KICK IT | JENLISA

20

Jennie

"I'm home!"

Warm comfort smells welcomed me and make my empty stomach gurgle. I dropped my bag in the hall with a thud and kicked my shoes into the front closet. The hardwoods cooled my bare feet. I padded into the kitchen and came to an abrupt stop. It wasn't empty. My roommates weren't due back for three more days. Their ear-to-ear, beaming smiles dissolved mine.

Suspicious.

"Hey..." I breathed out the word. "You are all... smiley."

Jackson's smile broke into a laugh. His arm wrapped around Irene's waist made their hips bump. "Can't we be happy to see you?"

"Not without cause." I narrowed my eyes at Jackson's phone-free ear. "Shouldn't you be on Lisa ego mop-up duty? Assuring her the world is still turning around her or touting her endless accolades to any other unfortunate team?"

Or nursing her back to insufferable status after she face-planted in my class. I spent the drive home wondering why the fuck Lisa was even there, only to assume the culprit stood in my direct line of fire. Hint: it wasn't Irene. Anger still simmered in my veins, and Jackson owed me an explanation. "Enlighten me, please. Why the fuck am I being haunted by Lisa Manoban!?"

"Huh? We need to... oh." Jackson's pocket rang with my least favourite ringtone. "Hey, Lisa."

Here we go. I closed my eyes. Our reel of exchanges, if they even deserved that reference, always left a sour taste. I didn't need to look further than that knuckle-dragger's sexual gesture before I ground my teeth. What was more insulting, that she tried to charm herself between my legs or couldn't be bothered to remember who I was? We'd met countless times thanks to Jackson. None were pleasant. The first time was Lisa's draft night, and tonight's class joined the shit pile, which I am still trying to forget.

"No, I'm not busy." Jackson assured his asinine, one-directional boss. "Oh? Oh... sorry to hear that."

Jackson's only reaction was frowning. He wasn't surprised. "It's for the best. Give her space to sort out how she feels. Hmm... yes, she signed an NDA... if she does, Mina will provide the appropriate counsel. I'll inform her... no, she can't say anything."

Legal counsel? Uh... oh. Dropping a multibillion-dollar franchise's quarterback on her face was less funny than before this eavesdropped conversation. Jackson hung up with a frown, making me catch my upper lip with my teeth. "About Lisa..."

"Never mind her. Jennie, you look..." Irene's dark brown eyes travelled over my clenched teeth and furrowed eyebrows. "Tired."

I wasn't surprised by her assessment. Mental and physical exhaustion walked hand-in-hand with me. Some days, getting out of bed deserved a celebration. Not a Lisa Manoban celebration. More like an endless nap or a bottomless cup of chamomile tea. Or the Blue Lacy puppy that Jackson won't let me get. Unlike the life-sucking bookkeeping job, which I still hadn't told Jackson about being me fired from it, I drew motivation from my classes. They opened up a perspective that all other dimensions of my life sorely lacked.

Tonight was an exception. My feet tingled, and my limbs hung weakly from exercise but knotted up with tension. Fatigue sagged thoughts to the back of my brain. An invisible layer of dried sweat coated my skin, along with a perfume combination of body odour, rubber mats, bleach-based cleaner, and incense. Absent from my normal release of stress, my forehead pounded.

I was tired. The admission sank my shoulders. My most significant class was my biggest mindfuck challenge. And that followed the shit from YG Accounting, "Today was absolute shit." I cupped my elbows in my palms. "One day at a time, right?"

"So I've heard." Irene offered a humourless smile, concern filling her eyes. "Help me set the table, and we'll see if Jackson's call ends by the time the plates are set."

My eyes rolled. "It's Lisa Manoban. I'm not waiting."

The call would drag to thirty minutes or three hours, depending on how much stroking of Lisa's ego is needed. And I spent tonight's class trying to bruise that ego, so we'd probably see Jackson tomorrow. Assuming Lisa never stepped into the studio again, all I cared about was her drawing my brother's attention away from his family.