No one has ever defined the word "strange" for me, but I can definitely commit to saying this experience, if anything, is most positively strange.
"Sanchez!" I didn't feel like turning around. I didn't feel like doing much of anything, between avoiding Gordo avoiding me, avoiding Lizzie trying to find me, and avoiding my father calling my cell phone every five minutes.
"Sanchez!"
"What?," I snapped, turning around to find Kate towering over me.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but...we need to talk," She put her hands on her hips, leaving her purse dangling off her shoulder.
"About what, pray tell," I questioned, trying to be as intimidating as a girl can be standing three inches below her prey's mass of hair.
"Duh! Lizzie," She pulled my arm as I struggled to get away. "Look, I don't want to be seen talking with you either, so will you just LISTEN?" Her eyes became more pleading then bitter, so I stopped, crossing my arms.
"What is it?," I glared at her.
"Look..I don't know what your problem is, but Lizzie has gone WAY over the top. She's really upset," Kate looked almost concerned...no, no, her foundation must need another coat or something.
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Everything. Look, Miranda, think of it this way," She picked lint off her blue sweater. "Even I'VE accepted Lizzie, despite her...odd choices. What does THAT say about YOU?"
"That I'm even more of a bitch than you," I hit my forehead. "God, this is horrible. I'm horrible."
"Exactly," Kate started powdering her nose in her compact. She snapped it shut suddenly. "I have to go and hang out with people who HAVE social skills...nice to see you...or NOT." She flipped her hair and was gone. I was worse than Kate. I can't believe it. I leaned against the locker behind me. Isn't there a place on this earth you don't have to worry about how you act? And since when did Kate teach me these things??
~@~
"Gordo!" I spotted the boy as he suddenly turned a corner. He faced me with an expression I couldn't quite make out.
"Oh, so you want to talk to me NOW," He nodded. "Okay, I see. I have to be flexible for Miranda!" He was ANGRY. My heart melted completely, in cold, hard drops.
"Please don't be mad, Gordo!," I grabbed his arm.
"Question; Why?," He stopped, crossing his arms.
"Because..because I'm your best friend!," I cried, exasperated.
"Yeah, my best friend who...," He looked around, dropping his voice, "Kissed me and then told me it was because she was JEALOUS of me."
"So..you actually wanted me to kiss you for the sake of attraction?," I asked slowly.
"Does it even MATTER anymore? Miranda...," He trailed off, waving his arms with exasperation. "Forget it. Just...forget it ever happened. I have to get to class."
"There's something else," I said low, stopping him again.
"What?"
"It's Lizzie. She..," I shifted uncomfortable. "She's in love with me." He stared at me blankly.
"Is this some kind of sick JOKE?," He cried.
"I wish it was," I shook my head. He stared at me, then laughed this kind of insane laugh.
"Oh..I get it! You still think I like Lizzie!," He laughed again. "Ooh, that's fresh."
"This isn't all about YOU, Gordo." Well, it was to me, but he didn't have to know that. "And why on earth would I say Lizzie is...you know, if I thought you liked her?"
"Jealousy, perhaps?," He glared.
"Oh, get over it, Gordo! That's not why I kissed you!" People started to stare at me.
"It isn't?"
"No, it isn't. But that's not the point," I said, dropping my voice. "The point is, I have no idea what to do about Lizzie!"
"So you kissed me to prove to Lizzie-
"No, damn it! Get off the mini golf part! I didn't know until AFTER."
"So you kissed me because.."
"Will you stop trying to analyze me, for God's sake, and help me??"
For someone who was on my mind twenty four seven, he sure annoyed me at times.
"I don't know how I can help you any," He said uncomfortably. "I actually kind of suspected something..." Did everyone see this coming but me?
"Why?"
"I don't know...Lizzie's never looked at me the way she looks at you, I guess," he was even more uncomfortable than before, as we were bordering on 'Girl Talk'.
"That is possibly the weirdest thing I have ever heard."
"Why did you tell me this, anyway? Are you sure Lizzie wants ME to know?"
"Why wouldn't she?," I questioned, surprised.
"Because it's her private life!," He cried.
"Well, it's part of my life too," I responded lamely. Why did I feel like I was suddenly in an EXTREMELY lame soap opera?
"Just..don't tell me these things," He sighed. My heart stopped.
"You do love Lizzie, don't you?" Now we really WERE in some sick love triangle.
"Yes..and NO. I don't know!," He sighed again, leaning against the water fountain.
"Don't let me influence your opinion," I backed away, not really meaning the words. "I mean, you guys were, after all, the PERFECT couple."
"Miranda, it doesn't exactly WORK like that anymore," Gordo said as the bell rang. "Oh, great. Now I'm late."
"Well, just go to class then!," I yelled.
"Fine! I will!," He yelled back. Wow, I thought as he left me. That didn't make sense. Nothing really made sense anymore. I silently embraced myself as the hallways began to clear completely. I didn't feel like moving on. A horrible feeling hatched in the pit of my stomach.
Stumbling around the empty halls was all I could really do. Dodging the occasional nosy teacher, bumping my hip against lockers, and scuffing my shoes were the best I could manage.
I thought, mostly. I tried to make sense of what had happened the last couple days, but it was all one endless string of senseless babble. The thoughts flew as run-ons, teasing me like a ribbon of torture. I leaned against the wall and longed for the simplicity of childhood.
It was then it happened. Everything froze as I heard a familiar sound come from the girl's bathroom. My stomach lurched as I recognized it as sobbing. I pushed the heavy door open, not quite sure what to expect.
Lizzie was on the floor, on her knees. Turn around was my first initial reaction, but then I stopped, staring at her hands. They had blood on them. She looked up at me with eyes filled with nothing but cold emptiness. She reminded me of myself. I saw myself in her eyes. And so I sat next to her silently.
"I didn't mean to," She sniffled. "I just..." She held up a rose. She WAS me. "I just brought this for you and...and then..I thought, 'no, Lizzie, no'. And then next thing I knew, I was squeezing the stem so tight and the thorns.." She yelped with pain and dropped the rose. And then I did something I wouldn't have done five minutes before. I hugged her.
As much as she scared me, I wanted Lizzie as my friend. Memories brushed past my face and I knew I would never forget them. I kept them locked up tight, taking them out only to treasure the past.
"Do you think..," I bit my lip. "Do you think we could be friends again?"
"Were we ever not friends?," She smiled slightly. She handed me the bracelet she was wearing, which was now covered in blood. The one I gave her. I guess there really is a friends forever....just a very, VERY complicated one.
A/N: Eh, I love you all, but I'm tired. I'll write ALL the author notes next chapter. I'll just apologize now for the bad spacing and grammar. Fan fiction screws up my spacing and grammar..well, screw it lol. And I'm also currently aware no one READS these, so I can tell everyone that there's a fruit loop dancing on their head and they wouldn't know. Yeah, I've decided I don't like criticism, constructive it may be. I welcome it, I even embrace it, but unless I can do something about it, I don't give a, lovies. And, also, if it is something someone has already informed me of, or if it is something I already know, don't bother. For example, I even enjoy you telling me something I can fix and that I didn't realized before, but if I can't fix it, and I know it is an issue, DO NOT BOTHER. Please keep this in mind, people. Thank you! I love you, and I'll see you all next chapter!