Rating: PG-13
Summary: As a senior in high school, Miranda and Gordo 'open their eyes'.
Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me, this is all fiction, thank you very much.
***
Eyes Wide Open
***
Gordo stood among the crowd of Chico's birthday party and watched Miranda sing. Gordo adjusted the beanie he was wearing, which was about the only thing he changed, he went from the black beanie to a navy blue beanie, but everything else on him was the same. Gordo looked to the left and saw Lizzie looking at him, giving him one of her famous 'what's wrong?' looks. Gordo just waved it off, and went back to staring at Miranda. She was doing a cover on some Phil Collins songs, which miracously Chico adored. Gordo sighed and poured himself some punch, he brought the little dixie cup up to his lips and took a long sip. Why was he even here? He didn't even really like Chico, he was one of the more annoying cousins of Miranda's, and yet Gordo still came. Gordo was feeling bad, and yet he still came. Maybe Carly had been right a few weeks back. He was too soft. If he wanted to mope, he shouldn't have to fit it in everyone's scheldues. But of course Carly didn't have ties to any of her friends, she didn't care what they thought. That was the difference between Carly and Gordo; Gordo cared, he cared deeply, and that was one of his biggest problems.
"Thank you," Miranda said, putting the microphone down, through the clapping, she eyed Gordo, who was clapping as well. Miranda bounced down the stairs and immediately went over to Gordo, she gave him a look. "Look about earlier ... " She started.
"Great singing." Gordo cut her off.
"What is wrong?" Miranda asked him.
"Absolutely nothing." Gordo snapped. "I'm just complimenting you on your singing, you did a great job up there. And Chico's birthday party is going great. I got all the highlights on tape, do you want it now or later?" Gordo asked, taking another sip of his punch. He looked to his left, and found that Lizzie had strolled over to him as well. "Ah, we're all together, once again."
"What is going on Gordo?" Lizzie asked.
"Nothing." Gordo snapped.
"Liar." Miranda said accusingly.
Lizzie nodded. "We know you Gordo, and you are obviously having a problem, tell us."
Gordo sighed. "Fine. I didn't want to make a scene, but really, do you guys ever think about me? When you two are rambling on about how cute this guy is and how cute that guy is and how totally awesome it would be to double date, do you guys ever wonder about me? How I feel all about this? I'm not a girl, as you can see. And I have had to deal with this since day one, my best friends are girls and I just might as well be one of them. Because that is what I am, you know. One of the girls. I'm Gordo, the guy who really isn't a guy. And I've told myself a million times, it doesn't bother me. But you know what, it DOES bother me. I'm a guy!" Gordo said, he then groaned. "I'm a GUY!" Gordo screamed. "Male. Pig, whatever you may call us GUYS, and yeah shock to the world, but I'm one of them. I have romantic implications, just like the rest of you. But does it matter? No. It doesn't matter because I'm Gordo, just one of the girls. Maybe it didn't bother me so much in junior high, but it fully bothers me now. I have other friends besides you two, and they are always asking me what the deal is with you two, why am I actually sitting through your guys whole ongoings about how cute the guy at the mall was, and I don't know! I don't know!" Gordo said, walking away.
Lizzie and Miranda looked at each other, before following Gordo out of the party and outside on the patio.
"I'm a guy!" Gordo screamed behind him, knowing Lizzie and Miranda were not that far away. "And yet I'm not treated like one, when I'm with you two. I'm just Gordo when I'm with you guys. Well you know, some people think that "Gordo" is cool! That he is worth something. Carly thought that too, Carly thought I was good, I was interesting, I'm not with Carly anymore. And that is probably the most horrible mistake I made of my life. I finally found a girl that liked me and I broke up with her, to be with you two. Which, Lizzie I hardly see you. Because you're on some mission, some mission to find the love of your life before senior year ends. Love doesn't happen that way Lizzie, love hits you when it hits you. But you're so busy trying to force love, that you've forgotten all about me. I needed you, you know? I needed your friendship when me and Carly broke up, and you were nowhere to be found. And you Miranda, I just need ... I don't know, I just don't know ... but what I need is NOT this!" Gordo exclaimed angrily and emotionally.
"I'm sorry Gordo!" Lizzie exclaimed. "High School is hard, and I have to admit, I've gotten lost in it but come on ... "
"That's not it!" Gordo said loudly, turning around. "It's so much more, something you two just don't get."
"Explain it to us." Miranda said, staring into Gordo's eyes, and found her heart breaking at the look she saw in them. She had always been able to look Gordo in the eyes and be mesmirized at what she saw there, but right now she was hurting. Because the look in his eyes told of pure anger and frustration, and she was a part of it, a big part of it. I didn't even like the guy.
"Explain it?" Gordo asked, sighing. "I can't. I'm sick of it. We're not even close as we all used to be, and yet I'm still just one of the girls. When is it going to take for you guys to realize I'm more than that? Just because I don't look like Ethan Craft, I'm ignored? Is that it? I'm frustrated and angry, because you guys just don't see me!" Gordo yelled, wailing his arms around.
"I see you!" Miranda exclaimed.
"WE see you." Lizzie forced her words. "I'm sorry that we, I, haven't been there. Look, why don't we all just hang out tonight? Forget my stupid love thing, it can just be the three of us, like it's alway the three of us. Will that make you feel better?" Lizzie asked.
"No, you guys don't see me at all." Gordo exclaimed. "I gotta jet."
"Gordo." Miranda said, trying to grab Gordo's arm, but only to be gently pushed away.
Gordo opened his mouth to say something, but instead just turned on his heels and stalked off. He needed time to think, think about everything. His outburst. His jealousy on how Miranda was dating some new guy. Jealousy. That was just what he needed. As if his life wasn't complicated enough, he could add 'jealousy' to his list of emotions. Just jet out of there and don't look back.
And that was what Gordo doing, for now.
***
"He won't answer his phone," Lizzie stated into the phone. "I called him like four times, since I got home. I know he's home, he's doing that whole ignoring us thing. I feel really bad. He's right. I've been preoccupied about me and wanting to find love, I haven't even thought our friendship, all three of us. I wasn't there for him when the relationship between him and Carly broke up. I should have been there. I've always been there for Gordo, and I haven't been recently, how did he take it?" Lizzie asked.
Miranda twirled the phone cord between her fingers. "Bad, he said he had been so close in falling in love with her. I think Gordo is afraid of love, because I can't possibly think of another reason as in why he would break up with Carly. I've never seen him so down, it actually scared me. It scared me to see Gordo so sad, I hate seeing him like that, you know?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, I definitely know what you mean." Lizzie agreed. "He was so mad today."
"I have never seen him like that. He was fuming." Miranda said, sighing. "I hate it, that he's not talking to us."
"I wish he wouldn't do this, be like this. I know he's mad, and yeah, maybe for good reason ... not great reason, but he shouldn't ignore the whole thing. I swear, lately Gordo's different. We're not the only ones that have changed, he's changed too."
"Yeah, change is needed." Miranda said.
"Yeah, but it's just weird seeing Gordo change." Lizzie said in a soft tone.
"Not as weird as you would think." Miranda said in an even softer tone. "Want to know something?" Miranda asked.
"Sure, shoot."
"I think I'm falling for Gordo." Miranda confessed.
Lizzie gasped on her side of the phone, and couldn't find anything to say. Miranda's falling for Gordo? Twilight zone ...
***
Gordo threw a small red ball up and down, as he laid down on his bed. He had the offer to hang out with Trevor for the night, but actually was happy that he refused to. Gordo was in one of his contemplative moods, and he was no fun to be around when he was like this. His phone had been ringing off the hook all night, luckily his mom and dad were out of the house for the night, so the ringing wouldn't be bothering them. But it sure was bothering him. He knew who was exactly calling him, and right now he didn't want to talk to either of them. Sure that sounded mean, but he was angry right now. Angry for pretty much no reason whatsoever. This had never bugged him before, he had dealt with it, no big deal, but now he was very mad, pissy, the list goes on.
And all Gordo could think about was that this all seemed to develop from the fact that Miranda might be throwing herself back in dating. And right now and even before, he kept telling himself, it doesn't bother him. Go Miranda, enter dating, he was just fine with it. There was nothing about Miranda dating someone else that bothered him. Or at least he thought so. But now he was contemplative again. If this didn't bother him, then why in the world had he blown up on Miranda and Lizzie?
Inner rage kept in too for long, that's it, Gordo said to himsef, as he continued to throw the little ball around. He grasped onto the ball, harder each time it landed in his hand. His eyes were narrowed, as the ball went up and down. Gordo stopped throwing the ball up and down and threw it down to the ground harshly. Okay maybe he was bothered a little about Miranda dating. Just a little. Isn't that what best friends are supposed to feel like? A little bothered? Just a little? Because you know, he felt as if she was ditching him. Like Lizzie had been doing. It was perfectly logical. It DIDN'T mean he was in love with Miranda, he WASN'T!
She was just his friend, best friend, and that was all. It didn't go beyond that, these feelings he was having were normal, best friend, fear of being ditched syndrome. They were perfectly NORMAL. He was *not* in love. It was illogical. Love between two best friends just screw everything up. He knew of this. And he wouldn't make the same mistake everyone else did. No he wouldn't.
"GORDO!" Came a voice from outside of his window, throwing him out of his tracks.
Gordo flipped over in his bed, and looked out of the window, he couldn't see who the person was, but all he could see was that someone was out on his front lawn and that it was pouring rain outside. Gordo pushed himself up and trampled downstairs.
***
Gordo, once he got all the way downstairs, unlocked the door, that his parents made him lock, and stepped back because of the rain, whooshing in the minute he opened the door. Once he was used to the feeling of the harsh wind and rain, he stepped back in front of the door to see who in the world was crazy enough to come over in this sort of storm. Once he saw who it was, his eyes softened. She came. To talk to him. Wow. "Miranda? What in the world are you doing?" Gordo asked shocked.
"I need to talk to you." Miranda said, shivering.
"Come in." Gordo said, rushing Miranda inside of his house, he shut the door behind her and locked it. "You're soaking wet, let me get you some clothes to change into, follow me." Gordo said, jogging up the stairs, Miranda shortly behind him. Gordo entered his bedroom and grabbed a shirt and some sweat pants and handed them to Miranda and pointed towards the bathroom.
Miranda nodded and walked into the bathroom.
Gordo rubbed his forehead and plopped down on his bed, trying to get ready for the outburst Miranda would have. He got ready for her saying some rubbish in Spanish, which he probably wouldn't understand. Gordo looked up when the bathroom door opened, he somewhat smiled at Miranda, when she walked further into his room, he shivered at the thought at how beautiful she was in his clothes. No, do NOT think that, Gordo yelled at himself. "You could have caught a cold, you know."
"I needed to talk to you, and you weren't answering your phone." Miranda said accusingly, she strided over to Gordo's bed.
"What did you need to talk about?" Gordo asked, not even commenting on the phone bit.
"I've never seen you mad, not like you were today at Chico's birthday." Miranda said, a frown painted on her face. "Gordo, you're not just one of the girls, not to me, and definitely not to Lizzie. You've got it all wrong, you're being defensive and stupid."
"You came all the way to my house in the rain storm, to call me stupid? Well thanks Miranda." Gordo snapped.
"No listen!" Miranda exclaimed, cutting Gordo off. "You're something special Gordo, don't you know that? Everyone who ever says differently is stupid, and they don't know you like I do. You're special and cool and funny and smart, and everything a girl should want in a guy. The reason girls don't look at you, because you're too good for them. They know this, and if they don't, believe me, I can make sure they know. You're great and it's hard not to look at you, it's hard not to think about you. You were there for me during the Trevor thing, you let me cry on your shoulder, you didn't call me stupid for falling for Trevor, you have always been there. I wish I could have been there for you to make up all of the times you've helped me. Sure I've been there once or twice for you, but nothing like you've done for me. And especially in this past year, I've seen you in a whole different light Gordo." Miranda said.
Gordo swallowed hard. "Y-yeah?" He asked.
"Yeah." Miranda said, biting down on her lip.
Just do it, Gordo
told himself. Gordo swallowed hard again, he let out a shuddering sigh
and then slowly leaned over and pressed his lips against Miranda's. First
he could feel the shock, but then surprise of his own kicked in, when Miranda
slowly started to kiss him back. Gordo inched closely, but not pulling
away from the kiss; Gordo rested his hands on Miranda's waist and shivered
when she placed her hands on each side of his face. Gordo slowly pulled
away and stared at Miranda, a few seconds later, he dove back in for another
kiss, wanting to feel his lips against Miranda's again ... he had no idea
what was going on, but he liked it.