I don't own it.
===Voices Carry===
Miranda paced in front of the cafeteria doors. She'd hid around the corner when she'd seen Lizzie approaching, and had done it again when she'd seen Gordo coming up. From the looks of things, the two of them weren't talking to each other, and she couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. Were they no longer on speaking terms? Because of her?
Ethan wasn't here, and she was starting to lose her nerve. This whole thing had been a huge mistake. She didn't know a damn thing about Ethan Craft, didn't know if he could be trusted, didn't know if he even really cared. She turned around, ready to bail on Ethan and lunch and maybe school in general, but as she started to make her getaway, who else should she run into but the very person she'd decided to avoid.
And she actually ran into him, too, physically, for the second time that day. "Oof, sorry."
"We gotta stop meeting like this," Ethan said, and when she looked up at him, he was grinning.
Impossible. Ethan Craft had just made a joke. It wasn't very funny, but it was so rare and unexpected that Miranda laughed anyway. "Um, hi."
"Hi. Sorry I'm late, I was talking with Mr. Dig."
"I thought you'd forgot," she admitted, and then blushed, realizing how pathetic that was and how more pathetic it was to admit it.
"Nah, I forget a lot of things. Like state capitals. And where my homeroom is. But I always remember to feed my hamster."
Miranda just stared. Words failed her, which was probably a good thing, because that meant she could bail gracefully out of this without ever actually saying the truth.
"So, you wanted to talk..?"
Crap. So much for that theory. Well, with any luck, he'd forget everything. "Yeah. Let's uh...go here," she said, ducking into an empty classroom. Ethan followed, and had the good sense to close the door behind him. At least, she thought it was good sense. Knowing Ethan...
They perched on desktops, and looked everywhere but at each other, lost in silence. Finally Miranda sighed. "Everything's wrong," she said. She couldn't have summed it up better.
"Like how?"
"Like...just everything. My dad...and my sister...Lizzie, Gordo, school...everything."
"What's wrong with your dad?"
"You live with your dad and stepmom, right?" She remembered hearing Kate say something to that effect.
"Yeah, my mom died when I was little."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say. It was an awful thing to hear, especially when she was thinking their situations might be somewhat alike. "I'm sorry."
"Naw, it's cool, dude. I mean, like, you didn't kill her or anything, right? 'Cause she died in a car accident, and you'd have been too young to drive."
"I'm too young to drive now," Miranda pointed out, glad she hadn't offended him.
"Yeah, totally." There was a lull then, and Ethan said, "So what's with your dad?"
"He left," Miranda said quietly.
Ethan's brow furrowed. "That sucks! When?"
"A couple of weeks ago. He and my mom were fighting all the time, and he just up and left." She drew her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on her folded arms, her body taking up the whole surface of the small desk.
Ethan nodded. "I'm sorry."
She quirked a half-smile at him. "It's cool. I mean, you didn't drive him off or anything, right?"
He stared at her for a second, and she groaned inwardly, knowing he didn't get it. But he surprised her for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, by grinning. "Funny."
Her half-smile became a full one as they laughed together. Not because it had been that funny, but because they were bonding, such an unlikely pair.
"So that can't be everything," Ethan said. "You said, like, your dad, and your sister, and Lizzie and Gor-don and school..."
"I thought you said you didn't remember much."
Ethan shrugged.
"Ethan, I can trust you to keep secrets, right?" Miranda said softly.
"Yeah."
"Well...a couple of days after my dad left..." Suddenly Miranda stopped. It was too fresh, too new, too painful to talk about. She decided to go for the 'easier' truth. "Um. I, uh...well, the thing is...I sort of have...this crush." She glanced up at him, saw him staring back at her, and then quickly looked away. "On...on Gordo."
"Gor-don!" Ethan declared. "No way!"
"Yeah way. But the thing is...well, you know, everyone knows. That he likes Lizzie. Except for maybe Lizzie, she doesn't know. But it's obvious that he's crazy about her. And she may not know that he likes her, and she may not know yet even that *she* likes *him*, but I know her well enough to know that deep down, she likes him back. Loves, even." Miranda sighed, because voicing what she'd suspected all along was tiring and depressing. "They love each other. It's only a matter of time before they figure it out."
She could feel Ethan's eyes still on her, taking all of this in, or maybe she was mistaken, and he was watching a fly out the window. Even so, while it was painful to discuss, it did still help to speak the truth aloud in the presence of someone else, even if the other person wasn't necessarily paying attention. "And where does that leave me?" she continued. "A third wheel. Because suddenly the three amigos become...well...LizzieandGordo. And there *I* am, Miranda, a footnote. The one who got cast aside, the one who couldn't cut it. And it's just that...why her? Over me, I mean. I'm pretty, aren't I? And he gets along with me. And I have tons of good qualities. So why not me?"
"Well, like, the thing about Lizzie is that...she, like, she's so *nice*, you know? To everybody! Her parents, her teachers, her friends, even peeps she doesn't know. Stuff like that. And that doesn't mean that *you're* not nice, it just means that, like, Lizzie's, like, *really* nice, and maybe Gor-don just really likes that. 'Cause, you know, she makes you feel special and stuff. And you've got good quali...qual..." Ethan's brow furrowed. "Good *things* about you, too, Miranda, it's just that maybe those aren't the things Gor-don likes. You know?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I know I should be happy for them, because they're my best friends, and I *am*, don't get me wrong, but it's just that it's hard, 'cause I like him too. And it's hard to get over someone you like."
"Totally."
"What do I do?"
He shrugged. "Just, hang on for the ride, I guess. You'll find someone better than him."
"Hmm," Miranda said.
"You know, like, someone that listens to you and actually, like *listens*, not hears. 'Cause, I mean, they're like, two different things, you know? Like, I hear when Mr. Pettus is talking about science, and stuff, but I don't really *listen*, and that's why I have a D in science."
Miranda could only gaze at him for awhile, lost in thought. After a pause, she said, "You listen to me."
"I guess I do."
"Why?"
"You asked me to."
"I asked you to, yeah, but I only asked you to hear. Not to listen. We all choose what we listen to, but we don't get to choose what we hear. But you're listening. To me. Why?"
Ethan's brow furrowed. "I don't know. You need a friend, Miranda, and it sounds like maybe Lizzie and Gor-don aren't being the best of friends right now."
Which wasn't exactly true, Miranda thought, they were being great friends, being very concerned. *Too* concerned, really, and *that* was the problem.
"I have a lot more secrets," she admitted with a slight sigh.
Ethan nodded like he understood. "You can tell me them," he said. "I won't tell. I swear."
===Voices Carry===
Miranda paced in front of the cafeteria doors. She'd hid around the corner when she'd seen Lizzie approaching, and had done it again when she'd seen Gordo coming up. From the looks of things, the two of them weren't talking to each other, and she couldn't help but wonder what that was all about. Were they no longer on speaking terms? Because of her?
Ethan wasn't here, and she was starting to lose her nerve. This whole thing had been a huge mistake. She didn't know a damn thing about Ethan Craft, didn't know if he could be trusted, didn't know if he even really cared. She turned around, ready to bail on Ethan and lunch and maybe school in general, but as she started to make her getaway, who else should she run into but the very person she'd decided to avoid.
And she actually ran into him, too, physically, for the second time that day. "Oof, sorry."
"We gotta stop meeting like this," Ethan said, and when she looked up at him, he was grinning.
Impossible. Ethan Craft had just made a joke. It wasn't very funny, but it was so rare and unexpected that Miranda laughed anyway. "Um, hi."
"Hi. Sorry I'm late, I was talking with Mr. Dig."
"I thought you'd forgot," she admitted, and then blushed, realizing how pathetic that was and how more pathetic it was to admit it.
"Nah, I forget a lot of things. Like state capitals. And where my homeroom is. But I always remember to feed my hamster."
Miranda just stared. Words failed her, which was probably a good thing, because that meant she could bail gracefully out of this without ever actually saying the truth.
"So, you wanted to talk..?"
Crap. So much for that theory. Well, with any luck, he'd forget everything. "Yeah. Let's uh...go here," she said, ducking into an empty classroom. Ethan followed, and had the good sense to close the door behind him. At least, she thought it was good sense. Knowing Ethan...
They perched on desktops, and looked everywhere but at each other, lost in silence. Finally Miranda sighed. "Everything's wrong," she said. She couldn't have summed it up better.
"Like how?"
"Like...just everything. My dad...and my sister...Lizzie, Gordo, school...everything."
"What's wrong with your dad?"
"You live with your dad and stepmom, right?" She remembered hearing Kate say something to that effect.
"Yeah, my mom died when I was little."
"Oh." She wasn't sure what to say. It was an awful thing to hear, especially when she was thinking their situations might be somewhat alike. "I'm sorry."
"Naw, it's cool, dude. I mean, like, you didn't kill her or anything, right? 'Cause she died in a car accident, and you'd have been too young to drive."
"I'm too young to drive now," Miranda pointed out, glad she hadn't offended him.
"Yeah, totally." There was a lull then, and Ethan said, "So what's with your dad?"
"He left," Miranda said quietly.
Ethan's brow furrowed. "That sucks! When?"
"A couple of weeks ago. He and my mom were fighting all the time, and he just up and left." She drew her knees up to her chest, and rested her chin on her folded arms, her body taking up the whole surface of the small desk.
Ethan nodded. "I'm sorry."
She quirked a half-smile at him. "It's cool. I mean, you didn't drive him off or anything, right?"
He stared at her for a second, and she groaned inwardly, knowing he didn't get it. But he surprised her for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, by grinning. "Funny."
Her half-smile became a full one as they laughed together. Not because it had been that funny, but because they were bonding, such an unlikely pair.
"So that can't be everything," Ethan said. "You said, like, your dad, and your sister, and Lizzie and Gor-don and school..."
"I thought you said you didn't remember much."
Ethan shrugged.
"Ethan, I can trust you to keep secrets, right?" Miranda said softly.
"Yeah."
"Well...a couple of days after my dad left..." Suddenly Miranda stopped. It was too fresh, too new, too painful to talk about. She decided to go for the 'easier' truth. "Um. I, uh...well, the thing is...I sort of have...this crush." She glanced up at him, saw him staring back at her, and then quickly looked away. "On...on Gordo."
"Gor-don!" Ethan declared. "No way!"
"Yeah way. But the thing is...well, you know, everyone knows. That he likes Lizzie. Except for maybe Lizzie, she doesn't know. But it's obvious that he's crazy about her. And she may not know that he likes her, and she may not know yet even that *she* likes *him*, but I know her well enough to know that deep down, she likes him back. Loves, even." Miranda sighed, because voicing what she'd suspected all along was tiring and depressing. "They love each other. It's only a matter of time before they figure it out."
She could feel Ethan's eyes still on her, taking all of this in, or maybe she was mistaken, and he was watching a fly out the window. Even so, while it was painful to discuss, it did still help to speak the truth aloud in the presence of someone else, even if the other person wasn't necessarily paying attention. "And where does that leave me?" she continued. "A third wheel. Because suddenly the three amigos become...well...LizzieandGordo. And there *I* am, Miranda, a footnote. The one who got cast aside, the one who couldn't cut it. And it's just that...why her? Over me, I mean. I'm pretty, aren't I? And he gets along with me. And I have tons of good qualities. So why not me?"
"Well, like, the thing about Lizzie is that...she, like, she's so *nice*, you know? To everybody! Her parents, her teachers, her friends, even peeps she doesn't know. Stuff like that. And that doesn't mean that *you're* not nice, it just means that, like, Lizzie's, like, *really* nice, and maybe Gor-don just really likes that. 'Cause, you know, she makes you feel special and stuff. And you've got good quali...qual..." Ethan's brow furrowed. "Good *things* about you, too, Miranda, it's just that maybe those aren't the things Gor-don likes. You know?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I know I should be happy for them, because they're my best friends, and I *am*, don't get me wrong, but it's just that it's hard, 'cause I like him too. And it's hard to get over someone you like."
"Totally."
"What do I do?"
He shrugged. "Just, hang on for the ride, I guess. You'll find someone better than him."
"Hmm," Miranda said.
"You know, like, someone that listens to you and actually, like *listens*, not hears. 'Cause, I mean, they're like, two different things, you know? Like, I hear when Mr. Pettus is talking about science, and stuff, but I don't really *listen*, and that's why I have a D in science."
Miranda could only gaze at him for awhile, lost in thought. After a pause, she said, "You listen to me."
"I guess I do."
"Why?"
"You asked me to."
"I asked you to, yeah, but I only asked you to hear. Not to listen. We all choose what we listen to, but we don't get to choose what we hear. But you're listening. To me. Why?"
Ethan's brow furrowed. "I don't know. You need a friend, Miranda, and it sounds like maybe Lizzie and Gor-don aren't being the best of friends right now."
Which wasn't exactly true, Miranda thought, they were being great friends, being very concerned. *Too* concerned, really, and *that* was the problem.
"I have a lot more secrets," she admitted with a slight sigh.
Ethan nodded like he understood. "You can tell me them," he said. "I won't tell. I swear."
