Chapter 6: Always Gonna Be There
"So have you talked to Gordo yet?" Lizzie asked as she was pulling her books for first and second period out of her locker.
"I...no. Not yet." Miranda lied. "I was really tired when I came home so I decided to just chill at my house."
"Oh." Lizzie said. She saw Gordo walking up. "Gordo, hey!"
"Hey Lizzie." Gordo said, unlocking his locker and yanking it open. Lizzie looked at him strangely.
"Gordo, are you okay? You look like hell." Lizzie said. Gordo looked at her in surprise. He knew he must look awful if it actually drove Lizzie to use a swear word.
"Yeah, I uh...had trouble falling asleep last night." Gordo said. That part was true. He had been tossing and turning all night.
"You do look tired. Well, you should try and sleep in tomorrow." Lizzie said.
"I probably will." Gordo lied. Truth be told, he'd be spending his Saturday doing schoolwork and working out.
"Good. Come on guys, we gotta get to class." Lizzie said.
"Gordo, are you sure you're okay?" Miranda asked, concerned.
"No, I'm not okay. I feel like hell." Gordo groaned, leaning against the lockers.
"Are you gonna be alright?" Miranda asked, worried.
Gordo smiled at her. "I'll be fine. But thanks for caring."
"Gordo, I always care." Miranda said. "Come on, we better haul ass before we're late."
"Alright." Gordo said.
As they walked down the hall together, Miranda looked over at him. He didn't look very good. He looked like he would fall over at any second. Still, the deep, thoughtful grey-blue eyes, the messy mop of dark brown curls, the pouty lips. Her heart melted everytime she looked at him. One of her favorite things about him, physically, was his lips. She had been spending many a night just thinking about what it would be like to kiss them.
Too bad she'd never get the chance.
Later...
Gordo pushed his tray away and sighed. He was feeling physically sick after just eating half a sandwich.
"You okay?" Lizzie asked.
"Do either one of you have any aspirin?" Gordo asked, holding his head in his hands.
"Here." Miranda said, handing him her bottle of Advil she kept in her purse.
"Thanks." Gordo replied, swallowing three.
"Gordo are you feeling alright?" Miranda asked.
"I'm fine, I just....I'll be right back." Gordo said, getting up. He felt like he was going to lose it at any moment.
"I'll be back." Miranda told Lizzie, getting up. She walked several paces behind Gordo so that he wouldn't see her. He headed down the hallway to the bathroom, shoving the stall door open.
Miranda looked around, and prayed to God no one else would be in the boys' room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and walked inside. She heard wretching and heaving sounds. "Oh no...Gordo." she whispered. She closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning against the wall opposite to the sinks, she waited.
Gordo flushed the toilet and straightened back up, leaning against the stall wall and sighing. He definitely felt better after that. In a way. He felt guilty, but he didn't feel so sick. He exhaled deeply and unlocked the stall door. Heading over to the sinks, he turned on one faucet and rinsed his mouth out, then splashed water on his face. He stood back up and looked at his reflection. He almost jumped a foot in the air at the sight of Miranda's reflection.
"What are you doing in here?" Gordo asked, turning around.
"I should be asking you the same question. Unfortunately, I already know." Miranda said. "Gordo...what's going on?"
"Nothing." Gordo replied.
"Right. Nothing. Gordo, I heard you." Miranda said. "You've always told me that if I have a problem that I should come to you. Now I'm telling you." she touched his face gently. "I don't know why you're doing this. There's nothing about you I would change. Physically, or otherwise."
"Miranda, look at me."
"I'm looking. What exactly is so wrong with you that you have to throw up everything you eat?"
"Miranda, I'm this short, scrawny kid with no muscles to speak of."
"You're fourteen, Gordo!" Miranda said, exasperated. "You've got a long time before people expect you to have muscles and be all tall and everything."
"I know, but...Miranda, you don't get it."
"Don't get it. Miranda, the original anorexic, doesn't get body image issues."
"All girls go through that, Miranda. Guys don't. But for some reason, I am." Gordo said.
Miranda took Gordo's face in her hands. "Gordo, listen to me. You are fine, alright? You're not too short, not too scrawny. You've got just enough muscle, and you're very goodlooking, okay?"
"You think I'm goodlooking?" Gordo asked.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't lie to you, Gordo."
"You lie to everyone else." Gordo said.
"And so do you." Miranda said. It had always been some kind of an unspoken understanding that while Gordo and Miranda may have lied to everyone else they came into contact with, they rarely lied to each other.
"Yeah, I know." Gordo said. "I'm just fucked up, aren't I?"
Miranda snorted inelegantly. "That makes two of us. Look, just like you're always there for me, I'll always be there for you."
"I know." Gordo said.
"We done in here?" Miranda asked. "I wanna get out of here before someone sees me."
Gordo laughed. "Alright, let's go."
After School...
"Okay, so we're going to see Gangs of New York then?" Miranda asked.
"Definitely...Martin Scorsese is the best." Gordo said.
"What are you guys talking about?" Lizzie asked, walking up.
"Well, while you are out on your date with Ethan tonight, Gordo and I are trying to figure out what we're gonna do." Miranda said.
"Gangs of New York!" Gordo said.
"Alright, alright! Gangs of New York it is!"
"You guys are gonna sneak in?" Lizzie asked.
"Naturally." Miranda said. "It's not like we can get in any other way."
"Well, have fun and don't get caught." Lizzie said.
"We won't." Gordo said.
"We're professionals." Miranda laughed.
"Okay. Well, look, I need to get home and get ready. I'll call you guys tomorrow." Lizzie said.
"Bye." they called. Gordo turned to Miranda.
"Well, just you and me then."
"Yup." Miranda smiled.
"Alright, let's go and sneak in before it gets crowded." Gordo said.
"Are we sneaking in without paying or are we paying then sneaking in for a different movie?"
"I don't get my allowance til next week." Gordo said.
"Guess it's sneaking in without paying then." Miranda said.
"You got it." Gordo replied.
"So have you talked to Gordo yet?" Lizzie asked as she was pulling her books for first and second period out of her locker.
"I...no. Not yet." Miranda lied. "I was really tired when I came home so I decided to just chill at my house."
"Oh." Lizzie said. She saw Gordo walking up. "Gordo, hey!"
"Hey Lizzie." Gordo said, unlocking his locker and yanking it open. Lizzie looked at him strangely.
"Gordo, are you okay? You look like hell." Lizzie said. Gordo looked at her in surprise. He knew he must look awful if it actually drove Lizzie to use a swear word.
"Yeah, I uh...had trouble falling asleep last night." Gordo said. That part was true. He had been tossing and turning all night.
"You do look tired. Well, you should try and sleep in tomorrow." Lizzie said.
"I probably will." Gordo lied. Truth be told, he'd be spending his Saturday doing schoolwork and working out.
"Good. Come on guys, we gotta get to class." Lizzie said.
"Gordo, are you sure you're okay?" Miranda asked, concerned.
"No, I'm not okay. I feel like hell." Gordo groaned, leaning against the lockers.
"Are you gonna be alright?" Miranda asked, worried.
Gordo smiled at her. "I'll be fine. But thanks for caring."
"Gordo, I always care." Miranda said. "Come on, we better haul ass before we're late."
"Alright." Gordo said.
As they walked down the hall together, Miranda looked over at him. He didn't look very good. He looked like he would fall over at any second. Still, the deep, thoughtful grey-blue eyes, the messy mop of dark brown curls, the pouty lips. Her heart melted everytime she looked at him. One of her favorite things about him, physically, was his lips. She had been spending many a night just thinking about what it would be like to kiss them.
Too bad she'd never get the chance.
Later...
Gordo pushed his tray away and sighed. He was feeling physically sick after just eating half a sandwich.
"You okay?" Lizzie asked.
"Do either one of you have any aspirin?" Gordo asked, holding his head in his hands.
"Here." Miranda said, handing him her bottle of Advil she kept in her purse.
"Thanks." Gordo replied, swallowing three.
"Gordo are you feeling alright?" Miranda asked.
"I'm fine, I just....I'll be right back." Gordo said, getting up. He felt like he was going to lose it at any moment.
"I'll be back." Miranda told Lizzie, getting up. She walked several paces behind Gordo so that he wouldn't see her. He headed down the hallway to the bathroom, shoving the stall door open.
Miranda looked around, and prayed to God no one else would be in the boys' room. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and walked inside. She heard wretching and heaving sounds. "Oh no...Gordo." she whispered. She closed her eyes and sighed. Leaning against the wall opposite to the sinks, she waited.
Gordo flushed the toilet and straightened back up, leaning against the stall wall and sighing. He definitely felt better after that. In a way. He felt guilty, but he didn't feel so sick. He exhaled deeply and unlocked the stall door. Heading over to the sinks, he turned on one faucet and rinsed his mouth out, then splashed water on his face. He stood back up and looked at his reflection. He almost jumped a foot in the air at the sight of Miranda's reflection.
"What are you doing in here?" Gordo asked, turning around.
"I should be asking you the same question. Unfortunately, I already know." Miranda said. "Gordo...what's going on?"
"Nothing." Gordo replied.
"Right. Nothing. Gordo, I heard you." Miranda said. "You've always told me that if I have a problem that I should come to you. Now I'm telling you." she touched his face gently. "I don't know why you're doing this. There's nothing about you I would change. Physically, or otherwise."
"Miranda, look at me."
"I'm looking. What exactly is so wrong with you that you have to throw up everything you eat?"
"Miranda, I'm this short, scrawny kid with no muscles to speak of."
"You're fourteen, Gordo!" Miranda said, exasperated. "You've got a long time before people expect you to have muscles and be all tall and everything."
"I know, but...Miranda, you don't get it."
"Don't get it. Miranda, the original anorexic, doesn't get body image issues."
"All girls go through that, Miranda. Guys don't. But for some reason, I am." Gordo said.
Miranda took Gordo's face in her hands. "Gordo, listen to me. You are fine, alright? You're not too short, not too scrawny. You've got just enough muscle, and you're very goodlooking, okay?"
"You think I'm goodlooking?" Gordo asked.
"Of course I do. I wouldn't lie to you, Gordo."
"You lie to everyone else." Gordo said.
"And so do you." Miranda said. It had always been some kind of an unspoken understanding that while Gordo and Miranda may have lied to everyone else they came into contact with, they rarely lied to each other.
"Yeah, I know." Gordo said. "I'm just fucked up, aren't I?"
Miranda snorted inelegantly. "That makes two of us. Look, just like you're always there for me, I'll always be there for you."
"I know." Gordo said.
"We done in here?" Miranda asked. "I wanna get out of here before someone sees me."
Gordo laughed. "Alright, let's go."
After School...
"Okay, so we're going to see Gangs of New York then?" Miranda asked.
"Definitely...Martin Scorsese is the best." Gordo said.
"What are you guys talking about?" Lizzie asked, walking up.
"Well, while you are out on your date with Ethan tonight, Gordo and I are trying to figure out what we're gonna do." Miranda said.
"Gangs of New York!" Gordo said.
"Alright, alright! Gangs of New York it is!"
"You guys are gonna sneak in?" Lizzie asked.
"Naturally." Miranda said. "It's not like we can get in any other way."
"Well, have fun and don't get caught." Lizzie said.
"We won't." Gordo said.
"We're professionals." Miranda laughed.
"Okay. Well, look, I need to get home and get ready. I'll call you guys tomorrow." Lizzie said.
"Bye." they called. Gordo turned to Miranda.
"Well, just you and me then."
"Yup." Miranda smiled.
"Alright, let's go and sneak in before it gets crowded." Gordo said.
"Are we sneaking in without paying or are we paying then sneaking in for a different movie?"
"I don't get my allowance til next week." Gordo said.
"Guess it's sneaking in without paying then." Miranda said.
"You got it." Gordo replied.