Now that I had a definite destination in mind, I had more motivation
and it was easier to hold my head up and continue walking. It was nearing
dinnertime, and coming from the direction most people in Hillridge take to
get to the main area of resturaunts in town, I noticed a lot more people
outside. Pushing through the quickly filling sidewalks, I made my may
through the crowds and turned on the quiet street I was looking for.
Things around me were becoming more and more familiar now, the tall looming houses seemed friendly. I passed three and four story houses made of every type brick imaginable. Circular driveways with expensive-looking cars parked in them lay before steep brick staircases with wrought iron banisters. Bay windows with expensive curtains hanging in them shielded the people inside the houses from the outside world.
I easily found the quiet road in the back of the neighborhood that I needed and walked down the sidewalk until I reached the house who's owner I was in search of. I walked up the stone path leading to the big oak door which served as an entrance to the tall, three story modern brick house. I rang the doorbell, it's chimes echoing back to me as if saying welcome.
A few moments later, the front door slowly opened, and there stood the only person in the world who could help put my broken relationship with Gordo back together. She was the first person to make me realize the hidden feelings I had toward my best friend, the only person besides my family and my two best friends who's known me almost all my life, the person who acted as a staple for me as my best (girl) friend.
Yes, that's right. I was visiting Kate.
AL: Kate? Kate?! You're kidding me! You know as soon as she opens that door she's gonna insult you from here to Canada, and then she'll spread nasty, dirty rumors about-
"Lizzie!" Kate greeted me warmly with a smile. "You look upset. Let's sit down on the porch swimng and you can tell me all about it, okay?"
AL: Woah. Rome really works for her! She should go more often.
"Hey, thanks," I said, a little taken aback by her extreme amount of friendliness. I could really sense a change in her because of that.
We sat down on the creaky old wooden porch swing, painted white and hung by chains to the top of the awning over the front porch. Many memories of my early childhood took place on this swing, in this house, on this front yard, and they seemed as if they had happened just yesterday....
iIt was summer, the summer after third grade. Lizzie, Kate, and Miranda were sitting on the porch swing, which looks much newer and less worn that in present times. The girls are all nine years old, except for Kate, who of course is secretly ten.
"Mmm," Lizzie proclaimed, taking another bite of her quickly melting fudgesicle, which had begun to drip on to the lap of her denim overall shorts. "These are so good. I could eat them all day."
"Me, too," Miranda agreed, taking the last bite of her own. "I can't believe the summer is almost over. We've been having so much fun."
Kate nodded, taking dainty licks from her fudgesicle. "I have a question, though. Are you guys as nervous about fourth grade as I am?"
"I'm not nervous!" Miranda exclaimed. "We are gonna have so much fun. We'll be some of the oldest kids in the whole school...almost as old as the fifth graders!"
"I don't know, Miranda," Lizzie said, biting her lip nervously. "I'm not so sure. I heard the fifth graders beat the fourth graders up for no reason last year."
"I have an idea," Kate quickly said with conviction. "Let's make a pact. Let's promise that no matter what happens to us in fourth grade, we'll always stay friends."
Each of the three girls put their hands on top of each other's. "Best friends forever!" they screamed out all at once at the top of their lungs, and giggling they leapt off the front porch to chase each other between the quickly falling raindrops./i
"Well, it all started at the Digital Bean," I began slowly. "I stopped there to get Gordo a smoothie for his throat because he was sick." I stopped for a minute and smiled at the thought of the two smoothies I bought that were probably still sitting on the table melting at the Digital Bean. "Anyway, I ran into Ethan there. He was having a problem and looked pretty upset."
Kate nodded, and I took that as my cue to continue speaking. "Well, I sat down for a second to try to help him, and I guess I did, so he gave me a hug to thank me. Just as he was doing that, Gordo walked in and saw him."
"And I bet he thought you were doing something you weren't doing," Kate finished sympathetically. "Lizzie, I'm so sorry."
"Thanks," I said, nodding. "I don't know why he would think that right away without giving me a chance to explain or anything. Gordo's usually so logical with his decisions... I don't know why this time was so different. It just doesn't make any sense to me."
"Can't you see, Lizzie?" Kate asked patiently, as if she were speaking to a little child. "Gordo cares about you so much, he can't stand to see you with another guy. He's probably so worried about losing you now that you're his girlfriend that he got scared. Lizzie, I wouldn't be surprised if he said he loved you."
iDon't you see it? Don't you see what's happening here?" Kate prodded impatiently the night of the murder mystery party, still speaking in her fake British accent.
"I see that Gordo's trying to beat me!" Lizzie exclaimed, annoyed.
"Well, that's partly it!" Kate answered, exasperated, switching back to her normal voice. "Gordo's human. He's probably just tired of being a doormat."
"And he's sick of being the low key best friend that nobody notices," Lizzie returned logically.
"He doesn't want just anyone to notice him," Kate explained with emphasis. "He wants you to notice him."
"Me? Why me?" Lizzie thought for a second after asking.
"Everyone at school can tell," Kate went on. "Gordo's had a crush on you for, like, ever. You've just been paying too much attention to Ethan to notice. So do him a favor and yourself a favor, and.... I'll pay attention to Ethan."
"I- I've gotta go," Lizzie stammered nervously, flushed. "I've gotta go reveal the, um, killer person guy."/i
"Wow," I said thoughtfully. "Loves me? You think so? Kate, I've gotta go find him! I hope it's not too late already!"
"Too late?" Kate repeated. "I don't think it would ever be too late for Gordo to forgive you for anything, especially if you didn't do it."
"Thank you so much for all your help, Kate," I exclaimed, hurrying up from the swing. "You helped me realize exactly what I have to do. Bye!"
"Wait, Lizzie!" Kate called after me. She looked up at the sky, which was now overcome with dark clouds promising a heavy downpour of rain any second now. "Do you think you're gonna make it?"
I shrugged. "If I run. But I will never be able to live with myself if I don't at least try."
"Okay," Kate replied. "Go! Now! And good luck!"
I took off running down the driveway and on to the street. I was in for the biggest and most confusing rollercoaster of my entire life.
Things around me were becoming more and more familiar now, the tall looming houses seemed friendly. I passed three and four story houses made of every type brick imaginable. Circular driveways with expensive-looking cars parked in them lay before steep brick staircases with wrought iron banisters. Bay windows with expensive curtains hanging in them shielded the people inside the houses from the outside world.
I easily found the quiet road in the back of the neighborhood that I needed and walked down the sidewalk until I reached the house who's owner I was in search of. I walked up the stone path leading to the big oak door which served as an entrance to the tall, three story modern brick house. I rang the doorbell, it's chimes echoing back to me as if saying welcome.
A few moments later, the front door slowly opened, and there stood the only person in the world who could help put my broken relationship with Gordo back together. She was the first person to make me realize the hidden feelings I had toward my best friend, the only person besides my family and my two best friends who's known me almost all my life, the person who acted as a staple for me as my best (girl) friend.
Yes, that's right. I was visiting Kate.
AL: Kate? Kate?! You're kidding me! You know as soon as she opens that door she's gonna insult you from here to Canada, and then she'll spread nasty, dirty rumors about-
"Lizzie!" Kate greeted me warmly with a smile. "You look upset. Let's sit down on the porch swimng and you can tell me all about it, okay?"
AL: Woah. Rome really works for her! She should go more often.
"Hey, thanks," I said, a little taken aback by her extreme amount of friendliness. I could really sense a change in her because of that.
We sat down on the creaky old wooden porch swing, painted white and hung by chains to the top of the awning over the front porch. Many memories of my early childhood took place on this swing, in this house, on this front yard, and they seemed as if they had happened just yesterday....
iIt was summer, the summer after third grade. Lizzie, Kate, and Miranda were sitting on the porch swing, which looks much newer and less worn that in present times. The girls are all nine years old, except for Kate, who of course is secretly ten.
"Mmm," Lizzie proclaimed, taking another bite of her quickly melting fudgesicle, which had begun to drip on to the lap of her denim overall shorts. "These are so good. I could eat them all day."
"Me, too," Miranda agreed, taking the last bite of her own. "I can't believe the summer is almost over. We've been having so much fun."
Kate nodded, taking dainty licks from her fudgesicle. "I have a question, though. Are you guys as nervous about fourth grade as I am?"
"I'm not nervous!" Miranda exclaimed. "We are gonna have so much fun. We'll be some of the oldest kids in the whole school...almost as old as the fifth graders!"
"I don't know, Miranda," Lizzie said, biting her lip nervously. "I'm not so sure. I heard the fifth graders beat the fourth graders up for no reason last year."
"I have an idea," Kate quickly said with conviction. "Let's make a pact. Let's promise that no matter what happens to us in fourth grade, we'll always stay friends."
Each of the three girls put their hands on top of each other's. "Best friends forever!" they screamed out all at once at the top of their lungs, and giggling they leapt off the front porch to chase each other between the quickly falling raindrops./i
"Well, it all started at the Digital Bean," I began slowly. "I stopped there to get Gordo a smoothie for his throat because he was sick." I stopped for a minute and smiled at the thought of the two smoothies I bought that were probably still sitting on the table melting at the Digital Bean. "Anyway, I ran into Ethan there. He was having a problem and looked pretty upset."
Kate nodded, and I took that as my cue to continue speaking. "Well, I sat down for a second to try to help him, and I guess I did, so he gave me a hug to thank me. Just as he was doing that, Gordo walked in and saw him."
"And I bet he thought you were doing something you weren't doing," Kate finished sympathetically. "Lizzie, I'm so sorry."
"Thanks," I said, nodding. "I don't know why he would think that right away without giving me a chance to explain or anything. Gordo's usually so logical with his decisions... I don't know why this time was so different. It just doesn't make any sense to me."
"Can't you see, Lizzie?" Kate asked patiently, as if she were speaking to a little child. "Gordo cares about you so much, he can't stand to see you with another guy. He's probably so worried about losing you now that you're his girlfriend that he got scared. Lizzie, I wouldn't be surprised if he said he loved you."
iDon't you see it? Don't you see what's happening here?" Kate prodded impatiently the night of the murder mystery party, still speaking in her fake British accent.
"I see that Gordo's trying to beat me!" Lizzie exclaimed, annoyed.
"Well, that's partly it!" Kate answered, exasperated, switching back to her normal voice. "Gordo's human. He's probably just tired of being a doormat."
"And he's sick of being the low key best friend that nobody notices," Lizzie returned logically.
"He doesn't want just anyone to notice him," Kate explained with emphasis. "He wants you to notice him."
"Me? Why me?" Lizzie thought for a second after asking.
"Everyone at school can tell," Kate went on. "Gordo's had a crush on you for, like, ever. You've just been paying too much attention to Ethan to notice. So do him a favor and yourself a favor, and.... I'll pay attention to Ethan."
"I- I've gotta go," Lizzie stammered nervously, flushed. "I've gotta go reveal the, um, killer person guy."/i
"Wow," I said thoughtfully. "Loves me? You think so? Kate, I've gotta go find him! I hope it's not too late already!"
"Too late?" Kate repeated. "I don't think it would ever be too late for Gordo to forgive you for anything, especially if you didn't do it."
"Thank you so much for all your help, Kate," I exclaimed, hurrying up from the swing. "You helped me realize exactly what I have to do. Bye!"
"Wait, Lizzie!" Kate called after me. She looked up at the sky, which was now overcome with dark clouds promising a heavy downpour of rain any second now. "Do you think you're gonna make it?"
I shrugged. "If I run. But I will never be able to live with myself if I don't at least try."
"Okay," Kate replied. "Go! Now! And good luck!"
I took off running down the driveway and on to the street. I was in for the biggest and most confusing rollercoaster of my entire life.