CHAPTER 9

"SURREAL"

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She had feelings for her.

Feelings that Lisa hadn't known existed until Jennie had asked why she wanted more from her. More than she had ever wanted from any other girl that she'd taken an interest in and the fact that the she had feelings for her, feelings she couldn't turn on and off the way she usually did with her emotions, irked and confused the hell out of her.

They annoyed her to no end because she had no control over them no matter what she tried to do; she couldn't quite get them under control. They confused her because she had truthfully never had any feelings for any girl that ran as deep as the ones she had for Jennie.

Lisa had flings, maybe a girlfriend or two, but she'd never felt more for those girls than a simple attraction. None of them had ever interested her the way Jennie did and she had never let any of them touch her face the way the brunette had. If someone else had tried to do that, she would have jerked her head away.

It didn't creep her out when someone touched her face, she just found it to intimate, much, much too intimate. She'd always prided herself on distancing herself from people, both emotionally and physically. Hugs from her were rare, handshakes were more common though only with people she knew well. With other girls, she wasn't ever affectionate, and she expected them to be the same. She didn't hold hands, she didn't let them sit on her lap…she didn't let them touch her face.

But you let Jennie touch your face.

Lisa frowned as the memory of the brunette’s hand against her cheek flooded her mind, the way she had wiped some sweat of her face and the way it had slipped from her face when she'd moved to far away from her.

She'd liked it. She enjoyed the way her fingertips had slid over her skin.

Lisa knew she could most likely blame it on the fact that those feelings and need was the reason she'd allowed it just once, but that wasn't true. It was because it was her. Those feelings most probably had added an element to it, but it was because it was Jennie that she'd let her do it because she'd seemed to need it and she'd wanted her to do it.

Lisa felt her stomach jolt at the thought.

How could she want her to do something that annoyed her so much when other people tried to do it? How could she want her to do what she did?

Groaning, Lisa dropped her head into her hands as the thoughts that had swirled in her head all weekend began to make her head ache.

"Lisa, when I told you to shoot some hoops before school, I actually meant do it physically not stare at the court in contemplation." Her Dad's amused voice, had her jerking her head out of her hands as Marco Manoban sat himself down beside his obviously distressed daughter.

"I know. I thought you were working," Lisa stated, wishing that her head would stop aching enough to let her have a normal conversation with her dad.

"Well, you seem to need my attention more than the papers on my desk," Marco watched Lisa carefully, knowing something was up with her. When Lisa didn't reply he sighed. "So, do I need to get pliers or am I going to guess?" He asked and Lisa glanced at him, her coffee-colored eyes indecipherable.

"Guess," she replied sarcastically, knowing perfectly well that her dad knew what was up with her and wanted to hear it from her.

"Hmm, girl," Marco spooned some cereal into his mouth as Lisa tensed slightly. "Small, quiet, smart, brown curly hair, am I getting warmer?" Marco asked grinning at her daughter and Lisa nodded slightly.

"Yep," she replied and Marco grinned further at the disgust in her daughter's voice.

"Hmm, lets think, ah yes, her name would be Jennie Kim, would it not?" Marco asked and Lisa nodded again.

"Yes, that would be here name and let me guess, now you're going to tell me what I've done?" Lisa faked enthusiasm as her father ate some more cereal. Marco grinned at Lisa before he decided to reply.

"You've gone and fallen for her. That's what you've done," her father said matter-of-factly and Lisa froze completely when the words left her father’s mouth. Shaking her head, she tried to clear it slightly as the words slowly began to sink in.

"Uh-uh. I haven't fallen for her-" she began and Marco cut her off, knowing Lisa would bluster before she fell silent and got cranky that she hadn't seen it before.

"Oh yes you have," when all Lisa did was stare at him, Marco continued. "Let’s see, the first sign of you falling for a girl is that fact you're not playing your fave sport, the second is you've been thinking about her all weekend and the third you were about to bluster before you realized that those 'feelings' means you've actually gone and fallen for this girl," he said plainly and was incredibly pleased when Lisa's eyes widened slightly before he turned his attention to the outside on their backyard.

There was silence for a few minutes as Lisa contemplated what her father had said, wishing that the feeling in her gut that told her her father was right, would go away.

"Dad, no-one falls for a girl that fast. I've known her for what? A month, no-one these days does that," Lisa said and Marco let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he finished off his cereal.

"Sure Lisa, whatever you say. Let's ignore the fact that you've already done it and don't seem to be very welcoming of the fact," Marco said and Lisa's eyes flashed in what Marco knew was anger before disappearing.

"I have not! I've only just figured out I have feelings for her!" Lisa exclaimed and Marco raised his eyebrows at his daughter's words.

"Feelings, fallen, it's all the same. If you have feelings for this girl, it means you've fallen for her or you're falling for her. Take your pick, but trust me on this Lisa, if you even try to ignore those feelings they’re going to turn around and bite you when you see her with someone else," Marco spoke wisely and Lisa just stared at him, wondering how the hell she was meant to deal with the feelings in the first place.

"So, what do I do?" she muttered and Marco let out a laugh at Lisa's frowning face. No matter how smart Lisa was, Marco had to admit, she really could be clueless when it came to girls and feelings.

"Do what you think you need too." Lisa rolled her eyes at her fathers’ reply.

How was that meant to help her? She'd never actually experienced anything like this before, she really hadn't and she didn't like it at all.

Getting up, Lisa threw the basketball across their backyard and headed into the house. As she did, she wished she could be angry again. It was easier to be angry with Jennie than it was to sort through things she'd never felt before and it would probably be even easier to do that if her mind stopped replaying the way she'd reacted to what she had done to her on Friday.

Even now, Lisa probably wouldn't have been able to stop herself from showing her exactly why she hadn't kissed her.

She'd asked, she'd given an answer.

It really had been as simple as that. She wished it had