Chapter Ten: A Political Turnaround
Lizzie's POV
I was drowsy. I was dizzy. I was Helen Hunt in "Twister." In a matter of hours, my world turned upside down. I had kissed my best friend, arrived in Sacramento, and seen Gordo's head on my mom's body. Can't get much weirder than that.
Gordo, Miranda, and I were standing under the main entrance pavilion of the Mountainside Hotel, where we were staying. Bellboys were loading our suitcases on a trolley (A/N: Or whatever you call those things at hotels) and Matt was making faces at a lion statue beside the entrance.
AL: Sure, count on Matt to be a total doof at a time like this.
"Lizzie, can you help us with the bags?" my mom called from behind our car.
AL: Do whatever she says, just as long as she has her own head.
"Sure mom," I called back, my stomach wrenching into more knots at the thought of being in Sacramento for the Battle of the Bands.
I joined my parents as they loaded their luggage onto the trolley. They looked like they had about five suitcases.
"Whoa guys!" I exclaimed as I attempted to lift one. "Why did you bring so much stuff for four days in Sacramento?" I gave up on the bag quickly.
"Eileen Stevens!"
My dad stood up from his slumped over position and ran past me towards the pavilion. A short, red-haired woman was directing five kids through the entrance way. My dad ran to greet her, shouting, "Eileen Stevens! State senator Eileen Stevens!"
"Mom," I said as I watched dad run up to the woman, flapping his arms like a chicken, "what's dad doing?"
My mom looked at dad and the woman and laughed. "Oh, that's state senator Stevens." Mom cocked her head sideways. "I wonder what she's doing here?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Louis's POV
My mom wanted to take us inside of the hotel to make sure we were okay instead of dropping us off.
"Okay people!" she shouted over our excitement getting out of the van. "Let's go! You only have a half hour."
We all hurried out of the car and got into the shade of the pavilion. Standing there, I was talking with Tawny about some girl she met on the internet that was going to be in the battle, Ren was whispering something to Larry and he was laughing - which was freaking me out tremendously - and Twitty was looking across the concrete driveway.
He was staring at a blonde girl that was standing with another girl and a guy. She was pretty hot; she looked kind of flustered in some ways. She looked nervous and emotional.
Suddenly, some guy comes running at us shouting, "State senator Eileen Stevens!" and pulling out a pen and newspaper from his back pocket.
When he approached us, he squealed, "Senator Stevens! My name is Sam McGuire. I'm a political reporter for The Hillridge Times. I just LOVE your work."
My mom blushed and shook the man's hand. "Thank you very much, Mr. McGuire."
"Please, call me Sam." He gave her the biggest smile I had ever seen.
"Okay," my mom replied. "Is that your family?" She pointed to the blonde girl and the other kids staring at us just we stared at them.
"Yea," Sam answered. "The blondes are my wife, Jo, and my daughter, Lizzie. The little boy trying to eat the statue is my son, Matt. And the other two are my daughter's friends, Miranda and Gordo." He signaled them to come over. "Over here guys! A want you to meet a political genius."
They came over to us slowly. The Gordo kid whispered something to Lizzie and she laughed.
"Hello everyone," my mom said cheerfully. "You can all call me Eileen."
Sam's wife shook mom's hand. "Hi Eileen. I'm Jo McGuire. Nice to meet you." She looked at me and smiled. "Well, well. What a beautiful family you have. I can see why you created that Family Care bill."
"Hey!" Matt piped up from behind his dad. "I know you!" H pointed to me. "You're the Wild Boy! The one who went bizerk on national TV!" He bowed down gracefully. "I honor you're work."
Both of our families had a hearty laugh while Tawny leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes, that's my son," mom said. "But we mostly call him Louis. And this is his friend, Twitty, and his girlfriend, Tawny. And this is my daughter, Ren, and her friend Larry."
"Nice to meet you all," said Jo.
"Wait," said Lizzie. "Tawny Dean?"
Tawny glanced sideways at me then answered, "Yea."
"So you guys must be the Twitty-Stevens Connections!"
"Yea," we all said in unison, though confused at the same time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lizzie's POV
I turned again to Tawny. "We met online, remember? I'm Gordo'sGrl51."
AL: Oh my gosh! I did NOT just say that out loud!
"What?" Gordo, Miranda, Matt, mom, and dad said at the same time.
AL: Great, I said it out loud. Good going, McGuire.
"Oh yea!" said Tawny. "It's great to meet you! You guys must be the Feel- Good Wallflowers!"
"Yea," said Miranda. She shook Tawny's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," said Tawny.
Eileen looked down at her watch. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my kids only have a half hour at the breakfast before they have to go to school."
"Yea," said my mom. "We should probably be heading inside, too."
And with that, we all made a swift move towards the door. But something about this whole thing seemed so strange.
AL: Maybe it's because two boys are staring at you right now!
Twitty and Gordo.
Lizzie's POV
I was drowsy. I was dizzy. I was Helen Hunt in "Twister." In a matter of hours, my world turned upside down. I had kissed my best friend, arrived in Sacramento, and seen Gordo's head on my mom's body. Can't get much weirder than that.
Gordo, Miranda, and I were standing under the main entrance pavilion of the Mountainside Hotel, where we were staying. Bellboys were loading our suitcases on a trolley (A/N: Or whatever you call those things at hotels) and Matt was making faces at a lion statue beside the entrance.
AL: Sure, count on Matt to be a total doof at a time like this.
"Lizzie, can you help us with the bags?" my mom called from behind our car.
AL: Do whatever she says, just as long as she has her own head.
"Sure mom," I called back, my stomach wrenching into more knots at the thought of being in Sacramento for the Battle of the Bands.
I joined my parents as they loaded their luggage onto the trolley. They looked like they had about five suitcases.
"Whoa guys!" I exclaimed as I attempted to lift one. "Why did you bring so much stuff for four days in Sacramento?" I gave up on the bag quickly.
"Eileen Stevens!"
My dad stood up from his slumped over position and ran past me towards the pavilion. A short, red-haired woman was directing five kids through the entrance way. My dad ran to greet her, shouting, "Eileen Stevens! State senator Eileen Stevens!"
"Mom," I said as I watched dad run up to the woman, flapping his arms like a chicken, "what's dad doing?"
My mom looked at dad and the woman and laughed. "Oh, that's state senator Stevens." Mom cocked her head sideways. "I wonder what she's doing here?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Louis's POV
My mom wanted to take us inside of the hotel to make sure we were okay instead of dropping us off.
"Okay people!" she shouted over our excitement getting out of the van. "Let's go! You only have a half hour."
We all hurried out of the car and got into the shade of the pavilion. Standing there, I was talking with Tawny about some girl she met on the internet that was going to be in the battle, Ren was whispering something to Larry and he was laughing - which was freaking me out tremendously - and Twitty was looking across the concrete driveway.
He was staring at a blonde girl that was standing with another girl and a guy. She was pretty hot; she looked kind of flustered in some ways. She looked nervous and emotional.
Suddenly, some guy comes running at us shouting, "State senator Eileen Stevens!" and pulling out a pen and newspaper from his back pocket.
When he approached us, he squealed, "Senator Stevens! My name is Sam McGuire. I'm a political reporter for The Hillridge Times. I just LOVE your work."
My mom blushed and shook the man's hand. "Thank you very much, Mr. McGuire."
"Please, call me Sam." He gave her the biggest smile I had ever seen.
"Okay," my mom replied. "Is that your family?" She pointed to the blonde girl and the other kids staring at us just we stared at them.
"Yea," Sam answered. "The blondes are my wife, Jo, and my daughter, Lizzie. The little boy trying to eat the statue is my son, Matt. And the other two are my daughter's friends, Miranda and Gordo." He signaled them to come over. "Over here guys! A want you to meet a political genius."
They came over to us slowly. The Gordo kid whispered something to Lizzie and she laughed.
"Hello everyone," my mom said cheerfully. "You can all call me Eileen."
Sam's wife shook mom's hand. "Hi Eileen. I'm Jo McGuire. Nice to meet you." She looked at me and smiled. "Well, well. What a beautiful family you have. I can see why you created that Family Care bill."
"Hey!" Matt piped up from behind his dad. "I know you!" H pointed to me. "You're the Wild Boy! The one who went bizerk on national TV!" He bowed down gracefully. "I honor you're work."
Both of our families had a hearty laugh while Tawny leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Yes, that's my son," mom said. "But we mostly call him Louis. And this is his friend, Twitty, and his girlfriend, Tawny. And this is my daughter, Ren, and her friend Larry."
"Nice to meet you all," said Jo.
"Wait," said Lizzie. "Tawny Dean?"
Tawny glanced sideways at me then answered, "Yea."
"So you guys must be the Twitty-Stevens Connections!"
"Yea," we all said in unison, though confused at the same time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Lizzie's POV
I turned again to Tawny. "We met online, remember? I'm Gordo'sGrl51."
AL: Oh my gosh! I did NOT just say that out loud!
"What?" Gordo, Miranda, Matt, mom, and dad said at the same time.
AL: Great, I said it out loud. Good going, McGuire.
"Oh yea!" said Tawny. "It's great to meet you! You guys must be the Feel- Good Wallflowers!"
"Yea," said Miranda. She shook Tawny's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," said Tawny.
Eileen looked down at her watch. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my kids only have a half hour at the breakfast before they have to go to school."
"Yea," said my mom. "We should probably be heading inside, too."
And with that, we all made a swift move towards the door. But something about this whole thing seemed so strange.
AL: Maybe it's because two boys are staring at you right now!
Twitty and Gordo.