Reasons ★ JENLISA

9

Day 9- The Future

               “I guess I have one more day, huh?” Lisa whispered.

               We were lying at some cornfield that was deserted by some farmer ages ago. The dried up hay tickled my neck, and made me itchy, but I wasn’t complaining at all. I was right next to Lisa, our shoulders barely touching, and we were both staring up at the sun.

               “I guess so.” I muttered. I hadn’t even thought about our deal during these past few days. Had it really been nine days already? A shiver went down my spine, as I looked over at the girl beside me, who looked defeated and disappointed, yet still determined.

               I licked my dry lips, wondering why I hadn’t scared her off yet. It had been nine days already, most people who knew about me would’ve ran away by now. But why hasn’t Lisa?

               “Days went by a lot quicker than I thought it would.” Lisa muttered, so quietly that it was barely audible.

               I let out a low laugh. “It did, didn’t it?”

               “I wish it hadn’t, though.” Lisa sighed.

               I turned towards her, so that my body was facing hers. Raising an eyebrow, I asked her, “What do you mean by that?”

               Lisa looked uneasy, as if she hadn’t figured out quite yet what she wanted to say. She tucked her hand behind her neck, as she scratched it nervously. “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I mean, I actually had a lot of fun these past few days. I never want it to end. So what happens to me when you decide to leave? I’m going to spend the rest of my life wondering what I could’ve done better to save you.”

               I felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach, as I gulped. Never have I ever in my life felt so many emotions at one time. There was happiness, sadness, and even guilt.

               Lisa interrupted my thoughts with a bitter laugh that never reached those gorgeous hazel eyes of her. “I can tell that you aren’t happy by the expression on your face.” She smiled faintly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ears, something that she does regularly now. “Don’t blame yourself, okay? I got myself into this, remember?”

               My mind flashed back to when I was just a mere inch from falling down that cliff, when Lisa came and pushed me off to the side.

               “Give me ten days, and I can give you ten reasons not to die.” Lisa paused. “And if I can’t change your mind by then, you can go jump off that cliff.”

*

               Later that evening, Lisa drove me back to the orphanage. It was half past nine, and all of the children were probably asleep by now. I had missed dinner tonight, and I was sure that Mother Bom would’ve been angry at me. But when stepped inside the orphanage with Lisa when she had brought me home, Mother Bom came running towards me with a large, manila envelope in her hands.

               “Jennie, darling!” she beamed. “I’ve been waiting for you all night! Where have you been?”

               I frowned, wondering what Mother Bom was so excited about. “I was just out with Lisa, that’s all.”

               Lisa gave Mother Bom a wave, as she grinned. “Great! More people to celebrate with!”

               “What?” I asked, clearly confused. “Mother Bom, what on Earth are you talking about?”

               Mother Bom flashed the envelope towards me, as I grabbed it from her. It was addressed to me, from Yang University, one of the universities that I applied to earlier this year. My eyes widened, as I stared at the address carefully, making sure that my eyes weren’t deceiving me.

               “Yang University?” Lisa said, a smile spreading across those rosy red lips of hers. “Open it, Jennie!”

               I bit my lower lip, as I tore open the envelope cautiously, making sure I didn’t rip anything inside.

               “Can’t you open it any faster?” Mother Bom snapped. “The suspense is killing me here!”

               I laughed, as I tore the envelope open with one big rip. I let out of the empty envelope, clutching onto the packet I received tightly.

               “Dear Jennie Kim,” I skimmed through the letter, skipping the useless information, “we are proud to inform you that you have been accepted into Yang University!”

               Mother Bom let out a shrill, as I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Mother Bom wrapped her arms around me, and I could feel her tears leaking through my shirt. “Oh, Jennie! I knew you would make it! I’m so proud of you!”

               I pulled away from Mother Bom, as I wiped away the tears of happiness that filled my eyes. I read through the packet, biting my lips from excitement. “Oh my Lord, Mother Bom.” I gasped, reading through a line in the letter carefully. “I’m on full scholarship!”

               Mother Bom squealed, clamping a hand over her lips. “I need to go tell the other nuns about this!” she gushed. “I’ll be right back!”

               I watched as she scurried out of the room, running up the stairs. “Sister Dara! Sister Dara, we have news for you!” she called out, probably waking up some kids in the process.

               I laughed, as I turned back towards Lisa, who had been silent the entire time. She had a faint smile across her lips, but she hadn’t said a word since I’ve opened the letter.

               “Lisa?” I smiled. “Can you believe it? Yang University wants me!”

               Lisa still wouldn’t utter a word, which made my smile drop. I began to frown, as I stared at her cautiously. “Lisa, is there something wro-“

               Before I got to finish my sentence, Lisa had wrapped her arms around me, giving me a bone crushing hug. She held me tightly and protectively, her chin resting on the top of my head.

               And even though I could barely breathe, everything just felt so right.

               “You have such a whole life ahead of you.” Lisa's hot breath tickled my ear. “I want to watch you grow.”