camisado (relax, relapse) --kayleigh

[alisa noor ventimiglia]

So watch me strike a match,
On all my wasted time
As far as I'm concerned,
You're just another picture to burn.

It was the night of Vogue's Fashion's Night Out, but Alisa wasn't in the best mood ever. Which was rare, because she usually loved hanging around with fellow designers and models--not to mention, Vogue's Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, was really nice to her. Anna helped her working her way up in the fashion industry, and she was the first person to discover her. Maybe if it wasn't because of Anna, Alisa would never enter the world of high fashion. At first many people doubted her capability and her unusual style, but with Anna's help, Alisa proved to them that she was more than capable of creating art and fashion. So when Anna invited her to the Fashion's Night Out event, all she could say was yes. There was no rejecting, even though her brother just told her the most disturbing news that very day. Something about him and Kayleigh. Alisa obliviously frowned. Kayleigh. She used to hear that name every five minutes from Jordan a couple years ago, when the two were still dating. Honestly? She never really liked Kayleigh. Alisa was young and she depended on her brother very much, so when Jordan started dating Kayleigh, she couldn't help but feel left out. Yes, Jordan had dated other girls before Kayleigh, but it wasn't hard to see that he was really in love with Kayleigh. Really, madly, fully in love with Kayleigh. She could see that from the way her brother smiled when he talked about Kayleigh, from the way his eyes lit up when he saw her, everything that he did in account of Kayleigh was entirely made of love.
Sometimes she wondered if he had some love left for her.
And then came that time. Jordan was going to be sent to Virginia to be trained there. He was young and inexperienced, not to mention his quirky-odd personality, but he was clever and quick, so the FBI decided to handpick him and train him into a profiler and a forensic psychologist. Everything seemed so bright and beautiful. Jordan had the world in his hands--he was handsome, young, aspiring, he had his career sorted out, everybody was proud of him, and his girlfriend was perfect. He was invincible. Jordan told their family that he and Kayleigh were going to try the whole long-distance thing and they were going to be okay. Everyone already kind of expected that--their bond was so strong, and what they had was definitely a beautiful thing. Everybody was happy for them. Alisa herself was happy for her brother. She still wasn't fond of Kayleigh, but if her brother really loved her, then she would try her best to like her. But exactly the day before his departure, Jordan came home and told their family that he and Kayleigh broke up. Not that he came home crying or what--he came home with his usual face expression, looking a little disappointed but that was it. Nothing more. He merely smiled slightly, tousled Alisa's hair, and he entered his room. Their parents thought he was okay, but Alisa knew better. A normal Jordan means an emotionally shaken Jordan. So at night, she eavesdropped outside his door--she was never proud of this but she had a brother to save--and honestly, she was shocked by what she heard. Alisa could still remember what Jordan said--loud and clear.

"I loved you. I fucking loved you, Kayleigh, I still fucking love you."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Don't leave. Please. Please don't leave. I can't do this on my own. Please. Please."
"I don't want to be alone. I love you."
"I love you."

Never has she ever heard Jordan pouring his heart out like that. He was never so emotional. And when she heard Jordan crying, she leaned back against the door and she cried too, silently. When she could finally control her tears, she went to her parents and she told them what she heard. They needed to know how much Kayleigh wounded him. And just Jordan being Jordan--the next day, he was all happiness and cheerfulness, maybe his eyes were a little cavernous but nothing more. He took the flight and said that everything would be just fine, he was alright. But Alisa knew her brother better than anyone else. He wasn't 'just fine'. Ever since he broke up with Kayleigh, he changed. He changed in a subtle, hidden way. He was still cheerful like he used to be, but if Alisa looked beneath his smile, she could see pain. Her brother was wounded, and he never recovered.
And Jordan told her that he came across Kayleigh a few days ago. At her boutique. Of all places in New York City. If only she knew that Kayleigh was a client at her boutique, maybe she'd come up to her and beat her up into pieces in no time. She was mad at her. Nobody, she said nobody broke her brother's heart. Jordan had protected her for a million times. She just wanted to protect him too, even for just once.
"Alisa!" Anna Wintour's voice dragged her away from her thoughts. Alisa forced a smile on her face as she hugged Anna back. "How are you?" Anna asked as she distanced herself a bit from Alisa to stare her down. "You look great," Anna complimented with a smile. Alisa automatically smiled back. "Thank you. It's a nice party, by the way--glad you invited me." Alisa scanned the room, noticing the beautiful decoration, the glorious dresses and the gorgeous guests. Proudly, Anna nodded. "All those work finally paid off. You should go around and chat, sweetie--your friends have been looking for you. You go mingle with the youngsters, I'll stick with the oldies." Anna laughed. "We also invited several aspiring designers, models, actors, actresses and musicians. Be sure to talk to them, we're trying to help the young and talented. They deserve some spotlight, after all. There--she's one of them? You see her?" Anna pointed across the room to a girl. All of a sudden, Alisa felt strange.

"She's one of them. Kayleigh Allison Leander--aspiring singer and actress. Have you heard about her?"

Of all people. Of all people, she had to come across Kayleigh.
But maybe she just had to do this.
"Yes," Alisa whispered. "I have. I know her. I know her all too well."
All this time, Alisa swore that she won't ever go back to her troublesome self. The troublesome Alisa was the Alisa from the past. But this was fpr her brother. And she'd do anything for him. Alisa's eyes caught Kayleigh's eyes.
For her brother, anything would be worth it.

OOC: Lyn, you don't have to reply quickly :3 it's okay. Take your time <3