Chapter Two
Miranda was just standing in front of me, in total shock. I think more because I hadn't told her yet than because of what she'd found out. But I could be completely wrong.
*Toon Lizzie-Aren't I always?*
The cordless phone on my bed was ringing. I picked it up. "Hello?" I asked. I think I sounded more than a little annoyed, but why should I be? Thanks to my spiky headed brat of a brother, my best friend would probably hate me for life.
"Why do you keep hanging up on me?" it was Gordo. Apparently he was upset about something.
"Gordo, would you quit obsessing about the phone?" I said, sounding somewhat irritated. "We have an emergency on our hands that I can't deal with alone. Could you come over here, and quickly?"
"Okay, I'll be right over," he replied, and hung the phone up. I tossed the phone back on my bed and just stood there, feeling like I was going to throw up.
Five minutes later, Gordo walked into the room, still in his bathrobe, pajamas, and slippers. His hair was all rumpled and his cheek was really red, on the side he must have been sleeping on. Miranda and I were both in the same positions we'd been in when Gordo and I had gotten off the phone.
"Gordo!" I exclaimed when I saw him. "Don't you have the decency to get dressed before you come over here?"
"What?" he asked, like he didn't know there was a slight problem with the way he was dressed. "You told me it was an emergency."
Letting his little problem go, I turned my attention back to the emergency at hand. "Miranda found out. I think you heard the Matt Brat's little song when he handed me the phone. She's still in shock."
"I thought you said she was going to be happy for us," Gordo said, sounding more like he was asking a question than making a statement. He waved his hand in front of Miranda's face. "Anybody home?" She didn't respond.
"Now she's never gonna forgive me," I said, feeling the tears come to my eyes and sting them. I sat down on my bed. "She's my best friend."
"I'm not.....mad at you," Miranda said at last, sitting next to me on the bed. "I'm just surprised. Why didn't you tell me?"
*Toon Lizzie- Because I was afraid that this was going to be how you would react. That's why.*
"I didn't want you to freak out," I admitted. "Besides, it's not like anything's going to change. We're still best friends, like we always have been."
"Of course everything's going to change!" Miranda exclaimed, laughing. "Just not between you and me. Or you and me and Gordo when we're all hanging out." I felt relieved to see her smile again. I would totally hate it if she was mad at me.
"Man, I hope something's going to change," Gordo mumbled to himself.
Miranda and I each grabbed a pillow and threw them at him. "Shut up, Gordo!" we both yelled at the same time.
"Hey, you guys," Mom poked her head in the door. "I'm going to go pick up a pizza and some brownies and a bottle of soda for dinner, okay? I'll be back in a little while."
"Okay, Mom," I replied. "See ya later."
"You guys are welcome to stay for dinner," Mom added. Then she looked at Gordo kind of funny. "You, you kids have fun." She left the room, leaving the door open a crack.
"You think she knows?" Miranda asked, turning to me. "She was acting kind of funny."
"I don't know how she would have found out," I replied. "Matt was just making a joke, what he said before, with his twisted sense of humor. He doesn't know that."
"You didn't tell your mom?" Gordo interrupted. "How am I the one out of the loop about this, here?"
*Toon Lizzie- Hello? When was he ever in the loop?*
"Of course I didn't tell her!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you haven't figured it out here, but this subject is not the easiest thing for me to talk to my parents about."
"Do you notice how you keep avoiding saying what's really going on here?" Gordo asked analytically. That's what he gets for having two phsyciatrist parents. He sounded kind of frustrated. "You never just come out and say it. It's always 'us' or 'you and me' or 'this'. Never 'me and Gordo' or 'my boyfriend'. I am not afraid to say that you and me are going out."
"Um, hi kids," Dad had walked into the room, and none of us had even noticed. "I just wanted to let you know I'm home, Lizzie."
"Hi Dad," I said, looking at the floor. "Exactly how much of that did you hear?" I was mortified.
"Oh, pretty much all of it," he replied, ducking out of my room. "And we'll talk about it later." He gave Gordo a strange look, kinda like the one Mom gave him a few minutes earlier, and left the door completely open.
I smashed my head into the pillow and let out a loud scream. "Thanks a lot, Gordo," I said when I came up for air. "Now I can never look my father in the eye again."
"Um, sorry?" he looked at Miranda for advice, but she had none to offer. And why should she? This was all his fault. "But, um, now I get it why you never just came out and said it."
"Yeah, well now I have later to look forward to," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "He's gonna tell Mom and she'll get all Dr. Phil on me and as soon as Matt finds out it'll all be over."
"Um, Lizzie, you didn't expect to keep this a secret from your parents forever, did you?" Mirand reminded me. "Because there's no way you could have. When they're done reverse phsycologying you to death, they'll probably think it's all cute and everything."
"Ugh," I shuddered. "That's the least thing I want. I can only hope. You guys, you have to stay as late as you can. I know that later meant after you guys go home."
"We can't stay here for the rest of your life," Gordo stated, forever the bubble burster. "You'll have to talk to them sooner or later."
"Hey!" Miranda exclaimed suddenly. "I just got a great idea! What if you talked to your parents with us in the room? I'm sure they'll want to talk to Gordo over there and I can remind them what a good and responsible daughter you are. It's a flawless plan."
"Well, it would make it a lot easier on me," I said thoughtfully. "You guys would really do all that for me?"
"Of course we would," Miranda assured me. "After we eat dinner. Since the heat's not on me, I can do most of the talking. It's just you and Gordo that have to do the worrying."
"Hey, hey, hey," Gordo stepped in. "When did I agree to do all this?"
"Thirty seconds ago," Miranda answered. "Now. We need to sound polite, and.....and charming! Gordo, you need to be very boyish. Agree with everything Lizzie's parents say."
"Okay, so if they tell me to jump off a bridge-"
"Then off the bridge you jump!"
*Toon Lizzie- Well, this is definitely going to be interesting....*
Miranda was just standing in front of me, in total shock. I think more because I hadn't told her yet than because of what she'd found out. But I could be completely wrong.
*Toon Lizzie-Aren't I always?*
The cordless phone on my bed was ringing. I picked it up. "Hello?" I asked. I think I sounded more than a little annoyed, but why should I be? Thanks to my spiky headed brat of a brother, my best friend would probably hate me for life.
"Why do you keep hanging up on me?" it was Gordo. Apparently he was upset about something.
"Gordo, would you quit obsessing about the phone?" I said, sounding somewhat irritated. "We have an emergency on our hands that I can't deal with alone. Could you come over here, and quickly?"
"Okay, I'll be right over," he replied, and hung the phone up. I tossed the phone back on my bed and just stood there, feeling like I was going to throw up.
Five minutes later, Gordo walked into the room, still in his bathrobe, pajamas, and slippers. His hair was all rumpled and his cheek was really red, on the side he must have been sleeping on. Miranda and I were both in the same positions we'd been in when Gordo and I had gotten off the phone.
"Gordo!" I exclaimed when I saw him. "Don't you have the decency to get dressed before you come over here?"
"What?" he asked, like he didn't know there was a slight problem with the way he was dressed. "You told me it was an emergency."
Letting his little problem go, I turned my attention back to the emergency at hand. "Miranda found out. I think you heard the Matt Brat's little song when he handed me the phone. She's still in shock."
"I thought you said she was going to be happy for us," Gordo said, sounding more like he was asking a question than making a statement. He waved his hand in front of Miranda's face. "Anybody home?" She didn't respond.
"Now she's never gonna forgive me," I said, feeling the tears come to my eyes and sting them. I sat down on my bed. "She's my best friend."
"I'm not.....mad at you," Miranda said at last, sitting next to me on the bed. "I'm just surprised. Why didn't you tell me?"
*Toon Lizzie- Because I was afraid that this was going to be how you would react. That's why.*
"I didn't want you to freak out," I admitted. "Besides, it's not like anything's going to change. We're still best friends, like we always have been."
"Of course everything's going to change!" Miranda exclaimed, laughing. "Just not between you and me. Or you and me and Gordo when we're all hanging out." I felt relieved to see her smile again. I would totally hate it if she was mad at me.
"Man, I hope something's going to change," Gordo mumbled to himself.
Miranda and I each grabbed a pillow and threw them at him. "Shut up, Gordo!" we both yelled at the same time.
"Hey, you guys," Mom poked her head in the door. "I'm going to go pick up a pizza and some brownies and a bottle of soda for dinner, okay? I'll be back in a little while."
"Okay, Mom," I replied. "See ya later."
"You guys are welcome to stay for dinner," Mom added. Then she looked at Gordo kind of funny. "You, you kids have fun." She left the room, leaving the door open a crack.
"You think she knows?" Miranda asked, turning to me. "She was acting kind of funny."
"I don't know how she would have found out," I replied. "Matt was just making a joke, what he said before, with his twisted sense of humor. He doesn't know that."
"You didn't tell your mom?" Gordo interrupted. "How am I the one out of the loop about this, here?"
*Toon Lizzie- Hello? When was he ever in the loop?*
"Of course I didn't tell her!" I exclaimed. "Maybe you haven't figured it out here, but this subject is not the easiest thing for me to talk to my parents about."
"Do you notice how you keep avoiding saying what's really going on here?" Gordo asked analytically. That's what he gets for having two phsyciatrist parents. He sounded kind of frustrated. "You never just come out and say it. It's always 'us' or 'you and me' or 'this'. Never 'me and Gordo' or 'my boyfriend'. I am not afraid to say that you and me are going out."
"Um, hi kids," Dad had walked into the room, and none of us had even noticed. "I just wanted to let you know I'm home, Lizzie."
"Hi Dad," I said, looking at the floor. "Exactly how much of that did you hear?" I was mortified.
"Oh, pretty much all of it," he replied, ducking out of my room. "And we'll talk about it later." He gave Gordo a strange look, kinda like the one Mom gave him a few minutes earlier, and left the door completely open.
I smashed my head into the pillow and let out a loud scream. "Thanks a lot, Gordo," I said when I came up for air. "Now I can never look my father in the eye again."
"Um, sorry?" he looked at Miranda for advice, but she had none to offer. And why should she? This was all his fault. "But, um, now I get it why you never just came out and said it."
"Yeah, well now I have later to look forward to," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "He's gonna tell Mom and she'll get all Dr. Phil on me and as soon as Matt finds out it'll all be over."
"Um, Lizzie, you didn't expect to keep this a secret from your parents forever, did you?" Mirand reminded me. "Because there's no way you could have. When they're done reverse phsycologying you to death, they'll probably think it's all cute and everything."
"Ugh," I shuddered. "That's the least thing I want. I can only hope. You guys, you have to stay as late as you can. I know that later meant after you guys go home."
"We can't stay here for the rest of your life," Gordo stated, forever the bubble burster. "You'll have to talk to them sooner or later."
"Hey!" Miranda exclaimed suddenly. "I just got a great idea! What if you talked to your parents with us in the room? I'm sure they'll want to talk to Gordo over there and I can remind them what a good and responsible daughter you are. It's a flawless plan."
"Well, it would make it a lot easier on me," I said thoughtfully. "You guys would really do all that for me?"
"Of course we would," Miranda assured me. "After we eat dinner. Since the heat's not on me, I can do most of the talking. It's just you and Gordo that have to do the worrying."
"Hey, hey, hey," Gordo stepped in. "When did I agree to do all this?"
"Thirty seconds ago," Miranda answered. "Now. We need to sound polite, and.....and charming! Gordo, you need to be very boyish. Agree with everything Lizzie's parents say."
"Okay, so if they tell me to jump off a bridge-"
"Then off the bridge you jump!"
*Toon Lizzie- Well, this is definitely going to be interesting....*