Three days later, he sat in the local teen hangout, drinking a cappuccino
and waiting for his friend to get there. He glanced around, looking left
and right, but did not see the one person he was waiting for. She was
always running a little bit late. Only today, it was a lot late. She was
supposed to meet him half an hour ago, and yet here he sat, alone and on
his second coffee of the day. Her cousin was supposed to be coming with
her too, the girl she had talked about on the phone with him for the past
three days. About how much he just HAD to meet her. And now, on the day
when he was finally going to meet her, they were late.
Hearing the doors swing open, he turned quickly to see if it was her. He smiled slightly when he saw that it was, and he raised his arm in greeting, "Hey Lizzie. Over here."
He watched her nudge a girl next to her and point over at him, murmuring something to her. So that is the infamous Riley. 'Wow, she's gorgeous,' he thought, not really knowing if he meant Lizzie or Riley. Watching the two girls as the crossed the room to meet him, he noticed something odd. Riley shrank backwards every time Lizzie tried to touch her, and looked miserable, despite the slight smirk on her face.
The girls finally made it over to the table he had been saving for them and he rose, extending his hand to Riley, "Hey. I'm Dave, but you can call me Gordo." She hesitantly took his hand, and smiled weakly, "Riley, you can call me Riley, or Ri." He grinned, sitting back down quickly.
Lizzie piped in quickly after their exchange, "I don't think I've ever seen the Digital Bean so empty." It was true, Gordo noted, glancing around. Besides their group, there were only two other people in the entire room, and one was a Digital Bean employee.
"Everyone's probably shopping for back to school stuff. We do start in four days."
Squealing, Lizzie smiled excitedly, "I know! I can't wait." Lizzie started chatting with Riley, or more like TO Riley since she was not really responding much, as Gordo's thoughts wandered back to earlier that day.
~~~
"I cannot believe you Howard! This is just what I've been talking about! You have no respect for me, for OUR son, or for this house!" Roberta Gordon's screams reverberated throughout the house.
"I have no respect? I have no respect?" Howard's yells answered her in an even louder and sterner tone. "I am not the one blowing all of our money on make up and clothes and a brand new convertible!"
"I am not BLOWING all of our money!"
"Then how do you explain the fact that we are not as financially sound as we have been for the past ten years?"
Gordo leaned against the window in his room, staring out at the rain falling. It was raining outside, it was raining inside. He tried to block out his parents arguments, but their screams kept filtering up into his awareness.
"I can't believe you are accusing me of this!"
Gordo pulled on his headphones, and turned the volume up all the way on his stereo. He did not even know what he was listening to. He tried to focus on the music, but his mind was wandering too much.
~~~
"Earth to Gordo?" Lizzie waved her hand in front of his face, snapping her fingers.
Gordo jerked back to the present, looking around quickly, remembering where he was. And with who. "Huh? What?" Noticing Lizzie looked annoyed, he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I was thinking about something else."
"Obviously!" Lizzie turned to Riley, "He's not like this all the time, I swear."
Riley laughed softly, before standing quickly, "I'm gonna go check my email. See if Dimitri sent me anything." She walked over to a nearby computer and sat down, logging onto her screen name.
He noticed that Lizzie stared at her cousin with an almost longing look in her eyes. He leaned slightly towards her, bracing himself against the arm of his chair, catching her scent in the air. She smelled like lilacs and roses. He inhaled deeply, and then got her attention, "Lizzie. What's the matter?"
Lizzie turned to him quickly, rearranging herself in her chair with her legs curled underneath her body. She sighed deeply, tugging at the hem of her golden yellow shirt and twirling a long strand of blonde hair around a finger on her other hand. She looked up, her hazel eyes rimmed with tears, "It's just so hard Gordo. I look at her, and I know she's miserable. I'm trying so hard to make her feel at home and nothing's working. She just locks herself down in her room and works on painting the walls for hours and hours. She never wants to talk to any of us. I don't know what to do."
He reached over and grabbed her hand. Holding it tightly, he looked closely at her, "There may not be anything you can do, Lizzie. Give her some time. She's been here what, like a week? She lost her whole life in a really short period of time. Let her figure it out on her own." He tried not to think about how gorgeous Lizzie looked when she was trying really hard not to cry. Her eyebrows were furrowed together and she was chewing on her lower lip. She clung to his hand like it was her life support.
"I know Gordo. I just wish there was something I could do," Lizzie pulled her hand from Gordo's grasp to turn in her seat to look at Riley. Gordo followed her gaze, noting that Riley looked even more miserable than before. She was staring at the screen, her eyes glazed over and her mouth hanging slightly open. A single tear snaked its way down her cheek before she wiped it away with her ring finger. He sighed; it was hard to watch someone be so miserable, even someone he did not know very well. Watching her, he found himself not able to tear his eyes from her face. His blue gray eyes focused on her green ones as she stood quickly from the table, and walked jerkily over to himself and Lizzie.
"I'm leaving," her monotonous voice shocked both Gordo and Lizzie visibly.
Lizzie jumped up out of her seat, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No. Just.. leave me alone." Riley lurched past the two of them, her scent of cinnamon wafting in her wake.
Gordo watched as Riley stumbled from the Digital Bean. He turned and looked at Lizzie, "That was weird." Lizzie nodded, staring worriedly after her cousin. That was something Gordo always admired about Lizzie; somehow she managed to care about everyone, even her enemies.
The Digital Bean employee walked over to the duo, "Hey. Your friend left the computer on. Wanna do something about it?"
Lizzie glared at the boy, and walked quickly over to where Riley had been checking her mail. Gordo watched as her body visibly tensed. He got up and rushed over to her side, "Lizzie? What's going on?"
She pointed wordlessly at the screen. Gordo turned his head and read the words:
"Riley,
I don't think we should see each other anymore. We are 3000 miles apart and can't possibly maintain a relationship over that distance. Besides, Clara Judge wants to take me to Homecoming, and I want to go with her. Sorry.
-Dimitri"
'And now she's lost the only thing she felt she still had. Poor Riley.'
Hearing the doors swing open, he turned quickly to see if it was her. He smiled slightly when he saw that it was, and he raised his arm in greeting, "Hey Lizzie. Over here."
He watched her nudge a girl next to her and point over at him, murmuring something to her. So that is the infamous Riley. 'Wow, she's gorgeous,' he thought, not really knowing if he meant Lizzie or Riley. Watching the two girls as the crossed the room to meet him, he noticed something odd. Riley shrank backwards every time Lizzie tried to touch her, and looked miserable, despite the slight smirk on her face.
The girls finally made it over to the table he had been saving for them and he rose, extending his hand to Riley, "Hey. I'm Dave, but you can call me Gordo." She hesitantly took his hand, and smiled weakly, "Riley, you can call me Riley, or Ri." He grinned, sitting back down quickly.
Lizzie piped in quickly after their exchange, "I don't think I've ever seen the Digital Bean so empty." It was true, Gordo noted, glancing around. Besides their group, there were only two other people in the entire room, and one was a Digital Bean employee.
"Everyone's probably shopping for back to school stuff. We do start in four days."
Squealing, Lizzie smiled excitedly, "I know! I can't wait." Lizzie started chatting with Riley, or more like TO Riley since she was not really responding much, as Gordo's thoughts wandered back to earlier that day.
~~~
"I cannot believe you Howard! This is just what I've been talking about! You have no respect for me, for OUR son, or for this house!" Roberta Gordon's screams reverberated throughout the house.
"I have no respect? I have no respect?" Howard's yells answered her in an even louder and sterner tone. "I am not the one blowing all of our money on make up and clothes and a brand new convertible!"
"I am not BLOWING all of our money!"
"Then how do you explain the fact that we are not as financially sound as we have been for the past ten years?"
Gordo leaned against the window in his room, staring out at the rain falling. It was raining outside, it was raining inside. He tried to block out his parents arguments, but their screams kept filtering up into his awareness.
"I can't believe you are accusing me of this!"
Gordo pulled on his headphones, and turned the volume up all the way on his stereo. He did not even know what he was listening to. He tried to focus on the music, but his mind was wandering too much.
~~~
"Earth to Gordo?" Lizzie waved her hand in front of his face, snapping her fingers.
Gordo jerked back to the present, looking around quickly, remembering where he was. And with who. "Huh? What?" Noticing Lizzie looked annoyed, he smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I was thinking about something else."
"Obviously!" Lizzie turned to Riley, "He's not like this all the time, I swear."
Riley laughed softly, before standing quickly, "I'm gonna go check my email. See if Dimitri sent me anything." She walked over to a nearby computer and sat down, logging onto her screen name.
He noticed that Lizzie stared at her cousin with an almost longing look in her eyes. He leaned slightly towards her, bracing himself against the arm of his chair, catching her scent in the air. She smelled like lilacs and roses. He inhaled deeply, and then got her attention, "Lizzie. What's the matter?"
Lizzie turned to him quickly, rearranging herself in her chair with her legs curled underneath her body. She sighed deeply, tugging at the hem of her golden yellow shirt and twirling a long strand of blonde hair around a finger on her other hand. She looked up, her hazel eyes rimmed with tears, "It's just so hard Gordo. I look at her, and I know she's miserable. I'm trying so hard to make her feel at home and nothing's working. She just locks herself down in her room and works on painting the walls for hours and hours. She never wants to talk to any of us. I don't know what to do."
He reached over and grabbed her hand. Holding it tightly, he looked closely at her, "There may not be anything you can do, Lizzie. Give her some time. She's been here what, like a week? She lost her whole life in a really short period of time. Let her figure it out on her own." He tried not to think about how gorgeous Lizzie looked when she was trying really hard not to cry. Her eyebrows were furrowed together and she was chewing on her lower lip. She clung to his hand like it was her life support.
"I know Gordo. I just wish there was something I could do," Lizzie pulled her hand from Gordo's grasp to turn in her seat to look at Riley. Gordo followed her gaze, noting that Riley looked even more miserable than before. She was staring at the screen, her eyes glazed over and her mouth hanging slightly open. A single tear snaked its way down her cheek before she wiped it away with her ring finger. He sighed; it was hard to watch someone be so miserable, even someone he did not know very well. Watching her, he found himself not able to tear his eyes from her face. His blue gray eyes focused on her green ones as she stood quickly from the table, and walked jerkily over to himself and Lizzie.
"I'm leaving," her monotonous voice shocked both Gordo and Lizzie visibly.
Lizzie jumped up out of her seat, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No. Just.. leave me alone." Riley lurched past the two of them, her scent of cinnamon wafting in her wake.
Gordo watched as Riley stumbled from the Digital Bean. He turned and looked at Lizzie, "That was weird." Lizzie nodded, staring worriedly after her cousin. That was something Gordo always admired about Lizzie; somehow she managed to care about everyone, even her enemies.
The Digital Bean employee walked over to the duo, "Hey. Your friend left the computer on. Wanna do something about it?"
Lizzie glared at the boy, and walked quickly over to where Riley had been checking her mail. Gordo watched as her body visibly tensed. He got up and rushed over to her side, "Lizzie? What's going on?"
She pointed wordlessly at the screen. Gordo turned his head and read the words:
"Riley,
I don't think we should see each other anymore. We are 3000 miles apart and can't possibly maintain a relationship over that distance. Besides, Clara Judge wants to take me to Homecoming, and I want to go with her. Sorry.
-Dimitri"
'And now she's lost the only thing she felt she still had. Poor Riley.'