Luann DeGroot and the Runaway Boyfriend

Luann was standing before the mirror in her bedroom holding up different shirts to see how they'd look. There was already a sizeable pile on her pile of rejected tops. Some were too plain, some had hideous color combinations, too many were the baggy, over-sized tops she tended to wear. She had a date with Quill today and miracle of miracles, her father was at work, her brother on duty at the firestation and her mother was away with a long list of shopping. If she played her cards right she might actually become... a woman!

But first to find the right clothes!

She's already spent an hour choosing just the right underwear. Not the gaudy little number she's picked up once when, on a dare, she and Bernice and snuck into a sex shop. That was way too whorey. And most of the rest of her bras and panties were plain, ordinary white. Stuff that screamed 17-year old virgin. Finally she had found something that seemed just right. A matching set of a peach color with some slightly darker beige lace trim. It matched her complexion and seemed to whisper, 'hey,look at me,' without quite shouting it.

Not that she expected Quill to see her underwear but a girl has to be prepared for all eventuallities.

She was pulling out clothes from a dresser drawer she almosr never went into when she saw it. It was perfect. A black T-shirt she'd bought back in Junior High. AShe'd put it away because it was a little tight but had not given it to Goodwill because - black. Black was the new black. She pulled it on, smoothed out and fabric and checked herself in the mirror. It fit her like a glove, making her boobs looks large and mysterious. Not that she expected Quill, ever the gentleman, to go grabbing after her boobs. But a girl has to be prepared.

Luann started carrying all the other shirts back to her closet, to be duped in a heap and the door closed when she realized she wasn't wearing any pants. That would certainly get a raise out of Quill showing up at the door in her panties. But he had come over to record a song - and only that! Better find some shorts.

She quickly located a pair of old gym shorts, soft, grey to contrast with the shirt and with wide, loose legs in case. Luann suppressed the thought.

She was about to address make-up when the doorbell chimed. He'd have to see her the way she was. Which, considering her last attempt at make-up had left her looking like something out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, was just as well,

Luann ran downstairs and pulled the door open just as Quill was about to ring the bell again. There he was, tall, with a large confuident head, very blond hair with a slight curl to it and the usualy quiet smile. He was wearing a plain shirt and blue jeans. Luann resisted the urge to throw herself into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist, and invited him in.

"My folks are gone so we won't have any interruptions," she explained as she lead him upstairs and into her bedroom. Even though there was no one else in the house, she closed the door.

She picked up the pile of her scrapbooks from her desk and flopped down on her bed. "So what kind of a song were you thinking about today,"

"I've made this melody running through me head that sort of sounds all summery." He got out his guitar, sat on the corner of her bed and played a few chords. "You got something all summery in your books?"

Luann flipped through her scrap book. She tended to write a lot of poems in December but most of those were about how depressing the christmas season was without a boyfriend.

Spring was even more depressing.

She remembered some poems she's written a couple years ago at camp. It had rained the first couple days so when it had finally cleared off she was beside herwelf with joy. She found the pages and started re-reading her words, humming Quill melody as she did so.

Quill laid his guitar aside and laid on the bed beside her, turing the scrapbook so her could read along with her. Fortunately after years of practising writing 'Luann and Aaron Hill" her handwriting was immaculate.

Casually he took her hand in his.

"This is good," she squeaked, then tried to deepen her voice. "It's got the right scansation and talks a lot about summer." Luren Bacall she wasn't.

"I like it," he said, looking into her eyes. Then he leaned forward. Luann closed her eyes and pursed her lips. "At last!"

Then Quill's phone rang. He rolled away and pulled it out of his pocket. "I've got to take this," he sighed. "It's Dad."

"I told you I'm busy today," he said into the cell. "Can't it wait?"

He was holding the cellphone tight to his ear so Luann couldn't hear what the caller was saying but Quill was nodding his head. "Oh? he grunted in surprise. "Oh," more in disappointment. "Oh," in flat tone of acceotance. "Ok, I'll be there."

He put away his phone, picked up his guitar and started putting it back in its case. "I'm sorry, Luann. That was Dad. His business here in the states is finished and he's got to get back to Australia right away. I've got to go home and pack. I wish we could have worked more on that song..."

Luann got up and straightened up her clothes. Her inner child was screaming 'don't you dare go off and leave me like this' but as an almost-woman, a junior in high school she tried to project a more mature, understanding attitide. "So soon? I thought you'd stay at least through the end of the school year."

"Sorry,Yank, Dad's business kind of trumps all that."

"Tell me when your flight is, I'll be there to wave you good-bye."

"Don't bother. The flight leaves in the middle of the night. I hate mess good-byes and anyway I'd hate to rob you of your beauty sleep." he chucked her under the chin like that was supposed to mean anything.

He paused on the threshold of the outside door. "We've had a good run, mate," he said and gave her a surprisingly chaste kiss for a kiss good-bye. "You mind to find a place in your poem to put in a line about 'lips as sweet as wine,' that is so you."

He turned and walked away. Luann stood in the doorway watching him go. He never turned around to look back.

When he was out of sight Luann finally closed the door, incipient tears building in her eyes. "Wait a minute!" she suddenly exclaimed. "'Lips as sweet as wine'? That from an old love song. Why would Quill tell me to put a line from a old love song in my poem?"

Dry eyed and stoney faced she raced back up upstairs to her room, shut off the web-cam that had been recording what was supposed to be a very personal moment in her life, and googled airline departures to Australia. The only ones that came up were all for early afternoon. There were no middle of the night flights. "W. T. F." she growled. Quill had lied to her. Why would he do that?

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