A/N: Thanks for the patience. After taking everything into consideration (as I always do) I have made up my mind with the flirting thing. The what's going to happen on the fourth date thing is still up for grabs, though.
Chapter Twelve
"What kind of explanation do you want?" Gordo asked. He wanted to tell her everything, but he was determined to pretend he hated her. If he pretended long enough, maybe he could convince himself. His feelings were so rocky at this point that he wasn't sure what he wanted. He cursed to himself on the inside because every moment was becoming more and more unpredictable. It wasn't like he had to harbor his love-hate relationship with Lizzie anymore. This was his opportunity to get what he wanted, or at least see where Lizzie stood in all of this. The Parker thing really blew him off course. Did she really believe that? On the other hand, what about his side of the story. There had to be an explanation to all of it
"You know what I want," she said, "I want to hear your side of the story. Why do you think we broke up?"
"Because I saw you at prom, dammit," Gordo practically screamed, "And I also saw you at the senior sleepover and at that stupid party! You gave up on us way before I gave up on you!"
"Calm down, Gordo!" Lizzie said, developing a temper herself, "Because I have no idea what you are talking about. You say you saw me at prom and all these places. I saw you, too!"
"Yeah, but you didn't have to listen to your girlfriend talk about Ethan the whole time we were at Prom and you didn't have to watch her flirt with him at the senior sleepover and you definitely didn't have to watch her go into that room during that stupid party. Did you get what you wanted, Lizzie? Did Ethan make you happy? When you were being secretive all those times, did you enjoy what you were hiding?"
"Gordo," Lizzie interrupted.
"No," Gordo said, "What I had with Parker was nothing. Sure, we talked about being in the same area for college, but why not? I wasn't all over her like you were with Ethan. No, in fact, Parker and I haven't even talked to each other since graduation."
Lizzie was crying at this point, "Yeah, well, if that's true, then the same goes for Ethan and me. I had a really good reason for spending time with Ethan, and like any good friend, I wanted to make sure he was okay."
"Ha!" Gordo said, "Ethan was always okay! Girls were always surrounding him. You were just like all the other girls and went to him, too!"
"Stop it, Gordo!" Lizzie said, as tears streamed down her face.
"No," Gordo said, "Because I need to finish this!" Gordo said, as he was beginning to remember why he wasn't supposed to love Lizzie anymore, "Lizzie, I loved you and would have done anything, but you took that love that I had and threw it out. How did you ever expect for me to forgive you?" He asked this, heated, with anger.
"Gordo, you don't understand!" Lizzie said, through her tears, "Ethan's dad was very sick that year and was at the hospital the night of prom."
"No wonder you weren't dancing with him," he said.
"Shove it, Gordo, and listen to me. I heard your explanation and now it's your turn to hear mine," Lizzie said, loosing her temper, "At senior sleepover, we were talking about his father and how he didn't know whether to go away for college on his football scholarship or stay here to be with his father. And last, but not least, and hear me out because this what happened, his father died three days before that party. He and I went into that room to talk. I was there to be with him, as a friend, as he cried and dealt with the loss of his father. He didn't talk about his father a lot because he didn't like to show emotion, but I was there for him as a friend. Maybe you should have been there with me as a friend of mine, but most importantly as a friend of Ethan's."
Hearing this caused Gordo to calm down. Hearing the truth made everything come together, but at the same time, made him feel stupid and more confused, "Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?"
"I don't know," Lizzie said, wiping tears from underneath her eyes, "I think at the time I thought you knew about all of this and I didn't think talking about it would help anything. Besides, I don't think Ethan wanted people to know the whole story. I knew it all because I happened to be on the phone with him about homework or something when he learned that his father had a heart attack. I knew all this by accident and I thought he would need a true friend to be with to get through this and I was there."
Gordo sat down, trying to put this together in his head. He had to admit it made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, "So this whole time. . .it was all a big misunderstanding?"
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. Were you ever with Parker?"
"No way," Gordo said.
"Then I guess it was," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him.
"I –I'm sorry, Lizzie. I had no idea," he said, playing the what if game in his head.
"I'm sorry, too. Had I known what you were thinking and the truth, well. . ." Lizzie said, looking at Gordo for a few short seconds and then shrugging, "Well, who knows."
"Yeah," Gordo echoes, "Who knows."
Gordo was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a knock on the door of their Love Hut. Both of them jumped and Gordo went to get the door. It was someone who told them it was time for their daily activity.
Lizzie and Gordo, who both somehow felt the same thing in that room, left that room with a different feeling. They had new information. This information meant that they didn't have a reason to break up in the first place. But now that everything was out in the open, what were they supposed to do? Still pretend like they hate each other? Pretend that each kiss they are forced to act out and each time they touch each other means absolutely nothing to each other? While all the truth was spilled, it was almost as if gates that were partially closed for the two of them were now opened and . . .this made it all even more confusing.
Today they had to act mushy toward each other. This would be hard because neither of them knew where they stood with the other person. Before the cameras started rolling, Gordo and Lizzie sort of distanced themselves from each other. Gordo watched as Jane walked over to James and started talking to her. He scanned the rest of the actors to see what they were up to, when all the sudden Thomas walked up to him, "Danny?" he said.
Gordo turned to face Thomas, "Yeah?"
"Listen I know this is going to sound crazy, but you look incredibly familiar. And I couldn't place you until just now. . .you were in that Mountain Dew commercial, weren't you?" he asked.
Gordo shook his head, confused, "Nope, that wasn't me."
Thomas looked a little surprised, "Really? Because you look exactly like that guy."
"No, Thomas, I wasn't in that commercial. I haven't been in any commercials, actually."
"Really?" Thomas said, "Did you have a stint on a soap opera or sitcom?"
Gordo shrugged, "Nope."
"Have you ever been on TV?"
"Well, several years ago I was on this game show on the Spanish Network, but that was a long time ago. I haven't been on TV since then."
"Oh, well," Thomas said, "We've all had our washed up period. That's why I'm here in the first place. No one remembers me from my Tonka Truck commercial days and I guarantee that no one saw my face in that band movie. I was in one scene and in the very back row. That's why I'm here."
Gordo looked around, suddenly realizing, "All of us are actors, huh?"
"Yep," Thomas said, laughing, "My wife thought I was crazy when I told her I was getting into this. Are you married?"
"Nope," Gordo said, "I'm single."
"Well, good for you. Word on the street is that Tory is, too. Maybe you two should hook up in real life," he said as he slapped Gordo on the back and walked away.
Slowly, Gordo was starting to understand this game. There was no real winner in the end of this: it was all fake. He thought at first that it was just acted out, but he didn't think about the fact that this was all actors. He should have realized that these people have a life of their own and are just playing a character, like he was. They all were in it for the money, like him.
Gordo looked back at Lizzie and noticed she was talking to the host of the show, Ryan. The first thought that came into his head was whether Ryan was single or not. He couldn't help but feel a little jealousy toward Ryan.
He tried to look at other things, to distract himself from Lizzie, but it was hard. Finally, five minutes later, it was announced that the competition was about to begin. This time it was a scavenger hunt. The cameras turned on as the couples were handed a list of things to do. A horn blew, indicating it was time to start, and all of them went their separate ways as cameras followed them.
Lizzie, remembering that she was supposed to act infatuated with Gordo, put her arm around Gordo and they took their time on the hunt as they would occasionally take time to give each other hugs, and every time they found something that was on their list, Lizzie would kiss Gordo on the cheek. Gordo went along with it all, but his mind was clearly not on the hunt. Instead, his thoughts were on Lizzie and what she was thinking about the current situation.
Lizzie noticed that Gordo was being distant and had to admit that his distant behavior upset her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she almost wished he would make a move and kiss her or give her some sort of sign as to everything will be okay. She looked at his hand and took it into hers. She always did feel protected when he held her hand when they were dating. Now, though, it was complicated. Not knowing what the other one was thinking was killing each of them inside. All of this acting was messing with what was happening in real life, and it was apparent to both of them. While Gordo was dreading the break they had after this mission, Lizzie wanted nothing more than to finish talking about what they were talking about earlier.
Finally, they finished and reached the finishing line. They had come in third place. The next thirty minutes was a blur for Lizzie and Gordo as Ryan announced the winners and everyone hung around to get some finishing camera shots. Finally, they were free to go and as Lizzie was going over what to say in her head, she was stopped by Ryan.
"Tory," he called, causing both Gordo and Lizzie to turn around to see what was going on. Ryan finally reached them, gave Gordo a nod and turned his attention to Lizzie, "Tory, I was wondering, since we have a break right now, if you would like to have some tea or something with me now," he asked, smiling.
Without looking at Gordo, she agreed. She didn't have a clear head, anyway, and maybe a break from Gordo would be good for her. She went with Ryan to the mansion and joined him for tea. The whole time, although she was physically with Ryan, her mind was in other places. She let Ryan do most of the talking as she thought about how to approach her growing feelings for Gordo.
In the meantime, Gordo went to the Love Hut alone. He was hurting inside, although he knew that he couldn't do anything because this was Lizzie's choice. However, her decision meant that she still had no interest in him, and this did hurt. He wondered if Mr. Rico Suave Ryan had made a move yet. He wondered if his arms were around her shoulders, like he wished his were now. It was hard, but he had to face it: once again in his life, he had it bad for Lizzie.
~*~*~*~
A/N: To be continued is to be soon.
The question from last chapter is still something to think about.
That is: What will happen on the fourth day of this journey?
Chapter Twelve
"What kind of explanation do you want?" Gordo asked. He wanted to tell her everything, but he was determined to pretend he hated her. If he pretended long enough, maybe he could convince himself. His feelings were so rocky at this point that he wasn't sure what he wanted. He cursed to himself on the inside because every moment was becoming more and more unpredictable. It wasn't like he had to harbor his love-hate relationship with Lizzie anymore. This was his opportunity to get what he wanted, or at least see where Lizzie stood in all of this. The Parker thing really blew him off course. Did she really believe that? On the other hand, what about his side of the story. There had to be an explanation to all of it
"You know what I want," she said, "I want to hear your side of the story. Why do you think we broke up?"
"Because I saw you at prom, dammit," Gordo practically screamed, "And I also saw you at the senior sleepover and at that stupid party! You gave up on us way before I gave up on you!"
"Calm down, Gordo!" Lizzie said, developing a temper herself, "Because I have no idea what you are talking about. You say you saw me at prom and all these places. I saw you, too!"
"Yeah, but you didn't have to listen to your girlfriend talk about Ethan the whole time we were at Prom and you didn't have to watch her flirt with him at the senior sleepover and you definitely didn't have to watch her go into that room during that stupid party. Did you get what you wanted, Lizzie? Did Ethan make you happy? When you were being secretive all those times, did you enjoy what you were hiding?"
"Gordo," Lizzie interrupted.
"No," Gordo said, "What I had with Parker was nothing. Sure, we talked about being in the same area for college, but why not? I wasn't all over her like you were with Ethan. No, in fact, Parker and I haven't even talked to each other since graduation."
Lizzie was crying at this point, "Yeah, well, if that's true, then the same goes for Ethan and me. I had a really good reason for spending time with Ethan, and like any good friend, I wanted to make sure he was okay."
"Ha!" Gordo said, "Ethan was always okay! Girls were always surrounding him. You were just like all the other girls and went to him, too!"
"Stop it, Gordo!" Lizzie said, as tears streamed down her face.
"No," Gordo said, "Because I need to finish this!" Gordo said, as he was beginning to remember why he wasn't supposed to love Lizzie anymore, "Lizzie, I loved you and would have done anything, but you took that love that I had and threw it out. How did you ever expect for me to forgive you?" He asked this, heated, with anger.
"Gordo, you don't understand!" Lizzie said, through her tears, "Ethan's dad was very sick that year and was at the hospital the night of prom."
"No wonder you weren't dancing with him," he said.
"Shove it, Gordo, and listen to me. I heard your explanation and now it's your turn to hear mine," Lizzie said, loosing her temper, "At senior sleepover, we were talking about his father and how he didn't know whether to go away for college on his football scholarship or stay here to be with his father. And last, but not least, and hear me out because this what happened, his father died three days before that party. He and I went into that room to talk. I was there to be with him, as a friend, as he cried and dealt with the loss of his father. He didn't talk about his father a lot because he didn't like to show emotion, but I was there for him as a friend. Maybe you should have been there with me as a friend of mine, but most importantly as a friend of Ethan's."
Hearing this caused Gordo to calm down. Hearing the truth made everything come together, but at the same time, made him feel stupid and more confused, "Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?"
"I don't know," Lizzie said, wiping tears from underneath her eyes, "I think at the time I thought you knew about all of this and I didn't think talking about it would help anything. Besides, I don't think Ethan wanted people to know the whole story. I knew it all because I happened to be on the phone with him about homework or something when he learned that his father had a heart attack. I knew all this by accident and I thought he would need a true friend to be with to get through this and I was there."
Gordo sat down, trying to put this together in his head. He had to admit it made sense, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense, "So this whole time. . .it was all a big misunderstanding?"
Lizzie shrugged, "I don't know. Were you ever with Parker?"
"No way," Gordo said.
"Then I guess it was," Lizzie said, sitting down next to him.
"I –I'm sorry, Lizzie. I had no idea," he said, playing the what if game in his head.
"I'm sorry, too. Had I known what you were thinking and the truth, well. . ." Lizzie said, looking at Gordo for a few short seconds and then shrugging, "Well, who knows."
"Yeah," Gordo echoes, "Who knows."
Gordo was about to say something else when they were interrupted by a knock on the door of their Love Hut. Both of them jumped and Gordo went to get the door. It was someone who told them it was time for their daily activity.
Lizzie and Gordo, who both somehow felt the same thing in that room, left that room with a different feeling. They had new information. This information meant that they didn't have a reason to break up in the first place. But now that everything was out in the open, what were they supposed to do? Still pretend like they hate each other? Pretend that each kiss they are forced to act out and each time they touch each other means absolutely nothing to each other? While all the truth was spilled, it was almost as if gates that were partially closed for the two of them were now opened and . . .this made it all even more confusing.
Today they had to act mushy toward each other. This would be hard because neither of them knew where they stood with the other person. Before the cameras started rolling, Gordo and Lizzie sort of distanced themselves from each other. Gordo watched as Jane walked over to James and started talking to her. He scanned the rest of the actors to see what they were up to, when all the sudden Thomas walked up to him, "Danny?" he said.
Gordo turned to face Thomas, "Yeah?"
"Listen I know this is going to sound crazy, but you look incredibly familiar. And I couldn't place you until just now. . .you were in that Mountain Dew commercial, weren't you?" he asked.
Gordo shook his head, confused, "Nope, that wasn't me."
Thomas looked a little surprised, "Really? Because you look exactly like that guy."
"No, Thomas, I wasn't in that commercial. I haven't been in any commercials, actually."
"Really?" Thomas said, "Did you have a stint on a soap opera or sitcom?"
Gordo shrugged, "Nope."
"Have you ever been on TV?"
"Well, several years ago I was on this game show on the Spanish Network, but that was a long time ago. I haven't been on TV since then."
"Oh, well," Thomas said, "We've all had our washed up period. That's why I'm here in the first place. No one remembers me from my Tonka Truck commercial days and I guarantee that no one saw my face in that band movie. I was in one scene and in the very back row. That's why I'm here."
Gordo looked around, suddenly realizing, "All of us are actors, huh?"
"Yep," Thomas said, laughing, "My wife thought I was crazy when I told her I was getting into this. Are you married?"
"Nope," Gordo said, "I'm single."
"Well, good for you. Word on the street is that Tory is, too. Maybe you two should hook up in real life," he said as he slapped Gordo on the back and walked away.
Slowly, Gordo was starting to understand this game. There was no real winner in the end of this: it was all fake. He thought at first that it was just acted out, but he didn't think about the fact that this was all actors. He should have realized that these people have a life of their own and are just playing a character, like he was. They all were in it for the money, like him.
Gordo looked back at Lizzie and noticed she was talking to the host of the show, Ryan. The first thought that came into his head was whether Ryan was single or not. He couldn't help but feel a little jealousy toward Ryan.
He tried to look at other things, to distract himself from Lizzie, but it was hard. Finally, five minutes later, it was announced that the competition was about to begin. This time it was a scavenger hunt. The cameras turned on as the couples were handed a list of things to do. A horn blew, indicating it was time to start, and all of them went their separate ways as cameras followed them.
Lizzie, remembering that she was supposed to act infatuated with Gordo, put her arm around Gordo and they took their time on the hunt as they would occasionally take time to give each other hugs, and every time they found something that was on their list, Lizzie would kiss Gordo on the cheek. Gordo went along with it all, but his mind was clearly not on the hunt. Instead, his thoughts were on Lizzie and what she was thinking about the current situation.
Lizzie noticed that Gordo was being distant and had to admit that his distant behavior upset her. She wasn't quite sure why, but she almost wished he would make a move and kiss her or give her some sort of sign as to everything will be okay. She looked at his hand and took it into hers. She always did feel protected when he held her hand when they were dating. Now, though, it was complicated. Not knowing what the other one was thinking was killing each of them inside. All of this acting was messing with what was happening in real life, and it was apparent to both of them. While Gordo was dreading the break they had after this mission, Lizzie wanted nothing more than to finish talking about what they were talking about earlier.
Finally, they finished and reached the finishing line. They had come in third place. The next thirty minutes was a blur for Lizzie and Gordo as Ryan announced the winners and everyone hung around to get some finishing camera shots. Finally, they were free to go and as Lizzie was going over what to say in her head, she was stopped by Ryan.
"Tory," he called, causing both Gordo and Lizzie to turn around to see what was going on. Ryan finally reached them, gave Gordo a nod and turned his attention to Lizzie, "Tory, I was wondering, since we have a break right now, if you would like to have some tea or something with me now," he asked, smiling.
Without looking at Gordo, she agreed. She didn't have a clear head, anyway, and maybe a break from Gordo would be good for her. She went with Ryan to the mansion and joined him for tea. The whole time, although she was physically with Ryan, her mind was in other places. She let Ryan do most of the talking as she thought about how to approach her growing feelings for Gordo.
In the meantime, Gordo went to the Love Hut alone. He was hurting inside, although he knew that he couldn't do anything because this was Lizzie's choice. However, her decision meant that she still had no interest in him, and this did hurt. He wondered if Mr. Rico Suave Ryan had made a move yet. He wondered if his arms were around her shoulders, like he wished his were now. It was hard, but he had to face it: once again in his life, he had it bad for Lizzie.
~*~*~*~
A/N: To be continued is to be soon.
The question from last chapter is still something to think about.
That is: What will happen on the fourth day of this journey?