A Night with the Queen

Part III

PART III

"Mom, did we win the lottery or something?" Lisa asked after she saw the feast on their dining table.

"We don't even bet on the lottery. How can we win?" Her mom grinned and ushered them to sit.

"Jaimee and I met at the store while I was buying ingredients for tonight and she bought all of these."

Jaimee in a convenient store? That doesn't sound right. Unless their family owned that convenience.

Somehow, Lisa knew the other girl planned all this.

She sat down with Jaimee sitting comfortably across her. Keith was on her side, across Elsa.

Their dinner was really a feast. At least, for Lisa and her mother. They don't even prepare this much food during Thanksgiving. Well, it's not that they don't, it's just that they can't*.

There was roast chicken on the table, with mashed potato and gravy, some salad and Lisa can already smell apple pie fresh out of the oven.

She turned at Jaimee. "You didn't have to buy us this. You're our guest," Lisa spoke softly.

Although if it was up to me, I wouldn't let you get near me ever again.*

The girl shrugged carelessly. "I wanted to."

In Lisa's mind, she was already formulating ways to pay Jaimee back. It might take a couple of her paychecks and one week worth of lunch money though.

But as if reading her thoughts, Jaimee spoke.

"You don't have to pay me back. You could just tutor me or something," the blue-eyed girl dismissed. "Can you pass me the gravy?" the cheerleader asked instead, eyeing Lisa with a look Lisa just can't place.

It's literally in front of her! She's doing this on purpose.*

Lisa gritted her teeth, but she complied.

Jaimee took this opportunity to slightly caress Lisa's hand as she passed the gravy. Lisa almost dropped the sauce at the electrifying contact. She glared at the other girl who smirked at her reaction, seemingly pleased that she still had an effect on the cute girl.

"Here, put some more mashed potato on your plate. It's good," Keith interrupted and put food into Lisa's plate. The quaint girl smiled awkwardly.

"You really need to eat more," Jaimee suddenly added, putting another piece of chicken on her already full plate before raising an eyebrow and giving Keith a certain look.

Lisa and her mother were taken back by their guests' unusual behavior, but if Elsa was bothered by it she didn't let it show. Lisa, however, was sweating bullets. She didn't know Keith or Jaimee that well, but if they had any kind of animosity with each other they better settle it outside Lisa's house.

After dinner, Lisa did the dishes as per usual while Elsa went to check on her herbs and get ready for her part-time job.

"Let me help you, Lisa. It's the least I could do for the free food," Kieth smiled at her.

Jaimee, not one to be outdone, offered to help do the dishes too. At that, Lisa raised an eyebrow at.

"Do you even know how to wash dishes?" she asked.

The other girl shrugged, "You just load it inside a dishwasher, right?"

"Do you see a dishwasher here? No, Jaimee. We do it manually. Like normal people," Lisa said, "You can go ahead and let me finish this."

And leave you here with Mr. Prince-Not-So-Charming? Hell no!*Jaimee thought to herself, eyeing the other guest suspiciously.

"I want to help," Jaimee insisted.

Lisa sighed. She knew how stubborn Jaimee can be. She had no choice but to let the other girl help. Lisa ended up soaping the dishes while Keith rinsed them. Meanwhile, Jaimee was in charge of drying the plates. It was fine for ten minutes, but her two guests kept arguing that eventually, Lisa kicked them out of the kitchen before they break something.

Jaimee glared at Keith before sitting down on the couch. "So, Hallin... What do you want with Lisa?"

The boy shrugged. He didn't know the deal with Jaimee. She had always been difficult, but this is different. She's just a pure asshole now. So he tried to anger her even more. "I like Lisa."

Jaimee's eyes narrowed and she clenched her fist into a ball. "Oh really?"

"I want her to be my friend. She's fun and easy to talk to."

"Bullshit. You never noticed her before. What's the deal now?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You're the one to talk. If I didn't meet you here today, I would have never known you two are friends."

The cheerleader shifted her gaze away uncomfortably, "We're not friends."

Keith just looked at Jaimee, confused. Good thing Lisa chose that time to come back from the kitchen.

"Hey, guys," she made her presence known awkwardly.

"Lisa, thank you so much for dinner. But I'll be going now," Keith reached out and hugged the shy girl shortly. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

And to add emphasis, he looked over at Jaimee who was about ready to smack him.

Lisa nodded, feeling a little embarrassed at the hug. "Take care."

Keith nodded and eyed Jaimee once again before going outside. And now there were only the two of them left.

An awkward silence fell in the room. The smaller girl was still very much mad at the cheerleader. Mad, and also confused. Why is Jaimee in her house sitting comfortably on their sofa?

"So, you got yourself a boyfriend," Jaimee started, voice sarcastic and borderline mean. "Very nice."

Lisa tried to act strong and make her voice sound like she was not intimidated by Jaimee. "He's not my boyfriend," she managed to squeak out.

The other girl stood up and approached Lisa, mind clouded by a feeling she could not name.

"You may find a boyfriend but he will never make you feel the way I made you feel. He will never kiss those lips as passionately as I did. And most of all, he will never make your heart feel like it's about to beat out of your chest," Jaimee leaned down, their lips almost touching,

"All of those, I made you feel."

And then without another word Jaimee pulled her in for a brief, powerful kiss before leaving her frozen and shocked.

The morning after found Lisa clutching her bag close to her small body as if the small imitation bag could protect her from a brutal murder—or keep her from committing one.

She stayed low, avoiding anyone at all costs while she went to her classes. She didn't go through the main entrance of the school but went around the back. She didn't want to be unfortunate enough to bump into Jaimee.

God, I hate that girl so much.*

Jaimee stole her heart, shattered it to a million pieces, and then before Lisa could even start to pick the pieces up, she's playing with it again. Like, what's up with that?*

Lisa admits, every time she thinks about Jaimee's harsh words, all she remembers were those beautiful eyes staring right back her, filled with lust and what she pathetically thought as love.

If Lisa could travel back in time, she would've slapped herself.

Suddenly, before the petite girl could continue her internal ramblings, she was yanked inside a janitors closet by a cold, yet soft grip. As her eyes adjusted to the dim surroundings, she saw sparkling blue eyes. Lisa felt the person push her until her back was against the wall and as she opened her mouth to scream, she was silenced when another mouth clashed into her own.

Lisa knew those lips. The soft, plump lips that kissed her softly, making her knees weak and making her head spin. She melted into that kiss. Until she felt sneaky hands slipping from her waist to her backside, cupping her butt.

She pushed the now grinning Jaimee away and slapped her. No, Lisa was not strong enough to actually hurt anyone so the other girl merely brushed it off.

"Good morning," Jaimee grinned and before Lisa could even push her away again, the cheerleader kissed her forehead and quickly exited the closet.

Lisa stood there, frozen. Then she touched her lips. Her lips just got kissed.

"That-... That kiss stealer!"

Lisa was currently on her way to English. Her brain was all fuzzled and confused from the kiss earlier.

What was that? What the hell was THAT?*

"Yo Lisa!"

Lisa whipped her head and saw Keith jogging to catch up with her. She smiled timidly at him, noticing the curious glances that they received.

"Here, I'll carry your bag. We have English together, right?" Keith said, excitedly snatching Lisa's bag away from her.

Lisa nodded. "Keith, we're being stared at. I don't want you to lose any popularity because of me," then the small girl's head drooped.

"f**k popularity. It won't pay my bills and feed me. I need real friends," he laughed then threw his arm around her shoulders. "You're gonna pay my bills someday, right?"

For the first time, Lisa laughed really hard, her nose wrinkling cutely and Keith was pleasantly surprised that he made his new friend laugh.

Neither of them knew that a few feet away, hidden behind some lockers, a furious teen was observing them. Her sharp glare was directed exactly at the arm wrapped around Lisa's shoulder. Her heart dropped when she heard the small girl laugh.

She had never made Lisa laugh that hard before.

With fists clenched, the teen stormed away, jealousy tugging hard at her heart.

Lunchtime came. Keith and Lisa were strolling aimlessly on their school's 'dead' spot. The school had areas which had no cell reception, no wifi, no other buildings, and any recreational structures, hence it is called a dead spot. But to Lisa, the place couldn't possibly be dead. It had trees, a fresh breeze, and silence. It was her sanctuary during lunchtime. No one ever goes there.

"I'm hungry," Keith complained.

"Then eat," Lisa shushed him.

"I don't want to go back inside. It's too crowded already," he complained.

Lisa chuckled and found a nice table to set her things unto, "Then stop complaining. You wanted this."

"How about you?" Keith asked as she sat across Lisa, "Aren't you hungry?"

"I'm fine. I don't usually eat a lot," she explained. Lisa was feeling a bit hungry, but she wanted to save as much money as she possibly can to pay Jaimee back. She can wait a few more hours—plus, she has water and a trail mix in her backpack. She'll be alright.

Keith looked at her weirdly before standing up. "I'm going to get us something to eat. I'll be right back," then he hurried off back to the cafeteria.

Lisa shook her head and took out her notes. She might as well study during her free time.

"Geez. Do you ever do anything other than study?"

Lisa turned her head so fast, she wondered why it didn't snap. She saw Jaimee, in all of her glory, standing beside her.

"Mind if I sit beside you?" The cheerleader asked and didn't even bother hearing Lisa's reply before she sat down beside Lisa anyway, setting her tray in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" Lisa asked in disbelief.

What the hell is the matter with this girl?*

"I'm here to make sure you eat," Jaimee replied, retrieving the pizza from her tray and putting it in front of Lisa's mouth.

"Eat. I rarely see you in the cafeteria. But when I do see you, it's when they serve pizza. So I guess you must like pizza," she explained absentmindedly.

Lisa couldn't believe this girl.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Lisa stood up, glaring at the Jaimee. "I am not a toy you can just play with! Damn you, Jaimee!"

Lisa's eyes started to water and it was making Jaimee's heart clench painfully, seeing the smaller girl cry because of her.

Jaimee sighed and put the pizza down.

"I'm sorry," Jaimee played with the small carton of milk. "I've never felt this way before. Ever."

Then she looked at Lisa straight in the eye.

"You confuse the hell out of me. You make my heart beat so fast and make me do or say stupid things and I am really sorry."

Jaimee stood up, their bodies now separated by mere inches.

"I want you in my life, Lisa. But I am scared," Jaimee paused, searching for the right words. "I'm scared of everything that is happening to me."

Lisa saw how Jaimee's eyes were tormented. And a second later, she felt the other girl wrap her arms around her and pull her into a tight embrace.

Lisa stiffened visibly, but Jaimee only embraced her tighter. "Holding you like this has to be the most satisfying feeling in the world."

"I-" Lisa started but stopped herself.

Truth is, she loved being held by Jaimee.

A few moments later, the cheerleader broke away from Lisa and gave her a tender kiss on the forehead. "Eat your lunch," she said before walking away.

When Keith returned, she saw an odd-looking Lisa standing and staring at a blank space absentmindedly.

Something definitely happened.

******

Lisa does not like feeling confused. Out of all things that she hates, confusion is what irritated her the most.

Confusion meant that there was something Lisa can't understand or comprehend, and the fair-haired girl's pride as an intellectual being couldn't take it. That's probably why it stressed her to the point of forgetting to do her homework in one of her AP classes.

Unforgivable.

And this is all her fault!* It's like a civil war inside of me. My feelings, emotions and rational thoughts are in a war.*

The smart girl, for the first time, didn't know anything. And it was all definitely  Jaimee's fault.

She sighed and finally put her pen down. She was mostly done with her essay; all she has to do is to type it in the school's computer, print it and pass it to her teacher.

After cleaning her schoolwork up from the dining table—which she also uses as a study table—Lisa, ever the hardworking one, got out and started to help her mom harvest some fresh rosemary, oregano, and basil. Tomorrow, they will harvest their lemon balm, thyme, and purslane. All in all, they have 24 varieties of herbs that they sell. It's not a very profitable business, but it is enough to pay for their day to day expenses.

The mother and daughter live a very simple life.

"Have you finished your schoolwork, Lisa?" Elsa asked while she was preparing pots for another batch of rosemaries.

Lisa put soil into another pot and patted it down carefully. "Yes, mother. I finished all the schoolwork I had. I can make the deliveries later if you like."

Elsa nodded, satisfied. After all, her daughter's education always comes first. She made a mistake of getting herself pregnant before even finishing high school, but she will never let anything like that happen to her little girl.

"I'm going to have to buy you a bicycle. Walking is very exhausting and I don't want you to overexert yourself. You still have to go to college," Elsa said, wiping her hands on her gardening apron.

"I'm okay mom. Can I go to the public library after I make the deliveries? It's been a while and I want to know if they have something new."

"Sure, but be sure to go home before dinner. It's not safe for you to walk around alone, especially at night."

Lisa nodded excitedly.

In no time, Lisa was already on her way, pulling her little delivery buggy with her. Her first order of business was the nearest restaurant on the 6th street: Jack's Grill.

When she was little, Lisa used to tag along during her mother's deliveries. At first, it was because she liked riding their buggy. Her mother couldn't afford to buy her any toys so she'd let Lisa ride it and they'd have fun on their own. When Lisa became too big for the buggy, her mother made her push it instead while she quizzed Lisa about her homework. They didn't have much, but her mother made the best out of it.

Lisa looked fondly over those memories. Her mother had always been so devoted to her; never remarrying, never finding someone else to spend her life with. It was that independence which Lisa respected and admired. And she loved her mother fiercely.

Before long, she reached her destination and saw someone already waiting for her at the back door. She smiled and handed the neatly wrapped package to the man.

"It's very nice doing business with you, Lisa. Send my regards to your mother!"

"Thank you, sir," Lisa waved back at Old Man Jack, owner of Jack's grill. "Say 'hi' to the missus for me."

Then she went her merry way to her next destination, pushing her makeshift buggy full of herbs with a jovial spring to her step. She liked going around town, but she was most excited about going to the library. That has to wait though, she thought to herself. After all, she still had to do her deliveries.

Sometimes she wonders why these big restaurants still do business with them when they could have looked for bigger, better producers. Then again, she knew it was because theirs is a small town which looked after their own and she appreciated that. Without the local businesses' patronage, Lisa didn't know where they could have ended up.

Her next destination would be the best Italian place in their town and, by far, their biggest customer: Giancarlo's.

The staff at Giancarlo's is always nice and they always give her a ton of breadsticks every week of delivery. The head chef personally requested them to provide their fresh oregano this week.

"Lisa!" Miss Karly, the assistant manager, greeted the small girl. "Just in time as usual. You can put those down and let Carlos help you."

Carlos, the teenage boy who part-times as a dishwasher there, smiled at Lisa and hauled the boxes towards the pantry. She sees Carlos at school sometimes so she gives him a small smile back.

"Here's something for you," Miss Karly said, handing the girl an envelope that contained payment for the shipment. Lisa thanked the manager with a smile and waited for Carlos to return with her small wooden box. When he did return it, the box was filled to the brim with breadsticks in little paper bags.

"There you go, freshly baked," Carlos said, putting the box on her buggy, "We made a little too much today and the chef said to give you extra. There are even some garlic ones there that you like."

"Thank you so much," then the small girl smiled timidly at him before going on her way. She was about to exit through the back door when the kitchen door opened and Jaimee walked in casually.

Jaimee.

The queen.

She struggled to slip out quietly, but only managed to slam her buggy on the metal door, creating a sound that turned all heads to her.

Dammit.*

She inspected the door, praying that she didn't deny it, or she would be in big trouble.

Looks good, thank God. Now I have to go now, or—*

"Lisa!"

She pretended that she didn't hear Jaimee call her and just focused on getting out of that place. Seriously, the cheerleader is everywhere!

Lisa only stopped when she felt soft fingers wrap around her arm which forced her to slow down. The smaller girl inhaled sharply before facing the beautiful witch that was Jaimee.

She let her dark blonde locks down and wore a floral, summer dress which looked absolutely gorgeous on her. Her lips actually look like they are smirking and—

And that's when she realized that she had been staring.

"What is it?" She asked, looking at everywhere but Jaimee.

The cheerleader's smile never faltered while she stared at Lisa.

 "Fancy seeing you here. Looks like you're the local herb girl my dad was talking about."

"I still have deliveries to do, so if you have nothing important to say, I guess I'll leave now," Lisa answered before she started to push her buggy away.

That's when Jaimee frantically grabbed her forearm again.

"Wait! I'll take you there! Let me just grab my keys, and then—"

"No, thank you," Lisa sighed, rolling her eyes.

The fair-haired girl heard Jaimee curse before hearing rapid footsteps behind her. Jaimee is following her.

"You're very stubborn," Jaimee complained after she finally caught up with Lisa. She put her shades on and was thankful that none of her schoolmates fancied walking around the town at one in the afternoon.

Lisa ignored the other girl's comment, choosing to ignore her. After all, Jaimee will get tired of her soon enough. Her little game will eventually stop if Lisa just ignored her completely. Then she could find another toy to go play with.

As much as it hurt Lisa to be regarded as a 'thing' in Jaimee's life, it was the truth. She was nothing more than a plaything to pass up time, just like Jaimee said during their bathroom encounter. And what she said to Lisa the last time they met was just something to keep the game alive.

Never again, Lisa thought.

"How much longer do we need to walk? We should've taken my car," Jaimee complained.

Lisa secretly smirked, happy that she was causing Jaimee some discomfort. It's the only revenge she can think of for now. So she decided to be crueler by walking the long way towards her destination.

"You're free to go home anytime," Lisa said, pushing her buggy merrily.

Jaimee frowned, noticing that the smaller girl was a little too happy that she was suffering. The cheerleader sighed. If she could make Lisa happy this way, then she could probably endure a little more. Jaimee followed the small girl quietly, observing her from a distance. She really likes Lisa. Although she knew what she had said to the girl was unforgivable, deep in her heart she wished that Lisa would forgive her and be with her.

But she can't.

They were too different and Jaimee has so much to lose.

Jaimee's musings were cut short when she saw a breadstick being waved at her face and Lisa looking at her.

"Are you okay? If you're going to have a heat stroke, I suggest you do it at home. I can't carry you."

Jaimee blinked a couple of times before grabbing the breadstick and biting into it. It was good, and she made a mental note to praise their head baker after she got home.

Jaimee at Lisa, "Are you free after your deliveries?"

Lisa's brows connected. What is Jaimee up to now?*

"Why?" she tentatively asked.

"I want to take you out on a date."

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