Chapter Text
Lisa sighed as she leaned back in her bed. Her mom was out with her new potential stepdad again. He was a nice guy, but Lisa couldn’t find the interest in actually interacting with him yet. She told her mom that it was due to her needing more time, but deep down, they both knew she was lying. Lisa never knew why her mother bothered introducing these men to her. It’s not like Lisa would actually be around long enough to see them become anything more.
Shutting her eyes, Lisa let the sounds of crickets outside wash over her. There was a time when she considered herself happy. Where she and her mother were much closer, she would even go as far as calling herself a mama’s girl. Then things changed when she got older.
Spending time with her.
Suddenly, before either her or her mother realized, Lisa began to drown. Her grades slipped because she couldn’t bring herself to put in the effort. It was only recently that she had gotten them just high enough to pass, to maybe get into some crummy community college. But they didn’t slip because she wasn’t smart enough, just because things changed. She used to be at the top of the class. But then she couldn’t find the energy to get out of bed most days, and on the days she was forced to go to school by her mom, Lisa didn’t even bother paying attention in class. She slept through them after spending the whole night awake, either out getting high or wandering around, to avoid her thoughts.
She lost her passion for dance. And that was the part she mourned the most. The fact that she was no longer able to get up to do what she loved most. Lost the will to put in any effort where there wasn’t a need for it. And her mother tried, oh how she tried. New dancing shoes, even if they couldn’t afford it, taking fewer shifts so Lisa could actually stay and practice. But it was never enough. Lisa would forever feel the effects of that time, imprinted on her skin. Robbing her mother of her sunny daughter.
Ping!
Lisa jumped as she felt her phone buzz. No one would be texting her; no one even had her number. Literally, her only contacts in her phone were her mom and her old friend Bambam. She knew her mom wouldn’t text her unless she was coming home and Bambam was working tonight. Checking her lockscreen, she saw it was an email from her English teacher. Curiously, she opened the email before immediately feeling her stomach curl in disgust. In big, red letters were the words “SEMESTER LONG GROUP PROJECT.” Of all the things it could have been. It had to be a group project. Not a partnered assignment, or even a group of three. No, a full group of four. Lisa let out a groan and felt her hand flop down beside her.
She never understood the point of group projects. How was it fair to the social outcast to be put with people who wouldn’t be caught dead talking to her any other day? Taking a peek at her phone again, Lisa scrolled down to see the list of names her teacher had written out. She saw her name near the bottom and froze. There was no way.
Lisa Manoban
Jennie Kim
Roseanne Park
Jisoo Kim
What the fuck.
How the hell did she get assigned to the three prettiest girls in school?
Lisa would have to be blind not to realize how pretty Jennie, Rose, and Jisoo are. That’s why she typically tried to avoid them. Not because they were mean or anything, but rather because they were too nice. Rose especially. The two of them had never officially talked, but Rose had been nice enough to her in passing. But people saw Chaeyoung say hello to her in passing once, and then Lisa had to keep her head down for the next 2 weeks. She remembers begging her mom not to take it up with the school. The bruises had been nasty to deal with.
Everywhere she went, people in her grade were asking why Park Chaeyoung, one of the prettiest girls in school, would bother saying hello to the quiet emo girl. And she does not doubt that Chaeyoung saw the bruises on her face. After that, she noticed Chaeyoung didn’t say hello to her anymore, but sometimes she caught Chaeyoung's eye in passing; one time, Lisa could have sworn she was about to say something. Maybe she felt too guilty?
But just because she was a loner didn’t mean she didn’t see all the attention those three girls got.
Chaeyoung Park, also known as Rosie, was always the soft-spoken crush. People talked about her looks and how she looked like a fairy. She was the type of person to be sweet to anything and everything. Lisa heard rumors that she once cried over accidentally hurting a butterfly. Everyone loved to shower her with gifts and shyly ask her out on dates. But what she was most known for was her beautiful singing voice. By the end of her freshman year, she was already in the school’s top choir, had gotten a solo, and even made it to all-state chorale. Lisa heard rumors of her voice being enchanting
Jennie Kim, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was smart, at the top of her class, the class president, rich, and she was rumored to be next in line to inherit her mother's company after college. Jennie had an air of “don’t fuck with me” and was never seen tolerating anyone who wasn’t Chaeyoung or Jisoo. People left gifts in her classes and gave her written confessions before running away. Lisa had seen Jennie take some of those gifts and throw them straight into the bin. People said it was because she was rich and liked the finer things in life. She was only soft spoken to Chaeyoung and Jisoo; everyone else got the ‘ice queen.’
And Jisoo Kim. Second in class rankings, behind Jennie, of course. People were constantly in awe of her looks. Some people said Jisoo already had model and acting scouts looking into her. Lisa never really saw her around. Jennie and Jisoo were seniors, while she and Roseanne were juniors. She had heard that Jisoo was constantly receiving confessions, but always gave a sympathetic smile before walking off. Never saying more than she had to. Jisoo was popular mainly because she was an amazing actress. Apparently, every school musical was always bought out because so many people wanted to see her. Jisoo and Chaeyoung were the reasons that theater and chorus kids weren't at the bottom of the social ladder.
So, how would this project be fair to her again?
Lisa groaned. She could already see it now. People would be glaring at her and whispering, all because she got partnered up with the prettiest girls in school. A part of her was definitely blushing at the thought, but she was mostly filled with dread. It wasn’t like she chose this! Why were Jennie and Jisoo even in the same English class as her? Chaeyoung made sense; they were in the same year. But Jisoo and Jennie were a year ahead; why would they be in the same class as her?
Lisa sighed and turned off her phone. This was going to be hellish for her. She looked at the clock and rubbed her eyes. It was 11:00 pm. Groaning, Lisa stood up and went to her bathroom. Opening the drawer, she pulled out her vape. Of course, she knew this wasn’t good for her, but she was too far down the rabbit hole. Lisa really hated how far she had fallen. The ugly truth about her lifestyle was that she could recognize it was slowly becoming a bigger issue. It's not like anyone cared. Her mom had stopped trying after Lisa accidentally lashed out at her one too many times. So really, she had no one but herself to blame.
Ping!
Oh, come on, what now?
Taking a hit, Lisa held her breath as she opened her phone before promptly exhaling and coughing. Shit. Her throat burned, and she curled up on the floor to try to get her coughing fit under control. This was always the worst part of doing drugs. After a few minutes had passed, Lisa finally took a deep breath of air. Sweet air. She prayed her mom was either still out or sleeping. It would be really awkward to explain what she was doing. Lisa waited a beat to see if she needed to run. After a moment, she realized no one was coming. She was safe.
Looking at her phone again, Lisa prayed she was imagining the notification. Unfortunately for her, she did not imagine it. Staring back at her was a notification from Chaeyoung. An email, but still. Lisa bit her lip. Was she bold enough to answer? What was Chaeyoung doing up this late anyway?
Tossing her phone to the side, Lisa grabbed her vape and promptly took another hit. The answer was obvious; she was, in fact, not bold enough to answer. Running her hand through her hair, she exhaled, thankfully not delving into another coughing fit. This was future Lisa's problem. Present Lisa was focused on the warm, floaty feeling enveloping her.
Tomorrow was going to be interesting.