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the raindrops furiously landed on her casket as the streets became a blur. her motorcycle sped down the streets, irene's arms tightly wrapped around her waist. her mind was empty, adrenaline rushing all through her veins as she smiled for the first time in awhile. danger and speed were the only things that made her feel alive, that made her feel human and less miserable than she usually was. she enjoyed partaking in different dangerous activities and street racing was one of them. she knew it was illegal, but she didn't care. it had already become her addiction. the need for speed, the need for excitement, the need for danger - anything to make her forget about her daily life and how fucked up she truly was.
"j-jennie! slow down!" irene stuttered, clinging onto her like a koala. she could tell her best friend wasn't used to this, but she did warn her about it before agreeing to give her a ride to work. it was raining cats and dogs and irene didn't feel like walking to work. she also didn't want to get a cab, not after her latest encounter with that one creep who was driving. he kept trying to make small talk with her by asking her very personal questions and giving her a lopsided grin. irene started to feel very uncomfortable, red flags started raising in her head. eventually, she managed to get the man to stop the cab at a crowded area and quickly handed him the cash before getting out of there and running into the crowd. she heard a few shrieks coming from behind her and when she turned her head, she saw that the man was still chasing her. jennie had always told her to be careful when taking cabs late at night and even scolded her for not calling her on the phone to pick her up. it seemed as if luck was on her side, because she spotted one of her co-workers walking out of a club with a few of his friends and stayed by his side until the man was finally gone. jennie couldn't believe her ears when irene told her about the way eunwoo treated her and how responsible he was when handling the whole situation.
guess he could be responsible when needed.
"oh my god!!" irene released a shriek when jennie came to an abrupt stop and the wheels dangerously glided against the asphalt until they stopped in between two cars that were already parked across chéri.
she turned off her engine, turning to look back at irene. "you can stop holding onto me now." she teased, but irene didn't budge - instead she lowered her head and rested it against jennie's shoulder, trying to catch her breath. had this whole ride scared her that much? jennie sometimes forgot that not everyone liked the thrill of speed. not everyone enjoyed it. to her, racing down the streets with such speed even during rain had become second nature, but to someone like fragile like irene, it felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest.
jennie didn't say anything, she just let the older lean on her while the rain drops continued landing on them, a steady drumming on their caskets. it soothed her, a natural melody that washed her thoughts away. a coat of gray hung above her head, darker smudges artistically spread throughout the sky.
irene finally got off the motorcycle, taking off the spare casket jennie gave her and handing it back to her. her honey brown hair were now ruffled, no longer looking as neat as they did earlier. her face looked even paler, but she gave a small smile at jennie before saying: "i'm never asking you to give me a ride again. i think my whole soul just left my body and i doubt i'll get it back anytime soon. are you still doing those shady street races at midnight? is that why you nearly killed the both of us by speeding through the city in rain?"
jennie playfully rolled her eyes at her best friend, hooking the spare casket under the rear seat. "say it louder, will you? i don't think half of the neighborhood heard you yet. and i did warn you that i tend to speed a lot and you said you didn't mind." she answered, taking off her own helmet and shaking her head side to side. rain started pouring down on her, but she didn't really care. "and yes, of course i'm still doing them, because i enjoy it."
irene looked at her sternly. "well, it's dangerous! most of them are ex-convicts or even worse!"
"well, you're not my mother, irene. i doubt she would give a shit either way. she's perfectly happy in her little empire of lies and deceit, while my step-father continues to take advantage of her." jennie hissed, narrowing her eyes at her. "what i do with my life is my business. if i want to risk myself, my life and my reputation then so be it. it's not like i have any of those anymore. i'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to change me. this is who i am and this is what i want and if you can't accept that. . .then i don't know what to tell you."
"i am trying to make sure you don't die on me!" the older fumed, clenching her perfectly manicured hands into fists. "maybe you don't give a shit whether you live or die, but i fucking do! i know you're broken, but i promised to help fix you slowly and i can't do that if you keep risking your life like it doesn't even mean a thing to you. if you don't care about hurting yourself, don't you care about hurting me? it brings me pain to see you act this wa-"
jennie cut her off by leaning in and closing the distance between the two. irene froze, feeling jennie's lips against hers, but didn't respond, only pushed her away.
"what the fuck, jennie? you know that won't work on me! this is exactly where i was going to get. you run away from your problems instead of facing the-"
"it used to work, once upon a time." the brunette answered casually, leaning back against her motorcycle. the rain had completely drenched her and she could now feel her hair stick to her face and clothes, but she didn't care. it felt nice. it was as if the rain was washing her troubles and pains away, leading them far away from her. for the first time in awhile, her mind was clear and she felt at peace.
irene huffed at her. "stop. just stop. are you even going to listen to me for once? this is not a joke, jennie - this is real life. stop acting like a goddamn five year old and put your big girl panties on, for once!"
it was clear that the older was getting angrier by the minute, but jennie was losing her patience by the minute. she hated whenever irene lectured her on the importance of living life the right way. why does there have to be a right way to living life? can't we just live life the way we want? at the end of the day, you're in charge of your own life and every decision you make follows a certain path in the intricate web of scenarios and possibilities. and jennie preferred living the so-called bad way, well at least according to irene. she liked being careless, she liked facing death head on, she liked drinking, doing drugs and losing herself, she liked hooking up with strangers - they all filled a certain void within her. even if it was temporary. she still craved it, because it made her feel better about herself. even if she felt like a piece of trash after the fun was over. but jennie had gotten used to it eventually.
"put on my big girl panties?" jennie teased, an eyebrow shooting upwards while her lips stretched into an amused smile.
"oh my god! seriously? this is what you focus on?"
"that and the fact that your shift starts in five minutes," the younger chuckled, eyes wandering to the large clock inside of the café. irene gasped in horror as she quickly checked her phone.
"you're right! i fucking hate you, kim jennie! this is your fault!" the older shrieked, running inside of the café. she nearly fell into a split by slipping on the floor beside the counter, which made jennie laugh to herself, before hurrying inside the back rooms.
a sigh escaped her lips as the rain got even worse, drenching her completely from head to toe, but she didn't care. she stood there in the rain, leaning on her motorcycle while looking down at the ground beneath her feet. the rain drops aggressively pierced her skin, numbing her whole body and all of a sudden, she started to feel very tired. like the rain was draining her of everything that she had. she was numb. she no longer felt anything. just numbness. and somehow, that was way worse. . .
