Chapter 9: Complications
"Miranda!" Gordo yelled as Miranda walked down the hall. It was obvious she had no intentions of turning around or even slowing down. "Dammit!" Gordo slammed his fist into his locker angrily. "Ow!"
"Gordo, did you and Miranda have a fight?" Lizzie asked.
Gordo sighed. "No, Lizzie, we didn't. It was something much much worse."
"Worse? Gordo, what can be worse than getting into a fight?" Lizzie asked cluelessly.
Gordo groaned. "If you only knew."
Ever since Saturday night, Miranda had been avoiding Gordo. She hadn't shown up at the Digital Bean, she hadn't answered any of his emails, and she wasn't accepting his instant messages. All of Sunday had been rather daunting to Gordo, and now he was fed up with it.
"So...Miranda told me about her moving." Lizzie said.
"Really." Gordo said.
"Yeah. She's really upset."
"Aren't you?"
"Gordo! Of course I am!" Lizzie said. "But I was thinking..."
"What?"
"Maybe we could go to her mom and...you know, plead her case?"
"That's actually a really good idea." Gordo said. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class."
The bell rang for first period, but Miranda was nowhere to be found. Lizzie looked over at Gordo and knew he was mad. His jaw only twitched like that when he was really, really, REALLY pissed off.
Five minutes into the lesson, Gordo's hand shot up.
"Yes Mr. Gordon?" Mr. Pettus asked.
"May I go to the restroom?"
"Alright." Mr. Pettus said.
"Thanks." Gordo stood up and exited the room.
Lizzie knew where he was going, and it wasn't the bathroom. He was going to look for Miranda, and boy, was she in trouble when he found her.
***
Miranda walked down the hallway slowly, just taking it all in. In less than two months she'd be outta here. It was odd. She'd always dreamed of getting out of Hillridge, but now? So much was here she wanted to stay for.
Wham! Miranda found herself with her back against the wall she had just been shoved into. Her eyes met those of the person who had just shoved her into the wall, and he was NOT pleased.
"Just what the hell is your problem?" Gordo growled.
Miranda shoved him away. "Leave me alone, Gordo."
"You can stop singing that song, because I sure as hell don't wanna hear it." Gordo said. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Gordo..." Miranda. "I think...I think that maybe what we did was...wrong."
"You think it was wrong." Gordo said flatly. "Alright. Thank you."
"What?"
"You've just dealt a crushing blow to my ego, but...it's alright. No big." Gordo said. "All I wanna know is why?"
"What?"
"Why? Why would you start something, and then go through with something, you didn't wanna do? Why would you lead me on?"
"Lead you on...Gordo...I...I'm not following." Miranda said.
"Oh come off it, Miranda! You had to have known how I felt about you! It's obvious!"
"Gordo, I'm just saying...I don't want us to get too attached to each other, before I..."
"Too attached, huh? Well then maybe you shouldn't have come on to me!"
"I did not come on to you, Gordo!"
"Who made the first move? Who locked the door?"
"Gordo, I was hurting! You should have known better!"
"Oh, I should have known better? You don't sit there and kiss on a guy's neck and then...god...tell him you love him, and then expect him to fucking KNOW BETTER, Miranda! Jesus Christ, I...what the hell!" Gordo said.
"Gordo, I'm sorry..."
"Sorry's not good enough, Miranda! And just so you know? I don't believe a word you're saying!"
"You think I'm lying?"
"Yeah, I do." Gordo said. "What we did was NOT wrong, and you know it, Miranda. It couldn't have been more right!"
"That's your own opinion, Gordo." Miranda said. "Now leave me alone."
Gordo rolled his eyes in disgust. "Gladly." He looked at her. "If you only wanted us to be friends, you've totally screwed it up. If you're just running away then you're making the biggest mistake of your life." he turned to walk back to class, then turned around again.
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head. "Then what did I do? Tell me how to fix this!"
"You can't. What's done is done. Let's just...forget it."
"Miranda, I can't forget it! God, that was...the best night of my life! I can't just forget about it like it never happened!"
"Can't you try?" Miranda asked. "Gordo, please! I just wanna forget!"
Gordo looked at her in disbelief. "Just forget it." he repeated. "I wish it were that simple, but it's not, alright? I'm not gonna forget it. I never will. And if you do? Then I obviously mean nothing to you, and never have meant anything. I'm out." Gordo turned and walked back to class.
Miranda sighed and leaned against the locker.
Gordo had always been blessed (or cursed, depending on how you looked at it) with the uncanny ability to point out Miranda's mistakes. Here he went again, pointing out her mistakes. She knew she was making a mistake. A big one.
Problem was, she didn't know how to go back.
***
Lizzie looked back and forth between her friends carefully. Miranda was drumming her fingers loudly on the lunch table and eating her salad, refusing to meet Gordo in the eyes. Gordo was chewing on his sandwich and glaring at Miranda. Opposite magnets. Miranda refused to look at him, and he refused to stop looking at her!
Lizzie cleared her throat. "Okay, guys, what is up? Is this about what happened?"
Miranda looked up in horror. "You told her?!? I can't believe you told her!!! Wha...what the...Gordo!"
"For God's sake, I didn't tell her. According to you, there's nothing to tell. It was a mistake, right?" Gordo snapped.
"You guys!" Lizzie said. "Chill! Whatever happened it can't be that bad!"
"If you only knew." Miranda said. "It's bad, Lizzie."
"What? Just tell me."
Miranda shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."
"Obviously neither do you." Gordo said.
"We're not supposed to understand! We're fourteen! We were too young!"
"Fuck, Miranda, it's just a number! And I understood!"
"Gordo, that's because...you're..."
"I'm what? Out with it. What am I?"
"You're not normal." Miranda finished, regretting it the moment it left her lips.
"Maybe not. I'm a freak. I'm just a fucked up brainiac freak! But you know what? I'm better off. Because I know what I want! You obviously don't." Gordo said. He turned to Lizzie. "Lizzie, I need to go to the library, we'll hang out later."
"Bye, Gordo." Lizzie said. She turned to Miranda. "Alright, what was that about?"
Miranda sighed. "Lizzie, I would give anything to be in your shoes right now."
"Why?"
"Because you're blissfully clueless."
"Miranda!" Gordo yelled as Miranda walked down the hall. It was obvious she had no intentions of turning around or even slowing down. "Dammit!" Gordo slammed his fist into his locker angrily. "Ow!"
"Gordo, did you and Miranda have a fight?" Lizzie asked.
Gordo sighed. "No, Lizzie, we didn't. It was something much much worse."
"Worse? Gordo, what can be worse than getting into a fight?" Lizzie asked cluelessly.
Gordo groaned. "If you only knew."
Ever since Saturday night, Miranda had been avoiding Gordo. She hadn't shown up at the Digital Bean, she hadn't answered any of his emails, and she wasn't accepting his instant messages. All of Sunday had been rather daunting to Gordo, and now he was fed up with it.
"So...Miranda told me about her moving." Lizzie said.
"Really." Gordo said.
"Yeah. She's really upset."
"Aren't you?"
"Gordo! Of course I am!" Lizzie said. "But I was thinking..."
"What?"
"Maybe we could go to her mom and...you know, plead her case?"
"That's actually a really good idea." Gordo said. "Come on, we're gonna be late for class."
The bell rang for first period, but Miranda was nowhere to be found. Lizzie looked over at Gordo and knew he was mad. His jaw only twitched like that when he was really, really, REALLY pissed off.
Five minutes into the lesson, Gordo's hand shot up.
"Yes Mr. Gordon?" Mr. Pettus asked.
"May I go to the restroom?"
"Alright." Mr. Pettus said.
"Thanks." Gordo stood up and exited the room.
Lizzie knew where he was going, and it wasn't the bathroom. He was going to look for Miranda, and boy, was she in trouble when he found her.
***
Miranda walked down the hallway slowly, just taking it all in. In less than two months she'd be outta here. It was odd. She'd always dreamed of getting out of Hillridge, but now? So much was here she wanted to stay for.
Wham! Miranda found herself with her back against the wall she had just been shoved into. Her eyes met those of the person who had just shoved her into the wall, and he was NOT pleased.
"Just what the hell is your problem?" Gordo growled.
Miranda shoved him away. "Leave me alone, Gordo."
"You can stop singing that song, because I sure as hell don't wanna hear it." Gordo said. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Gordo..." Miranda. "I think...I think that maybe what we did was...wrong."
"You think it was wrong." Gordo said flatly. "Alright. Thank you."
"What?"
"You've just dealt a crushing blow to my ego, but...it's alright. No big." Gordo said. "All I wanna know is why?"
"What?"
"Why? Why would you start something, and then go through with something, you didn't wanna do? Why would you lead me on?"
"Lead you on...Gordo...I...I'm not following." Miranda said.
"Oh come off it, Miranda! You had to have known how I felt about you! It's obvious!"
"Gordo, I'm just saying...I don't want us to get too attached to each other, before I..."
"Too attached, huh? Well then maybe you shouldn't have come on to me!"
"I did not come on to you, Gordo!"
"Who made the first move? Who locked the door?"
"Gordo, I was hurting! You should have known better!"
"Oh, I should have known better? You don't sit there and kiss on a guy's neck and then...god...tell him you love him, and then expect him to fucking KNOW BETTER, Miranda! Jesus Christ, I...what the hell!" Gordo said.
"Gordo, I'm sorry..."
"Sorry's not good enough, Miranda! And just so you know? I don't believe a word you're saying!"
"You think I'm lying?"
"Yeah, I do." Gordo said. "What we did was NOT wrong, and you know it, Miranda. It couldn't have been more right!"
"That's your own opinion, Gordo." Miranda said. "Now leave me alone."
Gordo rolled his eyes in disgust. "Gladly." He looked at her. "If you only wanted us to be friends, you've totally screwed it up. If you're just running away then you're making the biggest mistake of your life." he turned to walk back to class, then turned around again.
"What happened? Did I hurt you?" Gordo asked. Miranda shook her head. "Then what did I do? Tell me how to fix this!"
"You can't. What's done is done. Let's just...forget it."
"Miranda, I can't forget it! God, that was...the best night of my life! I can't just forget about it like it never happened!"
"Can't you try?" Miranda asked. "Gordo, please! I just wanna forget!"
Gordo looked at her in disbelief. "Just forget it." he repeated. "I wish it were that simple, but it's not, alright? I'm not gonna forget it. I never will. And if you do? Then I obviously mean nothing to you, and never have meant anything. I'm out." Gordo turned and walked back to class.
Miranda sighed and leaned against the locker.
Gordo had always been blessed (or cursed, depending on how you looked at it) with the uncanny ability to point out Miranda's mistakes. Here he went again, pointing out her mistakes. She knew she was making a mistake. A big one.
Problem was, she didn't know how to go back.
***
Lizzie looked back and forth between her friends carefully. Miranda was drumming her fingers loudly on the lunch table and eating her salad, refusing to meet Gordo in the eyes. Gordo was chewing on his sandwich and glaring at Miranda. Opposite magnets. Miranda refused to look at him, and he refused to stop looking at her!
Lizzie cleared her throat. "Okay, guys, what is up? Is this about what happened?"
Miranda looked up in horror. "You told her?!? I can't believe you told her!!! Wha...what the...Gordo!"
"For God's sake, I didn't tell her. According to you, there's nothing to tell. It was a mistake, right?" Gordo snapped.
"You guys!" Lizzie said. "Chill! Whatever happened it can't be that bad!"
"If you only knew." Miranda said. "It's bad, Lizzie."
"What? Just tell me."
Miranda shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."
"Obviously neither do you." Gordo said.
"We're not supposed to understand! We're fourteen! We were too young!"
"Fuck, Miranda, it's just a number! And I understood!"
"Gordo, that's because...you're..."
"I'm what? Out with it. What am I?"
"You're not normal." Miranda finished, regretting it the moment it left her lips.
"Maybe not. I'm a freak. I'm just a fucked up brainiac freak! But you know what? I'm better off. Because I know what I want! You obviously don't." Gordo said. He turned to Lizzie. "Lizzie, I need to go to the library, we'll hang out later."
"Bye, Gordo." Lizzie said. She turned to Miranda. "Alright, what was that about?"
Miranda sighed. "Lizzie, I would give anything to be in your shoes right now."
"Why?"
"Because you're blissfully clueless."