Chapter 1
"Gordo I really need to talk to you it's important." Lizzie stood on Gordo's front doorstep with tears streaming down her face.
"Sure come in." Gordo moved out of the way to let Lizzie pass through the front door.
Lizzie's gaze fell back into Gordo's house, "Are your parents home?"
"Yeah."
"Could we go to the park then?" Lizzie asked.
"Sure." Gordo nodded grabbing his jacket, calling a goodbye to his parents.
When the two were sitting on a bench at the park Gordo finally asked, "So you ready to talk about it?"
"You were at Chad Craft's party right?"
"The one he had a couple weeks ago, around Christmas?" Lizzie nodded, "Yeah. Serena invited me to go with her. She said her brothers' parties can get a little wild sometimes."
Lizzie nodded, "Gordo I need you to promise me you aren't going to judge me. Right now I need you to hear me out."
"All right Lizzie what is it."
"IsleptwithsomeoneIcan'tevenrememberandnowI'mpregnant." Lizzie blurted out quickly without taking a breath.
"What?" Gordo asked, he didn't really need the sentence clarified, he had known Lizzie long enough to understand her blurred sentences, it was the only reaction he could come up with.
"Gordo please don't make me repeat it." Lizzie begged. "You are the only person I know well enough to ask, did you see me with anyone at that party?
A mental picture of a couple making out in a corner and then slipping out of the living room upstairs and into a bedroom flew through Gordo's head. "I don't think so." Gordo lied.
"I'm such a slut. It was my first time drinking, I don't know what I was thinking but even worse I can't think of who it is I slept with!" Lizzie cried.
"Lizzie are you sure?" Gordo asked.
Lizzie nodded, "I saw a doctor and everything…"
"What am I going to do? How am I supposed to tell my parents and then tell them I don't know who the father is?"
"I do." Gordo replied simply.
"What? I thought you said you didn't see me with anyone?" Lizzie asked.
"I didn't all I remember is waking up next to you. I'm sorry Lizzie." Gordo looked away from Lizzie gazing across the playground.
"What?" Lizzie shrieked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What did you want me to say Lizzie?" Gordo asked not facing her, "A one night stand with your best friend usually puts things in a difficult place."
"Oh God." Lizzie buried her head in her hands, "What are we going to do?"
Gordo and Lizzie sat in Lizzie's living room waiting for Gordo's parents to arrive, they had decided that they wanted to come clean with their parents from the very start. Jo and Sam sat on a overstuffed chair, Sam in the seat and Jo on the arm, both had big smiles plastered across their faces. When the doorbell rang Jo hurried to the door and returned with Gordo's parents who had the same smile that Jo and Sam did.
"What is this all about?" Gordo's father finally asked.
"Have you two finally realized that you are perfect for each other?" Jo blurted.
Lizzie's gaze fell to her lap and she grasped Gordo's hand tightly and Gordo spoke, "Sort of. You guys need to hear us all out."
The adult's faces fell, "What's wrong?" Jo asked concern crossing her face.
"There was a lot of alcohol floating around Chad Craft's Christmas party." Gordo stated.
"You two go drunk at the party?" Gordo's mother asked covering her mouth her hand.
"Really drunk." Lizzie added.
"Lizzie I wish you would have told us about this sooner." Sam stated.
"We're not done yet." Gordo spoke but didn't make eye contact with either sets of parents.
"David Gordon if you are about to tell me what I think you are I don't want to hear it. Nor do I want to see you again." Gordo's father stated.
"Howard let the children finish. I'm sure it's not as bad as they are making it sound."
"Roberta we all know what they are going to say. And I won't have a 16-year-old son who got a girl pregnant."
"Lizzie honey is it true?" Jo asked taking Lizzie's hands into her own staring intently into Lizzie's face.
"I'm so sorry Mom." Lizzie cried bursting into tears throwing her arms around her mother's neck.
"David I am so ashamed of you." Howard Gordon said standing to his feet. "Don't bother coming home unless it is to get your things. You are no longer my son. Come along Roberta."
Roberta looked dejectedly at her son shaking her head and then following her husband out the front door.
"Lizzie your father and I need to talk." Jo gently smoothes Lizzie's hair gently.
"Mom…" Lizzie starts suddenly.
"Lizzie your mother and I need to recover from the shock. Please will you and Gordo just go into the kitchen for a little while? We'll come get you in a couple minutes."
Lizzie nods and stands, "Come on Gordo I'll get you something to eat."
When they were in the kitchen Lizzie turns to Gordo, "I'm so sorry about how your parents reacted Gordo."
"That's not your fault Lizzie." Gordo responds softly walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out a can of soda for both of them.
"It's all my fault Gordo!" Lizzie cried. "All of this is my fault."
"No Lizzie." Gordo responded hugging Lizzie, "This is both of our fault and we are going to figure it out." Pulling away Gordo added, "Your parents took it really well."
"I wish they would have yelled at me like yours had." Lizzie sighed, "At least then I would know what they are thinking."
"Gordo Lizzie? Could you come in here please?" Sam called from the living room.
Walking back into the room they found Jo with the remnants of tears on her cheeks, but she was no longer crying. "Come sit on the couch, both of you."
Lizzie and Gordo both took places between Sam and Jo on the couch, "We want you both to know that we are disappointed in both of you." Sam stated up front.
"But we love both of you. Gordo, Sam and I have always thought of you as a son. Now are you planning on giving up the baby?"
Gordo and Lizzie exchanged glances and Lizzie shook her head, "I couldn't."
"Gordo?" Sam asked.
"I was in disagreement at first sir but I came to see Lizzie's side of it." Gordo stated simply.
"All right then." Jo nodded, "We are all in agreement. We also had an idea that you guys can take if you want. The guest-house doesn't get used very often for now Gordo you are welcome to it. And then when the baby is born Lizzie can move in there."
"Mom?" Lizzie asked puzzled.
"We don't want to force you two to get married if you don't want to. But if both of you want to take part in raising this baby you are welcome to the guest-house until you graduate from high school. Sam and I will help you as much as possibly but you are going to be responsible for this baby for the rest of your life. You will both need to get jobs."
"Are we all in agreement?" Sam asked.
Lizzie burst into tears again hugging her father tightly, "I love you Daddy." Lizzie whispered, "You too Mom."
"Gordo I'll help move our things from your parents house if you would like." Sam offered.
"Gordo I really need to talk to you it's important." Lizzie stood on Gordo's front doorstep with tears streaming down her face.
"Sure come in." Gordo moved out of the way to let Lizzie pass through the front door.
Lizzie's gaze fell back into Gordo's house, "Are your parents home?"
"Yeah."
"Could we go to the park then?" Lizzie asked.
"Sure." Gordo nodded grabbing his jacket, calling a goodbye to his parents.
When the two were sitting on a bench at the park Gordo finally asked, "So you ready to talk about it?"
"You were at Chad Craft's party right?"
"The one he had a couple weeks ago, around Christmas?" Lizzie nodded, "Yeah. Serena invited me to go with her. She said her brothers' parties can get a little wild sometimes."
Lizzie nodded, "Gordo I need you to promise me you aren't going to judge me. Right now I need you to hear me out."
"All right Lizzie what is it."
"IsleptwithsomeoneIcan'tevenrememberandnowI'mpregnant." Lizzie blurted out quickly without taking a breath.
"What?" Gordo asked, he didn't really need the sentence clarified, he had known Lizzie long enough to understand her blurred sentences, it was the only reaction he could come up with.
"Gordo please don't make me repeat it." Lizzie begged. "You are the only person I know well enough to ask, did you see me with anyone at that party?
A mental picture of a couple making out in a corner and then slipping out of the living room upstairs and into a bedroom flew through Gordo's head. "I don't think so." Gordo lied.
"I'm such a slut. It was my first time drinking, I don't know what I was thinking but even worse I can't think of who it is I slept with!" Lizzie cried.
"Lizzie are you sure?" Gordo asked.
Lizzie nodded, "I saw a doctor and everything…"
"What am I going to do? How am I supposed to tell my parents and then tell them I don't know who the father is?"
"I do." Gordo replied simply.
"What? I thought you said you didn't see me with anyone?" Lizzie asked.
"I didn't all I remember is waking up next to you. I'm sorry Lizzie." Gordo looked away from Lizzie gazing across the playground.
"What?" Lizzie shrieked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What did you want me to say Lizzie?" Gordo asked not facing her, "A one night stand with your best friend usually puts things in a difficult place."
"Oh God." Lizzie buried her head in her hands, "What are we going to do?"
Gordo and Lizzie sat in Lizzie's living room waiting for Gordo's parents to arrive, they had decided that they wanted to come clean with their parents from the very start. Jo and Sam sat on a overstuffed chair, Sam in the seat and Jo on the arm, both had big smiles plastered across their faces. When the doorbell rang Jo hurried to the door and returned with Gordo's parents who had the same smile that Jo and Sam did.
"What is this all about?" Gordo's father finally asked.
"Have you two finally realized that you are perfect for each other?" Jo blurted.
Lizzie's gaze fell to her lap and she grasped Gordo's hand tightly and Gordo spoke, "Sort of. You guys need to hear us all out."
The adult's faces fell, "What's wrong?" Jo asked concern crossing her face.
"There was a lot of alcohol floating around Chad Craft's Christmas party." Gordo stated.
"You two go drunk at the party?" Gordo's mother asked covering her mouth her hand.
"Really drunk." Lizzie added.
"Lizzie I wish you would have told us about this sooner." Sam stated.
"We're not done yet." Gordo spoke but didn't make eye contact with either sets of parents.
"David Gordon if you are about to tell me what I think you are I don't want to hear it. Nor do I want to see you again." Gordo's father stated.
"Howard let the children finish. I'm sure it's not as bad as they are making it sound."
"Roberta we all know what they are going to say. And I won't have a 16-year-old son who got a girl pregnant."
"Lizzie honey is it true?" Jo asked taking Lizzie's hands into her own staring intently into Lizzie's face.
"I'm so sorry Mom." Lizzie cried bursting into tears throwing her arms around her mother's neck.
"David I am so ashamed of you." Howard Gordon said standing to his feet. "Don't bother coming home unless it is to get your things. You are no longer my son. Come along Roberta."
Roberta looked dejectedly at her son shaking her head and then following her husband out the front door.
"Lizzie your father and I need to talk." Jo gently smoothes Lizzie's hair gently.
"Mom…" Lizzie starts suddenly.
"Lizzie your mother and I need to recover from the shock. Please will you and Gordo just go into the kitchen for a little while? We'll come get you in a couple minutes."
Lizzie nods and stands, "Come on Gordo I'll get you something to eat."
When they were in the kitchen Lizzie turns to Gordo, "I'm so sorry about how your parents reacted Gordo."
"That's not your fault Lizzie." Gordo responds softly walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out a can of soda for both of them.
"It's all my fault Gordo!" Lizzie cried. "All of this is my fault."
"No Lizzie." Gordo responded hugging Lizzie, "This is both of our fault and we are going to figure it out." Pulling away Gordo added, "Your parents took it really well."
"I wish they would have yelled at me like yours had." Lizzie sighed, "At least then I would know what they are thinking."
"Gordo Lizzie? Could you come in here please?" Sam called from the living room.
Walking back into the room they found Jo with the remnants of tears on her cheeks, but she was no longer crying. "Come sit on the couch, both of you."
Lizzie and Gordo both took places between Sam and Jo on the couch, "We want you both to know that we are disappointed in both of you." Sam stated up front.
"But we love both of you. Gordo, Sam and I have always thought of you as a son. Now are you planning on giving up the baby?"
Gordo and Lizzie exchanged glances and Lizzie shook her head, "I couldn't."
"Gordo?" Sam asked.
"I was in disagreement at first sir but I came to see Lizzie's side of it." Gordo stated simply.
"All right then." Jo nodded, "We are all in agreement. We also had an idea that you guys can take if you want. The guest-house doesn't get used very often for now Gordo you are welcome to it. And then when the baby is born Lizzie can move in there."
"Mom?" Lizzie asked puzzled.
"We don't want to force you two to get married if you don't want to. But if both of you want to take part in raising this baby you are welcome to the guest-house until you graduate from high school. Sam and I will help you as much as possibly but you are going to be responsible for this baby for the rest of your life. You will both need to get jobs."
"Are we all in agreement?" Sam asked.
Lizzie burst into tears again hugging her father tightly, "I love you Daddy." Lizzie whispered, "You too Mom."
"Gordo I'll help move our things from your parents house if you would like." Sam offered.