Chapter 14: Kilu Arc

Basement, Smith House

8:45 P.M. Friday, December 7, 2063

"I'm sit ... sit ... I'm sitting out the rest of the game." And with that, Phil turned and ran from the room, hur­riedly grabbing his pants on the way.

"I'm sitting out, too," Lisa announced before running after him.

"But you already," Genma started, but the fourteen-year-old schoolgirl was gone. She did stop to scoop up the rest of his clothes, but didn't take the time to grab her own.

Lisa exited the main room of this refurbished basement just in time to see the bathroom door close. She re­membered it as where Gloria has taken her cigarette break just before the game began. She ran to the door, but wasn't sure if she should knock, or just wait for him to come out. She stepped to the door, and listened. She thought that maybe she heard crying, but she didn't hear any vomiting. Lisa had worked as a candy striper the year before; she knew what both sounded like. She waited a minute, and then softly knocked.

"Go away."

"Phil, it's Lisa. Are you OK?"

A long pause, then the sound of him blowing his nose. "Maybe I should come out so you can whistle at me again. Hmph! You're too late; I've already got my pants on."

"Phil, look, I'm sorry about that. I was just trying to be cool, like Amy. Or Gloria. Or Amethyst. Or just about any other girl I know. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It ... it wasn't cool. I'm sorry." There was the sound of running water, then quiet. "I ... I brought the rest of your clothes."

The door opened, and there stood Phil Huedon. He wasn't crying, and he'd gotten some color back. But his eyes were red and puffy, and he was sweaty. He was indeed wearing pants.

"I'm sorry, Phil," Lisa repeated.

"It's OK," he told her. "No hard feelings, hey? Um, wanna hand me my shirt?"

"Oh, sure," and she handed it to him. He put it on, and actually smiled when he took the shoes and socks she held out to him.

"And what about your own clothes?" the boy asked, smiling.

"My own... ?" Lisa started. "Oh my God!" There was a flurry of movement as the blushing schoolgirl tried to cover up with her arms and hands.

Phil was impressed. He knew Lisa was bashful, he could tell. Not to the nausea-inducing level that he was, but still, she wasn't the sort to run around in the buff. And yet she had run naked after a boy, forgetting even that she didn't have any clothes on, just to comfort him and say she was sorry. This Lisa Lagrange was quite a girl.

She giggled, nervously, as she returned her arms to her sides. "I guess it's kind of silly of me to get all modest now, after the way I've been sitting all naked and spraddle-legged." But she was still blushing. "Hey, you wanna go outside and get some fresh air? We can grab a couple of Ramune, sit on the porch and look at the stars or some­thing."

"What about the game?"

"I'm sitting out the rest of the game, just like you."

"Gee, Lisa," he apologized, "I'm sorry I made you miss..."

"Oh that's quite all right," she assured him, "it keeps me from having to explain to some boy that he can't do to me what Veejay did to Amethyst!"

They both laughed at that.

"God, Lisa," Phil exclaimed, "was that wild or what?!"

"It sure was," she agreed. "I mean, she's always outgoing in sex class and such, but this was ... unexpected."

"It sure was!"

"So what you say?" she pressed, "You in the mood for fresh air and starlight? I mean, I'll have to go get my clothes first; I'm not that liberated!"