“Why am I in Louisiana of all places?  Shouldn’t I be in D.C. where I grew up?”  I asked this to myself as I walked around the Boardwalk in Shreveport, Louisiana.  I don’t even know why I decided to come here.  Maybe because it seemed like people didn’t know who I was.

            I walked around for a little while.  The summer heat down south is terribly hot.  I’m glad it was only the beginning of June so it’s was not too bad, and also that I remembered to put on sunscreen before going there.

            I came to a fountain near the middle of the mall.  I looked down and saw a penny, heads up.  I picked it up.  “So my luck will change while I’m here, huh?  We’ll see.”  I tossed it into the fountain.  I started to walk away, but then I heard a girl’s voice singing to a U-Kiss song.  I turned to see a teenage girl, leaning against the railing of the small bridge.

            “I do believe you, you, you.  I do believe you, you, you.”  She sang as she held an iPod touch in her hand and stared into the water.

            I smiled and walked over to her, leaning beside her.  “I’m surprised I actually have found someone who listens to U-Kiss down here.”

            She wouldn’t look at me, but she replied.  “I don’t know anyone else down here who does.  I don’t really search for people to talk with.  I let them come to me.”  She smiled.  “I’m Laura, but I hate my first name so I go by Lizzie.”

            I smiled back.  “I bet if you’d look at me you could figure out who I am.”

            “I don’t have to look to know who you are.  Main rapper of my favorite KPop band,” she flipped her hair.  “I never thought I’d meet you, Eli.”

            “I find it more of an honor to meet someone who listens to U-Kiss down here.”  I held my hand out to her.

            She smiles and shook my hand.  “I have for a few years now.”

            “I bet you’re a Dongho bias.”

            “Why would you say that?”

            “He’s the one who girls are mostly biased over.”

            She finally looked at me.  “You got it wrong.”

            “Oh really?”  I smiled back at her.  “Who is it then?  Hoon?  Kevin?  Soohyun?”

            “It’s a certain blonde haired guy who was very funny and cute on Chef’s Kiss.”

            “Too bad it’s not me.”

            She grinned.  “Hey, I didn’t say the guy was blonde at the time.  As much as I loved Kevin’s Octopus Dance, I thought it was funnier when you stuck your hand down into the tank and grabbed the octopus.”

            I smiled at her.  “It’s not every day I meet a girl whose bias just so happens to be me.”

            Lizzie put her iPod in her purse.  “It’s not every day that I meet a Korean idol.”

            My phone rang, and I looked at the caller.  It was Kevin.  “Can you excuse me?”

            “I have to go anyways.”

            I frowned.  “Do you really?  I can’t buy you lunch or anything?”

            “Let me make a call.”  She pulled out a cell phone and searched for a number.

            I answered Kevin’s call.  “Hello?”

            “How’s America?”

            I smiled.  “It’s good.  I just met someone.”

            “Really?  A female someone?”

            “A female someone who listens to U-Kiss and says that I’m her favorite member.”

            “What’s wrong with that girl?”

            I laughed.  “Don’t be jealous Kevin.  I’m sure there are plenty of girls for you, too.”

            “When are you coming home?”

            “I don’t really know yet.  I’ll text you when I figure out.”

            “Tell me about your new friend later.  I want to hear about her.  Better yet, send me a picture.”

            I smiled.  “We’ll see.  I’ll talk to you later, Kev.”

            “Bye Eli hyung.”

            “Bye.”  I slipped my phone into my pocket and met Lizzie’s eyes.  “So, lunch?”

            “I have plenty of time.  My friend cancelled on me anyways.”

            “Sorry for that,” I adjusted my cap.

            “So, do you want to pick or shall I?”

            “I don’t care.  You can.”

            “Did you drive here or did you take a cab here?”

            “Took a cab.”

            She smiled.  “Want to get out of here?  I know a good place we can go to.”

            “You driving?”

            “I’m legal.”

            “Ok, we can go.”  I followed her to her car.

            She unlocked the car and got in.  “Good thing I cleaned my car out.  It was really messy yesterday, thanks to my brother taking my car for once.”  Lizzie buckled her seat belt and started the car.  “So what brings you to the south?”

            “I have no clue actually.  I guess I just wanted to come down here to see how it is.”

            “Vacation to get away from idol life?”  She to Interstate 20 and headed north.

            “Yeah, pretty much.”

            “I’ve wanted to go to Korea for a while.  There, Japan, and Ireland are the top places I’d love to visit.”

            “Why Ireland?”

            She smiled and to an exit.  “I’m a fourth generation Irish American.”

            “Really?  Full blood?”

            “Hell no, I’m only about an eighth Irish.”  She got out of the car after parking.  “Ok, let’s go in.”

            I followed her into the restaurant.  “You must like Cracker Barrel.”

            She smiled at me.  “It’s reminds me of my childhood.”

            “What are you talking about?  You’re still a child.”

            She scoffed and sat down at the table we were directed to.  “Yeah, whatever.  I’m almost seventeen.”

            “Geez, you’re young.  It’s a crime for me to be with you.”

            She smiled.  “Only if you and I were dating would it be illegal.”

            “Are you in a relationship at the moment?”

            “Hey, I just met you!”

            I chuckled.  “Well I like keeping my options open.”

            “And I’m so sick of love songs, so tired of tears.  So done with wishing, you were still here.  Said I’m so sick of love songs, so sad and slow.  So why can’t I turn off the radio?”

            Lizzie picked her phone up and rolled her eyes before sliding her finger across the screen.  “What do you want?”

            “Why aren’t you home?”  A guy’s voice came from the speaker.

            “Because I don’t have to be home.  I have a life still, you know.”

            “Where are you?”

            “No where you need to know about.  Why does it matter anyways?”

            “You’re my girlfriend.  Why wouldn’t it matter?”

            “I’m busy right now.  I have to call you later.  We can’t do this right now.”  She hung up and hid the phone deep in her purse.

            “Jealous boyfriend?”

            “He’s getting on my nerves.  I’m sick of him.”

            “How long have you been together?”

            “Three years in August, but I doubt we’ll make it that long.”

            “That’s a long time for someone your age.”

            She smiled and traced the rim of her glass.  “He’s lucky it’s lasted this long.”

            I took a chance to look at her while she sips through her straw.  The Irish genes in her don’t present much except for the reddish tinge her hair shows in the sunlight.  Her eyes are hazel, outlined by the brown framed glasses she wears.  She’s not fat, but she’s not a stick like a lot of girls I see are.  The chubbiness makes her look cute, too.  She doesn’t wear braces, and she doesn’t smile widely a lot, either.

            I noticed her staring back at me.  “What is it?”

            “I feel like this is unreal.  Are you really here in front of me?”  She touched my face.

            I smiled.  “I’m here.”

            “Why with me?”

            “You intrigue me.”

            She smiled and took the peg game from between us.  “You ever do one of these?  Every time I come here, I try to get one peg.  I’ve gotten it only a couple of times.”

            “You know, I could make the trip to Korea possible.”

            “You could, huh?”  Lizzie started to jump pegs and pulled them out as she jumped the colored pegs.

            “Do you have anything planned for this summer?”

            “No, I don’t.”

            “What do you say we make a bet?”

            “What kind of bet?”

            “If I can get less pegs on my first try than you can, then you have to come to Korea with me for two weeks.”

            “If I win this bet?”

            “What do you want?”

            She smiled.  “I want a month there.”

            I smiled back at her.  “Deal.”  Even though I wanted to lose so she could stay longer, I still tried to beat her.  “Damn woman, you got all but one.”

            Lizzie slid the game across the table.  “Should we just say a month in Korea for me then?”

            “Even if I want to purposely lose, I’m not going to.”  I started to play the game, and I lost with four pegs left.  “Month in Korea with me it is.”  I slid the game away as our food came.

            Lizzie took the pepper from beside the little container with sugar packets.  “Does this mean I have to stay with you in Korea?”

            I pouted.  “You don’t want to?”

            She giggled when she saw my face.  “I never said that Eli.”

            “You know, I think you and I could become best friends, Lizzie.”

            “Mm, really?  Why do you think that?”

            “No one’s ever intrigued me like you have.”

            She smiled and wiped with the napkin in her lap.  “This is going to be interesting to pack.  What should I bring?”

            “The heat isn’t so bad there, so you don’t have to bring shorts unless you want.”

            Her nose wrinkled when I said that.  “I only wear shorts at home.”

            “When do you want to leave?”

            “When can we?”

            “Do you have a passport?”

            “I just got one two weeks ago.”

            “Good.  We can leave whenever you’re done packing.  Unless you pack tonight, then we’ll wait till tomorrow.”  I took my wallet out since we were done eating and have gotten the check.

            “So, where are you staying?”

            “The Marriott near here.”

            Lizzie stood up.  “You want to go back or do you want to do something else?”

            “Like what?”  I signed the receipt and took my copy.

            “We could start by looking around here.”

            “Because I like you so much, I’ll humor you.”

            She laughed.  “Oh come on Eli, there’s bound to be something here you’ll like.”  Her phone rang, and she took it out as we were looking through shirts.  “Hello?  Uhm, I’m in Shreveport right now.”  She took a straw hat off a stand and set it on my head.  “Yeah, I’ll be there after I get home and change.  See you then.”  She put her phone back up.  “My best friend is wanting me to go swimming at her place.  You have swimming trunks at your hotel?”

            “I do actually.”  I set the hat on her head.

            “Want to go with me?”

            “Will your friend mind?”

            Lizzie set the hat back where it was originally.  “Let me call her back.”  She called her friend and got the ok that I could go over, too.

            We went to my hotel room so I could grab my trunks, then she drove us to her house.

            It was a double wide trailer, and there was both a silver and a blue Chevy Silverado parked in front of the garage.

            “Yay, my brother’s not home.  Thank god,” she unlocked the door and closed it behind me.

            A black cat laid on the dining room table, curled up sleeping.

            “Squeaky get off the table.”  She lifted the cat and set him on the floor.  “Come on Eli.”

            I followed her into the living room and to the left.  She stopped in front of three doors.

            “You can change in here.”  She opened the door and the light.  “I’ll be right out.”  She disappeared into the room with the white door and shut it quickly.

            I went into the bathroom and shut the door.  I changed into my swim trunks and looked at myself in the mirror.

            “Hey Eli, are you proper?”

            “Yeah, I’m ok.”

            She opened the door.  “Oh sweet Jesus,” she fanned herself.

            I laughed.  “What?  Never seen a guy with abs before?”

            “Not one like you this up close that I liked.”  Lizzie took a contact holder and slipped her glasses off, putting both of the contacts in.  She rubbed her eyes.

            I smiled.  “You look pretty with contacts in.”

            She blushed and picked up two towels.  “Let’s go.  Leann’s gonna kill me if I’m any later.”

            “So, how far are we going from here?”

            “Across the street,” she locked the house behind her and stuck her key ring on her index finger, holding her phone with the same hand.  “Crazy keeps texting me.”

            I took the towels from her.  “Maybe I should’ve grabbed a shirt.”

            Lizzie pouted.  “That wouldn’t be quite so much fun.”

            “You like looking, don’t you?”

            “I’m not answering that.”

            I saw a girl over on the deck beside a pool, staring down at her phone.

            “I’m here already, geez Leann.  You’re so impatient!”

            “I haven’t seen you since school let out.  Excuse me for wanting to see my best friend.”

            Lizzie smiled and tossed the towels onto a table with her keys and phone.  She hugged the other girl.  “I missed you, too!”  She pulled back.  “Leann, this is Eli.”

            I waved and set my phone beside Lizzie’s.

            Leann looked at Lizzie.  “Is he your boyfriend?”

            Lizzie looked at her best friend.  “What the hell!  You know I’m dating that idiot.”

            “Why don’t you just break up with him already?”

            “At the rate we’re fighting now, I am soon.”  Lizzie looked at me and smiled.  “Need sunscreen or not?”

            “Wouldn’t hurt.”  I put on some and couldn’t reach my back completely.  “,” I muttered.

            “I’ll get it.”  She took some and stood behind me, rubbing the sunscreen into my back.

            “Hey Lora, it sure looks like he’s your boyfriend!”  Her friend was already swimming.

            “Leann, I’m gonna kill you,” she muttered.

            I chuckled and reached for my phone.  “Kevin’s calling me again.”

            “Elvin exists!”  She giggled.

            I smiled.  “He might want to talk to you, just warning you.”

            “If he does, I’ll talk.”  She sat down so she could put some of the sunscreen on her legs.

            I sat beside her and rubbed some onto her back while I answered my phone.  “Hello?”

            “Where are you now?”

            “I’m fixing to go swimming.”

            “Is it with that girl?”

            “Yeah, it is.  Why?”

            “Can I talk to her?”

            I put the phone on speaker.  “Talk Kevin.”

            “Aw hyung, why’d you put it on speaker?”

            Lizzie giggled.  “He’s sounds so cute when he speaks English.”

            “Hi Eli’s new friend.”

            “Hi Kevin.”

            “Do you know the whole band or just me and Eli?”

            “I’ve been listening to U-Kiss for a few years now.  I even know Kibum and Xander.”

            “I like her.”

            Lizzie got up.  “Tell him about the bet Eli.”  She went and got into the pool.

            “She’s coming to Korea with me for a month Kev.”

            “Really?  You’re doing that for a girl you just met?  Aren’t you taking this too fast Eli?”

            “She wants to see Korea, Kev.  Besides, I bet her that she’d come for two weeks if I beat her at a game.  She wanted a month.”

            “Wow, really?”

            “Really.”  I looked over at Lizzie and her friend.  “I’ll call you later.”  I put my phone back on the table and got in the pool.

            We stayed in for about two hours, then Lizzie and I walked back over to her house.  Lizzie took a shower while I sat in her living room, playing on my phone.

            She came in, dressed in almost black jeans and a short sleeve black shirt.  “Need to get back or do you want to maybe play cards or watch a movie?”

            “I can play a few hands, I guess.”

            We played Speed a few times before Lizzie drove me to my hotel.  She walked into my room with me and sat in front of the window, looking down.

            “It’s nice in here.”  She groaned when her phone rang.  She looked straight at it.  “What is it now?”

            “Where are you?”

            “Does it really matter?”

            “Yes it matters!”

            “Tell me why it does.”

            “You’re my girlfriend!”

            “Possessive,” she murmured.

            I laid on the couch beside her and watched her.

            She pouted.  “Why are you staring at me?”

            I smiled.  “Because you’re cute when you’re pissed.”

            Her pout grew bigger.  “You make me pissed off,” she grinned after saying it.

            “Are you talking to me?”  The person on the phone said.

            “No James, I’m not talking to you.”

            “Well excuse me…”

            She looked straight at the phone.  “I won’t be home for a month.”

            “Why not?”

            “I’m going out of the country.”  Lizzie looked at me.  “Eli, when can we leave?”

            “If you start to get packed tomorrow, then I’ll call in tickets for our flight.”

            “Baby, whose voice is that, and where the hell are you going?”

            “I don’t speak English, only Korean and Spanish,” she said.

            I smiled.  “You speak Korean well.”

            She smiled at me.  “Xi xi,” she said in Mandarin.  She hung up on her boyfriend and stood up, holding her phone out to me.  “Put in your number, because I need to get home and get a few things ready.”

            I swapped phones with her and called her phone to make sure we’d put the correct numbers in.

            “Hello?  Hey girl, what’s up?  I miss you baby.  I want you back here with me, you know?  By my side.  I just don’t know how to say this but, I love you…”

            She smiled.  “Correct number.”

            I smiled back.  “Is that your favorite?”

            “I like your version better than the original.  The original makes me sleep, unlike yours.”  Lizzie put her phone up.  “I better get going.”

            I pulled her down onto the couch with me.  “So Kevin doesn’t have a fit.”  I took a picture of us with my phone, then walked her to the door.  “Until tomorrow.  I’ll call you once the flight is arranged, ok?”

            She nodded, a little bit of a blush covering her face.

            “If you get done tomorrow and want to come here,” I set the extra keycard to my room in her hand.  “I don’t mind if you come.”

            She smiled.  “Even if I have a nightmare and just need someone for comfort?”

            “Hey, I’m good for that, too.”

            Lizzie kissed my cheek.  “Bye Eli.”

            I smiled and went to my bed.  I sent the picture to Kevin with a caption.  Here’s the girl.  We’re flying there in two days.  I made calls to book a flight and got two first class tickets.

            The plane we’d be flying on had private sections which seated two people each.  I managed to get Lizzie and myself a section with each other.