The Marriage Deal [Jenlisa FF]

Part 12

Jisoo found herself impressed when she, Jennie and Lisa pulled into the driveway of the Manoban home. She whistled with appreciation. "Very nice place you got here, Jen. Maybe I should run out and marry myself a millionaire."

"I'm not a millionaire," Lisa corrected her.

"Not yet. But in about three years when you're done using my sister, you will be."

Jennie, seated in the front seat, sighed heavily. "She's not using me. We have a deal, that's it. One from which we both benefit."

"Yeah, whatever."

As she stepped out of the car, Lisa thought, 'Now I see where Ella gets her sparkling personality from. It's a good thing Jisoo is staying at the old house; I'd kill her if we had to live together. Personality clash.' Once again, she thanked God Jennie wasn't like her two sisters.

"What's with the family meeting?" Jisoo wanted to know. "It's obviously not to welcome me home from jail."

"It's about Ella. She's been acting out of sorts, and it is beginning to grate on my nerves. I figure if we double-team her ...plus Lisa. we should be able to get through to her," Jennie informed her, entering the front door, which was being held open by Lisa. "Thank you."

Lisa smiled. "You're welcome."

Jisoo looked from her sister to her new wife. 'Uh-huh' "What a gentlewoman."

"I try."

Once she'd put her purse down, Jennie stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Ella! We're home, come down here!"

Ten seconds later, Ella's bedroom door opened. "Jennie, I'm ready for bed. Can't we do this tomorrow?"

"No way. Get your butt down here."

Slamming her bedroom door, Ella stomped down the stairs, finding Jennie and Jisoo sitting on the couch and Lisa on the loveseat. "What's she doing here?" she demanded. "She's not family."

"Lisa is my wife. That makes her family. Now sit down because we need to talk to you," Jennie said sternly.

Sulking, Ella plopped down on the reclining chair. "Make it quick, I'm tired."

"That's too damn bad, Ella. You have a choice, either you talk to us tonight or you can talk to a counselor. It's your decision."

"Fine. Let's get started."

"Good. Explain your pissy attitude. I'd like to know why you've been acting like a royal bitch these past few weeks."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think? It's all her fault," she said, pointing to Jisoo.

"What did I do? What is it my fault?"

"Because if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be in this fucking mess! You just had to stay with Jacob when he treated you like shit, didn't you? You let him hit you and call you names, and you didn't even bat an eyelash. You just sat there and took it. For three years! How many times did Mom and Dad tell you that you deserved better? Or Jennie? We all told you, but did you ever listen? No!" Ella shouted.

Jennie was about to interrupt when Jisoo stopped her. The brunette wanted to hear what else her sister had to say. She felt that after four weeks in jail, she could handle just about anything. Even the wrath of her angry fifteen year old sister.

"So, you kept seeing that jerk even though none of us liked him. Mom was always afraid he'd end up killing you. Well, wouldn't she be proud to find out that you offed him before he could do it to you. Unnie, why would you stay with someone like that? Jacob scared the hell out of us, every night when you went out with him, we were afraid you wouldn't come home.

"And do you know how much everyone at school made fun of me because you killed him? I became the butt of everyone's jokes and it's all your fault. They'd call you a heartless murderer, no matter how many times I told them Jacob got what he deserved. I lost all my friends. Thanks a lot."

Jisoo raised her eyebrows. "Are you done? Because I have something to say."

"No, I'm not done," Ella said, shaking her head. "Since I seem to be on a roll here tonight, I'd like to state for the record that it's also your fault I'm stuck here."

Jennie was genuinely confused. "Stuck where?"

"Here, in this house! If it wasn't for Jisoo getting arrested, I wouldn't be here. You never would have met the lawyer and married her so damn quickly. What was the big hurry, Jennie? Why did you have to marry that girl five days after you met her? That's not normal behaviour, especially for you."

"You have every reason to be upset about that, Ella. I uprooted your life, and I'm sorry about that. But Lisa and I are in love with each other. she's my wife," Jennie tried to reason.

Wide-eyed, Ella stared at her biological sister. "Wife? You two don't even act like you're married most of the time. Aren't people in love supposed to touch each other? You two don't kiss or hug or even look at each other. If I had a wife who looked like Lisa, I'd be touching her every chance I got. The only good thing I can see is that you aren't as sad as you were before, Jennie."

"Lisa's done a lot for this family."

"Yeah, I know that. And I'm glad she's a great lawyer who got Jisoo out of jail, but I don't know. Something isn't right," mused Ella.

Closing her eyes, Jennie exhaled the breath she'd been holding in. "What do you want me to do? I've done everything I can to make this transition easier for you. You have a nice home and a family who loves you. What else do you want?"

"I want things the way they used to be!" Ella exploded. "I want Mom and Dad back."

Jennie shook her head. "I'm sorry. I wish I could, believe me. Do you think things have been easy for me? It's been hell for me, too. You know, Ella, the world doesn't revolve around you; I had to make huge sacrifices after Mom and Dad died. I had to quit school and give up my dreams of being a lawyer; I suddenly had to support an entire family by working as a waitress at a coffee shop. And on top of all that, I have to be your mother."

"Well, you're not doing such a great job at it," Ella commented.

"Ella, stop that," Jisoo warned.

Jennie waved her hand. "No, it's okay. I admit it, I'm not a good mother. But it isn't like I asked for this job. And you know what? I'm doing the best I can. I never thought you'd be so ungrateful to me for trying to give you a stable home life."

"I'm not ungrateful"

"It certainly sounds like it to me. I'm your legal guardian, Ella, but if you find someone else who wants to take over that responsibility, you can go live with them. Maybe Jisoo wants to do it."

Ella couldn't believe her sister said that to her. "I don't want to live with Jisoo. I want to live with you."

"Then we need to make a few ground rules. The first being that your bitchy attitude ends here. I'm sick and tired of it. Second, you are to treat Lisa with respect. She has given up her home to us because she wants to take care of me and my family. Third, your grades had better improve. I know you are capable of A's, not the D's and F's you've been getting lately. Four, you are grounded until I see your next report card. You will be able to go out on Saturdays only. No phone, no internet. Understood?"

She nodded. There was no point in arguing. "Understood. Can I go now?"

"Go ahead."

Biting her lip, Ella went back upstairs. "Well, that was definitely interesting," Jisoo laugh. "I couldn't even get a word in edgewise. It's good to be home."

"I'm going upstairs," announced Jennie. "Lisa, could you drive Jisoo home?"

"Sure."

Once her sister was sufficiently out of hearing distance, Jisoo turned to her sister-in-law. "Welcome to our dysfunctional family."