Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~Animal Attraction~
Chapter Eight: Hard-Headed and Hard-Shelled
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"Miranda?" Ethan said. "As in, Miranda Sanchez?"
"How many Mirandas do you know," Gordo said dryly, unwilling to believe that he was actually having a conversation with Ethan Craft, even less willing because it was actually important.
"Um..." Ethan said, eyes glazing over as he debated this. "Just the one."
Gordo suppressed a sigh. "Yeah. So."
"Me and Miranda?" Ethan said. "Like, whoa."
This has to be a first. Ethan and I actually agree on something, Gordo mused. "My sentiments exactly."
"Say what?" Ethan said.
"Totally," Gordo clarified.
"Oh, yeah. So...um...what do I do?"
Gordo thought that this must be how Ethan felt most of the time: completely clueless. He had no idea what to do now, about anything. He and Lizzie were soul mates, but Lizzie wanted to be Ethan's soul mate. However, Ethan was *Miranda's* soul mate. And Miranda, for some reason or another, was mad at both Gordo and Lizzie.
"I have no idea," he admitted. "What do you...what do you think about Miranda?"
"Uh, I dunno, she's cool." Ethan shrugged apologetically. "I don't really know her that well, dude."
"You could...ah...you could get to know her better?" Gordo said. "If you want...I could set something up. I mean, if that's not too much of a pain."
"Well, she's my soul mate, right?" Ethan said. He seemed to be seriously considering this. "Then...I guess it's, like, supposed to be, and stuff. So...yeah."
"So is that a yes or a no?" Gordo said impatiently. He really had no idea.
"Yeah, you know, why not? It'd be cool."
"Okay, great," Gordo said. "How about tomorrow, after school? The Digital Bean."
Ethan nodded. "Cool beans. Heh," he laughed, "beans." At Gordo's blank look, he added, "Like the DB? The Bean?"
"Ohhh. Yeah, good one."
"Catch ya later, Gor-don," Ethan said, waving as he headed out.
Not a full minute later, Lizzie appeared at the end of the hallway, running towards him, hair flying, a mad look on her face (crazy-mad as opposed to angry-mad, and he wasn't sure if it was the lesser of two evils). "Did you know who he is? the red turtle? Miranda's soul mate?"
"Yeah, I--" Gordo started to say, but was cut off when Lizzie half-shrieked, "*Ethan Craft*! Of all people, *she* gets Ethan!"
Gordo could feel his anger and hurt rising up again in a red tide. Once again, he was the figure in the background, only wanted when he was of use. He bit his tongue, figuratively and literally, and as sharp pain flooded his mouth, he said evenly, "Kind of parallel to that whole fake-marriage thing, isn't it?"
Lizzie stared at him, bemused, and he continued ruthlessly, fueled by sheer annoyance. His tone was completely calm, innocent, almost oblivious. "I mean, Miranda gets partnered up with Ethan, and as usual, you're stuck with me."
Lizzie looked like she didn't know what emotion to be. She settled for anger, and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not going to start *that* again, are you?"
"What do you mean, start *that* again. That business where you cast me aside completely because I'm not good enough? Because I'm not Ethan Craft?"
"You like me, don't you," she accused.
Gordo was taken completely by surprise. "What?"
"You heard me."
"What does that have to do with anything?" he said angrily, focusing on the anger he'd been repressing in order to hide his embarrassment. Because however she found out, she was still absolutely right.
She looked slightly flustered. "I was talking with Miranda, and--"
"Yeah, remember Miranda?" he interrupted, glad for the opening. "I set up a thing with her and Ethan tomorrow."
"You. Did. WHAT?" Lizzie screeched.
"Yeah, so could you tell her?" he said nonchalantly.
"I can't believe you. I can't believe you. I can't believe you," she said.
"I'd heard that somewhere."
"You...I...she..."
"So are you gonna tell her, or what?"
"She's still not speaking to me."
"Well, fine, I'll do it," Gordo said. "Catch you later."
~Animal Attraction~
Chapter Eight: Hard-Headed and Hard-Shelled
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"Miranda?" Ethan said. "As in, Miranda Sanchez?"
"How many Mirandas do you know," Gordo said dryly, unwilling to believe that he was actually having a conversation with Ethan Craft, even less willing because it was actually important.
"Um..." Ethan said, eyes glazing over as he debated this. "Just the one."
Gordo suppressed a sigh. "Yeah. So."
"Me and Miranda?" Ethan said. "Like, whoa."
This has to be a first. Ethan and I actually agree on something, Gordo mused. "My sentiments exactly."
"Say what?" Ethan said.
"Totally," Gordo clarified.
"Oh, yeah. So...um...what do I do?"
Gordo thought that this must be how Ethan felt most of the time: completely clueless. He had no idea what to do now, about anything. He and Lizzie were soul mates, but Lizzie wanted to be Ethan's soul mate. However, Ethan was *Miranda's* soul mate. And Miranda, for some reason or another, was mad at both Gordo and Lizzie.
"I have no idea," he admitted. "What do you...what do you think about Miranda?"
"Uh, I dunno, she's cool." Ethan shrugged apologetically. "I don't really know her that well, dude."
"You could...ah...you could get to know her better?" Gordo said. "If you want...I could set something up. I mean, if that's not too much of a pain."
"Well, she's my soul mate, right?" Ethan said. He seemed to be seriously considering this. "Then...I guess it's, like, supposed to be, and stuff. So...yeah."
"So is that a yes or a no?" Gordo said impatiently. He really had no idea.
"Yeah, you know, why not? It'd be cool."
"Okay, great," Gordo said. "How about tomorrow, after school? The Digital Bean."
Ethan nodded. "Cool beans. Heh," he laughed, "beans." At Gordo's blank look, he added, "Like the DB? The Bean?"
"Ohhh. Yeah, good one."
"Catch ya later, Gor-don," Ethan said, waving as he headed out.
Not a full minute later, Lizzie appeared at the end of the hallway, running towards him, hair flying, a mad look on her face (crazy-mad as opposed to angry-mad, and he wasn't sure if it was the lesser of two evils). "Did you know who he is? the red turtle? Miranda's soul mate?"
"Yeah, I--" Gordo started to say, but was cut off when Lizzie half-shrieked, "*Ethan Craft*! Of all people, *she* gets Ethan!"
Gordo could feel his anger and hurt rising up again in a red tide. Once again, he was the figure in the background, only wanted when he was of use. He bit his tongue, figuratively and literally, and as sharp pain flooded his mouth, he said evenly, "Kind of parallel to that whole fake-marriage thing, isn't it?"
Lizzie stared at him, bemused, and he continued ruthlessly, fueled by sheer annoyance. His tone was completely calm, innocent, almost oblivious. "I mean, Miranda gets partnered up with Ethan, and as usual, you're stuck with me."
Lizzie looked like she didn't know what emotion to be. She settled for anger, and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not going to start *that* again, are you?"
"What do you mean, start *that* again. That business where you cast me aside completely because I'm not good enough? Because I'm not Ethan Craft?"
"You like me, don't you," she accused.
Gordo was taken completely by surprise. "What?"
"You heard me."
"What does that have to do with anything?" he said angrily, focusing on the anger he'd been repressing in order to hide his embarrassment. Because however she found out, she was still absolutely right.
She looked slightly flustered. "I was talking with Miranda, and--"
"Yeah, remember Miranda?" he interrupted, glad for the opening. "I set up a thing with her and Ethan tomorrow."
"You. Did. WHAT?" Lizzie screeched.
"Yeah, so could you tell her?" he said nonchalantly.
"I can't believe you. I can't believe you. I can't believe you," she said.
"I'd heard that somewhere."
"You...I...she..."
"So are you gonna tell her, or what?"
"She's still not speaking to me."
"Well, fine, I'll do it," Gordo said. "Catch you later."