love, rosie | ✓

THE THIRD LETTER

The in-between — being civil — that's where Rosie and Jisoo had been. They never really got extremely close to each other, they never really strayed away from each other neither. They were just there. They weren't close, but they weren't really distant.

They both existed in each other's orbit.

They never aligned, only passed by with a pleasant smile in tow.

Obviously the hostility had faded away and they were just indifferent with each other.

Lisa and Jennie had grown considerably close, meanwhile Rosie was being charmed by another boy, this time this guy had dimples and had curly tufts, and this time Jisoo was indifferent.

Usually she would make snark comments about guys giving interest in Rosie, Lisa would even join in, but they mellowed down.

There were a lot of changes that had happened. Rosie knew they were still growing, but she felt the change, even physically, now she was even a few inches taller than Jennie.

Other than that emotions were peculiar, people began with labeling themselves and Rosie just wasn't so certain with herself. She was Rosie, that was it.

Eight grade was really something, Lisa made it known that she was in fact not straight, this shifted something in Jennie and it was quite a scene for Rosie to have seen Jennie become clingier with Lisa.

Lisa had eased down with the teases. Jennie was searching for it.

"Do you like her, Jen?" Rosie even asked.

"No!" Jennie protested, "Just friends, yanno, Ro?"

Then Lisa had dated a girl named Claire, and Jennie considerably drifted away from Lisa; Lisa was always busy with Claire anyway.

Claire this, Claire that, it even reached the extent it even bothered Rosie. Lately it was Jisoo, Jennie, and Rosie who hung out more.

Then a day had come where Jisoo was so angry, her jaw was clenched as she marched towards the other two girls' way.

"Promise me you two won't be assholes when you get boyfriends, Aude disappeared from the face of the earth when she got one, and now Lisa's got a girlfriend and-and she's slipping away."

Rosie and Jennie nodded, they couldn't really imagine not hanging out with each other just because they got into a relationship with a significant other.

It didn't feel right.

In fact Rosie didn't even really drifted away when that boy with dimples and curly tufts pursued her, it was Ben who stayed with Rosie and the girls.

No one protested, at least to them that was how it should have been.

Until drama had risen since it was just something unavoidable. Ben turned out to be an asshole, Lisa was trying to repent and patch things up with the girls.

At that point Rosie and Jisoo were still in the in between. Not quite close, not quite distant. There was this gap between them that needed to be closed, but wasn't.

Then it did.

・゜・。.

Ben wanted to meet in the field, Rosie knew that was it, that was the end. She didn't feel bad about it at all.

When Ben broke it off, Rosie just shrugged and said: "Glad it's over, Ben." She even smiled and hugged Ben.

She walked away quite excited to go walk back with Jisoo and Jennie.

Ben regretted it, Rosie was supposed to want him even more, to beg for him, he ran after her and as he reached out for her he ended up pushing her that Rosie stumbled to the ground, grazing her knees in the process.

Jisoo had witnessed that happened, while Jennie was busy rummaging through her bag.

"Hey!" She moved closer to Rosie and Ben, and when she got there she pushed Ben away, the first push wasn't rough, the second one was.

This angered Ben that he had pushed Jisoo back, Jisoo almost stumbled down, "What is wrong with you?"

"You, you're what's wrong!" Ben irrationally screamed, which obviously just left the girls bemused.

Jisoo laughed and shook her head, she decided she was going to dismiss the idiot, "Are you kidding me?" She glared and crouched down to help Rosie up.

Jennie had finally joined in, "Leave, Ben, before I call Miss Rita." Jennie threatened and of course Ben was an idiot, he was unsure of himself and he didn't feel okay being in his skin that he punched the wall before walking away.

It was laughable really.

Rosie ended up laughing as she thought about the whole exchange.

Jisoo was busy examining Rosie's grazed knees, "Why are you laughing, you're supposed to be hurt?"

Rosie laughed even more.

Jennie furrowed her brows, "Did you bump your head too, Ro?"

"Nope," Rosie popped the 'p' and she brushed her black hair away from her face, "This whole thing's just really ridiculous."

They helped Rosie up and gotten her graze cleaned from the infirmary.

Later that day, Rosie sent Jisoo a text, it really wasn't a letter, but it could be, so it's going to be called the Third Letter. It also had a significant effect on their relationship.

TO: Jisoo Kim
FROM: Rosie Park

Thanks for standing up for me earlier. I'll treat you to Maccas tomorrow after classes. With Jennie of course, she'll be such a baby if she's left out.

・゜・。.

They did go to McDonald's the next day.

Rosie had ended up getting a stain on her top from the sundae she's gotten.

Jisoo wiped it clean even if it was on Rosie's chest.

And Jisoo got ketchup on the corner of her mouth, which Rosie wiped in return.

Jennie was kind of irritated with that so she also smeared something on her face which the two wiped clean, she won that time.

It was really doing fine, until...

They had bumped into Lisa on their way out causing the air to get awkward and tensed.

"Hey, Lis." Rosie had to break the ice.

Lisa looked away and then looked at them, "Hey Ro, Jen, and Chu."

Claire then grabbed Lisa away from the three of them.

Jennie scoffed, "Claire's the problem."

"We kill Claire," Jisoo joked and they laughed leaving the restaurant.

Rosie remembered that eventually she and Jisoo held hands, and she's never felt so giddy her whole life.