Chapter 17: Spin the Bottle
A/N: Wow! I've been getting a LOT of reviews. A TON. Thank you!! Hey, I think I'm psychic. LOL. It's weird, though. Any song that's stuck in my head, automatically comes on the radio. Like today, 'Swing, Swing' by the All American Rejects was stuck in my head, since morning. But I just turned on the radio, and I haven't heard this song for weeks, and it's on right now! This has happened to me millions and trillions of times. Weird, ain't it? Wait this has nothing to do with After Rome... sorry I haven't updated for so long...
~HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, HILARY! :)~
Another chapter of snooze-city. Yup. Who would even bother reading this these days? Writer's Block, I tell you. My eight-year-old brother could write better stuff than this. (actually, no he couldn't, but yeah...)
***
Lizzie POV
"I don't know why I even bother coming. This is going to be so incredibly dull." Gordo complained. "All the girls are going to do is gossip and flirt, and all the guys are going to do is talk about sports and flirt. Where do I fit in?"
I rolled my eyes. "Get a grip, Gordo. It's just a party."
He sighed. "Yeah."
I rang the doorbell, and Kate answered. "Hi." She said snootily. "Come in."
I looked inside her house. It looked the same as it did the last time I was there. Big, pretty, fancy, everything that could possibly hint that she was rich, gleamed in the light of the chandelier.
As Gordo and I tried to find the punch bowl, he pulled me to a side and whispered in my ear. "Hey, Lizzie? Did you make up your mind about Rome yet?"
That question came as a shock to me. Did I make up my mind, he asks? Over all the excitement between Waterslide Wonderland, Kate's party and everything, I had almost forgotten about Rome.
I sighed. "No."
I saw his face drop and then his lips twitched into a little smile. "Okay."
After that, we kind of split up, but what he had said still was caught in my head. I knew I had to make up my mind soon. Isabella was calling every two days or so, asking for an answer. And every time I would answer with 'I don't know.'
I knew Gordo was hoping that I would say no, and I knew Isabella was counting on me to say yes. It was really getting to my head. I wished someone could've just *told* me which one was better.
I had put this off long enough. Everyone wanted an answer. They'd waited long enough.
I shook my head and headed toward the dance floor. 'Well,' I thought, 'Let them wait a little bit longer.'
***
"Okay, everyone, we're going to play Spin the Bottle!" Kate announced, grinning at us.
"Spin the Bottle? Isn't that a little nineteen eighties?" I whispered to Gordo. He shrugged and made a face.
"I just hope I don't get trapped in a closet with Kate."
I giggled.
"Everyone, sit down on the carpet. I'll go get the bottle." Kate disappeared.
I kneeled down onto the carpet next to Gordo and Ethan. "Hey, Ethan." I smiled at him. It wasn't a flirtatious smile or anything, just a plain friendly smile. I didn't like him anymore. I *couldn't*. He was all Kate's.
"Yo, Lizzie, what's going on?"
"Nothing, really."
"Cool."
"Yup."
Gordo was especially interested in this conversation for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to such casual conversations between me and Ethan. Or maybe it was because... I don't know. But it was some weird look he was giving us.
Before I could ask him what was so interesting, Kate returns with the bottle promised. "Okay, I'm going to spin first, and then it goes to my right. You guys go in that" She pointed. "closet. You have to stay in there for ten minutes. Okay?" She flatly laid down the rules and the game began.
The girls backed away, and Kate spun the bottle nervously.
Of course, it landed on Ethan. I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes. I mean, how obvious can you possibly get? She rigged something up, I just don't know how or *what*, for that matter.
And surprisingly, I wasn't apocalyptic like I thought I would be. Just like, 'oh, okay, Kate in a closet with Ethan. Big whoop.'
Didn't I like Ethan anymore?
Gordo edged closer to me and smiled. "I'm glad that's not me. I don't know *what* I would've done."
I laughed as we watched Kate and Ethan gladly enter the closet. They shut the door and it was dead silent for the next ten minutes. We were all caught in tension. Would they kiss? Or was Kate, Queen Kate, to chicken to kiss someone?
Ten very short minutes afterward, Kate bursts through the door with Ethan. They didn't looked 'messed up', except a little lipgloss mark on Ethan's cheek. Murmurs went through the room, and Kate sat down between me and Taylor, not saying a word. Ethan was--get this--blushing.
"Okay." She said in her syrupy-sweet voice. "Lizzie, you're next."
My eyes widened. "Me?"
She nodded. "...to my right, remember?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows. That was so not fair! She had sat down next to me on purpose! She set me up! That little sneak! I'd show her...
I sighed. "Looks like old Kate is back." I whispered to Gordo.
He shrugged.
"Come on, Lizzie, we don't have all night." Kate tried to intimidate me by looking at the clock.
"Um..." I was shaking now.
She looked at me again, eyebrows as high as Mount Everest.
"Okay." I took a deep breath and reached for the bottle.
A/N: Wow! I've been getting a LOT of reviews. A TON. Thank you!! Hey, I think I'm psychic. LOL. It's weird, though. Any song that's stuck in my head, automatically comes on the radio. Like today, 'Swing, Swing' by the All American Rejects was stuck in my head, since morning. But I just turned on the radio, and I haven't heard this song for weeks, and it's on right now! This has happened to me millions and trillions of times. Weird, ain't it? Wait this has nothing to do with After Rome... sorry I haven't updated for so long...
~HAPPY SWEET SIXTEEN, HILARY! :)~
Another chapter of snooze-city. Yup. Who would even bother reading this these days? Writer's Block, I tell you. My eight-year-old brother could write better stuff than this. (actually, no he couldn't, but yeah...)
***
Lizzie POV
"I don't know why I even bother coming. This is going to be so incredibly dull." Gordo complained. "All the girls are going to do is gossip and flirt, and all the guys are going to do is talk about sports and flirt. Where do I fit in?"
I rolled my eyes. "Get a grip, Gordo. It's just a party."
He sighed. "Yeah."
I rang the doorbell, and Kate answered. "Hi." She said snootily. "Come in."
I looked inside her house. It looked the same as it did the last time I was there. Big, pretty, fancy, everything that could possibly hint that she was rich, gleamed in the light of the chandelier.
As Gordo and I tried to find the punch bowl, he pulled me to a side and whispered in my ear. "Hey, Lizzie? Did you make up your mind about Rome yet?"
That question came as a shock to me. Did I make up my mind, he asks? Over all the excitement between Waterslide Wonderland, Kate's party and everything, I had almost forgotten about Rome.
I sighed. "No."
I saw his face drop and then his lips twitched into a little smile. "Okay."
After that, we kind of split up, but what he had said still was caught in my head. I knew I had to make up my mind soon. Isabella was calling every two days or so, asking for an answer. And every time I would answer with 'I don't know.'
I knew Gordo was hoping that I would say no, and I knew Isabella was counting on me to say yes. It was really getting to my head. I wished someone could've just *told* me which one was better.
I had put this off long enough. Everyone wanted an answer. They'd waited long enough.
I shook my head and headed toward the dance floor. 'Well,' I thought, 'Let them wait a little bit longer.'
***
"Okay, everyone, we're going to play Spin the Bottle!" Kate announced, grinning at us.
"Spin the Bottle? Isn't that a little nineteen eighties?" I whispered to Gordo. He shrugged and made a face.
"I just hope I don't get trapped in a closet with Kate."
I giggled.
"Everyone, sit down on the carpet. I'll go get the bottle." Kate disappeared.
I kneeled down onto the carpet next to Gordo and Ethan. "Hey, Ethan." I smiled at him. It wasn't a flirtatious smile or anything, just a plain friendly smile. I didn't like him anymore. I *couldn't*. He was all Kate's.
"Yo, Lizzie, what's going on?"
"Nothing, really."
"Cool."
"Yup."
Gordo was especially interested in this conversation for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he wasn't used to such casual conversations between me and Ethan. Or maybe it was because... I don't know. But it was some weird look he was giving us.
Before I could ask him what was so interesting, Kate returns with the bottle promised. "Okay, I'm going to spin first, and then it goes to my right. You guys go in that" She pointed. "closet. You have to stay in there for ten minutes. Okay?" She flatly laid down the rules and the game began.
The girls backed away, and Kate spun the bottle nervously.
Of course, it landed on Ethan. I couldn't resist the urge to roll my eyes. I mean, how obvious can you possibly get? She rigged something up, I just don't know how or *what*, for that matter.
And surprisingly, I wasn't apocalyptic like I thought I would be. Just like, 'oh, okay, Kate in a closet with Ethan. Big whoop.'
Didn't I like Ethan anymore?
Gordo edged closer to me and smiled. "I'm glad that's not me. I don't know *what* I would've done."
I laughed as we watched Kate and Ethan gladly enter the closet. They shut the door and it was dead silent for the next ten minutes. We were all caught in tension. Would they kiss? Or was Kate, Queen Kate, to chicken to kiss someone?
Ten very short minutes afterward, Kate bursts through the door with Ethan. They didn't looked 'messed up', except a little lipgloss mark on Ethan's cheek. Murmurs went through the room, and Kate sat down between me and Taylor, not saying a word. Ethan was--get this--blushing.
"Okay." She said in her syrupy-sweet voice. "Lizzie, you're next."
My eyes widened. "Me?"
She nodded. "...to my right, remember?" She looked at me with raised eyebrows. That was so not fair! She had sat down next to me on purpose! She set me up! That little sneak! I'd show her...
I sighed. "Looks like old Kate is back." I whispered to Gordo.
He shrugged.
"Come on, Lizzie, we don't have all night." Kate tried to intimidate me by looking at the clock.
"Um..." I was shaking now.
She looked at me again, eyebrows as high as Mount Everest.
"Okay." I took a deep breath and reached for the bottle.