Lisa

I walk up to John's house, a scowl on my face. He knows damn well no one is allowed to drive my babies but me. What the hell was he thinking, taking my Ferrari out? If Mom hadn't asked me to come over tonight, I probably wouldn't even have found out.

Instead of ringing the bell, I use my key and walk straight in, fuming. I find him sitting on the sofa, and he grins up at me smugly when he sees me storm in.

"You…" I say threateningly.

"Hey, Lisa," Jennie says from behind me, and I turn around to face her. "What are you doing here?" she asks.

Seeing her standing here brings back so many memories. For years I've been wishing that I'd find her here, and now that she's finally back, it's all so surreal.

"I had a near heart-attack when I heard your car. I thought I left the key in the red one and that someone was trying to steal it."

I blink at her, surprised. "Um, you were driving my Ferrari?" I ask slowly.

Jennie nods at me and glances at her father. "That's okay, right? Dad said it was fine. I'm sorry, I should've checked with you personally. It's probably a really expensive car."

I shake my head and smile at her. Jennie behind the wheel of my Ferrari… I bet that makes for one hell of a sight. "Of course it's fine, Jennie. It's a car. It's for driving."

John chuckles and I turn to glare at him. "I told you," he says, smiling smugly. "Lisa doesn't mind you driving her cars."

This dick. He knew full well that I don't like anyone behind the wheel but me. He's right, though. Oddly enough, I don't mind it so much when it's Jennie. She smiles up at me, and for just a second, she actually looks giddy. "It's such a pretty car," she tells me. "I just love the color, and it feels so nice to drive."

I smile at her indulgently. "You can keep it for now," I tell her, the words leaving my lips before I even realize it. "It suits you. I don't use it often enough anyway."

I must've lost my mind. That's my favorite car. I rarely even take it out myself. John looks at me with raised brows, and I can't even face him. Even after all these years, Jennie has this crazy hold over me.

I run a hand through my hair and bite down on my lip. She still affects me so much. So many times I've wondered whether she'd give in if I went to London and begged her to give me another chance. But she was right, eight years ago. Things between my family and her will never be the same again. Things between us will never be what they used to be, no matter how much I still want her. She'll never be able to be around my mother or sister without being reminded of the pain they put her through, and I could never ask her to suffer through that for me. I stayed away for a reason, and I need to remember that.

I sigh. "It's been some time since you've been here. Wanna go for a walk?" I ask her, trying my best not to overthink it. She's been going out of her way to avoid me since she got here, so I don't even expect her to say yes, but I can't help but try either.

Jennie looks startled and glances at her father, who is staring at the TV, pretending like he can't hear us. Jennie nods and then walks out, much to my surprise. I freeze for a second and then I rush after her, my heart beating just a bit faster.

I'm so tempted to take her hand, but I can't. I no longer have the right to nestle her tiny hand in mine, and it hurts. I convinced myself that I'd gotten over her in the years we've been apart, but now that she's here, I realize I was wrong.

Jennie and I walk in silence, both of us lost in thought. It isn't until we reach the treehouse that I snap out of it. I look up at it in surprise. I've paid top dollar to make sure that it's been maintained properly, but I haven't had the heart to enter in years. Jennie stares up at it with such a hurt expression that I regret leading her here, however subconscious it might have been.

"Is it okay if I go in?" she asks me, her expression filled with uncertainty. That she's even asking me surprises me. She's always done whatever the hell she wanted, and she's never once asked me for permission for anything. I still remember how she'd put a sign over the one Dad made for us, so it read Rosé and Jennie's Treehouse, rather than Rosé and Lisa's. Replacing each other's signs was one of the fun parts of our little feud. When she realized I wouldn't give up, she vandalized my sign. Didn't take me long to take it down after that, and she ended up winning that fight.

"Of course," I say, smiling at her fondly. I wonder what she thinks of when she sees the treehouse. I wonder what her favorite memories are here.

Jennie smiles at me and carefully walks up the stairs, her heels clicking against the wood. I follow closely behind her, terrified that she might trip. I breathe a sigh of relief when she reaches the top. Jennie's hand trembles as she opens the door, and I wish I could grab hold of her.

She stands in the entrance, a million different memories flickering through her eyes. I wonder what she's seeing. This is where we met. It's where we both lost our virginity, and it's where I asked her to be my girlfriend for the very first time. This place houses some of our most precious memories.

Jennie sighs and walks in, her expression sad as she sits down by the window, right where I found her crying over her mother, long before she and I even realized we were in love with each other. I swallow hard, my heart twisting painfully.

"Thank you for letting me come up," she whispers, a small smile on her face, and I shake my head.

"Since when do you ask for permission to enter the treehouse, Jennie? Since when do you thank me for something so irrelevant?"

I walk up to her and sit down beside her. "It's only polite," she tells me, and I smile humorlessly.

"Polite? I don't want you to be polite to me. I want the girl that would challenge me over the slightest thing. The girl that loved jeans instead of these damn skirts you wear nowadays. The girl that threw fake cockroaches in my bed and that would mess with me every way she could think of. What happened to her?"

Jennie looks at me, her expression guarded. "She grew up," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

I look away, unable to hold her gaze. I did this to her. To us. My family and I wrecked her, and all that's left is the ruins of us.

"I've wondered about you for years," I tell her honestly. "I don't think a day has passed that I didn't think of you."

Jennie looks at me, her expression pained. I smile at her, but my heart is aching.

"Part of me wondered if we'd ever find our way back to each other. If you'd ever come back home. If you'd ever be able to forgive my family, and if you'd ever give me another chance."

I run a hand through my hair and sigh. Jennie stares over my shoulder, lost in thought. When her eyes find mine again, she looks angry, and I regret saying anything at all.

"I won't," she says. "I won't ever forgive them, and you and I… that will never happen. I'm not staying here. I'm really only here for my dad, and if it's up to me, I won't see your family at all."

I nod and try my best to keep from showing how badly her words hurt. For so long I've held onto hope that maybe someday, Jennie and I could be together again. With just a few words she took that all away.

Jennie smiles one of her polite smiles, her expression guarded.

"What's in the past is in the past. It's done, and I honestly don't even want to think about it. I would like to sincerely thank you for looking out for my father the way you have been," she says. "I had no idea you two were even on speaking terms. I had no idea you did so much for him while I was away. It should've been me, but I… I wasn't there for him, and that's on me."

My heart fucking shatters. She and I both know why she wasn't there. I'm the reason she's stayed away from home for as long as she did. "Jennie, I… please don't thank me for that. It's the least I could do. It isn't enough."

She shakes her head, her eyes filled with heartbreak. "Of course I should thank you. But I'd also like to repay you. I'm going through my father's insurance contracts to see whether I can reimburse you at least partly in that way, and I'll repay whatever is left myself. In addition, I'd be happy to work for you while I'm here. I know it won't offset my debt to you by much, but every little bit helps, right? I think it'll help alleviate Dad's guilt too."

I nod at her. I might not know her that well anymore, but deep down she's still my Jennie. Once she has her mind set on something, I won't be able to sway her. If this is what she needs for now, then that's how it'll be.