Disclaimer: Ha ha! It finally happened! I own something. I own the girl that Gordo is dating that is mentioned in this chapter. And hey, if you can guess what game Lizzie is playing on Gordo's gamecube mentioned in this chapter, then I'll rename her to be after you. Oh, and this is the FRIST one to name the game. Just review and let me know what game you think it is there.
A/N: I am going to the beach this week and, so, will not be able to update. I will try to put up chapter six before I go, but I doubt I will be able to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't come here for crying,
Didn't come here to break down.
It's just a dream of mine is coming to an end.
But how can I blame you
When I built my world around
The hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends.
-Michael Bolton, How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the following days the pair stayed clear of the lake, an unspoken agreement having passed between them.. Slowly, they were developing a pattern. Gordo would come over every evening around 9 p.m. ("After dark it's much more exciting," he'd explained to an uncertain Lizzie), bringing his gamecube. It was a birthday present from his parents, who'd sworn that he needed to release his frustrations in a nonviolent manner. (Now what frustrations they believed he was keeping inside he could only guess. And despite his beginning reluctance to so much as even touch what he considered to be a variation of the boob tube, he found himself rather amused in cracking some of the more difficult puzzles some of the games had.) He was beginning to guide Lizzie through one of his favorites.
"Go through these double doors," he said now, pointing to the objects he was referring to. "Now there's a zombie on the other side, so be prepared to run."
"I can't just shoot it?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at the screen in front of her.
"No. Remember, pretty soon we're going to do something that's going to turn all the zombies we killed into crimson heads, and so if there are some we can avoid killing then I think we should attempt it."
She nodded and did as directed.
*I know, I know. Horror movies terrify me. So why, I'm sure you're asking, would I want to play a scary game? Dark room, alone, with Gordo? I'll give you one guess.*
"There's the save room," she shrieked in pleasure, having effectively avoided the zombie Gordo had described.
"Right. Now go in, get your ink ribbon and save your game. We're done for the night."
Finishing her friends current instructions, she shut off the gamecube.
"So, um, you going home now?" she asked, stealing a glance at the large round clock. 11:15, it said.
He grinned, and got to his feet. "I guess I should."
"I'll go see if my mom's still awake," Lizzie suggested, "I'm sure she can drive you home."
"Oh," he interrupted, "don't worry about it. My mom said she'd come get me at 11:30." He smiled. "Oh, the joys of summer vacation and Fridays."
"That's true." She began a walk to the kitchen, with her friend following behind her. "Want something to drink before you go?"
"Coke's fine."
As she passed him his soda, their fingers lightly brushed and she fought back the shiver threatening to crawl up her spine. 'What's the matter with you,' she inwardly screamed at herself.
With every day that passed, Lizzie kept hoping that she would awaken without Gordo on her mind. Miranda had called him from Mexico wanting to know what the deal was. After all, when she'd left, though he hadn't said it aloud, she had known that he loved Lizzie. And suddenly he had just turned those feelings off?
"So Gordo," Miranda had began, days before, in the aforementioned telephone call, attempting to EASE into her question, "you guys having fun?"
"Yep. I'm teaching her to play-"
"No no no, you misunderstand. Are you going to ask her out or what?" 'So much for EASING.'
There was a long pause. "Look, Miranda, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do," she'd snapped. "You like Lizzie. You always have. Now are you going to do something about it or not?"
"Okay, you caught me. I DID have feelings for Lizzie, but they're gone now. I moved on."
Later, when Miranda had told Lizzie what he'd said, a pain unlike anything Lizzie had ever felt had coursed through her body. It was official, he'd said it out loud. He had cared and he didn't anymore.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow," Lizzie said, as the pair stepped outside into the warm night air to watch for his parents.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, actually, I'm not sure."
"What do you mean?"
"I, well…" He grinned sheepishly and dropped his head. "I sort of have a date."
*A DATE?????*
"A…date."
"Right. A date."
When Miranda had brought the news of Gordo's comment about moving on, she had thought that never in her life could she feel worse. Well well well. She was a walking contradiction.
"How did you meet her?"
*That's great, Lizzie. Ask him all about it. That will really help the way you feel.*
"She lives in the neighborhood, we'd just never crossed paths. She's going to be a sophomore. Isn't that great?"
*Just ducky.*
"I'm really happy for you," she lied. "So, are you excited?"
"You know, I didn't think I'd be, but I am. You know, I haven't done much dating since Brook Baker. It's nice to be out there again. Burning up the dating scene."
She forced a smile at his joke. "Yeah, congrats."
"Are you okay," he asked, studying her out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm fine," she replied quickly. Too quickly.
He turned. "What's wrong?"
*Here's your chance. Do it, do it, do it, do it!*
She dropped her eyes. "Nothing, Gordo, really."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I do. I know. I'm just…tired."
"Which is what everyone says when they're upset about something."
"Look, Gordo, I'm fine! Okay? Really."
There was a look of disbelieve in his eyes as he nodded. "If you say so, Lizzie." He had a wounded tone. "I can come by tomorrow night after the date. We could play some more-" He paused to gesture to the gamecube.
She shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. It's okay. I have plans too."
*Okay, so I'm lying. But what would YOU do?*
He glanced up, his interest peeked. "Really? What are you doing?"
"My mom and I are going to hang out, plant some roses," she replied, feeling a twinge of guilt for the lie. "You know, do a little mother/daughter bonding."
He raised his eyebrows. "At 9:00 at night?"
"Yeah, well, you know. That's the perfect time to…plant things. Because of the lack of…sun…."
Before Gordo could give any sort of response, his parents familiar car pulled into the driveway.
"Well, that's them," he said needlessly.
She nodded.
"I'll see you later then?"
"Yep."
With a backwards glance at Lizzie, he stepped into the car.
*Good job, McGuire. Good job.*
A/N: I am going to the beach this week and, so, will not be able to update. I will try to put up chapter six before I go, but I doubt I will be able to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn't come here for crying,
Didn't come here to break down.
It's just a dream of mine is coming to an end.
But how can I blame you
When I built my world around
The hope that one day we'd be so much more than friends.
-Michael Bolton, How Am I Supposed To Live Without You
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the following days the pair stayed clear of the lake, an unspoken agreement having passed between them.. Slowly, they were developing a pattern. Gordo would come over every evening around 9 p.m. ("After dark it's much more exciting," he'd explained to an uncertain Lizzie), bringing his gamecube. It was a birthday present from his parents, who'd sworn that he needed to release his frustrations in a nonviolent manner. (Now what frustrations they believed he was keeping inside he could only guess. And despite his beginning reluctance to so much as even touch what he considered to be a variation of the boob tube, he found himself rather amused in cracking some of the more difficult puzzles some of the games had.) He was beginning to guide Lizzie through one of his favorites.
"Go through these double doors," he said now, pointing to the objects he was referring to. "Now there's a zombie on the other side, so be prepared to run."
"I can't just shoot it?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at the screen in front of her.
"No. Remember, pretty soon we're going to do something that's going to turn all the zombies we killed into crimson heads, and so if there are some we can avoid killing then I think we should attempt it."
She nodded and did as directed.
*I know, I know. Horror movies terrify me. So why, I'm sure you're asking, would I want to play a scary game? Dark room, alone, with Gordo? I'll give you one guess.*
"There's the save room," she shrieked in pleasure, having effectively avoided the zombie Gordo had described.
"Right. Now go in, get your ink ribbon and save your game. We're done for the night."
Finishing her friends current instructions, she shut off the gamecube.
"So, um, you going home now?" she asked, stealing a glance at the large round clock. 11:15, it said.
He grinned, and got to his feet. "I guess I should."
"I'll go see if my mom's still awake," Lizzie suggested, "I'm sure she can drive you home."
"Oh," he interrupted, "don't worry about it. My mom said she'd come get me at 11:30." He smiled. "Oh, the joys of summer vacation and Fridays."
"That's true." She began a walk to the kitchen, with her friend following behind her. "Want something to drink before you go?"
"Coke's fine."
As she passed him his soda, their fingers lightly brushed and she fought back the shiver threatening to crawl up her spine. 'What's the matter with you,' she inwardly screamed at herself.
With every day that passed, Lizzie kept hoping that she would awaken without Gordo on her mind. Miranda had called him from Mexico wanting to know what the deal was. After all, when she'd left, though he hadn't said it aloud, she had known that he loved Lizzie. And suddenly he had just turned those feelings off?
"So Gordo," Miranda had began, days before, in the aforementioned telephone call, attempting to EASE into her question, "you guys having fun?"
"Yep. I'm teaching her to play-"
"No no no, you misunderstand. Are you going to ask her out or what?" 'So much for EASING.'
There was a long pause. "Look, Miranda, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do," she'd snapped. "You like Lizzie. You always have. Now are you going to do something about it or not?"
"Okay, you caught me. I DID have feelings for Lizzie, but they're gone now. I moved on."
Later, when Miranda had told Lizzie what he'd said, a pain unlike anything Lizzie had ever felt had coursed through her body. It was official, he'd said it out loud. He had cared and he didn't anymore.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow," Lizzie said, as the pair stepped outside into the warm night air to watch for his parents.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Well, actually, I'm not sure."
"What do you mean?"
"I, well…" He grinned sheepishly and dropped his head. "I sort of have a date."
*A DATE?????*
"A…date."
"Right. A date."
When Miranda had brought the news of Gordo's comment about moving on, she had thought that never in her life could she feel worse. Well well well. She was a walking contradiction.
"How did you meet her?"
*That's great, Lizzie. Ask him all about it. That will really help the way you feel.*
"She lives in the neighborhood, we'd just never crossed paths. She's going to be a sophomore. Isn't that great?"
*Just ducky.*
"I'm really happy for you," she lied. "So, are you excited?"
"You know, I didn't think I'd be, but I am. You know, I haven't done much dating since Brook Baker. It's nice to be out there again. Burning up the dating scene."
She forced a smile at his joke. "Yeah, congrats."
"Are you okay," he asked, studying her out of the corner of his eye.
"I'm fine," she replied quickly. Too quickly.
He turned. "What's wrong?"
*Here's your chance. Do it, do it, do it, do it!*
She dropped her eyes. "Nothing, Gordo, really."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I do. I know. I'm just…tired."
"Which is what everyone says when they're upset about something."
"Look, Gordo, I'm fine! Okay? Really."
There was a look of disbelieve in his eyes as he nodded. "If you say so, Lizzie." He had a wounded tone. "I can come by tomorrow night after the date. We could play some more-" He paused to gesture to the gamecube.
She shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. It's okay. I have plans too."
*Okay, so I'm lying. But what would YOU do?*
He glanced up, his interest peeked. "Really? What are you doing?"
"My mom and I are going to hang out, plant some roses," she replied, feeling a twinge of guilt for the lie. "You know, do a little mother/daughter bonding."
He raised his eyebrows. "At 9:00 at night?"
"Yeah, well, you know. That's the perfect time to…plant things. Because of the lack of…sun…."
Before Gordo could give any sort of response, his parents familiar car pulled into the driveway.
"Well, that's them," he said needlessly.
She nodded.
"I'll see you later then?"
"Yep."
With a backwards glance at Lizzie, he stepped into the car.
*Good job, McGuire. Good job.*
