...the Monster Mash. And it was a graveyard smash!
*Early Monday morning/late Sunday evening flashback to the events of the previously mentioned party*
Miranda: *upon seeing my ‘costume’* Wow! Did you buy those as they are or did you have to make them by hand?
*Laughs while fluttering my ‘wings’* Nah. I was lucky enough to find them as they look. Of course it looked as if getting them home was not going to be an easy task until someone showed me that they could be folded like you would a deck chair and then snapped back into the shape they are now. What about you? I thought maybe you would opt for something different.
Miranda: Well I was going to do something other than this *at that she shrugs* if I hadn’t waited maybe I would’ve been able to. Then I remembered that none of the people that are on the guest list have seen me in this outfit so I thought ‘what the heck? Either way its cool.’
Yeah that it is.
Miranda: Anyway….you think the others are still a little bit upset at the tantrum that you threw?
Nah. They understand as I’m sure you explained what was causing it to happen.
Miranda: Yeah. Well that’s about all that we can say about this matter right now. So lets get our ‘happy faces on’ and see what we can do to make this a night that will change a lot of things and just not for us!
I second that emotion!
*Later as the party is in full swing*
Amy: *after wandering by where Miranda and I are sitting and taking a break* Wow….! Look at you two! Those wings real? ‘Cause if they are I so don’t want to be the one who gets in trouble for breaking them if I reach out and touch them ya know?
*Laughs* No its okay. They won’t break or anything. Go ahead.
Amy: Cool. So what’s the deal anyways? I thought that someone else was going to be here yet I haven’t seen him all night.
Well….*luckily someone else besides Miranda cuts off my explanation in mid sentence*
Tina: Hey….Amy right? Why don’t you give our other two ‘hostesses’ a chance to enjoy their food while you and I go see about getting you some of your own?
Amy: Cool. I was starting to get kinda hungry.
*Mouths ‘thanks’ to Tina as she walks away with our guest and she slips back to where we are sitting when Kate’s cousin has managed to secure a place in line to get some of the food*
Tina: Not a problem. I know we are….*before she can finish Miranda happens to nudge my elbow and make me spill some of my drink on the floor* What was that for?
Miranda: Um Lizzie…remember when I told you that it might not be possible for Gordo to be here?
Yeah? What about it?
*Cue the untimely entrance of the boyfriend* Gordo: Can I have a moment to talk to my girlfriend alone?
Tina/Miranda: Wow….look at that line move! I'll be back in a few Lizzie.
Gordo! What are you….
Gordo: *after sitting down in one of the empty seats which he’s first turned to face me as its at a different table* Shut up and listen to what I have to say first okay?
*Blinks* Okay….
Gordo: I’ve been doing some thinking about us….
And?
Gordo: What did I just ask of you huh?
Sorry.
Gordo: Just forget it okay? Just like you can go and pretend that I wasn’t here at all when I am walking out the door. *at that he stands up and makes his way towards the doors pausing to look at me over his shoulder at which point he walks back to the table* Oh and don’t be looking for me tomorrow at school McGuire….I need some ‘space’. *after that he’s once again heading towards the door. Before he leaves he turns to look at me one more time then turns back around shaking his head as he pushes the door open and heads out into the night*
*Sighs while watching him leave then Miranda returns to talk to me. Only when she does she acts all weird*
Miranda: Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up! Time to wake up and see what is going to be the rest of your life now Lizzie! Come on rise and shine McGuire! Shower isn’t going to turn itself on you know! Nothing else is gonna magically happen for ya either! *her incessant droning finally has me reaching for the snooze button and then rolling over onto my back to stare at the ceiling until the alarm once again sets my mind towards thinking about the day ahead*
*Slightly later this wonderful morning finds me wishing that maybe the weekend had lasted a little longer. That being due to how much fun the party turned out to be. Not so much the cleanup that was the major occupation of yesterday. Even though I told myself that ‘its no big deal that my life might be at a crossroads right now….I’ve got the best darn thing going on for me right now that I could hope to have’….I really was a little bit disappointed that Gordo wasn’t in the mood to stay once he got there even though he was kind of a surprise when he did show up*
*Grabs my book bag and slides out of the half empty seat heading inside when the bus has come to a complete stop wondering what might be wrong that I don’t know about. The part that bothered me the most were the whispers that some people were quickly stopping when they saw me walk close to where they were standing then resume whatever the heck was so darn important when I was out of earshot. By the time I managed to get to my locker and see the note that was taped to it much like the one which Kate left me my heart is somewhere near my stomach*
*Rather than take any longer than I need to solve this problem I snatch the envelope from the front of my locker and then slip it into one of my books to read later. After that’s done I grab the dial of my locker between two fingers on my right hand and open it once the combination has been dialed in. The minute I do I almost wish I hadn’t as the second letter that was placed in there slips out and lands face up near one of my shoes. Unlike the one which was probably just a ‘thank you’ from the party Saturday night this one is one which will probably be one that makes things a little different than what I need them to be right now. As if the telltale traces of handwriting that are as unmistakable as what mine are didn’t give away the fact that its from Gordo. Letting the letter lay there for a few seconds longer turns out to be a mistake as a passerby takes one look at where it is laying then looks at me and silently mouths ‘I hope you feel better after a good cry’. Scant seconds before the first bell rings I manage to muster enough courage to pick the letter up and slip it into the smallish pile of books that I’ve gathered prior to heading off to class*
*Study hall finds me in another one of those flashbacks like I went through during ‘dreamtime’*
[this part is being told from Tinas p.o.v.]
And then the princess who was so distraught over the loss of the beloved prince and her father in the same day took the sword which had been used to behead her fiancée and sliced off her own head by setting it between 2 low hanging branches and then riding her horse beneath the same branches that held the weapon. *at that I fold up the story and then place it back in my pocket*
Miranda: Aww how sad….just like Romeo and Juliet.
Lizzie: Way tragic. Which made it perfect for this kind of night. Now then! Who wants to hear her tell it again? *surprisingly no one raises their hands yet something else does act to draw my attention. That being the sudden materialization of a book that slams softly down onto my lap and jars me back into the real world* [and now back to the regularly scheduled portion of our story]
Study hall [vulture] teacher: MISS McGuire….
*Gulps* Hello….is there a problem?
Study hall [vulture] teacher: Not especially for me that is. However can we say the same about you?
Sorry. I was just thinking about something that happened this weekend. At the Halloween party that I was running.
Study hall [vulture] teacher: Ah yes. I heard that you had a great turn out. However I do believe that such matters are ones which only serve to interrupt what it is we strive to accomplish here in these hallowed halls. That being said try not to let your mind wander too much okay? We need you here with the rest of us.
Gotcha.
~By the time the end of the day rolls around its very obvious [well to me anyways] that my fate as far as whatever I had with Gordo is either totally over or its on what might turn out to be the ‘last leg of the trip to being the end of the road’~ *And as I suspected the bus ride home didn’t do much to make me forget about the ’letter’ that I tucked into my stack of take home books along with the other envelope. Rather it made me even more curious about what the one that was inside my locker along with the other one was about. After walking into the house and then going through the usual motions with my mom which included shuffling upstairs when we were done with our usual chatter….is right around the time that I decided that there was no need to be so worked up over a silly little envelope that probably meant nothing anyways. So much so that I set it up near my computer monitor and just walked away from it heading downstairs to go and do something else that would help me think less about this matter*
Mom I’m gonna go to the Digital Bean is that okay?
Mom: Sure sweetie. *after pausing for a second* Wait….is there something that you might want to talk to me about? Miranda’s mother called while you were at school and she told me that her daughter said something happened at the party Saturday. Would you rather talk about it with me here?
No….I kinda promised myself that I was going to put what happened out of my mind. ~At least for as long as I can avoid looking at that letter upstairs that is~ So it would kind of seem silly to go and talk about it right now don’t you think?
Mom: Yes maybe it would. Well enjoy yourself and make sure to call me in case you eat something while you’re there. Wouldn’t want you to come home and say that you’re not hungry because you ate thereby wasting the food that was set aside for you when I made dinner.
Gotcha mom. Don’t worry I will. *which is about where the conversation ends as I’m heading out the door and walking towards my destination after shutting said backdoor and leaving the yard*
*Slightly later*
Yeah talk to you when you get here Miranda. Bye. *Clicks off the phone after she does and pockets the cell before stepping up to the counter to see if the person that I did intend to talk to rather than my mother is both here and working. Luckily its not long of a wait before someone manages to give me the help which I desire*
Manager: I’m sorry. She’s not working today. I thought maybe she might need the time off after I worked her so hard when her and her sister got back from their little road trip. If you like I could give her the message that you were here when she gets in tomorrow and then she can decide what she might want to do. Is that okay with you miss McGuire?
Actually I could save us both some trouble by going over to where they live and talking to them in person. ~Yeah I could do that and then leave Miranda hanging when she gets here. Which would no doubt make her mad at me.~ Probably after my friend gets here though. She was going to meet me here.
Manager: Or you could do that. Either way is not a problem for me. That being said what would you like in the way of some liquid refreshment?
*Laughs* Just my usual.
Manager: Okay then. I’ll have Willa bring it to you when its ready.
Thanks. *Meanders over to the couch and flops down waiting for Miranda. Which is not a long wait as she slides in the door not more than
5 minutes after I sit down and close my eyes to think about what has happened to me thus far today*
Miranda: Hey you….what was the big emergency?
Wasn’t really one. Just thought maybe we could talk about some things that we didn’t get a chance to as we were cleaning this place yesterday.
Miranda: Well normally I would agree with you. Just one problem though. My reason for agreeing to meet you here was kinda included in the real reason I went out of my way to journey here.
Oh? What’s going on then?
Miranda: I was planning to meet Gordo here.
*Blinks* I see. Well then there really isn’t any need for me to stay here until he arrives now is there. I’ll call you after?
Miranda: Lizzie….wait.
Sorry can’t. Got something I need to do. *Stands up and heads to the counter to fetch my drink and have it switched over to a to go cup since I now need some ’space of my own’. After walking outside I pause long enough to inform my mom of my recently revised plans and click the phone off when she tells me that its not a big deal for me to do what I am about to do. Even though she says that I know she was lying*