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Gordo glanced at the Hispanic girl beside him. She was being unusually quiet, which wasn't exactly sitting well with him considering the fact that she had practically drug him out of his nice warm bed to walk down the empty streets of Hillridge.
"Okay, what?" he stated, trying to push his hands farther into his coat pockets.
"What?" Miranda asked, her voice soft, like she hadn't been paying attention.
"You pull me out of bed, and now you're being silent. Miranda, if you wanted to go for a walk, there are treadmills that suit that purpose," he replied.
"We're not at the park yet," she answered simply, walking past him, and hurrying along her course.
Gordo snuggled his head inside his coat then quicken his pace. Why were they going to the park? They hadn't been to the park in years.
He followed closed behind, trying not to lose sight of Miranda's agile form darting over the sidewalk. When they finally reached the park, he took in a sharp breath. Everything had changed, the swing sets they used to spend hours on were now rusted and weather beaten. The slide had been victim to vandals. Everything seemed so old and run down, he couldn't help but feel a loss. This park had meant so much to them and to see it like it was now.
"Different, huh?" Miranda asked, suddenly standing next to him.
Gordo jumped slightly and turned to her. "Yeah. I haven't been here in years."
Miranda said nothing but walked over to the swing and sat down.
"Be careful," he blurted out.
Miranda shot a look over her shoulder. "Oh, so you care now?"
Gordo felt a prickle of annoyance. He should have known she would want to talk about this. Why else would someone drag a sleeping person to a deserted park in the middle of the night? He crossed his arms and walked around the fence in front of Miranda. As she pushed herself back, he leaned against the fence. The black iron bars held, they seemed to be fighting the battle of time well.
Miranda was slowly getting higher, leaning far back to where her black hair almost touched the ground.
"Come on," he stated. "Be careful, you don't know if that swing is going to hold out."
She drug her shoes along in the dirt until the swing stopped. "Gordo, I can take care of myself."
He glanced down at his feet, then up at her, her words sounded exactly like what he'd been proclaiming since Saturday.
"What did you bring me here for, Miranda?" he questioned.
"I just wanted to show you the park."
"You couldn't have done this in daylight?"
"I want to know what's going on."
He let out a laugh. "Nothing's going on."
"You can't lie to me. Why are you suddenly dating Kate Sanders, why are you almost getting into fights with Ethan Craft, why are you trying your best to push me and Lizzie as far away from you as you can?"
Gordo ran his hand up the fence rail beside him. "I'm not trying to push either of you away."
"What about Kate?"
"She likes me."
"And the fight with Ethan?"
"What is this? Twenty questions?"
"Maybe, are you going to answer?"
"I don't have to answer to you," he stated.
Miranda stood up and crossed over to him, putting on hand on each bar on each side of his head, she was inches away from his face. "Gordo, you of all people should know that I'm not one to piss off."
He stared into her eyes, how the hell had he ever missed what deep dark pools they were? Especially when she was mad.
"Miranda," he sighed, trying to move, but her arms didn't budge. He couldn't duck underneath her arm, there wasn't enough room between them and he didn't want to move her.
"I've talked to Lizzie, Gordo," she stated. "I know you're pissed cause you didn't get into the film festival, but that's not reason enough to do what you're doing. If you want to lash out, do it a different way. Don't completely change who you are."
"Exactly who am I?" he shot back, locking eyes with her.
"You're a guy who cares about is friends. You're sensitive, thoughtful, truthful, and unique."
"I'm safe, boring, and bland," he restated.
Miranda rolled her eyes. "You're not boring, or bland. And there's nothing wrong with being safe. That means that if something happens and I need a friend, I can come to you. Not many people can say that they have a best friend like that."
"Not many people have someone who will drag them out of bed at midnight either."
"Well, you just got lucky there," she smiled, letting her hands drop and stepping back. "Why Kate, Gordo? She can't be the one you honestly like."
"Why not?"
Her fist came out of no where and hit him squarely in his bicep. "Because, you moron, she's hated us since sixth grade!"
Gordo winced at the shock of being hit and cradled his arm. "Well, things change, she's different."
Miranda made a low groan that came out sounding more like a growl than anything else. "Do you honestly think she's changed?"
"Well, she hasn't called me a moron yet," he stated, watching her as she paced in front of him.
"I could call you a lot worse, but I'm trying not to."
He looked down at his feet. He appreciated her attempts, but he was starting to feel that she was doing nothing but wasting his time. "Where are you going with this? Is it going to end up with you telling me that I need to go back to the old me?"
She whipped her head around, her hair flying back behind her shoulder. "You've been asking me for the past couple of days if things have ever occurred to me and Lizzie, well has it ever occurred to you, that maybe, just maybe, I would want to spend time with my best friend? Away from everyone?"
Gordo stared at her. That wasn't the answer he'd expected. At all. He wrinkled his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair. He watched her for a moment, only the crickets' chirps echoing across the park.
"Don't look at me like that," she commanded, playfully shoving him. "Do I have another head growing or something?"
"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Miranda, I have to go home and get to sleep."
With that, he turned and took quick strides, almost jogging, then running home. He didn't stop until he collapsed on his bed. His mind racing. What was going on? What was he thinking?
Gordo glanced at the Hispanic girl beside him. She was being unusually quiet, which wasn't exactly sitting well with him considering the fact that she had practically drug him out of his nice warm bed to walk down the empty streets of Hillridge.
"Okay, what?" he stated, trying to push his hands farther into his coat pockets.
"What?" Miranda asked, her voice soft, like she hadn't been paying attention.
"You pull me out of bed, and now you're being silent. Miranda, if you wanted to go for a walk, there are treadmills that suit that purpose," he replied.
"We're not at the park yet," she answered simply, walking past him, and hurrying along her course.
Gordo snuggled his head inside his coat then quicken his pace. Why were they going to the park? They hadn't been to the park in years.
He followed closed behind, trying not to lose sight of Miranda's agile form darting over the sidewalk. When they finally reached the park, he took in a sharp breath. Everything had changed, the swing sets they used to spend hours on were now rusted and weather beaten. The slide had been victim to vandals. Everything seemed so old and run down, he couldn't help but feel a loss. This park had meant so much to them and to see it like it was now.
"Different, huh?" Miranda asked, suddenly standing next to him.
Gordo jumped slightly and turned to her. "Yeah. I haven't been here in years."
Miranda said nothing but walked over to the swing and sat down.
"Be careful," he blurted out.
Miranda shot a look over her shoulder. "Oh, so you care now?"
Gordo felt a prickle of annoyance. He should have known she would want to talk about this. Why else would someone drag a sleeping person to a deserted park in the middle of the night? He crossed his arms and walked around the fence in front of Miranda. As she pushed herself back, he leaned against the fence. The black iron bars held, they seemed to be fighting the battle of time well.
Miranda was slowly getting higher, leaning far back to where her black hair almost touched the ground.
"Come on," he stated. "Be careful, you don't know if that swing is going to hold out."
She drug her shoes along in the dirt until the swing stopped. "Gordo, I can take care of myself."
He glanced down at his feet, then up at her, her words sounded exactly like what he'd been proclaiming since Saturday.
"What did you bring me here for, Miranda?" he questioned.
"I just wanted to show you the park."
"You couldn't have done this in daylight?"
"I want to know what's going on."
He let out a laugh. "Nothing's going on."
"You can't lie to me. Why are you suddenly dating Kate Sanders, why are you almost getting into fights with Ethan Craft, why are you trying your best to push me and Lizzie as far away from you as you can?"
Gordo ran his hand up the fence rail beside him. "I'm not trying to push either of you away."
"What about Kate?"
"She likes me."
"And the fight with Ethan?"
"What is this? Twenty questions?"
"Maybe, are you going to answer?"
"I don't have to answer to you," he stated.
Miranda stood up and crossed over to him, putting on hand on each bar on each side of his head, she was inches away from his face. "Gordo, you of all people should know that I'm not one to piss off."
He stared into her eyes, how the hell had he ever missed what deep dark pools they were? Especially when she was mad.
"Miranda," he sighed, trying to move, but her arms didn't budge. He couldn't duck underneath her arm, there wasn't enough room between them and he didn't want to move her.
"I've talked to Lizzie, Gordo," she stated. "I know you're pissed cause you didn't get into the film festival, but that's not reason enough to do what you're doing. If you want to lash out, do it a different way. Don't completely change who you are."
"Exactly who am I?" he shot back, locking eyes with her.
"You're a guy who cares about is friends. You're sensitive, thoughtful, truthful, and unique."
"I'm safe, boring, and bland," he restated.
Miranda rolled her eyes. "You're not boring, or bland. And there's nothing wrong with being safe. That means that if something happens and I need a friend, I can come to you. Not many people can say that they have a best friend like that."
"Not many people have someone who will drag them out of bed at midnight either."
"Well, you just got lucky there," she smiled, letting her hands drop and stepping back. "Why Kate, Gordo? She can't be the one you honestly like."
"Why not?"
Her fist came out of no where and hit him squarely in his bicep. "Because, you moron, she's hated us since sixth grade!"
Gordo winced at the shock of being hit and cradled his arm. "Well, things change, she's different."
Miranda made a low groan that came out sounding more like a growl than anything else. "Do you honestly think she's changed?"
"Well, she hasn't called me a moron yet," he stated, watching her as she paced in front of him.
"I could call you a lot worse, but I'm trying not to."
He looked down at his feet. He appreciated her attempts, but he was starting to feel that she was doing nothing but wasting his time. "Where are you going with this? Is it going to end up with you telling me that I need to go back to the old me?"
She whipped her head around, her hair flying back behind her shoulder. "You've been asking me for the past couple of days if things have ever occurred to me and Lizzie, well has it ever occurred to you, that maybe, just maybe, I would want to spend time with my best friend? Away from everyone?"
Gordo stared at her. That wasn't the answer he'd expected. At all. He wrinkled his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair. He watched her for a moment, only the crickets' chirps echoing across the park.
"Don't look at me like that," she commanded, playfully shoving him. "Do I have another head growing or something?"
"No," he replied, shaking his head. "Miranda, I have to go home and get to sleep."
With that, he turned and took quick strides, almost jogging, then running home. He didn't stop until he collapsed on his bed. His mind racing. What was going on? What was he thinking?