*JENNIE
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The alarm clock next to my bed wakes me abruptly. Swatting at it until I manage to hit snooze, I collapse back down onto my pillow feeling groggy and disoriented. Just as I start to give way to the drowsiness that threatens to pull me back under, everything hits me all at once and my eyes shoot open.
Lisa. Her fingers—the way she touched me, the way she kissed me, the undeniable pleasure she showed me. Pleasure I didn't even know I could feel.
I dart upright, my eyes going directly to where Lisa was lying next to me when I drifted off to sleep just a few short hours ago. I place my hand on the sheet as I look around the room, wondering how long ago she left. Considering the warmth of the spot she occupied most of the night, I'd say it wasn't all that long ago.
Smiling, I pull the blanket up to my chin, remembering how it felt to open myself up to her in a way I never had before, remembering the things she said as she brought me to the brink and then forced me over the edge. It felt like fireworks had exploded inside of me.
If she can do that with just her fingers, I can only imagine how other parts of her will feel.
My face heats at the thought.
"Jen." I jump when I hear my mother's voice seconds before she opens my bedroom door. Having not realized she was home yet, I quickly try to gain some composure. "Hey, you better get up or you're going to be late for school," she says, peeking her head inside my room.
"Okay." I nod several times in concession, a nervous tick of mine. "I'm getting up now."
"I'm gonna head to bed if you don't need anything." She hesitates in the doorway, and for a moment I feel like maybe she can tell. Maybe she can see on my face what I was up to in this very room just hours ago.
"I'm good." I force a smile. "You get some sleep."
"Okay, honey. Have a good day at school. I love you."
"Love you, Mom." I let out a heavy exhale the moment the door latches between us.
My earlier elation deflates drastically when I remember that I won't get to see Lisa at school today, or the next four days after today for that matter. She received five days suspension and is being benched for the next two games for her fight with Kai.
It makes me nervous to have to go back today without her there. I know there's bound to be a ton of talk going on over what happened, and since it was all centered around me, once again I'm going to be surrounded by unwanted attention. Though if I'm being honest, I'm starting to get used to it. I've accepted that it just comes along with dating someone like Lalisa.
Finally managing to pull myself out of my warm bed and into the shower, it only takes me about thirty minutes before I'm on my way out the front door, a cold pop tart and bottle of OJ in hand. Because it took me so long to get going, I don't have enough time to do my normal morning routine which usually consists of me sitting at the kitchen table eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch—one of my biggest weaknesses.
Checking my phone as I lock up the house, I'm seconds away from texting Jisoo to see where she is when Lisa's car pulls up in front of my house.
My body instantly floods with heat when she steps out of the driver's side door, pushes her aviator sunglasses down onto the bridge of her nose, and gives me a smile that nearly causes my knees to buckle.
I hesitate for only a moment before heading toward her.
"What are you doing here?" I question, trying to shake off the blush I can feel creeping its way up my neck and onto my cheeks.
I'm not embarrassed about what happened last night, but I definitely feel a little nervous about being around Lisa. More so because I'm worried about what she thinks of me now.
"There was no way I was going to get through this day without seeing you first." She's on me in five seconds flat, pushing my hair over my shoulder before cupping my face in hands. "Fuck, you're even more beautiful now that I've felt you come apart on my hand." She grins mischievously before lowering her mouth to mine, kissing away both my doubts and my embarrassment.
In fact, by the time she finally releases me, my mind is only thinking about one thing—doing it again.
"Come on." She pulls back, wrapping her hand around mine as she leads me to the car. "Let me drive you to school." She opens the door, moving to the side to give me room to get in.
"Oh, um Jisoo should be here any minute," I say, remembering the text I was about send her.
"She's not coming." Her smile widens. "I called her this morning and told her I was taking you."
"A bit presumptuous don't you think." I cross my arms in front of myself, making no attempt to move. "What if I don't want you to take me?" I tease.
"Get your gorgeous ass in the car, Jen," she says slowly, a seductive warning laced with her words. "Or I will put you in it." Her eyes sparkle with mischief, and I get the feeling she would like nothing more than to exert that kind of dominance over me, and so would I.
It takes everything in me not to play into her threat just to see what she'll do, but knowing I need to get to school I refrain.
"Okay," I huff playfully before ducking under her arm and climbing into the car. I wait until she's seated next to me, her large hand engulfing my small one, before commenting on the statement she made earlier. "You said to get through today, what's happening today?" I ask, admiring her profile as she stares out the windshield, her gaze locked on the road.
"I get to go to work with my father." She throws me a look that says it's the last thing she wants to be doing.
"And I'm guessing after everything we talked about, this is not a good thing," I observe.
"This is about the farthest from good you can get. My father is unbearable at home, but in the office, he's a hundred times worse. It's his job to pick people apart, tear them down bit by bit, and he does it to me every chance he gets. It got so bad the last time I went into his office that his secretary, Joanne, stepped in and stood up for me. Needless to say, she is no longer employed with Manoban and Lawson."
"That's awful. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should've just kept walking when Kai said he needed to talk. Then none of this would be happening. You would be going to school with me instead of having to subject yourself to such abuse."
"I don't know that I'd call it abuse." She seems slightly amused by my comment.
"It is abuse, Lisa."
"It's fine, Jen. His words stopped hurting me a long time ago. Trust me, I'll be fine. Besides, you didn't cause this, I did. You did nothing wrong."
"Well then, why do I feel like all of this could have been avoided if I had made a different choice?"
"We all could've made different choices, Jen. Yes, you could've chosen to walk away. But I also could've chosen not to knock his teeth down his throat." She throws me a sideways glance and smiles.
"You didn't mention having to go to work with your father last night when we were talking," I observe, going back to our original conversation.
"That punishment got handed down when I arrived home at six this morning."
"Now I feel even worse," I say, knowing she only stayed last night because I asked her to.
"Don't." She shakes her head. "I wouldn't change last night for anything. I'd work with my father a hundred times over if it meant I could do it all over again." She winks, and once again the heat rushes to my cheeks.
Pull it together, Jen. This girl has had her hands… Okay, nope—that's only making me blush harder.
"So what will you be doing today?" I clear my throat, choosing to ignore her comment at the risk of further embarrassing myself. She smiles, telling me she knows exactly what I'm doing, but is good enough of a sport not to call me on it.
"Other than being my father's bitch," she answers, chuckling when I grimace. "I'm kidding. He'll probably stick me in the copy room all day or have me doing some bullshit paperwork. Either way, I'll survive."
Slowing the car and pulling it up to the curb about a block from school, she throws the car in park and turns in her seat to face me.
"This is as far as I can go. I'm not allowed on school property until next Wednesday." She reaches into the center console and grabs a pair of keys. "I need you to do me a favor," she says, tucking the keys into my hand. "Drive Jessie back to your house for me."
"Jessie?" I ask, confused.
"The Jeep." She laughs at the obvious bewilderment on my face.
"Your Jeep's name is Jessie? How did I not know that before now?" I can't help but laugh at how ridiculously cute she is.
She shrugs. "It never came up."
"And I can't—drive Jessie, I mean."
"Why not? You have your license, right?"
"I do."
"Then what's the problem?" she asks, reaching out to tuck a chunk of hair behind my ear, her hand lingering on the side of my face.
"I don't have insurance and well—it's really nice, and I'd never forgive myself if I wrecked it."
"The car has insurance so it's legal. Besides, it's not like my father can't afford to fix it on the off chance that you do wreck it. In which case, I'd be much more worried about you than Jessie." She leans forward, pressing her lips to my forehead. "So will you do it for me?" she asks, pulling back just enough to leave a couple inches between us. "I hate the thought of her sitting here for the next week, and my father is trying to make a point by not sending someone after her." She sighs. "He knows how much I love that Jeep, so to further solidify the control he has over me, he's refused to let me have it back until my suspension is up. I'd feel much better knowing that my girl is taking care of her for me."
"When you put it that way." I nearly melt in my seat at the way she says my girl.
"You'll do it?" Her face lights up, her smile so handsome I can't help but lean in and kiss her.
"I'll do it," I murmur against her mouth before pulling back. "But you have to promise me you won't be upset if something happens to her."
"I promise." She grabs my chin between her thumb and index finger and guides my lips back to hers, kissing me slow and lazily like neither of us have anywhere we need to be.
"I'm gonna be late for school," I whine, finally managing to pull myself away from her intoxicating mouth.
"Fine." She secures the keys to her Jeep in my hand. "Can I come by again tonight?" she asks, not letting my hand go until I shake my head yes.
"Mom goes to work at six. You can come see me and Jessie any time after that." I smile, kissing her one last time before quickly exiting the car, knowing if I don't do it soon I may never leave.
"Jen." Lisa rolls down the window and hollers after me just as I reach the other side of the street. "Make sure to miss me today."
"I already do," I call back, the happiness that spreads across her face at my words damn near knocking the wind out of me.
I've got it so bad. I can't even pretend anymore.
Blowing her a kiss, I have to physically force myself to turn back around and keep walking when all I really want to do is run back across the street and never leave her side.
It only takes me about three minutes to make it to the high school building. I spot Jessie, the Jeep, in her normal spot looking as shiny as ever. I have to stop myself from waving at her, sort of feeling like she's more person than car all of a sudden.
Silently telling her that I'll see her after school, I tuck the keys in the front pocket of my jeans. In some weird way having them on me makes me feel closer to Lisa, though I can't really explain why.
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I feel lost most of the day. Even though Lisa and I have zero classes together, I can feel her absence in every classroom I enter. It's sad to think that just her being at school has such a huge impact on how I feel.
Lunch was even worse, though I did manage to turn it around about halfway in when I decided to share with Jisoo and Rosé a small snippet of last night's events. I had meant to keep it between the three of us, but that quickly went out the window when Jisoo gasped and then loudly said, "You finally had your first O."
To say I was embarrassed is the understatement of the year, but luckily only Jack was close enough to hear her, and he seemed just as uncomfortable as I did by her outburst.
I have to be honest, I haven't been a big Jackson fan since him and Jisoo started hanging out, but I think he might actually be managing to grow on me a bit. I mean, if Lisa likes him how can I not?
Stopping by my locker on my way to sixth period, I check my phone for the hundredth time today, an immense relief washing over me when I see I have a message from Lisa.
Lalisa: By the time this week is over I'm going to be a master at answering phones and scheduling appointments. You wouldn't believe some of the stories I've heard today. No wonder lawyers are in such high demand.
Me: Sounds like your day isn't as bad as you thought???
Lalisa: Oh no, it still sucks. But thinking of you makes it a hell of a lot better.
Me: I miss you.
Lalisa: I miss you—and my new… friend. I think she likes me.
I laugh out loud, covering my mouth to muffle the sound as my classmates pass by with no knowledge of the slow burn that has suddenly erupted in my lower belly.
Me: Your friend? Is that what you're calling her?
Lalisa: Well I'd call her something else, but I have a feeling even using the word friend has that cute blush spreading across your cheeks. Tell me I'm wrong.
I smile, knowing if I looked in the mirror right now my face would be beet red.
Me: I can't, that would be lying.
Lalisa: I knew it!
Me: No one likes a gloater.
Lalisa: You like everything about me.
I'm seconds away from telling her she's actually right yet again when another message immediately follows.
Lalisa: Shit. Gotta go. My sorry excuse for a father is back in the office, and he doesn't know I managed to sneak my phone from his study this morning. Ooops.
Me: I hope the rest of your day isn't awful. I can't wait to see you later.
Without even meaning to, my fingers type out another message and press send before I can think it through enough to stop myself.
Me: And neither can your new friend ;)
I smile, completely surprised by my own brazen behavior. Stuffing my phone back into my locker, I quickly close it and spin the combination lock before taking off down the hallway, knowing I'm going to have to haul ass if I hope to make it to class on time.
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