A/N: OK, I am back! And here is the update you have all been asking for. I
will try to post some more updates in the next few days, but Friday I am
leaving for vacay for 2 weeks, and I will not have a computer! Gasp! So,
enjoy and review!
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summer of Changes
Chapter 17:
Lizzie sat on the end of the dock, her legs dangling over the edge. Her toes brushed the top of the water as she gazed out onto the lake. The air was calm and cool, and the reflections of house lights caused the water to sparkle. It was the perfect end to what had been a wonderful birthday.
Gordo looked over at her and smiled. She looked so happy. He could not help but think that maybe, just maybe, he might have added to it. They sat, side by side, silently, looking out into the night.
Lizzie broke the silence. "Wanna know something?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Sure." He nodded his head, still looking out at the lake.
"Everything you said, well, almost-said, tonight, that's exactly how I've been feeling." She explained.
"Since when?" he asked, taken aback.
"Oh, off and on since about the 4th grade." She admitted, with a giggle.
"4th grade!" He exclaimed. "And you never said anything!"
"Look who's talking!" she retorted. "Well, not-talking in this case!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know this is how you'd react?" Gordo pointed out. "Geez, if I could have predicted this, I would have told you years ago."
"Years?" she asked.
"Well, 8th grade at least." He replied. "So how come you kept quiet? Its not generally something you're good at McGuire."
"Well, first of all, boys were icky until about the 5th grade." Lizzie remarked. "And by then, if you didn't like Ethan Craft you could pretty much forget about coming to school."
"Yeah, I suppose." Replied Gordo, not entirely convinced.
"Also," she continued. "I didn't want to ruin anything. Gordo, you're my best friend in the entire world. If I ever lost you, I wouldn't be able to deal with it." She added quietly.
"I know." He replied. "I feel the same way. You are just too big a part of my life to risk losing."
Lizzie smiled. Gordo smiled back.
"So you really thought I was icky?" he asked, trying to break the silence.
"Well, you did collect bugs you know…." She mused.
"Hey! My bug collection was really cool!" he exclaimed, defensively.
"Yeah, until your mom 'accidentally' threw out the shoe box you kept them in." Lizzie reminded him.
"I was never entirely convinced that was such an accident." He remarked.
"I would have done the same thing!" Lizzie replied. "Especially after that spider got out and ended up in your parents bedroom."
"Oh yeah!" Gordo laughed. "I'd forgotten about that! She screamed so loud, I thought that the windows were going to break!"
"And then we went and hid in your treehouse so she wouldn't yell at you." Lizzie remembered. Gordo laughed.
"You know, I didn't think you were icky." He told Lizzie.
"Aw, I'm flattered." Lizzie replied.
"I thought you were very un-icky in the 5th grade." He admitted.
"That was the year I liked Danny Kesslar." Lizzie replied.
"I remember." Gordo nodded his head. "You used to make me play with him at recess so you could walk over and 'interrupt'."
Lizzie laughed. "Oh yeah!" she smiled, sheepishly. "But, I liked you again in the 6th grade."
"And I refused to have a crush on anyone, because everyone else did and they were all pairing up." Gordo laughed. "I was going through a non- conformist phase."
"Gordo, your whole life has been a non-conformist phase." Lizzie pointed out.
"True." Gordo agreed. "And then there was 8th grade."
"Ah, 8th grade, I remember it well." Lizzie sighed.
"Well, it was only 2 years ago." Gordo remarked.
"I know." Lizzie laughed. "It was an interesting year."
"Yep." Gordo agreed.
"I can't believe how dumb I was." Lizzie commented. "I mean, you all but flat out told me you liked me, and I was completely clueless."
"You were young." Gordo joked. "Plus, you weren't exactly looking for it."
"That's the thing though." She explained. "After that night of the mystery party, when we were out on the porch, I realized that I saw you as more than a friend."
"You did?" Gordo asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Lizzie replied. "That was like the final piece of the puzzle. You were so great to me all that time. You helped me pretend to be Ethan's type, and then when it didn't work, you were right there. And then, when I got banned from the Spring Fling, you came right over to hang out with me. You are always there for me. You're such an amazing person, and I guess that night, I finally realized it."
Gordo smiled. "Too bad you never said anything."
"I know." Lizzie smiled.
"So, you're saying, that if your dad hadn't opened the door, and I had actually got to finish my sentence, that you would have said yes?" he asked.
"Well that depends." She replied. "You were asking me out, right?"
"Yeah." Gordo replied, sheepishly.
"I figured." Lizzie said. "And yes, I would have."
"Wow." Gordo remarked. "So we've both been in denial since the 8th grade?"
"Apparently." Lizzie offered.
"I should have said something." He said. "I almost did – a few times."
"Me too." Lizzie agreed. "I should have taken my own advice."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"When I was doing that column for the e-zine, I had a letter from this guy who liked hi best friend as more than a friend and I told him to……"
Gordo started laughing.
"Why are you laughing?" she asked, annoyed.
"You told him to 'follow his heart, it'll tell you what's right'." Gordo finished.
"Wait a minute, you were Confused Guy?!?" she asked, astonished.
"Guilty." He laughed.
"Gordo, that it so cute!" Lizzie squealed. "If I had only known….."
"Then Confused Guy wouldn't have turned into Wimp-Out Boy." Gordo offered. They both laughed.
Lizzie suppressed a yawn. "I'm exhausted!" she remarked, looking at her watch. "Oh my gosh, it's almost midnight!" She started running for the house.
"Lizzie, wait!" he called. She turned back. "So, where does this put us?
"We'll talk tomorrow." She replied. "Come on!" she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the house.
"I've waited 2 years, I suppose one night won't kill me." He remarked, disappointed. They kept walking back.
Lizzie turned around when they reached the back door. "And Gordo?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for my gift." She replied. Giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.
Gordo smiled. Lizzie wasn't the only who'd gotten a great gift.
TBC!
Read and review!
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Summer of Changes
Chapter 17:
Lizzie sat on the end of the dock, her legs dangling over the edge. Her toes brushed the top of the water as she gazed out onto the lake. The air was calm and cool, and the reflections of house lights caused the water to sparkle. It was the perfect end to what had been a wonderful birthday.
Gordo looked over at her and smiled. She looked so happy. He could not help but think that maybe, just maybe, he might have added to it. They sat, side by side, silently, looking out into the night.
Lizzie broke the silence. "Wanna know something?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Sure." He nodded his head, still looking out at the lake.
"Everything you said, well, almost-said, tonight, that's exactly how I've been feeling." She explained.
"Since when?" he asked, taken aback.
"Oh, off and on since about the 4th grade." She admitted, with a giggle.
"4th grade!" He exclaimed. "And you never said anything!"
"Look who's talking!" she retorted. "Well, not-talking in this case!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know this is how you'd react?" Gordo pointed out. "Geez, if I could have predicted this, I would have told you years ago."
"Years?" she asked.
"Well, 8th grade at least." He replied. "So how come you kept quiet? Its not generally something you're good at McGuire."
"Well, first of all, boys were icky until about the 5th grade." Lizzie remarked. "And by then, if you didn't like Ethan Craft you could pretty much forget about coming to school."
"Yeah, I suppose." Replied Gordo, not entirely convinced.
"Also," she continued. "I didn't want to ruin anything. Gordo, you're my best friend in the entire world. If I ever lost you, I wouldn't be able to deal with it." She added quietly.
"I know." He replied. "I feel the same way. You are just too big a part of my life to risk losing."
Lizzie smiled. Gordo smiled back.
"So you really thought I was icky?" he asked, trying to break the silence.
"Well, you did collect bugs you know…." She mused.
"Hey! My bug collection was really cool!" he exclaimed, defensively.
"Yeah, until your mom 'accidentally' threw out the shoe box you kept them in." Lizzie reminded him.
"I was never entirely convinced that was such an accident." He remarked.
"I would have done the same thing!" Lizzie replied. "Especially after that spider got out and ended up in your parents bedroom."
"Oh yeah!" Gordo laughed. "I'd forgotten about that! She screamed so loud, I thought that the windows were going to break!"
"And then we went and hid in your treehouse so she wouldn't yell at you." Lizzie remembered. Gordo laughed.
"You know, I didn't think you were icky." He told Lizzie.
"Aw, I'm flattered." Lizzie replied.
"I thought you were very un-icky in the 5th grade." He admitted.
"That was the year I liked Danny Kesslar." Lizzie replied.
"I remember." Gordo nodded his head. "You used to make me play with him at recess so you could walk over and 'interrupt'."
Lizzie laughed. "Oh yeah!" she smiled, sheepishly. "But, I liked you again in the 6th grade."
"And I refused to have a crush on anyone, because everyone else did and they were all pairing up." Gordo laughed. "I was going through a non- conformist phase."
"Gordo, your whole life has been a non-conformist phase." Lizzie pointed out.
"True." Gordo agreed. "And then there was 8th grade."
"Ah, 8th grade, I remember it well." Lizzie sighed.
"Well, it was only 2 years ago." Gordo remarked.
"I know." Lizzie laughed. "It was an interesting year."
"Yep." Gordo agreed.
"I can't believe how dumb I was." Lizzie commented. "I mean, you all but flat out told me you liked me, and I was completely clueless."
"You were young." Gordo joked. "Plus, you weren't exactly looking for it."
"That's the thing though." She explained. "After that night of the mystery party, when we were out on the porch, I realized that I saw you as more than a friend."
"You did?" Gordo asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Lizzie replied. "That was like the final piece of the puzzle. You were so great to me all that time. You helped me pretend to be Ethan's type, and then when it didn't work, you were right there. And then, when I got banned from the Spring Fling, you came right over to hang out with me. You are always there for me. You're such an amazing person, and I guess that night, I finally realized it."
Gordo smiled. "Too bad you never said anything."
"I know." Lizzie smiled.
"So, you're saying, that if your dad hadn't opened the door, and I had actually got to finish my sentence, that you would have said yes?" he asked.
"Well that depends." She replied. "You were asking me out, right?"
"Yeah." Gordo replied, sheepishly.
"I figured." Lizzie said. "And yes, I would have."
"Wow." Gordo remarked. "So we've both been in denial since the 8th grade?"
"Apparently." Lizzie offered.
"I should have said something." He said. "I almost did – a few times."
"Me too." Lizzie agreed. "I should have taken my own advice."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"When I was doing that column for the e-zine, I had a letter from this guy who liked hi best friend as more than a friend and I told him to……"
Gordo started laughing.
"Why are you laughing?" she asked, annoyed.
"You told him to 'follow his heart, it'll tell you what's right'." Gordo finished.
"Wait a minute, you were Confused Guy?!?" she asked, astonished.
"Guilty." He laughed.
"Gordo, that it so cute!" Lizzie squealed. "If I had only known….."
"Then Confused Guy wouldn't have turned into Wimp-Out Boy." Gordo offered. They both laughed.
Lizzie suppressed a yawn. "I'm exhausted!" she remarked, looking at her watch. "Oh my gosh, it's almost midnight!" She started running for the house.
"Lizzie, wait!" he called. She turned back. "So, where does this put us?
"We'll talk tomorrow." She replied. "Come on!" she grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the house.
"I've waited 2 years, I suppose one night won't kill me." He remarked, disappointed. They kept walking back.
Lizzie turned around when they reached the back door. "And Gordo?" she asked.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for my gift." She replied. Giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.
Gordo smiled. Lizzie wasn't the only who'd gotten a great gift.
TBC!
Read and review!