Prom
Chapter Twenty-Three: Big Hit
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[A/N: In this chapter, you might find out if Gordo asks Lizzie his question. You'll find out how their show does. (If you couldn't tell from the title.) You'll also find out the name of the Soap, which I haven't yet told you.]


Gordo sighed and closed the ring box just as the other occupant of the room sat up. "Gordo?" Jason asked groggily.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," he said, and tried to quickly shove the box into the pocket of his pajama bottoms. But it was too late, because Jason already saw it.

"Is that a ring?" Jason asked with a curious yet all-knowing tone.

"No, it's... uh," Gordo started.

"Are you planning to propose to Lizzie?"

"No, I just carry a ring around with me wherever I go," Gordo snapped.

"Hmm," Jason said.

"Sorry, I just... I just don't know when I'm gonna ask her, ya know? Every time I think of the perfect moment, I chicken out," Gordo explained. His face bore a troubled expression. He looked towards Jason for advice.

"You'll know when the moment's right, dude. But I have a feeling that Lizzie'd appreciate something original and romantic. That's just the way she is. So you gotta think of something that says, 'Lizzie, I love you' and proves it, yet comes from your heart. I know it sounds like something from a movie, but chicks like that kinda thing," Jason said.

"Thanks man. I'm gonna go outside and think for a while," Gordo said, and went through the process of unlocking the door's three locks to open it. He made sure he had a key before closing it, and walked down the carpeted hallway until he reached the door that lead to a balcony. When he opened the door, Kate was standing there. He slowly let the door fall shut behind him and stood next to her. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied. "What are you doing out here?"

"I needed to think," he said.

"At one in the morning?" Kate asked, looking at Gordo's watch.

"Yeah. So what's your story?"

"I couldn't sleep," she said, crossing her arms.

"Excited about tomorrow?" Gordo guessed.

"More like nervous," Kate admitted. "This is my big chance to prove I can be a good actress. And if I can do it, maybe I can get into a movie or something. That's my goal: to be in a movie."

"Ah," Gordo said.

"What's wrong with you?" Kate asked. "You seem... troubled." He just nodded in reply. She waited briefly, then pushed it further. "Tell me what's wrong." He took a deep breath, as if he wasn't ready to let anyone else know yet, and pulled out the ring box. Kate was at a loss of words, which was definately a first for her. "You're... you're... gonna ask Lizzie..."

"To marry me. Yeah," Gordo finished. "That's why I look troubled." He showed her the ring itself.

"Wow, it's beautiful. When are you going to do it?" He closed the box and replaced it in his pocket.

"That's my problem. I'm not sure," he said, and sat on the concrete floor. It was cold, put he didn't care at the moment. Kate joined him.

"Do Miranda and Jason know?" Kate asked, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Miranda doesn't know, but Jason just found out, and he told me it needs to be romantic and original, something that would fit Lizzie's liking perfectly. And so I came out here to think. I just don't know when the right time is," he explained.

"You'll know," Kate said, restating Jason's words. She gave Gordo a reassuring smile and stood back up. She headed back for her room, leaving Gordo to think about the words of his two friends.

- - -

The next day, they met the other stars of the soap. They were all pretty nice and really easy to work with. They filmed the first two episodes on the first day, and the next three on the day after. It seemed to be a lot to film in two days, but the first week wasn't too eventful, as the plots were just starting up. Until the next Monday, the gang was free to go home. Carl needed Lizzie, Miranda, Jason, and Kate for the next week, he realized, and they all agreed. They did a wonderful job on acting, but Lizzie, Miranda, and Jason were all going to definately be leaving after the second week. They didn't want their acting to get in the way of their college education.

When they told Carl this, he said, "That's fine. As I promised, you only needed to be here for the first week. So I'll just have my writers put it in the second week's storyline. But if you ever want to rejoin the cast, say five years from now, just give me a buzz. I'm sure we can get your characters added back in, somehow."

So Lizzie, Miranda, and Jason were going to be taking a long, or permanent, break from the show. Gordo, of course, was on contract. He had to be on the show for a minimum on two years, as his contract instructed. Kate wasn't sure how long she'd stay. She hadn't been offered a contract, but she also didn't plan on leaving if she didn't have to.

On Wednesday, they headed back home. The shows wouldn't air until the next week, when they would be filming the second weeks worth of shows.

- - -

After Gordo dropped Lizzie and Kate off, he drove to Miranda's house. Jason was hinting to her about Gordo's proposal-to-be.

"What are you talking about?" she asked him, not understanding his vague clues.

"Gordo can tell you. He's the one it's about," Jason said. Gordo wanted to wipe the smirk off his face.

"Tell me what?!" Miranda asked, getting good and curious.

"He's got a question to ask Lizzie," Jason said, because Gordo remained silent and kept his eyes on the road.

Miranda's puzzled expression remained on her face for about ten seconds until realization set in. "No... he's not going to..." she started. She shot glances between the two guys.

"Yes, he is. He's going to ask Lizzie to marry him," Jason said, his smirk widening even more.

"Oh my God, Gordo! I'm so excited! When are you gonna ask her?" Miranda rambled.

"He doesn't know yet," Jason answered for him.

"Oooh!" she squealed. "This is so great!" After seemingly endless chatter from Miranda, Gordo dropped the two off.

"Don't tell Lizzie a word," Gordo demanded of Miranda.

"Don't worry. I won't soil it for you," she said, and Jason led her to her house. Gordo waited a few minutes before he pulled away to head to his own home.

- - -

By the following Monday, Gordo still hadn't asked her. Miranda was practically bursting from holding the secret in and waiting for Gordo to ask her already, as she so put it. But at the time being, they were at the studio. Now, they were just filming one episode per day, and they were just getting done with the first half of the days work and were starting their lunch break.

Carl called all the actors into a large meeting room. "As you all know, today is the big day! Our show is airing in exactly five minutes, and it lasts for an hour every day. You will get two hours break every day in which you will be enabled to go to your dressing rooms. There, you will find that we have enstalled TVs so you can watch the show in peace. So get to your rooms, and watch away!" he said excitedly. The five friends joined each other in Jason's room just as the show started up.

The beginning was different from most soaps, where it introduced the characters by just showing their face. This one started by introducing the main characters one by one, where they all joined each other in a big white room. It was quite odd, yet very original. After the intro, they'd go to commercials, then the show would start.

The soft background music played, and the characters started walking into the room. It started out with the older people, followed by the younger ones. Near the end, Kate walked in (which caused her to let out an excited squeal as she saw herself on TV), the Jason (he grinned), Miranda (she bit her bottom lip and smiled widely), Gordo (he also grinned), Lizzie (she hugged Gordo's arm) and about eleven younger or same-aged actors. Then a narrator-like voice said, "Please stay tuned for the first episode of Once."

They talked ecstatically during the commercials, but soon the show was back on.

The first scene was of a little girl witnessing a store robbery from behind a shelf. This scared her so bad that she fainted, and the robber walked over to her, and the scene switched to somewhere else. It was Lizzie's character's mom. She was on the phone with an unknown character, who was obviously up to something, but it was unclear of what.

The third scene started with Gordo sitting in a bedroom, talking to Kate. In Jason's dressing room, Lizzie squeezed his arm. On the show, Gordo started to talk.

"Melissa, he did it. I know he did. Greg killed somebody, and I'm going to get him back," Gordo said.

"Bryan. He's our step-brother. I think I'd know if he killed somebody," Kate replied.

"Well obviously you don't know. I've been thinking lately. The day that Brody Kent dissapeared, Greg wasn't home. And he never leaves. Not to mention it was the worst storm this town has ever seen, and nobody in their right mind would be out in that weather," Gordo argued.

"That doesn't prove anything. Just from a coincidence, you're making an accusation?" Kate argued back. "You need solid information to accuse people of that kind of stuff." She stood up. "When you get some evidence, talk to me." She walked oit into the hall. The camera followed Kate, revealing that she was now talking to herself. "Now you've got me curious, Bry," she muttered, and entered a room that said 'Greg' on the door.

Kate looked in the desk, under the bed, and finally on the shelf in the closet. "Bingo," she said, and pulled a shoe box down. She sat on the bed and opened it. She shifted through a few papers and came upon a small black book. It had a lock, but when she tried it, it popped open easily. The pages were dated and she flipped to a page from two years ago - the date that Brody Kent dissapeared. "Oh, wow..." she muttered as her eyes scanned the page. "You're gonna have to pay to get this info, Bryan. And I know the perfect way..." she said, and commercials started up.

"We rocked!" Kate yelled, and hugged Gordo tightly. He looked very surprised, but not as much as Lizzie did. Lizzie glared at Kate until the commercials ended.

The only other scene involving the five was one in which Lizzie and Miranda's characters bumped into each other at a store.

"Watch it!" Miranda said.

"Watch yourself," Lizzie said. They exchanged dirty looks and then continued on their ways. Jason's character ran up to Miranda's.

"Hey. I'm Greg," he said.

"I know who you are," she said. "You're Greg Benson. Melissa and Bryan Reed are your step- brother and sister."

"Yeah. And speaking of Bryan, meet me tomorrow night at the park. Eight o' clock. I know you want him, and I can help you get what you want."

Before she could respond, he was gone. Little did she know, he was now talking to Lizzie.

"Hey. I'm Greg," he said again.

"Yeah," she said, ignoring him.

"I know that you like Bryan Reed. He's my step-brother, and I know a way to hook you up with him. Meet me at the park at Ten o' clock tomorrow night and I'll help you," he said.

He left, and said to himself, "Two hours between should be enough time. Annie Suarez and Katie Lawyer will no longer just be enemies, but they'll be at each others throats."

The show then ended.

- - -

After that, they celebrated (Carl informed them that the critics were loving it) and then finished the day's filming. As they were about to go to their dressing rooms, Gordo called Lizzie to him. "Lizzie, can you come outside with me for a minute? I need to talk to you about something." Miranda, Jason, and Kate watched as Gordo and Lizzie walked out the front door.
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So is Gordo finally gonna ask her? Or does he want to talk to her about something else completely? With my stories, you never know. Sorry if this is too cliffhanger-ish for you. :)

Also, yes, the show is called 'Once'. The whole title was 'Once Upon A Time' but it is always called 'Once,' even at the beginning of every episode.