~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Chapter 12 - Laugh your troubles away.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
She briskly walked into parking lot. Gordo was calling out her name, but she acted as if she couldn't hear him. She kept her head down and wasn't walking in any particular direction. She kept his jacket firmly wrapped around her. It seemed to have gotten much colder, since they were last out.
"Lizzie! Lizzie! I know you can hear me and I also know you aren't gonna get home if you keep ignoring me," he stated matter-of-factly.
Lizzie collapsed to her knees, right there in the parking lot. She sat on her feet and let the tears fall onto her jean capris, making no attempt to stop them. Gordo lifted her up to her feet. She jerked away and wiped away her tears.
"Let's go to the car." He took her hand. This time, she didn't bother to fight. They walked together in the silence of the night. And by the time they made it to the car, she stopped trembling.
Gordo didn't bother to put the keys in the ignition. They just sat there. She would talk when she felt ok.
In the awkward stillness, Lizzie tried to calm herself and Gordo stared at the steering wheel.
"He-he.." she trailed off and gasped for breath.
"Shh, shh. It's okay, just wait 'til you're ready," he comforted.
"He... was there. Jeremy. He was there."
"Who's Jeremy?"
"Do you remember who was there?"
"Kate, two girls and two guys."
"The one with the dark hair is Jeremy." He tried to recreate the image in his head. Kate, then next to her was two blondes, and apparently their boyfriends.
"Who is he?"
"He is... he was my boyfriend," she finally spat out, saying 'boyfriend' like it was the most disgusting word in the whole English language. She didn't want to look up from the spot on her jeans that she had been fixated on the whole time.
Gordo's face and heart fell, but he tried his best to hide it though. He should've guessed, so he really didn't have a right to be disappointed.
"You know you could've just told me... It would have been a great conversation starter." He gave the tiniest trace of a smile, but didn't laugh. Neither did she.
"I know I should've. But it didn't feel right before..." she managed to say through her remaining lingering hiccups. She leaned toward him and he adjusted so he could physically console her.
"It's okay," he whispered as to the top of Lizzie's head. "You'll get through. You've been through way worse."
"I trusted him. And now that I look back on it, I really have no idea why. After Ethan, after Ronnie, even after Paolo, you would think I would have learned my lesson about trusting people."
He sat her upright, so he could look into her downward cast eyes. She brought up her remaining strength to direct her bloodshot eyes to Gordo's calm and comforting ones.
"Your abililty to trust is one of your best characteristics. Don't let Jeremy take that away. You can't let this snatch that away." She looked away for a moment. "You might not want to put your faith where it doesn't belong, but promise me you won't lose that." He took a hold of her shoulders.
"I don't know if I can do that, Gordo. I think emit some sort of aura that screams 'take advantage of me'. I need to learn how to fend for myself. I can't just go around trusting everyone I meet, until they end up hurting me." The image of Jeremy hugging and kissing the blonde flashed into her mind. She shuttered.
"If your mind is set, I won't change that. I hope this just doesn't change the Lizzie McGuire everyone loves. Above all else, keep your heart." he requested.
"You don't need to worry about that." She forced a small smile.
He seemed satisfied. He started the engine and the radio started to play quietly in the back.
"Do you want to go home?" he asked.
"No."
"Then, where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere," she said with no emotion, peering out the window introspectively.
"Whatever you say," he said to an unattentive Lizzie while backing out of the parking space. He adjusted the volume just when the commercials were over.
"This one's for old time's sake..." the male DJ trailed off, whistfully. "This one brings back memories."
*Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly
Just a little change
Small, to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast*
The song continued. Neither one bothered to change the station. She continued her deep stare in the dark sky. He managed to find his way to the freeway. Gordo briefly looked out of the corner of his eye. It looked like she forgot to blink with her continual gaze. She didn't seem to have looked at anything in particular outside or on the window, but rather like she was looking into a mirror of herself, like one of those eye tricks. You stare forever, trying to figure out just what you're looking at. 'What is she thinking about?' he thought to himself.
The song ended and a short radio commercial came on:
"You're listening to Y95. From Sacramento to Redding. From Napa to Stockton. We play continuous music. All day, everyday."
The DJ followed, "You're listening to the best love songs, modern and classic. Now... a little bit of Savage Garden." The intro to "Truly, Madly, Deeply" played.
A laugh came out of nowhere. For a moment, he thought it was a glitch in his ear or a stutter of the engine, but then it happend again. He turned to Lizzie.
The laugh grew. He looked at her, half-worried, half-curious.
"What's so funny?" he asked her. Her response was nothing more than a larger, louder laugh. She pointed to the radio and gasped for breath. She hit the dashboard in her hysterics. He felt a little awkward, but after less than a minute, her laugher caught on. After two or three whole minutes of gut-bursting 'I-think-I-peed-my-pants' howling and giggling, the song had ended and the laughter calmed down.
Lizzie sighed and wiped her eyes dry. "My face hurts," she said, poking various areas of her cheeks.
"I think I almost killed us twice." He also rubbed his eyes and struggled to take full breaths.
"So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," he responded, taking the exit.
A few left turns and gas stations later, they came across a beautiful building. It was actually more of a greenhouse really. There was a small parking lot where he pulled in.
"What is this?" Lizzie questioned.
"A garden, indoors. I came across this about two weeks ago. I got lost and found this." She stood in awe. "Come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand and sprinted towards the door.
They entered and found the receptionist desk. She greeted them and pointed them down one of the two hallways that diverged from the lobby. They said their thank you's and headed down the hallway. Ten feet later, they found a huge rainforest-like room, with roads interwining every which way between large trees, bushes, and other various plants.
She gasped. "We don't have long," he said. "There's something I want you to see." He grabbed her hand one more and she smiled as she followed him. She noticed the large plants and beautiful flowers on the way.
"Here," he said. She turned her head from a particularly large tree she had been looking at while they were running. In front of her was a 25-foot tree, sort of roundish shape and complete with small deep green leaves and pink-white buds.
"Magnolias! Oh this was just what I needed! Thank you so much, Gordo!" She jumped and wrapped her arms around Gordo's neck. She released and stepped forward to touch the flowers. "Wow, I don't know how they keep them blooming this late."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Of course I would like it. I can't believe you remembered my favorite flower."
"In this big ol' head, there's a brain." He tapped the top of his head.
"That's nice to know," she was still looking at the tree.
"Lizzie, I hate to bring it up," he started, "but I still don't understand why you couldn't tell me about Jeremy."
She turned around. "I don't know, I honestly don't. Part of me was screaming to tell you, but something held me back. I don't know what. Just... something. I know it doesn't make much sense. I hope you understand."
"I really don't, but that's okay. Oh, you should call you parents to say you're gonna be late." He took out his cell phone and handed it to her.
"Good idea."
Lizzie dialed the familiar digits to her home. "Hello? Yeah, can you tell Mom and Dad I'll be late?... umm hmm... around 8:30. Okay, bye." She hung up. "It was Matt," she notified Gordo and handed the phone back. He nodded.
She stepped forward and put both of her hands on the railing. She seemed entranced again, but not by the tree. She had a blank expression on, but Gordo wouldn't have known, seeing has how he was behind her. She muttered something under her breath.
"What was that?" he questioned, taking a step forward. He looked at her; she stared somewhere in front of her, but clearly not at the buds or leaves.
"Nothing..." she said.
"You wanna go?"
"Sure..."
* * * * *
"A-a-ll-ll my-y-y li-i-fe, I prayed for someone like you-u," Lizzie sang with her invisible microphone, her bare feet crossed and kicked up above the passenger side airbag. "Come on, sing!"
He sighed, defeatedly, as if he had no say in what he could or could not do. "And I thank God, that I, that I finally found you," he practically recited.
"Oh come on! With some oomph this time!" she insisted, "A-a-ll my-y li-i-fe I prayed for someone like youuu," she sang even more expressively.
"And I hope that you feel the same way too-o-o!" he sang, facial contortions and all.
"By George, I think he's got it!" she giggled.
"Yes, I pray that you do, love me too-o-o!" they sang together, though out of pitch.
The continued down the mostly empty stretch of highway before them, temporarily forgetting all that happened that night, and for once, share a moment (or two) in total ease.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
She briskly walked into parking lot. Gordo was calling out her name, but she acted as if she couldn't hear him. She kept her head down and wasn't walking in any particular direction. She kept his jacket firmly wrapped around her. It seemed to have gotten much colder, since they were last out.
"Lizzie! Lizzie! I know you can hear me and I also know you aren't gonna get home if you keep ignoring me," he stated matter-of-factly.
Lizzie collapsed to her knees, right there in the parking lot. She sat on her feet and let the tears fall onto her jean capris, making no attempt to stop them. Gordo lifted her up to her feet. She jerked away and wiped away her tears.
"Let's go to the car." He took her hand. This time, she didn't bother to fight. They walked together in the silence of the night. And by the time they made it to the car, she stopped trembling.
Gordo didn't bother to put the keys in the ignition. They just sat there. She would talk when she felt ok.
In the awkward stillness, Lizzie tried to calm herself and Gordo stared at the steering wheel.
"He-he.." she trailed off and gasped for breath.
"Shh, shh. It's okay, just wait 'til you're ready," he comforted.
"He... was there. Jeremy. He was there."
"Who's Jeremy?"
"Do you remember who was there?"
"Kate, two girls and two guys."
"The one with the dark hair is Jeremy." He tried to recreate the image in his head. Kate, then next to her was two blondes, and apparently their boyfriends.
"Who is he?"
"He is... he was my boyfriend," she finally spat out, saying 'boyfriend' like it was the most disgusting word in the whole English language. She didn't want to look up from the spot on her jeans that she had been fixated on the whole time.
Gordo's face and heart fell, but he tried his best to hide it though. He should've guessed, so he really didn't have a right to be disappointed.
"You know you could've just told me... It would have been a great conversation starter." He gave the tiniest trace of a smile, but didn't laugh. Neither did she.
"I know I should've. But it didn't feel right before..." she managed to say through her remaining lingering hiccups. She leaned toward him and he adjusted so he could physically console her.
"It's okay," he whispered as to the top of Lizzie's head. "You'll get through. You've been through way worse."
"I trusted him. And now that I look back on it, I really have no idea why. After Ethan, after Ronnie, even after Paolo, you would think I would have learned my lesson about trusting people."
He sat her upright, so he could look into her downward cast eyes. She brought up her remaining strength to direct her bloodshot eyes to Gordo's calm and comforting ones.
"Your abililty to trust is one of your best characteristics. Don't let Jeremy take that away. You can't let this snatch that away." She looked away for a moment. "You might not want to put your faith where it doesn't belong, but promise me you won't lose that." He took a hold of her shoulders.
"I don't know if I can do that, Gordo. I think emit some sort of aura that screams 'take advantage of me'. I need to learn how to fend for myself. I can't just go around trusting everyone I meet, until they end up hurting me." The image of Jeremy hugging and kissing the blonde flashed into her mind. She shuttered.
"If your mind is set, I won't change that. I hope this just doesn't change the Lizzie McGuire everyone loves. Above all else, keep your heart." he requested.
"You don't need to worry about that." She forced a small smile.
He seemed satisfied. He started the engine and the radio started to play quietly in the back.
"Do you want to go home?" he asked.
"No."
"Then, where do you want to go?"
"Anywhere," she said with no emotion, peering out the window introspectively.
"Whatever you say," he said to an unattentive Lizzie while backing out of the parking space. He adjusted the volume just when the commercials were over.
"This one's for old time's sake..." the male DJ trailed off, whistfully. "This one brings back memories."
*Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly
Just a little change
Small, to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast*
The song continued. Neither one bothered to change the station. She continued her deep stare in the dark sky. He managed to find his way to the freeway. Gordo briefly looked out of the corner of his eye. It looked like she forgot to blink with her continual gaze. She didn't seem to have looked at anything in particular outside or on the window, but rather like she was looking into a mirror of herself, like one of those eye tricks. You stare forever, trying to figure out just what you're looking at. 'What is she thinking about?' he thought to himself.
The song ended and a short radio commercial came on:
"You're listening to Y95. From Sacramento to Redding. From Napa to Stockton. We play continuous music. All day, everyday."
The DJ followed, "You're listening to the best love songs, modern and classic. Now... a little bit of Savage Garden." The intro to "Truly, Madly, Deeply" played.
A laugh came out of nowhere. For a moment, he thought it was a glitch in his ear or a stutter of the engine, but then it happend again. He turned to Lizzie.
The laugh grew. He looked at her, half-worried, half-curious.
"What's so funny?" he asked her. Her response was nothing more than a larger, louder laugh. She pointed to the radio and gasped for breath. She hit the dashboard in her hysterics. He felt a little awkward, but after less than a minute, her laugher caught on. After two or three whole minutes of gut-bursting 'I-think-I-peed-my-pants' howling and giggling, the song had ended and the laughter calmed down.
Lizzie sighed and wiped her eyes dry. "My face hurts," she said, poking various areas of her cheeks.
"I think I almost killed us twice." He also rubbed his eyes and struggled to take full breaths.
"So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," he responded, taking the exit.
A few left turns and gas stations later, they came across a beautiful building. It was actually more of a greenhouse really. There was a small parking lot where he pulled in.
"What is this?" Lizzie questioned.
"A garden, indoors. I came across this about two weeks ago. I got lost and found this." She stood in awe. "Come on, let's go." He grabbed her hand and sprinted towards the door.
They entered and found the receptionist desk. She greeted them and pointed them down one of the two hallways that diverged from the lobby. They said their thank you's and headed down the hallway. Ten feet later, they found a huge rainforest-like room, with roads interwining every which way between large trees, bushes, and other various plants.
She gasped. "We don't have long," he said. "There's something I want you to see." He grabbed her hand one more and she smiled as she followed him. She noticed the large plants and beautiful flowers on the way.
"Here," he said. She turned her head from a particularly large tree she had been looking at while they were running. In front of her was a 25-foot tree, sort of roundish shape and complete with small deep green leaves and pink-white buds.
"Magnolias! Oh this was just what I needed! Thank you so much, Gordo!" She jumped and wrapped her arms around Gordo's neck. She released and stepped forward to touch the flowers. "Wow, I don't know how they keep them blooming this late."
"I'm glad you like it."
"Of course I would like it. I can't believe you remembered my favorite flower."
"In this big ol' head, there's a brain." He tapped the top of his head.
"That's nice to know," she was still looking at the tree.
"Lizzie, I hate to bring it up," he started, "but I still don't understand why you couldn't tell me about Jeremy."
She turned around. "I don't know, I honestly don't. Part of me was screaming to tell you, but something held me back. I don't know what. Just... something. I know it doesn't make much sense. I hope you understand."
"I really don't, but that's okay. Oh, you should call you parents to say you're gonna be late." He took out his cell phone and handed it to her.
"Good idea."
Lizzie dialed the familiar digits to her home. "Hello? Yeah, can you tell Mom and Dad I'll be late?... umm hmm... around 8:30. Okay, bye." She hung up. "It was Matt," she notified Gordo and handed the phone back. He nodded.
She stepped forward and put both of her hands on the railing. She seemed entranced again, but not by the tree. She had a blank expression on, but Gordo wouldn't have known, seeing has how he was behind her. She muttered something under her breath.
"What was that?" he questioned, taking a step forward. He looked at her; she stared somewhere in front of her, but clearly not at the buds or leaves.
"Nothing..." she said.
"You wanna go?"
"Sure..."
* * * * *
"A-a-ll-ll my-y-y li-i-fe, I prayed for someone like you-u," Lizzie sang with her invisible microphone, her bare feet crossed and kicked up above the passenger side airbag. "Come on, sing!"
He sighed, defeatedly, as if he had no say in what he could or could not do. "And I thank God, that I, that I finally found you," he practically recited.
"Oh come on! With some oomph this time!" she insisted, "A-a-ll my-y li-i-fe I prayed for someone like youuu," she sang even more expressively.
"And I hope that you feel the same way too-o-o!" he sang, facial contortions and all.
"By George, I think he's got it!" she giggled.
"Yes, I pray that you do, love me too-o-o!" they sang together, though out of pitch.
The continued down the mostly empty stretch of highway before them, temporarily forgetting all that happened that night, and for once, share a moment (or two) in total ease.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~