Crazy Over You

CHAPTER 48

JENNIE'S POV

Soon after, we went back inside

"Oh my God, I think my beautiful face is broken" Luke's breath shuddered and groaned from the cold as his body trembled despite the warm, electrical blanket wrapped snuggly around his frozen skin. His face was, in fact, not broken, but his black skin did manage to acquire a reddish hue on his cheeks and nose. "My face stings!"

"Oh, suck it up. It's just snow" Lisa retorted, her nose crinkled in annoyance and her icy glare unrelenting

"Jeez, Luke. You really shouldn't have done that" SoMo chastised humorously and patted his back quite hard, causing the freezing boy to jolt forward with each hit. "You should know how hard Lisa to punch back" I saw her sneak a sly glance at Lisa, almost glaring as she snorted. "She did beat up three of our classmates, before"

"Right. I forgot about that..." He mumbled

Lisa scowled

What happened next was a blur. I might've eaten some more, read a book on the couch, participated in a mini-game, conversed with Lisa's ex and ex-friends, eat some birthday cake, and did whatever teens did at small parties. They trilled and pranced, jolly in mood, they laughed and rained their small, personal gifts upon the boy, but I knew they were still conscious of us

Side glances. Curious quips. But their concern was more directed to Lisa, who stood by the corner, sat by the couch, observed from afar, and hovered by the kitchen. She did nothing, of course. Only glaring when they peered for too long, mumbled too quietly, or attempted a small conversation, only to be rejected with a scoff or more. I, on the other hand, was much friendlier

But it was how Lisa looked at them, a turmoil spinning in her iris, almost longing, but flushed with unforgiving contempt, and when the aunt would often come into view and ignored Lisa's presence who would scowl and sneer in return, a growing compulsion forced me to retreat somewhere private, a place that's a bit quieter

The bathroom

I didn't know why

But I knew where it was. It was vital to know where it was

White marble decorated the entire facility as dark panels peppered evenly across the walls and floor. The stench of chemicals and cleaners still lingered, but faintly, and it temporarily calmed me enough to collect my disordered bearings. A buzz, a chill, a weight inside my head, and a squeeze against my ribs, I had to get rid of it. My skin felt tight and an unbearable restlessness surged through my body. I needed to get rid of it

The faucet ran cold and I buried my hands underneath the pouring water, the freezing temperature almost burning as I scrubbed and scrubbed my skin, the process calming me. Bubbles turned into white foam and once my hands were clean, I splashed the water on my face, the shock of the chill numbing my cheeks and sharpening my senses. I wiped my face with a white, fluffy towel and I clenched my fist, feeling it tremble the tighter I squeezed. A whisk of motion caught my eyes and a violent flinch pushed me back until I noticed the strands of brown hair reflecting on me

There, a girl stood, brown eyes clear as the gloomy sky, skin flushed red from the cold, and her hair tied up in a messy bun, hanging loosely to the side. But behind her stare was a black void that swirled in that small space of her pupil, and the longer I looked, the more the abyss seemed to stare back at me

I blinked

She blinked

I moved back

She moved back

I tilted my head

She tilted her head

I frowned

She smiled widely