After the busiest week of Lisa's life, she was happy to walk out of the courtroom, finished with her mock trial. It had mostly been a blur, but from what she remembered, she thought she'd done okay.
At the very least, she hadn't accidentally cursed, fallen on her face, or fainted. That was something to be proud of as she dragged her wiped-out body back to the training room. With scores of mock trials going on at once, she wondered how many people would be hanging around relieved to be done too and how many were still running the gauntlet.
Instead of being allowed to go home and dive into bed, she had to drag her roller bag full of stuff out of the main criminal courthouse, through a stinky alley in ninety-five-degree heat, and into the main building. It was a trek she'd be making every day in a couple of years when she graduated to felonies and joined the big leagues in the big building. The thought refilled her with just enough energy to get into the lobby.
Chris caught her as she pressed the elevator button. "You did a really outstanding job," he said as they stepped on with a mob of people.
"Thanks," she replied, trying to exude confidence. What she really wanted to say was: Oh, God. Really? Do you think so? I didn't sound stupid? Or convoluted? Did I make enough eye contact? Was I likable? How did I compare to everybody else? Did I do better than Roseanne?
Chris smiled and waited until they were off the elevator to speak again. He leaned over conspiratorially as they strode toward the training room alone. "I haven't seen all the feedback yet, but I'm pretty confident that you're in the top three for sure. Not that we keep track of such things."
Lisa's eyes widened and she stopped in her tracks. "Really?"
Chris looked at her and winked. "You didn't hear that from me."
Despite being bone tired, Lisa had to actively fight the will to dance around and do cartwheels. A little validation never felt so good. She'd forgone sleep all week just to prepare, and having it pay off was an indescribable thrill.
When she floated into the training room, the sight of Roseanne chatting it up with Jungkook brought her crashing down to Earth. Standing near a table set up with cookies and drinks, his bright brown eyes were gleaming like a kid on Christmas morning. The light dimmed when he noticed Lisa enter the room.
After a moment of hesitation, he called Lisa over. "Hey! How'd it go?"
Lisa had a split second to decide whether to give him the cold shoulder to avoid Roseanne or bite the bullet. Her elation evaporated, but she resisted dragging her feet as she moved toward them.
"Not as bad as I expected," Lisa admitted, her attention trained on Jungkook. "It all went by so fast."
"I know right." He chuckled. "It's like . . . I know I opened my mouth and some shit had to come out, but I don't know what it was."
Roseanne laughed. It was a dry, cynical thing that turned Lisa's skin cold immediately. "I imagine the judge felt much the same way."
Jungkook's smile wavered. "Yeah," he said after a beat. The laugh he attempted to add sounded like a gasp.
I told you she was diabolical. No one ever believes me.
Clearing his throat, Jungkook turned his body away from Roseanne. "You want a soda or something, L? The ones they set out are warm. I can grab you one from the kitchen."
"Sure, thanks, J." Lisa hoped her smile made up for Roseanne's Venus flytrap attack. Judging by the fact that he bolted for the door without asking her what kind of soda she wanted made her doubt it.
Without Jungkook, there was no need for Lisa to suffer in Roseanne's presence. She started toward the table on the hunt for a cookie. Much to her dismay, Roseanne followed.
"Why do you look so proud of yourself?" Roseanne asked, sounding bored despite being the one to initiate the conversation.
Lisa ignored her and reached for a napkin and a sugar cookie.
"Damn, you think you did that well, huh?"
It was her stupid laugh that made Lisa's lip twitch. Why couldn't she just leave her the hell alone? "Why do you sound so worried?" Lisa asked, facing her only to find she was standing much closer than she realized.
Roseanne's body inches away from hers was unnerving, but she stared up into her sparkly hazel eyes and claimed her space. Roseanne had gotten too close. She was the one who should take a step back if she was uncomfortable.
Instead of yielding an inch, Roseanne licked her dark pink lips before taking a bite of a chocolate chip cookie. She didn't apologize for her elbow grazing Lisa's shoulder.
"It's really too bad they don't announce winners. I'd love to come out on top of you again," Roseanne said in a voice so low it was nearly a growl.
Lisa's pulse jumped in her neck. All she could do was hope the heat rushing through her body wasn't reflected on her face.
Was that a double entendre? Lisa banished the thought.
"Never going to happen." Was that the best Lisa's exhausted, unfocused brain could come up with?
Roseanne cocked her head to one side, her lips somehow fuller and more luscious as she smirked. "It never occurred to me before, but now it makes sense."
Lisa resisted taking the bait. Lost in a tangle of strange and conflicting emotions, she tried to remain stoic and unimpressed. In the rapidly shrinking room, she had no idea whether she was successful.
"What realization did I come to, you ask?" Roseanne leaned in a fraction of an inch closer.
Lisa wanted to turn and run, but she was frozen in place. That's what she told herself when Roseanne's perfume invaded her senses, making coherent thought impossible.
"It never occurred to me that you wanted to be right underneath me."
Roseanne's words filled her like smoke, invading every crevasse. Lisa pictured it immediately. Roseanne's tall, athletic body writhing on top of hers. Roseanne's lips parted as she moaned with her head thrown back. Roseanne inside her. All over her.
It was too much. Lisa stepped back, casting the thoughts out of her brain like a priest working overtime at an exorcism.
"Is this the game you're playing now?" Lisa sneered while Roseanne's expression remained unchanged but for the color in her cheeks. "Maybe you can mess with Jungkook or whoever else, but that shit isn't going to work on me. Throw your feminine wiles somewhere else, or better yet, stop playing this game all together. You're not just a dick for screwing with people, you're setting all women back about fifty years."
Roseanne furrowed her brow but said nothing as Lisa threw her uneaten cookie in the garbage and walked away.
"Lisa, I got you orange. It's the only thing that's cold," Jungkook said, crossing paths with her in the hallway. "What's wrong?" His expression faded into concern.
Lisa shook out her hands as if that could stop them from trembling. "What always happens to me apparently . . . Roseanne." She tried to laugh, but the adrenaline was rushing around her body like a firehose out of control.
Jungkook offered her the cold can and a smile. "You might be right about her. She's like a hot, mean, terminator from the future."
Lisa liked hearing she was right, but somehow it wasn't as satisfying as she hoped. She didn't want to trash Roseanne, she just wanted her gone.
Maybe she won't pass the bar, she hoped, knowing Roseanne had probably never failed at anything in her life.
Lisa remembered her job in New York. Except maybe she failed at that. Instead of bringing her joy, the thought made her stomach churn. No! Don't you dare feel bad for her. She sure as shit doesn't feel bad for you!
As Jungkook talked, all Lisa could do was keep from engaging her empathy. She absolutely refused to feel anything but contempt for a woman who had been a constant roadblock to her success and was now pretending to flirt with her just to take their competition to the next level. Well, Lisa was drawing a line. She was going to pretend Roseanne Park didn't exist.
