Chapter 7: skipping

Dirty and sore from being pushed to the ground, Gordo chased after Miranda in hopes of apologizing. He made it to the lunch table they were once sitting at. Her tray was there, but Miranda was absent. Gordo looked around at all the heads in the schoolyard, searching for her; she wasn't anywhere, but Gordo knew just where to find her. He went behind the school to the field where a giant oak tree stood. Miranda sat under it, against the stump. She had one leg bent at the knee and the other sticking out straight. She had her book bag next to her and writing something in a notebook.

"Miranda, are you mad at me?" Gordo asked when he was a few inches from her.

He looked down at her; she was silent and writing long sentences. Gordo breathed in and out, then knelt to the ground and crawled over to her, sitting next to Miranda under the tree. Gordo's shoulder touched Miranda's, and he could feel strands of her black hair brushing against him.

"Look, I didn't mean to embarrass you," Gordo said. He stared at the side of her face with deep eyes. "That was never my intention."

Miranda closed the notebook, but she didn't look him in the eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Gordo. I'm just disappointed." She plucked out a clump of grass and sprinkled it off to the side.

"Disappointed?" Gordo repeated.

Miranda met his eyes. "It's my first time working with Ethan, and you know that."

Gordo nodded solemnly. "I know, and I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Gordo," Miranda said. "I just want to know why you asked Miss Stevens to switch. Did you not want me to be with Ethan?"

"No, I swear that's not why I asked her to switch." Gordo sat crisscrossed now, his body angled towards Miranda instead of directly at her side.

"Then why?"

"I just wanted a change, you know? I always work with Lizzie, hardly ever with you," Gordo explained.

That was half a lie and half true. He did want to work with Miranda again, but he didn't want to work with Lizzie because he couldn't handle it.

After a brief moment of silence, Miranda asked, "Are you sure that's the only reason?"

Gordo slowly smiled. "Why? Do you not think I'd be a good parent?"

Miranda's face flushed with embarrassment. "No, of course not. I just—"

Gordo kept his smile as he grabbed one of her hands. He held it between two of his hands and shook it around. "Miranda, I can guarantee you'll have more fun with me than Ethan on the project. Pleeease let me be your fake baby's father?" He put out an exaggerated and comically pleading voice.

Miranda shook her head, unable to refrain from smiling. "You're weird, Gordo."

Still holding her hand, he said, "You chose to be my friend, so what does that make you?"

Miranda loosened the grip on his hand, and he dropped it. "Shut up, Gordo," she teased with a smile.

Gordo unraveled his legs and let them stick out in front of him as he leaned his back against the stump. Unaware of the time, Gordo and Miranda sat under the tree for minutes as lunchtime was withering away. Students began to throw away their garbage and put their trays away, and they headed to their following classes. Because of how far Gordo and Miranda were away from the school, they did not hear the bell go off. They sat in peaceful silence for a moment, but a random question broke the silence.

"Gordo?" Miranda looked at his face. There was a significant pause between her sentences. "Am I attractive?"

Gordo, whose vision had been fixed at the line that divided the sky from the grass, widened his eyes and stopped breathing for one second. His heart raced. The question she'd ask was a topic they had never crossed before. It took him by surprise. He didn't know how to react.

"I think a lot of guys like you. I see them staring at you all the time," Gordo stuttered.

"I mean do you think I'm attractive?"

Miranda's was Gordo's best friend. He never thought about her that way. Not that she wasn't pretty because she was, but he never gave it more than a few seconds of thought. What was he going say, though? 'No, I don't think you're attractive; I've never once thought about you like that.' Of course not, especially when Miranda had gone through body issues before.

"Miranda, are you going through something again?" Gordo asked.

"Don't worry; it's not like that."

"Good. We can't have you going on a diet again."

"But you still didn't answer my question."

"Miranda," Gordo said. "If a guy doesn't think your pretty, then they're blind. You've got a nice smile and a great personality."

"It's a yes or no question," Miranda stated.

"What am I supposed to say? 'Nope, you're not attractive, and I don't know why we're friends?' Of course, my answer is yes."

"Jeez, I didn't know it'd be that hard for you," Miranda joked.

"What this about? It seems out of nowhere?"

"I don't know. I've just been thinking about Lizzie and how she has it so easy with boys; meanwhile, I've never been asked to dance or have been on a real date."

"There's a dance coming up. Maybe someone will ask you."

"It's girls asks guys."

"Even better, you can ask whoever you want!"

"Yeah, and get turned down and humiliated."

"With that attitude, you will. Come on, Miranda, you need to give yourself more credit. I've seen you talk to Ethan lately. You have a way with boys."

"Thanks for the confidence booster, but no."

Gordo sighed as he smiled. "Listen, I'll tell you what. If you don't end having a date for the dance, then I promise I'll be yours."

Miranda raised both her brows. "Seriously?"

"Miranda, you're my best friend," Gordo said. "It's not out there for us to go to a dance together."

"I know. I'm just surprised because you usually want to go to dances with Lizzie."

Gordo thought about how Lizzie would for sure ask Zack for the upcoming dance. "I'm pretty sure she's taken."

Miranda grinned, sticking her hand out. "Fine, it's a deal."

Gordo grabbed her hand and shook it firmly.

"Oh shoot, we gotta get to class!" Miranda said, standing up quickly.

Gordo stayed on the ground. "Let's skip," he said with a proud grin.

Miranda turned around and looked down at Gordo with an eyebrow raised high. "Who are you, and have you done to the real Gordo?"

"I'm serious," Gordo said.

"Gordo, no."

Gordo got to his feet and faced Miranda. "What happened to the rebel Miranda I know?" He crossed his arms and smirked.

"I don't want you to get in trouble with your parents. You already skipped a whole school day."

Gordo scoffed. "My parents are too engulfed in their jobs to give a crap."

Miranda smiled. "Okay."

"What?"

"Let's skip."

"Seriously?"

Before he could say another word, Miranda had grabbed his dirty hand and pulled him away. She started running across the field as he attempted to keep up with her pace.

"Miranda, you're gonna make me trip," Gordo said. "Where are we going?"

Miranda continued guiding Gordo behind her, and before he knew it, they were off school property and standing in front of a barbed wired fence. Off in the distance stood an old wooden shed surrounded by bushes and trees. Miranda had a fascinated grin, and she was still holding Gordo's hand.

"This is your idea of skipping class?" Gordo said, staring at the rustic building. "An old abandoned building?"

"It's not just an abandoned building," Miranda said. "I heard it's haunted."

"Haunted?" Gordo chuckled. "There's no way. And besides, it's daylight."

Miranda turned her head to look at him. "Ghosts don't just come out at night, Gordo."

Gordo looked down at their hands, noticing Miranda still had a tight grip. He thought it was a bit odd that she hadn't let go yet, but he didn't want to yank his hand away for the thought of it being rude for some reason.

"Who told you it was haunted anyway?" he asked.

"No one. I read it on the internet."

Miranda loosened her grip, and their hands untangled. She began inching closer to the fence.

"Come on," she said to Gordo, looking over her shoulder.

"Miranda, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" she said, making him sound stupid. "We're checking out the haunted shed."

Gordo noticed a "No Trespassing" sign hanging on the fence. He pointed it out to

Miranda.

"It's says no trespassing Miranda."

Miranda lifted herself and put a leg over the edge of the fence. "Calm down, Gordo. No one lives here."

She then put her other leg over and hopped down the other side of the fence. "You need to—"

Gordo gave her a heavy eye-roll. "I know, I know. 'Live a little.'"

"Are you coming or not?" Miranda said from the other side of the fence.

Feeling defeated, Gordo gave in and climbed over the fence. As he grabbed onto the edge, the wires pierced his skin.

"Ouch, how do you do this without hurting yourself?" Gordo complained.

Miranda just laughed, and she started running to the shed.

She has to stop doing that.

"Wait! You're too fast, Miranda." Gordo ran after her.

By the time he caught up to her, she was already inside the shed. Even though Gordo didn't believe it was haunted, he didn't go inside right away. He first peered inside the opening to inspect the area. It was bigger than the outside showed, but it was just as battered as he expected. The wooden walls had boards falling apart, and the ceiling looked like it could cave in at any second. When he stepped inside, Gordo saw that the stairs were leading to a second story.

"Miranda?" Gordo called out when he couldn't find his best friend. He observed the area, and a shiver went down his spine. The darkness, mixed with cobwebs and boarded-up windows, made the place eerie. Not to mention, he saw a creepy doll sitting in the corner with a broken face.

"Okay, Miranda, I believe you this place is haunted. Can we leave now?"

No answer.

Gordo went to the stairs but stopped on the first step." Miranda?" he called again, louder.

"RAHHHHHHHGG" screamed Miranda, who popped out from behind the stairs like a jack in the box.

"Holy—"Gordo clutched his chest and nearly fell backward.

"You know you're gonna kill someday Miranda," Gordo said with deep breaths.

"I gotcha good, though, didn't I?" Miranda said, laughing in between words.

"Yes, but it was not funny." Gordo pouted like a little kid.

"Aw, poor Gordo," Miranda said, sharing the same pout.

"Shut up."

"Never," Miranda smirked.

"Okay, you had your fun. Now can we leave?"

"Wait, we haven't gone to the second story."

"Miranda, I have a weird feeling that we shouldn't be here," Gordo said.

"That's just ghosts trying to torment you." Miranda started walking up the stairs. "Come on."

Once again, Gordo gave in and followed Miranda to the second story. The steps did not feel safe, and he thought he might fall through. But he managed to make it without falling, and the upstairs revealed a balcony.

"This is cool," Miranda said, holding on to the edge of the balcony.

Standing beside Miranda, Gordo reluctantly held onto the rail. "This is definitely not safe. We're going to fall."

"Oh my gosh, Gordo. Seriously, you need to chill. We're fine," Miranda said.

Just as she said her last word, a loud, deep, and bellowing voice boomed across the field.

"Hey, what are you kids doing up there?!"

Miranda ducked, crouching to her knees. "Shoot."

Gordo ducked with her. "See, I told you this was a bad idea," he whispered.

The voice got louder and closer. "This is private property!"

Miranda looked between the columns of the balcony. "He has a gun, Gordo! We need to get out of here now."

Gordo was already flying down the stairs and escaping the shed. Miranda raced after him, and the two ran across the field as fast as they could. When they reached the fence, Miranda leaped over it and landed hard on the grass.

"Gordo! Hurry up!" Miranda urged.

"I'm trying!"

Gordo swung his leg over the fence but then froze. "My shirts caught."

Miranda ran up and found the piece of his button-up that was stuck. She yanked it and ripped a hole in it.

"You ruined my shirt!"

"Gordo, that's the least of our concern," Miranda said. "Let's go."

The pair sprinted across the grass, hurdling over rocks and fallen tree logs till they made it back to the schoolyard. Out of breath and soaked in sweat, Gordo was tailed behind Miranda, and his shoes collided with her ankles. Gordo and Miranda tumbled to the ground like dominoes. He fell on top of her, his arm pinning Miranda's arm down. His chest hovered over Miranda's stomach, and he found himself staring into her eyes. His breathing stopped, and so did the world around him.

What is going on?

"Are you gonna get up?" said Miranda.

Gordo blinked, lifted his body, and rolled over to the grass. They both were on their backs, shoulders brushing. That was so awkward.

Miranda turned her head to look at him. "We still have some time before class ends. What do you want to do now?"

Gordo smiled, then got up without saying a word.

"What? Where are you going?"

Gordo looked back at her once and then started running. Miranda sighed and lifted herself off the ground. Now it was her turn to chase after him. Gordo enjoyed being the mysterious one for a change, and having Miranda chase him was a kind of thrill he didn't expect to enjoy. He started running past the school's front doors and around the back to the football field.

He found a soccer ball hidden under the bleachers, and he kicked it to Miranda. She stopped with her foot, lifted on top of her shoe, and then tossed it in the air, followed by a high kick. The soccer ball soared across the football field. Gordo followed the ball with his eyes; they were filled with shock and amazement.

After chasing the ball and bringing it back, Gordo jogged up to Miranda, hugging the ball by his side.

"Miranda, how come you haven't tried out for the soccer team?" he asked.

Miranda shrugged. "Don't know. It's never crossed my mind."

Gordo dropped the ball and rolled it back to Miranda. "Well, you'd be really good at it."

Miranda swiped the ball with her foot. "Are you kidding me? Me Miranda Sanchez playing soccer?"

"I'm serious. You definitely should try out for the team."

"Depends..." Miranda rolled the soccer ball from foot to foot.

"On what?"

She stopped the ball. "Would you go to all of my games?"

"Depends," Gordo repeated as a joke. "Am I allowed to embarrass you?" He smirked.

"Only if I can embarrass you." Miranda grinned.

Gordo shook his head. "Nah, never mind."

Miranda grabbed the ball and threw it at him. "Hey!"

After kicking the soccer ball around, Gordo and Miranda moved to the top row of the bleachers. They sat in the middle of the row, so close, their clothes meshed together. When they looked down, the numbers on the field looked tiny, and the yellow goal post seemed miles away. It was so quiet, Gordo could hear Miranda's breathing. The silence suffocated him, and he needs to stop it so bad.

"Miranda, have you ever been in love?"

"Clearly, you forgot that Ethan Craft exists."

"I mean for real."

"Ethan Craft is real."

"You know what I mean, Miranda."

"Then no, I have never been in love. Were still young for that, don't you think?"

"I think adults underestimate us. If we can love our parents and friends, then how come we can't love someone romantically?"

"Fine, then have you've ever been in love?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so. No, definitely not."

"So have you or haven't you?"

"I don't know. I've never been in love before, so I don't know what it's supposed to feel like."

"Oh." Miranda stared at one of the screws on the metal bleachers floor. "When you experience it, can you let me know how it feels?"

Gordo's brain lit up as if it were flashing a sign that said "wow." What an odd and unexpected favor to ask, especially from Miranda. This had to be the first time they ever talked about the subject of "love." And somehow, it felt comforting. Maybe Miranda and he were evolving from friends who like to tease each other to best friends who can share deep conversations.

Gordo thought about the baby project, and he felt less guilty about switching partners. Sure, he hated that he upset Miranda, but he knew it'd be familiar and a smooth ride when he pictured himself working with Lizzie. But with Miranda, anything was possible, and that excited Gordo.

"We should probably get back inside before the bell rings," Miranda said, breaking up Gordo's thoughts.

"You're right. We don't want to get in trouble."

Gordo and Miranda went inside the school and hid behind the wall that led to the bathrooms. When the bell rang, they waited for a crowd and pushed their way through to blend in with the other students. They went to their lockers to pretend to switch out their books.

"Where were you guys?"

Gordo and Miranda turned around simultaneously.

"Oh, hey, Lizzie," Miranda said.

"Why weren't guys in science?" Lizzie asked.

"We decided to skip," Miranda told her with confidence and a proud smile.

Gordo didn't look at Lizzie, not because of the whole Zack situation, but because he thought Lizzie would be mad at him and he hated making her feel that way; Skipping class was out of character for him.

"Okay, for Miranda, that makes sense," Lizzie said. "But you Gordo?"

Gordo rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, it was actually my idea."

Lizzie opened her mouth, but she had a hint of a smile. "Oh no, what is going on? The world must be ending." Lizzie joked, followed by a giggle.

Hearing her giggle made the tension in his body relax. For the first time, he could look her in the eyes without overthinking.

"Tell me about it," Miranda said. "I was just as shocked as you were."

Lizzie and Miranda walked side by side down the hall towards their next class, and as per usual, Gordo trailed behind. They were talking and giggling, but he couldn't make out the topic. Though, sadly he could guess.

The school day ended with excitement when Miss Steven's students got to pick out their dolls for the project. She had a line of dolls in toy car seats on a table in the back of the room. The students broke off into their pairs and crowded the table. Gordo watched Lizzie and Ethan picking up a boy doll with blonde hair. Lizzie cradled the baby in her arms as if it were real, and she was already acting like the good parent Gordo knew she'd be.

"Any of them catch your eye?" Gordo asked Miranda as they waited for their turn to pick out a doll.

"That one looks cute. It's got dark hair like mine, but blueish eyes like yours." Miranda pointed to the baby at the end of the table.

"Go for it," Gordo offered.

When the crowd cleared up a bit, Miranda went for the doll she had her eyes on. She held the car seat by the handle and brought it to Gordo.

"Congrats, this is your daughter," Miranda joked.

Gordo peered into the car seat to see the doll up close. The doll had lifelike hair that seemed to be added strand by strand. The skin felt soft and had a pinkish tone. It looked so realistic.

"This is so weird," he commented, his eyes fixated on the fake baby. "It looks real."

"The next seven days should be interesting," said Miranda.

"Interesting? More like insane."

"Hey, do you want to come over? My parents aren't home," Miranda asked him.

Gordo's eyes left the baby's to Miranda's real ones. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "That my parents aren't home..."

"Oh. Okay. Sure I'll come."

Before heading to the bus with Miranda, Gordo noticed Lizzie and Zack standing under a tree. While Miranda walked ahead of him, he paused to observe them. Lizzie ran a hand through his thick dark hair that covered his ears. Zack wore a jean jacket and tight pants with a chain hanging down the side. An idea popped into his head, but before he could indulge in it, Miranda called him over.

"Hurry, Gordo, you're going to miss the bus," she said through an open window.

Gordo took one more glance at Lizzie and Zack before jogging up to the bus. "I'm coming."