Chapter 20: A Talk With Mother
A/N: Whoo-hoo! Writer's Block ends! Alert the news crew! *grins* Thank you, homework! Yes, it is the magic of forcefully typing an endless list of book reports in such great grammar that encouraged me to write again! Yay! I'll be posting a chapter about every four days or so... much better than what I've been doing for a month. Sorry, life has been really hectic... *sighs* I got through it!
Clear some things up for some people who are confused: I am a female, I'm a sixth grader (fifth grader when I started this), and I am eleven (twelve in February). Yeah, some people got the facts all mixed up.
Wondering what happens now? Exactly what you wanted to happen. Sheesh, just giving people what they want... not to mention I've wanted this plot ever since I saw the movie... ^_~
***
Lizzie's POV
I didn't dare kiss him back. I wanted to, oh so badly, did I want to, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. Not after what had happened in Rome. Never. This romantic tension stuff was getting out of hand. So when his hand came off my cheek, and his lips came off mine, I did the only thing I knew how at the moment.
I ran.
I dashed into the ladies' room, blushing like a madwoman. I slammed the door of a stall, plopped myself down on the toilet seat, and began to think.
He. Had. Kissed. Me.
Not on the forehead, not on the hand, not on the cheek... but smack-dab on the lips. And it felt good.
And now... I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision.
***
Gordo's POV
I watched her disappear and sighed.
'It's okay, Gordon. At least you tried.' I urged myself to think, but the other half of me was screaming, 'What was that! You can't let that be your good-bye! Are you insane? Why did you kiss her? Look what you've done!'
I ignored both little voices and plopped myself down on a bench and sighed. I sat there until the rest of the McGuire family appeared.
"Gordo... we'll miss you." Matt said, shaking my hand. Since when was he so polite? "You've always been like a brother to me... now what?"
I sighed and grinned at the same time. "Thanks."
"Where's Lizzie?" Mrs. McGuire chirped as she put a little baggage tag on her carry-on.
"She-she, uh, had to go to the bathroom."
"Oh, okay." Mrs. McGuire said, and started walking to the restrooms herself.
"As William Tell once said-" Mr. McGuire began, but I cut him off.
"I'll miss you, Mr. McGuire." I smiled at him. My kind-of uncle. He'd always been there, from the day I was born... and now, he was going off to Rome, taking my little brother, and aunt, and my-what used to be-best friend with him.
"I'll miss you to son." He said, embracing me in a hug. "We all will."
***
Lizzie's POV
"Lizzie, I know you're in here." My mother's voice came clear, sharp, and demanding through the door of the stall. "Now open up and tell me what's wrong."
I remained quiet, but revealed myself from the stall.
I had been crying in there, so mixed up and confused, not sure if I wanted to turn back-or if I could. And I knew my mom saw them, those tear stains that remained on my cheeks, the smeared lip gloss that Gordo has caused, the mascara running into the tears, the limping hair that I wanted to pull out on account of all the stress.
"Honey, do you want to talk about this?" She whispered.
I looked at the ground and headed toward the lounge. Nobody was there. I plopped down on a couch and started crying. My mother sat down delicately next to me and ruffed my hair.
Animated Lizzie: Don't ask if it's Gordo, don't ask if it's Gordo, *please* don't ask if it's Gordo...
"Is it Gordo?"
I closed my eyes. "How did you know?" I choked out.
"I know these things."
I arched an eyebrow.
"That was some kiss he gave you, huh?"
My jaw dropped open. "You *saw* that?" I exclaimed, eyes widened.
She smiled lightly. "Yes, I did."
"I... I just don't know what to do." I said as another tear trickled down my cheek, adding to the already existing collection. "He... I.. I can't leave him. But you can't cancel the tickets... and I'm not sure if I even want to stay... I might... I don't know. I'm so confused! I need to sort things out with him. I mean, after what happened in Rome, I just feel like things have gotten so weird between us. And this whole Rome thing... I can't believe it! It's not fair! I mean, it's like I don't have enough going on in my life already..."
"Whoa, whoa, back up here... something happened in Rome besides what I know?" She looked at me as if I had lied to her.
"Well..."
She stared at me, and I knew she was going to make me spill.
"Um... he was being really nice and I, uh.. I kissed him on the rooftop... but that's not what matters right now. I don't know, mom. Should I go? Can you change the flight? Can you help me?" I cried, jumping to my feet.
"Honey... how much do you like him?" She asked, pulling me down.
I sat down again, and sighed. "A lot, mom. I like him a lot. But he can't be the only thing that keeps me here... and I'm not even sure I want to stay here... And the way he kissed me..." I blushed. Here I was, talking to my mom about kissing my best friend. But she was the only one willing to listen... and to help.
"It was so... needy, to put it. He seemed like he really liked me, and that he needed me."
"Do you need him?"
"No!" I said, exasperated. "But mom... you should have been there. At first I regretted it, but then it felt so good, as if... as if I needed him too."
"Seems like you've already made up your mind."
"But I don't want to stay! I want to go and make my album! I want to get away form all of this-all of it!" I paced around the lounge, bursting out in energy. "I don't see why you make me make all the decisions!"
She looked at me with a sympathetic look. "Lizzie, what do you need more... Hillridge or Rome? Now don't go blowing off steam, think about it."
I sighed. "I don't-"
She looked at me sternly.
I closed my eyes and visualized myself five years from now.
One fantasy was of me, belting my heart out on a stage. People were cheering and screaming and yelling with joy and I bounced up and down, up and down, chanting the lyrics to 'What Dreams Are Made Of'. Wow, I never knew that being on a stage that the lights were so bright and you go so sweaty!
Then I saw my dressing room. Lights, makeup, shoes, chaos.
"You're on in fifteen minutes! Hurry!" Someone exclaimed.
A whole bunch of people attacked me, added blush, eyeliner and all of that gunk, and then a whole crowd of fans mobbed me.
Then it flashed and I was suddenly on a plane, alone, on my way to New York. I got there, had a concert, and flew directly to Arizona, then to Washington, then Italy, and so on. All alone.
The other fantasy was me and Gordo, at the park, swinging. I was on the swing and he was pushing me.
"Higher!"
"I can't push any harder, you're too heavy!"
"Hey!" I skidded to a stop and got off the swing. "You think I'm heavy!"
"No..." He smiled at me. "You're perfect."
I blushed. "Thanks."
He kissed me on the cheek. "That's what I'm here for."
Then it fast forwarded and rewound and the next thing I visualized was me, Miranda, and Gordo at the Digital Bean, laughing. Hard. At nothing in particular.
My eyes flew open.
"So...?" My mother asked, hands on her hips.
"I-I want to talk to Gordo." I said. "One last time, please?"
She nodded. "One last time."
A/N: Weird, I know. But I couldn't do anything else! Sorry... I guess I'll do better next time.
A/N: Whoo-hoo! Writer's Block ends! Alert the news crew! *grins* Thank you, homework! Yes, it is the magic of forcefully typing an endless list of book reports in such great grammar that encouraged me to write again! Yay! I'll be posting a chapter about every four days or so... much better than what I've been doing for a month. Sorry, life has been really hectic... *sighs* I got through it!
Clear some things up for some people who are confused: I am a female, I'm a sixth grader (fifth grader when I started this), and I am eleven (twelve in February). Yeah, some people got the facts all mixed up.
Wondering what happens now? Exactly what you wanted to happen. Sheesh, just giving people what they want... not to mention I've wanted this plot ever since I saw the movie... ^_~
***
Lizzie's POV
I didn't dare kiss him back. I wanted to, oh so badly, did I want to, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. Not after what had happened in Rome. Never. This romantic tension stuff was getting out of hand. So when his hand came off my cheek, and his lips came off mine, I did the only thing I knew how at the moment.
I ran.
I dashed into the ladies' room, blushing like a madwoman. I slammed the door of a stall, plopped myself down on the toilet seat, and began to think.
He. Had. Kissed. Me.
Not on the forehead, not on the hand, not on the cheek... but smack-dab on the lips. And it felt good.
And now... I wasn't sure if I had made the right decision.
***
Gordo's POV
I watched her disappear and sighed.
'It's okay, Gordon. At least you tried.' I urged myself to think, but the other half of me was screaming, 'What was that! You can't let that be your good-bye! Are you insane? Why did you kiss her? Look what you've done!'
I ignored both little voices and plopped myself down on a bench and sighed. I sat there until the rest of the McGuire family appeared.
"Gordo... we'll miss you." Matt said, shaking my hand. Since when was he so polite? "You've always been like a brother to me... now what?"
I sighed and grinned at the same time. "Thanks."
"Where's Lizzie?" Mrs. McGuire chirped as she put a little baggage tag on her carry-on.
"She-she, uh, had to go to the bathroom."
"Oh, okay." Mrs. McGuire said, and started walking to the restrooms herself.
"As William Tell once said-" Mr. McGuire began, but I cut him off.
"I'll miss you, Mr. McGuire." I smiled at him. My kind-of uncle. He'd always been there, from the day I was born... and now, he was going off to Rome, taking my little brother, and aunt, and my-what used to be-best friend with him.
"I'll miss you to son." He said, embracing me in a hug. "We all will."
***
Lizzie's POV
"Lizzie, I know you're in here." My mother's voice came clear, sharp, and demanding through the door of the stall. "Now open up and tell me what's wrong."
I remained quiet, but revealed myself from the stall.
I had been crying in there, so mixed up and confused, not sure if I wanted to turn back-or if I could. And I knew my mom saw them, those tear stains that remained on my cheeks, the smeared lip gloss that Gordo has caused, the mascara running into the tears, the limping hair that I wanted to pull out on account of all the stress.
"Honey, do you want to talk about this?" She whispered.
I looked at the ground and headed toward the lounge. Nobody was there. I plopped down on a couch and started crying. My mother sat down delicately next to me and ruffed my hair.
Animated Lizzie: Don't ask if it's Gordo, don't ask if it's Gordo, *please* don't ask if it's Gordo...
"Is it Gordo?"
I closed my eyes. "How did you know?" I choked out.
"I know these things."
I arched an eyebrow.
"That was some kiss he gave you, huh?"
My jaw dropped open. "You *saw* that?" I exclaimed, eyes widened.
She smiled lightly. "Yes, I did."
"I... I just don't know what to do." I said as another tear trickled down my cheek, adding to the already existing collection. "He... I.. I can't leave him. But you can't cancel the tickets... and I'm not sure if I even want to stay... I might... I don't know. I'm so confused! I need to sort things out with him. I mean, after what happened in Rome, I just feel like things have gotten so weird between us. And this whole Rome thing... I can't believe it! It's not fair! I mean, it's like I don't have enough going on in my life already..."
"Whoa, whoa, back up here... something happened in Rome besides what I know?" She looked at me as if I had lied to her.
"Well..."
She stared at me, and I knew she was going to make me spill.
"Um... he was being really nice and I, uh.. I kissed him on the rooftop... but that's not what matters right now. I don't know, mom. Should I go? Can you change the flight? Can you help me?" I cried, jumping to my feet.
"Honey... how much do you like him?" She asked, pulling me down.
I sat down again, and sighed. "A lot, mom. I like him a lot. But he can't be the only thing that keeps me here... and I'm not even sure I want to stay here... And the way he kissed me..." I blushed. Here I was, talking to my mom about kissing my best friend. But she was the only one willing to listen... and to help.
"It was so... needy, to put it. He seemed like he really liked me, and that he needed me."
"Do you need him?"
"No!" I said, exasperated. "But mom... you should have been there. At first I regretted it, but then it felt so good, as if... as if I needed him too."
"Seems like you've already made up your mind."
"But I don't want to stay! I want to go and make my album! I want to get away form all of this-all of it!" I paced around the lounge, bursting out in energy. "I don't see why you make me make all the decisions!"
She looked at me with a sympathetic look. "Lizzie, what do you need more... Hillridge or Rome? Now don't go blowing off steam, think about it."
I sighed. "I don't-"
She looked at me sternly.
I closed my eyes and visualized myself five years from now.
One fantasy was of me, belting my heart out on a stage. People were cheering and screaming and yelling with joy and I bounced up and down, up and down, chanting the lyrics to 'What Dreams Are Made Of'. Wow, I never knew that being on a stage that the lights were so bright and you go so sweaty!
Then I saw my dressing room. Lights, makeup, shoes, chaos.
"You're on in fifteen minutes! Hurry!" Someone exclaimed.
A whole bunch of people attacked me, added blush, eyeliner and all of that gunk, and then a whole crowd of fans mobbed me.
Then it flashed and I was suddenly on a plane, alone, on my way to New York. I got there, had a concert, and flew directly to Arizona, then to Washington, then Italy, and so on. All alone.
The other fantasy was me and Gordo, at the park, swinging. I was on the swing and he was pushing me.
"Higher!"
"I can't push any harder, you're too heavy!"
"Hey!" I skidded to a stop and got off the swing. "You think I'm heavy!"
"No..." He smiled at me. "You're perfect."
I blushed. "Thanks."
He kissed me on the cheek. "That's what I'm here for."
Then it fast forwarded and rewound and the next thing I visualized was me, Miranda, and Gordo at the Digital Bean, laughing. Hard. At nothing in particular.
My eyes flew open.
"So...?" My mother asked, hands on her hips.
"I-I want to talk to Gordo." I said. "One last time, please?"
She nodded. "One last time."
A/N: Weird, I know. But I couldn't do anything else! Sorry... I guess I'll do better next time.