Wow! Thanks so much for the great response! I'm so glad everyone likes it!
Yea! Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, come on it's lovely weather for
a sleigh ride together with you! In the Christmas spirit yet? Well read on!
And remember, the best gift to give an author is a review! So read and
review!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lizzie picked up a notebook then settled herself into her bed. At the top of the page she wrote Gifts, then she continued to make a list of presents she would need to purchase in the coming weeks, and the ones she already had. Her mother Jo's had been easy, anything that could be remotely considered sentimental. Dad, well, she'd get him some record from the 70's. Matt, he'd be lucky if she didn't lock him outside with nothing but his underwear on. For Miranda she'd seen a really cute top at the mall last week. Then she came to Gordo. What could she get him? Blank video tapes? No, that wasn't special enough. What do you get for the best friend, that you want to be more than a best friend? Nothing that could be considered romantic, because that would just be weird, especially if he didn't share her feelings. But something like socks, or blank videos, those were safe gifts.
Lizzie drummed her fingers impatiently. She had no idea where to even start. She reached over and grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle and quickly dialed Miranda's number.
"Hello?"
"What are you getting Gordo for Christmas?" Lizzie asked, not bothering with hello.
"Dunno," Miranda stated. "A pair of socks?"
"No, that's not good," Lizzie muttered. "Come on, you've got to help me, I need something good."
"Why?"
Lizzie took a deep breath. It was only logical that Miranda would ask this, Here Lizzie was completely freaking out about buying her best friend his Christmas present. She bit her lip, was she ready to admit it? It would be a relief to let someone finally know. "Can you come over?" she asked.
"Now?"
"Yeah, I've got to talk to you."
"Okay," Miranda replied. "Let me get my shoes on, and I'm on my way."
Lizzie came down the stairs as her parents were pulling on their coats. "Where are you going?"
"To pick up your little brother, who started a snowball fight at school today," Jo replied.
"And he's in trouble for that?"
"Well, Matt decided to do it in the cafeteria," Sam replied, ushering his wife out the door.
Lizzie grabbed some wrapping paper, then sat down and pulled out a fancy photo album she'd bought for her mom. Lizzie was absorbed in wrapped when she heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in!"
"What's up?" Miranda called, dusting snow out of her long black hair.
Lizzie sighed as she stopped wrapped. "The reason I can't think of anything to get Gordo, is well-"
"Spill it," Miranda commanded, sitting down next to her friend.
"I like him."
Miranda let out a laugh. "I know! Me too!"
"No," Lizzie exclaimed. "Not like that. I mean, I really like him."
Miranda didn't even attempt to hide her shocked expression. "You serious?"
Lizzie nodded.
"Aww! Lizzie!" Miranda gushed.
"Don't you dare start that!" Lizzie commanded.
"I'm going to get pizza with him in like twenty minutes, come with us!"
"No!"
"Why?" Miranda asked.
Lizzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Miranda, don't you tell him. No hints, no suggestions, nothing. I want to be the one to tell him. You have to promise you won't tell him or let anything slip."
"Lizzie, you act like he won't be thrilled to hear it! You know he likes you."
"No I don't. I know even know for sure what I'm feeling! Promise me," Lizzie insisted stubbornly.
"Lizzie," Miranda whimpered uselessly.
"Promise now."
"Fine," she grumbled. "I promise, but I'll have you know this is completely and totally unfair."
"Thanks Miranda," Lizzie smiled. She knew though Miranda would want to tell, the bond of their friendship was too thick and she would hold true to her promise. "But I still have absolutely no idea what to get him for Christmas."
***
Gordo sat at a table in the pizza place. He smiled when he saw Miranda come through the door. "Hi. Is it still snowing?"
"Yeah," she replied, shaking out her gloves. "Did you decide yet what you want to eat?"
"I'm not really hungry," he replied.
"Not hungry? Come on Gordo, why did we come here for pizza then?"
"You like pizza, go ahead and eat."
"I don't want to eat if you're not going to," she stated, leaning back.
"Really, Miranda, it's fine. I ate a sandwich with my mom before I came, so it's fine. I'll still pay for half of it," he stated. He was lying, he didn't like lying to her, but he didn't want to go home now and he knew she hadn't eaten yet.
"I'll get a small then," she stated grudgingly.
Gordo smiled softly and gazed around the dark restaurant. Soft Christmas music played over the speakers everything was decorated.
"Gordo?" Miranda called.
He snapped back to attention, realized he'd zoned out.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want a piece of pizza?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine."
She watched him as she took another bite.
Gordo knew she was starting to suspect something, and he didn't want her to know. Forcing a smile to his lips he smiled at her. "Only a couple more days until break," he stated.
Miranda nodded. "I love how it's actually snowing!"
Gordo smiled, this was a safe topic, the snow was great. "We'll have to have a snowball fight or something."
"Or maybe we can go sled riding! I've always wanted to do that, but there's never been enough snow," Miranda exclaimed, excited now.
"Yeah, we'll have to do that while we have the chance," Gordo replied. "That's the thing about living in California, we don't get much snow."
Miranda nodded as she placed an extra long piece of cheese into her mouth. Gordo smiled. One of Miranda's great traits, she didn't care who was watching her, she'd eat however she wanted in front of them and if they didn't like it tough luck on them.
"A smile," she stated. "Good to see one of those."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, ever since that night at Lizzie's, you've been different."
He laughed. "I have?"
"Don't do that, it makes me feel like you're mocking me," Miranda stated.
He watched her as she took another bite. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand. What he'd seen before going to Lizzie's house, it wasn't something anyone just saw. It wasn't something that the viewer couldn't pretend didn't happen. He hadn't been able to get it out of his mind, it haunted him, like an unrelenting ghost.
Lizzie picked up a notebook then settled herself into her bed. At the top of the page she wrote Gifts, then she continued to make a list of presents she would need to purchase in the coming weeks, and the ones she already had. Her mother Jo's had been easy, anything that could be remotely considered sentimental. Dad, well, she'd get him some record from the 70's. Matt, he'd be lucky if she didn't lock him outside with nothing but his underwear on. For Miranda she'd seen a really cute top at the mall last week. Then she came to Gordo. What could she get him? Blank video tapes? No, that wasn't special enough. What do you get for the best friend, that you want to be more than a best friend? Nothing that could be considered romantic, because that would just be weird, especially if he didn't share her feelings. But something like socks, or blank videos, those were safe gifts.
Lizzie drummed her fingers impatiently. She had no idea where to even start. She reached over and grabbed the cordless phone from its cradle and quickly dialed Miranda's number.
"Hello?"
"What are you getting Gordo for Christmas?" Lizzie asked, not bothering with hello.
"Dunno," Miranda stated. "A pair of socks?"
"No, that's not good," Lizzie muttered. "Come on, you've got to help me, I need something good."
"Why?"
Lizzie took a deep breath. It was only logical that Miranda would ask this, Here Lizzie was completely freaking out about buying her best friend his Christmas present. She bit her lip, was she ready to admit it? It would be a relief to let someone finally know. "Can you come over?" she asked.
"Now?"
"Yeah, I've got to talk to you."
"Okay," Miranda replied. "Let me get my shoes on, and I'm on my way."
Lizzie came down the stairs as her parents were pulling on their coats. "Where are you going?"
"To pick up your little brother, who started a snowball fight at school today," Jo replied.
"And he's in trouble for that?"
"Well, Matt decided to do it in the cafeteria," Sam replied, ushering his wife out the door.
Lizzie grabbed some wrapping paper, then sat down and pulled out a fancy photo album she'd bought for her mom. Lizzie was absorbed in wrapped when she heard a faint knock on the door. "Come in!"
"What's up?" Miranda called, dusting snow out of her long black hair.
Lizzie sighed as she stopped wrapped. "The reason I can't think of anything to get Gordo, is well-"
"Spill it," Miranda commanded, sitting down next to her friend.
"I like him."
Miranda let out a laugh. "I know! Me too!"
"No," Lizzie exclaimed. "Not like that. I mean, I really like him."
Miranda didn't even attempt to hide her shocked expression. "You serious?"
Lizzie nodded.
"Aww! Lizzie!" Miranda gushed.
"Don't you dare start that!" Lizzie commanded.
"I'm going to get pizza with him in like twenty minutes, come with us!"
"No!"
"Why?" Miranda asked.
Lizzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Miranda, don't you tell him. No hints, no suggestions, nothing. I want to be the one to tell him. You have to promise you won't tell him or let anything slip."
"Lizzie, you act like he won't be thrilled to hear it! You know he likes you."
"No I don't. I know even know for sure what I'm feeling! Promise me," Lizzie insisted stubbornly.
"Lizzie," Miranda whimpered uselessly.
"Promise now."
"Fine," she grumbled. "I promise, but I'll have you know this is completely and totally unfair."
"Thanks Miranda," Lizzie smiled. She knew though Miranda would want to tell, the bond of their friendship was too thick and she would hold true to her promise. "But I still have absolutely no idea what to get him for Christmas."
***
Gordo sat at a table in the pizza place. He smiled when he saw Miranda come through the door. "Hi. Is it still snowing?"
"Yeah," she replied, shaking out her gloves. "Did you decide yet what you want to eat?"
"I'm not really hungry," he replied.
"Not hungry? Come on Gordo, why did we come here for pizza then?"
"You like pizza, go ahead and eat."
"I don't want to eat if you're not going to," she stated, leaning back.
"Really, Miranda, it's fine. I ate a sandwich with my mom before I came, so it's fine. I'll still pay for half of it," he stated. He was lying, he didn't like lying to her, but he didn't want to go home now and he knew she hadn't eaten yet.
"I'll get a small then," she stated grudgingly.
Gordo smiled softly and gazed around the dark restaurant. Soft Christmas music played over the speakers everything was decorated.
"Gordo?" Miranda called.
He snapped back to attention, realized he'd zoned out.
"Yeah?"
"Do you want a piece of pizza?"
He shook his head. "No, I'm fine."
She watched him as she took another bite.
Gordo knew she was starting to suspect something, and he didn't want her to know. Forcing a smile to his lips he smiled at her. "Only a couple more days until break," he stated.
Miranda nodded. "I love how it's actually snowing!"
Gordo smiled, this was a safe topic, the snow was great. "We'll have to have a snowball fight or something."
"Or maybe we can go sled riding! I've always wanted to do that, but there's never been enough snow," Miranda exclaimed, excited now.
"Yeah, we'll have to do that while we have the chance," Gordo replied. "That's the thing about living in California, we don't get much snow."
Miranda nodded as she placed an extra long piece of cheese into her mouth. Gordo smiled. One of Miranda's great traits, she didn't care who was watching her, she'd eat however she wanted in front of them and if they didn't like it tough luck on them.
"A smile," she stated. "Good to see one of those."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, ever since that night at Lizzie's, you've been different."
He laughed. "I have?"
"Don't do that, it makes me feel like you're mocking me," Miranda stated.
He watched her as she took another bite. She didn't understand, she couldn't understand. What he'd seen before going to Lizzie's house, it wasn't something anyone just saw. It wasn't something that the viewer couldn't pretend didn't happen. He hadn't been able to get it out of his mind, it haunted him, like an unrelenting ghost.