pinky- I will be using your great ideas in the upcoming chapter and the one after it!

Lizzie's cheeks burned as she walked through the halls of the hotel and to her room. She had no idea who had seen her, but every time that another guest smiled at her or looked her way, her humiliation intensified. When she finally got to her room, she peeled off her soaking wet cotton shorts and threw them across the bathroom. "Dammit!" Lizzie yelled in an emotional outburst of frustration. She watched as her shorts clung to the tile wall and slowly started to slide down. She tore off her swimsuit top and threw it into the garbage can, as tears started to flow down her cheeks again. $130 down the drain. The bottom of that swimsuit was probably being eaten by sharks at that very moment. Lizzie turned on the shower and closed her eyes as she stepped in. The sound of the water hitting the tile and the feeling of the hot water pouring over her was just what she needed. As she breathed in the scent of her coconut lime body wash, she allowed her lips to curl up into a smile. Showers had always relaxed her. Be positive, she thought. You're in Mexico, at a 5 star resort, with your family and your boyfriend. As she remembered Gordo, she felt a spark of happiness. After her shower she'd go check on him. They had all day together. Alone.

"Ana," the game show host said, "Si tu puedes decir una cosa a Enrique, que serra?" Gordo stared blankly at the beautiful Mexican woman on the tv screen. "No tengo ropa interior," she said seductively. The camera panned to a mariachi band, who started to play furiously while someone in an Easter Bunny mascot costume danced and cheered. "Me gusta! Me gusta mucho!" Enrique exclaimed, as the camera panned over two other "bachelorettes," who looked very angry. Suddenly the door to Gordo's room opened and Lizzie walked in, wearing a terrycloth robe.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting down next to him on the bed. Gordo shrugged.

"Nothing. Just watching a little bit of tv." He looked at his watch. "It's only 12:15. Did everyone come in early?" Lizzie's cheeks flushed.

"Um... not exactly," she muttered. "I warned you about the food. I talked to your mom this morning, and it wasn't pleasant." Gordo rolled his eyes. "So, are you still having 'severe diarrhea,' David?" she asked in a startlingly good impersonation of Roberta.

"It's not that big of a deal," Gordo said sheepishly. "So my stomach was a little upset from being exposed to unpurified, virtually untreated water. It happens to everyone." Lizzie looked over at him and grinned.

"Right, Gordo." She tousled his hair playfully.

"And, yes, I'm better." Gordo added. "So, now it's your turn. Why are you back?" Lizzie looked down. She felt frumpy in that robe. If only she still had her sexy new bikini. Now Gordo would never see it.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to laugh at me." She looked at him pleadingly as he agreed.

"Lizzie. Whatever it was, it can't be that bad," he said.

"Trust me. It was," Lizzie started to tell him the story, tears stinging her eyes at the memory of the intense shame that she felt. "And all of a sudden, I looked down, and I was just flying through the sky, like, totally naked and EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THIS FUCKING BEACH WAS LAUGHING AT ME!" she shrieked, her voice getting louder. She took a deep breath, determined not to cry about it again. Gordo was looking at her, stunned. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide.

"Jesus Christ, McGuire," he choked out, unable to think of any other words. Lizzie dove underneath the covers and hid.

"Don't look at me, I'm too embarrassed!" she said. After a few minutes, she poked her head out and a sly smile spread across her face. "Gordo? Do you realize that we're here, totally unchaperoned, all night?" Gordo nodded.

"I know. But if we get ourselves into trouble, we'll never be unchaperoned again until we leave for college."

"Come onnn," Lizzie begged. "We're seniors in high school. We're on vacation. We both got totally humiliated today—"

"Objection," Gordo interrupted. Lizzie raised her eyebrows.

"We deserve some fun," she said. "Why don't we just go to the bar, have a couple of drinks, and then we can, like, rent one of those rafts or something and go to the island." Gordo looked out of his window at the island in the middle of the crystal clear water. It was about a mile offshore, and tourists rented kayaks and paddled out to it during the day. It did look like fun.

"Fine. But we have to be back by the time our parents are back."

"Tomorrow morning," Lizzie added.

"No. Tonight. Just in case," Gordo said. Lizzie was clearly dejected.

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "We'll be back tonight."