The Ruby and The Sunflower [COMPLETED]

YIELD

Jennie cried in the bathroom for more than an hour. She placed one of the bathrobes in the bath tub and lied down in a fetal position. When she felt cold, she wore the bathrobe and exited the bathroom to get some clothes.

She didn't even bother checking on Lisa. She went back to the bathroom and locked the door again, now taking the time to inspect her body. Checking herself in the mirror, she had hickeys on her chest and a few scratches here and there but aside from that, she was okay. Nothing that a long shirt couldn't hide.

"I'm okay... I'm okay..."

Or so she thought. When she tried to take a bath and the warm water from the shower hit her, she felt pain coming from her genital area. She checked and there was a small abrasion along with mild inflammation from the friction burn that Lisa caused. It was like getting a rope-burn inside your vagina.

Still, she had to take a bath. She tried to wash away all the anger, fear, disgust and sadness that she felt. For thirty minutes, she stood underneath that warm shower, withstanding the pain. She knew that she would eventually have to leave this bathroom and face Lisa. Once she was done changing, she quietly exited and looked at Lisa, thinking that she would be asleep. Jennie was surprised to see that Lisa was crying...

"Has she been crying for two hours? Well... Fuck her."

Truth is, Lisa had been crying from the moment Jennie left. She wasn't in her right mind during everything that happened earlier. You could say that Lisa thought that she was dreaming. And now, as she curled in bed like a child, Jennie could hear her sniffling and coughing...

The room was very cold and Lisa was not wearing anything from the waist up. The blanket was on the floor and as mad as Jennie was, she couldn't not care.

She moved to Lisa's side and dressed the girl once again, with less care or hesitation this time. She then took the blanket from the floor and covered Lisa. Jennie was still hurt, the physical pain she could endure, but after what Lisa did, she didn't know how to face Lisa when she wakes up in the morning. She stood up, preparing to leave the room to get some work done when she heard Lisa mumbling in between sobs.

"Daddy... I'm sorry... Please don't kick me out...", whispered Lisa in between her crying.

"She's dreaming..."

"Mommy... I'll give up photography, okay? Just tell daddy to forgive me... I really want to go home.", begged Lisa as her body kept shaking.

Their team knew that Lisa left her parents' place in Thailand to come to Singapore and pursue photography... But she didn't know about all this. The nightmare went on and Lisa kept begging her parents to take her back... Jennie felt conflicted. She wanted not to care but she couldn't. Not with Lisa.

"Chaeyoung... Open the door. You're the only one I have left. Please, don't leave me too... Chaeyoung... I love you.", whispered Lisa again.

"Chaeyoung? Who was that?"

Whatever Lisa was dreaming about, it was clearly taking its toll. She kept shivering even under the blankets. Jennie panicked a bit when she saw Lisa shaking underneath the thick blanket so she checked Lisa's forehead... She was burning up.

"Sooya... I love you... Please don't go... Why do you all leave? Why?", begged Lisa. Her voice kept breaking as she kept trying to squeeze all her tears out.

She kept on crying and mumbling. Jennie didn't realize that her anger has faded, replaced by sorrow, compassion, pity. She stood up to adjust the AC when she heard Lisa say her name...

"Jenn, I'm sorry... Please stay... I need at least one person to stay... Please. Stay with me...", whispered Lisa one last time.

There they were, the words Jennie wanted to hear. It may just be the ramblings of a drunk, feverish girl but it was enough for Jennie. She wanted to prove to Lisa that she's worth loving - that Lisa was worth staying for.

"Okay.", said Jennie.

She took the pillow and blanket from her bed and laid them over Lisa's blanket, she then slept behind Lisa, brushing her hair with her hand and making sure that Lisa knew she was there.

"Please don't go..."

"Okay."

After seeing her parents, her friends, Chaeyoung and everyone else leaving her, the last image Lisa saw in her dream was Sooya, waving with a smile... was it hello... or another goodbye?

Lisa opened her yes... She was alone again... She was alone still...

...

...

And then she felt a hand, holding her hand. Lisa couldn't distinguish what's a dream and what's real anymore. She squeezed the hand and closed her eyes again.