Disclaimer: I do no own "Lizzie McGuire" or the song "Standing Still" by
Jewel.
Chapter Six: Standing Still
Lizzie and Gordo followed the rest of their group into the hotel. They were all exhausted from a long day of sight-seeing, laughing till tears, and, for Lizzie, posing for photos and signing napkins from gelato shops.
"I can't believe this is our last day here," Lizzie remarked as they climbed the stairs to their rooms. "I don't wanna leave."
"It's always depressing leaving a vacation spot," Gordo said. "Then you go home and your house smells funny."
Lizzie laughed. "But we were having so much fun. I just don't want to leave."
Gordo and Lizzie stopped by her door. "Well, when we go home we'll have more fun."
Lizzie held out her pinky. "Promise?"
Gordo smiled as they linked pinkies. "Promise."
Ms. Ungermeyer suddenly turned the corner, mike still on. "Gordon!" she shouted, causing him to jump. "Get to your room! Make sure Craft doesn't hurt himself."
"Right away, ma'am," he answered, rushing down the hall to his room.
"Jellyfish," Ms. Ungermeyer huffed under her breath.
Lizzie quickly ducked into her room. She *really* didn't want to deal with her future principal now, especially since she had yet to do her report.
Back in her room, the new celebrity collapsed on her bed and took in a big breath of air. All of this was like a dream.
~Cutting through the darkest night are my two headlights. Try to keep it clear but I'm losing it here to the twilight~
Lizzie got changed, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She noticed Kate had fallen asleep in her clothes. Shutting off the lights and lying down, memories of the whole trip flew by her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that this was her last night in Europe. The very thought overwhelmed her and a lump formed in her throat. She was having so much fun.
~There's a dead end to my left; there's a burning bush to my right. You aren't in sight. You aren't in sight~
'Just close your eyes, McGuire,' she thought to herself. 'Just get over it and to go sleep.'
The first thing she saw in her mind's eye before she cried herself softly to sleep was Gordo.
The next morning, all the kids were rushed out of their rooms in such a hurry, Lizzie barely had time to open her eyes. They were put in a single- file line in the lobby. Gordo stood behind Lizzie and Ethan behind him. He yawned, almost knocking Gordo over.
"Alright folks," Ms. Ungermeyer shouted into her microphone. "Let's wake up, shall we? Our plane leaves in approximately two hours. We have to be alive because arriving back in the States, you will be SO jet-lagged that your puny bodies will barely be able to take it. Now let's get a move on." She headed out of the door, waving goodbye to Giorgio, and line processed after her slowly.
Once on the bus, Lizzie leaned her head against the window, and her eyes fluttered close. The Roman sunshine on the glass reflected an orange and yellow glow on the inside of her eyelids that kept her awake as she listening to the hum of the bus.
~Do you want me like I want you~
When they arrived at the airport, Gordo tapped Lizzie on the shoulder. She opened her eyes, the sun filling yellow pools in her light blue eyes. She turned her head sleepily and gave him a smile. He smiled back and took her hand, saying, "C'mon, Sleeping Beauty. We're going home."
Lizzie almost frowned at the mention of this, but she kept the watts in her mouth circuited and followed Gordo off the bus.
It took a while to get through customs and security. Eventually, Lizzie's parents and Matt caught up with them and promised that they wouldn't sit with her on the plane. Lizzie was hoping enough of their trust in her would return before reaching Hillridge so that she might escape grounding.
When they finally boarded the plane, everyone was a little more energetic. They took off, and Lizzie and Gordo started talking. They talked for hours. They talked about Rome, high school, Miranda, and Kate even joined in. Lizzie was having a blast.
~Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
Time literally flew by. When they finally landed in Hillridge, it was eleven at night (A/N: I really don't know exactly what time it would be so work with me). Everyone got off the plane and met their parents at the airport. Lizzie found her mom and dad and they told her they were giving Gordo a ride home.
"Go ask Kate if she needs a ride," Mrs. McGuire said to her daughter.
Lizzie found Kate at baggage claim but her cousin Amy was there to pick her up, playing with her hair, cracking gum, and whining, "Hurry up, Kate! I've got a party to go to! I'm already late! I can't believe Aunt Kim made me do this."
Kate rolled her eyes as she snatched up a piece of her Louis Vuitton luggage. "You didn't have to."
Amy checked out her nails inattentively and answered, "I was being nice."
Kate rolled her eyes again.
"Um, Kate, do you want a ride?" Lizzie put in.
Kate looked at Amy with disgust and smiled at Lizzie. "That's okay. I can deal with the primadonna."
Lizzie smiled back. "Okay. I'll see you later." She went back over to her family and Gordo.
~Boys on the stoop of a souped-up coup on this hot summer night. Between fight and flight is a blind man's sight and a choice that's right~
As they drove through Hillridge, Lizzie stared out her window into the darkness of the night. The night was different here. Back in Rome, the night was filled with phantom stars that told the stories of Italian old. The sky was a navy blue, though not depressing, but tinted with deep purple and gold, like the bandana of a gypsy tied across heaven. Music and happiness and laughter escaped like the voice of a siren through the ancient alleys and the dreams of all people, no matter what race, age, gender, or religion, floated around in the heavy air.
~I roll my window down. I feel like I'm gonna drown in this strange town. I feel broken down. . . I feel broken down~
Soon they came to Gordo's house. Lizzie peered out at it. It was a modern- type house, a place fit for twp psychiatrists. It was not a little Roman casa, hidden among the streets and tangled into the intricate tapestry of the amazing city they had just left behind.
"Well," sid Gordo, hoping out of the car, "thanks for the ride guys?"
Lizzie smiled at him. She hadn't paid much attention to him on the ride home, or the entire European trip, as a matter of fact.
"Prego," she said sleepily.
He laughed. "Call me tomorrow? If you wake up?"
"Yea, I will," Lizzie promised as she shut the door and closed hey eyes as the car drove down the street.
~Do you need me like I need you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
When Lizzie got home, she walked through the front door and felt. . . alien, like she didn't belong. Her house was dark and felt cold. It smelled and looked abandoned. The wind outside rattled the windows with a whisper that almost sounded like, 'Rome is home. . . Rome is home.'
That might have very well been true.
"I'm going to bed, mom," Lizzie called to her mother, who was in the kitchen.
She trudged up the stairs and into her room, collapsing on her bed. She didn't even bother to look around her room to take everything back in. It wasn't worth the pain.
Then she thought of Gordo saying, "It's always hard to leave a vacation spot."
It was true. Even Grubby Gulch was hard to leave.
Gordo was right.
As always.
~Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow~
That night, Lizzie dreamed that she was at the IMVAs in her graduation robe, singing 'I'm Coming Out' and dancing like an idiot. The people from 'Good Morning America' were there, taping her, and Matt and Melina were in some VIP room backstage, swimming a pile of cash. At the end of the song, Lizzie did a stage dive into all of the kids at Hillridge Junior High, all out in the audience, and everyone was screaming and cheering and clapping. They brought her back to the stage, where Paolo and Isabella were waiting for her. Suddenly, they pulled down an imaginary zipper and were Gordo and Miranda. They were cheering, too.
~Do you love me like I love you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
When Lizzie woke up the next morning, sunlight poured in through her window. It was wasn't Roman sunlight – you could tell from the shade of yellow it was, not orange-gold. Suddenly, she smiled and sat up in bed. She reached over and grabbed her phone.
She was calling Gordo.
Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I had sort of writer's block with this chapter cuz it was just a filter chapter between Roma and Home. Even though it wasn't quite L/G, I still liked that I could still do a vivid description of Rome, even though I've never been there.
Keep it Heavenly,
(* Goddess4LiFe
Chapter Six: Standing Still
Lizzie and Gordo followed the rest of their group into the hotel. They were all exhausted from a long day of sight-seeing, laughing till tears, and, for Lizzie, posing for photos and signing napkins from gelato shops.
"I can't believe this is our last day here," Lizzie remarked as they climbed the stairs to their rooms. "I don't wanna leave."
"It's always depressing leaving a vacation spot," Gordo said. "Then you go home and your house smells funny."
Lizzie laughed. "But we were having so much fun. I just don't want to leave."
Gordo and Lizzie stopped by her door. "Well, when we go home we'll have more fun."
Lizzie held out her pinky. "Promise?"
Gordo smiled as they linked pinkies. "Promise."
Ms. Ungermeyer suddenly turned the corner, mike still on. "Gordon!" she shouted, causing him to jump. "Get to your room! Make sure Craft doesn't hurt himself."
"Right away, ma'am," he answered, rushing down the hall to his room.
"Jellyfish," Ms. Ungermeyer huffed under her breath.
Lizzie quickly ducked into her room. She *really* didn't want to deal with her future principal now, especially since she had yet to do her report.
Back in her room, the new celebrity collapsed on her bed and took in a big breath of air. All of this was like a dream.
~Cutting through the darkest night are my two headlights. Try to keep it clear but I'm losing it here to the twilight~
Lizzie got changed, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She noticed Kate had fallen asleep in her clothes. Shutting off the lights and lying down, memories of the whole trip flew by her. A tear rolled down her cheek as she realized that this was her last night in Europe. The very thought overwhelmed her and a lump formed in her throat. She was having so much fun.
~There's a dead end to my left; there's a burning bush to my right. You aren't in sight. You aren't in sight~
'Just close your eyes, McGuire,' she thought to herself. 'Just get over it and to go sleep.'
The first thing she saw in her mind's eye before she cried herself softly to sleep was Gordo.
The next morning, all the kids were rushed out of their rooms in such a hurry, Lizzie barely had time to open her eyes. They were put in a single- file line in the lobby. Gordo stood behind Lizzie and Ethan behind him. He yawned, almost knocking Gordo over.
"Alright folks," Ms. Ungermeyer shouted into her microphone. "Let's wake up, shall we? Our plane leaves in approximately two hours. We have to be alive because arriving back in the States, you will be SO jet-lagged that your puny bodies will barely be able to take it. Now let's get a move on." She headed out of the door, waving goodbye to Giorgio, and line processed after her slowly.
Once on the bus, Lizzie leaned her head against the window, and her eyes fluttered close. The Roman sunshine on the glass reflected an orange and yellow glow on the inside of her eyelids that kept her awake as she listening to the hum of the bus.
~Do you want me like I want you~
When they arrived at the airport, Gordo tapped Lizzie on the shoulder. She opened her eyes, the sun filling yellow pools in her light blue eyes. She turned her head sleepily and gave him a smile. He smiled back and took her hand, saying, "C'mon, Sleeping Beauty. We're going home."
Lizzie almost frowned at the mention of this, but she kept the watts in her mouth circuited and followed Gordo off the bus.
It took a while to get through customs and security. Eventually, Lizzie's parents and Matt caught up with them and promised that they wouldn't sit with her on the plane. Lizzie was hoping enough of their trust in her would return before reaching Hillridge so that she might escape grounding.
When they finally boarded the plane, everyone was a little more energetic. They took off, and Lizzie and Gordo started talking. They talked for hours. They talked about Rome, high school, Miranda, and Kate even joined in. Lizzie was having a blast.
~Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
Time literally flew by. When they finally landed in Hillridge, it was eleven at night (A/N: I really don't know exactly what time it would be so work with me). Everyone got off the plane and met their parents at the airport. Lizzie found her mom and dad and they told her they were giving Gordo a ride home.
"Go ask Kate if she needs a ride," Mrs. McGuire said to her daughter.
Lizzie found Kate at baggage claim but her cousin Amy was there to pick her up, playing with her hair, cracking gum, and whining, "Hurry up, Kate! I've got a party to go to! I'm already late! I can't believe Aunt Kim made me do this."
Kate rolled her eyes as she snatched up a piece of her Louis Vuitton luggage. "You didn't have to."
Amy checked out her nails inattentively and answered, "I was being nice."
Kate rolled her eyes again.
"Um, Kate, do you want a ride?" Lizzie put in.
Kate looked at Amy with disgust and smiled at Lizzie. "That's okay. I can deal with the primadonna."
Lizzie smiled back. "Okay. I'll see you later." She went back over to her family and Gordo.
~Boys on the stoop of a souped-up coup on this hot summer night. Between fight and flight is a blind man's sight and a choice that's right~
As they drove through Hillridge, Lizzie stared out her window into the darkness of the night. The night was different here. Back in Rome, the night was filled with phantom stars that told the stories of Italian old. The sky was a navy blue, though not depressing, but tinted with deep purple and gold, like the bandana of a gypsy tied across heaven. Music and happiness and laughter escaped like the voice of a siren through the ancient alleys and the dreams of all people, no matter what race, age, gender, or religion, floated around in the heavy air.
~I roll my window down. I feel like I'm gonna drown in this strange town. I feel broken down. . . I feel broken down~
Soon they came to Gordo's house. Lizzie peered out at it. It was a modern- type house, a place fit for twp psychiatrists. It was not a little Roman casa, hidden among the streets and tangled into the intricate tapestry of the amazing city they had just left behind.
"Well," sid Gordo, hoping out of the car, "thanks for the ride guys?"
Lizzie smiled at him. She hadn't paid much attention to him on the ride home, or the entire European trip, as a matter of fact.
"Prego," she said sleepily.
He laughed. "Call me tomorrow? If you wake up?"
"Yea, I will," Lizzie promised as she shut the door and closed hey eyes as the car drove down the street.
~Do you need me like I need you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
When Lizzie got home, she walked through the front door and felt. . . alien, like she didn't belong. Her house was dark and felt cold. It smelled and looked abandoned. The wind outside rattled the windows with a whisper that almost sounded like, 'Rome is home. . . Rome is home.'
That might have very well been true.
"I'm going to bed, mom," Lizzie called to her mother, who was in the kitchen.
She trudged up the stairs and into her room, collapsing on her bed. She didn't even bother to look around her room to take everything back in. It wasn't worth the pain.
Then she thought of Gordo saying, "It's always hard to leave a vacation spot."
It was true. Even Grubby Gulch was hard to leave.
Gordo was right.
As always.
~Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow. Sweet sorrow, he said call tomorrow~
That night, Lizzie dreamed that she was at the IMVAs in her graduation robe, singing 'I'm Coming Out' and dancing like an idiot. The people from 'Good Morning America' were there, taping her, and Matt and Melina were in some VIP room backstage, swimming a pile of cash. At the end of the song, Lizzie did a stage dive into all of the kids at Hillridge Junior High, all out in the audience, and everyone was screaming and cheering and clapping. They brought her back to the stage, where Paolo and Isabella were waiting for her. Suddenly, they pulled down an imaginary zipper and were Gordo and Miranda. They were cheering, too.
~Do you love me like I love you? Or am I standing still beneath a darkened sky? Or am I standing still with the scenery flying by? Or am I standing still out of the corner of my eye? Or was that you passing me by~
When Lizzie woke up the next morning, sunlight poured in through her window. It was wasn't Roman sunlight – you could tell from the shade of yellow it was, not orange-gold. Suddenly, she smiled and sat up in bed. She reached over and grabbed her phone.
She was calling Gordo.
Hey everybody! Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, but I had sort of writer's block with this chapter cuz it was just a filter chapter between Roma and Home. Even though it wasn't quite L/G, I still liked that I could still do a vivid description of Rome, even though I've never been there.
Keep it Heavenly,
(* Goddess4LiFe