Disclaimer: No one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
Still Unexpected
Chapter Four: The Naked Truth, Pudding
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
That Monday morning found Lizzie humming and taping a picture of her and Gordo in her locker. It was from the summer's road trip to Los Angeles, a picture of them grinning into the sun in front of the Hollywood sign. It wasn't the best shot of either of them, but that had been one of the best days Lizzie had ever had.
"That was a great trip," Kate said from behind her. "Remember when we stopped at that one quarry and went swimming?"
"Yeah, and Larry wanted to skinny dip?" Lizzie said, laughing.
"He jumped in naked, and freaked out when we wouldn't join in. He wouldn't come out of the car until it was time to go."
Lizzie smiled. "That was so much fun."
"Not for him."
They giggled, then lapsed into silence. Kate smiled fondly at Lizzie's locker door, but she wasn't looking at it, she was looking through it. Lizzie knew something was wrong. Kate had been acting weird for days now, but wouldn't say anything. Maybe now it was finally the right time.
"So what's up?"
"Liz, can we talk?" Kate blurted.
It was the right time. "Of course," Lizzie said, shutting her locker. "How about we go somewhere? I bet the auditorium is empty this period."
Kate nodded, and the girls went to the auditorium, taking seats in the back row.
"This...this isn't easy for me to say," Kate hedged, staring at her hands. "I'm worried that you won't like me much after I tell you."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"You promise we'll still be friends?"
Lizzie's curiosity was eating her alive, but she only nodded and smiled. "Kate, of course."
"Well, it all sort of started over the summer..." Kate said. "I ran into Parker at the mall in Easton a week or so before school, getting a present for my Mom's birthday--"
"Parker Mackenzie?" Lizzie interrupted. "Oops, sorry."
"Yeah, Parker," Kate said. "So we ended up hanging out...we were talking...for hours...and we've done it a lot since...I think we got to be pretty good friends. And, um...well, you know about Parker, right?"
There was only one 'thing' about Parker to know. About halfway through freshman year, she came out to the general populace. Lizzie thought it made perfect sense, because who in their right mind would turn Gordo down?
"Yeah."
"Well, last week, I went over to her house after practice, and we...well, we kissed," Kate finished, embarrassed.
Lizzie wasn't sure what to say. "Oh."
"And, Lizzie, I...I think I really like her."
"Well, have you talked to Parker about it?" she said slowly.
"Actually, I have. And she's all for us going out, but...I don't know... I mean, Parker is a great person, but I don't know how to deal with this."
"I can imagine," Lizzie said softly, gazing off at the stage.
"I just want answers, you know?"
"I want to help you Kate, but I don't have any answers for you. All I can do is be your friend through this. Nothing's going to change between us because of this, and I support you no matter what you do."
"Thanks, Lizzie. That means a lot."
~~~~~
In the back of her mind, Lizzie had a naive thought that the matter was over. It was just something that had come up in conversation that one time, and was glossed over and would never reappear in her life. Of course, that wasn't true.
The issue reared its head again at lunch that afternoon, when Kate showed up looking immaculate as always, but her eyes holding a distinctive disheveled look. Gordo and Tudgeman picked up on this immediately. "Everything okay, Kate?" Larry asked.
Kate pushed her lunch tray away from her, and stared at her folded hands. "There's something I gotta tell you."
Gordo and Larry glanced at each other, confused. They waited patiently.
"This is really big, really important...and I'm afraid you might not like me much when I tell you."
"Kate, you know, a few years ago, I never thought I'd be saying this, but we're friends. Through thick and thin," Larry said, impassioned. "You can tell us anything, you know that. We don't judge. We're your friends."
"Well, what it basically comes down to is..." Kate coughed, still staring at her hands, then half-whispered, "I'm bi."
She was met by silence, and Lizzie flashed her a supportive look, which she didn't raise her head to see.
"That all?" Larry said, shrugging and digging into his lunch with zeal.
At last Kate looked up. Stunned was the most accurate word to describe her expression, but beneath the layer of shock was a variety of emotions. "What do you mean, 'that all?'" she said. "I spill my guts, this huge, life-changing secret, and all you can say is 'that all?'"
"Well, come on now Kate, the way you were carrying on, I thought you were going to admit to a rare virus."
"What Tudgeman means to say," Gordo said, rolling his eyes, "is that we expected something a lot worse than that. Because really, Kate, I know to you it seems huge, but being bi isn't that big of a deal."
"So you don't hate me?"
Gordo laughed. "Why would we hate you? You're still our friend. This doesn't change that."
"Well, there's one other thing that you in particular might not like," Kate hedged. Gordo cocked an eyebrow, and Kate waved at someone over the boys' shoulders. Within seconds, Parker Mackenzie was at the cheerleader's side. She sat down.
"You know Parker," Kate said lamely. "She's...she's my..."
"Girlfriend," Parker piped up cheerfully.
Tudgeman rolled his eyes. "Figures. Kate Sanders gets a girlfriend before I do."
"Well, of course she does," Gordo said. "She's tall."
Lizzie felt compelled to do damage control. She'd thought for certain that Gordo was over the whole issue, but apparently middle school had scarred the little bunch more than they were willing to let on. Besides, she wanted Kate to be happy above all else, and pissing off her tentative girlfriend was not the best method for that.
She leaned in next to Gordo. "Now's not the time, honey," she whispered.
Instantly he turned his attention to her. "'Honey?'"
Lizzie giggled. "Would you prefer 'pudding?'"
He rolled his eyes. "Dear God, anything but that."
Lizzie kissed him, and Kate and Parker smiled.
~~~~~
Author's note: Out of left field, wouldn't you say? I sorta wanted to work the rest of the Hillridge gang that we know into the story, even if in minor ways. (Although this isn't exactly minor.) For some reason, Parker's been labeled as this bizarro wild child/hippie girl, or as some sort of scarlet woman interfering in the happy world of L/G. And I just don't see her as that. Now, it would seem a little out of Kate's character to be bi all of a sudden, but you forget, it's been four years since middle school, and hasn't she already made a complete turnaround in personality? So I figured why not go a step further?
Anywho, this was basically just a justification of my decision, and a quick reminder that the stories are called "Unexpected" and "Still Unexpected" (so it's a lame title. ssh. I'm not a genius), so you gotta have plot twists. Hope you don't all hate me.
Love love!
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
Still Unexpected
Chapter Four: The Naked Truth, Pudding
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
That Monday morning found Lizzie humming and taping a picture of her and Gordo in her locker. It was from the summer's road trip to Los Angeles, a picture of them grinning into the sun in front of the Hollywood sign. It wasn't the best shot of either of them, but that had been one of the best days Lizzie had ever had.
"That was a great trip," Kate said from behind her. "Remember when we stopped at that one quarry and went swimming?"
"Yeah, and Larry wanted to skinny dip?" Lizzie said, laughing.
"He jumped in naked, and freaked out when we wouldn't join in. He wouldn't come out of the car until it was time to go."
Lizzie smiled. "That was so much fun."
"Not for him."
They giggled, then lapsed into silence. Kate smiled fondly at Lizzie's locker door, but she wasn't looking at it, she was looking through it. Lizzie knew something was wrong. Kate had been acting weird for days now, but wouldn't say anything. Maybe now it was finally the right time.
"So what's up?"
"Liz, can we talk?" Kate blurted.
It was the right time. "Of course," Lizzie said, shutting her locker. "How about we go somewhere? I bet the auditorium is empty this period."
Kate nodded, and the girls went to the auditorium, taking seats in the back row.
"This...this isn't easy for me to say," Kate hedged, staring at her hands. "I'm worried that you won't like me much after I tell you."
"Don't be ridiculous."
"You promise we'll still be friends?"
Lizzie's curiosity was eating her alive, but she only nodded and smiled. "Kate, of course."
"Well, it all sort of started over the summer..." Kate said. "I ran into Parker at the mall in Easton a week or so before school, getting a present for my Mom's birthday--"
"Parker Mackenzie?" Lizzie interrupted. "Oops, sorry."
"Yeah, Parker," Kate said. "So we ended up hanging out...we were talking...for hours...and we've done it a lot since...I think we got to be pretty good friends. And, um...well, you know about Parker, right?"
There was only one 'thing' about Parker to know. About halfway through freshman year, she came out to the general populace. Lizzie thought it made perfect sense, because who in their right mind would turn Gordo down?
"Yeah."
"Well, last week, I went over to her house after practice, and we...well, we kissed," Kate finished, embarrassed.
Lizzie wasn't sure what to say. "Oh."
"And, Lizzie, I...I think I really like her."
"Well, have you talked to Parker about it?" she said slowly.
"Actually, I have. And she's all for us going out, but...I don't know... I mean, Parker is a great person, but I don't know how to deal with this."
"I can imagine," Lizzie said softly, gazing off at the stage.
"I just want answers, you know?"
"I want to help you Kate, but I don't have any answers for you. All I can do is be your friend through this. Nothing's going to change between us because of this, and I support you no matter what you do."
"Thanks, Lizzie. That means a lot."
~~~~~
In the back of her mind, Lizzie had a naive thought that the matter was over. It was just something that had come up in conversation that one time, and was glossed over and would never reappear in her life. Of course, that wasn't true.
The issue reared its head again at lunch that afternoon, when Kate showed up looking immaculate as always, but her eyes holding a distinctive disheveled look. Gordo and Tudgeman picked up on this immediately. "Everything okay, Kate?" Larry asked.
Kate pushed her lunch tray away from her, and stared at her folded hands. "There's something I gotta tell you."
Gordo and Larry glanced at each other, confused. They waited patiently.
"This is really big, really important...and I'm afraid you might not like me much when I tell you."
"Kate, you know, a few years ago, I never thought I'd be saying this, but we're friends. Through thick and thin," Larry said, impassioned. "You can tell us anything, you know that. We don't judge. We're your friends."
"Well, what it basically comes down to is..." Kate coughed, still staring at her hands, then half-whispered, "I'm bi."
She was met by silence, and Lizzie flashed her a supportive look, which she didn't raise her head to see.
"That all?" Larry said, shrugging and digging into his lunch with zeal.
At last Kate looked up. Stunned was the most accurate word to describe her expression, but beneath the layer of shock was a variety of emotions. "What do you mean, 'that all?'" she said. "I spill my guts, this huge, life-changing secret, and all you can say is 'that all?'"
"Well, come on now Kate, the way you were carrying on, I thought you were going to admit to a rare virus."
"What Tudgeman means to say," Gordo said, rolling his eyes, "is that we expected something a lot worse than that. Because really, Kate, I know to you it seems huge, but being bi isn't that big of a deal."
"So you don't hate me?"
Gordo laughed. "Why would we hate you? You're still our friend. This doesn't change that."
"Well, there's one other thing that you in particular might not like," Kate hedged. Gordo cocked an eyebrow, and Kate waved at someone over the boys' shoulders. Within seconds, Parker Mackenzie was at the cheerleader's side. She sat down.
"You know Parker," Kate said lamely. "She's...she's my..."
"Girlfriend," Parker piped up cheerfully.
Tudgeman rolled his eyes. "Figures. Kate Sanders gets a girlfriend before I do."
"Well, of course she does," Gordo said. "She's tall."
Lizzie felt compelled to do damage control. She'd thought for certain that Gordo was over the whole issue, but apparently middle school had scarred the little bunch more than they were willing to let on. Besides, she wanted Kate to be happy above all else, and pissing off her tentative girlfriend was not the best method for that.
She leaned in next to Gordo. "Now's not the time, honey," she whispered.
Instantly he turned his attention to her. "'Honey?'"
Lizzie giggled. "Would you prefer 'pudding?'"
He rolled his eyes. "Dear God, anything but that."
Lizzie kissed him, and Kate and Parker smiled.
~~~~~
Author's note: Out of left field, wouldn't you say? I sorta wanted to work the rest of the Hillridge gang that we know into the story, even if in minor ways. (Although this isn't exactly minor.) For some reason, Parker's been labeled as this bizarro wild child/hippie girl, or as some sort of scarlet woman interfering in the happy world of L/G. And I just don't see her as that. Now, it would seem a little out of Kate's character to be bi all of a sudden, but you forget, it's been four years since middle school, and hasn't she already made a complete turnaround in personality? So I figured why not go a step further?
Anywho, this was basically just a justification of my decision, and a quick reminder that the stories are called "Unexpected" and "Still Unexpected" (so it's a lame title. ssh. I'm not a genius), so you gotta have plot twists. Hope you don't all hate me.
Love love!
*Karasuma*Firestorm*