CHAPTER 3: MERYL AND ANNABELLE

Miranda Sanchez sat on the curb, watching Gordo pop ollie after ollie on his skateboard. It had beenalmost two years since Gordo had taken up the sport, and if his cousin Adam, the skateboarding guru, could see him now, he would surely be impressed with his pupil's progress. Miranda had been skateboarding with Gordo for about six months, and she was impressed. She stood up from the curb and skated out towards him.

"All right, Gordon," she said. "Show me that move again. And what exactly are you doing there with your shoulders?"

"I can show you what I'm doing," Gordo offered, "but it won't do you any good. I'm throwing my shoulders forward to balance my center of gravity. If you were to do that, you would fall flat on your face."

"Is that another reference to my chest?" Miranda questioned, trying to hold back a grin.

Gordo shrugged as he coasted away. "I didn't say that."

"No, you didn't, but you were thinking it," she teased, " I think you're getting fresh with me."

Gordo continued coasting, but barely a smile crossed his face. Miranda didn't usually flirt with him, and she wasn't actually doing that now. She only wanted to say something to make him laugh. Or smile. But it wasn't working.

She sighed heartily, tried an ollie, but failed miserably, not so much due to a lack of skill as to the preoccupation of her own mind. Gordo was miserable, and she didn't know how to help him. He wouldn't talk to her, and she didn't seem able to distract him.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "How about we go look for Tudge? Aren't he and Meryl coming out today?"

"Probably," Gordo said, flipping the board into his waiting hand. Larry Tudgeman and his girlfriend Meryl had been together over a year now and continued their tradition of visiting the park on Saturday mornings to play chess.

"Well, let's go find them," Miranda repeated. "You can play a game or two while I practice." Something, anything to take Gordo's mind off his troubles.

But Gordo shrugged apathetically.

What? Gordo not wanting to play chess?

Miranda took a deep breath. "Gordo…"

"It's AnnaBelle," he explained instantly.

"AnnaBelle?" Miranda asked in surprise. "What about her?"

"She'll probably be with them," Gordo said. "And she'll want me tomentorher again."

"Mentor?" Miranda wondered.

"Yeah, she's got this idea in her head that I'm the only person who can teach her how to improve her chess game. She always wants me to play her, she won't leave me alone."

Miranda smirked. "Girls who won't leave you alone. What a problem."

"Itisa problem," Gordo insisted. "And besides, I wouldn't exactly call AnnaBelle agirl, would you?"

"She definitely has a unique style," Miranda agreed. AnnaBelle dressed only in black and had tattoos and piercings all over her body. "But just because she's a Goth," Miranda insisted, "that doesn't preclude her having the hots for you."

Gordo's sideways glance was accompanied by a sour expression.

Yeah, that's right, Gordo, Miranda thought.Nicole has the hots for you. Parker has the hots for you. Even AnnaBelle has the hots for you. But I do not have the hots for you.

"AnnaBelle does not have the hots for me," Gordo said dryly, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Miranda. She's just using me to improve her chess game."

"Okay then," Miranda said. "Let's go find AnnaBelle and let her use you, okay?"

Miranda dragged Gordo off towards the other end of the park, where indeed they found AnnaBelle, sitting at a table opposite Tudge and Meryl. Tudge and AnnaBelle were intent upon the chessboard between them, but Meryl looked up instantly, offering a bright smile.

"Hi, Gordon!" she greeted. "Hi, Miranda!"

For the first time since Gordo had greeted Nicole coming out of her family van last night, he found himself smiling, a real smile, not a sad smile. There was something about Meryl that always made him smile. Perhaps it was the freckles. There was no other way to respond to so many freckles than with a big, hearty smile.

"Hey," Gordo said. "Who's winning?"

"I am," Tudge said, never looking up from the board. "And I'm gonna clobber you next, Gordon."

"No, I have him next," AnnaBelle announced, also never taking her eyes off the board. "Hey, Dave. Hey, Randa."

"MI-randa," Miranda reminded. AnnaBelle had been told numerous times that "Randa" was not acceptable, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to remember. Or just didn't care.

"Sure," AnnaBelle said now, moving a rook.

"So, Gordon," Meryl said. "You and Nikki coming to the movies with me and Tudge tonight?"

A pained look passed over Gordo's face. Miranda went instantly to his side to protect him. Of course Meryl had no way of knowing what was happening, but once she saw Gordo's face, surely she would know something wasn't right.

"Oh," Miranda began instantly, "Dave told me that tonight he—he—"

"Miranda," Gordo said impatiently, "I can speak for myself."

"But—"

"Shhhh!" Tudge demanded sharply.

Gordo looked at Meryl and saw she was looking directly at him. Sometimes, especially lately, it seemed that Meryl was always looking directly at him. With those bright green eyes. And not only that, but she seemed to see right through him. Like now, for instance, she obviously knew something was wrong. She would not take her eyes off him. Gordo looked away.

"Dave…?" Meryl said quietly.

The tone of Meryl's voice was not lost on Miranda, who tried to cover the awkward moment by announcing, "Speaking of movies, last weekend Lizzie and I went to see Love Actually."

"Dave…?" Meryl repeated.

"Chick flick," Larry pronounced, never looking up from the chessboard.

Gordo dared to look back at Meryl and was disturbed to find she was still looking at him. This had happened more than a few times in the last month, and he knew it couldn't be right. Larry was his friend, his best guy friend. Whatever might be going on, it was wrong, just wrong.

"Dave…" Meryl said for a third time, and instantly Gordo heard himself saying, "I don't think Nikki and I will be coming to the movies tonight, Merr. I'm not sure Nikki and I will…will ever be…"

Meryl sat up straight. "Ever be…what?" she asked, all senses keen. "Don't tell me you and Nikki are breaking up?"

"Shhh!" Tudge demanded again, but Meryl totally ignored him.

"Dave, what is it?" Meryl persisted. "What's going on?"

"Nikki's moving," Gordo spit out.

"Oh my God, Dave! No!"

Miranda stood there looking back and forth between Gordo and Meryl. Both were agitated, but apparently for different reasons. Gordo she understood, but Meryl…Meryl…And then it hit her. KaBoom!

Okay,Miranda thought.Add one more to the list. Meryl has the hots for Gordo…

Gordo looked at Meryl looking at him, and all he could think was,This isn't right.And even as he was thinking this, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He recognized "Pretty Woman" as the song he had assigned to Nicole and immediately turned from the group, putting the phone to his ear.

"Nikki?" he said.

He heard her sniff. "Davey? Davey, can I see you? I don't like the way everything turned out last night. I could hardly sleep at all. I feel so bad. We need to talk. Can I see you?"

Gordo closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Of course," he said. "I'll be right over."