“He didn’t damage me,” her voice was bitter and broken. “He taught me a lesson.”

            Rhine was on the verge of breaking down as she tried to hold herself together. She didn’t like to talk about Travis, for whenever she did, she would feel pain all over. Some say it’s better to feel pain than nothing at all, but Rhine begged to differ. All her life, there wasn’t a time where she didn’t feel pain. The emotion was her sidekick and her domain. Rhine was molded from pain.

            The way she felt about Travis was more than words could express. Their history together couldn’t be replaced. Evilness ran through his veins. He was the typical bad boy of southern California; a man with more girl friends than he could count. He was a man who knew his way with woman. Rhine was a lady who never had experience with men before and when she met Travis, her whole world changed. She believed every word he said and that led to her downfall. Her family disapproved of him, but she wouldn’t hear any of it. Because of her family’s disapprovals, she promised to run away with Travis. The night of their escape, she went to his house to find him in the arms of Meleine; the girl she thought was her best friend. Thinking back to it, Rhine was a fool.

            Sensing her change of mood, Bobby realized he said the wrong thing. He was curious about her past, but Rhine didn’t seem like she would let him in. The atmosphere was tense and unfamiliar to Bobby. Just by looking at her, he knew she was emotional about the topic.

            “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

            Rhine looked over at him and shook her head. She didn’t blame Bobby for wondering, she blamed herself for not being able to forget about Travis. She blamed herself for not listening to her parents in the first place. Rhine took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. Maybe one day, she’d have the courage to tell him about her past, but it wasn’t time yet. She was still trying to heal from the experience.

            “Don’t be,” Rhine’s voice was distant and lonely, making Bobby regret ever bringing it up.

            “I don’t think it’ll stop soon.”

            “Huh?”

            She turned to look at him in confusion and he motioned to the rain. As she looked at the rain, she remembered how cold she was. Her arms tightened around herself as she glanced down at her watch. They had been standing under the tree for around fifteen minutes. Rhine looked at Bobby in panic.

            “We have to go; I’m going to be late!”

            Bobby looked at the pouring rain and sighed. It definitely wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Instead, the rain was increasing.

            “Okay, let’s make a run for it,” he glanced at her as he got in a running stance and Rhine laughed. She could always count on him to brighten up her mood. Bobby smiled because he liked it when she laughed. “One, two…”

            Unexpectedly, he took a hold of her wrist. His grip was secure, but not too hard that it’d leave a bruise. Bobby started to run and Rhine yelped in surprise. They ran through the rain as it poured down on them. Her hair was soaked as it fell into her vision and she blindly followed Bobby. As they ran, they let out laughs of glee, suddenly not caring that the both of them were soaked. They ran carelessly and freely as if there wasn’t anything wrong.

            Bobby glanced back at her as he caught her laughing face. He admired the way she looked when she was happy and it made him feel good knowing that he could make her smile. Rhine was glancing at the sky as she brushed her hair back. With her free hand, she spread out her palm and tried to catch the raindrops. She seemed to be enjoying herself.

            Bam.

            He crashed into a streetlight pole, causing her to slam into him. They came to an abrupt stop. The impact of his cheek against the metal sent a jolt of pain up his spine. His snapback was crooked, but he didn’t seem to notice. It hurt badly, but Bobby managed a sheepish smile.

            “Bobby! Are you okay?”

            They stepped away from the pole and she turned him to face her. The side of his face was red, but all he did was grin at her. He didn’t want Rhine to know that he was hurting. She looked at him in concern as she reached up and took a gentle hold of his chin. She turned his face and examined the impact. Her eyebrows furrowed when she realized it’d bruise later. Out of the corner of his eye, he secretly watched her and for some odd reason, his heart picked up speed.

            “How come you didn’t see the pole?” Rhine questioned as she let go of his face.

            Bobby rubbed the side of his face, his smile never leaving his face. He couldn’t tell her that the reason he didn’t see the pole was because he was watching her. Bobby would never admit that to Rhine. She noticed his crooked snapback as she obliviously reached up and fixed it for him.

            “I’m okay,” he avoided the question.

            Rhine wasn’t convinced as she studied him closely. Somehow, she was worried about him. She knew it hurt, but he was just lying so she wouldn’t worry. The rain had picked up its pace, but neither of them seemed to take notice.

            “Come on, we’re going to be late,” he said as he grabbed her wrist and they headed for the entertainment, more aware of their surroundings than before.

            They entered the lobby as neither spoke. They still had five minutes to spare. Like most days, the lobby was empty except for the chattering and bang of pots and pans from the kitchen. Both of them were catching their breath as Rhine tried to dry herself. Her slightly tan skin glistened with water as her clothes stuck to her body. At that moment, Bobby took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. Rhine looked at him in surprise as he smiled charmingly at her.

            “It’ll keep you warm.”

            Rhine could see him slightly tremble under the thin fabric of his white shirt as she began to protest, “What abou-“

            He interrupted, “I’m okay. You can give it back to me tomorrow.”

            Rhine was stunned when he carefully slipped her arms into the sleeves and zipped up the jacket for her. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he made the collar comfortable for her. The jacket smelled good; leathery and spicy. It instantly warmed her up, but it was a bit big on her.

            “Do you need my pants too?” Bobby joked and Rhine laughed, but shook her head.

            She was too stunned to say anything. In her relationship with Travis, he never once gave her his jacket. She never knew how it felt to wear another man’s jacket and the way that Bobby gave it to her without hesitation made her speechless. Rhine couldn’t think straight at all.

            “Is it warm enough?”

            She nodded and bowed, “Thank you.”

            “Let’s stop being formal, okay?” When Rhine nodded, a look of satisfaction crossed his face. “Good…”

            “Um, I have to get going,” Rhine awkwardly motioned to the stairs and he gave a slight nod of his head.

            “I’ll see you around, Rhine.”

            She nodded and felt her heart race. She felt tiny under the intensity of his gaze as she started to turn away.

            “Have a good day, Bobby.”

*

            Rhine was extremely nervous when she walked into the practice room where the evaluation was to take place. She pulled Bobby’s jacket tighter around her as she trembled from anxiousness. It was going to be her first evaluation and she hoped nothing would go wrong. The girls had been practicing so hard for the evaluation and they didn’t want too many criticisms.

            Inside the room, the other girls were practicing their vocals and dance. Even though they’ve done it quite a few times, they were still nervous. The evaluation determined how long they were going to stay in YG Entertainment.

            The room was a warm, but the atmosphere was tense. Cameras were set up in the front of the room along with numerous seats. Realizing that Mr. Yang wasn’t the only one watching them, it made Rhine even more nervous.

            “I brought your clothes,” Hei said as she handed a large paper bag to Rhine.

            Rhine smiled as she took the bag. The other night, Rhine asked Hei to bring a pair of clothes for her to change into for the evaluation. When she requested it, she didn’t think she’d actually need it, but at that moment she was thankful. Rhine was freezing in her slightly wet clothes.

            “Thank you.”

            “Yeah, you might want to change right now. They’ll be here anytime now.”

            Rhine nodded as she quickly headed for the bathroom. She gulped as her heart beat faster. It was so nerve wrecking! As she started to change, Rhine recited her lines over and over again until she was confident she got it down. She put her dirty clothes into the bag, but held onto Bobby’s jacket. She made her way back into the room where some of the judges were already settling down. She walked over to where the girls were gathered and put the bag on one of the benches.

            “Thank god there won’t be any trainees watching us,” Eiseu said as she fanned herself.

            “Remember when Jennie sunbaenim was still a trainee and her group would always get better criticisms than us? I hated evaluations with them,” Jae recalled.

            Iseul was busy setting up the stereo and getting their preparations ready while the rest of the girls were in a corner, getting their outfits ready.

            “Every trainee is being evaluated at the same time?” Rhine asked, still new to the whole thing.

            Hei nodded and her bottom lip puckered out, “Yeah, our group would always go against Pink Punk sunbaenims when they were still trainees.”

            None of the girls seemed excited about the memory and Rhine figured it must’ve been bad.

            “We haven’t gone against other trainees after them though because we’re the only ones left,” Eiseu murmured, more to herself than to the members.

            “Do girl trainees go against boy trainees?”

            Hei looked at her with wide eyes, “No, if that was the case, Team B sunbaenims would make us look so bad.”

            “Ohh,” Rhine nodded her head.

            Rhine was wearing her favorite dancing attire; white modern dance trousers with the right side pulled to her calf and the right side to her ankle, a black ‘Last Kings’ muscle tee, and her red and black 6” Timberland Cupsole 2.0. Her hair was dry as it hung loosely around her.

            The door opened and everyone quickly stood up as they bowed. Mr. Yang walked straight to the center seat as he sat down. He opened the folder he was carrying and looked through it. All the girls were instantly nervous. Rhine took a deep breath, but her heart was pounding rapidly as if it was going to explode any second. She tried to calm herself.

            “Whenever you’re ready, you may begin,” he stated as he looked up at them.

            The girls stood side by side as they bowed and said their greeting. When the beat started, Jae began by singing. Her voice was smooth and perfectly in tune which earned a smile of approval from Mr. Yang. Eiseu then took over, her vocals fiercer than Jae’s. After the chorus, Rhine started to rap a few lines in Korean and then shifted into English. When she rapped, her soft voice transformed into a fierce and confident voice. Rhine’s flow and gestures were amazing as a few of the judges shook their heads along with the rhythm.

            After they were done with the singing, they switched into their dance routine. The girls found their way around without trouble and their facials were on point, making the judges smile with approval. The judges seemed to be enjoying the dance, making the girls feel better.

            When the music ended, the girls bowed once again and stood awkwardly in their spots. They were sweating and tired, their hearts beating rapidly. Mr. Yang looked down at his files.

            “Hei, right?”

            At the mention of her name, Hei looked at Mr. Yang with worry. She was afraid he might scold her and tell her she wasn’t good enough. Her heart was racing as she nodded her head, anticipating his next words.

            “I heard you came up with the dance routine.” When she nodded, he continued with what he was going to say. “You’ve improved a lot. Your ideas were very clever and I hope to see more of your dances.”

            Hei beamed and her heart beat with relief as she bowed, “Thank you.”

            Mr. Yang nodded, “Your vocals improved a lot, Iseul, although, I wasn’t feeling your facials and gestures…”

            Iseul nodded, her lips ajar. “I’ll work on it, Mr. Yang. Thank you.”

            “Is it Rhine?” His eyes locked on hers and she gulped as she nodded her head.

            “Your rapping is good, but doesn’t have enough impact. It seemed like you weren’t rapping with emotions. To me it seemed dull.”

            Rhine’s heart sank, but she nodded. Perhaps it wasn’t her best performance and she knew she could do better. Her fingers locked together in front of her.

            “I thought the mixture of the languages was unique, but I hope you could rap in Korean in the next evaluation.”

            Rhine nodded in understanding. “Thank you.”

            After he gave some encouragements to the other members, Mr. Yang exited the room with the other judges following suit. The girls collapsed on the floor and sighed. Some of the girls were content with their criticism, while some were upset. The girls said a few words, but Rhine wasn’t listening. Mr. Yang expected her to be able to rap fully in Korean in the next month and it seemed so short. She doubted she would be able to rap in Korean in that short amount of time. She ran her fingers through her hair as she was stressed out.

*

            “I’ll meet you guys at the karaoke bar at three, I have some things to take care of,” Rhine said as they stood outside of the entertainment.

            “Do you know where it is?” Iseul asked.

            The girls were going to spend their day off at the store and then meet at the karaoke bar. After spending a few hours at the karaoke bar, they were heading out for dinner and Jae promised she would pay. The girls looked at Rhine without suspicion because they thought she was just going to call her parents.

            Rhine nodded her head, “Yeah. I remember from last time.”

            “Okay, we’ll see you there then.”

            They bid their farewells as the girls headed the opposite direction. Rhine started to head back to the dorm with the paper bag in her hand and Bobby’s jacket on top. Cars passed by with barely any pedestrians. The afternoon sun was out, showing no sign that it had rained earlier that morning. Rhine entered a small store as the elder woman greeted her and she bowed with a smile. She headed for the medications aisle and tried her best to find which ointment she needed. When she found what she was looking for, she paid and headed for the dorm.

            When she entered the dorm, Rhine took a quick shower and got dressed in black high waisted jeans and a white long sleeve button down blouse. She grabbed her simple white handbag and put her phone inside with the dorm key along with the ointment. Knowing that she still had an hour to spare, Rhine decided to hand wash Bobby’s jacket. Since she wasn’t sure if the jacket could be machine washed, she decided that it would be better if she hand washed it so the jacket wouldn’t be damaged. After washing it, she hung it up to dry and slipped on her Converses. Rhine grabbed her bag and headed out of the dorm.

            A minute later, she found herself knocking on Team B’s dorm. She wasn’t sure if they were home because it was eerily quiet. Her hands gripped the handle of her bag as she glanced around her. She bit her bottom lip when she heard noises on the other side of the door. The door slowly opened and she held her breath. She didn’t know who she would meet.

            “Rhine,” Bobby said with slight surprise.

            His hair was messy as it stood on ends and in every angle. He was dressed casually; a plain white shirt and loose jeans. The red mark earlier had turned a slight shade of purple on his cheek. A smile surfaced on his lips, causing Rhine to smile back. Rhine was starting to think that Bobby’s smile was contagious. There was yelling from inside the dorm, causing Rhine to look behind Bobby, but she couldn’t see anything.

            Bobby chuckled, “Let’s talk out here, the boys are loud today.”

            Rhine took a few steps back as Bobby stepped outside in his white socks and closed the door after him. He turned to look at her, curious why she was outside their door. He had said that she could meet him anytime, but he didn’t think she actually would.

            “Um, I wanted to check on your bruise,” she explained.

            Bobby’s hand reached up to feel his cheek and flinched, “It’s healing, I think.”

            He tried to lighten the mood, but Rhine wasn’t convinced. She didn’t smile as she pulled out the ointment and started to unwrap it. Bobby looked at her and felt fuzzy inside. He didn’t know why he was suddenly feeling that way, but the more time he spent with her, he was starting to get nervous. Bobby was confused and he didn’t know what to do.

            “Don’t move,” Rhine said in her soft voice as she squeezed a little amount of the ointment onto her left hand’s index finger and with her right hand, she gently tilted Bobby’s head to the side.

            Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her cautiously apply the ointment onto his bruise. The moment her finger made contact with his skin, Bobby felt warm and… an emotion he couldn’t comprehend. His heart started racing as he tried to control his breathing. Her touch was gentle and careful like she’s done it a million times.

            “There,” Rhine said as she stepped back.

            Despite the way he was feeling, he managed a smile. “You’re really good at this; I should come to you whenever I have a wound.”

            A smile tugged at her lips when she felt a pair of eyes watching them. Rhine turned her head and a few feet away stood a figure she knew all too well. Hanbin was facing them with his hands in his pockets with a blank expression on his face.