Jenny was there, waiting, her arms still folded over her chest. Shane watched her as if she was seeing her for the very first time.

“I tried all week to tell you how sorry I am”, she mumbled.

Jenny didn’t seem to notice her words.

“…And I’ve also realized that I’m in love with you…”, she murmured instead, following her own personal course of thoughts, “…Now I’m like all those stupid girls…”.

Shane stared at her as her heartbeat fastened. What was she supposed to do, now? Was Jenny about to forgive her, to forgive her little debacle with Nikki? Was Jenny still her friend?

Shane surely hoped so. But those words. Those last words cut her deeper than she thought it was possible. She wasn’t only surprised. She was also terrified and uncomfortable and terribly, terribly exhausted.

That was it. Jenny was just like all those stupid girls and Shane didn’t want her to be like that. She wasn’t supposed to be like that. She was her best friend for Christ’s sake.

And yet those imaginary walls closing all around her didn’t let Shane breathe. Jenny was still staring at her, waiting for her to reply and she didn’t have any words in store for her.

Finally, Jenny relented and disappeared in the kitchen. Metaphorically speaking, Shane observed her disappear from her life, too, and called her out.

“Jen… Jenny?”, she blurted out, tentatively.

Jenny’s tiny body and her enormous hazel eyes and her long dark hair and her pouting face and her black outfit reappeared.

“What?”, she whispered, throwing her hands in the air, “What?”.

Shane swallowed. She moved some unsure steps and a second later she pulled her into her arms, holding her. Jenny’s arms snaked around Shane’s waist and then her palms rested on her shoulder blades.

Shane pulled back, stared at her and felt the grieving colliding with Jenny’s expectant look. She took her face into her hands and kissed her. It wanted to be a soothing, friendly kiss, but soon it turned into something much more intimate. Shane’s grief mounted as she closed her eyes and let Jenny’s tongue slid into her mouth.

And a few seconds later, when Jenny pushed her lightly into her own bedroom and started undressing her, Shane switched off her thoughts and did what she was so good at. She did what Jenny expected her to do, all night long.