Chapter Forty-seven
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Today feels like some kind of strange alternate reality, Lisa can't help but think.
Because only in a parallel universe would Jennie Kim be seemingly afraid of losing Lisa's friendship. Only in a parallel universe would Lisa feel like she held the power. And Lisa thought that it would take a parallel universe to completely ruin their friendship, to leave it as shredded as it seems to be. The likelihood of that had seemed similar to that of Lisa being abducted by aliens, or leading a rebellion against some tyrant leader. Impossible, improbable, nothing to worry about.
But Lisa is worrying, because she's just not sure what to do. Every word seems wrong, like it doesn't quite fit into the gap in the conversation and every time it seems like their friendship is on the mend, one of them says something that sends them spiralling back to the ruins. Like they're both holding wrecking balls that they can no longer control.
Lisa doesn't voice any of these worries aloud though, instead she smiles at Jennie as if nothing is wrong and for a brief moment Lisa allows herself to believe that nothing is.
The pair are sat outside, using one of their shared frees to work through a bag of crisps and a pile of English homework they've just been given. Little work is being done, instead Lisa finds her gaze lingering on the girl opposite her for just a little bit too long. The weather is just starting to warm up, and the sun only serves to make Jennie's hair begin to glisten golden. Jennie looks up from her work briefly and smiles warmly.
"How's Grandma Grace?" Jennie asks.
"She's good."
"And how's Albert?"
"Well they called off the engagement again," Lisa admits, "but as of this morning it seemed to be back on."
"You seem very sceptical."
"This time was supposed to be different," Lisa points out, "they'd booked a venue and everything, and yet it was still called off."
"Did they cancel the booking?"
"No, everyone was so confident that they'd get engaged again within no time that no-one bothered."
"So it's still going ahead?"
"It seems that way."
"Am I invited?" Jennie says.
"I don't see why not."
To be perfectly honest Lisa can see a thousand reasons why not, mainly revolving around the fact that taking Jennie as her guest to a wedding doesn't seem like the most conductive environment to get over her feelings but Lisa decides that that's a bridge she'll cross when she comes to it.
"Good," Jennie replies, "because I've kind of missed your grandma."
"That's weird."
"And yet true."
"This always happens," Lisa mutters, "people always prefer my grandma to me."
"Perhaps it's because your grandma is so much cooler than you," Jennie tells Lisa teasingly.
The joke falls flat though. Usually the two would jokingly insult each other without a second thought, but it currently doesn't seem as easy as that, perhaps it's because the two of them currently don't really know where they stand. It's a lot easier to jokingly tell someone that you don't want to be friends with them when the two of you are definitely friends.
"Well I suppose I can't deny the truth," Lisa says, trying to keep the same lightness and bounce to her tone as Jennie seems to provide so effortlessly.
