Gordo backed his 1993 Honda Civic hatchback carefully into a parking spot.
This way they could open the hatch, sit in the truck area and be facing the
movie screen. "Perfect," Gordo said under his breath as he admired his
parking job.
"What's perfect Gordo?" Miranda asked.
"Oh, I was talking about my parking job," Gordo replied sheepishly.
"Ha-Ha, I thought maybe you were talking about Lizzie," Miranda teased.
Instantly both Gordo and Lizzie looked mortified. But Lizzie recovered first, "Miranda, I'm going to the bathroom, join me won't you?"
"I don't really have to go," Miranda said sensing that Lizzie was going to give her an earful.
"Yes you do," Lizzie hissed.
As the girls walked toward the bathroom, Gordo collapsed the back seat in the Honda to make more room where they would be sitting and spread out the blankets Miranda had brought.
"Miranda, what the heck!" Lizzie spat. "Are you trying to completely embarrass me in front of Gordo?"
"What? No, I didn't think I said anything wrong." Miranda lied.
"Hello! You keep saying these things that would imply that I like Gordo or that Gordo likes me. Which isn't the case." Lizzie said.
"Isn't it? That's not what it looks like to me. Can you honestly tell me that you don't like Gordo?" Miranda asked.
"I don't know, and I don't want to talk about it anymore right now. Let's just enjoy the drive in." Lizzie answered quietly.
After the girls went to the bathroom they stopped at the concession stand and bought, popcorn, candy and sodas. Gordo noticed that Lizzie's hands were especially full and offered to help her. "Lizzie, let me take the sodas for you." Awkwardly, Lizzie tried to hand the sodas to Gordo without dropping everything else she was carrying. As Gordo managed to get his hand around the second soda Lizzie was carrying, their hands met. It sent tingles up both their arms and their eyes locked. Startled as they both were, they both let go of the soda and it fell to the ground with a splash. The spell was broken as the cold soda splashed onto Lizzie's feet and she shrieked.
"I'm so sorry Lizzie. I'll go get some napkins and another soda," Gordo stammered then quickly hurried away.
Miranda couldn't help giggling and thought, "And they pretend like there's nothing going on between them." Lizzie shot Miranda a warning look and Miranda quickly tried to regain composure.
Gordo came back with a new soda and napkins, which he gave Lizzie to clean off her feet with. Miranda climbed into the hatchback and slid all the way to one side so that Gordo and Lizzie would have to sit by each other. Gordo climbed into the car and slid all the way to the opposite side than Miranda had sat on. After Lizzie finished cleaning off her feet she attempted to climb into the hatchback, but she slipped on account of the soda all over her sandals. Lizzie painfully banged her knee on the bumper and cut her arm on a piece of rough plastic trunk molding that was sticking out. Lizzie's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She turned her back to Gordo and Miranda who were already climbing out of the car to help her. She felt like a baby and didn't want them to see her cry.
"I'll go to the concession stand and see if they have a first aid kit we can borrow," Miranda offered, the sight of blood making her slightly queasy.
Gordo put his hand of Lizzie's shoulder and said, "Lizzie, are you okay?"
Lizzie sniffed, trying to hide the fact that she was crying and said, "Yeah, fine."
"No, you're hurt, look your arm is bleeding. Come on." Gordo said and steered Lizzie toward the drivers seat. He opened the door and pushed her into the seat. He knelt down on the ground in front of her and took her hand. "It's okay Lizzie, you're going to be fine. Let me take care of you." Lizzie nodded; her eyes were closed and she had her head turned slightly away from Gordo. Gordo noticed this and said quietly, "You can cry, I'm not going to make fun of you. You got hurt and if it makes you feel better to cry, go right ahead." Lizzie opened her eyes and looked at Gordo and simply said, "Thank you."
As she walked back to the car Miranda could see that Lizzie was sitting in the car and Gordo was holding her hand. "How sweet," she thought. Had the circumstance been different she wouldn't have interrupted this moment, but since Lizzie needed the first aid kit, she had no choice.
"Um, here's the first aid kit," Miranda said trying not to look at the blood on Lizzie's arm.
"Thanks Miranda," Gordo said. As soon as Gordo took the kit, Miranda walked back to the hatchback and climbed in. From there she could listen to their conversation.
Gordo cleaned the cut and put anti-bacterial cream on it. He bandaged it and checked out the bruise on Lizzie's knee. All the while he soothingly told Lizzie that she'd be fine and that the cut didn't look too bad. When he'd finished he helped Lizzie get up and then helped her into the hatchback. Then as he walked the first aid kit back to the concession stand he realized that he hadn't been nervous or flustered the entire time he was helping Lizzie. So, why was he so nervous and flustered around her all the rest of the time?
When Gordo got back to the car he asked Lizzie, "Do you want to go home or are you feeling well enough to stay?"
"Let's stay, I'll be fine," Lizzie answered.
So they stayed. They watched both movies being shown that night. They ate a lot of junk food and laughed a lot. Generally they just had a great time all together on their first day of summer. They almost forgot about the accident, except that Gordo and Lizzie couldn't forget. That moment they had shared, even though it was over a cut, meant too much to both of them.
It was late when they finally drove home. Gordo dropped Miranda off first. There was silence on the drive back to Lizzie's house. Both were lost in their own thoughts. As they pulled into the driveway and Lizzie prepared to climb out of the car they both started talking at the same time. They laughed nervously and Lizzie asked, "What were you going to say?"
"Oh, um, I was just going to say that I'll probably talk to you tomorrow," Gordo said, "What were you going to say?"
Lizzie leaned in closer to Gordo and said, "I want to say thank you for taking care of me Gordo. It meant a lot. So, thanks." With that said, she quickly kissed him on the cheek and scrambled out of the car. Once inside the house she leaned back against the closed door and smiled. Little did she know, back in the car, Gordo was leaning back in his seat, also smiling.
"What's perfect Gordo?" Miranda asked.
"Oh, I was talking about my parking job," Gordo replied sheepishly.
"Ha-Ha, I thought maybe you were talking about Lizzie," Miranda teased.
Instantly both Gordo and Lizzie looked mortified. But Lizzie recovered first, "Miranda, I'm going to the bathroom, join me won't you?"
"I don't really have to go," Miranda said sensing that Lizzie was going to give her an earful.
"Yes you do," Lizzie hissed.
As the girls walked toward the bathroom, Gordo collapsed the back seat in the Honda to make more room where they would be sitting and spread out the blankets Miranda had brought.
"Miranda, what the heck!" Lizzie spat. "Are you trying to completely embarrass me in front of Gordo?"
"What? No, I didn't think I said anything wrong." Miranda lied.
"Hello! You keep saying these things that would imply that I like Gordo or that Gordo likes me. Which isn't the case." Lizzie said.
"Isn't it? That's not what it looks like to me. Can you honestly tell me that you don't like Gordo?" Miranda asked.
"I don't know, and I don't want to talk about it anymore right now. Let's just enjoy the drive in." Lizzie answered quietly.
After the girls went to the bathroom they stopped at the concession stand and bought, popcorn, candy and sodas. Gordo noticed that Lizzie's hands were especially full and offered to help her. "Lizzie, let me take the sodas for you." Awkwardly, Lizzie tried to hand the sodas to Gordo without dropping everything else she was carrying. As Gordo managed to get his hand around the second soda Lizzie was carrying, their hands met. It sent tingles up both their arms and their eyes locked. Startled as they both were, they both let go of the soda and it fell to the ground with a splash. The spell was broken as the cold soda splashed onto Lizzie's feet and she shrieked.
"I'm so sorry Lizzie. I'll go get some napkins and another soda," Gordo stammered then quickly hurried away.
Miranda couldn't help giggling and thought, "And they pretend like there's nothing going on between them." Lizzie shot Miranda a warning look and Miranda quickly tried to regain composure.
Gordo came back with a new soda and napkins, which he gave Lizzie to clean off her feet with. Miranda climbed into the hatchback and slid all the way to one side so that Gordo and Lizzie would have to sit by each other. Gordo climbed into the car and slid all the way to the opposite side than Miranda had sat on. After Lizzie finished cleaning off her feet she attempted to climb into the hatchback, but she slipped on account of the soda all over her sandals. Lizzie painfully banged her knee on the bumper and cut her arm on a piece of rough plastic trunk molding that was sticking out. Lizzie's eyes instantly welled up with tears. She turned her back to Gordo and Miranda who were already climbing out of the car to help her. She felt like a baby and didn't want them to see her cry.
"I'll go to the concession stand and see if they have a first aid kit we can borrow," Miranda offered, the sight of blood making her slightly queasy.
Gordo put his hand of Lizzie's shoulder and said, "Lizzie, are you okay?"
Lizzie sniffed, trying to hide the fact that she was crying and said, "Yeah, fine."
"No, you're hurt, look your arm is bleeding. Come on." Gordo said and steered Lizzie toward the drivers seat. He opened the door and pushed her into the seat. He knelt down on the ground in front of her and took her hand. "It's okay Lizzie, you're going to be fine. Let me take care of you." Lizzie nodded; her eyes were closed and she had her head turned slightly away from Gordo. Gordo noticed this and said quietly, "You can cry, I'm not going to make fun of you. You got hurt and if it makes you feel better to cry, go right ahead." Lizzie opened her eyes and looked at Gordo and simply said, "Thank you."
As she walked back to the car Miranda could see that Lizzie was sitting in the car and Gordo was holding her hand. "How sweet," she thought. Had the circumstance been different she wouldn't have interrupted this moment, but since Lizzie needed the first aid kit, she had no choice.
"Um, here's the first aid kit," Miranda said trying not to look at the blood on Lizzie's arm.
"Thanks Miranda," Gordo said. As soon as Gordo took the kit, Miranda walked back to the hatchback and climbed in. From there she could listen to their conversation.
Gordo cleaned the cut and put anti-bacterial cream on it. He bandaged it and checked out the bruise on Lizzie's knee. All the while he soothingly told Lizzie that she'd be fine and that the cut didn't look too bad. When he'd finished he helped Lizzie get up and then helped her into the hatchback. Then as he walked the first aid kit back to the concession stand he realized that he hadn't been nervous or flustered the entire time he was helping Lizzie. So, why was he so nervous and flustered around her all the rest of the time?
When Gordo got back to the car he asked Lizzie, "Do you want to go home or are you feeling well enough to stay?"
"Let's stay, I'll be fine," Lizzie answered.
So they stayed. They watched both movies being shown that night. They ate a lot of junk food and laughed a lot. Generally they just had a great time all together on their first day of summer. They almost forgot about the accident, except that Gordo and Lizzie couldn't forget. That moment they had shared, even though it was over a cut, meant too much to both of them.
It was late when they finally drove home. Gordo dropped Miranda off first. There was silence on the drive back to Lizzie's house. Both were lost in their own thoughts. As they pulled into the driveway and Lizzie prepared to climb out of the car they both started talking at the same time. They laughed nervously and Lizzie asked, "What were you going to say?"
"Oh, um, I was just going to say that I'll probably talk to you tomorrow," Gordo said, "What were you going to say?"
Lizzie leaned in closer to Gordo and said, "I want to say thank you for taking care of me Gordo. It meant a lot. So, thanks." With that said, she quickly kissed him on the cheek and scrambled out of the car. Once inside the house she leaned back against the closed door and smiled. Little did she know, back in the car, Gordo was leaning back in his seat, also smiling.