Short Story Title: See You On The Next Trip

Chapter Title: Questions Are Meant To Be Answered

A bit long, I guess? Anyway, I wanna waste a space to give a shoutout to my friend Cee, it's her birthday. Cee, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY ehe

As always, please enjoy.

 

“Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?” Chaeyoung asks with her worry-stricken face. She had asked Lisa this question so many times and with every positive response from the latter, makes her worry even more. “I can call my professors— “

 

Lisa bursts out laughing, she finds Chaeyoung’s worry a little bit too extra but adorable in a way. “I’m going to be fine Chaeng. Just go to your classes.”

 

“She’s not a kid Chaeng, she’ll be fine.” Jisoo adds, agreeing with Lisa, who gives her an ‘ok’ sign.

 

“Shut up Jisoo.” Chaeyoung glares at Jisoo, making her cower. She turns to Lisa, giving the girl some taps on the forehead before finally agreeing that she will be just fine. “Call us if something happens, okay?”

 

Lisa lifts her phone, wagging it in front of Chaeyoung like a kid, “Yup, will update you, don’t worry.” She shakes her phone a little bit more before settling it back to the bedside table.

 

Chaeyoung nods, turning over to Jisoo then says, “Jisoo let’s go.”

 

The latter obliges, grabbing her bag from the couch and waving goodbye at Lisa. But before they went out of the room, Jisoo stopped half-way, looking back at Lisa, then says, “She’ll be a great mom don’t you think?”

 

As soon as Jisoo finished her sentence, Chaeyoung grabs her by the ear. Lisa laughs at Jisoo who whimpered her way out of the room. She could hear Jisoo snickering some complaints but would never even dare to be mad at Chaeyoung. No matter how badass Jisoo can be at times, she will always have a soft spot for Chaeyoung.

 

Great friends. Lisa thought.

 

Within a few seconds, the room was engulfed with nothing but the sound of the beeping machine, keeping track of her pulse and heartbeat. It was calm and peaceful. The rays of the sun made perfect shadows of the blinds and Lisa could hear the muffled noises outside— it’s a busy day. Her hand soon finds its way to her phone, unlocking it to check on the notifications from her accounts. Once done, she went to check on her messages, she particularly taps on the messages of Jennie. Yesterday’s events started playing in her mind.

 

She reads back all the messages from Sunday morning. All the banters and teasing. The pictures that they had sent each other. Lisa can’t help but admire how Jennie perfectly captured the sunset. The pictures that Jennie had sent her either contains some item from a gift shop, the place she’s roaming around, or just her— with a great view behind. All these pictures made Lisa smile and she could only hope that Jennie laughed at how ridiculous the photos she sent. She had sent a picture of the needle injected in her vein captioning it as ‘aesthetic’. She had also sent some derp faces of herself. Some were with Chaeyoung and Jisoo.

 

It was a regular Sunday made extraordinary by her circle of friends.

 

Lisa’s moment of reminisce was cut short when her doctor barges in with a nurse following behind.

 

“Good morning Lisa, how are you feeling?” The young doctor greets, turning from one page to another.

 

“I’m feeling good.”

 

The doctor nods with a smile, still reviewing what Lisa assumed to be the results of her tests.

 

“Everything came out as normal. Your CT scan showed that there’s no damage in your skull. Your brain is perfectly fine. However, blood tests showed that your blood is low, so I’m prescribing you some medicines for that...” The doctor flashes a smile at Lisa, he gives the papers containing Lisa’s tests result to the nurse before putting his attention back to Lisa, “You’ll be discharged first thing in the morning okay?”

 

Lisa shows a small smile at the doctor with a bit of a nod. She watched the two employees leave the room and once they were out of sight, Lisa went back to her phone. She immediately sends an update to her friends and her mom about what the doctor just said. It’s still a long way before the day ends but Lisa couldn’t wait to get home. Her stay here was fun but the hatred for hospitals remained.

 

She sighs, putting her phone beside her but as soon as she let go of it, her phone beeped. She groans. “Just when I locked my phone...” she whispered.

 

But the grimace on her face faded when she sees Jennie’s name on the screen. She opens the message with excitement, not knowing why. She had always been so excited when she receives a message from Jennie.

 

 

Kidnapper Jennie 💩💩

 

Someone looks pretty excited to get out of her deathbed 😂

 

 

A smile automatically forms on her lips as she types her reply to Jennie.

 

 

On the other side of country, Jennie walks out of bathroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel. She settles herself down on her bed, waiting for Lisa’s reply. Within a minute the latter replied.

 

 

Cinnamon Rollisa 💩💩

 

Yeah, can’t wait to punch you 👊🏼

 

 

The girl chuckles and there began their unending childish bickering. They just don’t get tired of calling each other stupid names or threatening to hurt each other. The two somehow finds their own way to end up having a nonsense debate about anything. Last night, they were having a debate about how Jennie makes a good candidate for a kidnapper. The latter just couldn’t take it. Lisa was obviously making things up about her showing characteristics of a kidnapper and Jennie couldn’t help but question herself once in awhile and this is because Lisa has some good speaking skills. The brunette would sometimes just groan and tell Lisa that she for she doesn’t have anything else to say when Lisa go psychologist all over her.

 

Still having a banter with Jennie, Lisa was just about to type her reply when Jennie decided to call. Lisa playfully rolls her eyes even though no one could see it.

 

“My hands are tired from typing...” Jennie says blandly.

 

“Yeah mine too,” Lisa says, adjusting herself to a much more comfortable position.

 

“Didn’t ask you though,”

 

“Shut up,”

 

There was pause between them and Lisa could feel that Jennie is thinking about something. She wasn’t wrong when Jennie spoke.

 

“I have a question...”

 

Lisa hums in response.

 

“How long do you think would it take for a giraffe to swallow its food?”

 

Lisa face-palmed herself right after Jennie finished her sentence. It was a stupid question, but Lisa answered anyway.

 

“I don’t know, five seconds maybe?”

 

“Five seconds? With that long neck? I don’t think so.”

 

“Ten seconds. I mean it’s gonna slide down anyway, so I’m pretty sure it’s not going to take that long.”

 

“Nope. It’s probably 30 seconds or something.”

 

“What? No! It’s not like their throats have some twists and turns.”

 

“Let’s have a bet then... whoever guessed it right, will owe the other a favor.”

 

Lisa contemplates for a few seconds but agrees to what Jennie had offered. “Fine, I’ll google it. Let’s have yahoo as our basis for this ridiculously stupid question...”

 

Jennie waited for a good minute before she receives Lisa’s screenshot. Jennie smiles proudly to herself for having the closest guess to the answer Lisa had sent her.

 

“I won, my answer is closer than yours. You now owe me a favor.” Jennie laughs triumphantly, earning a growl from Lisa.

 

“You !”

 

“I know cinnamon Lisa,” Jennie pauses for a couple of seconds and Lisa could hear a distant voice on the other line. She assumed that it was Jennie’s grandma, “…as much as I want to continue teasing you, I am needed elsewhere.” Jennie says, her lips forming into a smile.

 

Lisa huffs and Jennie couldn’t help but smile even more. “You still . Bye!”

 

Jennie continued laughing even when the call ended. She shakes her as she goes out of her room.

 

 

The days Lisa spent in the hospital were short but for her, it felt forever. It was like being stuck in a boring subject which makes you fall asleep and then wake up with 58 minutes left in the clock. As soon as she was at the lobby, she could feel her freedom embracing her as if she had been imprisoned for so many years. She was so excited to leave the hospital that she forgot to sign the papers and had someone chase after her to make her sign. Fortunately, the nurse at reception was new and somehow had a crush on her because the young nurse blushed when she smiled at her.

 

“Mom, I told you I’m okay now. The doctor discharged me. Plus, I’m on my way home as we speak...” Lisa tells her mom, who called as soon as she received Lisa’s message.

 

The older woman sighs, trying to restrain herself from worrying too much. “Fine, follow what the doctor says okay? I’ll be back by Saturday night.”

 

“Okay mom, I need to go. I’m almost home.”

 

“Alright honey,”

 

The ride on her way home didn’t take that long, before she even knew it, the cab was already right in front of their house. Lisa immediately unlocks the door and the familiar ambiance of their house brought a smile to her face as it welcomed her. She puts her bag down near the shoe rack and without delay, she goes to the kitchen, getting herself some cold water to quench her thirst. She lets out a content sigh after gulping down a glass of cold water.

 

She giggles upon seeing the list her mom made for her. The list basically contains suggestions of what to eat and a strict directive of not to eat delivery foods for dinner. “I’m not a good cook mom,” she whispers, giving the list a fist bump before going upstairs.

 

Lisa stood right in front of her bedroom’s door. She looked around, examining the whole place that she had missed for quite some time. A smile crawls on her lips. She hasn’t had a good look at her bedroom. There was a jolt of memories trying to be in the light of her mind, but she was quick enough to shake them off. She walks in the middle of the room, looking around the white painted walls; noticing the small dents and the posters she had forgotten the existence of. She walks over to her left, facing a large sized cork board, tracing all the colored pins on it. The traces of the things in the past. Their group picture last December. The plane ticket of her trip to Thailand. Some lists that she already accomplished but didn’t have the heart to remove it. A quote from someone she doesn’t know.

 

Lisa could see the small details of her room. She doesn’t know why but she’s glad she’s able to see it. She takes a seat on the edge of her of bed, sighing out of ease at the feeling of comfort. Her phone rings the moment she sighed, making her jump a little bit in shock.

 

Jisoo’s calling. Lisa stares at her ringing phone, making sure she’s not being delusional. It took her a couple of seconds to accept the fact that her friend, who would rather use a snail mail or a telegram, is calling her.

 

“Jisoo? Is this really you?” Lisa greets.

 

“Yah, where the hell are you? I’m at the hospital. Your room is empty!”

 

Taken aback by Jisoo’s aggressiveness, Lisa instantly replies, “I’m at home, I was discharged earlier. Weren’t you reading my messages?”

 

Jisoo went mum right after Lisa finished her sentence. It didn’t take a genius for Lisa to figure that Jisoo was checking out her phone to confirm what she had just said.

 

Lisa suddenly hears an ‘oh’ from the latter, causing her to smack herself lightly on the face.

 

“You see it now?”

 

“Yeah, sorry Limario! Wait for me there okay?”

 

Lisa was still laughing at her friend’s mistake when the call ended. She places her phone down on her bed then groans when she heard it beep. But the frown on her face faltered when she sees Jennie’s name on the screen. If it wasn’t Jennie or anyone close to her, she would’ve let it stay unopened— maybe even let it stay there without a reply for days. But it’s Jennie. The one who makes weird and stupid questions. The one who argued with her about how long it takes a giraffe to swallow. The one who loves seeing the view from high off the ground. The one who loves sitting by the window.

 

 

Kidnapper Jennie 😎

 

I’m on my way home! Will I see you later?

 

 

Jennie’s messaged had sent Lisa into deep thoughts, trying to remember what is about to happen later. She could only remember Chaeyoung asking her yesterday to go with them, which Lisa doesn’t have a single clue as to where they’re going.

 

Tapping on the phone’s screen aimlessly was Jennie’s habit when waiting for something to pop up. She looks out the window, admiring the buildings and stores they pass by. It made her smile knowing that she’s able to relieve the experience she had in this town when she was a kid. She could still feel a little bit of sadness when she waved good bye to her grandma earlier. She knows it’s going to take a long time for her to be back.

 

Her phone chimes, indicating that she has received Lisa’s reply. A smile creeps out of her lips making her face light up.

 

 

Cinnamon Rollisa 💩💩

 

I’m not sure. Maybe?

 

 

Jennie pouts lightly. She was hoping to see Lisa with her friends when she meets this Bobby that Chaeyoung mentioned. She wanted to convince the girl to go but she’s afraid of stepping on some boundaries. What if Lisa doesn’t want to go and she goes on trying to convince her? How would Lisa react? What if she hates being forced to go?

 

There are too many questions about Lisa that is clouding her mind. She wanted to shake it away, but she also wanted them to be answered. She sighs, leaning back against her seat.

 

“I don’t mean to interrupt but I heard a heavy sigh. Something bothering you, young lady?” The middle-aged man asked politely, not wanting to come off rude and invasive.

 

Jennie smiles at the driver through the mirror, “Not a big deal. Just some questions I can’t answer.”

 

“Too many to answer? Or too hard to answer?”

 

“I’d say it’s both.” Jennie says, chuckling softly.

 

The driver hissed, “Ooh, rough. Why don’t you start with the easiest question?”

 

“Huh?” Jennie asks.

 

“Young lady, if there are too many and difficult questions, look for the easiest questions that you can answer.”

 

“It requires other people to answer my questions.”

 

“Then act on your questions young lady. Do something that’ll give you the answers.”

 

Jennie looks out the window, her eyes stares at the distant sky— thinking. She had never been one to confront people. She has never taken the initiative to ask someone about something important. For she was afraid of the answers being different from what