Chapter Five: Not So Confused Anymore
Gordo's POV
I was sitting in my bedroom, holding the money slip for our 8th grade class picture in my hands, just staring down at it. It was just a money slip, but it was giving me this weird vibe, like the day of the class picture, something monumental was going to happen. As I sat, Lizzie's voice still echoed in my head,
"If you lose a moment, you might lose a lot. So why not? Why not?"
I lie back down on my bed, head pretty much screwed up. I thought back to a few months ago, when Lizzie was the advice columnist for the school E- Zine. That last e-mail she had answered, the one from Confused Guy, did it have any impact on her? Did she not realize that it was from me?
My phone rang. I didn't exactly rush to pick it up. At first I just kind of sat there, waiting till the caller hung up. But I decided to answer it since it might be Miranda or Lizzie.
"Hello?" I said sluggishly.
"Hey Gordo. It's Lizzie," said a familiar voice on the other end.
"Hey Lizzie," I replied, a small smile forming on my lips. "What's up?"
I heard her take a deep breath, like she was really nervous. "Lizzie," I said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said really jumpy. "I'm great. I just had to call you to. . . tell you something really important."
I tossed the money slip on my desk and sat down in my chair. "Is it about the band?"
"Uh, not exactly," was her answer.
'Uh-oh,' I said to myself. 'What's happening here?'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lizzie's POV
I sat down on my bed, squeezing Mr. Snuggles' brains out. I was THAT scared. My mind was searching for exactly the right words to say. I mean, I had just figured out that I liked him.
AL: Yea dimwit! It only took you fourteen years!
I sighed again, telling myself to shut up.
"Lizzie," Gordo said with concern. "What's going on? Are you sure you're okay?"
I was just about to say it, just about to tell Gordo that I liked him, when suddenly, it hit me like El Nino.
AL: It couldn't be, could it?
"Gordo," I said cautiously. "Call me crazy, but are you. . . were you. . . are you Confused Guy?"
There was a long silence. The longer it lasted, though, the more positive I was that Gordo WAS Confused Guy, the E-Zine reader that had wrote:
Dear Lizzie,
I think I like my best friend as more than just a friend. What should I do?
Signed,
Confused Guy
AL: How could you have not seen it McGuire? How could you have ignored all the signs that Gordo liked you as more than a friend? How much more stupid and Matt-like could you have been?
"Lizzie," Gordo finally said, voice shaking. Then he laughed. "I hate it when you're right."
I laughed, too. But then we both stopped at the same time.
"So you know the truth now," he said quietly.
"Yea," I replied, not sure what else to say. Then I thought of it. "Gordo, I like you, too."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ren's POV
What was the worst thing that could've happened to the Twitty-Stevens Connection, worse than not being able to be in the Battle of the Bands?
We got an awesome bass player.
Larry Beal.
This morning I walked into school, feeling pretty good about myself. I was wearing cute pastel pink hip huggers with a light blue peasant top. My hair was pulled into a ponytail on top of my head. I'll admit it, I looked cute.
So I walked into the main office, when who should I find sitting there? My brother (big surprise).
"What did you do now Louis?" I asked him as I went through the Lost and Found, looking for one of my purple hoop earrings that I had lost the day before.
When Louis didn't answer, I looked over at him. He was crossing out names on a piece of paper.
"What's that?" I asked, snatching it from his hand.
"Ren!" he shouted. "Why do have to grab every important paper that I hold? Is that another thing you've set out to accomplish?"
"Louis!" I shouted back. "What is this paper and why is Larry Beal's name on it?" Ugh, the name left a bad taste in my mouth.
Louis just looked down. "Because," he started quietly. "He's in the band."
"WHAT?!?!" I screamed.
"Ren," Louis said, trying to calm me down. "Relax. Larry's an awesome bass player and he could learn our new song in like a day. Plus, he's already shot down three bands to play with us in this gig. I mean, he's that good."
I sat down, trying to take it all in. The only emotion I was feeling right then was utter confusion.
Gordo's POV
I was sitting in my bedroom, holding the money slip for our 8th grade class picture in my hands, just staring down at it. It was just a money slip, but it was giving me this weird vibe, like the day of the class picture, something monumental was going to happen. As I sat, Lizzie's voice still echoed in my head,
"If you lose a moment, you might lose a lot. So why not? Why not?"
I lie back down on my bed, head pretty much screwed up. I thought back to a few months ago, when Lizzie was the advice columnist for the school E- Zine. That last e-mail she had answered, the one from Confused Guy, did it have any impact on her? Did she not realize that it was from me?
My phone rang. I didn't exactly rush to pick it up. At first I just kind of sat there, waiting till the caller hung up. But I decided to answer it since it might be Miranda or Lizzie.
"Hello?" I said sluggishly.
"Hey Gordo. It's Lizzie," said a familiar voice on the other end.
"Hey Lizzie," I replied, a small smile forming on my lips. "What's up?"
I heard her take a deep breath, like she was really nervous. "Lizzie," I said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said really jumpy. "I'm great. I just had to call you to. . . tell you something really important."
I tossed the money slip on my desk and sat down in my chair. "Is it about the band?"
"Uh, not exactly," was her answer.
'Uh-oh,' I said to myself. 'What's happening here?'
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lizzie's POV
I sat down on my bed, squeezing Mr. Snuggles' brains out. I was THAT scared. My mind was searching for exactly the right words to say. I mean, I had just figured out that I liked him.
AL: Yea dimwit! It only took you fourteen years!
I sighed again, telling myself to shut up.
"Lizzie," Gordo said with concern. "What's going on? Are you sure you're okay?"
I was just about to say it, just about to tell Gordo that I liked him, when suddenly, it hit me like El Nino.
AL: It couldn't be, could it?
"Gordo," I said cautiously. "Call me crazy, but are you. . . were you. . . are you Confused Guy?"
There was a long silence. The longer it lasted, though, the more positive I was that Gordo WAS Confused Guy, the E-Zine reader that had wrote:
Dear Lizzie,
I think I like my best friend as more than just a friend. What should I do?
Signed,
Confused Guy
AL: How could you have not seen it McGuire? How could you have ignored all the signs that Gordo liked you as more than a friend? How much more stupid and Matt-like could you have been?
"Lizzie," Gordo finally said, voice shaking. Then he laughed. "I hate it when you're right."
I laughed, too. But then we both stopped at the same time.
"So you know the truth now," he said quietly.
"Yea," I replied, not sure what else to say. Then I thought of it. "Gordo, I like you, too."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ren's POV
What was the worst thing that could've happened to the Twitty-Stevens Connection, worse than not being able to be in the Battle of the Bands?
We got an awesome bass player.
Larry Beal.
This morning I walked into school, feeling pretty good about myself. I was wearing cute pastel pink hip huggers with a light blue peasant top. My hair was pulled into a ponytail on top of my head. I'll admit it, I looked cute.
So I walked into the main office, when who should I find sitting there? My brother (big surprise).
"What did you do now Louis?" I asked him as I went through the Lost and Found, looking for one of my purple hoop earrings that I had lost the day before.
When Louis didn't answer, I looked over at him. He was crossing out names on a piece of paper.
"What's that?" I asked, snatching it from his hand.
"Ren!" he shouted. "Why do have to grab every important paper that I hold? Is that another thing you've set out to accomplish?"
"Louis!" I shouted back. "What is this paper and why is Larry Beal's name on it?" Ugh, the name left a bad taste in my mouth.
Louis just looked down. "Because," he started quietly. "He's in the band."
"WHAT?!?!" I screamed.
"Ren," Louis said, trying to calm me down. "Relax. Larry's an awesome bass player and he could learn our new song in like a day. Plus, he's already shot down three bands to play with us in this gig. I mean, he's that good."
I sat down, trying to take it all in. The only emotion I was feeling right then was utter confusion.