Meeting you | LisRene AU [BOOK 1]

8

"Alright, Irene. Spill," Wendy demanded, interrupting Irene's painting about twenty minutes after Lisa left. "Is something going on between you and Lisa?"

"Maybe."

"Irene," Wendy huffed out, "are you serious? She's seventeen."

"I'm well aware," Irene snapped, spinning around. "I'm not an idiot, you know? I'm not going to do something that's going to get me arrested."

"You may not be sleeping with her, but if her parents find out that you guys are seeing each other, they could get you into big trouble anyway," Wendy insisted. "C'mon, you were all over Jackson about her being underage, and suddenly it's not a problem?"

"He was going to sleep with her!" Irene exclaimed. "I have no intention of doing so until she's no longer underage, firstly. Secondly, I highly doubt that Lisa's going to mention me to her mother at all, at least not before she turns eighteen. Which, by the way, is not very far from now. I know what I'm doing."

"Do you, though?" Wendy demanded, crossing her arms.

"What's going on here?" Junmyeon suddenly interrupted, appearing behind his sister.

Irene's eyes flickered closed, and she sighed as Wendy replied with, "Oh, we're just discussing Irene's apparent new relationship with a teenager."

"Wait, I thought you said nothing was going on between you and Lisa?"

"Nothing was going on!" Irene exclaimed.

Junmyeon furrowed his eyebrows. "And a week later, something is?"

"Look, you guys. I like Lisa. Period. I'm not going to not date her just because she's under eighteen. She'll be eighteen in less than two months, and contrary to popular belief, it is definitely possible to have a relationship with someone without having sex. No matter how much you try to argue with me about it, I'm not going to not date her because of her age. Got it?" Irene snapped. "I get that you guys just want me to be careful, or whatever, but I know what I'm doing. You think I've spent the past couple of weeks just skipping around and not thinking about the consequences? I know how consequences work, I'm not a kid."

"She's a kid."

"She's not!" Irene exclaimed, exasperated. "Legally maybe, but not for much longer. And neither of you has even had a conversation with her. Couldn't you at least hold back on the judgment until you've gotten to know her? You both know that I thought she was just some rebellious teenager when I first met her, and clearly, I don't feel that way anymore."

"Irene, you have to see that this is a bad idea..."

"Hey guys," Jackson's voice interrupted suddenly, "there's a bonfire at the lake tonight. You all coming?"

"No," Irene said abruptly. "You shouldn't go either. Don't you have a shit ton of homework to do?"

"What do you think I've been doing all day?" Jackson asked, and Irene caught Wendy looking at her suspiciously. Irene was not one to stop her friends from partying when they wanted to, at least not for a good reason.

"Come on, Irene, didn't you finish your homework yesterday?" Junmyeon asked, seeming to at least understand that Irene didn't want to talk about Lisa around Jackson. "You should go to the bonfire with us."

"You're going?" she asked, deflating slightly. Like she'd told Lisa, she only ever went if Junmyeon was going as well.

He nodded. "Come on. It'll get all our minds off of the latest drama and shit."

"Agreed," Wendy said. "I'll go grab everyone else and then we can head over. Who's our sober driver?"

"Me," Junmyeon offered, shrugging. "Be at my car in five." Wendy and Jackson disappeared, leaving Irene and Junmyeon alone in her art room.