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

Chapter 24

The mask was stifling, but the hazmat-like tarp she had to wear was truly unbearable in the warm afternoon sun. She wished Seunghyun had warned her about how much she was going to sweat doing this. Ironically, this was almost pointless because Jennie was certain this was going to damage her shirt either way. Silk did not appreciate perspiration.

She looked across the car to Ella, dressed in the same protective paint suit as her and seemingly less bothered by it as she gleefully sprayed the canister back and forth over the car door. Head to toe in the suit, the respirator mask and the goggles, Ella was unrecognizable if not for her wide, excited doe eyes.

"A bit slower on the wide areas Ella, or the paint will end up thin." She instructed, voice echoing oddly in her mask.

"I know how to paint, Jennie!" Ella shouted back, no anger in her voice. Despite her words she did slow down a bit as she worked her way down the broad side of the door. While her mouth wasn't visible, the crease of her brow made Jennie certain Ella had her tongue in her teeth as she often did while she concentrated.

The past couple of weeks since she'd approached Ella about the prom arrangement had been incredibly strange but fulfilling. Ella had taken to the offer of Jennie supplying her way to prom almost immediately, agreeing (maybe a bit aggressively) that is wasn't fair Jennie got a car out of the deal despite losing Lisa, and Ella got nothing for her efforts to scrap parts.

After some talks and plans of logistics she and Ella had finally managed to speak to Ella's father and arrange a deal regarding Ella's attendance at prom. He had been tentative at first, wanting Ella to not be allowed at all due to the outcome with Lisa, but the girl had promised Jennie that she would talk it over to him, and whatever Ella discussed seemed to work.

And for whatever reason Ella had helped her finish her car, which Jennie reluctantly admitted she would have never finished without the girl's help. After this paint there was only very slight troubleshooting left to make sure it could handle the road and then the car would be done.

And Jennie would be free to leave.

As she waved at Ella to indicate she was finished, and Ella gave her a thumbs up and drew back her own sprayer, Jennie stepped back to pull her mask down and breath in the cooler, dryer air of the parking area just outside the garage of the auto clad. As she lifted up the goggles to her head and rolled her neck to loosen it she heard a familiar laugh and voice saying unintelligible words from the other end of the lot. She looked over.

Lisa, recognizable as always of course, was in the distance at the other end of the parking lot, in the smoking section with a couple of other students. The three of them were laughing uproariously over something. As Jennie watched Lisa took another drag of her cigarette, hand hovering close to her mouth as she nodded and replied to something one of the other students said.

She leaned a little forward and said something and the girl burst into high laughter. Lisa leaned back with one hand in her pocket as the other brought the cigarette up for another smoke and even from this distance Jennie could tell Lisa was grinning.

Throat suddenly tight, she turned away from looking and found Ella standing incredibly close behind her, watching Lisa with a serious expression.

"She started up again about a week after... yeah." Ella said, glancing between Lisa and Jennie. "She doesn't smoke as much again though. Usually just when she's upset. Which she is a lot." Ella mused. "But not as bad as she used to be."

In response Jennie made an affirming hum but couldn't bring herself to say much else about why Lisa hanging with the other students bothered her so much. She looked back over to the smoking section to see Lisa giving a casual wave to the other students as she walked off. Shoving hands in her sleeveless hoodie's pockets, she walked across the parking lot back toward the school and glanced over in Jennie's direction.