"Pass."

 

Jisoo has already lost count of all the times she's said that word this winter break alone whenever Jennie tries to ask her to go to whoever's party but here she is again with another unwanted invitation.

 

"How many times do I have to reject you before you get that there's no point in asking me anymore?"

 

"C'mon, Jisoo! We're already sophomores and you've been yet to at least one party," Jennie tries to make a point as she sits on her own bed, facing her roommate. "You've been locked in here since winter break started! And it's New Year's Eve, for god's sake! Do you really wanna spend it like this?"

 

"Absolutely. It can't be more perfect than this," Jisoo answers quickly and with finality then goes back to the novel in her hand.

 

And that isn't a lie. That is how Jisoo would rather spend her nights— comfortable in her pajamas, tucked in her soft, soft comforter, and lost in a good book with good music playing in her ears— New Year's Eve or not. And what Jennie offers as an alternative is to deal with dumb college kids and their dumb noise and their dumb everything. And that's just... no. It's a solid, hard no.

 

"Okay, here's the thing," Jennie grunts, not ready to give up yet. "I told you there's this girl I like, right? I saw her last night which means she also didn't go home for the winter break. Her sorority is throwing a party tonight and I promised myself if I see her, I'll talk to her."

 

"Okay..?" Jisoo drawls as she tries to catch on but ends up furrowing her brows in confusion. "What's that got to do with me?"

 

"I need you there with me, obviously!"

 

"Me?" Jisoo snorts in disbelief. "No, you don't. I make a terrible wingman."

 

"I don't need a wingman! I can approach girls just fine. But I want my best friend to be there as... ugh, I don't know—" Through her peripheral, Jisoo sees Jennie flailing her arms in the air as she finds the words. "—moral support?"

 

"Pass," Jisoo says, bored and uninterested, and then she's suddenly thrown sideways by a pillow that hits her squarely at the side of her head. She slams her book shut, glaring Jennie who couldn't look more unapologetic. "What the hell is your problem?!"

 

"My problem is you're being a lousy friend right now. Even worse than you as a wingman!"

 

Lousy..? Jennie would usually just leave her alone and not guilt trip her like this. Jisoo draws in a long breath, then heaves a heavy sigh, placing her book on her bedside table.

 

"Okay, level with me. Why are you really asking me? You've never been this pushy before."

 

"Because it's New Year's Eve, Jisoo!"

 

"Shut up about New Year's already!" Jisoo exclaims in exasperation, pressing her fist on her forehead. "You keep saying that as if it explains anything. It does not! It's just a normal night to me!"

 

"I know but it means something to me and if ever it doesn't work out with her, at least I still get to spend New Year's Eve with someone important to me."

 

"So, I'm like your back up?"

 

The younger girl nods shamelessly and Jisoo huffs a genuine laugh. If it's really that important to Jennie then... she relents (not without a sigh, of course).

 

"Okay, fine, but what's in it for me?"

 

"For real?" Jennie grunts. "You're asking something in return for helping your best friend out?"

 

"I love you and that's the only reason I'm coming. But you will not drag me to a godforsaken party without me getting something out of it." Jisoo stands her ground. "Take it or leave it."

 

Jennie knows how much her homebody of a best friend abhors parties, get togethers, and such occasions where it's hard to avoid crowds and socializing with people, even if it's a holiday. In truth, the fact that she gets her to go to this party is already an amazing feat.

 

Jisoo just doesn't get... festive so Jennie gives in.

 

"Fine, I'll treat you to dinner."

 

Jisoo scoffs. "What you're making me do right now is definitely worth more than that."

 

"Lunch and dinner for a week?"

 

"No."

 

"Ugh, why are you being so hard?"

 

Jisoo just shrugs. "Think of a better offer, then."

 

Jennie groans in frustration but she really wants Jisoo there so she thinks of something bigger, something that Jisoo won't be able to refuse, then it clicks when she spots a crumpled paper on the floor.

 

"Oh, I know! I'll clean the room for a month!"

 

If Jisoo were a dog, her ears would've perked at that. She's been sharing a room with Jennie since the start of sophomore year and not once has the younger girl cleaned their room. Not once. It's always Jisoo who cleans all the crap (and that's mostly just Jennie's).

 

"Five months."

 

"Five? Do you hate me?" Jisoo doesn't answer and just raises a brow. "Okay, two! Two months!"

 

"Four."

 

"Three! And, that's final!"

 

"Gotcha." Jisoo's winning smirk Jennie knows so well appears and the younger girl gasps as what her best friend just made her do dawns in on her.

 

"You totally set that up!"

 

"And did." Jisoo smiles, satisfied, patting her lap as she stands up. "Now, I have you cleaning this place spotless for three months. I never thought I'd see the day."

 

Jennie rolls her eyes, dramatically falling backwards on her bed. "You cunning ."

 

"No need to get your in a bunch, princess. It's just cleaning." Jisoo laughs as she walks over to the bathroom. "Just make sure if you have to move my things, you'll put them back exactly where you got them, okay? Exactly."

 

No friendship or no amount of affection will ever save anyone from Jisoo's wrath when it comes to misplacing her things and Jennie knows that all too well since she once had been in the receiving end of said wrath.

 

Jennie chuckles as she tips her head back to meet her best friend's eyes. "Of course, you think I wanna die?"

 

//

 

"Oh god, I wanna die."

 

Jisoo doesn't hide her sentiment as soon as they step inside the Tri Delta house, welcomed by the sight of a crowd of people, smell of smoke and alcohol, and loud chatters above the loud mus— Okay, the music is okay. She doesn't mind the noise if it's pleasant to the ear. But, one good thing isn't enough to topple all the bad.

 

Jennie laughs, bumping their shoulders lightly.

 

"Thank you for being here."

 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jisoo rolls her eyes fondly as she copies Jennie and takes off her coat and put it on top of the pile in the room by the door. "C'mon, let's go find your girl so we can get this over with."

 

"Whoa, nu-uh, not yet," Jennie says firmly, shaking her head. "I said I don't have a problem approaching girls but not when I'm sober."

 

Despite herself, Jisoo laughs, pushing her forward. "Let's go get you liquored up then. Lead the way."

 

"So I can squeeze in the crowd and make a path for you, so you don't have to do it and get random people's sweat on you?"

 

"Duh? Do you still have to ask?"

 

Jennie makes a face but grabs Jisoo's elbow anyway and pulls her through the throng of college kids.

 

The younger girl greets a few bunch of people as they make their way to where the booze are, but doesn't stop to strike a conversation with anyone, which Jisoo is thankful for because that means small talks and introductions she doesn't want to be a part of.

 

"Did you really have to push me forward every time I went and said hi?" Jennie scoffs as they both arrive in the kitchen and get their drinks. "I wasn't planning on stopping to talk for long anyway."

 

"You asked me to be here. Deal with it. Not everyone is like you, Ms. Congeniality."

 

"Hey! It's because I'm Ms. Congeniality that we became friends by the way."

 

"Okay, true," Jisoo muses, remembering the time Jennie sat beside her in their first year orientation and started an unwanted conversation with her. "I don't know if that's something I'm thankful for, tho."

 

"Oh, shut up, I grew on you."

 

"Unfortunately."

 

"Jerk," Jennie chuckles at their banter. She drinks the rest of her beer and refills her cup. Jisoo does the same. "C'mon, let's go out in the back. You'll find this party much tolerable out there."

 

Jennie reaches for her hand and drags her before she can ask why, but the moment they step out into the open, Jisoo understands. It's less stuffy, less crowded— well, not much, but still it's more room and more fresh air to breathe. And, the Christmas decorations are still up. It's pretty and definitely better and the good music is still a very nice touch.

 

They settle in a spot where they aren't crowded by so much people, but also not totally secluded so they can look around and spot the girl they're here for.

 

"Okay, so what does your girl look like?"

 

Jennie shoots her a disbelieving stare. "I've already told you that a thousand times. Were you not listening?"

 

"I was but I've also forgotten about it a thousand times," Jisoo deadpans, earning her an eye roll from Jennie. "If you've just told me instead of rolling your eyes, I'd have known by now y'know."

 

Jennie rolls her eyes again, anyway. "You're unbelievable. She's tall, petite, blonde, beautiful."

 

"Ahhhh," Jisoo says with a laugh, sarcastically making a show of scanning the crowd. "So pretty much like 50% of the women here. She shouldn't be too hard to find."

 

"Shut up. She's different," Jennie says, smirking confidently. "You'll know when you see her."

 

"Mkay," is all Jisoo answers because the new music that has played through the speakers catches her attention. Her eyebrows knit in the middle as she tries to figure out what song it is. "Why do I feel like I've heard this before but like... it's different?"

 

"It's probably cos you did, but it's different since it's a remix," Jennie answers with a shrug. "I don't know, but Lisa's pretty good at that."

 

"Lisa who?"

 

"The DJ. That's her riiiight..." Jennie cranes her neck over her best friend and points in one direction. "...there. She's a freshman. And like, she DJ'd almost all the parties I've been in this year. She kills it, so the houses seek her out."

 

Jisoo follows where Jennie is pointing at and finds the said woman propped up like a head or two higher from the little mosh pit at the center of the area— not too much that you immediately take notice of her, but just enough for you not to miss the headphones that are slightly too big for her small face, her sweat that makes her seem to glisten under the light, the crease in the middle of her eyebrows in concentration, and the way her tongue peeks out and wets her lips as she tweaks on her mixer.

 

An ensemble that Jisoo unexpectedly finds very, very enticing and she s