Through Her Eyes (JenLisa)

Things Stolen

It was raining again. Not nearly as harshly as it had weeks before, not nearly as cold, and Lisa knew Jennie had her hoodie, so there wasn't anything to worry about.

Lisa wasn't worried.

If she was worried, it was only because once Lisa had grown used to Jennie's presence, the weekends seemed desolate and dull, too quiet. It was hard to think that Lisa had been spending all her free time alone for almost a year. It felt insubstantial now, unreal - like waking up from a dream. The world seemed alive with Jennie in it, brighter and real. Somehow Jennie's strange introduction into Lisa's world had changed it.

For one thing, she worried a hell of a lot more.

Sighing, Lisa glanced again at the clock.

What did Jennie do all day, anyway? Why couldn't Lisa have her all the time?

Lisa startled at a loud noise, jumping to her feet. Jennie was ringing her doorbell.

Lisa knew it was Jennie because no one else ever came to her door and no one else rang a doorbell quite like Jennie did. Which was to say, holding down the button until the once friendly chimes were screeching wails of death and pain.

"You're early," Lisa said as she swung the door open, trying only half successfully to keep the grin off her face. She moved aside to usher Jennie in, who was soaked, dripping on the floor, her skin slick and bare except for a small tank top. "Where's your sweatshirt?" Lisa admonished with a frown.

"Away," Jennie responded miserably. "Took it away."

Lisa stopped abruptly in her hustling Jennie down the hallway, turning to see her friend and realizing that Jennie did not look happy and carefree the way she usually did. Her eyes were too dull, her lips pressed too closely together. Lisa didn't like it. "Someone took your sweatshirt? Really?"

Jennie nodded frantically and Lisa noticed her eyes were wide and wet, shimmering in the dull hallway light, and oh God, please don't cry.

Jennie bit her lip, scrunching her nose and making an odd little noise in the back of her throat.

"It's okay," Lisa assured her anxiously, raising her hands uselessly into the air, unsure of what to do with them.

Jennie shook her head, wet hair flinging water drops against the wall. "My warmth. They took it away." She was biting her lip with slightly crooked teeth now, shoulders trembling faintly.

Lisa swallowed nervously.

Jennie made a sad little hitching noise.

"Don't cry!" Lisa blurted out, waving her hands around pointlessly. Jennie did not look convinced, her lips trembling. "Please don't," Lisa begged. "It's not a big deal. I'll get you another hoodie, we'll go to the mall and I'll buy you one. A purple one, okay? Any color you want. Just please, please don't cry." Lisa had never known what to do with sobbing people and she certainly didn't know what to do with a crying Jennie. She would buy Jennie a whole new wardrobe to avoid having to see that.

"But Lisa," Jennie whined and Lisa waited nervously for more but that seemed to be the extent of Jennie's protest. They stared at each other for a long moment, Lisa at a complete loss, until Jennie's lip stopped trembling and she blinked away tears.

"Yeah, you're fine, nothing to get upset about," Lisa assured, letting her shoulders slump and taking a relieved breath when Jennie began to look calmer. "Who took your hoodie?"

Jennie scrunched her eyebrows together, as if the question required great thought. "He was not my friend," Jennie finally came up with.

"Did Leo take it?" Lisa asked with a suspicious frown, remembering Jennie's statement weeks before, that Leo was using her jacket. "Is your roommate taking your things? Because-"