"So, how was your first week of school?" Lisa's mom asks, scooping more rice into her bowl.
Lisa chews, swallows, opens her mouth to speak, and then takes a sip of water instead.
Her dad chuckles, "That bad, huh?"
"No, no," Lisa shakes her head, "just...different." Which it was, very much so from her intimate little academy back in Thailand.
"Well, that's normal," her mom says, relieved. "Did you make any friends?"
"A few." Lisa puts down her chopsticks. "I met two girls, Chaeyoung and Jisoo; they both seem nice enough, though Jisoo's sometimes a little much. There's also a guy who hangs out with Jisoo and I during sixth, Yoongi— oh, and Jimin, but we haven't talked much."
"Sounds good!" Her dad pats her on the shoulder. "Your mom and I have some good news for you too."
"What is it?" Lisa hums, distracted by the purring ball of fur that's just rubbed up against her legs. She discreetly smuggles Leo a chunk of fish, scratching fondly between his ears as he nibbles at it.
"We found a studio nearby," he reveals. "They have a competitive team that's pretty accomplished, but you'll have to audition and catch up on a lot of the choreo."
"Never a problem for you, Lisa," remarks her mom proudly.
"Mom!" Lisa ducks her head at the unsolicited compliment and addresses her next question to her dad instead, "That's great! When is the audition?"
"Tomorrow."
Lisa accidentally squishes Leo's face in shock and he hisses, stalking away to sulk. "Tomorrow?! I don't have any time to prepare."
"Honey, you'll do fine," reassures her mom, patting her arm. "Just dance your solo part from the last competition. You practiced it a lot and it'll go great, trust me."
----
"What'd everyone do over the weekend?" asks Chaeyoung, plunking herself down on the grass next to Jisoo. "Anything exciting for your first here, Lisa?"
"Yes, actually," answers Lisa, who has been waiting all morning to talk about this. "I auditioned for a dance studio here and got into their competitive team!"
"Nice!" applauds Jisoo. "You must be super talented. Meanwhile, I haven't danced since the incident in third grade..."
Chaeyoung bursts out laughing. "Jisoo, we promised not to talk about that again. Anyway, that's great, Lisa. Dance seems fun enough, but also hard. No wonder you're so in shape."
Lisa blushes. "You and Jisoo are fit too. And way more attractive." She lets an envious tone enter her voice. It's true, too. Jisoo is simply stunning in the visual department and Chaeyoung has a charm to her that is strikingly appealing.
"Maybe Jisoo is, but not me," says Chaeyoung, at the same time that Jisoo says, "Nah, just Chaeng."
They look at each other awkwardly and then at the ground.
Lisa clears her throat and steers the conversation in a different direction. "Chaeyoung, what do you like to do in your free time? I know Jisoo has soccer; do you play any sports?"
"I'm more into music," Chaeyoung replies, tearing her gaze away from the floor. "I play the piano and guitar."
"Oh, like classical?" Lisa questions, not exactly an expert on the topic. Her understanding of instruments stops at the recorder, which she learned with the rest of her class in kindergarten.
"No, no. I mean, I can play classical, but I like to..." Chaeyoung hesitates, as if unsure whether she wants to reveal this much, "...sing, I guess. And write sometimes, though my songs are usually bad."
"That's really cool," says Lisa honestly. "I bet they're pretty good; I'd love to hear them someday."
"By the way, Lisa," Jisoo cuts in across Chaeyoung's pleased flush, "do you have my shirt from last week? I'd let you keep it, but it cost a heck of a lot."
"Oh, yeah." Lisa digs around in her backpack and pulls out the freshly laundered shirt. "Here. I have your P.E. shirt too, wait a sec. I got mine cleaned, so I don't need it anymore."
"It's fine; you keep it." Jisoo folds up her shirt and stuffs it away. "I'm never gonna wear that thing, it's hideous. Plus, who knows when you and Chaeng might need a spare with that demon in your class."
YOU ARE READING
because the world can't hold us down
Fanfiction"Jennie's objectively attractive," Lisa acknowledges. "At least, until she opens her mouth and reveals all that ugly inside." "Nobody at this school cares about what's inside, Lisa," says Jisoo. "Jennie's got it all: good looks, brains, and the perf...
