Their waitress was an abnoxious teenager with frizzy red hair, who smacked
her purple bubblegum as she took down their order. "And bring us some extra
parmesean cheese," Gordo reminded her.
Lizzie sighed. She hadn't felt comfortable showing her face around town much after she had humiliated herself by storming out of the party early, but it was hard for her to refuse two of her favorite things-- her best friend Gordo, and pizza.
Gordo took a gulp of his soda and looked at Lizzie. "So, explain to me again why you've chosen to spend your summer in Colorado," he said. "I'm still missing the bigger picture here. You have a lousy time at one party and suddenly you want to leave the state for two months?"
Lizzie huffed impatiently. "I told you. My aunt wants me to come spend some time with her. Is that so difficult to believe?"
"Well, actually, yes. Why would you blow off your summer plans with your best friends to go off into the mountains with an aunt you barely know?"
Lizzie did not reply. She picked up her glass and slurped her soda. Gordo threw up his hands in defeat. He had invited her out for a farewell pizza, in hopes of understanding what was wrong with her He was sick of trying to dig information out of Lizzie. If she wanted to waste her entire summer, that was her business.
Aunt Laura had called nearly a month ago asking if Lizzie had wanted to spend the summer with her, before school had let out. But that was when Ethan was still her boyfriend, and when she was at the top of the social ladder. The party had been the last straw for her, and she suddenly felt unable to deal with anyone. Whenever she left the house, she was in constant panic of being seen. She wanted time to be alone, and away from all the pressures of the people around her. She got hold of Aunt Laura as soon as she could to tell her she had reconsidered the offer.
The gum-smacking waitress returned with a steaming cheese pizza held above her head. She slammed it on the table and walked off. "What about the parmesean?" Gordo yelled after her, but his request went unnoticed. He shook his head and mutter something about minimum waged-induced angst.
Lizzie yanked a hot slice from the pan and took a bite. "Ouch," she said as she pulled a string of cheese from her lip. "It's kinda hot."
A few tables behind them, they heard a large commotion. Lizzie turned around to see what was going on. There were four or five eigth-graders standing around a table, taunting its sole occupant.
"Jesus, Jill, is that whole pizza for you?" one boy teased.
Lizzie whipped her head back around and hunched over low, hoping no one had seen her. "Oh no," she groaned. "Kids from school."
Gordo stared at her. "Lizzie, are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you freaking out like this?"
Lizzie shook her head fiercefully, not wanting to talk. Gordo sighed and directed his attention to the group of kids instead. He saw that Jill Stokes had been sitting by herself. She was a big girl who wore alot of black, and was pretty much a loner, so the kids found great pleasure in "striking up conversations" with her.
He shook his head in disapproval. "You'd think they would at least give her a break during the summer. This is ridiculous. They pick on less aesthetically-gifted people just to make themselves feel better."
"Go away," Jill growled. She was angry, but hadn't really lost her temper; she was used to it.
One girl picked up a slice of Jill's pizza and looked at it. "You know," she said, "this doesn't really look like enough to satisfy a husky girl such as yourself." She snickered and nodded to the other kids. On signal, they picked up their own trash and scraps and started tossing them onto Jill's food. Their greasy napkins, half-eaten crusts, and watered-down sodas were littered all over Jill's table and what would have been her lunch. After a sufficient amount of laughter, the group wandered out of the building.
"Are they gone?" Lizzie asked worriedly when she noticed the noise had subsided. Gordo nodded. "Good. I was hoping no one would recognize me."
Gordo slammed his hands down on the table. "All right, I've had it. This is driving me nuts. You're usually a regular social butterfly. Now you're afraid to leave your own house. Something doesn't click."
Lizzie let out a whimper. "It's just... I don't feel like talking to anyone." Gordo stared blankly at her, begging that she elaborate. "I don't know why. It's like I'm just waiting for someone to tease me about getting dumped, or acting like a total spaz at the party, or looking like the crap I've been looking like lately. I'm just so used to be Ethan's girlfriend, and now I feel so lost. I feel like everyone's going to reject me, just like Ethan did."
He eyed her incredulously. "Are you serious? Is that what this is all about? That was two weeks ago, Lizzie. Much longer than the average teenager's attention span can last. No one's going to tease you."
"Easy for you to say! You don't know what it's like. Every time I go out anywhere, people are always standing there and staring, as if they're daring me to compete with them. I can't compete anymore, Gordo. Look at me. Look how pathetic I am. I can't live up to the standards that they have. No wonder Ethan dumped me."
Gordo smiled, trying to reassure her. "Don't be silly. It's all in your head! You're just the same as you were before you started going out with Ethan. You'll get over it, trust me."
With the worst possible timing, the front door chimed as Ethan Craft walked through, with his arm around high schooler Bethany Haaser. "Hey pizza dude!" he greeted the guy at the register. Then he waved to the red-headed waitress "Hey, pizza lady!" Bethany giggled as they slid into a booth; both of them on the same side, of course.
Gordo grimaced. It was becoming increasingly hard to reassure her. "I promise, you'll get over it," he repeated firmly.
Lizzie picked up another slice of pizza. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever." She was tired of arguing; it only made her realize how pitiful she really was. She chewed quickly as she tried to fight off the panic she was feeling, and was becoming even more grateful of her visit to Colorado.
Lizzie sighed. She hadn't felt comfortable showing her face around town much after she had humiliated herself by storming out of the party early, but it was hard for her to refuse two of her favorite things-- her best friend Gordo, and pizza.
Gordo took a gulp of his soda and looked at Lizzie. "So, explain to me again why you've chosen to spend your summer in Colorado," he said. "I'm still missing the bigger picture here. You have a lousy time at one party and suddenly you want to leave the state for two months?"
Lizzie huffed impatiently. "I told you. My aunt wants me to come spend some time with her. Is that so difficult to believe?"
"Well, actually, yes. Why would you blow off your summer plans with your best friends to go off into the mountains with an aunt you barely know?"
Lizzie did not reply. She picked up her glass and slurped her soda. Gordo threw up his hands in defeat. He had invited her out for a farewell pizza, in hopes of understanding what was wrong with her He was sick of trying to dig information out of Lizzie. If she wanted to waste her entire summer, that was her business.
Aunt Laura had called nearly a month ago asking if Lizzie had wanted to spend the summer with her, before school had let out. But that was when Ethan was still her boyfriend, and when she was at the top of the social ladder. The party had been the last straw for her, and she suddenly felt unable to deal with anyone. Whenever she left the house, she was in constant panic of being seen. She wanted time to be alone, and away from all the pressures of the people around her. She got hold of Aunt Laura as soon as she could to tell her she had reconsidered the offer.
The gum-smacking waitress returned with a steaming cheese pizza held above her head. She slammed it on the table and walked off. "What about the parmesean?" Gordo yelled after her, but his request went unnoticed. He shook his head and mutter something about minimum waged-induced angst.
Lizzie yanked a hot slice from the pan and took a bite. "Ouch," she said as she pulled a string of cheese from her lip. "It's kinda hot."
A few tables behind them, they heard a large commotion. Lizzie turned around to see what was going on. There were four or five eigth-graders standing around a table, taunting its sole occupant.
"Jesus, Jill, is that whole pizza for you?" one boy teased.
Lizzie whipped her head back around and hunched over low, hoping no one had seen her. "Oh no," she groaned. "Kids from school."
Gordo stared at her. "Lizzie, are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you freaking out like this?"
Lizzie shook her head fiercefully, not wanting to talk. Gordo sighed and directed his attention to the group of kids instead. He saw that Jill Stokes had been sitting by herself. She was a big girl who wore alot of black, and was pretty much a loner, so the kids found great pleasure in "striking up conversations" with her.
He shook his head in disapproval. "You'd think they would at least give her a break during the summer. This is ridiculous. They pick on less aesthetically-gifted people just to make themselves feel better."
"Go away," Jill growled. She was angry, but hadn't really lost her temper; she was used to it.
One girl picked up a slice of Jill's pizza and looked at it. "You know," she said, "this doesn't really look like enough to satisfy a husky girl such as yourself." She snickered and nodded to the other kids. On signal, they picked up their own trash and scraps and started tossing them onto Jill's food. Their greasy napkins, half-eaten crusts, and watered-down sodas were littered all over Jill's table and what would have been her lunch. After a sufficient amount of laughter, the group wandered out of the building.
"Are they gone?" Lizzie asked worriedly when she noticed the noise had subsided. Gordo nodded. "Good. I was hoping no one would recognize me."
Gordo slammed his hands down on the table. "All right, I've had it. This is driving me nuts. You're usually a regular social butterfly. Now you're afraid to leave your own house. Something doesn't click."
Lizzie let out a whimper. "It's just... I don't feel like talking to anyone." Gordo stared blankly at her, begging that she elaborate. "I don't know why. It's like I'm just waiting for someone to tease me about getting dumped, or acting like a total spaz at the party, or looking like the crap I've been looking like lately. I'm just so used to be Ethan's girlfriend, and now I feel so lost. I feel like everyone's going to reject me, just like Ethan did."
He eyed her incredulously. "Are you serious? Is that what this is all about? That was two weeks ago, Lizzie. Much longer than the average teenager's attention span can last. No one's going to tease you."
"Easy for you to say! You don't know what it's like. Every time I go out anywhere, people are always standing there and staring, as if they're daring me to compete with them. I can't compete anymore, Gordo. Look at me. Look how pathetic I am. I can't live up to the standards that they have. No wonder Ethan dumped me."
Gordo smiled, trying to reassure her. "Don't be silly. It's all in your head! You're just the same as you were before you started going out with Ethan. You'll get over it, trust me."
With the worst possible timing, the front door chimed as Ethan Craft walked through, with his arm around high schooler Bethany Haaser. "Hey pizza dude!" he greeted the guy at the register. Then he waved to the red-headed waitress "Hey, pizza lady!" Bethany giggled as they slid into a booth; both of them on the same side, of course.
Gordo grimaced. It was becoming increasingly hard to reassure her. "I promise, you'll get over it," he repeated firmly.
Lizzie picked up another slice of pizza. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever." She was tired of arguing; it only made her realize how pitiful she really was. She chewed quickly as she tried to fight off the panic she was feeling, and was becoming even more grateful of her visit to Colorado.