Jennie's POV
I try to take a step back from her but her grip is too strong. I must have heard her wrong. My emotions are getting the best of me, so I turn and look out into the darkness of the backyard, trying to make sense of the meaning behind her words. Lisa wants to be better for me? In what way? She couldn't mean it . . . Could she?
I look back at her, my eyes hazy. "What?"
She looks unaffected . . . truthful? Hopeful? What?
"You heard me."
"No. I'm sure I misunderstood."
"No, you didn't. You make me feel . . . something unfamiliar. I don't know how to handle these types of feelings, Jennie, so I do the only thing I know how to do." She pauses and blows out a small breath. "Which is be an asshole."
Once again I find myself in a trance.
"This could never work, Lisa, we are so different. First off, you don't date, remember?"
"We aren't that different—we like the same things; we both love books for example," she says, traces of liquor in her breath.
Even standing here, I can't wrap my mind around the idea of Lisa trying to convince me that we could be good together. "You don't date," I remind her again.
"I know, but we could . . . be friends?"
There it is. We are back to square one. "I thought you said we couldn't be friends? And I won't be friends with you—I know what you mean by that. You want all the benefits of being a boyfriend without actually having to commit."
Her body sways and she leans on the table and loosens her grip on me. "Why is that so bad? Why do you need the label?" I'm thankful for the space between us and the fresh, scotch-free air.
"Because, Lisa, even though I've not really had a lot of restraint lately, I do have self-respect. I will not be your plaything, especially when it involves being treated like dirt." I raise my hands into the air. "And besides, I'm already taken, Lisa."
Lisa's evil dimples come out with her smirk. "And yet, look where you are right now."
Reflexively, I blurt out, "I love him and he loves me," and then watch Lisa's expression change. She lets go of me and stumbles over the chair.
"Don't say that to me." She slurs her words, which are coming out faster than before. I almost forgot how drunk she was.
"You're only saying this because you're drunk; tomorrow you will go back to hating me."
"I don't hate you." She goes into the lawn a bit.
I wish she didn't have this effect on me. I wish I could just walk away. But instead I stick around and hear her say, "If you can look me in the eyes and tell me that you want me to leave you alone and never speak to you again, I will listen. I swear, from this point on I will never come near you again. Just say the words."
I open my mouth to tell her just that. To tell her to stay far away from me, to tell her I never want to lay eyes on her again.
Her turns and comes closer. "Tell me, Jennie, tell me that you never want to see me again." Then she's touching me. She runs her hands along my arms and goose bumps immediately raise on my skin. "Tell me you never want to feel my touch again," she whispers, bringing her hand to my neck. Her index finger traces along my collarbone and back up and down my neck. I hear my breathing quicken as she brings her lips less than an inch from mine. "That you never want me to kiss you again," she says, and I can smell the scotch and feel the heat off her breath.
"Tell me, Jennie," she coos and I whimper. "Lisa," I whisper.
"You can't resist me, Jennie, just as I can't resist you." Her lips are close to mine; they are almost touching.
"Stay with me tonight?" she asks, and makes me want to do whatever she says.
A movement by the door catches my eye and I jerk away from Lisa. Looking up, I see Jisoo's face twisted with confusion before she turns away and disappears from the doorway.
I am snapped back into reality.
"I have to go," I say and Lisa curses under her breath.
"Please, please stay. Just stay with me tonight, and if you decide in the morning to tell me you don't want to see me anymore . . . just please stay. I am begging you and I don't beg, Jennie."
I find myself nodding before I can stop myself. "And what will I tell Kai.He is waiting for me and I have his car." I can't believe I am actually considering doing this.
"Just tell him that you have to stay because . . . I don't know. Don't tell him anything. What's the worst thing he can do?"
I shudder. He will tell my mother. Without a doubt. Irritation toward Kai fills me; I should not have to worry about my boyfriend telling my mother on me, even if I do something wrong.
"He is probably asleep anyway," Lisa says. "No, he has no way to get back to his hotel."
"Hotel? Wait—he doesn't stay with you?"
"No, he has a hotel room close by."
"And you stay there with him?"
"No, he stays there," I say sheepishly, "and I stay in my room."
"Is he straight?" Lisa asks, her bloodshot eyes dancing in amusement. My eyes go wide. "Of course he is!"
"Sorry, but something is not right there. If you were mine, I wouldn't be able to stay away from you. I would fuck you every chance I had."
My mouth falls open. Lisa's dirty words have the strangest effect on me. I flush and look away.
"Let's go inside," I hear her say. "The trees are swaying back and forth. I think that is my cue I've had way too much to drink."
"You're staying here?" I had assumed she would go back to her frat house. "Yeah, and so are you. Let's go." She grabs my hand and we walk toward the back door.
I will have to find Jisoo and try to explain what she saw through the door. I don't know what's happening myself, so I'm not sure how I will explain it, but I have to make her understand somehow. As we walk through the kitchen, I notice the mess is almost completely cleaned up.
"You need to clean the rest of this tomorrow," I tell her and she nods. "I will," she promises. Yet another promise I hope she keeps.
My hand in her, she leads me up the grand staircase. I pray that we don't run into Jisoo in the hallway and I am relieved when we don't.
Lisa opens the door to a pitch-black room and gently pulls me inside.