Jennie
My heart is pounding as we walk down the stairs. This isn't how I wanted them to find out. I can't believe we got caught having sex. Lisa grabs my hand when we reach the hallway and I turn toward her. It's not until she strokes my shoulders that I realize I'm trembling.
"It's okay, baby. They were going to find out one way or another. I admit this isn't ideal, but it is what it is. We'll deal with it, okay?"
I gulp and nod at her nervously. Lisa looks so confident and unwavering, and I wish I could just borrow a bit of her grit. She leans in and brushes her nose against mine before grabbing my hand with a smile on her face.
"Come on," she says. We walk into the living room with our hands entwined. I clutch Lisa's hand with all my might in an attempt to keep from panicking.
I can barely look at Rosé and Helen. I'm proud of Lisa and of our relationship, but right now, right in this moment… I'm ashamed as hell.
"Right, so…" Lisa says. She tugs on my hand and I look up at her. She grins before looking at her mother and sister. "Jennie and I are dating."
I glance at Helen and I'm surprised to find that she doesn't really look mad like I thought she'd be. She looks a little surprised and scandalized, but the edges of her lips turn up into a reluctant smile.
Rosé, on the other hand, looks furious. "Dating?" she repeats. Lisa lets go of my hand and wraps her arm around my shoulder instead. "Yep," she says. Rosé looks at me and I involuntarily shrink into Lisa. She's looking at me like I'm the vilest thing she's ever seen.
"Jennie, tell me this is a joke," she says, her voice harsh and unyielding. "Tell me you guys are pranking us or something."
Lisa's grip on my shoulder tightens and I inhale deeply before shaking my head. "It's not a joke, Rosé. We're dating."
She leans back on the sofa and stares at me with so much malevolence that I can't help but shudder.
"How long?"
Lisa sighs and starts to draw circles on my shoulder with her thumb — her attempt to calm me down a little. Usually that would've set me at ease, but right now it just makes me feel even more on edge. It makes me feel like we're provoking Rosé unnecessarily.
"It's been a few months," Lisa says, and Rosé bursts out laughing. There's no humor in that laugh, though… only malice.
"Jesus, Jennie. You were fucking Lisa and Mason at the same time?"
Lisa and Helen both freeze, and it's my turn to soothe Lisa. I look up at her and smile reassuringly before shaking my head.
"No," I tell Rosé. "Mason and I have never been together. I said I was seeing someone, and you just assumed it was Mason. I couldn't correct you and tell you it was Lisa, so I kind of just let it go, and it all ended up spiraling out of control."
Rosé looks at me with raised brows. "Couldn't correct me, or wouldn't? You've been lying to my face for months now. I've never asked anything of you, Jennie. The only thing I ever asked was that you stay away from Lisa. What kind of friend are you? How could you betray me like that? How could you look me in the eye and lie to me for months?"
I'm filled with shame and heartbreak. I knew I'd be letting her down when I followed my heart, and I did it anyway. I knew she'd react like this, and I decided Lisa was worth it. I still believe that with my heart and soul, yet every single word that comes out of her mouth makes me feel like I'm being cut a thousand times over.
Rosé looks at Lisa and grins at her. "If she's been lying to me, then she's probably been lying to you too. Loyalty clearly doesn't mean shit to her if she can go behind my back like that. How long until she does it to you? Can you really be sure that she hasn't been screwing Mason?"
Helen straightens and pins Rosé down with an angry stare. "That's quite enough, Rosé," she says, her voice soft. "I know you're angry, but don't say anything in the heat of the moment that you'll regret."
Helen looks at us and tips her head toward the door. "You two… just go upstairs for now. We'll talk later."
I hesitate, wanting to speak to Rosé, wanting to explain myself, but Lisa tugs on my arm and walks me out of the living room.
"Give her time," she says, sighing. She grabs my hand and pulls me up the stairs. Lisa leads me into her room and lifts me into her arms as soon as the door closes behind us. She sits down in her desk chair and places me on her lap. It's not until I feel her thumb glide over my cheek that I realize I'm crying.
I look up at her as the first of my sobs escapes my lips. "She hates me," I whisper, my voice breaking. Lisa inhales deeply and pulls me closer. I rest my head on her shoulder while her arms wrap around me.
"She doesn't hate you," she whispers. "She's just shocked and angry. We've been keeping this from her for so long now. Give her some time to calm down first, and then we'll try to talk to her, okay?"
I sniff loudly and Lisa presses a kiss on top of my head. She rubs my back while I try my best to stop crying. "I'm sorry… I don't mean to cry. This must be so hard on you too," I murmur.
Lisa smiles and presses another kiss to my hair. She leans back in her chair and repositions me so we're both comfortable. "No, I pretty much expected exactly that. I'm not hurt, baby. Just annoyed my little sister is being an asshole. She'll get over it, Minx."
"No, she won't. We should've told her months ago."
Lisa sighs and presses a kiss to my temple. "And ruin the first few months of our relationship? Why would we want to add more strain when our relationship was still so new? Don't second guess yourself now, Minx. We did the right thing for us."
The door opens behind us quietly, and I jump off Lisa's lap in surprise. Helen walks in, a concerned look on her face. I wipe my tears away and try to pull myself together, but I know she sees straight through me. Helen sighs and walks up to us. She cups my cheeks and wipes away the last few stray tears on my cheeks, a sad look in her eyes. She steps back and looks at the two of us, her lips slowly transforming into a smile. "So you two finally got together, huh? I always knew you'd find your way back to each other."
I look up in surprise and she chuckles. She pushes a few strands of my hair behind my ear gently and shakes her head. "You two have my blessing," she says. My eyes fall closed and I exhale in relief. I was terrified she'd be disappointed in us. I don't know what I would've done if she was.
"Rosé will need some time, Jennie," she says, her voice gentle. I bite down on my lip and nod.
"What can I do? How do I make this better?"
Helen shakes her head. "You can't. You know what she's like, honey. She'll get over it eventually, but in the meantime she's going to feel betrayed and she'll lash out at the both of you. Just keep in mind that she's hurt, and that she didn't mean any of the things she just said. Have some patience, okay? Everything will fall into place."
Helen wraps her arms around me and I hug her back tightly, barely able to keep a new bout of tears at bay. I sniff and squeeze my eyes close, trying my best to stay in control of my emotions. Helen squeezes tightly and then pulls back. "Things will be okay, honey. Don't you worry."
I hope she's right.
