Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
Thanks to all who've reviewed so far! I appreciate it. I know that the Miranda/Gordo pairing is totally out of nowhere, but since the story is already done, rest assured that everything gets explained. Really.
*Karasuma*Firestorm
Unexpected
Chapter Three: This Stays Between Us
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
After awhile, though, Lizzie had finally come to terms with the situation. Gordo and Miranda didn't know they were betraying her because she hadn't ever said anything about liking Gordo. When she'd first come to that realization, she'd run away to Colorado without warning and with barely any word. What she should have done was talk it out with Gordo, instead of mulling over it all summer, surrounded by screaming fifth-graders.
It was too late now, of course. Lizzie was just going to have to deal with the consequences. But she vowed that she wasn't going to let anything stop her anymore. If she wanted something, she would get it, and she wasn't going to be afraid to take risks.
She still loved Gordo. It wasn't something she could just turn off, much as she would've liked to, and she knew she only had herself to blame. So she put up with it all with a cheerful smile. Whether or not the smile was real was unimportant.
Tudgeman continued to eat lunch with them, and Lizzie was glad to have a new friend in their group, even if he wasn't as close as the other three of them were. Larry was also in Lizzie's study hall, so they got to talk quite a bit. That particular morning, the period before lunch, Lizzie was in a funk because she'd seen Miranda kiss Gordo at Miranda's locker before first period. The image had stayed with her all morning, making her insides do a spasmodic fandago of pure frustration and longing.
"What's wrong?" Larry asked, sitting down next to Lizzie.
"What?" Lizzie looked up. "Oh, hey, Larry. Nothing."
"Something is obviously wrong, my dear, it's written all over your face."
"Well...can you keep a secret?" Lizzie couldn't believe she was about to trust Tudgeman with only the most important thing in her life, but he was a good guy, and she had to talk to *someone*.
"Of course I can. What's up?" To Larry's credit, he hid his eagerness well.
"It's Gordo."
"I knew it."
"Well, if you know everything, I don't have to tell you now, do I," Lizzie said sourly. What she really needed right now, what she'd been needing for awhile, was a sympathetic ear and a brain to pick. Usually she went to Gordo with her problems, but this time Gordo *was* the problem, and Lizzie was left stuck.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Larry said, holding up his hands in a 'don't shoot' gesture. "Please, continue."
"Well, last year, at the murder mystery party, Kate told me that Gordo liked me. And then after awhile, I started to realize that maybe I liked him too..." Lizzie trailed off, uncertain of where to go with this.
"The class picture," Larry said, and Lizzie was confused for a second until she remembered that of course, he'd gotten a copy, too. Everyone present for it had.
"Yeah, that. Well, I didn't know what to do...so I left. I spent the entire summer in Colorado being a CIT, and I didn't even say goodbye."
"And you come back and you find out that Gordo and Miranda are an item," Larry filled in.
Lizzie sighed. "Exactly. The problem is, I really like him. Maybe even love him, I don't know. I just...I just don't know what to do."
"Well, well, well, we're certainly in a pickle, aren't we," Larry said unhelpfully.
Lizzie groaned and her head dropped onto the table. "Just kill me now."
"Were you ever going to tell him that you liked him?"
"I was going to tell him the first day of school, but look how well that turned out."
"What you need to do," Larry said decisively, "is tell him. You don't have to tell him that you still like him, if you don't want, just that you did at some point. He's with Miranda now, so it won't screw up your friendship, right? Then you'll have gotten it off your chest and can move on with your life."
**He may have a point. This is consuming you.**
"Or maybe I can just go home, watch a Friends rerun, and write a cheesy Ross/Rachel songfic."
"I'm going to pretend I understood that," Larry said, shaking his head. "C'mon, what harm can telling him do now?"
"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Lizzie sighed. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Larry patted her on the back. "Atta girl."
"Thanks for the help, Tudge," she said, and flashed him a lopsided, nervous smile.
"Anytime, Liz."
Thanks to all who've reviewed so far! I appreciate it. I know that the Miranda/Gordo pairing is totally out of nowhere, but since the story is already done, rest assured that everything gets explained. Really.
*Karasuma*Firestorm
Unexpected
Chapter Three: This Stays Between Us
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
After awhile, though, Lizzie had finally come to terms with the situation. Gordo and Miranda didn't know they were betraying her because she hadn't ever said anything about liking Gordo. When she'd first come to that realization, she'd run away to Colorado without warning and with barely any word. What she should have done was talk it out with Gordo, instead of mulling over it all summer, surrounded by screaming fifth-graders.
It was too late now, of course. Lizzie was just going to have to deal with the consequences. But she vowed that she wasn't going to let anything stop her anymore. If she wanted something, she would get it, and she wasn't going to be afraid to take risks.
She still loved Gordo. It wasn't something she could just turn off, much as she would've liked to, and she knew she only had herself to blame. So she put up with it all with a cheerful smile. Whether or not the smile was real was unimportant.
Tudgeman continued to eat lunch with them, and Lizzie was glad to have a new friend in their group, even if he wasn't as close as the other three of them were. Larry was also in Lizzie's study hall, so they got to talk quite a bit. That particular morning, the period before lunch, Lizzie was in a funk because she'd seen Miranda kiss Gordo at Miranda's locker before first period. The image had stayed with her all morning, making her insides do a spasmodic fandago of pure frustration and longing.
"What's wrong?" Larry asked, sitting down next to Lizzie.
"What?" Lizzie looked up. "Oh, hey, Larry. Nothing."
"Something is obviously wrong, my dear, it's written all over your face."
"Well...can you keep a secret?" Lizzie couldn't believe she was about to trust Tudgeman with only the most important thing in her life, but he was a good guy, and she had to talk to *someone*.
"Of course I can. What's up?" To Larry's credit, he hid his eagerness well.
"It's Gordo."
"I knew it."
"Well, if you know everything, I don't have to tell you now, do I," Lizzie said sourly. What she really needed right now, what she'd been needing for awhile, was a sympathetic ear and a brain to pick. Usually she went to Gordo with her problems, but this time Gordo *was* the problem, and Lizzie was left stuck.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Larry said, holding up his hands in a 'don't shoot' gesture. "Please, continue."
"Well, last year, at the murder mystery party, Kate told me that Gordo liked me. And then after awhile, I started to realize that maybe I liked him too..." Lizzie trailed off, uncertain of where to go with this.
"The class picture," Larry said, and Lizzie was confused for a second until she remembered that of course, he'd gotten a copy, too. Everyone present for it had.
"Yeah, that. Well, I didn't know what to do...so I left. I spent the entire summer in Colorado being a CIT, and I didn't even say goodbye."
"And you come back and you find out that Gordo and Miranda are an item," Larry filled in.
Lizzie sighed. "Exactly. The problem is, I really like him. Maybe even love him, I don't know. I just...I just don't know what to do."
"Well, well, well, we're certainly in a pickle, aren't we," Larry said unhelpfully.
Lizzie groaned and her head dropped onto the table. "Just kill me now."
"Were you ever going to tell him that you liked him?"
"I was going to tell him the first day of school, but look how well that turned out."
"What you need to do," Larry said decisively, "is tell him. You don't have to tell him that you still like him, if you don't want, just that you did at some point. He's with Miranda now, so it won't screw up your friendship, right? Then you'll have gotten it off your chest and can move on with your life."
**He may have a point. This is consuming you.**
"Or maybe I can just go home, watch a Friends rerun, and write a cheesy Ross/Rachel songfic."
"I'm going to pretend I understood that," Larry said, shaking his head. "C'mon, what harm can telling him do now?"
"Okay, okay, I'll do it," Lizzie sighed. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."
Larry patted her on the back. "Atta girl."
"Thanks for the help, Tudge," she said, and flashed him a lopsided, nervous smile.
"Anytime, Liz."