A/N: OMG, how long has it been since I last updated? Two, three weeks?
Whoa! Well, I promise that I'm going to get much, much better about it.
Lately I've been trying to take on sooo many projects on the internet, but
I'm going to make ff.net a top priority from now on.
By the way, I made my own personal webpage! Check it out at . So... later! -Jules
Chapter 7: Calm After the Storm
Gordo's POV
Maybe I'm biased, but I think that Lizzie's story was really, really good. It was scary and intriguing and everything a ghost story should be. And there was something about the way she told it... her eyes lit up as she spoke, even in the darkness. Maybe no one else noticed it, but I sure did.
'Am I crazy?' I thought. 'Lizzie's totally off limits for me.'
'But it's about time that I admit it to myself. It's time to admit what I'm feeling: ...um...on second thought, is there a word for this? Oh yeah: LOVE.'
Yeah. As hard as it was to admit it, it's true: I was in love with Lizzie McGuire.
"Gordo?" Her voice penetrated my mind with a force I'd never felt in my life. It stunned me for a minute, but I had to snap out of it.
"GORDO!"
I jumped onto my feet. Lizzie was standing in front of me, and she looked a tad impatient. "Oh, y-yeah, hi," I stammered. "Man it feels good to get off of the floor, doesn't it? I mean, not that the stories weren't good or anything, but the fact that you always have to sit on the floor or the ground or something to listen to a good ghost story is just really stupid, and-"
"Gordo, stop!" Lizzie interrupted. "Quit rambling! I think the power's coming back on!"
Sure enough, the lights all flicked on right after she said it. A sigh of relief echoed through the plane.
"Man, glad that's over," said Lizzie. "'Cause I was really freaking out there for a second. Could you tell?"
Could I tell?! COULD I TELL?! Had she not noticed that she was holding onto me for dear life? Maybe the grief had consumed her mind at the moment, but this was ridiculous!
Lizzie's POV
I waited for a reply, but all I got was this "Are you actually serious?" look. Evidently, Gordo had knew *exactly* how freaked out I was.
Oh yeah...
I was holding onto his arm, wasn't I?
Well, that's a minor detail. Who cares if I had my hands on his arm, my head on his shoulder, my tears on his shirt? What mattered was that we were fine now, and everything was going to be OK.
"Sooo... you tired?" I asked. "'Cause I'm pretty tired."
"Yeah, me too," Gordo answered, walking back to his seat. "I think 'exhausted' is the real word for it."
"Tell me about it! Man, why couldn't we just have a simple, normal flight?"
"Because nothing about our lives is ever simple or normal. I mean, we're going to Rome, Lizzie. *Rome*. I'd say that's fairly out-of-the-ordinary, wouldn't you agree?"
"Well yeah, I mean... yes. Of course. Very not normal."
"Exactly. Lizzie, this trip is an adventure. Adventures never run without a hitch, right?"
"No, I guess not," I replied. "It's just... I was really scared. Really, really scared. I thought that..."
"What? C'mon Liz, you can tell me."
Liz? He'd never called me that before; *no one* had ever called me that before. It was so odd, but at the same time, it made me feel...
Safe.
"I... I... I k-kind of thought that I would never see anyone I care about again."
Gordo just stared.
"I... I thought I'd never see *you* again."
Suddenly, I saw something go off in Gordo's eyes. It was like he just... lit up when I said that. For a second, it felt as though we might kiss, and the thought made my breath get caught in my throat. I though I was suffocating, and I loved it.
Then, the feeling went away. I don't know where it went, but it was gone.
I knew that something had changed in that second. I knew that our friendship would never be the same. And I knew that what we'd started would be finished by the time we left Rome.
But I forgot all about it in about a nano-second, since the sound of someone snoring reminded me how tired I really was.
Ms. Ungermeyer's POV
I poked my head through the restroom's doorway, scanning the area for any unusual behavior. Nothing seemed out of place... to the untrained eye, that is. But I know better. Quiet 14-year-olds can only mean one thing: somebody's up to something.
Now as everyone knows, I'm *the* expert at sniffing out trouble. But even experts have off days, and I 'spose this was mine. Children never behave in big group situations. Yet I didn't see a single sign of suspicious activity in the entire place! Maybe I'm not as gifted as we've always thought I was.
Nah.
It may not make sense, but let's face it, even *I'm* not perfect.
(Though I'm pretty damn close.)
Ethan's POV
How could one person be so bored? I mean, normally, when I'm like, bored, I'm not bored, just kinda... um... confused! Yeah, that's the word! But this plane ride is so boring that I'm really bored! Who knew that being bored could be so... like... boring!
Well, maybe I was all bored and stuff, but I was still excited. In an excitedly bored kinda way, ya know? Like, we're going to Italy. They invented spaghetti there! And there'll be all these really hot girls. You know, Spanish girls. Wait, is that right? Yeah, Italians are called Spanish peeps, right? Yeah, that's totally right. Yeah.
Word.
Lizzie's POV
When Sean Paul's "Get Busy" came on the radio, I could've jumped right out of my seat and started to dance, but I restrained myself. Kate and Ethan and everybody else was there - I couldn't make such a huge fool out of myself!
'Wait, who am I kidding? The only person I care about impressing is Gordo. Oh God, I can't believe I'm talking... err, thinking... like this! What's wrong with me? How can I possibly be in love with Gordo? It doesn't make any sense!'
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Gordo was snapping pics of... well, just about everything. He noticed that I'd noticed him. "Smile!" he said. I obeyed, and the flash blinded me. The first thing I saw when the flash wore off was Gordo. Whoa.
Then he took a picture of himself. It flashed in his face, taking him by surprise.
"Whoa!" we both exclaimed. We laughed hysterically. Man, this was *sooo* much fun!
That's when I noticed Ms. Ungermeyer talking to Ethan. Desperate to eavesdrop, I turned off my headphones and discreetly listened in.
"'I'm joining the navy, Mom,'" Ms. Ungermeyer said to a sitting Ethan. "'I'm sorry, but it's what I want to do, and you can't stop me, because I am a determined, strong woman, I'm 18 years old, and I'm grown up!' Boy, my mother went ballistic when she heard that. But she couldn't do anything to stop me, and she knew of her inferiority to me, so she stood off.
"The navy, however, didn't respect me so much. Those babyish "men" just couldn't handle the fact that I was so much smarter and more clever than them. So they threw me out of there.
"I knew I needed to help serve my country, so I joined the Marines. Those guys were so weak that I embarrassed them, so they kicked me out too. Fortunately, I managed to get the last laugh by feeding them undercooked hamburger before I left, and no one could ever pin it on me. Boy those boys sure were sick that night.
"I tried my luck at the army, with no success. Then one day, I overheard someone saying how hard their job as a teacher was, and how they felt more exhausted than a platoon leader. I'd always dreamt of being a platoon leader, so I decided to try teaching. After one day of subbing, I knew I'd found my true passion.
"As you can see, I've come a long way since then. Now I'm an intellectual and sassy principal, running a school of vermin who tease and taunt me around their friends, but I know that deep down, they worship me. They all worship me.
"So you see Craft, it may seem like I'm in it all for the dough - and I definitely have enough bling and a shiny-enough Chrysler Lebaron convertible to make it look that way - but when it comes down to it, I'm in it for the people, I'm in it for the *passion*, and I'm in it for the POWER!!!
"Uh, Craft? Cra-aft? Are you listening to me? Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Ms. Ungermeyer whacked the now snoring Ethan over the head, and he jumped in his seat, startled by the interruption of his beauty sleep. "Uh, yeah," he said. "You were saying something about hamburgers?"
I turned back to face the front as a *majorly* frustrated expression spread across Ms. Ungermeyer's face.
"You know what Gordo? Forget about everything else I've said about ninth grade. I think that high school is going to be... fun!"
By the way, I made my own personal webpage! Check it out at . So... later! -Jules
Chapter 7: Calm After the Storm
Gordo's POV
Maybe I'm biased, but I think that Lizzie's story was really, really good. It was scary and intriguing and everything a ghost story should be. And there was something about the way she told it... her eyes lit up as she spoke, even in the darkness. Maybe no one else noticed it, but I sure did.
'Am I crazy?' I thought. 'Lizzie's totally off limits for me.'
'But it's about time that I admit it to myself. It's time to admit what I'm feeling: ...um...on second thought, is there a word for this? Oh yeah: LOVE.'
Yeah. As hard as it was to admit it, it's true: I was in love with Lizzie McGuire.
"Gordo?" Her voice penetrated my mind with a force I'd never felt in my life. It stunned me for a minute, but I had to snap out of it.
"GORDO!"
I jumped onto my feet. Lizzie was standing in front of me, and she looked a tad impatient. "Oh, y-yeah, hi," I stammered. "Man it feels good to get off of the floor, doesn't it? I mean, not that the stories weren't good or anything, but the fact that you always have to sit on the floor or the ground or something to listen to a good ghost story is just really stupid, and-"
"Gordo, stop!" Lizzie interrupted. "Quit rambling! I think the power's coming back on!"
Sure enough, the lights all flicked on right after she said it. A sigh of relief echoed through the plane.
"Man, glad that's over," said Lizzie. "'Cause I was really freaking out there for a second. Could you tell?"
Could I tell?! COULD I TELL?! Had she not noticed that she was holding onto me for dear life? Maybe the grief had consumed her mind at the moment, but this was ridiculous!
Lizzie's POV
I waited for a reply, but all I got was this "Are you actually serious?" look. Evidently, Gordo had knew *exactly* how freaked out I was.
Oh yeah...
I was holding onto his arm, wasn't I?
Well, that's a minor detail. Who cares if I had my hands on his arm, my head on his shoulder, my tears on his shirt? What mattered was that we were fine now, and everything was going to be OK.
"Sooo... you tired?" I asked. "'Cause I'm pretty tired."
"Yeah, me too," Gordo answered, walking back to his seat. "I think 'exhausted' is the real word for it."
"Tell me about it! Man, why couldn't we just have a simple, normal flight?"
"Because nothing about our lives is ever simple or normal. I mean, we're going to Rome, Lizzie. *Rome*. I'd say that's fairly out-of-the-ordinary, wouldn't you agree?"
"Well yeah, I mean... yes. Of course. Very not normal."
"Exactly. Lizzie, this trip is an adventure. Adventures never run without a hitch, right?"
"No, I guess not," I replied. "It's just... I was really scared. Really, really scared. I thought that..."
"What? C'mon Liz, you can tell me."
Liz? He'd never called me that before; *no one* had ever called me that before. It was so odd, but at the same time, it made me feel...
Safe.
"I... I... I k-kind of thought that I would never see anyone I care about again."
Gordo just stared.
"I... I thought I'd never see *you* again."
Suddenly, I saw something go off in Gordo's eyes. It was like he just... lit up when I said that. For a second, it felt as though we might kiss, and the thought made my breath get caught in my throat. I though I was suffocating, and I loved it.
Then, the feeling went away. I don't know where it went, but it was gone.
I knew that something had changed in that second. I knew that our friendship would never be the same. And I knew that what we'd started would be finished by the time we left Rome.
But I forgot all about it in about a nano-second, since the sound of someone snoring reminded me how tired I really was.
Ms. Ungermeyer's POV
I poked my head through the restroom's doorway, scanning the area for any unusual behavior. Nothing seemed out of place... to the untrained eye, that is. But I know better. Quiet 14-year-olds can only mean one thing: somebody's up to something.
Now as everyone knows, I'm *the* expert at sniffing out trouble. But even experts have off days, and I 'spose this was mine. Children never behave in big group situations. Yet I didn't see a single sign of suspicious activity in the entire place! Maybe I'm not as gifted as we've always thought I was.
Nah.
It may not make sense, but let's face it, even *I'm* not perfect.
(Though I'm pretty damn close.)
Ethan's POV
How could one person be so bored? I mean, normally, when I'm like, bored, I'm not bored, just kinda... um... confused! Yeah, that's the word! But this plane ride is so boring that I'm really bored! Who knew that being bored could be so... like... boring!
Well, maybe I was all bored and stuff, but I was still excited. In an excitedly bored kinda way, ya know? Like, we're going to Italy. They invented spaghetti there! And there'll be all these really hot girls. You know, Spanish girls. Wait, is that right? Yeah, Italians are called Spanish peeps, right? Yeah, that's totally right. Yeah.
Word.
Lizzie's POV
When Sean Paul's "Get Busy" came on the radio, I could've jumped right out of my seat and started to dance, but I restrained myself. Kate and Ethan and everybody else was there - I couldn't make such a huge fool out of myself!
'Wait, who am I kidding? The only person I care about impressing is Gordo. Oh God, I can't believe I'm talking... err, thinking... like this! What's wrong with me? How can I possibly be in love with Gordo? It doesn't make any sense!'
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Gordo was snapping pics of... well, just about everything. He noticed that I'd noticed him. "Smile!" he said. I obeyed, and the flash blinded me. The first thing I saw when the flash wore off was Gordo. Whoa.
Then he took a picture of himself. It flashed in his face, taking him by surprise.
"Whoa!" we both exclaimed. We laughed hysterically. Man, this was *sooo* much fun!
That's when I noticed Ms. Ungermeyer talking to Ethan. Desperate to eavesdrop, I turned off my headphones and discreetly listened in.
"'I'm joining the navy, Mom,'" Ms. Ungermeyer said to a sitting Ethan. "'I'm sorry, but it's what I want to do, and you can't stop me, because I am a determined, strong woman, I'm 18 years old, and I'm grown up!' Boy, my mother went ballistic when she heard that. But she couldn't do anything to stop me, and she knew of her inferiority to me, so she stood off.
"The navy, however, didn't respect me so much. Those babyish "men" just couldn't handle the fact that I was so much smarter and more clever than them. So they threw me out of there.
"I knew I needed to help serve my country, so I joined the Marines. Those guys were so weak that I embarrassed them, so they kicked me out too. Fortunately, I managed to get the last laugh by feeding them undercooked hamburger before I left, and no one could ever pin it on me. Boy those boys sure were sick that night.
"I tried my luck at the army, with no success. Then one day, I overheard someone saying how hard their job as a teacher was, and how they felt more exhausted than a platoon leader. I'd always dreamt of being a platoon leader, so I decided to try teaching. After one day of subbing, I knew I'd found my true passion.
"As you can see, I've come a long way since then. Now I'm an intellectual and sassy principal, running a school of vermin who tease and taunt me around their friends, but I know that deep down, they worship me. They all worship me.
"So you see Craft, it may seem like I'm in it all for the dough - and I definitely have enough bling and a shiny-enough Chrysler Lebaron convertible to make it look that way - but when it comes down to it, I'm in it for the people, I'm in it for the *passion*, and I'm in it for the POWER!!!
"Uh, Craft? Cra-aft? Are you listening to me? Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Ms. Ungermeyer whacked the now snoring Ethan over the head, and he jumped in his seat, startled by the interruption of his beauty sleep. "Uh, yeah," he said. "You were saying something about hamburgers?"
I turned back to face the front as a *majorly* frustrated expression spread across Ms. Ungermeyer's face.
"You know what Gordo? Forget about everything else I've said about ninth grade. I think that high school is going to be... fun!"