***
Lizzie walked into the hotel room and felt her heart skip. The room was beautiful, the bed twice the size of hers at home, the bathroom held a bathtub with jets, and a very large sink area. The television even included a DVD player. She let out a squeal and spun around in the lavish room. A knock on the dividing door between the double attached rooms called her back to reality as she ran over and peered through the peep hole.
"What do you think about the rooms?" Gordo asked.
"Wow," she smiled. "They're great."
"It's insane, that we're staying here for free."
"No, not for free," Lizzie moaned, falling back onto the bed. "Gordo you should have seen those stunts they wanted me to do! I can't do all of that! Parachuting, dropping into a moving car! No wonder Isabella doesn't want to do them."
"Lizzie, you can do it," he assured her, as she sat back up. "Work with the coordinator and listen to what they have to say. They won't have you do anything you're not physically capable of."
Lizzie nodded and walked over to her suitcase and began to pull out the bathroom items. "Everyone was so nice, and they said they're going to take care of me as if I were Isabella herself."
"See, it's going to work out fine."
"Well, sure, you can sit there and say that, it's not your neck on the line."
"Lizzie, you're great, you'll do awesome at it."
She smiled at him then took the items into the bathroom and came back out. "What do you think of Isabella?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you like her?"
"Like her?" Gordo exclaimed, then he shook his head. "No, I don't like her."
Lizzie laughed as she pulled more clothes out of her suitcase. "Well, duh Gordo, I didn't mean like girlfriend wise."
Gordo felt his face turn red and he quickly interested himself in playing with the buttons on the phone. "Oh, yeah, she's nice."
Lizzie laughed again, and placed her jeans inside the dresser. "I think she's kinda snippy."
"Snippy?" he smiled.
Lizzie smile and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, she's just."
"She hasn't talked to us in a long time. And we're new, I bet that has something to do with it," Gordo replied.
Lizzie nodded as she examined a shirt, trying to decided if she should iron it. "Well, I just hope she doesn't give me a reason to regret agreeing to do this in the first place."
Gordo turned back around to face her, and smiled reassuringly. "I think this is going to be an adventure we won't forget."
***
Gordo sat outside the dressing room, Lizzie had been in there for over an hour and a half. It really couldn't take that long to try on some clothes.Could it? He shook his head, she probably got excited and was trying on clothes that weren't even for the video. Sighing, he looked towards the ceiling as he stood up then blindly turned down the hallway to the room.
He collided with someone and stumbled back a few steps. Glancing back up, he began to apologize profusely. "I'm so sorry!" He stopped when he realized it was Isabella who he'd run into. "I wasn't paying attention, I'm really sorry."
"I realize you were not paying attention," she retorted, retrieving her fallen purse. "Maybe you should look where you are going before you walk down a hallway."
"I didn't even know you were here," he stated, trying to step to the side to let her pass, but ever time he stepped she tried to get around him and they wound up doing a funny looking dance until Isabella stopped moving. Isabella side stepped him and started to walk away, but Gordo's voice stopped her. "You know, you're different now."
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling her purse tighter against her shoulder.
"Well, when we met you before, you seemed like you cared about people, like you didn't want Lizzie to get hurt or embarrassed by anything." he trailed off as he looked down at his hands. "Now, you act like everyone is a waste of time."
"Look, I do not have time your little games. I am only tolerating you because you are Lizzie's guest. I do not find you amusing, I do not need you to pretend you know what is going on inside my head, because you have no idea what has happened in my life, since that time."
Gordo stared at her for a moment. "You're still upset by the whole Paolo thing," he stated softly.
Isabella's mouth fell open, her face scrunched up in anger. "I am not! Paolo was an idiot, who could not even sing, and he is worthless."
"But he was your friend, and he betrayed you," Gordo persisted. He was surprising himself, he didn't even know her, but looking into her eyes, he could clearly see the pain when he said Paolo's name. "And you're trying to block people out."
Isabella raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. "I do not know what you are talking about. I am fine." She glared at him and walked past.
Gordo stared after her. That European woman was something else, she was beautiful, mysterious, and what was he thinking!? He tried to shake the thought out of his head, but he couldn't help it. He was fascinated by her.
"Gordo?" Lizzie's voice called.
Startled, he turned around. "Wha-yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
"N-nothing," he replied quickly. "Did you like the clothes?"
Lizzie smiled. "Well, Isabella has a different style than I do, but it's cool because, well it's going to be fun to be her again. But, this time, no distraction from a cute boy."
Gordo felt a prickle of annoyance at hearing her refer to Paolo as cute. "You still think he's cute, after he tried to embarrass you in front of all of Italy on live TV."
"Well, he hasn't done anything to make himself look physically ugly, and it worked out that he didn't embarrass me. He actually gave me confidence."
"He also almost destroyed it, had it not been for Isabella," he argued.
"Still, I did something I'd never do."
"Are you ready to go now?" Gordo replied almost impatiently. He didn't want to hear anything more about Paolo.
"Now, it's off to dance class," she said with an odd smirk on her face.
"What?" Gordo asked, confused.
"Nothing," Lizzie smiled, she was simply remember a different dancing lesson a long time ago in Rome.
***
Lizzie walked into the hotel room and felt her heart skip. The room was beautiful, the bed twice the size of hers at home, the bathroom held a bathtub with jets, and a very large sink area. The television even included a DVD player. She let out a squeal and spun around in the lavish room. A knock on the dividing door between the double attached rooms called her back to reality as she ran over and peered through the peep hole.
"What do you think about the rooms?" Gordo asked.
"Wow," she smiled. "They're great."
"It's insane, that we're staying here for free."
"No, not for free," Lizzie moaned, falling back onto the bed. "Gordo you should have seen those stunts they wanted me to do! I can't do all of that! Parachuting, dropping into a moving car! No wonder Isabella doesn't want to do them."
"Lizzie, you can do it," he assured her, as she sat back up. "Work with the coordinator and listen to what they have to say. They won't have you do anything you're not physically capable of."
Lizzie nodded and walked over to her suitcase and began to pull out the bathroom items. "Everyone was so nice, and they said they're going to take care of me as if I were Isabella herself."
"See, it's going to work out fine."
"Well, sure, you can sit there and say that, it's not your neck on the line."
"Lizzie, you're great, you'll do awesome at it."
She smiled at him then took the items into the bathroom and came back out. "What do you think of Isabella?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you like her?"
"Like her?" Gordo exclaimed, then he shook his head. "No, I don't like her."
Lizzie laughed as she pulled more clothes out of her suitcase. "Well, duh Gordo, I didn't mean like girlfriend wise."
Gordo felt his face turn red and he quickly interested himself in playing with the buttons on the phone. "Oh, yeah, she's nice."
Lizzie laughed again, and placed her jeans inside the dresser. "I think she's kinda snippy."
"Snippy?" he smiled.
Lizzie smile and rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, she's just."
"She hasn't talked to us in a long time. And we're new, I bet that has something to do with it," Gordo replied.
Lizzie nodded as she examined a shirt, trying to decided if she should iron it. "Well, I just hope she doesn't give me a reason to regret agreeing to do this in the first place."
Gordo turned back around to face her, and smiled reassuringly. "I think this is going to be an adventure we won't forget."
***
Gordo sat outside the dressing room, Lizzie had been in there for over an hour and a half. It really couldn't take that long to try on some clothes.Could it? He shook his head, she probably got excited and was trying on clothes that weren't even for the video. Sighing, he looked towards the ceiling as he stood up then blindly turned down the hallway to the room.
He collided with someone and stumbled back a few steps. Glancing back up, he began to apologize profusely. "I'm so sorry!" He stopped when he realized it was Isabella who he'd run into. "I wasn't paying attention, I'm really sorry."
"I realize you were not paying attention," she retorted, retrieving her fallen purse. "Maybe you should look where you are going before you walk down a hallway."
"I didn't even know you were here," he stated, trying to step to the side to let her pass, but ever time he stepped she tried to get around him and they wound up doing a funny looking dance until Isabella stopped moving. Isabella side stepped him and started to walk away, but Gordo's voice stopped her. "You know, you're different now."
"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling her purse tighter against her shoulder.
"Well, when we met you before, you seemed like you cared about people, like you didn't want Lizzie to get hurt or embarrassed by anything." he trailed off as he looked down at his hands. "Now, you act like everyone is a waste of time."
"Look, I do not have time your little games. I am only tolerating you because you are Lizzie's guest. I do not find you amusing, I do not need you to pretend you know what is going on inside my head, because you have no idea what has happened in my life, since that time."
Gordo stared at her for a moment. "You're still upset by the whole Paolo thing," he stated softly.
Isabella's mouth fell open, her face scrunched up in anger. "I am not! Paolo was an idiot, who could not even sing, and he is worthless."
"But he was your friend, and he betrayed you," Gordo persisted. He was surprising himself, he didn't even know her, but looking into her eyes, he could clearly see the pain when he said Paolo's name. "And you're trying to block people out."
Isabella raised her perfectly arched eyebrows. "I do not know what you are talking about. I am fine." She glared at him and walked past.
Gordo stared after her. That European woman was something else, she was beautiful, mysterious, and what was he thinking!? He tried to shake the thought out of his head, but he couldn't help it. He was fascinated by her.
"Gordo?" Lizzie's voice called.
Startled, he turned around. "Wha-yeah?"
"What are you doing?"
"N-nothing," he replied quickly. "Did you like the clothes?"
Lizzie smiled. "Well, Isabella has a different style than I do, but it's cool because, well it's going to be fun to be her again. But, this time, no distraction from a cute boy."
Gordo felt a prickle of annoyance at hearing her refer to Paolo as cute. "You still think he's cute, after he tried to embarrass you in front of all of Italy on live TV."
"Well, he hasn't done anything to make himself look physically ugly, and it worked out that he didn't embarrass me. He actually gave me confidence."
"He also almost destroyed it, had it not been for Isabella," he argued.
"Still, I did something I'd never do."
"Are you ready to go now?" Gordo replied almost impatiently. He didn't want to hear anything more about Paolo.
"Now, it's off to dance class," she said with an odd smirk on her face.
"What?" Gordo asked, confused.
"Nothing," Lizzie smiled, she was simply remember a different dancing lesson a long time ago in Rome.
***