It took a little longer than usual, but it's up! I kept revising.. and revising.
Hmm... I didn't know that Lina came off as a bad character in the beginning.
I think I'll be changing the story title for the millionth time... AH!
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Chapter 13 - Fireplace Confessionals.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"HAHAHA!"
The car stopped at a red light.
"I can't believe you don't watch the Newlyweds, Gordo. What do you live in? A hole?"
"Just because I don't spend every waking moment watching who Ashton pun' ked or who Britney is dating today, doesn't mean that I don't have a life."
"Okay, whatever you say."
By now the two had made their way to the local roads, not to far from Lizzie's home.
Lizzie looked down at her hands. She was still wearing his bracelet. She started to unhook it from around her think wrist.
"I knew it," Gordo whispered to himself.
"What was that?" Lizzie asked, finally managing to remove the detested silver chain.
"I said I knew that that bracelet was unfamiliar."
She didn't seem to notice as she was rolling down her window. She wriggled her body, half way out of the window and hurled it towards the side of the road, filled with wildly growing vines and grass.
"Yeah well, it doesn't matter now," she sighed, settling back into her seat.
* * * * *
"I'll pick you up tomorrow for school?" Gordo asked, as Lizzie stepped out of the car.
"Sure," she answered, speaking through the open car window. He watched from the car until she had made her way safely into her home. She turned around and gave one quick wave goodbye and entered her home. When she was no longer visible, he drove the short distance to his home.
* * * * *
Gordo squinted in the dim porch light, trying desperately to find the right key from his chain.
He ignored the rattling and clanking of the keys and grew impatient with the early fall air nipping at his arms. He finally pushed the door open to a dark, shadowed home.
The Gordon residence was devoid of any particular fragrance, besides maybe a light scent of Pine-Sol, every now and then, seeing that his parents were always working, or on some trip for a seminar or lecture. They seemed to make some time for their only son though, trying their best to obviate any chance of raising a future patient.
No homework. No projects. He didn't feel like watching TV, or going online, or watching a movie.
So he settled on the idea to start a fire.
Sure it was a little out of season, but Gordo couldn't remember the last time the spotless fireplace in the living room was used, or even touched. Despite the fact he had never started a fire, he figured, "How hard could it be? Little 7-year olds do it all the time in the boy scouts."
After getting matches, twigs, a few large logs from the backyard, and his favorite mix of sixties music, he lit a match under the pile of lumber. The small flame went out. He lit another match, and it barely got underneath a single leaf before it too disappeared, leaving a thin, gray line of smoke swirling from the charred tip. This went on for a good two minutes.
"Dad said I should join the Boy Scouts, but no-o-o-o I was too *independent*," Gordo muttered, starting another failed attempt at starting a fire. Frank Sinatra's classics played in the background.
The door bell rang once.
Gordo stopped from his botched fire-starting attempts and rushed to the door in his socks, slightly slipping on the wooden floor in the hallway and almost knocking over a few frames.
Lina stood there. He was slightly disappointed; odd, seeing as he wasn't expecting anyone. She had an overstuffed book bag slung over her shoulders and donned a heavy jacket and sweatpants. Her ever-present smile wasn't plastered on her face now, but neither was a frown.
"Can I use your phone?" she asked.
"Sure." Gordo motioned her in.
"Thanks," Lina responded, with a hint of subdued dejection.
He stood awkwardly in the kitchen as she dialed her number, not knowing what he should do. He decided it was rude to eavesdrop on her conversation, so he went into the adjacent living room to continue his quest for a fire.
He tried his best to concentrate on his match and twigs. However his ears couldn't help but overhear.
"Hello? Look, Dan. Can you get out early and pick me up? It's kind of an emergency," she said in a hushed tone. A small beat passed; he could picture her nod along, "Oh, well... okay. See you later. Nevermind." She hung up. She spoke up and addressed Gordo. "Alright, thanks for the phone Gordo. I'll see you tomorrow at school, I guess. And good luck with your fire."
"Okay, see you later," he said, standing up from his seat. He felt a little guilt creep up on him. "Wait. Do you want to stay?"
She turned around. "Uhm, I kind of have to go," she said, more or less unconvincingly, at least to Gordo.
"You don't sound too sure," he pointed out.
"Well, I am," Lina said sternly. She opened the door and started to exit. She felt a hand grab her shoulder.
Why was he being so persistent? He didn't know, but something inside him said she needed help.
"Stay."
She turned around and looked slightly defeated. She stole one more glance outside and closed the door behind her.
"Well, I have to go to the bathroom real quick, so you can get comfortable in the living room and I can take your coat." She nodded along and headed into the living room.
In a minute, Gordo transcended the stairs and into the living room where he was surprised to see Lina, tending to a fairly good sized fire and humming along to "Somewhere Beyond the Sea."
"How'd you- Why'd you... How?" he stuttered, pointing back and forth from her and the fire.
"Just something I picked up after many times around the campfire," she state, moving around a log in the fire.
"You go camping?"
"I haven't gone in awhile, but in my old school, where I went for elementary school, we took a lot of trips. It was a really small private school. Our fifth and sixth classes were combined and the class was 30 and considered big. So we took a lot of field trips to camping and beaches. I liked it. And plus, my grandpa likes to go camping and all that outdoorsy stuff." She smiled nostalgically.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"Nothing." He sat down by the fire.
She shifted in her seat. "You don't think it's too early for a fire? It is only October."
"Ah, this thing never gets used anyways. Might as well use it now."
"I see." She kept poking at the fire with her right hand and hugging her knees close to her with her left.
"Did you like your old school? The one you went to here?" he asked.
"Yeah, I had my first friends there and everything. And probably the most influential teacher I had there." Her eyes didn't wander from the embers.
"I had one so far too, my fifth grade teacher. What was your teacher like?"
"She was kind of short, really smart. She was really honest and she was the first teacher that ever pushed me to do above my normal work. And with such a small group of people spending so much time together. I started talking more and getting more comfortable with myself. You know... and she just helped me."
"I know what you mean. Ms. Cardigen was the best teacher I've had so far. Something about her said that she cared just a little more," he said. Lina nodded.
"Yeah, I was lucky to have Mrs. Holt. I think I might've killed myself if..." She stopped, seeming to realize what she said. She obviously didn't mean for it to come out. He seemed to notice, but inquired anyways.
"What happened?"
She stared at the fire still, looking afraid to look him in the eyes. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts, debating whether or not and what to tell Gordo.
"Just something stupid."
"Right..."
"So what set ms. Cardigen apart from all your other teachers?"
"I'm not sure. I might just remember her class fondly."
"Why?"
"Not completely sure," he answered, now joining in the poking of the fire. "Once, we took this class trip to the local science museum thing. We have one every year and I thought it would be business as usual. You go, you look, you eat, and you come back to school. Well I don't remember what we were looking at but it was something really, really weird. So me, Miranda, and Lizzie were standing there in front of the exhibit, or whatever. And the group moves along without us, because we weren't listening. So we keep staring for about two whole minutes until I realize the group isn't there anymore. So Lizzie freaks out, as usual. And we run around the whole floor looking for our class. Lizzie looked like she was going to cry, sort sad, but when I look back on it, it seems really funny. We eventually give up and sit down hoping someone will find us. It took about twenty minutes, but Ms. Cardigan found us. She comforted Lizzie and didn't even yell at us. She said we should pay more attention next time."
"That was it? What a rip-off."
"Hey! You didn't tell me anything. So I wouldn't talk."
"Okay, okay. Fine," she gave in. "My fifth and sixth grade years were the equivalent of the 'terrible twos' everyone else had. I was basically a wreck and a ticking time bomb. She... was patient, more so than my parents and all of the adults in my life at the time. I eventually got over most of that stuff. Maybe I was lucky in a way, getting all that teenage emotional, hormone-charged phase out when I was early." She dropped her stick and started to pick at her nails.
"I suppose."
There was a couple moments of silence. She hummed along to "The Way You Look Tonight."
"What made you come here? Did your phone not work?" he asked.
"Well," she seemed to be debating in her head what to say. "I couldn't call from my house."
"Why not?" his curiosity was slightly piqued.
She sighed. "Maybe if I knew you better I would tell you."
"At least tell me who was on the phone."
"That was my brother. He had a 'hot date,'" she mimicked. "Loser..." she muttered.
Gordo just laughed. "Where'd you want to go? I could give you a ride if you really need it."
"I just kind of wanted out of the house, that's all."
"When do you want to go back?"
"Sure are inquisitive today. Aren't we, Gordo?"
He let out a small chuckle. "I guess we are."
"Well anyways, Sherlock," she continued, "I don't care when I get back. Just so long as my parents don't find out, which I don't think isn't gonna happen 'til morning."
"Oh..."
"They're asleep," she quickly assured.
"If you really need somewhere to sleep, you're more than welcome to the guest room. It's never used anyways."
"Nice of you, but I'll pass. Sleeping in other people's beds is right up there in weirdness with putting underwear on twice and letting your dog eat stuff out of your mouth."
"Thanks for that vivid and colorful picture."
"Anytime, Gordon. Anytime," she laughed.
"Besides, sleeping in the woods would be reminiscent to my early camping days."
"You were going to sleep in the woods??"
"Pretty much."
"Seriously, you have to at least sleep in a house." She didn't answer.
"So," she said, changing the subject abruptly, "what's up with you and Lizzie? I heard she has a boyfriend."
"How did YOU find out? Geez, I didn't even know 'til today," he sighed. "Well, don't tell anyone, but basically she's not with him anymore, at least I hope not. She caught him cheating tonight at the movies after we ate."
"Ah... the cheating boyfriend. Perfect time for, oh, I dunno, a BEST FRIEND, or something to swoop in there and get her to like this best friend," she laughed.
"You would think so. But it's way too familiar territory. Lizzie doesn't like me like that. Something I wish I learned a while ago. I asked her and got rejected."
"Ouch..."
"The thing was that she never really 'turned me down'. We just kind of stopped talking for awhile. Which was totally stupid when I look back on it now."
"So, what are you gonna do now?"
"I don't know." He stepped back from the fire, but Lina remained firmly planted before the fire. He flopped his body on his couch. "But I seriously doubt I'll be asking her out in the near future."
"Right..."
"Now that I confessed my life story. It's your turn now, Little Miss Privacy."
"Well, what do you want to know?"
He tilted his head to his left, thinking. "Let's start with why you were going to the woods. Honestly."
She, too, tilted her head, thinking. "I didn't feel like being in my house?" she responded, more as a question than an answer.
He sighed heavily.
"One thing you should know about me, Gordon. The fact that I'm not the most open person in the world. You should just accept it and move on."
"Textbook."
"What's textbook?"
"You. You're scarred from something or someone and now that's left you a wreck..."
"I'm not a wreck," she said quietly.
"So are you admitting that you're scarred?
"No." She turned to face Gordo.
"Then why can't you tell me why you didn't want to go home?"
"Because!" she said a little louder.
"Because why?"
"Forget it."
"That's why you're always smiling, isn't it?"
"Would you stop already? Geez..." she turned to face the fire again.
"Why won't you tell me? Simple question."
"I don't need your pity, that's why."
"Well, if I guarantee that you won't get my pity, will you tell me then?"
She sighed, partly in frustration, partly in exasperation. Lina muttered something close to a 'fine.'
"My parents are fighting and they're getting a divorce. I overheard them from my room."
He didn't respond. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't.
"If you don't want to go home, you can stay here."
"No. But thanks anyways. My parents will be mad enough that I'm out now."
Her head snapped suddenly at the sharp sound of tires screeching. She ran towards the front door and violently swung open the door.
Lina ran towards the front door and violently swung open the door, letting in a rush of crispy autumn air. She stood there a second in a state of mild shock. Gordo stood behind her.
"I should go, Gordo."
After retrieving her bag and coat, she walked out the door, for the second time that day. He watched her through a side window, watching her climb dexterously up to her bedroom window and crawl in to her bedroom, out of sight.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Boring? Too long?
Please review.
Hmm... I didn't know that Lina came off as a bad character in the beginning.
I think I'll be changing the story title for the millionth time... AH!
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.Chapter 13 - Fireplace Confessionals.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
"HAHAHA!"
The car stopped at a red light.
"I can't believe you don't watch the Newlyweds, Gordo. What do you live in? A hole?"
"Just because I don't spend every waking moment watching who Ashton pun' ked or who Britney is dating today, doesn't mean that I don't have a life."
"Okay, whatever you say."
By now the two had made their way to the local roads, not to far from Lizzie's home.
Lizzie looked down at her hands. She was still wearing his bracelet. She started to unhook it from around her think wrist.
"I knew it," Gordo whispered to himself.
"What was that?" Lizzie asked, finally managing to remove the detested silver chain.
"I said I knew that that bracelet was unfamiliar."
She didn't seem to notice as she was rolling down her window. She wriggled her body, half way out of the window and hurled it towards the side of the road, filled with wildly growing vines and grass.
"Yeah well, it doesn't matter now," she sighed, settling back into her seat.
* * * * *
"I'll pick you up tomorrow for school?" Gordo asked, as Lizzie stepped out of the car.
"Sure," she answered, speaking through the open car window. He watched from the car until she had made her way safely into her home. She turned around and gave one quick wave goodbye and entered her home. When she was no longer visible, he drove the short distance to his home.
* * * * *
Gordo squinted in the dim porch light, trying desperately to find the right key from his chain.
He ignored the rattling and clanking of the keys and grew impatient with the early fall air nipping at his arms. He finally pushed the door open to a dark, shadowed home.
The Gordon residence was devoid of any particular fragrance, besides maybe a light scent of Pine-Sol, every now and then, seeing that his parents were always working, or on some trip for a seminar or lecture. They seemed to make some time for their only son though, trying their best to obviate any chance of raising a future patient.
No homework. No projects. He didn't feel like watching TV, or going online, or watching a movie.
So he settled on the idea to start a fire.
Sure it was a little out of season, but Gordo couldn't remember the last time the spotless fireplace in the living room was used, or even touched. Despite the fact he had never started a fire, he figured, "How hard could it be? Little 7-year olds do it all the time in the boy scouts."
After getting matches, twigs, a few large logs from the backyard, and his favorite mix of sixties music, he lit a match under the pile of lumber. The small flame went out. He lit another match, and it barely got underneath a single leaf before it too disappeared, leaving a thin, gray line of smoke swirling from the charred tip. This went on for a good two minutes.
"Dad said I should join the Boy Scouts, but no-o-o-o I was too *independent*," Gordo muttered, starting another failed attempt at starting a fire. Frank Sinatra's classics played in the background.
The door bell rang once.
Gordo stopped from his botched fire-starting attempts and rushed to the door in his socks, slightly slipping on the wooden floor in the hallway and almost knocking over a few frames.
Lina stood there. He was slightly disappointed; odd, seeing as he wasn't expecting anyone. She had an overstuffed book bag slung over her shoulders and donned a heavy jacket and sweatpants. Her ever-present smile wasn't plastered on her face now, but neither was a frown.
"Can I use your phone?" she asked.
"Sure." Gordo motioned her in.
"Thanks," Lina responded, with a hint of subdued dejection.
He stood awkwardly in the kitchen as she dialed her number, not knowing what he should do. He decided it was rude to eavesdrop on her conversation, so he went into the adjacent living room to continue his quest for a fire.
He tried his best to concentrate on his match and twigs. However his ears couldn't help but overhear.
"Hello? Look, Dan. Can you get out early and pick me up? It's kind of an emergency," she said in a hushed tone. A small beat passed; he could picture her nod along, "Oh, well... okay. See you later. Nevermind." She hung up. She spoke up and addressed Gordo. "Alright, thanks for the phone Gordo. I'll see you tomorrow at school, I guess. And good luck with your fire."
"Okay, see you later," he said, standing up from his seat. He felt a little guilt creep up on him. "Wait. Do you want to stay?"
She turned around. "Uhm, I kind of have to go," she said, more or less unconvincingly, at least to Gordo.
"You don't sound too sure," he pointed out.
"Well, I am," Lina said sternly. She opened the door and started to exit. She felt a hand grab her shoulder.
Why was he being so persistent? He didn't know, but something inside him said she needed help.
"Stay."
She turned around and looked slightly defeated. She stole one more glance outside and closed the door behind her.
"Well, I have to go to the bathroom real quick, so you can get comfortable in the living room and I can take your coat." She nodded along and headed into the living room.
In a minute, Gordo transcended the stairs and into the living room where he was surprised to see Lina, tending to a fairly good sized fire and humming along to "Somewhere Beyond the Sea."
"How'd you- Why'd you... How?" he stuttered, pointing back and forth from her and the fire.
"Just something I picked up after many times around the campfire," she state, moving around a log in the fire.
"You go camping?"
"I haven't gone in awhile, but in my old school, where I went for elementary school, we took a lot of trips. It was a really small private school. Our fifth and sixth classes were combined and the class was 30 and considered big. So we took a lot of field trips to camping and beaches. I liked it. And plus, my grandpa likes to go camping and all that outdoorsy stuff." She smiled nostalgically.
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"Nothing." He sat down by the fire.
She shifted in her seat. "You don't think it's too early for a fire? It is only October."
"Ah, this thing never gets used anyways. Might as well use it now."
"I see." She kept poking at the fire with her right hand and hugging her knees close to her with her left.
"Did you like your old school? The one you went to here?" he asked.
"Yeah, I had my first friends there and everything. And probably the most influential teacher I had there." Her eyes didn't wander from the embers.
"I had one so far too, my fifth grade teacher. What was your teacher like?"
"She was kind of short, really smart. She was really honest and she was the first teacher that ever pushed me to do above my normal work. And with such a small group of people spending so much time together. I started talking more and getting more comfortable with myself. You know... and she just helped me."
"I know what you mean. Ms. Cardigen was the best teacher I've had so far. Something about her said that she cared just a little more," he said. Lina nodded.
"Yeah, I was lucky to have Mrs. Holt. I think I might've killed myself if..." She stopped, seeming to realize what she said. She obviously didn't mean for it to come out. He seemed to notice, but inquired anyways.
"What happened?"
She stared at the fire still, looking afraid to look him in the eyes. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts, debating whether or not and what to tell Gordo.
"Just something stupid."
"Right..."
"So what set ms. Cardigen apart from all your other teachers?"
"I'm not sure. I might just remember her class fondly."
"Why?"
"Not completely sure," he answered, now joining in the poking of the fire. "Once, we took this class trip to the local science museum thing. We have one every year and I thought it would be business as usual. You go, you look, you eat, and you come back to school. Well I don't remember what we were looking at but it was something really, really weird. So me, Miranda, and Lizzie were standing there in front of the exhibit, or whatever. And the group moves along without us, because we weren't listening. So we keep staring for about two whole minutes until I realize the group isn't there anymore. So Lizzie freaks out, as usual. And we run around the whole floor looking for our class. Lizzie looked like she was going to cry, sort sad, but when I look back on it, it seems really funny. We eventually give up and sit down hoping someone will find us. It took about twenty minutes, but Ms. Cardigan found us. She comforted Lizzie and didn't even yell at us. She said we should pay more attention next time."
"That was it? What a rip-off."
"Hey! You didn't tell me anything. So I wouldn't talk."
"Okay, okay. Fine," she gave in. "My fifth and sixth grade years were the equivalent of the 'terrible twos' everyone else had. I was basically a wreck and a ticking time bomb. She... was patient, more so than my parents and all of the adults in my life at the time. I eventually got over most of that stuff. Maybe I was lucky in a way, getting all that teenage emotional, hormone-charged phase out when I was early." She dropped her stick and started to pick at her nails.
"I suppose."
There was a couple moments of silence. She hummed along to "The Way You Look Tonight."
"What made you come here? Did your phone not work?" he asked.
"Well," she seemed to be debating in her head what to say. "I couldn't call from my house."
"Why not?" his curiosity was slightly piqued.
She sighed. "Maybe if I knew you better I would tell you."
"At least tell me who was on the phone."
"That was my brother. He had a 'hot date,'" she mimicked. "Loser..." she muttered.
Gordo just laughed. "Where'd you want to go? I could give you a ride if you really need it."
"I just kind of wanted out of the house, that's all."
"When do you want to go back?"
"Sure are inquisitive today. Aren't we, Gordo?"
He let out a small chuckle. "I guess we are."
"Well anyways, Sherlock," she continued, "I don't care when I get back. Just so long as my parents don't find out, which I don't think isn't gonna happen 'til morning."
"Oh..."
"They're asleep," she quickly assured.
"If you really need somewhere to sleep, you're more than welcome to the guest room. It's never used anyways."
"Nice of you, but I'll pass. Sleeping in other people's beds is right up there in weirdness with putting underwear on twice and letting your dog eat stuff out of your mouth."
"Thanks for that vivid and colorful picture."
"Anytime, Gordon. Anytime," she laughed.
"Besides, sleeping in the woods would be reminiscent to my early camping days."
"You were going to sleep in the woods??"
"Pretty much."
"Seriously, you have to at least sleep in a house." She didn't answer.
"So," she said, changing the subject abruptly, "what's up with you and Lizzie? I heard she has a boyfriend."
"How did YOU find out? Geez, I didn't even know 'til today," he sighed. "Well, don't tell anyone, but basically she's not with him anymore, at least I hope not. She caught him cheating tonight at the movies after we ate."
"Ah... the cheating boyfriend. Perfect time for, oh, I dunno, a BEST FRIEND, or something to swoop in there and get her to like this best friend," she laughed.
"You would think so. But it's way too familiar territory. Lizzie doesn't like me like that. Something I wish I learned a while ago. I asked her and got rejected."
"Ouch..."
"The thing was that she never really 'turned me down'. We just kind of stopped talking for awhile. Which was totally stupid when I look back on it now."
"So, what are you gonna do now?"
"I don't know." He stepped back from the fire, but Lina remained firmly planted before the fire. He flopped his body on his couch. "But I seriously doubt I'll be asking her out in the near future."
"Right..."
"Now that I confessed my life story. It's your turn now, Little Miss Privacy."
"Well, what do you want to know?"
He tilted his head to his left, thinking. "Let's start with why you were going to the woods. Honestly."
She, too, tilted her head, thinking. "I didn't feel like being in my house?" she responded, more as a question than an answer.
He sighed heavily.
"One thing you should know about me, Gordon. The fact that I'm not the most open person in the world. You should just accept it and move on."
"Textbook."
"What's textbook?"
"You. You're scarred from something or someone and now that's left you a wreck..."
"I'm not a wreck," she said quietly.
"So are you admitting that you're scarred?
"No." She turned to face Gordo.
"Then why can't you tell me why you didn't want to go home?"
"Because!" she said a little louder.
"Because why?"
"Forget it."
"That's why you're always smiling, isn't it?"
"Would you stop already? Geez..." she turned to face the fire again.
"Why won't you tell me? Simple question."
"I don't need your pity, that's why."
"Well, if I guarantee that you won't get my pity, will you tell me then?"
She sighed, partly in frustration, partly in exasperation. Lina muttered something close to a 'fine.'
"My parents are fighting and they're getting a divorce. I overheard them from my room."
He didn't respond. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn't.
"If you don't want to go home, you can stay here."
"No. But thanks anyways. My parents will be mad enough that I'm out now."
Her head snapped suddenly at the sharp sound of tires screeching. She ran towards the front door and violently swung open the door.
Lina ran towards the front door and violently swung open the door, letting in a rush of crispy autumn air. She stood there a second in a state of mild shock. Gordo stood behind her.
"I should go, Gordo."
After retrieving her bag and coat, she walked out the door, for the second time that day. He watched her through a side window, watching her climb dexterously up to her bedroom window and crawl in to her bedroom, out of sight.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Boring? Too long?
Please review.