Lisa's hand moved slowly as she applied blush to the apples of her cheeks. She sat before a vanity mirror designed almost identically to that of her mother's. She cried inwardly as she realized that she held the exact same expression her mother did as she applied make up in her own mirror. The same look she had walked in on many times as a young girl, wondering why her mother would look so unhappy when she was making herself pretty.

     Downstairs she could hear the sound of her father's voice, and that of three other guests. She hadn't spoken to her mother since the boutique, since the hairdresser's, since they've been home. She wondered how much she had relayed to Charles about their afternoon, and dreaded having to walk down and meet his silent promise to deal with her later.

       Marcus's voice floated up to meet her ears and she shuddered away from it. Biting her bottom lip, she held back the cry that threatened to sound. She lifted her usually bright brown eyes to her reflection and saw nothing but dullness and exhaustion.

     She wanted Jae Hwa.

      She wanted him beside her. Skating his fingers across her back as he studied. Telling her jokes with his newly learned English. Out of all things, she wanted the comfort he brought with him.

     Slamming her hand onto the table, she took a long breath to relax. Even as the stream of air left from between her lips, she could still feel the tension that held her shoulders in discomfort.

    Twisting her mouth, she tried out different expressions to use once she got downstairs. She didn't want to ignite anything within her parents if she could help it.

    "This is so fucked up." She said with a smile that was so large and strained her eyes began to water.

    "Well, you're not going to make him wait all night. Are you?" In the doorway, Tonya leaned against the wooden frame watching her daughter. She had truly wanted to run over, to hug her and apologize for the scene earlier, but didn't know how. She could already see the distance she had been placed at by her daughter, and wasn't sure on how to close it off.

       Tonya watched as Lisa swiftly grabbed her shawl and clutch from a nearby table. She was expecting-hoping-that Lisa would look at her for just a glance to see that she was sorry in her eyes. Holding her breath, she sighed as her daughter breezed past her.

    "Lisa!" she let out scathingly. "Damn it....Lisa!"

    "What?" Her voice wasn't raised or hard. It was at a neutral level, blurring the lines of her possible detonation. She was hard to read, and it sent chills down Tonya's spine. Tonya swore that she saw an insolent look on her daughter's face which only fueled her rage. That and the wide eyed stare that was directed her way.

   Pulling in her lips, Tonya clenched and unclenched her fists at her sides. Within two strides, she stood before Lisa with one shaky finger rose between them.

     "Do not try me.You ungrateful ..." Her words fell from the sight of eyes that had no depth. When Tonya looked into them, all she could see was her dark reflection staring back. Gathering herself, she smoothed down the front of her dress and closed her eyes.

    "I want you to have a good night, Lisa. This is for the best. This is all for you." Tonya's eyes opened with a deceiving softness to them and a smile on her lips.  The corners of her red mouth turned down immediately in response to the back of Lisa's head already walking halfway down the spiral staircase. Her eyes caught the older woman's with dismissal.

     "I swear. That damn girl. That damn attitude." Exasperated, Tonya too returned to the house guests.

oOo

       When Lisa descended the stairs, her eyes scanned the lower level of their immaculate home. On one side of the room, she spotted her father and his business partner admiring one of Charles's limited collection items. His loud and boisterous laugh had her grinding her teeth as she painted a semi decent smile on to her face. Hopefully it would last her long enough to stay on her father's good side until she was out of the house.

          It felt as if her hand could burn through the detailed railing, she was so hot. Her senses were on high alert, and she could feel the slight rise of her heart beat.

       "Tell me that isn't my girl Weedy." The all too familiar voice of Marcus echoed through the home. Glancing to her right, she couldn't help the relief and happiness that filled her upon seeing him. He held glass of water in his hand that he sipped from before placing it on a nearby table. Removing his hands from his pants pocket, he donned his trademark smile.

     She found herself hurrying down the steps to run into his open arms. Hugging and laughing with him, she was quickly reminded of why he was here.

     "Finally the woman of the hour has arrived. You've had your date sweating bullets down here, and might I say I can see why." Lisa tensed instantly at the words of Marcus's father. Pulling away from him abruptly, the happiness she had soon faded as she cleared her throat and took a step back, folding her arms before her.

    "Yes, David. You think looking this good is easy?" Tonya grazed her daughter's shoulders with her fingertips as she walked to her place beside her husband. Charles wrapped his large hand around her waist, drawing her in for a chaste kiss.

     "Oh, but being your daughter, she's already naturally stunning. What more would she need?" David's wheezy cackle jiggled his round stomach and the glass of wine he held to his lips. He was a stout man, standing at a mere 5'4. His wife was no taller. Marcus was their oldest child, and golden child. He was tall, athletic, studious, and very prosperous on his own at 28 years old. Most people stared in awe that he was born from the pair who were his complete opposite.

    With clasped hands beneath her chin, Marcus's mother scurried to her side to wrap her arms around the young girl.

       "Good Lord girl! Look at you now! Marcus isn't she beautiful?" Prodding her cheeks, Lisa tried not to cringe away from her usual manners.

     "Thank you Miss Juanita." She was used to the constant praise from her. It was something that used to comfort her as a child. Juanita had always been the mother figure Lisa fantasized about having. She smiled, said sweet things, always said how good of a job she was doing with any and everything. Whenever she would sneak her way over to Marcus's house during the summer, she could always find a slice of some sort of sweet waiting for her upon arrival. The nickname given to her was Weedy. In her early years, Lisa had shot straight up, and had everyone suspecting she would take on her mother's tall and slim figure. She didn't luck out on height, but she did have the body size of Tonya.

     "I see you're finally getting a body on you. Have you been eating more? Hmm, when I was your age I was that small. "

   "Oh, my." Tonya laughed uncontrollably to the side, clenching her stomach as she doubled over. Charles himself fought back the smile on his face, shaking his arm at his wife to gather herself.

     "Oh, goodness. I'm sorry. That was just, oh God. Ridiculous." With the last word coming out in a low breath, Tonya reached for a champagne glass and downed it over her receding laughter.

    Lisa felt a clench in her stomach as the embarrassment on Juanita's face reminded her of a young girl shying away from words she was used to being taunted by. Though her eyes looked misty, Juanita kept a smile on her face while she attempted to laugh along, to ease the sting.

     "Of course that was long ago." Nodding her head, she walked back over to her husband who held a loving and apologetic look for bringing her along to hear something like that.

     Looking to Marcus, Lisa began apologizing profusely for her mother's insult towards his own.

     "Weedy, you act like that's something new from her. Tonya is the same old Tonya. What's to be expected?" Shaking his head, he drew her in for another hug, rocking her back and forth. Taking in a deep breath, she could smell the scent of his cologne laced in his coat jacket.

     "How is school going? Are you still dancing?"

     Just before she began to answer, Charles piped in to the conversation." Now, don't you think you should be saving all of the small talk for your dinner? Which you two need to be on your to." Clapping Marcus on his back and kissing his daughter on her cheek, Charles's less than subtle kick out the door made Lisa sigh.

      "I guess we should be going." She said reluctantly. Marcus caught on to her expression as she fiddled with the clutch in her hands.

   The conversation he had with Charles days ago came to mind.

    "You and I, and everyone else know that she absolutely admires you. Going to dinner with you would be one of the best things for her. I know she's already told me how nervous she is."

   "Weedy? That doesn't sound like her at all." Marcus uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck as Charles belted out a loud laugh."

    "Things change. One day she's a girl, and the next a woman. Trust me."

     Lisa was never known to be shy of any sort. She admires him? Well, of course he knew that, but the implication that Charles had made had sent Marcus for a loop. He had contemplated on the possibility of Lisa having developed feelings for him outside of the brother sister relationship they have always held. Of course she had her crush on him as a child, but that soon dissipated. He had never seen her that way, and hearing now that she may have seen more out of their friendship made it difficult to decide how to approach the situation.

        "You're right. Let's go get some grub. I've been wanting to go to Fatties to get a big, juicy, nasty burger for a long time." He tried to make her more comfortable and was glad to see her eyes brighten slightly.

       "I'm afraid you're going to be wanting that for an even longer time because tonight you two have reservations at La Reve. You're sure to have a good time there."

    "That's very thoughtful of you Mr. Dudley. I guess we should get going now?" Leading Lisa towards the front door, Anthony waved good bye to the remaining adults. "We'll see you later." Opening the door, he let Lisa step out first and then followed. Digging for his keys, he turned to the sound of Tonya from the doorstep. Both turned to hear her cry.

    "Have a beautiful night! Be Safe!" Waving her hand in the air, her hair and dress lightly moved against her body. She watched as Marcus held the passenger door open for Lisa,and then went to start the car. As they drove away, her eyes connected with anger lit brown ones beyond the car window.

     Once they were out of sight, her fake grin dropped. Reentering the house, she saw that the other couple was seated across the table from her husband, and went to join them.

    "Come on honey, we need to go through everything for the engagement plans."

    Pulling out the seat beside Charles, Tonya looked everyone in the eyes.

    "Whatever we do, we have to do well. Getting those two to understand what we need from them-especially Lisa-may be hard."