Present

This was supposed to be my time of relaxation, a me time to catch up and binge watch my series and dramas but the constant sound of crunching brought me back to reality and all I can do was to sigh and stare in the distance.

"Jennie, are you stupid?" My cousin asked who was lounging in my room's floor, a borrowed pajama on her body and hands reaching for the chips beside her.

Apparently, it's sleepover day which she planned all by herself.

I scooted closer to her and wrapped my arm on her torso. A sigh escaped my lips when I thought of what I did. "I want to ask the same thing, too."

"Then ask me."

I turned to look at her. "Am I stupid?"

"Very." She stopped chewing and swallowed. "If you aren't stupid by doing what you did, then I don't know what you are anymore."

She evaded the slap that was directed on her arm. I frowned. "Yah! I thought you're nice!"

"I am but... Jennie, your stupidity astounds me."

I huffed back to my seat and hugged my knees closer to my chest. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't know what I was thinking."

"Clearly. You seriously declared a war with Lisa!"

"Lisa, huh?"

"Shut up, Kim Jennie!" She shrieked and with the little to no distance between us, I swear my ear drums bursted for a couple of seconds.

I clicked my fingers near my ear a couple of times. "Hello? Hello. Mic test. Mic test?"

When my hearing was back and the ringing inside my ears has stopped, I shoved her slightly. "Geez, you didn't need to shout. I thought I lost my sense of hearing."

She shoved me back and grunted. "Gods, you're frustrating, you know?"

"I know."

"You're supposed to ask for forgiveness." Her tone became serious and I flinched with it.

A serious Rosie is never a good Rosie.

"I know."

"Jennie,"

I threw my hands up in defeat, and my mouth was pulled into a frown when I faced her again. "I swear, I was about to do that. Gods, I also want her to forgive me but... but she was... she changed, Rosie. She changed so much that I couldn't recognize her anymore."

"We all changed, Jennie."

"But... But she changed so much..." I said, my voice became gradually lower at the end.

Rosé realized what I was trying to imply and shook her head. "Jen, you don't think,"

"Who knows?"

Extending her arm to my shoulders, she pulled me back closer to her and gentlu my hair. "It's not your fault, you know?"

"Is it really not? The trauma I put her through-"

"Jennie, tell me one thing, though."

"What?"

"Are you sorry? For her? For everything that you did?"

"I am. Gods, you don't know the fear, happiness and determination that coursed through me when I saw her. And at that moment, I just wanted to apologize-"

"Then maybe that's enough. Let's sleep."

//

Past 

Words spread fast but the gossip about Helmet spread like wildfire in a very dry and humid forest. It passed from one mouth to another, some details changed and it got somehow a little bit unreliable but one thing remained that was unchanged. Lalisa Manoban, the weird awkward girl who has this helmet like hair, is gay.

It shouldn't be a big deal since Helmet wasn't that known but with how big the ruckus was the day before, created by none other than me, it became one.

And with no new gossip or to talk about, it became as important as the day I walked the very same hall for the first time.

No .

I could hear them talking but I ignored it. My headache was much more important than Helmet and gods, it's pounding too much that my vision started to spin and I had the urge to vomit.

Someone spoke beside me, slightly making me jump from fright and groan from the sudden movement. "You don't look so good,"

I didn't bother to turn just to know who it was. Exerting an effort to turn my head will do no good to my condition. "No ."

"Huh. I was expecting you to have a pep in your step when you enter the gates but you look like you're the one who's being talked about."

I stopped from walking and crossed my arms. "Do you think something that low will give me satisfaction to make me bounce while walking?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to face whoever this nosy person was. "Look here, I don-"

Despite my glazed eyes and slightly blurry vision, I could immediately tell who this was and I didn't even have the guts to finish my sentence. I was just too stunned.

"To be honest? I didn't think so at first but seeing you now..." her eyes studied me and I squirmed in my place. "Yes. It gave you satisfaction, didn't it?"

I swallowed thickly. "I-Irene,"

"Hello, Jennie."

I decided to walk again just to shake off some nerves from the surprise of seeing the president beside me. "So... what gives?"

"I'm sorry, wha