide with panic. “Jennie!” The Thai girl screamed as she raced up to meet them, screeching to a halt in front of them. “Jennie! Are you alright?”

Chaeyoung wasn’t lingering far behind. A concerned look was etched across her serene features as she charged up after Lisa. “Are you hurt anywhere?” Lisa asked, reaching for Jennie’s arms, looking her up and down for any sign of scrapes or bruises as if she were her mother.

Embarrassed, Jennie casts her eyes downwards and takes a tiny step towards the girl who had helped her in the first place. “No! I’m perfectly alright, thanks to um,” she said with a smile, gesturing towards the other girl. “Jisoo,” the stranger fills in, flashing Jennie a smile.

As Jennie takes another step towards Jisoo, she feels herself threaten to topple over again, and without even thinking, Jennie links their arms together to help maintain her balance. Jisoo holds her securely in place, looking down at her to silently ask if she was okay.

Yet another burning blush bloomed across Jennie’s face as she nodded, fingertips pressing into the warmth of Jisoo’s sweater. As Lisa watched the interaction between them, eyes flicking back from Jisoo to Jennie and then back again, Chaeyoung was a little warier.

“What happened to Jennie, Jisoo-ssi?” Chaeyoung asked, from behind Lisa, intertwining their hands together. Jennie tightened her hold on Jisoo’s arm. She shoots the stranger a pleading look, silently begging her not to reveal how she had fallen in the first place.

“Erm,” the girl murmurs, unsure of what to say. Jennie runs her fingers reassuringly over the girl’s green sweater, encouraging her to speak up. “I saw someone knock into her from across the rink and came to help her up,” Jisoo finally says, nodding at Jennie for confirmation.

Jennie breaks out into a grateful smile and enthusiastically nods along to Jisoo’s story. “That’s exactly right!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t even see who it was, they were going so fast.” Chaeyoung frowned, looking her up and down for any sign of injury, just as Lisa had.

“That dude must’ve been a piece of work to not stop and check if you’re okay. I’m glad you’re not hurt, Nini,” she said at last, shaking her head back and forth. “Yeah, thanks for helping Jennie out there, Jisoo-ssi,” Lisa jumped in, ey