The Rest of the Story-Chapter 5
Bad News. Very Bad News.
*Got two chapters done in one day! Don't you love me??*
3 Months Later
"Elizabeth McGuire and David Gordon!" Mr. Frankfurt yelled to the back of the classroom. The couple, now separated, had been kissing during class. "Since you two have no desire to learn in my class you are dismissed until you do!" They both stood up, trying to hide the smiles from their faces. They walked out of the classroom and burst into laughter.
"Oh wow. I can't believe we got kicked out of Frankfurt's class!" Gordo said and then pushed Lizzie up against the wall. "All because we were kissing a little."
"A little? Gordo you had your tongue halfway down my throat!" Lizzie exclaimed running her fingers through his curls.
"Like this?" Gordo kissed her with force. Lizzie leaned her head back up against the wall and kissed him back with all she had in her. For the past three months, ever since they'd been engaged, there had only been kissing. They wanted to wait until after they got married to. . .you know. But kissing was getting old fast and they still had another three months until they could even start planning the wedding. But they'd promised each other no matter how much they wanted to. . .they wouldn't. They finally broke apart and Lizzie put her hand in his back pocket and they walked out of the lecture building.
"Come on! Please be a letter! Please!" Miranda pleaded to herself as she dug through her and Lizzie's mailbox. "Damn." She hadn't gotten a letter from Matt in two weeks. He'd written every day before that. But then they just stopped coming. Miranda would check the mailbox everyday and walk away empty handed. She took the rest of the mail back upstairs and tossed it on the counter. She plopped onto her bed to continue studying for her Trigonometry test. Twenty minutes later Gordo came sauntering in with Lizzie on his back.
"Hey! I thought you guys had class?" Miranda asked shutting her textbook.
"Got kicked out." Lizzie explained as Gordo sat her down. "Thanks for the ride."
"Anytime. Well I have to get across campus for my film class. I'll see you later Miranda. Bye baby." Gordo gave Lizzie a quick kiss and left. Lizzie sighed.
"I love him so much! To think, I almost said no when he asked me to marry him." Lizzie frowned at the thought. "Did you hear from Matt?" Miranda shot her a look. "Okay. . .I guess not." With each day of no contact Lizzie grew more worried. "Did we get any other mail?"
"It's on the counter." Lizzie walked to the counter and started flipping through the stack of envelopes.
"Bills, bills, bills. . .What is this?" Lizzie asked holding up an envelope.
"I don't know." Miranda hopped off the bed and came over to look at it. It was addressed to Miranda Sanchez at the University of California in Los Angeles. She flipped it over and tore it open. She pulled out a single piece of paper and began to read silently.
"No. . .No. . . NO!!!" Miranda screamed.
"What is it?" Lizzie asked grabbing the paper from her best friend's shaking hand. It read:
Miss. Miranda Sanchez-
It is with great sadness we must relate to you the news of Private Matthew McGuire's death. It was his wishing, upon returning from leave that you be put on his address list. An address list is used if a citizen dies in combat the persons on the address list are notified. Our condolences to you and the friends of Matthew McGuire.
General Henry Bryant.
Tears fell from Lizzie's eyes and she stared up into the face of her best friend and Matt's fiancé. There were not words to describe what they felt. The understood each other through the silence. They'd lost a brother and a lover. After about ten minutes of silence Lizzie wrapped Miranda in a hug and they sat on the bed and cried together. At 6:00, after Miranda had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Lizzie picked up the phone and called Gordo and his cell phone.
"Hey sexy." Gordo always answered the phone like that if he knew it was her.
"Um. . .Gordo?" Lizzie stuttered. She didn't know how to tell him.
"What is it?" Gordo asked.
"You'd better come over. Quick." Lizzie half whispered the last word.
"Okay. I'll be there in five."
"Alright."
"I love you."
"I love you too." They hung up the phone and Lizzie lay back on her bed to wait. She must have fallen asleep because when she woke up it was 8:00 and Gordo was sitting at the foot of her bed. "Hey."
"Hey. What's wrong? You've been crying. . .and so has Miranda." Gordo pointed out.
"Yeah. . .Um. . .We got a letter from Matt's General say that Matt died." Lizzie couldn't get the words out without tears falling again. Gordo wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and he held her for a long time. Lizzie looked up and saw Gordo's face trimmed with tears. "It's going to be so hard." Lizzie whispered.
"I know. But I'll be here for you every step of the way. And we both need to be strong for Miranda." Gordo kissed away her tears and then wiped his own.
"Thank you guys for taking off of school to be here for this." Jo McGuire said to her daughter. She acknowledged Gordo and Miranda also.
"We wouldn't miss it mom." Lizzie hugged her mother and just like a hundred times before tears stung her eyes. Everyone began to file into the small chapel. There was a cherry-wood casket shut in the front of the room and two pictures of Matt on either side. Matt's body hadn't actually been found. But there were several eyewitness reports saying they saw him shot down in a skirmish. Miranda was dealing with the loss well, but mainly because she was still in shock. Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda, Jo, and Sam filed into a pew. The rest of the chapel was filled with friends and relations of Matt. Gordo gripped Lizzie's hand and Lizzie gripped Miranda's hand. They would get through this together. At the end, the casket was opened to put memories of Matt in. Miranda walked up to it and slipped her engagement ring off her finger, placing it in the casket, and walking away from Matt McGuire for forever.
Bad News. Very Bad News.
*Got two chapters done in one day! Don't you love me??*
3 Months Later
"Elizabeth McGuire and David Gordon!" Mr. Frankfurt yelled to the back of the classroom. The couple, now separated, had been kissing during class. "Since you two have no desire to learn in my class you are dismissed until you do!" They both stood up, trying to hide the smiles from their faces. They walked out of the classroom and burst into laughter.
"Oh wow. I can't believe we got kicked out of Frankfurt's class!" Gordo said and then pushed Lizzie up against the wall. "All because we were kissing a little."
"A little? Gordo you had your tongue halfway down my throat!" Lizzie exclaimed running her fingers through his curls.
"Like this?" Gordo kissed her with force. Lizzie leaned her head back up against the wall and kissed him back with all she had in her. For the past three months, ever since they'd been engaged, there had only been kissing. They wanted to wait until after they got married to. . .you know. But kissing was getting old fast and they still had another three months until they could even start planning the wedding. But they'd promised each other no matter how much they wanted to. . .they wouldn't. They finally broke apart and Lizzie put her hand in his back pocket and they walked out of the lecture building.
"Come on! Please be a letter! Please!" Miranda pleaded to herself as she dug through her and Lizzie's mailbox. "Damn." She hadn't gotten a letter from Matt in two weeks. He'd written every day before that. But then they just stopped coming. Miranda would check the mailbox everyday and walk away empty handed. She took the rest of the mail back upstairs and tossed it on the counter. She plopped onto her bed to continue studying for her Trigonometry test. Twenty minutes later Gordo came sauntering in with Lizzie on his back.
"Hey! I thought you guys had class?" Miranda asked shutting her textbook.
"Got kicked out." Lizzie explained as Gordo sat her down. "Thanks for the ride."
"Anytime. Well I have to get across campus for my film class. I'll see you later Miranda. Bye baby." Gordo gave Lizzie a quick kiss and left. Lizzie sighed.
"I love him so much! To think, I almost said no when he asked me to marry him." Lizzie frowned at the thought. "Did you hear from Matt?" Miranda shot her a look. "Okay. . .I guess not." With each day of no contact Lizzie grew more worried. "Did we get any other mail?"
"It's on the counter." Lizzie walked to the counter and started flipping through the stack of envelopes.
"Bills, bills, bills. . .What is this?" Lizzie asked holding up an envelope.
"I don't know." Miranda hopped off the bed and came over to look at it. It was addressed to Miranda Sanchez at the University of California in Los Angeles. She flipped it over and tore it open. She pulled out a single piece of paper and began to read silently.
"No. . .No. . . NO!!!" Miranda screamed.
"What is it?" Lizzie asked grabbing the paper from her best friend's shaking hand. It read:
Miss. Miranda Sanchez-
It is with great sadness we must relate to you the news of Private Matthew McGuire's death. It was his wishing, upon returning from leave that you be put on his address list. An address list is used if a citizen dies in combat the persons on the address list are notified. Our condolences to you and the friends of Matthew McGuire.
General Henry Bryant.
Tears fell from Lizzie's eyes and she stared up into the face of her best friend and Matt's fiancé. There were not words to describe what they felt. The understood each other through the silence. They'd lost a brother and a lover. After about ten minutes of silence Lizzie wrapped Miranda in a hug and they sat on the bed and cried together. At 6:00, after Miranda had fallen asleep from exhaustion, Lizzie picked up the phone and called Gordo and his cell phone.
"Hey sexy." Gordo always answered the phone like that if he knew it was her.
"Um. . .Gordo?" Lizzie stuttered. She didn't know how to tell him.
"What is it?" Gordo asked.
"You'd better come over. Quick." Lizzie half whispered the last word.
"Okay. I'll be there in five."
"Alright."
"I love you."
"I love you too." They hung up the phone and Lizzie lay back on her bed to wait. She must have fallen asleep because when she woke up it was 8:00 and Gordo was sitting at the foot of her bed. "Hey."
"Hey. What's wrong? You've been crying. . .and so has Miranda." Gordo pointed out.
"Yeah. . .Um. . .We got a letter from Matt's General say that Matt died." Lizzie couldn't get the words out without tears falling again. Gordo wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and he held her for a long time. Lizzie looked up and saw Gordo's face trimmed with tears. "It's going to be so hard." Lizzie whispered.
"I know. But I'll be here for you every step of the way. And we both need to be strong for Miranda." Gordo kissed away her tears and then wiped his own.
"Thank you guys for taking off of school to be here for this." Jo McGuire said to her daughter. She acknowledged Gordo and Miranda also.
"We wouldn't miss it mom." Lizzie hugged her mother and just like a hundred times before tears stung her eyes. Everyone began to file into the small chapel. There was a cherry-wood casket shut in the front of the room and two pictures of Matt on either side. Matt's body hadn't actually been found. But there were several eyewitness reports saying they saw him shot down in a skirmish. Miranda was dealing with the loss well, but mainly because she was still in shock. Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda, Jo, and Sam filed into a pew. The rest of the chapel was filled with friends and relations of Matt. Gordo gripped Lizzie's hand and Lizzie gripped Miranda's hand. They would get through this together. At the end, the casket was opened to put memories of Matt in. Miranda walked up to it and slipped her engagement ring off her finger, placing it in the casket, and walking away from Matt McGuire for forever.