Disclaimer: Same as before.
Well, we finally made it. That was an extremely long drive. The tension between Lizzie and I had been getting so thick, you could almost cut it with a knife. Well, I had two more weeks to...uh...look forward to. Help.
Mrs. McGuire stepped out of the van and inhaled deeply. "Mmm!" she enthused. "That smells wonderful! Come on, Gordo, Lizzie! Out of the van! Get your stuff and put it inside." I jumped at her voice and grabbed my duffel bag. Mrs. McGuire was explaining excitedly to Lizzie how much fun this vacation was going to be. Lizzie just rolled her eyes and hauled her luggage inside the camp. There were only two bedrooms in the camp, so I had to sleep on the couch. Yay.
I put my stuff down by the ratty looking brown couch, and walked outside to look at the lake. I sat down on a rock and stared at the water glistening in the sunlight. I wondered where Lizzie was. She was probably in her room by herself, listening to her CD player.
'She listens to that thing so much. Not like the old Lizzie...no, I won't think about that anymore. The old Lizzie...she's gone. I have to accept that.'
My throat was starting to choke up, so I closed my eyes and ran a hand through my curly brown hair. To my surprise, hot tears sprang into my eyes. I quickly tried to blink them away. Stubbornly, they went nowhere, and so I just gave in and let them fall. There was a noise behind me and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand, and tried to look as if I was enjoying the afternoon sun.
Lizzie sat down on a large rock that was about as far away from me as possible. I did take note of the fact that she was headphones-free. That was a start. Baby steps, people, baby steps.
I cleared my throat, hoping to attract Lizzie's attention, but she made no movement to acknowledge my presence. She was too busy staring out over the lake. I looked out over the water as well. It really was beautiful, with the sun glimmering on the water the way it was. However, it would have been so much more beautiful if I could share it with my best friend. I sighed. It really wasn't the same. I really needed her. I was desperate to get my friend back. I opened my mouth to speak, and then--
"My mom made me come out here." It speaks! The sound was literally music to my ears. I hadn't heard her voice in so long...I hadn't really realized how much I missed it. I cleared my throat again.
"Um, what?" I asked.
"I said, my mom made me come out here," she answered, scowling at the ground. She pulled her legs in close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "She said you looked lonely."
"I, uh...I was."
Lizzie scoffed. "How tragic." I mustered all of my courage and took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing,' I thought.
"Lizzie...first off, I want to apologize to you for being such an asshole. I was a horrible friend, and you didn't deserve any of the things I did to betray you--wait! Lizzie, please, don't leave!" Lizzie had started to get up. I jumped up and went to kneel in front of her on the rock. "I'm so incredibly sorry for what I lost that day, and I would do absolutely ANYTHING to take it back and have you in my life again. McGuire, you were everything to me. Hell. You still ARE everything to me." I was starting to get choked up again, and my voice came out distorted. "I don't think I can go through one more day without you, Lizzie, I really don't. I'm dying inside!" A tear ran down my cheek and I angrily wiped it away. Then, getting an idea, I began to sing. "A man doesn't know what he has, until he loses it...A man has the love of a woman, and he abuses it..." It brought a hint of a smile to her face. That was a part of her favorite song "A Man Doesn't Know" from her all-time favorite musical "Damn Yankees."
"David..." she began. She bit her lip. "Gordo. Gordo, I...I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you...but...I accept your apology. But I'm not going to apologize for ignoring you or for being a bitch, because you deserved it."
"I know, Lizzie. I deserved worse. But I'd appreciate it if you had mercy and didn't torture me anymore. Lizzie, I really miss you," I said, the last part coming out softly. I looked up; Lizzie had tears in her own eyes, which had regained a hint of their old sparkle.
"I missed you too, Gordo...I really did." I smiled.
"Can I hug you, right now?" I asked awkwardly.
"Yes," Lizzie choked out. I climbed onto the rock with her and took her into my arms, holding her tightly to me. She leaned her back against me, and my heart skipped a beat. I looked down at her face, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Gordo, I just need to know...why did you tell them that I...that I kissed Larry?"
"I guess...I was angry, Lizzie. The second I said it, I regretted it."
"You do realize it's going to take a long time, or something really big to bring back my trust in you, Gordo. It can never be the same. Never."
"I know," I said softly. "You have no idea how much I've hated myself for the past couple of weeks, Lizzie."
"Oh? Well, I've been hating not only myself, but everyone around me, Gordo!" She stepped out of my arms and off the rock to stand by the water's edge. "Gordo...I was THIS close to ending it all. I had the bottle of pills in my hand. But then Matt...he barged in on me like he always does in the morning...he saw the bottle and knocked it away, out of my hands...Only he knows about it, he didn't tell mom and dad. You aren't going to go and tell this to Kate too, are you?" she asked, turning to face the lake. I stepped off the rock.
"Of course not," I said, choking up. It was hitting me hard, her last confession. I was realizing that I could have lost my best friend forever. I walked up and stood next to Lizzie. Looking at her, I noticed that the tears were still rolling down her face, and I could tell she was biting her bottom lip, which was quivering, to keep from sobbing out loud. "Lizzie," I said softly. She turned to look at me, and then finally broke down.
I took her in my arms once more, and held her while she cried. She kept grabbing handfuls of my shirt and then releasing them. I rubbed her back gently, and then smoothed her hair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I would have missed you so much, if Matt hadn't found you before you..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Lizzie squeezed me tightly. She sobbed into my shoulder.
"Gordo," she cried. "Gordo."
Well, we finally made it. That was an extremely long drive. The tension between Lizzie and I had been getting so thick, you could almost cut it with a knife. Well, I had two more weeks to...uh...look forward to. Help.
Mrs. McGuire stepped out of the van and inhaled deeply. "Mmm!" she enthused. "That smells wonderful! Come on, Gordo, Lizzie! Out of the van! Get your stuff and put it inside." I jumped at her voice and grabbed my duffel bag. Mrs. McGuire was explaining excitedly to Lizzie how much fun this vacation was going to be. Lizzie just rolled her eyes and hauled her luggage inside the camp. There were only two bedrooms in the camp, so I had to sleep on the couch. Yay.
I put my stuff down by the ratty looking brown couch, and walked outside to look at the lake. I sat down on a rock and stared at the water glistening in the sunlight. I wondered where Lizzie was. She was probably in her room by herself, listening to her CD player.
'She listens to that thing so much. Not like the old Lizzie...no, I won't think about that anymore. The old Lizzie...she's gone. I have to accept that.'
My throat was starting to choke up, so I closed my eyes and ran a hand through my curly brown hair. To my surprise, hot tears sprang into my eyes. I quickly tried to blink them away. Stubbornly, they went nowhere, and so I just gave in and let them fall. There was a noise behind me and I quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand, and tried to look as if I was enjoying the afternoon sun.
Lizzie sat down on a large rock that was about as far away from me as possible. I did take note of the fact that she was headphones-free. That was a start. Baby steps, people, baby steps.
I cleared my throat, hoping to attract Lizzie's attention, but she made no movement to acknowledge my presence. She was too busy staring out over the lake. I looked out over the water as well. It really was beautiful, with the sun glimmering on the water the way it was. However, it would have been so much more beautiful if I could share it with my best friend. I sighed. It really wasn't the same. I really needed her. I was desperate to get my friend back. I opened my mouth to speak, and then--
"My mom made me come out here." It speaks! The sound was literally music to my ears. I hadn't heard her voice in so long...I hadn't really realized how much I missed it. I cleared my throat again.
"Um, what?" I asked.
"I said, my mom made me come out here," she answered, scowling at the ground. She pulled her legs in close to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "She said you looked lonely."
"I, uh...I was."
Lizzie scoffed. "How tragic." I mustered all of my courage and took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing,' I thought.
"Lizzie...first off, I want to apologize to you for being such an asshole. I was a horrible friend, and you didn't deserve any of the things I did to betray you--wait! Lizzie, please, don't leave!" Lizzie had started to get up. I jumped up and went to kneel in front of her on the rock. "I'm so incredibly sorry for what I lost that day, and I would do absolutely ANYTHING to take it back and have you in my life again. McGuire, you were everything to me. Hell. You still ARE everything to me." I was starting to get choked up again, and my voice came out distorted. "I don't think I can go through one more day without you, Lizzie, I really don't. I'm dying inside!" A tear ran down my cheek and I angrily wiped it away. Then, getting an idea, I began to sing. "A man doesn't know what he has, until he loses it...A man has the love of a woman, and he abuses it..." It brought a hint of a smile to her face. That was a part of her favorite song "A Man Doesn't Know" from her all-time favorite musical "Damn Yankees."
"David..." she began. She bit her lip. "Gordo. Gordo, I...I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you...but...I accept your apology. But I'm not going to apologize for ignoring you or for being a bitch, because you deserved it."
"I know, Lizzie. I deserved worse. But I'd appreciate it if you had mercy and didn't torture me anymore. Lizzie, I really miss you," I said, the last part coming out softly. I looked up; Lizzie had tears in her own eyes, which had regained a hint of their old sparkle.
"I missed you too, Gordo...I really did." I smiled.
"Can I hug you, right now?" I asked awkwardly.
"Yes," Lizzie choked out. I climbed onto the rock with her and took her into my arms, holding her tightly to me. She leaned her back against me, and my heart skipped a beat. I looked down at her face, and tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Gordo, I just need to know...why did you tell them that I...that I kissed Larry?"
"I guess...I was angry, Lizzie. The second I said it, I regretted it."
"You do realize it's going to take a long time, or something really big to bring back my trust in you, Gordo. It can never be the same. Never."
"I know," I said softly. "You have no idea how much I've hated myself for the past couple of weeks, Lizzie."
"Oh? Well, I've been hating not only myself, but everyone around me, Gordo!" She stepped out of my arms and off the rock to stand by the water's edge. "Gordo...I was THIS close to ending it all. I had the bottle of pills in my hand. But then Matt...he barged in on me like he always does in the morning...he saw the bottle and knocked it away, out of my hands...Only he knows about it, he didn't tell mom and dad. You aren't going to go and tell this to Kate too, are you?" she asked, turning to face the lake. I stepped off the rock.
"Of course not," I said, choking up. It was hitting me hard, her last confession. I was realizing that I could have lost my best friend forever. I walked up and stood next to Lizzie. Looking at her, I noticed that the tears were still rolling down her face, and I could tell she was biting her bottom lip, which was quivering, to keep from sobbing out loud. "Lizzie," I said softly. She turned to look at me, and then finally broke down.
I took her in my arms once more, and held her while she cried. She kept grabbing handfuls of my shirt and then releasing them. I rubbed her back gently, and then smoothed her hair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I would have missed you so much, if Matt hadn't found you before you..." I couldn't finish the sentence. Lizzie squeezed me tightly. She sobbed into my shoulder.
"Gordo," she cried. "Gordo."