didn't know you were cold ('til you felt my fire) // JENLISA AU

Chapter 21

Lisa resisted the urge to toss the small white box in her hand up and down as she walked through the hall. She didn't really think of herself as a fidgety person, but her arm seemed to be holding most of her nervous energy and wanted to fiddle. She settled for tapping her fingers against it, as lightly as she could to not damage the cardboard or shake the contents too much.

Jennie was gonna be mad at her, she knew that. Skipping lunch and missing half a class just to run out and get this cupcake and then skipping detention to head down to Jennie's class to give it to her before she left for home. Yeah, she'd promised Jennie she wouldn't skip detention, and Jennie was gonna get that angry look in her eye and scold Lisa but Lisa was pretty sure all she had to do was offer to kiss it better.

Lisa grinned to herself, the nervous buzz in her chest and then hum in her ears all over again. She could actually do that.

Jennie had said she wanted to.

There was no way Jennie could stay mad at her, not when they could be kissing instead. Lisa would happily flunk if it meant more of that.

Lost in her thoughts, Lisa rounded the corner to the empty-ish hallway where the shop class doors were just barely opened, voices echoing inside. She slowed down to quiet her footsteps, in case Jennie wasn't in class and a teacher was talking with another student, and as she got nearer she heard the voices raise at each other.

"When I didn't know her!" Echoed through the crack, followed by some quieter speaking Lisa didn't quite get. But the voice she recognized - Jennie's. Curious about what Jennie was shouting about, Lisa cracked open the door to see Jennie with her back turned, talking to... Ella?

"I can't be friends with her on your terms." Jennie was saying. Something - dread, curiosity, stupidity - stopped Lisa from interrupting so she could keep listening to their conversation. "I can't pretend to be something I'm not and I can't take her to prom."

Ella's arms were held straight down, tense as they usually got when she argued. "I fucking knew it." She snapped. "You're only friends with Lisa because I paid you to be. You're pretending! You've been pretending this whole time!"

What?

"You don't like my sister, you're only doing this for your car!"

Lisa's stomach dropped.

"I was doing this for payment but I can't anymore!" Jennie was saying, nearly shouting. "It's not worth it!"

The hum in her ears turned into a ringing sound. Everything seemed to slow down around her. It looked like Ella was talking to Jennie, but Lisa couldn't hear any words, and then Ella was moving to leave and looking up and looking at her and they stared at each other as Ella froze and then Jennie turned. Turned and looked at her. Lisa stared back as she tried to understand everything she'd just heard. Jennie was pretending. Jennie was being paid. Ella was paying?

"She's paying you?"

"Lisa, what are you doing here?" Jennie asked in a strained voice, glancing down at the box in Lisa's hand, at Ella, at the clock, at Lisa. "Shouldn't you be-"

"What did you mean by that?" Lisa asked Ella, not looking away from Jennie. Jennie who wore an expression on her face with fear, horror, and guilt, fucking guilt. Lisa couldn't look at her anymore, turning her attention to Ella. "When you said you were paying her. What did you mean by that."

"I..." Ella stuttered, glancing between Lisa and Jennie. "When you, when she started, the French."

"Ella, wait," Jennie started to cut Ella off with a panicked tone and Lisa felt a flash of heat pass over her face.