"Fuck shit fuck fuck!" Eddie said, as we were now certain my parents were home. I leapt off the bed and started snatching any article of clothing that could indicate a boy was in my room.

"Get under the bed," I said, thinking quickly. We had maybe 2 minutes before my parents would be up here trying to check on me. Eddie was desperately trying to get his pants back on, hopping on one foot as he pulled the slacks up.

"Why not the closet?!" He said, panic in his voice.

"I need to put my dress on, you can't be in the closet. Hurry, under the bed!" I said, hearing the front door open. I grabbed my shirt off the bed and slipped it over my head. Eddie was still trying to get dressed, but there was no time. I pushed him towards the edge of the bed.

"Under you go, I'll try to make it quick," I said as I gave him a little push. Reluctantly he started slipping under the bed. There were a few struggling noises I heard escape out of him, and he may have bumped his head.

I quickly sat down at my vanity and ran a brush through my hair quickly to fix any hairs out of place. I grabbed my makeup bag to try to fix any smudges and pretend like I was doing finishing touches before putting on my dress for the Homecoming dance. My parents knew I was going, but not who with, and I was supposed to be gone already.

"Are they coming?" I heard from underneath the bed. "Shhhhhh!" I shot back.

"Annie! You're still home?" I heard my mom call from the front entryway. I rushed to my bedroom door.

"Yeah mom!" I peeked my head out the door, overlooking the front stairway. "I'm just finishing up getting ready."

"I thought you were supposed to leave at 7:30?" She asked. My dad was shrugging off his jacket and hanging up his keys.

"Yeah, umm, my ride called and said he was running late. So I spent a little bit more time getting ready. I'm just about to put on my dress." I said, hoping they'd accept that answer and not pry. I started to turn back into my room, when mom said "Let me help you with the dress." She was already at the top of the stairs and approaching me quickly. I had no choice but to let her into the room.

"Which dress are you going to wear?" My mom asked. I hadn't thought I was going to the dance, so I hadn't bought a new dress.

"Umm, I think the yellow one." I said walking towards my closet.

"Ohh I love the yellow one, the one you wore to cousin Becky's wedding?" "Yeah that one" I replied.

She followed me to the closet until she saw my abandoned bra lying at the foot of the bed. She bent over and picked it up. "Annie, what is this doing here?" She said. She was always getting on me to keep my room tidy and clothing lying on the floor was a big no no. I couldn't give any indication that there was a half naked boy in the room and he was the one who took it off.

"Oh, sorry mommy," I said, trying to be sweet, calling her the way I did when I was a child. "I got out the shower and forgot to put it on when doing my hair and makeup."

"Annie, I know its 1985 but you can't be seen not wearing a bra, '' my mom said.

"Sorry, thanks," I said as she handed it over. I went to my walk in closet and I tried to close the door but my mom stuck her hand out to keep it open. Why she preached modesty when she never gave me any iota of privacy I would never understand.

I turned my back to her and tried to put my bra on as quickly as possible. I yanked my jeans off and grabbed the dress off the hanger. It was a tea length yellow dress with a tulle skirt, a cinched waist and heart neckline. I began to step into it when I felt her from behind sweep my hair to the side and grab the zipper of the dress. I let her take over.

"So who is this date of yours tonight? As of last week you weren't going to the Homecoming dance." She asked.

"It's not a date mom, he's just a kid from school." I replied, hoping she wouldn't pry. I was still preoccupied with how I was going to get that boy out from under my bed. I turned towards the mirror and she stood behind me as we both looked in the reflection. She began smoothing down the hairs that had fallen out of place.

"You sure aren't acting like it's not a date. You're acting nervous. Is he cute?"

"Mom, it is not a date. He wanted to go, and I felt bad, so I said yes. And Ms. Lattimer said she would give me extra credit on the French assignment if I went because I tutor him, and it would be good to socialize him. He doesn't have many friends." I was pulling this all out of my ass, I didn't know where this lie came from. But if he could hear me from under the bed, might as well throw out some playful jabs, and maybe she'd believe me easier if she thought it was an assignment. She gave me an intriguing look.

"Well, that's nice honey… would you like to borrow my diamond necklace?"

"That's okay mom, some of the kids at school are jerks and I wouldn't want it to get snatched. I just want a few minutes alone to make sure I'm ready, is that okay?"

"Sure, sweetie. I'll meet you downstairs. Hopefully he doesn't keep you waiting too long!" She said in a singsong voice, as she turned away and headed towards the door.

"Yeah, hopefully!" I said, following her and sitting down on the edge of the bed. She opened the door, turned to smile at me, and closed the door behind her.

As soon as the door shut, I felt a hand grab my ankle. I jumped a little and quickly yanked away. Eddie came crawling out from under the bed.

"So I'm your charity case, huh? Just extra credit? If you didn't want to go with me, you could have just said that," He said, standing up and fixing his hair. His face looked serious and upset.

"What? No! Eddie, I don't know why I said that I just had to come up with a story so she doesn't know any better. That was stupid, I'm so-" as I was trying to talk myself out of my stupid lie, a huge cheeky grin came across his face.

"I'm just messing with you. I'd do me for extra credit too," He said, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into his chest for a hug. He was still shirtless and his skin was warm. I rested my chin on his shoulder. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"I'm sorry. I'm freaking out. How the hell are we going to get you out of here?"

"I say we stay here. We both hide under your bed and finish what we started. It's quite roomy under there," he said, burying his face in my neck as he began planting kisses at the nape of my neck. My body was still worked up from what was just about to happen before my parents came home, so I indulged him a few kisses on the neck. He worked his way up my jaw until he reached my lips, and began kissing me. He was irresistible, but we seriously had to get moving. I let out a sigh.

"I'm serious!" I said, pulling away a little but also feeling the heat rush to my cheeks. "We've got to get you out somehow, and quickly. Do you think you can make it out the window?"

I broke free from his arms and moved towards the window and opened it, looking out. I was on the 2nd floor, my room overlooking the back yard. It didn't look too far, but there was a rose bush right underneath.

"Are there any options that don't involve falling into thorns and potentially breaking a limb?" He asked, looking out of the window.

"I don't think we have time to find out!" I said. I grabbed the button down shirt from the pile of clothes that came out from under the bed, and held it up for him to slip his arms into. As he began buttoning the shirt he said "Fine, but you're responsible for picking thorns out of my ass or driving me to the hospital if something breaks."

I grabbed the suit jacket and his shoes and he quickly put them both on. "I know you hate it, but truly, you look good in the suit." He rolled his eyes. He approached the window, ready to take the plunge. He lifted one leg at a time onto the windowsill and turned towards me to position himself to lower himself out of the window.

"Wait a few minutes and then come around the house, I'll be ready." He nodded his head in a little salute, and then began his dissent.

He was able to hang from the window long enough to lower his body down and then use the brick wall as a kickstand release his hold and complete the fall just beyond the rose bush. I was impressed, and leaned out the window to make sure he was okay. He picked a rose off the bush, held it up towards me, and began, of all things, reciting Shakespeare.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks! It is the east, and Annie Cooper is the sun… especially in that dress," He said with a smile.

"You're failing French, but you know Romeo and Juliet?!" I said incredulously.

"Hey… English, I can speak," He said with a wink.

"You're like a modern day Romeo," I said, fake swooning with my hands over my heart, and then rolling my eyes. "Just none of that dying crap, okay?" He smiled, and started moving around to the front of the house.

I closed the window and took a breath. The hard part was over, or so I thought…