There was a sharp rap at the window, a stone tapping against the glass. . Immediately I scrambled out of bed and lurched towards the window because there’s only one person I know dickish enough to throw rocks at my window at stupid-o-clock in the morning and it’s never a good sign when it happens.

I pulled back the curtains and sure enough standing on my balcony, glowing amber-soft in the street lamps, was Jennie, looking like the poster child for desolation. She was shivering in the thin jumper that stretched tight over her sharp bony shoulders. She looked as beautiful as ever, honeyed shadows cast over the sharp planes of her face, but her expression was hollow and blank and I was hit with a jolt of worry.

 Whatever had happened was bad, I could tell. Really bad.

 I threw on a pair of sweatpants from my floor and tiptoed as fast as I could over to open up the window. Jennie stood on the balcony, head bowed, but it does nothing to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. 

 “Hey,” she whispered. 

"Jennie?" I asked softly, reaching to turn the light on as the brunette haired girl entered my room. "What's wrong?" I questioned, noticing the dark look on her face. 

There was something solemn swimming in her eyes. Their stunning, deep brown held a truth that her face could not hide. The despairing chill that they conveyed made me feel heartbroken. I looked away; I couldn't bear it. What was usually strength, now showed weakness. What used to be joy now showed grief. A single tear rolled down her cheek. 

What the had happened? 

"I..." Jennie looked up at me and chuckled somberly. "I've been kicked out babe." The girl admitted, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I didn't have anywhere else to go... I hope you don't mind."

"It's fine," I patted the bed beside me. "Do you wanna talk about it? I asked, helping the Korean girl pull off her jumper. 

"If you don't mind, I mean it is 2 am, you should probably be sleeping," Jennie frowned. "Sorry for waking you by the way." 

"S'fine. Besides, I'd rather you come to me for these things. I'm your soulmate, Jen, if you wanna talk about this now, even if it is 2 am, I'm all ears." 

The smile I received, in return from Jennie, was enough to wake me up properly. 

"You wanna talk about it?" 

"Yeah," Jennie nodded, pulling me into her side, resting her head on mine. 

"So, why'd you get kicked out?" 

Jennie huffed. "After Yang took me to the Principal's office, he called my father in and let's just say it did not go well, like at all." 

*****

"Please have a seat, Mr. Kim."

Mr. Kim turned to offer a brief smile to the woman who had just ushered him into her office. Through the closing door, he caught a glimpse of his daughter seated on the bench in the outer office with another girl. She had been slouched when he first walked in, her eyes glued to her phone, but she'd quick;y sat up to attention at his presence.

He hadn't had much opportunity to talk to her, but appearances spoke volumes. The other girl's lip was fat, blood on her chin, the skin around her left eye reddened. Jennie had no visible injuries, at least not on her face, but her shirt was dirty and torn at the collar. 

The door closed gently and Mr. Kim turned his attention to the man. He offered his hand as he crossed behind the desk. "Mr. Yang, good to see you again; though I do wish the circumstances were different."

He accepted the handshake, though his attempt at charm didn't seem to earn him any ground. Mr. Yang gave him a tight smile and gestured towards the chair behind him.

He settled in, trying not to wince. The chair looked plush enough but was decidedly stiff and uncomfortable. It was also low enough to force his eye line under Mr. Yang's, despite his size, so he had to angle his gaze up. As an adult, he appreciated the psychology of it. But that didn't make it any more pleasant.

He'd been in the 'hot seat' of his own principal's office many times growing up. When he graduated high school, he'd assumed he'd never find himself in that position again. Clearly, he hadn't properly anticipated the joys of fatherhood. Especially with such a rude and troublesome child. 

"You can wait outside now, Nancy. I need to talk to Mr. Kim and Jennie." The girl in question hurried out the door, her head hanging low. 

He cleared his throat and looked down at his watch impatiently. "So, I understand there was a fight."

"Yes." The old Korean man's face was scrunched up like a bulldog as he faced looked up from his computer screen at Mr. Kim and Jennie. "Let me begin by saying that our nurse looked over your daughter, if briefly. It's safe to say that Jennie definitely came off better than Nancy, considering she currently has a broken nose." He paused to let that sink in, drawing in a deep breath. "The nurse did believe Jennie's injuries were superficial, but you might want to consider a doctor visit to be safe."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to get her looked over." Meaning he would get their maid to check them out when he got them home, of course. Trips to Doctors meant more wasted time and he really didn't want to squander anymore of his valuable time on his daughter. "Did you say something about a broken nose?"

Yang sighed and launched in. "As I understand it, it began with Nancy and her friends confronting Jennie, Park Chaeyoung and Kim Y/N. We don't know what sparked the argument, as neither of the girls was willing to tell us, but we do know that Jennie caused serious physical harm to Nancy."