Miranda was right. After a few days of moping around the house, Lizzie's
mood began to lighten up. Gordo came over a couple times to hang out, which
really cheered her up. Soon she was beginning to think that she *was*
better off without Ethan. He was a terrific friend, but as a boyfriend he
was just too overwhelming. *Funny how one day you think you're in love and
the next day it's all over,* she thought. *Hopefully high school won't be
like that.*
She was becoming so confident in the fact that she was "over" the break-up that she finally decided to give Ethan a call. After all, she still wanted to be friends with him.
She finished off her glass of chocolate milk and picked up the phone. Her fingers began to sweat as she slowly pressed down the seven digits of Ethan's phone number. *Ring. Ring.* Each ring on the other line was a lump forming in her throat.
"Hello?" said Ethan, with the ever-present hint of confusion in his voice.
Lizzie froze. She tried to swallow the many lumps that had collected. She didn't feel quite so confident now. He had broken her heart... in public, no less! What could she possibly say to him? Maybe he didn't even want to be her friend. Maybe he never wanted to speak to her again. Maybe the sound of her voice repulsed him. Maybe...
"Uh... hello?" said Ethan again. *Maybe the phone has a mind of its own,* he thought.
"Hi, Ethan," Lizzie finally choked out.
"Woah! The phone sounds just like Lizzie!"
Lizzie sighed. "No, Ethan, it's me, Lizzie."
"Oh... Yeah. That makes more sense, doesn't it?" Ethan paused for a moment and realized it was the first time he had talked to Lizzie since their break-up. He tried to focus and be serious (although these were incredibly difficult skills for him to master).
Lizzie started to sweat. She leaned against the kitchen counter and absent- mindedly began picking grapes out of the fruit bowl and tossing them into her mouth. "So... how's it going?"
"It's going good." He paused, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. "But not, like, in a good way."
"Right. Well, that's... good."
"Yeah."
It was the most painful conversation she could ever remember having. "Listen, Ethan, the reason I called was because I wanted to make sure we were still friends."
Ethan let out a sigh of relief. "That's great. I'm glad you did."
Lizzie beamed, thoroughly pleased not to have been rejected again.
Ethan continued. "I'm totally glad you want to be friends. That's sort of the reason I broke up with you, you know?"
Lizzie wrinkled her nose. She hadn't expected the conversation to go in that direction. "Um... what do you mean?"
Ethan was becoming more comfortable with the situation, and therefore more cocky and less "focused" on what he was saying. "Yeah, I mean, you're such a good friend. It's sort of weird to go out with someone who's your bud. It would be, like, going out with Carlos." He shuddered at the thought of going out with his enormous friend from the football team.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "But, we got along so well together! We had so much in common!"
"Exactly!" Ethan's tone was chipper and relieved. He didn't realize that Lizzie was defending the relationship; he assumed that she was understanding and agreeing with every word he said. "I'm so glad we talked about this, Liz. I was worried you're feelings might be, like, hurt or something. But I guess you understand you're just not girlfriend material. So... are you coming to my party tomorrow?"
Not girlfriend material? Not girlfriend material?! Lizzie began to panic. Was that why he had broken up with her? She wasn't girlfriend material? It took him two months to figure out she wasn't girlfriend material?
She regained composure and tried to play it cool with Ethan. "Um, yeah, sure. I wouldn't miss it." What was she saying? She didn't want to go that party.
"Great. I'll see you then." He quickly hung up on her.
She felt awful. She felt even worse than the day he had broken up with her. She was suddenly swarming with insecurities. She wasn't girlfriend material, she now had obligated herself to going to her ex-boyfriend's party, and worst of all, she didn't have a cute new swimsuit.
She was becoming so confident in the fact that she was "over" the break-up that she finally decided to give Ethan a call. After all, she still wanted to be friends with him.
She finished off her glass of chocolate milk and picked up the phone. Her fingers began to sweat as she slowly pressed down the seven digits of Ethan's phone number. *Ring. Ring.* Each ring on the other line was a lump forming in her throat.
"Hello?" said Ethan, with the ever-present hint of confusion in his voice.
Lizzie froze. She tried to swallow the many lumps that had collected. She didn't feel quite so confident now. He had broken her heart... in public, no less! What could she possibly say to him? Maybe he didn't even want to be her friend. Maybe he never wanted to speak to her again. Maybe the sound of her voice repulsed him. Maybe...
"Uh... hello?" said Ethan again. *Maybe the phone has a mind of its own,* he thought.
"Hi, Ethan," Lizzie finally choked out.
"Woah! The phone sounds just like Lizzie!"
Lizzie sighed. "No, Ethan, it's me, Lizzie."
"Oh... Yeah. That makes more sense, doesn't it?" Ethan paused for a moment and realized it was the first time he had talked to Lizzie since their break-up. He tried to focus and be serious (although these were incredibly difficult skills for him to master).
Lizzie started to sweat. She leaned against the kitchen counter and absent- mindedly began picking grapes out of the fruit bowl and tossing them into her mouth. "So... how's it going?"
"It's going good." He paused, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. "But not, like, in a good way."
"Right. Well, that's... good."
"Yeah."
It was the most painful conversation she could ever remember having. "Listen, Ethan, the reason I called was because I wanted to make sure we were still friends."
Ethan let out a sigh of relief. "That's great. I'm glad you did."
Lizzie beamed, thoroughly pleased not to have been rejected again.
Ethan continued. "I'm totally glad you want to be friends. That's sort of the reason I broke up with you, you know?"
Lizzie wrinkled her nose. She hadn't expected the conversation to go in that direction. "Um... what do you mean?"
Ethan was becoming more comfortable with the situation, and therefore more cocky and less "focused" on what he was saying. "Yeah, I mean, you're such a good friend. It's sort of weird to go out with someone who's your bud. It would be, like, going out with Carlos." He shuddered at the thought of going out with his enormous friend from the football team.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. "But, we got along so well together! We had so much in common!"
"Exactly!" Ethan's tone was chipper and relieved. He didn't realize that Lizzie was defending the relationship; he assumed that she was understanding and agreeing with every word he said. "I'm so glad we talked about this, Liz. I was worried you're feelings might be, like, hurt or something. But I guess you understand you're just not girlfriend material. So... are you coming to my party tomorrow?"
Not girlfriend material? Not girlfriend material?! Lizzie began to panic. Was that why he had broken up with her? She wasn't girlfriend material? It took him two months to figure out she wasn't girlfriend material?
She regained composure and tried to play it cool with Ethan. "Um, yeah, sure. I wouldn't miss it." What was she saying? She didn't want to go that party.
"Great. I'll see you then." He quickly hung up on her.
She felt awful. She felt even worse than the day he had broken up with her. She was suddenly swarming with insecurities. She wasn't girlfriend material, she now had obligated herself to going to her ex-boyfriend's party, and worst of all, she didn't have a cute new swimsuit.