Okay, since it's taking me forever and a day to write chapter 23, I'm offering this tiny piece in the meantime. I started to write it as a opening for chapter 22, but decided that the chapter was already long enough and I didn't know how to connect it with the next scene. The next few chapters are going to continue on the heavy side, so I thought I might throw out something lighter. Enjoy!
When Jeff entered the house carrying boxes of pizza, Lisa had to grip the couch cushions to keep herself from attacking him. She reminded herself that he would drop the pizzas if she did so...but she would still eat them. Even though she knew that no one else could hear her thoughts, she still blushed at the image of herself on the ground, tearing through an Italian mess like some kind of madwoman.
She managed to restrain herself, remaining perfectly immobile with the exception of her eyes, which followed the boxes in Jeff's arms. Oh God...Mario. Jeff hadn't just gotten pizza. He had gotten pizza from the Holy Land. Lisa furrowed her eyebrows. Can hunger cause insanity?
"Oh for Christ..." Jeff mumbled, setting the pizzas on the table. "Jackson!" Lisa turned her head when the bedroom door opened and the two brothers walked out. She wasn't sure what to do. What she supposed to wait to be invited to eat? Was she supposed to just walk over and stuff her face? Was this some kind of torture?
"Sorry," Jackson muttered unconvincingly, walking into the kitchen.
"Oh, my ass," Jeff scoffed. "It smells like an ashtray in here. And get plates. And more beer."
Lisa rose to her feet and walked into the dining area, which was just another section of the living room. Jeff's house was almost smaller than her apartment.
"Aren't you going to yell at me? Why does he get all the shaming?" Caleb teased, grabbing a small stack of paper plates. Jackson snorted, walking toward the table with four bottles of beer wedged between his fingers.
"Get some real plates," he reprimanded, glancing at the plates in his brother's hand.
"You do realize you have lung cancer now, right?" Caleb mocked, following Jackson.
Lisa watched them in slight amusement. They were almost overlapping each other and both sounded so obnoxious. She could just imagine the two as kids, and pitied anyone who crossed their path.
"It's my house," Jeff retorted, but it was obvious that he wasn't as upset as he pretended to be. "Show some respect."
"You're right," Jackson replied flatly, setting the bottles onto the table.
"We are horrible people," Caleb added, dropping the plates in the middle of the table. The brothers stared at Jeff, almost identical expressions of mocking remorse on their faces.
"You're both creepy," Jeff said, opening the lids on the boxes. Lisa drifted toward the table, still trying to act nonchalant about the promise of food. Jackson eyed her in amusement, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and popping the lid off of a bottle.
"Would you like to join us, Leese?" he asked sweetly, but Lisa knew that she was being fun of. She smiled in embarrassment and only nodded. She could only imagine how moronic she looked- like they really cared if she wasn't ladylike.
"Why thank you, Jackson," she responded just as sweetly, taking the seat next to him. "I suppose I could eat. If I have to." Jackson winked, handing her the open bottle. He's in a good mood...
Jeff opened one of the pizza boxes and slid it toward Lisa. "I got one half-vegetarian in case you were Jewish," he offered.
"What a nice guy," Caleb mocked good-naturedly, popping the top off of his own bottle with Jackson's lighter.
Hope you enjoyed it. :) And although it's not updated yet, I'd like to give a big thanks to Clavis Salomonis for submitting a piece of art for the story! LOVE YOU!