author's note: sorry, haven't updated in awhile. i went on vacation, my computer broke, and i started school. yeah. and there's mild profanity in this chapter, i'm sorry! i had to use it to get gordo's .. anger across. sorry, guys.
Lizzie stared at her best friend, struck absolutely speechless. For once in her life, she had nothing to say. She didn't know what to say.
Gordo had managed to squeak out a few words, and made them go on as long as he could, erasing the awkward silence between them. "My parents came back tonight. They lied to me about that honeymoon thing, they weren't actually having a second honeymoon. They were working out the details of their divorce. They were working out what to do with me." He sighed, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. "My father doesn't want me here. My mother doesn't really want me either. Trust me, Liz. I tried everything. They won't even let me come up to visit my father on weekends or during holidays. He doesn't want to see me anymore. He wants to start a new life, without his family."
She took one of his hands in hers, and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She knew the question she had to ask, she knew the words she had to say. She was afraid of the answer he'd give her. She gulped, trying to delay the inevitable asking of the question that had plagued her since his confession. "So." Lizzie bit her lip nervously. "When are you leaving?"
Dropping her hand, he looked away from her, his eyes damp with tears. He didn't want to give her the answer, because he knew she didn't want to hear it. "Tomorrow." He couldn't bear to see her reaction, so he looked away from her troubled eyes. "I'm going to spend all night packing, and I don't leave until tomorrow night around six, so if you want, we can spend the day tomorrow together. If you want."
"Tomorrow? But Gordo, you can't leave tomorrow. I mean, I've known you my whole life. You're my best friend. What am I going to do without you? And, I mean, I was hoping. I mean, I was hoping.." She trailed off, wishing to herself that he knew what she was trying to say.
He thought he might have a clue. It was what he had been hoping, after all. "You were hoping that we could actually be together?"
She nodded wordlessly, her hair falling in her face when her chin dropped.
"I'm sorry, Liz. I didn't plan on this."
"Oh, Gordo. You shouldn't be sorry. I mean, I should be sorry. Your parents are getting a divorce. They're making you move. They're making you give up your whole entire life. I mean, I should be sympathetic to what you're going through. If I was truly a good best friend, isn't that what I'd do? I'd be supportive." She touched her hand to her head in frustration. "I hate to say this, Gordo.. but it's getting late. Maybe you should go home and pack. I mean, so that we can spend some time together tomorrow."
He smiled bitterly in response to her words. "You're the best friend I'll ever have, Liz." Standing up, he turned to walk down her stairs. "See you tomorrow."
Lizzie tried to utter out a slight word of goodbye, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Instead, she turned the opposite way and entered her house, closing the door quietly behind her.
Gordo drove home in the dark, unable to believe all that had taken place in one short night. His parents announcing their plans to divorce, him kissing his best friend. Finally. "My world has fallen down around me. Why me?" Gordo asked, to no one in particular.
Minutes later, he arrived in his driveway. He parked the car and entered the house to the sound of his parents arguing. He sighed, and not caring to announce his presence in the house, headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
He opened the door and stepped into his room, taking in his surroundings. His last night in the room he'd lived in since he was a baby. So many things had taken place since then. And he was going to be putting that all behind him, starting a new life. Too bad that all he wanted was this life, the only thing he couldn't have.
Slamming the door shut behind him, he walked further into his room towards his bed, which was covered in boxes that his parents expected him to put all of his belongings in. The only thing he wanted to take with him to start his new life in New York with was Lizzie, and she couldn't be put in a box. In a fit of newfound rage, he threw the boxes on the floor. He then walked over to his CD player and turned on his favorite Dashboard Confessional album, letting the voice of Chris Carrabba take over his mind.
Moments later, he got up and began throwing his belongings into boxes. Clothes, into the boxes. Pictures, in the boxes. His computer, into a box of its own. CD collection, into the boxes.
In the midst of his packing frenzy, there was a knock at Gordo's door. Gordo's parents entered a second later, apologetic looks on their faces. Gordo rolled his eyes at their "we're-trying-to-pretend-we're-perfect-parents" expressions.
"What do you guys want?" He snapped at them, unable to control his anger. "You've already ruined my life."
Roberta Gordon stepped towards Gordo slowly. "David. Please don't take that tone with us. We know that what we're doing is best for you, and it's best for us. It will make all of our lives so much easier. We know that you think it really stinks right now, but in the long term, you will benefit from this decision."
"Easy for you to say, Mother." Gordo spat the words out at Roberta. "You're not leaving anything you really even give a crap about behind. Me, I'm leaving everything, my whole damn life and you don't even give a shit."
Howard Gordon feigned an angry expression towards his son. "Don't you use those words towards your mother, David."
"What do you care, dad? It's not like you even love her anymore. You don't need to pretend for me anymore. I'm a big kid now, in case you guys haven't noticed." He scowled at both of them.
"David." Roberta spoke in a warning tone, and he could tell that his words had stung both of his parents. He'd never spoken to either of them that way, and he had never wanted to as much as he had then. He couldn't help himself, it just kind of slipped out of his mouth.
Gordo would have none of it. "Leave me alone," he commanded. "I've had enough of you two today. You've ruined my life. Now leave me alone so that I can pack."
Howard looked at Roberta as if he was about to speak to his son, but Roberta flashed him a warning look, and the two of them wordlessly left Gordo's room to sleep in their seperate bedrooms. They shut the door behind them, and Gordo could hear the two start to bicker about him as his mother walked down the stairs to the guest bedroom and his father continued on to the master bedroom upstairs.
He cranked up the volume on his speakers and continued throwing his belongings into the boxes that covered his bed.
After Gordo had left, Lizzie had stumbled onto her bed upstairs and laid there for awhile, staring at the ceiling. She didn't move a muscle when she heard her parents and Matt enter the house.
"Lizzie?" She could hear her mother calling from downstairs.
Lizzie didn't answer. She couldn't say anything. Dried tears streaked her face, and her eyes were red and her face was splotchy, the result of crying out all her tears.
Jo McGuire was at her bedroom door, knocking on the closed door. Upon no response from her daughter, she opened the door slowly and her face took on a concerned expression at the sight of her daughter lying on the bed. "Oh, Lizzie, honey, what's wrong?"
Lizzie sat up and Jo walked over to her bed, sitting down beside her. Lizzie immediately threw her arms around her mother and began to cry on her shoulder. "Gordo, mom..Gordo's moving tomorrow to New York." She blurted out the words between sniffles.
"Oh, honey, that's horrible."
Lizzie stared at her best friend, struck absolutely speechless. For once in her life, she had nothing to say. She didn't know what to say.
Gordo had managed to squeak out a few words, and made them go on as long as he could, erasing the awkward silence between them. "My parents came back tonight. They lied to me about that honeymoon thing, they weren't actually having a second honeymoon. They were working out the details of their divorce. They were working out what to do with me." He sighed, taking in a deep breath of the cold night air. "My father doesn't want me here. My mother doesn't really want me either. Trust me, Liz. I tried everything. They won't even let me come up to visit my father on weekends or during holidays. He doesn't want to see me anymore. He wants to start a new life, without his family."
She took one of his hands in hers, and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She knew the question she had to ask, she knew the words she had to say. She was afraid of the answer he'd give her. She gulped, trying to delay the inevitable asking of the question that had plagued her since his confession. "So." Lizzie bit her lip nervously. "When are you leaving?"
Dropping her hand, he looked away from her, his eyes damp with tears. He didn't want to give her the answer, because he knew she didn't want to hear it. "Tomorrow." He couldn't bear to see her reaction, so he looked away from her troubled eyes. "I'm going to spend all night packing, and I don't leave until tomorrow night around six, so if you want, we can spend the day tomorrow together. If you want."
"Tomorrow? But Gordo, you can't leave tomorrow. I mean, I've known you my whole life. You're my best friend. What am I going to do without you? And, I mean, I was hoping. I mean, I was hoping.." She trailed off, wishing to herself that he knew what she was trying to say.
He thought he might have a clue. It was what he had been hoping, after all. "You were hoping that we could actually be together?"
She nodded wordlessly, her hair falling in her face when her chin dropped.
"I'm sorry, Liz. I didn't plan on this."
"Oh, Gordo. You shouldn't be sorry. I mean, I should be sorry. Your parents are getting a divorce. They're making you move. They're making you give up your whole entire life. I mean, I should be sympathetic to what you're going through. If I was truly a good best friend, isn't that what I'd do? I'd be supportive." She touched her hand to her head in frustration. "I hate to say this, Gordo.. but it's getting late. Maybe you should go home and pack. I mean, so that we can spend some time together tomorrow."
He smiled bitterly in response to her words. "You're the best friend I'll ever have, Liz." Standing up, he turned to walk down her stairs. "See you tomorrow."
Lizzie tried to utter out a slight word of goodbye, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. Instead, she turned the opposite way and entered her house, closing the door quietly behind her.
Gordo drove home in the dark, unable to believe all that had taken place in one short night. His parents announcing their plans to divorce, him kissing his best friend. Finally. "My world has fallen down around me. Why me?" Gordo asked, to no one in particular.
Minutes later, he arrived in his driveway. He parked the car and entered the house to the sound of his parents arguing. He sighed, and not caring to announce his presence in the house, headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
He opened the door and stepped into his room, taking in his surroundings. His last night in the room he'd lived in since he was a baby. So many things had taken place since then. And he was going to be putting that all behind him, starting a new life. Too bad that all he wanted was this life, the only thing he couldn't have.
Slamming the door shut behind him, he walked further into his room towards his bed, which was covered in boxes that his parents expected him to put all of his belongings in. The only thing he wanted to take with him to start his new life in New York with was Lizzie, and she couldn't be put in a box. In a fit of newfound rage, he threw the boxes on the floor. He then walked over to his CD player and turned on his favorite Dashboard Confessional album, letting the voice of Chris Carrabba take over his mind.
Moments later, he got up and began throwing his belongings into boxes. Clothes, into the boxes. Pictures, in the boxes. His computer, into a box of its own. CD collection, into the boxes.
In the midst of his packing frenzy, there was a knock at Gordo's door. Gordo's parents entered a second later, apologetic looks on their faces. Gordo rolled his eyes at their "we're-trying-to-pretend-we're-perfect-parents" expressions.
"What do you guys want?" He snapped at them, unable to control his anger. "You've already ruined my life."
Roberta Gordon stepped towards Gordo slowly. "David. Please don't take that tone with us. We know that what we're doing is best for you, and it's best for us. It will make all of our lives so much easier. We know that you think it really stinks right now, but in the long term, you will benefit from this decision."
"Easy for you to say, Mother." Gordo spat the words out at Roberta. "You're not leaving anything you really even give a crap about behind. Me, I'm leaving everything, my whole damn life and you don't even give a shit."
Howard Gordon feigned an angry expression towards his son. "Don't you use those words towards your mother, David."
"What do you care, dad? It's not like you even love her anymore. You don't need to pretend for me anymore. I'm a big kid now, in case you guys haven't noticed." He scowled at both of them.
"David." Roberta spoke in a warning tone, and he could tell that his words had stung both of his parents. He'd never spoken to either of them that way, and he had never wanted to as much as he had then. He couldn't help himself, it just kind of slipped out of his mouth.
Gordo would have none of it. "Leave me alone," he commanded. "I've had enough of you two today. You've ruined my life. Now leave me alone so that I can pack."
Howard looked at Roberta as if he was about to speak to his son, but Roberta flashed him a warning look, and the two of them wordlessly left Gordo's room to sleep in their seperate bedrooms. They shut the door behind them, and Gordo could hear the two start to bicker about him as his mother walked down the stairs to the guest bedroom and his father continued on to the master bedroom upstairs.
He cranked up the volume on his speakers and continued throwing his belongings into the boxes that covered his bed.
After Gordo had left, Lizzie had stumbled onto her bed upstairs and laid there for awhile, staring at the ceiling. She didn't move a muscle when she heard her parents and Matt enter the house.
"Lizzie?" She could hear her mother calling from downstairs.
Lizzie didn't answer. She couldn't say anything. Dried tears streaked her face, and her eyes were red and her face was splotchy, the result of crying out all her tears.
Jo McGuire was at her bedroom door, knocking on the closed door. Upon no response from her daughter, she opened the door slowly and her face took on a concerned expression at the sight of her daughter lying on the bed. "Oh, Lizzie, honey, what's wrong?"
Lizzie sat up and Jo walked over to her bed, sitting down beside her. Lizzie immediately threw her arms around her mother and began to cry on her shoulder. "Gordo, mom..Gordo's moving tomorrow to New York." She blurted out the words between sniffles.
"Oh, honey, that's horrible."