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"I'm okay, a bad bump, a concussion, some stitches, and a few bruises. But, I'm lucky," Gordo stated, breaking the silence first.
Lizzie stared at him. He was so calm, so damn calm when so much worse could have happened. She struggled vainly to restrain her temper, but the anger and hurt she'd felt over the last week got the better of her.
"What the hell do you mean you're okay? Damn it, Gordo, do you realize what could have happened? Did it occur to your dumbass what you were doing? I told you racing was dangerous. But you only wanted to prove yourself! Do you know what kind of hell I've been through that past week because of you? Yeah, you didn't get accepted, who gives a damn. You know you're a hell of a good director," she took a breath. There was no stopping her now. "You've been nothing but selfish and insensitive. You've pitied yourself for the past week. And, yeah, rejection is hard, but I thought you knew better than that Gordo. Of all people, I thought you knew that things happened that you couldn't do anything about and you just had to bounce back."
"I've been selfish and insensitive?" he echoed, staring at her. "What about you and Miranda. I was going though a major conflict and you start dating Ethan Craft."
"You're such a moron!" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. He was so blind when it came to certain things. She realized briefly that during her rant she'd continually moved towards the bed, but it was too late now, she wasn't going to back off. "Why did you have the race? What the hell was wrong with the way you were!?"
His gaze locked with hers. "I don't know, Lizzie. What was wrong with the way I was? Why was I so different from Ethan Craft?"
Lizzie's eyes raked over his angry features and she sat down on the bed, putting her head in her hands, and took a deep breath. She knew it probably wasn't a great idea for him to get worked up like this. She waited several minutes, not only to get herself back together, but him time to calm down. "Why do you have such a complex with Ethan? Why can't you just be you?"
"Because he's on a damn pedestal, Lizzie, on that you and every girl have put him on. He's like the perfect guy standard girls. And he must be doing something right for you to fall over him."
"Damn it, Gordo, you're perfect the way you are."
"Like hell I am."
"What's your problem?"
"What's yours? Why are you so afraid of change?" he demanded, his voice raising just as hers was.
"Why aren't you happy with who you are?"
"You're such a hypocrite," he muttered, leaning his head back.
"What?" Lizzie snapped.
"Bitching at me about changing and look at you, and the way you're dressed, was that specially for Ethan? Who knows what you would be doing right now if I hadn't ruined the race."
"To hell with you Gordo," she replied, pulling the jacket closer around her. She started to stand up and felt his hand on her wrist. She jerked her and away and stared at him.
Gordo shook his head, jerked his hand back and shrugged. "Just leave. Whatever Lizzie."
"You know what damn it. You're not getting out of this that easy. I'm not leaving."
"Why the hell not? Don't you have Ethan to run to?"
"If I wanted to go with Ethan why the hell would have stayed by your side waiting for the ambulance to show up, then waited in the waiting room to hear about you?"
"You got a deep running curiosity," he stated.
"You're an asshole."
"Yeah and you're a bitch."
"Self centered bastard," she shot back.
He started to say something, but he didn't finish, she'd leaned over him and had pressed her lips to him. She didn't know why she was kissing him. She honestly hadn't planned on it. But somehow, she was kissing him. When she pulled back, she stared at him. Only they could be in the middle of an argument and wind up kissing. She backed away from the bed, as if she was afraid of being too close.
"Gordo I-"
"Don't you dare apologize for it," he commanded. "That's probably the first right thing I've done all week."
Lizzie felt her irritation rising again. "If you would quit trying to undermine me for five whole minutes, you would have realized that I wasn't going to apologize for it. Because I have absolutely nothing to apologize for."
Gordo stared blankly at her.
"Yeah, I just kissed you, and if you didn't like it, well, sorry about your luck. I'm sick of games, Gordo. So that was my final move," she stood up off the bed and stared at him. "Get better soon." Then she walked out of the door. ***
Gordo was alone in the hospital room and in shock, not medically, but emotionally. Did that mean, what Lizzie had said, did that mean that she'd liked him the whole time?
As his hand gingerly felt the bandages on his face he knew he'd deserved every name she'd called him. She didn't deserve what he had said or what he had called her the last week, but even after all that she still liked him. All that time with Ethan, just a ploy to make him jealous. She'd tried so hard to talk him out of racing. Why did he have to be so hard headed and stubborn and not listen?
He glanced down at the IV in his hand. He'd caused a lot of damage racing. Not only to himself, his car, his relationships, the trust his parents had once placed in him.
The racing ring had been revealed, but at the moment he didn't care what others thought of him. His top priority had just given him the telling off of his life, she'd given him a lot to think about while he healed.
He turned his head towards the door as he heard it click open. His parents entered the small room.
"How much did you hear?" he asked. He knew they hadn't gone far.
His dad looked innocently at him. "Hear of what?"
Gordo smiled and leaned his head back. At least if they didn't fess up to hearing it, that meant they couldn't give him a hard time for it later.
"Tired?" Roberta asked standing beside him as she gently put her hand on his head.
He nodded and closed his eyes. "How bad is the car?"
"You call that chunk of metal they found you next to a car?" his father asked.
He nodded slowly and sighed. "How long am I grounded?"
"Until you get out of college," his parents replied in unison.
"I'm okay, a bad bump, a concussion, some stitches, and a few bruises. But, I'm lucky," Gordo stated, breaking the silence first.
Lizzie stared at him. He was so calm, so damn calm when so much worse could have happened. She struggled vainly to restrain her temper, but the anger and hurt she'd felt over the last week got the better of her.
"What the hell do you mean you're okay? Damn it, Gordo, do you realize what could have happened? Did it occur to your dumbass what you were doing? I told you racing was dangerous. But you only wanted to prove yourself! Do you know what kind of hell I've been through that past week because of you? Yeah, you didn't get accepted, who gives a damn. You know you're a hell of a good director," she took a breath. There was no stopping her now. "You've been nothing but selfish and insensitive. You've pitied yourself for the past week. And, yeah, rejection is hard, but I thought you knew better than that Gordo. Of all people, I thought you knew that things happened that you couldn't do anything about and you just had to bounce back."
"I've been selfish and insensitive?" he echoed, staring at her. "What about you and Miranda. I was going though a major conflict and you start dating Ethan Craft."
"You're such a moron!" Lizzie exclaimed, throwing her hands up. He was so blind when it came to certain things. She realized briefly that during her rant she'd continually moved towards the bed, but it was too late now, she wasn't going to back off. "Why did you have the race? What the hell was wrong with the way you were!?"
His gaze locked with hers. "I don't know, Lizzie. What was wrong with the way I was? Why was I so different from Ethan Craft?"
Lizzie's eyes raked over his angry features and she sat down on the bed, putting her head in her hands, and took a deep breath. She knew it probably wasn't a great idea for him to get worked up like this. She waited several minutes, not only to get herself back together, but him time to calm down. "Why do you have such a complex with Ethan? Why can't you just be you?"
"Because he's on a damn pedestal, Lizzie, on that you and every girl have put him on. He's like the perfect guy standard girls. And he must be doing something right for you to fall over him."
"Damn it, Gordo, you're perfect the way you are."
"Like hell I am."
"What's your problem?"
"What's yours? Why are you so afraid of change?" he demanded, his voice raising just as hers was.
"Why aren't you happy with who you are?"
"You're such a hypocrite," he muttered, leaning his head back.
"What?" Lizzie snapped.
"Bitching at me about changing and look at you, and the way you're dressed, was that specially for Ethan? Who knows what you would be doing right now if I hadn't ruined the race."
"To hell with you Gordo," she replied, pulling the jacket closer around her. She started to stand up and felt his hand on her wrist. She jerked her and away and stared at him.
Gordo shook his head, jerked his hand back and shrugged. "Just leave. Whatever Lizzie."
"You know what damn it. You're not getting out of this that easy. I'm not leaving."
"Why the hell not? Don't you have Ethan to run to?"
"If I wanted to go with Ethan why the hell would have stayed by your side waiting for the ambulance to show up, then waited in the waiting room to hear about you?"
"You got a deep running curiosity," he stated.
"You're an asshole."
"Yeah and you're a bitch."
"Self centered bastard," she shot back.
He started to say something, but he didn't finish, she'd leaned over him and had pressed her lips to him. She didn't know why she was kissing him. She honestly hadn't planned on it. But somehow, she was kissing him. When she pulled back, she stared at him. Only they could be in the middle of an argument and wind up kissing. She backed away from the bed, as if she was afraid of being too close.
"Gordo I-"
"Don't you dare apologize for it," he commanded. "That's probably the first right thing I've done all week."
Lizzie felt her irritation rising again. "If you would quit trying to undermine me for five whole minutes, you would have realized that I wasn't going to apologize for it. Because I have absolutely nothing to apologize for."
Gordo stared blankly at her.
"Yeah, I just kissed you, and if you didn't like it, well, sorry about your luck. I'm sick of games, Gordo. So that was my final move," she stood up off the bed and stared at him. "Get better soon." Then she walked out of the door. ***
Gordo was alone in the hospital room and in shock, not medically, but emotionally. Did that mean, what Lizzie had said, did that mean that she'd liked him the whole time?
As his hand gingerly felt the bandages on his face he knew he'd deserved every name she'd called him. She didn't deserve what he had said or what he had called her the last week, but even after all that she still liked him. All that time with Ethan, just a ploy to make him jealous. She'd tried so hard to talk him out of racing. Why did he have to be so hard headed and stubborn and not listen?
He glanced down at the IV in his hand. He'd caused a lot of damage racing. Not only to himself, his car, his relationships, the trust his parents had once placed in him.
The racing ring had been revealed, but at the moment he didn't care what others thought of him. His top priority had just given him the telling off of his life, she'd given him a lot to think about while he healed.
He turned his head towards the door as he heard it click open. His parents entered the small room.
"How much did you hear?" he asked. He knew they hadn't gone far.
His dad looked innocently at him. "Hear of what?"
Gordo smiled and leaned his head back. At least if they didn't fess up to hearing it, that meant they couldn't give him a hard time for it later.
"Tired?" Roberta asked standing beside him as she gently put her hand on his head.
He nodded and closed his eyes. "How bad is the car?"
"You call that chunk of metal they found you next to a car?" his father asked.
He nodded slowly and sighed. "How long am I grounded?"
"Until you get out of college," his parents replied in unison.