Chapter 28.

Luckily for Lisa, Ms. Manoban had a day off from work, so she was home when her daughter unexpectedly came back at 9 am. She dropped her bag on the floor and, looking pale and dispirited, she walked upstairs to her room like a mindless zombie. The last time Ms. Manoban saw Lisa so crushed was when she learned about her parents' divorce. So she immediately stopped what she was doing and rushed after Lisa, knowing that she'd need all the power of her motherly love to comfort her daughter.

She didn't even bother knocking, just came inside and asked worriedly:

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Lisa didn't even know what to answer. Damn it, everything was wrong, everything! She usually didn't bother her mom with her problems, she preferred to deal with them on her own. But this was too much. Help, comfort and understanding was what she desperately needed at that time. She glanced at her mom, noticing how concerned she looked and... just started talking. About everything: her growing love for Jennie, the fateful Friday evening, how she confessed to Jennie today and her unexpected reaction.

"It hurt me so bad when she didn't believe me." Lisa said, her voice trembling. "She even accused me of... of doing this as a challenge... it was so unfair, how could she say that, I only want the best for her with all my heart..."

"Do you remember what I told you about her? That you should be patient and forgiving with her?"

Lisa nodded.

"You can't be mad at her for thinking like that. She has never been loved before so she simply thinks that it's impossible for anyone to love her."

"It's so sad..."

"You're right, it's terribly sad. So forgive her and..."

"And what? What can I even do?"

"And fight for her. I really believe that if you work hard to prove that you only have her happiness at heart, she'll realize that your feelings are true."

"Isn't it a bit... deluded?" Lisa seemed doubtful.

"Love has to be a little bit deluded honey. It's a part of what makes it love."

"Thanks, mom, I'll... I'll try."

Ms. Manoban noticed that Lisa was getting better because sparks were twinkling in her eyes again. Extremely relieved, she stood up and said in a commanding voice:

"Now march back to school, young lady, you can still attend afternoon classes."

Lisa was about to protest, but she knew she didn't have any arguments. Groaning, she checked on her make-up, took a couple of deep breaths to clear her mind and went back to school.

***

"Irene, I need a big favor to ask." Lisa said bluntly to the small brunette, whose eyes sparked with anticipation. "Remember how I helped you last year? You got a boyfriend thanks to me, you owe me one."

"Sure, but it will depend on what you want." there was such determination in Lisa's eyes that, to be completely honest, Irene felt a little scared.

"Next week you organize a karaoke night at your house, right?"

"Yeah, and you're invited, you don't have to call in a favor for that-"

"It's not about me. I want you to invite someone else. Jennie, to be precise."

"Jennie?" Irene flinched. "I don't know, I want the party to be fun and she... isn't really someone who-" she stopped talking, noticing Lisa's murderous glare.

"That's why I'm asking you for a favor."

Irene hesitated, then her face brightened noticeably.

"You know, it may actually be a good idea, because I can ask her to bring Jin with her. If he comes, my karaoke night will be a huge hit."

Damn, that was definitely not what Lisa had in mind. Her heart skipped a beat imagining Jennie and Jin at the karaoke, having fun together. But she quickly composed herself. Jennie's happiness was the priority, the only important thing. "Nothing else matters." she thought decidedly. "Not even my pain."

"Fine, you can ask her to come with him." she agreed, not without difficulty. "But remember, don't tell anyone, I mean ANYONE, that I asked you to do that, do you understand?" the harsh tone and the hidden menace in Lisa's voice made Irene frightened for the second time. She nodded quickly, failing to comprehend why Lisa would even come up with such a strange idea.

***

"Thanks for agreeing to meet with me." Lisa smiled at Somi. They were sitting in a cafe, eating ice-cream. They met one hour earlier, exchanged stories and talked a bit.

"Are you kidding? We're friends, I'm happy you called me. Besides, you're paying so I got to enjoy this delicious ice-cream for free." Somi joked and they both smiled. "But something tells me that there is another reason why you wanted to see me."

"Yeah, there is." Lisa admitted, impressed by how perceptive her friend was. "You see, I have this friend who is really shy and I would really like to help her to come out of her shell. And I thought your Music Club would be a good idea to do that."

"Sure. I'll do whatever you want." Somi agreed without hesitation. Although she graduated high school several years ago, she was still the unofficial leader of the Music Club, a group of students who simply loved music. They gathered once per week in the school auditorium to practice and play different instruments, supporting and helping one another. Everyone was welcome in the club regardless of their skill.

"Her name is Jennie. I suspect she knows how to play guitar... Perhaps she played in the past but stopped because of low confidence. And if anyone can get her to play again, it's definitely you."

Somi thanked her with her gaze for the compliment.

"I don't promise anything but I'll certainly try. So you go through all this trouble to help this friend of yours... She's pretty important to you, isn't she?"

Lisa did her best not to blush but her efforts failed. Fortunately for her, Somi pretended not to see her reddened cheeks and sparkling eyes.

"Yes, she's... a good friend." Lisa said tenderly. "One more thing... It may sound kind of strange, but I don't want her to know that I asked you for it."

Somi's eyebrows arched in surprise. She was tempted to ask why and she nearly did, but decided not to. Knowing Lisa, she realized that she must have had a good reason. And clearly she wasn't ready to share it just yet.

"Don't worry, it will be our little secret." she said and winked playfully.