All I Ask of You

Chapter Two

Lisa tried her hardest to hide her breakdown from Cynthia, but the other girl knew her all too well. "Lisa, you can lie to me all you want, but we've been through this before and it always end one way, I find out what's really wrong!"

"Does it really matter?" Lisa asked, leaning against the wall above her bed. The two girls shared a room above the theatre. "It's not like saying it will change anything."

"That depends on what it is, Lisa. If it's something that you need to see a shrink for, then go see a shrink." Both of the girls laughed at her remark.

"Ian and I went out for a drink today," Lisa said, resting her chin in her hands and looking cautiously at Cynthia. "It felt so weird after all this time, I mean I haven't seen him since high school, and then, all of the sudden, he's here. Do you know what I mean?" A slow smile played across Cynthia's lips.

"You like him, don't you, Lisa?"

"No, I don't!" Lisa sighed, "Besides I can't like him. It is like against the laws of nature for me to like someone of the opposite sex! I am not allowed to."

"C'mon, Lisa, you know that's not true!" Cynthia exclaimed as she sat up on her bed.

"Yes, it is!" Lisa sat up on her own bed as well, "What happens every time that I think I found some guy that I can trust?"

"It's just a fluke for right now. All you need is to find that special person that could break your unlucky streak. What if he's your prince?"

"Now you make me sound like Sleeping Beauty." They both erupted in laughter once more.

"If we don't get to sleep, you won't be a sleeping anything," Cynthia chided.

With that, they began to drift off to sleep... well, tried to anyway. The sound of someone knocking on their door made it difficult for either of them to do so. "Who could that be?" Cynthia asked, surprised.

"I have a few ideas," Lisa said as she stood up from her bed and walked to the door. "Who is it?"

"Open the door or you won't know!" Lisa frowned as she leaned against the door for a moment before she opened it just a crack to peek at their late night visitor.

"Ian, it's late, what do you want?" she asked groggily. All she wanted at this moment was to be curled up in her bed and sound asleep.

"Earlier you said that you had a lot on your mind. I've thought of a few ways to take them off of your mind." A small 'oooo' sound caught Ian off guard and he tried to look over Lisa's shoulder only to find that it was impossible. When Lisa wanted to hide something, there was no way of ever finding it. "Is Cynthia in there?" he asked as a smirk played across his face.

"Yeah. In case you're wondering, we're sharing a room." Lisa said, looking over her shoulder at Cynthia who was watching her intently, a sly smile playing across her lips.

"Oh, yeah, that was the first thoughts that floated through my mind," Ian replied. Lisa paused for a moment as if she did not get it, and then it suddenly clicked within her mind.

"IAN! That was just plain wrong!"

Ian laughed at her response. "Talk about a delayed reaction there," he teased.

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"Okay, so what are you wearing?" Ian asked and Lisa turned bright red. "No, that came out wrong. Change into jeans or something I'll be waiting out here." With that, he reached out and pulled the door closed for her.

"So, what's going on with you and lover boy?" Cynthia inquired with a sing-song tone and a wide smile.

Lisa glared at her red-haired friend as she walked to the closet and pulled out a pair of faded jeans.

"He just said that I needed to change into jeans, he didn't say why, just to do it," Lisa explained as she pulled the jeans on and followed this by pulling a tank top over her head. "You tell anyone that I went with him tonight, I swear I will kill you, got it?"

Cynthia nodded conspiratorially and watched her friend leave.

XXX

"Okay, so now that I'm in your car, what are you going to do?" Lisa asked Ian as they drove along the highway.

"Well, I'm going to take you to someplace that I'm sure you've never been," Ian said as he turned into a dark parking lot.

"I've been lots of places," Lisa said, unimpressed and trying to sound confident instead of nervous.

"I've talked to people around the theatre and you barely ever leave that place."

"And who are these people whom you talked to?"

"I never reveal a source and you of all people should know this, Lisa," he said as they climbed out of the car. "Follow me, Leese, I have something to show you-- though you should have already guessed that when I came knocking on your door at eleven o'clock at night."

"Well, I was hoping that it wasn't just a prank," she replied snidely as she followed him to the edge of the parking lot.

"Look out there, Lisa," he pointed out across the moonlight lake that they were facing.

"Wow." The cool air whipped through her hair and left a tingling sensation on her cheeks as she watched the waves gently lapping the shore bellow them. The moon reflected from the surface of the water gave the world around it a deep glow that you could not only see, but you could feel in the bottom of your feet as you watched the water. "This view is beautiful."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" he remarked, only Ian was not looking out at the water. Instead, he was looking at the face of the woman that stood beside him.

"When you said you wanted to help take my mind off things, I was thinking a bar or something, but this is just..." she paused looking for the right word. "Amazing."

"I used to always come here when I was stressed out. One day, something happened here, but I'm not sure what because the police never told me. But when I drove up it was swarming with police officers and yellow caution tape. I assumed someone had died or something like that, I never came back to find out."

"How long ago was this?" Lisa asked, her eyes were filled with tears. Did he know?

"Three years ago tomorrow," Ian said. He heard a sharp intake of breath and watched Lisa's stance changed from comfortable to alert.

"I know what happened," she whispered softly, catching his attention; not that he could not look away even if he wanted to. "It was mid-afternoon, and I had just gotten into another fight with my mother. after getting off the phone with her, I just got in the car and drove." Her voice could barely be heard above the sound of the waves as she continued on. "I couldn't slow down if I wanted to." A small sad laugh escaped her as a tear ran silently down her cheek as she looked at Ian. "If there had been one single cop that had stopped me to give me a ticket, it probably wouldn't have happened. I ended up pulling up here." Her eyes became hollow and she seemed to drift off into her own world, "I never saw it coming, as I climbed from the car someone grabbed me from behind and shoved me to the ground." Before she could go on, she erupted into sobs. Ian wrapped his arms around her and began to rock slightly.

"Lisa, I am so sorry. I had no idea." he said softly; his voice filled with compassion and sorrow.

"It was three years ago. I'm over it." She tried a smile as she pulled away, but it did not work.

"Leese, no matter what anyone says, a rape is not something you just get over--even after three years. It's just not in our flesh and blood." Lisa looked up at him confused. "You're using band aid solutions when what you need is someone to come in and bring you through the pain."

"And that's where you come in right?"

"If I could fix everything that's happened to you, erase everyone who has ever hurt you, I would, but the fact is that I can't."

"What are you? Some religious freak or something?"

Ian shrugged, "Or something." He glanced over at his car. "Come with me, I am so craving music."

Shaking her head, she followed him to his car and sat on the hood as he searched through the radio stations. Static and snatches of voices filled the air as he fiddled with the dial.

"Here is a good one. You'll love this one, Lisa."

The music started with someone whispering the words.

Crying and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

Running and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

Crying and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

Running and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

Crying and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

Running and hiding this feeling, running and fighting for freedom.

This is the last time, I'll be crying late at night, I be balling all night, can't sleep, I hear the floors creak, feel the shadows in the room. My friends find another bruise, I'm gonna end up on the news.

I just don't know what to do.

Lord I'm calling you send an angel send two, I want to move, but I'm trapped in the outer room I know you hear me clearly, come and fill me with your power, heal me!

It seems impossible! For me to let this go, I feel like an animal, I'm ready to lose control.

Take everything you need, take every part of me, before I lose control.

I'm tired, so tired, of walking through this fire, if you want to find me, I'll here in my room.

I'm thinkin' your drinkin', need to get of here before you start swinging.

Wish I could show you all the pain, inside, me.

It seems impossible! For me to let this go, I feel like an animal, I'm ready to lose control.

Take everything you need, take every part of me, before I lose control.

Ian switched the radio off and walked around to stand in front of Lisa, "We should probably get you back."

Lisa smiled.

"We wouldn't want anyone to worry about the back-up dancer, now would we?"

XXX

Jackson mentally kicked himself for not staying with Lisa during the night. When he had arrived at her room at twelve o'clock, she was missing. Now he sat in the shadows of the room, watching Cynthia sleep, and she was not very peaceful. She was nothing like Lisa. At first, he had considered going out to find Lisa, but then another thought popped into his head. Even if Lisa were in danger, she would eventually return there and want someone to comfort her. As he sat there, the door slowly came open and a laughing Lisa walked through followed closely by some man. Ian, he thought angrily andmoved closer; all the while remaining hidden in the shadows. Lisa turned and shoved Ian back at the door; shushing him.

"If you wake Cynthia up, I will so hurt you," she said, placing a finger on his lips. The laughing stopped.

"I feel bad now," he said, putting his head down as if he was pouting.

"You should," she said with a laugh.

"I do."

They both fell into another fit of laughter. Jackson's stomach churned. This is pathetic! Lisa, how can you stand this fool?

"Who's there?" Cynthia slurred, sitting up in her bed.

"See what you've done now?" Lisa playfully glared at Ian as she reached over and turned on the lamp beside the bed. Jackson shrank back against the wall to remain unseen.

"So, how was the date you two?" she asked playfully.

"If it was a date, does that mean that I get a good night kiss?" Ian questioned. Anger welled in Jackson's chest; no one asked Lisa something like that. Who does he think he's talking to?

"It was not a date, okay!" Lisa exclaimed, surprising herself with how much force she put behind her voice.

"Says you," Ian glared at her playfully.

"You, out," Lisa said, pointing at Ian and then the door as she did so.

With a sad, puppy-dog face, he relented. "But you know that I'll be back."

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

XXX

Brego Beauty and I have been pretty busy, so I do not know when the next chapter will come, Please Review!