A/N: I do not own the song "From the Bottom of my Broken Heart"
NOTE: I AM NOT A BRTINEY SPEARS FAN. SHE JUST HAPPENS TO SING A LOT OF CORNY LOVE SONGS THAT FIT IN THIS STORY WELL.
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Chapter Sixteen: From the Bottom of my Broken Heart
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By the next morning, Lizzie was packed and ready to go. She had to wake up at 2 a.m. Her flight was at 6. They'd land in Rome at who knows what time and meet Isabella at her "villa." Lizzie was excited, but she still felt horrible about the whole Gordo thing. So many times yesterday she had picked up the phone to call him, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.
At 3, the McGuires loaded up their car and headed for the airport. The whole ride there, all Lizzie could think about was the ride home where all she could concentrate on was how much she wished she was still in Rome. Now she was going back and she felt sick to her stomach.
After getting to the airport and going through all the tiring security checks, Lizzie and her mom went to get some breakfast. Jo knew something was definitely wrong. Her daughter would usually be much more excited than this.
"You ready for this tour?" she asked enthusiastically as they waited in line for bagels.
"Humph" was all that came out of Lizzie's mouth.
Jo sighed. "Okay, what's wrong?"
Lizzie picked a container of cream cheese out of a bucket of ice. "Nothing, really." Her mother looked at her disbelievingly. "I promise. I'm fine."
Jo didn't pry any further. Lizzie would cheer up when they got to Rome.
After getting their bagels, Lizzie and her mother went back to Sam and Matt and gave them their breakfast. As Lizzie sat down to eat hers, two young girls approached her and asked her for her autograph. They didn't have any paper so Lizzie signed two napkins.
"I'm so sorry about this," said their mother. "Their big sister brought them back Paolo & Isabella CDs from her trip to Italy so they had to watch the IMVAs and there you were."
"It's fine," Lizzie said with a smile. Her mother handed her a pen. "Who should I make these out to?"
"I'm Victoria," said the older one. "Victoria Marie Michaels."
Lizzie giggled as signed the napkin – as best she could – "VICTORIA, REACH FOR YOUR DREAMS! LOVE, LIZZIE".
"And who are you?" she asked the younger girl.
"Melody Claire Michaels," she answered in a tiny voice as she hid behind a giant pink teddy bear.
Lizzie signed the same thing for her.
"Thank you so much," said their mother. "What do you say girls?"
"Thank you," they said in unison.
Lizzie waved them goodbye and got back to her bagel. Her mother suggested she put on her sunglasses in case anyone else recognized her. She did.
Finally, they called their flight. Lizzie boarded the plane with a heavy heart and sat down next to Matt, who automatically shoved his video camera in her face. Lizzie sighed. This was a far cry form sitting next to Gordo. She wondered if he regretted the things he had said. This whole situation was so messy, too messy.
-"Never go back" we said. How was I to know I'd miss you so? Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind… where do I go?-
The plane took off a half hour later. Lizzie didn't say anything. They showed "13 Going On 30". Lizzie didn't feel like watching. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but she couldn't. She kept thinking of that stupid Gordo. She had no idea she fallen for such a jerk, such a cute, funny, smart, nice, kind, wonderful jerk.
-And you didn't hear all my joy through my tears, all my hopes through my fears. Did you know, I still miss you somehow?-
She tried reading one of her summer reading books. Eleven books and she hadn't started one. She would never have time to read them all. Maybe she should take the record deal just to escape the reading she obviously couldn't complete. She pulled out "A Separate Piece" (A/N: my real summer reading book which I HATED) but after reading the first chapter, she put it down. It was really heavy and descriptive. Gordo probably would breeze right through it.
-From the bottom of my broken heart; there's just a thing or two I'd like you to know. You were my first love, my true love. From the first kisses to the very last rose…-
Lizzie didn't really want to think about it, but she wondered what Gordo was doing at that moment, making her heart ache.
"Get up, Gordo!" Miranda shouted into the phone. She had called her best bud and he hadn't picked up, even though she knew he was there. She knew her voice on the answering machine was blasting right into his ear.
"David Zephyr Gordon!" he screeched. "Get up and pick up the phone! It's Miranda, ya know, your best friend, if you can remember that far back! Pick up the phone!"
Despite having two pillows covering his ears, Miranda's incessant voice kept coming through. He threw the pillows down in frustration and picked up the phone. "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLE WANT, MIRANDA?"
"Finally!" Miranda exclaimed. "My throat was starting to get scratchy."
Gordo rolled his eyes and collapsed onto his bed for the nine millionth time that morning. This was not what he needed right now. What he needed was right now was to crawl under a rock and die.
"How have you been holding up?" Miranda asked.
Gordo ran his fingers through his hair and sat up. "Let me put it to you this way: I felt better the day my parents told me they were getting divorced."
"Your parents aren't divorced," Miranda said in a confused tone.
"I know," Gordo replied. "I'm just imagining how bad that would be."
"You know, Gordo," Miranda said, trying to think of comforting words. "Maybe this is good. Maybe if Lizzie's not here, you'll have time to heal."
"If Lizzie was here," Gordo retaliated, "there would be no reason to heal."
Miranda huffed. "You're not helping, Gordo."
Gordo started pacing back and forth across his bedroom. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just that… well, if you had screwed up with the person you care about one hundred times in a row, you wouldn't be able to see that the glass is half full either."
"Oh," said Miranda. "Sorry. I just wanted to help."
"I know you did."
Miranda thought for a second. "You want to come over to my house and watch a movie or something?"
Gordo sighed. "Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'd rather just be alone right now."
After the two friends hung up, Gordo decided to go out be with the three-dimensional people (A/N: From 'Friends', the episode where Joey and Chandler get their chairs… oh, who am I kidding?). He took a walk through Nosnibor Park (A/N: Not a real place, but it sounds awesome because it's Robinson spelled backwards). He tried not to think about Lizzie, but he knew right off the bat that that was impossible.
-From the bottom of my broken heart. Even though time may find me somebody new, you were my real love; I never knew love till there was you. From the bottom of my broken heart-
Gordo sat down on a bench and tried to clear his mind. It was a clear summer morning. To his left was the jungle gym where he and Lizzie used to play a lot when they were little. Memories came rushing back to him. They met Kate and Miranda there. That was where Lizzie first told Gordo and Miranda that she liked Ethan Craft. Gordo felt like hitting himself over the head with a brick thinking back on it. She didn't like Ethan anymore; she had liked him! The thing he had been waiting for for two years, and he had lost it.
-"Baby," I said, "please stay. Give our love a chance for one more day." We could have worked things out. Taking time is what love's all about-
The rest of Lizzie's day blew past her. She had gotten off her plane and arrived in Rome in what seemed like one second. Isabella met her at the airport.
"Lizzie!" she squealed when she saw her. The two hugged for a long time.
"You look fantastico!" Isabella beamed. She pushed a piece of hair behind her lookalike's ear. "You look as if you are in love!"
For one moment out of the day, Lizzie hadn't been thinking about David Gordon, but he popped up again.
-But you put a dart through my dreams, through my heart. And I'm back where I started again. Never thought it would end-
Almost immediately after arriving in Italy, Lizzie and her family were whisked to Isabella's villa in a limousine. It was in a secluded, elite section of Rome, far from the tourists and everything. Pulling up to the ancient estate, Lizzie's jaw dropped. It was the most gorgeous building she had ever seen before in her life.
Isabella emerged from the limo first. She turned to Lizzie when she got out.
"Well, what do you think?"
"Omigosh!" exclaimed Lizzie. "You live here?"
Isabella laughed. "Come! I must show you to your room! Giovanni will take your bags up."
Lizzie was given a full tour of the place. It was amazing. Frescos danced across the ceiling; the marble floors gleamed with golden cleanliness. Lizzie's room was breathtaking. It was four times the size of her and Matt's room combined, decorated with long velvet drapes and silver satin sheets. She even had her own balcony. After having a feast-like dinner and taking a bubblebath surrounded by sweet-smelling candles, she stood on the balcony, looking over the whole city. That was when her heart began to ache again.
-From the bottom of my broken heart; there's just a thing or two I'd like you to know. You were my first love, my true love. From the first kisses to the very last rose. From the bottom of my broken heart. Even though time may find me somebody new, you were my real love; I never knew love till there was you. From the bottom of my broken heart-
Gordo sat on his front steps, the noon day sun hot on his back. He looked up at the sky, it being the same shade of blue as Lizzie's eyes. On the other side of the globe, Lizzie still stood on the balcony, eyes glued to the night sky. Her heart was breaking. So was his.
-You promised yourself but to somebody else and you made it so perfectly clear. Still I wish you were here-
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HEY EVERYONE!!! I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry bout the very long hiatus, but I was busy writing some other material, which could another long hiatus, but I decided to take a few hours out the day to write this extremely short, sucky chapter! It's very rushed, I know, but I just wanted to get it done. As a writer, I'm appalled that I even write that, but what can I say? I really want to finish this so I can write the sequel that will be so much better! Ooo, btw, there was more to the song (all repeated lines) but I thought it would look better ending it with that line.
NPR
Keep it Heavenly,
( Goddess4LiFe