SHE ( Jenlisa Adaptation)

Part 2

Jennie closes her eyes and when she looks up, Lisa's sure she's never looked at her with such clear and soft eyes. Her jaw quivers and she manages to prop herself up a little so that Lisa can help her to sit up and lean against the bathroom cabinets.

"I'm tired of acting brave," she whispers now that she's closer. "Everyone thinks that my life is perfect and it's not. It's not. I'm tired, Lisa."

Lisa's thumb wipes away the first tear that escapes down the apple of her cheek and nods in understanding. "Me too."

Arms find their way around her shoulders without another word. Lisa sighs at the weight and feel of them as Jennie sinks into her arms. She falls into the embrace without thinking and grits her jaw against the onslaught of things she doesn't want to feel. Jennie snuggles softly into her neck and Lisa's hand finds the back of her head without even really thinking about it. She lets Jennie find the comfort that she needs until she pulls back and wipes her face.

Lisa decides to act like the last five minutes never happened. "Ready for bed?"

Jennie shakes her head and smiles. "I think I need to puke first."

Lisa reaches out to push her hair back behind her ear. "I'll wait with you."

"You don't have to," Jennie mumbles and the expression that crosses her face tells Lisa she won't be waiting long.

She shakes her head. "I'll wait anyway."

Jennie's expression softens and Lisa busies herself finding a hair tie and a bottle of water. When Jennie finally vomits, Lisa rubs calming circles into her back and tries not to think about the fact that Jennie comfortingly holds onto her bare ankle as she leans over her. She helps Jennie wipe her face, puts toothpaste on her toothbrush, and hands her a cold bottle of water. Jennie strips down to her underwear right in front of her and it's weird that it's not weird. She takes the shirt from Lisa's hands and lets Lisa pull the covers over her.

She thinks that Jennie's asleep, her hands reaching for the now-cold covers of her own bed, when Jennie speaks again.

"Lisa?" she whispers.

Lisa stops and waits for her. She catches sight of her, laid facing the wall, curled into a ball.

"Thank you," Jennie breathes and Lisa thinks that she might be crying again.

"You're welcome," she whispers back. And then— "I'm right here."

Jennie nods and snuggles down under the covers.

"I know," she breathes.

She sounds peaceful.

//

She rolls off of Kai and instantly reaches for her bra. She feels his smug smile pressed against the back of her shoulder and gets up to shrug him off.

"That was the last time," she tells him. It's not the first time she's told him this and he looks at her with smug disbelief. It drives her crazy—makes her mad—and she shakes her head and lets the color rise in her cheeks instead releasing the anger. "I mean it," she says warningly as she pulls her jeans on over the underwear that she's pretty sure is inside out. "Last time."

Kai shakes his head and smirks. "You want me."

Jennie rolls her eyes and steps up closer to the bed as she reaches for her shirt. "I want to be fucked."

"Yeah, but you always come back to me," he reminds her, his smirk growing. His face softens and he looks at her in a way that she's sure is supposed to be romantic. "You want me, Jennie."

She pushes him back when he tries to reach for her again, palm flat and firm against his chest as she shakes her head. "I come back to you because I'm hard to please and too lazy to teach someone else how to make me come." He narrows his eyes at her and she smiles kindly. "I'm here today because I told my mother that I'd go home for the Thanksgiving and I don't think I'll be able to cope without relieving some stress first."