Gordo found Ethan sitting on the curb outside the service station. He looked different than Gordo had ever seen him before. He looked very upset and just stared down at the sidewalk. Gordo slowly approached him. "Hey."
"Hey." Ethan responded back, but his eyes remained glued to the sidewalk.
Gordo took a deep breath. "I.. uh.. wanted to say that... I'm sorry about what I said in there."
"No, man. That's o.k."
"No, it isn't. I shouldn't have said something like that."
Ethan's eyes kept on the sidewalk. Gordo sighed and started to walk away. Suddenly Ethan started to talk. "Miranda thinks you're jealous of me..." Gordo walked back over to Ethan and sat down next to him, "but I think maybe I'm the one that's jealous of you."
Gordo was shocked. "Jealous of me? But you're the most popular guy in school. Everyone like you. Why are you jealous of me?"
"Yeah... everybody in school likes me, but nobody, like, cares about me, you know? They all like me because they think I'm cool or all the ladies think I'm hot or whatever, but nobody likes me for me. You get what I'm sayin'?"
"Yeah, I do." Gordo was finally beginning to understand.
"But you... you're smart, and you have great friends." Ethan signed. "You don't have girls who don't even know you fighting over who's going to a dance with you like your a trophy or something."
"Ethan, I had no idea."
"You may never want to be like me, but i would give anything to be like you."
Gordo didn't know what to say. "But, Ethan, you're smart." Gordo couldn't believe that that phrase came out of his mouth, but continued what he was about to say. "Remember at the Digital Bean when you explained to me all about golf and all the rule and how to play?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Well, you knew all that from memory. If you can memorize all that, you could memorize all the things you need to know in school if you apply yourself to learning them like you do with all that about golf."
Ethan began to cheer up. "Hey, maybe you're right."
"And about having people like you for who you are, they can't like you for who you are if they don't know who you are. To do that, you've got to show people who you really are. That means just being yourself."
"But Gordon, you were right. I'm just a big dim-witted... umm.." Ethan tried desperately to remember the word that Gordo had used to described him to Miranda. "Doo.."
"Doufus?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that's it."
"Well, if that's what you are, then a good friend would still like you even if you are a doufus. And they would always be there for you no matter what."Gordo felt guilty after he said that. He knew that he hadn't been being a very good friend to Ethan. He knew that had to change.
"But what about the ladies? When are they gonna see me as more than just a pretty face?"
"Well," Gordo thought for a second. "First you've got to befriend them."
Ethan was confused. "Befriend? Like, be friends?"
"Uhh.. yeah." Gordo said. "You can't really love someone before you know them."
"Huh. Guess not."
"Then you've got to build up trust between them and treat them like they're special. Then, once they get to know you, then they'll start to like you for you. Then, after a while, you'll find the one girl that you feel that you can't live without."
"Like you and Lizzie?"
Gordo was slightly embarrassed at that comment. He thought for a second and realized it was exactly right and replied back, "Yeah. Just like me and Lizzie."
"That's cool. You know, Gordon, you're really lucky."
Gordo smiled. "Yeah... I guess I am."
"Hey." Ethan responded back, but his eyes remained glued to the sidewalk.
Gordo took a deep breath. "I.. uh.. wanted to say that... I'm sorry about what I said in there."
"No, man. That's o.k."
"No, it isn't. I shouldn't have said something like that."
Ethan's eyes kept on the sidewalk. Gordo sighed and started to walk away. Suddenly Ethan started to talk. "Miranda thinks you're jealous of me..." Gordo walked back over to Ethan and sat down next to him, "but I think maybe I'm the one that's jealous of you."
Gordo was shocked. "Jealous of me? But you're the most popular guy in school. Everyone like you. Why are you jealous of me?"
"Yeah... everybody in school likes me, but nobody, like, cares about me, you know? They all like me because they think I'm cool or all the ladies think I'm hot or whatever, but nobody likes me for me. You get what I'm sayin'?"
"Yeah, I do." Gordo was finally beginning to understand.
"But you... you're smart, and you have great friends." Ethan signed. "You don't have girls who don't even know you fighting over who's going to a dance with you like your a trophy or something."
"Ethan, I had no idea."
"You may never want to be like me, but i would give anything to be like you."
Gordo didn't know what to say. "But, Ethan, you're smart." Gordo couldn't believe that that phrase came out of his mouth, but continued what he was about to say. "Remember at the Digital Bean when you explained to me all about golf and all the rule and how to play?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Well, you knew all that from memory. If you can memorize all that, you could memorize all the things you need to know in school if you apply yourself to learning them like you do with all that about golf."
Ethan began to cheer up. "Hey, maybe you're right."
"And about having people like you for who you are, they can't like you for who you are if they don't know who you are. To do that, you've got to show people who you really are. That means just being yourself."
"But Gordon, you were right. I'm just a big dim-witted... umm.." Ethan tried desperately to remember the word that Gordo had used to described him to Miranda. "Doo.."
"Doufus?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that's it."
"Well, if that's what you are, then a good friend would still like you even if you are a doufus. And they would always be there for you no matter what."Gordo felt guilty after he said that. He knew that he hadn't been being a very good friend to Ethan. He knew that had to change.
"But what about the ladies? When are they gonna see me as more than just a pretty face?"
"Well," Gordo thought for a second. "First you've got to befriend them."
Ethan was confused. "Befriend? Like, be friends?"
"Uhh.. yeah." Gordo said. "You can't really love someone before you know them."
"Huh. Guess not."
"Then you've got to build up trust between them and treat them like they're special. Then, once they get to know you, then they'll start to like you for you. Then, after a while, you'll find the one girl that you feel that you can't live without."
"Like you and Lizzie?"
Gordo was slightly embarrassed at that comment. He thought for a second and realized it was exactly right and replied back, "Yeah. Just like me and Lizzie."
"That's cool. You know, Gordon, you're really lucky."
Gordo smiled. "Yeah... I guess I am."