Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my imagination. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Chapter dedicated to Jazz; sorry it took me so long! I hope you all enjoy the next instalment in 'Why Am I Drawn to You'.

Chapter 2.

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Lisa had a new found bounce in her step when she left the lunch room. In fact, that bounce followed her throughout the day, on the bus, and right up to when she was getting ready for the party. She couldn't believe that Jimmy was coming! She inwardly winced when she realized how desperate she sounded and made a silent promise to herself to not make an ass out of herself in front of him. Stepping out of the shower, Lisa reached for a towel and rubbed her hand over her face wearily; wiping the condensation off of the mirror that had accumulated over the short time she spent in the shower. She leaned against the sink and closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts, rubbing the back of her neck absently. The shower had loosened the tension in her muscles and helped ease her nerves somewhat, but unfortunately it didn't give her amnesia. She still remembered. Lisa hated remembering.

The shrill ring of her phone snapped Lisa out of her mindless drabbles and she dashed out of the steam filled bathroom, clutching the flimsy piece of soft fabric that she had wrapped around her still damp body, muttering an incoherent string of profanities under her breath.

"Hello?" Lisa said breathlessly, balancing the phone between her shoulder and ear as she walked back to the bathroom.

"Lisa? Hey, it's Manny."

"Oh, hey Manny. What's up?"

"Not much. I'm on my way to help set up. I hope you don't mind that I brought the guys early as well." Manny answered.

"Sure, yeah, that's fine." Lisa replied, her tone nonchalant while her heart fluttered unsteadily in her chest and the tension in her muscles began to return. "See you in fifteen minutes or so?"

"Yep, see you soon."

After hanging up the phone, Lisa felt the panic settle heavily over her chest and she had to remind herself to breathe. Running a hand through her damp auburn curls, she set off to her bedroom, letting out a string of unintelligible language under her breath along the way. Keeping the towel wrapped firmly around her bare form, Lisa walked across her carpeted floor and over to her closet. She thumbed through her closet, chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she worried herself over what to wear. After much debate, she finally decided on a pair of flattering skinny jeans, and a yellow flutter-sleeved blouse layered over a plain green tee that revealed a sliver of supple skin. She scrunched her hair, and left it hanging down her back in loose, beachy waves. She applied a sheer amount of bronzer onto her face, focusing on the apples of her cheeks to intensify her high cheekbones, followed by a slick of clear lip gloss and a swipe of black eyeliner along her upper lash line to give her soft cinnamon eyes an edgy, smoky look. Pulling on her green and white Converse sneakers, Lisa stood up and looked into her three-sided mirror, nodding her head in approval. It would have to do.

Her caramel skin seemed to glow against the colors of her tank tops, and the eyeliner made her eyes sparkle mischievously. She stood a decent 5'6'' and had always been quite thin for her age, but had developed nice, tasteful curves over the past few years thanks to the wide array of physical sports that she took part in, which had also given her nice, lean muscle tone. At her old school, she had always been known as the "hot sporty girl"; just another nameless one night stand. No more, no less. But right before she switched schools, she decided that she didn't feel comfortable with the way she was; it wasn't like her to prance around, throwing herself at anyone and everyone who asked. Her mother had taught her better. So she blew off all of the blatantly obvious hook-up attempts and subsequently became known as the "hot prude". But in reality, if anyone were able to look past her appearance and really get to know the real her, they would know that she was far from being "prudish"; so far from being a prude that it was laughable.

'I wonder if I'm the type of girl Jimmy would go for?' Lisa thought, biting her lip nervously as she examined herself critically in the mirror. 'Ugh. Who am I kidding? He would never go for someone like me...' The doorbell pulled Lisa out of her darkening thoughts and she turned on her heel, grateful to get away from that dread full mirror. As she descended down the long, winding staircase, her heart began to thump wildly in her chest. When she reached the door, she took a deep, steadying breath to calm her frazzled nerves, and opened one of the French styled front doors, revealing; Manny, Spinner, and Jimmy who stood on her front porch.

"Hey guys." Lisa greeted them cheerfully, stealing a quick glance at Jimmy. Just seeing him and his charming smile made her heart flutter in her chest.

"Whoa, Lisa! Your pad is sick!" Spinner exclaimed, taking in the interior of the house.

Lisa was very modest about her living situations, but preferred to be frank and honest about her financial status. She never tried to hide the fact that she was rich, which would be quite difficult seeing as she lived in one of Ontario's most exclusive subdivisions, Wakkia Pines and enjoyed a luxurious, lavish lifestyle in her large, modern styled mansion; with two levels, three bedrooms, a pool, and a private theatre, it certainly deserved its daunting title.

"Thanks Spin." Lisa forced her lips to smile, hiding the fact that comments like those made her very uncomfortable.

"Well," added Manny, (seemingly unaware of the sudden tension in the room), whose dime sized dimples were on perfect display as she grinned cheekily, "I'm sure this party is going to be amazing, Lisa, and we can help with whatever you need." She added emphasis on the "whatever" and nudged the other two boys in the ribs inconspicuously.

"Thanks, Manny," Lisa replied with a relieved, genuine smile, "The DJ is setting up in the basement, so if you could help with the food and refreshments in the kitchen, that would be great."

"Sure, we'll get right on it," Manny mock saluted her as they stepped through the threshold. Before Manny dragged the boys to the kitchen, she paused, a sly smile quirked on her lips. "Hey Jimmy, why don't you help Lisa in the living room?" She proposed, not waiting for an answer before quickly dragging Spinner off towards the kitchen, leaving Lisa alone with Jimmy who stood awkwardly in the middle of the open mud room, shifting from one foot to the other. Smiling nervously at Jimmy, Lisa silently cursed Manny and thought bitterly, 'why do I have a feeling that this night isn't going to turn out the way I expected it to?'

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