Chapter 31

Nearly two weeks passed in a flurry of activity and confusion. Halloween was easily forgotten due to the whole protection order issue occurring only a day prior. And any day after that quickly came and went for Jennie. Not only was she preoccupied with trying (unsuccessfully) to find Kai to serve the restraining order, but midterms were right around the corner and Jennie had admittedly been slacking in her studies.

Really, who could blame her? She had to deal with that drama with Nancy, entered a new relationship with Lisa, and was currently trying to resolve an issue with a potentially dangerous stalker. It was only natural that some school work would fall to the wayside.

Jennie's father managed to call the school to get an extension on some of her assignments, but there wasn't much anyone could do about midterms.

Before her dad could explode on an unsuspecting teacher, Jennie assured him that she would be fine.

She needed a distraction anyway, and studying had always been the go-to for her.

Still, she was slowly getting eaten away by stress. Every shadow out of the corner of her eye, every phone call, every male stranger she saw on the street, she was just waiting for him to show up.

Maybe he found out about the law getting involved and he was upset. Maybe he was waiting for the right moment to strike, watching her from the shadows constantly.

She had to shake this paranoia. But it was extremely difficult. Jennie just wanted this whole thing to be over before she developed a heart condition.

Besides, she'd hardly been able to see Lisa at all lately. It seems like they saw each other all the time before they started dating, and now that it was more difficult to be apart, they rarely crossed paths. They saw each other at school sometimes, but Jennie had to go home immediately after school (per her father's orders) and they still didn't spend lunch together.

Jennie had half a mind to abandon her stubbornness and pride and just be with Lisa for every lunch period.

But she wasn't sure the spreading of rumors would be good for Jennie's mental health either. School was her only refuge since her father was quick to interrogate her the moment she came home a couple minutes late.

By Wednesday morning, Jennie was so stressed and sleep-deprived that she sent a rather urgent text to Lisa during second period.

Jennie: Let's have lunch together today.

Jennie kept her phone in her lap as she waited for a reply, doing her best to scribble notes and pay attention to class while she waited. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her phone to buzz.

Lisa: Yes!!

Lisa: Where do you want to meet?

Butterflies swarmed in Jennie's stomach at the thought of actually getting to be alone with Lisa again.

They really hadn't hung out in person at all since they went to Main Street weeks ago.

Jennie: By the door to the back parking lot.

Lisa: Ok!!

Jennie stifled a giggle, imagining the visible excitement Lisa was probably showing in her respective class. The honor student's mood was greatly improved now, and she was having trouble paying attention to the lecture.

All she could think about was hurrying through these next few classes so she could see the tall blonde again.

———

Unfortunately, there was no "hurrying" after all since the following classes seemed to drag on for forever.

Jennie had to deal with Jisoo's nosiness in study hall and she'd have to review the notes for basically everything since she could no longer focus in class.

When the bell rang for lunch, she was already out of her seat and rushing out the classroom door. She was so over-eager that she figured she'd be the first one to arrive to their meeting spot at the back door of the building. But when she opened the door, Lisa was already leaning against the outside wall, looking at her phone.

When the transfer student locked eyes with Jennie, she shoved her phone in her pocket and broke into a wide smile. Jennie found herself getting enveloped in a hug so tight she was having trouble breathing.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so happy to see you!" the blonde gushed.

Lisa's body was so warm, and besides the protection from the cold autumn air, Jennie was getting lost in the touch she hadn't had for what seemed like forever. She knew she missed Lisa a lot, but actually hugging her again made her realize just how much she was dying to see her.

Still, Jennie held on to the rational part of her brain, and lightly pushed the taller girl away.

"Lisa! We're still at school!"

Lisa just flashed her a crooked smile, the one that made Jennie's knees weak. "Yeah, but there's no one around right now."

"Anyone could just walk through that door!" Jennie protested. "Let's go to your car before anyone sees us."

"My car?" Lisa asked, looking obviously surprised.

"Are we going off campus?"

"Well, there's not really anywhere else for us to go."

"But if your dad finds out-"

"Ugh, I know!" Jennie interrupted, suddenly exploding with frustration. She clutched the sides of her head in her hands, eliciting a weird look from Lisa in the process. "I just can't take it anymore! I'm stressed out of my mind and I just wanted to see you.

"So, just for today, he doesn't have to know. Is that so bad?"

Lisa's expression softened, and she offered a gentle smile. She grabbed Jennie's hand, warming it against the chilly breeze. "No, it's not bad."

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, and Jennie felt overwhelmed with relief at getting to be together once more. Lisa pulled her to the parking lot where her car was, and Jennie couldn't even find it in her to care if anyone saw them together.

Once they piled in the car and started warming it up (not that Jennie wasn't already plenty warm), Lisa turned to her.

"Where to?" she asked. "I don't usually eat lunch, so it's up to you."

"I'm not really hungry," Jennie replied truthfully. She was more interested in finding a place for them to be alone, but she couldn't just outright say that.

"Hmm..it's a little too cold to go to the lake."

"...yeah."

Lisa looked at her, as if trying to read her eyes, as if she wasn't sure if she should say something. Jennie prayed that she would guess what the honour student was thinking, and that she shared the same sentiment. Lisa visibly swallowed, and Jennie guessed that they might be on the same wavelength.

"We could stop by my house," she offered, a bit timidly. "My mom's at work."

"That's...fine," Jennie replied with a small nod.

Lisa gave her a lingering look, then put the car into reverse and drove out of the parking lot. Oh boy, now Jennie was getting nervous. Before she'd wanted nothing more than to be alone with Lisa, but now she was actually afraid of it.

Would Lisa want to...?

No, no.

It was still way too early for that.

Lisa turned on the radio to fill the silence, and the two didn't speak much as they drove to the house. Soon enough, they were passing the park where they met that one night after they just started dating, and Jennie knew they were close. With every minute that passed, it seemed like her heart was getting louder and faster, her breathing more shallow.

They pulled up to Lisa's house which was a sort of thin building mashed between two larger ones. It was smaller than Jennie's house, but it definitely looked nice, and Jennie recalled that Lisa's mother was an attorney.

Wordlessly, Lisa led the way up the walkway to the front door. She seemed relatively calm, but when she pulled her keys out to unlock the door, Jennie noticed her hand trembling.

At least I'm not the only one...

They stepped inside, the warmth of the heater wrapping around Jennie's form. She shut the front door behind her and prepared to take her boots off, but before she could even take in the view of the house, her back was shoved against the door and Lisa's lips were pressed against her's.

Shocked, it took Jennie a second to respond to the kiss - one of Lisa's hands held her chin while her other arm was pressed against the door above her.

Almost immediately, Lisa's tongue was in her mouth touching her own, and the sensation caused Jennie's mind to go blank as she matched the taller girl's movements. Although the honour student was cold a second ago, her body was now on fire from the sensation of suddenly touching Lisa after what seemed like forever.

Lisa's arms moved down to wrap around Jennie's waist, and Jennie slung her own around Lisa's neck.

Right before Jennie was about to completely run out of breath, Lisa pulled away and started kissing up her neck. When she made it to her earlobe, she licked it, and Jennie unsuccessfully stifled a moan.

"I'm sorry," Lisa breathed into her ear, her voice hoarse.

"I just really missed you."

"I...missed you, too," Jennie choked out as Lisa slowly kissed up her jaw.

Lisa made it back to Jennie's lips and captured them again, this time moving slower and more deliberate now that the initial desperation was out of the way. It was really unfair how good the tall girl was at kissing, and Jennie couldn't help but wonder if she was keeping up well enough. Regardless, Lisa certainly seemed into it, so she couldn't have been that bad.

These feelings were foreign to Jennie - although she had kissed before, she'd never made out with someone so much, and the intensity of doing it was almost overwhelming. It was somewhat terrifying when Jennie, who was always in her own head, lost the ability to think whenever Lisa touched her. There was a conflict of wanting to run away, but not being able to stand being apart.

Jennie, typically so level-headed and logical, was completely controlled by instinct and emotion in these situations. And even when Lisa's hands slipped under the bottom of her shirt or into the waistband of her jeans, Jennie found herself at the mercy of her own primal desires. Lisa's hands stopped moving and she pulled her face away so their lips brushed but weren't connected.

"You're not stopping me," Lisa breathed out in a voice that Jennie had never heard from her before.

"I probably should be," Jennie whispered, hardly able to keep her voice steady. If Lisa and the door weren't supporting her weight, she would probably sink to the floor.

"I always thought you'd sock me in the face if I did stuff like this," Lisa muttered.

"I'm still considering it," Jennie joked weakly.

Lisa smiled, then pulled Jennie into a full on hug.

"Are you grossed out at all?" she asked. Her voice was less confident than before, almost a bit childlike in its insecurity. Jennie thought that perhaps hugging was an excuse to hide Lisa's face from her, as if she was afraid of showing her reaction to the answer of that question.

"No," Jennie said, putting a hand on the back of Lisa's head. "Should I be?"

"Well....I just figured you originally like guys, so..."

Ah. So that's what it was.

Maybe Lisa's pushiness was a little test to see how Jennie reacted rather than an actual invitation to go further. The thought both relieved and distressed the brunette.

"I don't really know," Jennie admitted, "but I don't feel disgusted at all. Trust me, I would tell you if I was."

She heard Lisa let out a breath. The taller girl pulled back to study Jennie's expression. "Really?"

"Really."

Lisa leaned down and kissed Jennie once more, but this time it was very gentle and short-lived.

Hesitantly, the blonde pulled away and broke into a wide, toothy smile.

"I guess I should give you a second to take off your shoes now."

Jennie smiled back.

"How polite of you."