That Night | JenLisa FF

Part 10

"Holy hell, Lalisa," Jackson said, whistling through his teeth. "What happened to you?'

Lisa turned away from where she was staring out at the skyline to growl at Jackson. Lisa knew that she looked like hell. She felt like hell too. She'd been drinking ever since she left Jennie after lunch which was ... she lifted up her wrist and tried to focus on her watch. It took her nearly a minute to realize she wasn't wearing a watch. Oh, fuck it. It was a long damn time ago. "Pissofff," she snarled.

Jackson's eyes went wide as he stared at his friend, but he said nothing. Mutely, he shrugged out of his coat and threw it onto the couch. It wasn't like Lisa to act like this. Sure, she put on the tortured artist facade for company, but in private, she was usually really easy going. Okay, maybe not easy going, but it wasn't usual to come home at two in the morning and find her covered in paint clutching an empty bottle of whisky as she stared out the window.

"This have anything to do with your new agent?" Jackson asked, careful not to venture too close.

Lisa spun around gracelessly, stumbling to prevent herself from falling on the bare, hardwood floor. "No," she snapped, trying hard to focus on Jackson and failing miserably.

Jackson just smiled. "You're sure?" he asked skeptically. Obviously, Lisa had spent the night, and probably the afternoon before as well, drinking and painting. It wasn't something the budding young artist did often. Usually, Lisa was meticulous about her work, but tonight, canvases were strewn around the large open room. Some of the canvases sported rips and holes that looked suspiciously like someone had punched their fist through them. Even Lisa's bed, which was shoved into the corner of the room, hadn't escaped the carnage. Some of the books, which Lisa usually kept so neatly ordered, were spilled across the mattress. Jackson couldn't tell for sure, but one of them looked suspiciously like a photo album.

"Ya know," Lisa said thickly, gesturing wildly with her hands. "It shouldna ev'nin be a shock."

Oh, weren't angsty drunks' fun? "What shouldn't be a shock?" Jackson asked.

Lisa glared at her like she'd just asked the stupidest question ever uttered. "The kid!" she spat.

It hit Jackson and he tried, rather unsuccessfully, to stifle a smile. "Jennie has a kid?"

"Girl," Lisa said morosely. Then her lips twisted into a snarl. "Daughter. With 'at mis'rable fuckin' 'scuse for a hum'n bean, Peter Lee."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jackson leaned back against the wall. "Buck up, princess," he said. "She divorced the bastard, didn't she? Odds are she finished with him."

"S'not the point!" Lisa said, glaring at her roommate.

"Well then what is the point?" Jackson asked.

Lisa's snarling grimace wavered, collapsing into something that looked suspiciously like a pout. Jackson inched closer to her bedroom door. After a hard night of drinking himself, he wasn't up to consoling a sobbing drunk. Lisa's knees buckled and she sat down hard on their ratty, sheet-covered, couch. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "She wasn't supposed to have kids," she said quietly.

All of Jackson's earlier mirth faded. he'd seen Lisa with lots of women, but none of them had ever come close to affecting her this profoundly. In fact, Jackson couldn't remember ever seeing Lisa look so vulnerable. It was unsettling. He shifted her weight uncomfortably on the balls of his feet. "Guess you two were close, huh?"

Lisa nodded slowly; her face buried in her hands.

"You two have a thing?"

Lisa snorted, flopping backwards so she was splayed out on the couch. She stared at the ceiling. "I loved her," she said sadly. "She thought I was a dork."

"Ah come on," Jackson scoffed, looking at the girl who had to beat women off with a stick. Jackson had stopped clubbing with Lisa. It was too depressing to watch goddess after goddess walk right past him and nuzzle up to Lisa. "I saw her look at you in the gallery the other night," she said. "The lass is soft on ya."

Lifting her head, Lisa looked at her friend miserably. "You donno," she slurred. "I wasn like this back then. I was a nerd. I was skinny 'n weird." she gestured vaguely towards her head. "Bad hair, bad skin. No style."

"So, ya gained a muscle," Jackson said. "And ya bought some leather pants. You're still you. I mean, you're still a damn bookworm when you think no one's lookin'," he said, nodding his head towards Lisa's bookshelves, lined with literature and scholarly texts on a dazzling array of subjects.

"Oh good," Lisa said, defeated, "I'm still a dork."

Jackson pursed his lips together sourly. It really wasn't his style to give pep talks to someone who had it all. "Look," he said sharply, "she liked you back then, right? Dork and all?"

Lisa sighed. "I guess," she said.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "She either liked you or she didn't."

"We were friends," Lisa admitted grudgingly. She looked away, somewhat embarrassed. "We sorta messed around."

It took Jackson a moment to realize the implications of Lisa's words and manner. He couldn't stop himself from laughing. "She loves you and leave you?" he asked, tickled at the idea that this was the woman who had given the brush off to LM., sex god.

"Inna manner a speaking," Lisa said darkly, irritated with Jackson's amusement.

"And now she's back and she has a kid."

"Yes," Lisa growled.

"You're just sore cause some other guy has a claim on her and her life," Jackson pointed out unsympathetically.

"Yeah?" Lisa said dangerously.

Jackson snorted. "Sleep it off," he said, turning to head into his bedroom. "The lass is divorced from the jerk and she's more than a little interested in you. Stop livin' in the past."

*****

"I still don't see why I have to go," Canny said, kicking absently at a crack in the sidewalk.

Jennie frowned, checking her watch again. The bus was running late. "Because Rosé is busy," she said.

"I can stay home alone," Canny groused.

Jennie didn't even bother replying. Canny knew the rules. She didn't do anything alone. Ever. Truth be told, Jennie wasn't any more excited at the prospect of dragging her difficult child along on this endeavour than Canny herself. But some things couldn't be helped. Rosé got called in when one of her fellow waitresses called in sick and was therefore unable to watch Canny.

Jennie was trying to remain positive, but it wasn't easy. Canny was having a bad day and when Canny had a bad day, everyone had a bad day. Jennie loved her child beyond measure. She would and had done anything and everything for her. But some days, her beloved daughter was almost more than Jennie could handle. Canny had an incredible mind. She had a voracious appetite for learning and got bored very easily. It was all Jennie could do to try and keep up with her need for new material and experiences. They'd been everywhere Jennie could think to take her, but money was becoming an issue. Even with discounted prices, it still got very expensive trying to keep Canny occupied. She had nearly worn out the public library, a feat Jennie had naively thought impossible.

The plan for the day had been for Rosé and Canny to visit yet another museum. Okay, so Rosé was going to visit Mark, Andy's boyfriend, who was a security guard at the museum, and Canny was going to get to look around for free. But those plans were sunk, and Canny was very disappointed. Jennie already knew that expecting Canny to sit quietly and behave while she went through Lisa's work was a pipe dream. But she didn't have any choice. This most certainly wasn't the ideal situation for Lisa to meet her daughter, but it was just another disappointment in a long series of disappointments. Nothing new there.