Lizzie in Australia
Thanks for all the reviews for my story. I'm going for 100 now.
Chapter 13: Interviewing Gordo
"Hey Lizzie," Gordo said cheerfully, the next morning. If he felt at all uncomfortable sleeping on the couch all night, he sure didn't show it.
"Hey," Lizzie said, still trying to get her eyes open. She grabbed a piece of toast.
"Here," Gordo said. He took the toast out of her hand, and began spreading butter on it.
"Thanks," Lizzie said, but she was too tired to really appreciate the gesture.
"It's nothing," Gordo said. He handed her the buttered toast. Lizzie monotonously began to much down on it.
"I'm off," Gordo said, a little while later. "I have to go back to the university today. I already skipped a class."
"Okay," Lizzie agreed.
"If you watch the television later today...maybe..." Gordo looked uncomfortable.
"What?"
"Just surf around at around 7, okay?"
"All right," Lizzie said, but she wondered what he was talking about.
As Gordo left, he waved good-bye to her.
* * *
"Hey Lizzie," Miranda said, greeting her as Lizzie opened the door for them.
"Hey," Lizzie replied, much more awake than she had been when she had nearly the exact same conversation with him perhaps an hour earlier.
"Hey." Matt addressed him much as the same way Gordo had earlier.
"So, what's up for today?" Matt asked them. Lizzie looked wistfully out the window toward the great buildings that compromised the University that Gordo attended.
Miranda caught her sentiment and laughed.
It was nearly ten in the morning, so they decided to stay at the apartment until lunch, when they would leave, and then they would return later, at around 6, so Lizzie could start surfing the television, as Gordo instructed her to do.
Lunch composed of poorly made sandwiches, compliments of the great Matt Mcguire. Matt himself drank 3 cans of Pepsi.
* * *
Later, after lunch, Lizzie, Matt, and Miranda were on the car, driving down the highway at high speed, since there was virtually no one on it, as to reach their destination quicker.
Since Sydney seemed deprived of tourist attractions, Lizzie and Miranda told Matt they were "forced" to go shopping. The two girls happily cruised the large mall in the center of the town while Matt was reduced to carrying their unwanted bags, and sometimes he would be able to convince his wife and sister to visit the occasional Game Stop, though he wasn't very successful at that. After some experience, Matt found it easier to convince a rabbit to eat a tiger than the two to stop shopping for more than a couple of minutes.
Matt just couldn't understand them, as he found shopping for clothes boring and dull, would have much rather stayed home and played his Playstation, or his computer, with the latest games.
Sometimes girls just couldn't be understood.
So for about 3 and a half hours, Matt walked tediously, to the point where he felt like his feet were sore, because the fact was, he was weighed down by the many bags that Miranda and Lizzie forced him to carry.
"How much did you spend this afternoon?" Matt asked later, when they were heading back toward Gordo's apartment.
"Only 300 dollars," Lizzie said.
"I only spent 180," Miranda offered. "Not as much as Lizzie."
"Only 180 bucks," Matt said sarcastically. "That's about how much we save in one month."
"Well, you have to pay to keep me happy," Miranda said, grinning.
"I hope I can get a husband like Matt," Lizzie teased. "To carry everything for me, and pay for everything I want."
"Shut up," Matt said good-naturedly.
It was already seven by the time they reached Gordo's apartment, Lizzie rushed in and instantly began flipping through the channels, while Matt (mostly) and Miranda (a little) carried in the hundreds of bags the girls had purchased earlier that afternoon.
Lizzie just reached Larry King Live when she saw Larry was interviewing a very strangely familiar person.
"Hello, and welcome to our show." Larry was introducing himself, and Gordo.
"Today, we are interviewing a very special person.
"His name is David Gordon," Larry finished.
"Hello, David."
"Hello," Gordo said uncertainly.
"David has set a world record for the movie industry," Larry told his audience. Matt and Miranda were quiet, watching Larry with rapt attention, the kind of attention you would see the hungriest tiger to give to a pack of powerful moose. "He is, to be sure, the youngest ever movie director to be nominated for Best Picture in the Oscars."
"No, Peter Jackson should get credit for that," Gordo said modestly. "I am, after all, only the co-director."
"Did you know Mr. Jackson has resigned his nomination for Best Picture, and has given you the honor of accepting this award?"
Apparently, Gordo did not know.
"By his own words, Mr. Jackson proclaimed that Scam was actually supposed to be a life-like tutorial for you, of the movie-making industry," Larry informed him. "He, nor any of the actors or producers, thought that the movie would break so many sales records by earming over 2 million dollars in it's first week, and has now earned over 450 million dollars, just less than half a year after it's initial release? The only movie ever to have gone this large was Star Wars Episode 3, earning only a mere 100 thousand dollars more than Scam on it's first week, and earning 950 million dollars in 2 years. Given the circumstances, I predict that Scam to earn even more. Top critics claim the movie could even earn over a billion dollars in 1 year."
Gordo was, in effect, extremely stunned. He'd directed to movie, to be sure, but never even in his wildest dreams could he have realized that the movie he directed had been so great. He never knew that this movie had such an impact on the movie-making industry. And to think, he only earned less than 200 thousand for it!
"Wow," he choked out. "I never knew..."
Larry looked puzzled, confused, but then he gave a warm smile. "Congratulations, David," he said.
Lizzie glanced at Miranda and Matt. All three knew about Scam, of course, who didn't? It was clear that they were just a surprised as she was.
"Wow." That was all Matt managed to say.
"Tell me about it," Miranda agreed.
Back on television, Gordo had to get past his shock pretty quickly. Larry was storming him with a barrage of questions.
"What did you want to be when you were a child? Did you love movie directing? How does it feel to have all this thrust upon you?"
Gordo could stare in response.
* * *
"Did you know he broke the sales of every movie?!" Lizzie exclaimed over the phone. Lizzie was talking with Ethan, and it was apparent even to Lizzie, who sometimes held a blind spot to Ethan, that he wasn't nearly impressed as Lizzie herself was.
"Great accomplishment,' Ethan finally said unconvincingly, surrendering to Lizzie's unending barrage of Gordo's achievement.
Lizzie, catching on to Ethan's depression, stopped yapping and hushed for a minute.
"Lizzie, is it okay if we talked a bit?" Ethan said, his voice calm and monotone. Lizzie would have betted her life savings he wasn't pleased with her. Even though they'd only dated once in 2 years, she could still predict what mood he was in; that is, if he hadn't changed since their last date.
"Okay, where?" Lizzie said, hoping they wouldn't break up once again.
"Let's meet tomorrow night, at, say, Hard Rock Café, okay?"
"All right." Lizzie said her byes, even though she had no clue where Hard Rock Café was. She'd find out from Gordo.
To tell the truth, it was beginning to become quite difficult to stop thinking of Gordo. She could still smell his scent, see his handsome face in her daydreams.
And the main problem lay in Gordo.
Lizzie truthfully didn't know what she would feel if Ethan dumped her again. It would never be as harsh as 2 years ago, the first time he dumped her. Unfortunately, Lizzie knew that Gordo was terribly messing up her and Ethan's relationship. Gordo might even be strong enough in her thoughts that Lizzie wouldn't even care.
Lizzie knew all true relationships were based on trust, but even more important, love. What was the point of being Ethan's girlfriend for another couple of years, and maybe marry him, if she just couldn't love him enough? What was the point of marrying him if she was enamored with Gordo? Lizzie didn't want to betray anyone, no matter who she was with. Honesty was the key to all loving relationships, and if she didn't have that with Ethan, their relationship would fall apart and shatter.
Perhaps it would be better if Ethan dumped her. She could think through her feelings, for Gordo and for Ethan. Even if Ethan hadn't been in the picture, Lizzie still wouldn't have asked Gordo out; she didn't want to destroy their re-found friendship.
So maybe it was better for her to be with Ethan. Anyway, she'd have little chance with Gordo; it was too early. Better to wait.
Yes, she decided. She would try to salvage her and Ethan's relationship.
* * *
"You were great!" Matt congratulated to Gordo later that evening, during their dinner. They had a particularly messy dinner consisting of burned pizza and spaghetti; compliments of Matt and Miranda, who both didn't know how to cook. Lizzie didn't either, but she wasn't cooking, she was spending her time brooding.
"Thanks," Gordo said modestly, but everyone could see he was proud of his reputation as youngest director for whatever it was.
The dinner went by with lots of chatting, mostly about Gordo and his claim to fame. Lizzie wasn't particularly fond of burned food, so she ate little.
Later that evening, after Miranda and Matt left, Lizzie was left alone with Gordo, who was cleaning the dishes.
"Congrats," Lizzie said, feeling her face burn red with a crush. A physical one, she mused, or at least hopefully it was a physical one.
"Thanks," Gordo said, smiling, as he'd done most of the evening.
Lizzie remembered with startling clarity of when Gordo had said he'd loved her. It was from a dream, sure, but did it really mean something? Lizzie didn't know, and she wanted to ask him, but it was sure to be embarrassing for him, so she refrained from asking him.
Was that what was bothering. Gordo had proclaimed his love for her in a dream, and now she had a crush on him? She'd had a crush on him since eighth grade, even when she'd dated Ethan, and that crush was returning to her, loud and clear. There was no denying that the feelings weren't there; they were. The only problem was how to deal with them.
Lizzie left the room then, not knowing what to say. She took a shower, wanting to be alone with her thoughts, of the previous and the current day.
Something was happening to her.
When Lizzie realized that a simple smile from Gordo made her feel so strangely, even if it was a picture, Lizzie might even be past a crush. The feeling was inevitable, so why was she so bothered? Lizzie was sure Miranda felt the same way about Gordo, once. Or had she?
Lizzie was too confused now. She couldn't get her thoughts straight. As she lay sleeping, a whirlwind of dreams and memories flashed by her, and in her dream, Lizzie had to make a terrible choice.
Ethan or Gordo?
* * * *
I'm pretty sure this is my story's longest chapter. Like it? Please review! Thanks; the preview is coming up.
* * * *
"No!" Lizzie cried. "I'm not ready!"
"Choose," he said, his voice deadly calm and angry. "Choose."
"I can't," Lizzie protested weakly. "It's too early."
"Me, or him Lizzie," he said, his voice trailing away...
* * * *
Who's he? And what's he making Lizzie choose? Find out all this, and more, on the next chapter of Lizzie in Australia! Review!