Author's Note: Okay people, here's another chapter. Hope you all enjoy! :)
macdeniken: Yes, I did... twice! :) Thanks, I'm glad you're still liking it.
hyuinn: Dear, go *you*! :) Just cuz you're so cute and all... ;) I'm glad you liked the pictures idea. I really have to say that I like that part best out of any other in my story (except for maybe everyone beating the snot out of Kevin :-D)
Purplerks: First off, thank you *so* *much* for the constructive criticism. It's greatly appreciated! :) I can see where you're coming from, but Lizzie used the phrase 'in love', so it would be kinda random if Gordo said 'I don't just love you - I am IN LOVE with you' because Lizzie didn't say 'you love me'. You see? I'm glad that you like that I respond to everyone's reviews. It's just my little way of showing appreciation to everyone, you see. :) So great to hear you like the story... thanks so much for your review!
RainGodess: Wow, thank you! I have no idea how many chapters there will be. We will just see where the wind takes me, eh? :) p.s. Will do... ;)
starwatcher31: I'm so happy that you liked it! They were good chapters to write.... And see, you didn't have to wait long for the next chapter, here it is! :)
amanda: Whew! Good to hear, I'm getting kinda scared of spatulas... :-D See chapter 19 about happy endings. ;) And no problem about responding... like I've said before, it's my little gesture of appreciation to so many people who take the time to review. It means so much!
Donna: Thanks for telling me! :) I'm glad you liked it. And don't worry, I'm sure Lizzie will make a good choice... ;)
Black Knight: I'm glad you like the Miranda bit. :) And Gordo would have to have the patience of Mother Teresa to not get wound up by this point... ;)
Susan: Thanks!
Sabrina Yutsuki: Indeed! I know they were short, but... ::sigh:: It was the best I could do! I'm so glad you liked them... I really liked the photos scene too. :)
clumsy_klutz: Hey, join my club... ;) I'm glad you like it so much, and I hope being left hanging isn't *too* bad.... :)
Baby Bunnie: Thank you very much... :) And yes, a cookie would be lovely. ;) It's so good to know you're enjoying this... thanks for letting me know!
ThatsMe: No, that's *you*. :-D Okay, okay, bad joke. Glad you like it! And I heart reviews, so thank you!
Shayley Rain: Thanks! And yes, you're right... I'll try to keep it up! :)
Bethany: Guess you're just gonna have to see... ;)
Griever-lme: Did you really cry? I didn't want it to be *that* sappy! :) Thanks for your encouragement!
BethanyKatherine: You again? :-D Okay, okay, here's another one for ya... hope you enjoy! :) And I'll check out your story sometime, too.
On with the show!
~*~*~*~
Lizzie awoke slowly, the sudden realization that is was Saturday hitting her like a ton of bricks. Today was her date with Bobby. Today was Gordo's swim meet! Lizzie sat up straight, eyes darting to the clock by her bed. It read 8:04. Bobby had said he would call her at noon. Gordo's event, the last one of the meet, was at one. What to do, what to do? she thought frantically. Calm down, Lizzie, she told herself. She flopped back into her bed again with a sigh. She needed to get more sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep since her fight with Gordo two days ago, just a couple hours every night. It was starting to wear on her. Already, there were purple marks underneath her eyes, and anyone looking at her could tell she was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. This has to stop, she thought to herself. I have to regain my normalcy. I just don't know what to do. I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do... she thought, drifting back to sleep before she knew it.
~*~
Lizzie woke up about two hours later. Almost 10 a.m. With a sigh, she picked up the phone. She'd made her decision. This was going to be a hard phone call, though.... She dialed the number and waited for a ring. She heard the phone pick up.
"Hello?" she heard.
"Hey, it's Lizzie," she said. "Look, I'm not gonna be able to go today." She paused. "I know I said I would, but I can't," she repeated, this time with more force. She paused again, listening. Then, something just seemed to snap. "Then deal with it, okay?" she snapped, and hung up the phone abruptly. She walked to her room. Time to get cute, she thought dryly.
After a shower and half an hour trying to decide what outfit to wear, Lizzie finally stood in front of her mirror, applying a bit of light makeup and pulling her hair up into chopsticks. She glaced at the clock. Almost noon. She'd better hurry so she could get a seat, she thought. She grabbed her keys and left the apartment, getting into her car. She would give him that-- Oh no! Lizzie panicked, searching frantically through her purse. She'd left it inside! She ran back into her apartment and found it right where she'd left it, on top of her dresser. She placed it in her purse and dashed back to her car. She was really gonna have to put the pedal to the metal, she thought to herself....
~*~
Lizzie parked her car in front of SFSU's sports building, trying to steel herself for the upcoming confrontation she would be facing. She sighed and opened her car door, stepping out. Squaring her shoulders, she entered the building, walking through the familiar corridors until she reached the university pool. She opened one of the double doors leading into the seating, and was hit with the smell of chlorine and the strange echoing of an enclosed pool. Shrieking and cheering could be heard resounding through the pool. Lizzie walked up the stairs, looking down the rows and all around for Miranda. She was supposed to be here afterall, Lizzie thought to herself. Aha! She saw Miranda waving at her from the next section over, and scooted through the least-crowded aisle she could find. Finally, she reached Miranda and plopped down with a sigh.
"Wondered what was taking you so long," Miranda said off-handedly, her eyes never leaving the struggling swimmers in the pool below them.
"I had to make my decision," Lizzie murmured, her eyes on the swimmers as well. She took a glance at Miranda's profile and saw a smile on her friend's face. With a smile, Lizzie looked back at the pool and started cheering on the SFSU boys.
~*~
About an hour later, SFSU's team was tied with Los Angeles State University's team and there was only one event left: the 100M butterfly stroke, Gordo's event. Lizzie and Miranda watched as the participants lined up.
"Look!" Miranda whispered, pointing to one of the swimmers near the far end. "That's Gordo!" she said.
"Yeah, I saw," was Lizzie's comment, eyes glued to his figure. She watched as Gordo looked at the bleachers, seeming to search for something. His eyes landed on Miranda, and then on Lizzie, and he jerked a bit in surprise. He stared at Lizzie as she stared back at him. Yes, she thought at him, I'm really here. She smiled a little and waved her hand at him. Gordo nodded at her once, slowly, then shook himself and faced forward once more. Lizzie watched anxiously, clutching Miranda's arm tightly as she heard one of the officials blow his whistle. In one fluid motion, all of the swimmers dived into the pool.
"Come on, Gordo!" Lizzie heard Miranda scream from beside her. Lizzie started cheering, too, she and Miranda becoming hoarse. They watched as Gordo pulled slightly ahead from the rest of the other swimmers as he reached the end of the pool, then started pulling ahead even more as he swam back to the beginning. Lizzie and Miranda were screaming hysterically, whoops and cheers and hollers coming out as they jumped up and down in excitement. Gordo placed first, beating the other participants by a few feet. He heaved himself out of the pool, shaking his head to get the water out of his short hair. Standing at the edge, he waited for the places and times to be announced.
"Third place, Brian Allen of San Francisco State University; second place, Tony Costello of Los Angeles State University; and first place, with a new state record, David Gordon of San Francisco State University." There was a pause from the announcer, waiting for all the cheering to settle down, then, "The winner of this year's SFSU/LASU swim meet is... San Francisco State University!" Loud cheering emanated from the crowds, people standing and clapping. "San Francisco State University would like to thank Los Angeles State University for participating in today's meet, and thank you to all of the fans who came to the meet as well," the announcer finished. People started filing out, as Miranda and Lizzie sat back down on their bench.
"So," Miranda said, the first time she'd opened her mouth since Lizzie's arrival. "You made your decision," she stated, almost making it sound like a question.
"Yeah," Lizzie agreed softly. "I had to do what was right. For me."
Miranda stared at her for a second. "And that is...?" she prompted.
"Kissing the living daylights out of Gordo," Lizzie said, winking at her friend.
"Oooh, girl!" Miranda laughed. "Gonna have the guts to do that?" she asked, more seriously this time.
"Guess we'll see, won't we?" Lizzie answered, being more serious as well.
"Hm," was Miranda's response. "Well," she stood up, brushing off imaginary lint from her pants, "I think it's time for me to get going. So see ya later Lizzie," she said, starting down the stairs. "And I won't wait up for you," Miranda said over her shoulder with a wink and a grin. Lizzie's only response was to roll her eyes. After a few more minutes, the entire pool area had cleared out. With a sigh, Lizzie stood up and started down the stairs, exiting out the same double doors she'd entered. she had to find Gordo....
~*~
Fifteen minutes later, Lizzie was sitting in front of the door to the men's locker room waiting for Gordo. She looked up suddenly as the door opened, and there stood Gordo, just staring at him. He cleared his throat nervously, shifting from foot to foot, not really looking at her.
"Hi," Lizzie said softly, standing up slowly. He looked at her then, and she could see all the pain and hurt and sorrow in his eyes. "Um..." Lizzie's mind raced. She really hadn't planned on what she would say when she saw him, so what should she say? But Gordo saved her, just like always.
"What happened to Bobby?" he asked softly, still looking her in the eyes.
"I told him I couldn't go out with him," she answered him nervously.
"Why?" he asked gently.
"Because..." she trailed off. Then, gathering courage, she said, "Because I had something more important to do. For someone a hell of a lot more important," she finished in a rush. Gordo looked at her, looked at her like he was waiting for her to say something else. "I... uh... I have something for you," Lizzie said softly, feeling nervous again. Gordo just stared at her, still waiting. Lizzie started digging around in her purse, then found what she'd been looking for and carefully removed it. She looked at it for a few moments, then extended her hand. "This," she whispered. Gordo removed it from her hand, holding it carefully and gazing at it. A picture. A picture in black-and-white, showing a girl with hair he knew was blonde, and a boy with dark curly hair. Asleep on a large couch, wrapped up in a blanket. Together. He looked up at Lizzie.
"Where did you get this?" he asked softly.
"Miranda," Lizzie answered, still gazing at him. "She gave it to me, and she said," and here Lizzie took a deep breath, "she said to me 'Make your decision, Lizzie. Make sure you do what's right. For you.'" Lizzie finished, looking at Gordo.
"And?" he asked gently.
"I made my decision," she answered. "I decided I wanted David Zephyr Gordon to love me. Forever," she told him, looking him in the eye.
"And what about you?" he asked, a small smile on his face.
"I decided that Elizabeth Brooke McGuire wanted to love him forever too," she whispered.
"Good," Gordo said, taking a decisive step forward and before Lizzie could say anything else, he was kissing her. And that, Lizzie decided, was just fine. Gordo could do that forever, too. Too soon, it seemed, Gordo pulled away from her. "You do realize I'm not letting you blow this off, right?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Good," Lizzie answered him, smiling too. They were just about to kiss again, when--
"Yo, Gor-don," Kevin called, exiting the men's locker room. Gordo paused, looked at Lizzie, and rolled his eyes.
"Hey Kevin," Gordo answered coolly. Kevin? Lizzie thought, ears perking up a bit.
"Hey man, gonna introduce me?" he asked, looking Lizzie up and down like a prize. Gordo started getting annoyed, and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he heard Lizzie speak up.
"Kevin?" Lizzie asked, sounding delighted.
"That's right, baby," Kevin answered in a cocky voice, sidling up next to her.
"I have been wanting to meet you for the longest time," Lizzie gushed. Huh? Gordo thought, doing a double-take. She did realize this was *the* Kevin, right? The one that beat him up? And she was acting happy about meeting this loser?
"Well here I am," Kevin said, ignoring Gordo and sliding between him and Lizzie.
"That is so great," Lizzie said. Wait, Gordo thought. Was that a touch of saccharine sweetness to her tone? "I've been wanting to do something for the longest time?" she said flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes at him.
"What's that, baby?" Kevin asked cockily.
"Could you bend your head down here just a bit?" she asked prettily, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "You need to be a little closer to me." Kevin leaned down so his face was nearly level with hers. "Now," Lizzie continued, "close your eyes." Kevin closed his eyes. She is *so* gonna kiss me, he thought excitedly. And right in front of that loser Gor-don! And then *I* get the fine piece of ass and he gets the-- exploding pain erupted through his face as Kevin flew back a few feet, landing on the ground. He opened up one eye, glaring up at--Lizzie?!?!
"*THAT*," she screamed, "is for beating up *my* *Gordo*." Then she kicked him in the stomach. "And *that*," she continued, "is for thinking you had a *chance* *in* *hell* with me!" Lizzie grabbed Gordo's arm. "Let's get going," she said to him in a low voice, ushering him down the hallway and away from the groaning Kevin. Gordo kept looking back over his shoulder in amazement.
"How did you *do* that?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"Remember that kickboxing class I took in our senior year...?"
~*~*~*~
Author's Note: Okay, that's it for Chapter 20. I think there will be one more... I dunno. And after that, I don't know if I'll continue the story or not, I'll have to think of where it could go from there. Anyway, please keep reviewing, I love reading them! You guys ROCK!
macdeniken: Yes, I did... twice! :) Thanks, I'm glad you're still liking it.
hyuinn: Dear, go *you*! :) Just cuz you're so cute and all... ;) I'm glad you liked the pictures idea. I really have to say that I like that part best out of any other in my story (except for maybe everyone beating the snot out of Kevin :-D)
Purplerks: First off, thank you *so* *much* for the constructive criticism. It's greatly appreciated! :) I can see where you're coming from, but Lizzie used the phrase 'in love', so it would be kinda random if Gordo said 'I don't just love you - I am IN LOVE with you' because Lizzie didn't say 'you love me'. You see? I'm glad that you like that I respond to everyone's reviews. It's just my little way of showing appreciation to everyone, you see. :) So great to hear you like the story... thanks so much for your review!
RainGodess: Wow, thank you! I have no idea how many chapters there will be. We will just see where the wind takes me, eh? :) p.s. Will do... ;)
starwatcher31: I'm so happy that you liked it! They were good chapters to write.... And see, you didn't have to wait long for the next chapter, here it is! :)
amanda: Whew! Good to hear, I'm getting kinda scared of spatulas... :-D See chapter 19 about happy endings. ;) And no problem about responding... like I've said before, it's my little gesture of appreciation to so many people who take the time to review. It means so much!
Donna: Thanks for telling me! :) I'm glad you liked it. And don't worry, I'm sure Lizzie will make a good choice... ;)
Black Knight: I'm glad you like the Miranda bit. :) And Gordo would have to have the patience of Mother Teresa to not get wound up by this point... ;)
Susan: Thanks!
Sabrina Yutsuki: Indeed! I know they were short, but... ::sigh:: It was the best I could do! I'm so glad you liked them... I really liked the photos scene too. :)
clumsy_klutz: Hey, join my club... ;) I'm glad you like it so much, and I hope being left hanging isn't *too* bad.... :)
Baby Bunnie: Thank you very much... :) And yes, a cookie would be lovely. ;) It's so good to know you're enjoying this... thanks for letting me know!
ThatsMe: No, that's *you*. :-D Okay, okay, bad joke. Glad you like it! And I heart reviews, so thank you!
Shayley Rain: Thanks! And yes, you're right... I'll try to keep it up! :)
Bethany: Guess you're just gonna have to see... ;)
Griever-lme: Did you really cry? I didn't want it to be *that* sappy! :) Thanks for your encouragement!
BethanyKatherine: You again? :-D Okay, okay, here's another one for ya... hope you enjoy! :) And I'll check out your story sometime, too.
On with the show!
~*~*~*~
Lizzie awoke slowly, the sudden realization that is was Saturday hitting her like a ton of bricks. Today was her date with Bobby. Today was Gordo's swim meet! Lizzie sat up straight, eyes darting to the clock by her bed. It read 8:04. Bobby had said he would call her at noon. Gordo's event, the last one of the meet, was at one. What to do, what to do? she thought frantically. Calm down, Lizzie, she told herself. She flopped back into her bed again with a sigh. She needed to get more sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep since her fight with Gordo two days ago, just a couple hours every night. It was starting to wear on her. Already, there were purple marks underneath her eyes, and anyone looking at her could tell she was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. This has to stop, she thought to herself. I have to regain my normalcy. I just don't know what to do. I don't know what to do I don't know what to do I don't know what to do... she thought, drifting back to sleep before she knew it.
~*~
Lizzie woke up about two hours later. Almost 10 a.m. With a sigh, she picked up the phone. She'd made her decision. This was going to be a hard phone call, though.... She dialed the number and waited for a ring. She heard the phone pick up.
"Hello?" she heard.
"Hey, it's Lizzie," she said. "Look, I'm not gonna be able to go today." She paused. "I know I said I would, but I can't," she repeated, this time with more force. She paused again, listening. Then, something just seemed to snap. "Then deal with it, okay?" she snapped, and hung up the phone abruptly. She walked to her room. Time to get cute, she thought dryly.
After a shower and half an hour trying to decide what outfit to wear, Lizzie finally stood in front of her mirror, applying a bit of light makeup and pulling her hair up into chopsticks. She glaced at the clock. Almost noon. She'd better hurry so she could get a seat, she thought. She grabbed her keys and left the apartment, getting into her car. She would give him that-- Oh no! Lizzie panicked, searching frantically through her purse. She'd left it inside! She ran back into her apartment and found it right where she'd left it, on top of her dresser. She placed it in her purse and dashed back to her car. She was really gonna have to put the pedal to the metal, she thought to herself....
~*~
Lizzie parked her car in front of SFSU's sports building, trying to steel herself for the upcoming confrontation she would be facing. She sighed and opened her car door, stepping out. Squaring her shoulders, she entered the building, walking through the familiar corridors until she reached the university pool. She opened one of the double doors leading into the seating, and was hit with the smell of chlorine and the strange echoing of an enclosed pool. Shrieking and cheering could be heard resounding through the pool. Lizzie walked up the stairs, looking down the rows and all around for Miranda. She was supposed to be here afterall, Lizzie thought to herself. Aha! She saw Miranda waving at her from the next section over, and scooted through the least-crowded aisle she could find. Finally, she reached Miranda and plopped down with a sigh.
"Wondered what was taking you so long," Miranda said off-handedly, her eyes never leaving the struggling swimmers in the pool below them.
"I had to make my decision," Lizzie murmured, her eyes on the swimmers as well. She took a glance at Miranda's profile and saw a smile on her friend's face. With a smile, Lizzie looked back at the pool and started cheering on the SFSU boys.
~*~
About an hour later, SFSU's team was tied with Los Angeles State University's team and there was only one event left: the 100M butterfly stroke, Gordo's event. Lizzie and Miranda watched as the participants lined up.
"Look!" Miranda whispered, pointing to one of the swimmers near the far end. "That's Gordo!" she said.
"Yeah, I saw," was Lizzie's comment, eyes glued to his figure. She watched as Gordo looked at the bleachers, seeming to search for something. His eyes landed on Miranda, and then on Lizzie, and he jerked a bit in surprise. He stared at Lizzie as she stared back at him. Yes, she thought at him, I'm really here. She smiled a little and waved her hand at him. Gordo nodded at her once, slowly, then shook himself and faced forward once more. Lizzie watched anxiously, clutching Miranda's arm tightly as she heard one of the officials blow his whistle. In one fluid motion, all of the swimmers dived into the pool.
"Come on, Gordo!" Lizzie heard Miranda scream from beside her. Lizzie started cheering, too, she and Miranda becoming hoarse. They watched as Gordo pulled slightly ahead from the rest of the other swimmers as he reached the end of the pool, then started pulling ahead even more as he swam back to the beginning. Lizzie and Miranda were screaming hysterically, whoops and cheers and hollers coming out as they jumped up and down in excitement. Gordo placed first, beating the other participants by a few feet. He heaved himself out of the pool, shaking his head to get the water out of his short hair. Standing at the edge, he waited for the places and times to be announced.
"Third place, Brian Allen of San Francisco State University; second place, Tony Costello of Los Angeles State University; and first place, with a new state record, David Gordon of San Francisco State University." There was a pause from the announcer, waiting for all the cheering to settle down, then, "The winner of this year's SFSU/LASU swim meet is... San Francisco State University!" Loud cheering emanated from the crowds, people standing and clapping. "San Francisco State University would like to thank Los Angeles State University for participating in today's meet, and thank you to all of the fans who came to the meet as well," the announcer finished. People started filing out, as Miranda and Lizzie sat back down on their bench.
"So," Miranda said, the first time she'd opened her mouth since Lizzie's arrival. "You made your decision," she stated, almost making it sound like a question.
"Yeah," Lizzie agreed softly. "I had to do what was right. For me."
Miranda stared at her for a second. "And that is...?" she prompted.
"Kissing the living daylights out of Gordo," Lizzie said, winking at her friend.
"Oooh, girl!" Miranda laughed. "Gonna have the guts to do that?" she asked, more seriously this time.
"Guess we'll see, won't we?" Lizzie answered, being more serious as well.
"Hm," was Miranda's response. "Well," she stood up, brushing off imaginary lint from her pants, "I think it's time for me to get going. So see ya later Lizzie," she said, starting down the stairs. "And I won't wait up for you," Miranda said over her shoulder with a wink and a grin. Lizzie's only response was to roll her eyes. After a few more minutes, the entire pool area had cleared out. With a sigh, Lizzie stood up and started down the stairs, exiting out the same double doors she'd entered. she had to find Gordo....
~*~
Fifteen minutes later, Lizzie was sitting in front of the door to the men's locker room waiting for Gordo. She looked up suddenly as the door opened, and there stood Gordo, just staring at him. He cleared his throat nervously, shifting from foot to foot, not really looking at her.
"Hi," Lizzie said softly, standing up slowly. He looked at her then, and she could see all the pain and hurt and sorrow in his eyes. "Um..." Lizzie's mind raced. She really hadn't planned on what she would say when she saw him, so what should she say? But Gordo saved her, just like always.
"What happened to Bobby?" he asked softly, still looking her in the eyes.
"I told him I couldn't go out with him," she answered him nervously.
"Why?" he asked gently.
"Because..." she trailed off. Then, gathering courage, she said, "Because I had something more important to do. For someone a hell of a lot more important," she finished in a rush. Gordo looked at her, looked at her like he was waiting for her to say something else. "I... uh... I have something for you," Lizzie said softly, feeling nervous again. Gordo just stared at her, still waiting. Lizzie started digging around in her purse, then found what she'd been looking for and carefully removed it. She looked at it for a few moments, then extended her hand. "This," she whispered. Gordo removed it from her hand, holding it carefully and gazing at it. A picture. A picture in black-and-white, showing a girl with hair he knew was blonde, and a boy with dark curly hair. Asleep on a large couch, wrapped up in a blanket. Together. He looked up at Lizzie.
"Where did you get this?" he asked softly.
"Miranda," Lizzie answered, still gazing at him. "She gave it to me, and she said," and here Lizzie took a deep breath, "she said to me 'Make your decision, Lizzie. Make sure you do what's right. For you.'" Lizzie finished, looking at Gordo.
"And?" he asked gently.
"I made my decision," she answered. "I decided I wanted David Zephyr Gordon to love me. Forever," she told him, looking him in the eye.
"And what about you?" he asked, a small smile on his face.
"I decided that Elizabeth Brooke McGuire wanted to love him forever too," she whispered.
"Good," Gordo said, taking a decisive step forward and before Lizzie could say anything else, he was kissing her. And that, Lizzie decided, was just fine. Gordo could do that forever, too. Too soon, it seemed, Gordo pulled away from her. "You do realize I'm not letting you blow this off, right?" he asked, smiling at her.
"Good," Lizzie answered him, smiling too. They were just about to kiss again, when--
"Yo, Gor-don," Kevin called, exiting the men's locker room. Gordo paused, looked at Lizzie, and rolled his eyes.
"Hey Kevin," Gordo answered coolly. Kevin? Lizzie thought, ears perking up a bit.
"Hey man, gonna introduce me?" he asked, looking Lizzie up and down like a prize. Gordo started getting annoyed, and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he heard Lizzie speak up.
"Kevin?" Lizzie asked, sounding delighted.
"That's right, baby," Kevin answered in a cocky voice, sidling up next to her.
"I have been wanting to meet you for the longest time," Lizzie gushed. Huh? Gordo thought, doing a double-take. She did realize this was *the* Kevin, right? The one that beat him up? And she was acting happy about meeting this loser?
"Well here I am," Kevin said, ignoring Gordo and sliding between him and Lizzie.
"That is so great," Lizzie said. Wait, Gordo thought. Was that a touch of saccharine sweetness to her tone? "I've been wanting to do something for the longest time?" she said flirtatiously, batting her eyelashes at him.
"What's that, baby?" Kevin asked cockily.
"Could you bend your head down here just a bit?" she asked prettily, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "You need to be a little closer to me." Kevin leaned down so his face was nearly level with hers. "Now," Lizzie continued, "close your eyes." Kevin closed his eyes. She is *so* gonna kiss me, he thought excitedly. And right in front of that loser Gor-don! And then *I* get the fine piece of ass and he gets the-- exploding pain erupted through his face as Kevin flew back a few feet, landing on the ground. He opened up one eye, glaring up at--Lizzie?!?!
"*THAT*," she screamed, "is for beating up *my* *Gordo*." Then she kicked him in the stomach. "And *that*," she continued, "is for thinking you had a *chance* *in* *hell* with me!" Lizzie grabbed Gordo's arm. "Let's get going," she said to him in a low voice, ushering him down the hallway and away from the groaning Kevin. Gordo kept looking back over his shoulder in amazement.
"How did you *do* that?" he asked, flabbergasted.
"Remember that kickboxing class I took in our senior year...?"
~*~*~*~
Author's Note: Okay, that's it for Chapter 20. I think there will be one more... I dunno. And after that, I don't know if I'll continue the story or not, I'll have to think of where it could go from there. Anyway, please keep reviewing, I love reading them! You guys ROCK!