The Girl Who Lives In My Garage • Jenlisa

eighteen

I drop Lisa's backpack in the living room and motion to the couch. She takes off her coat and sits with her head back and her arms folded over her chest, looking miserable. She's got a cough that sounds miserable, too. I tuck the blankets tightly around her. "You're a mess."

"It's just a cold."

"It was just a cold before you spent too much time in the cold. Now it's probably pneumonia."

She rolls his eyes. "Dramatic."

I can't help but smile. I missed her even more than I thought.

Before I can respond, Jisoo's bedroom door opens. As she walks downstairs, I say, "Lisa's here."

She gives me a raised-eyebrow look until she sees Lisa. Then she frowns. "No offense, but you don't looks so good."

She gives a weak smile. "None taken," she says, then breaks into a coughing fit.

"Is she okay?" Jisoo asks.

"Not sure. Her parents are out of town. I didn't want her to be alone." The lie comes easily. I rub Lisa's back while she coughs into the crook of her elbow. When I look up, Jisoo is gone, probably back to calculus or physics or whatever other homework Lisa's appearance interrupted on a Sunday afternoon. "You're okay," I tell her as the coughing slows down. "You know, you really should keep your lungs inside your chest, where they belong."

"Trying," she gasps, wincing as she swallows.

Jisoo reappears, not with a textbook, but with a thermometer, Tylenol, and a bottle of water. Okay. It's going to take me a while to get used to the"my sister doesn't completely suck" thing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She turns on the thermometer, and Lisa digs a hand out from the blankets to put it in her mouth. We sit in silence until the thermometer beeps.

"One oh two point four," I read. "It's official. You're sick."

Jisoo hands her two Tylenol and the bottle of water. "As if we needed confirmation."

"Thanks," Lisa says, and closes her eyes. She's asleep almost immediately.

"I'm going back upstairs. No inappropriate behavior between you two."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, like I'm going to take advantage of her in her weak state." That thought takes my mind to Chaeng's teary phone call before Lisa's reappearance. "Hey, Chu?" I leave Lisa's side and follow her halfway up the stairs so we won't disturb her.

"Yeah?"

"You should probably... uhm how am I going to say this... uhm you should know that Chaeyoung is pregnant."

Jisoo gasps. "Oh my God. Seriously? A big what the fuck to the world, what's she going to do?"

"She's not sure yet." It's obvious Jisoo is sad. "But the reason I'm telling you is that I don't want you to be hurt and feel betrayed if you hear this soon from others."

"...Hanbin," she finishes for me, not minding about the reason I spill, her eyes closed. When she opens her eyes, the disappointment is obvious.

"Yeah. Sorry."

She sighs and shrugs. "It's okay. It's not like I ever had a chance with her. She just seemed...nice. And cute. And fun."

"There are other nice, cute, fun guys," I say. "Ones that don't sleep around and get girls pregnant."

Jisoo nods. "Yeah. There are." Then she goes upstairs.

...

Most of the afternoon and evening is spent curled up on the couch, watching TV while Lisa sleeps. I have enough foresight to text my parents and let them know that Lisa is here.