Prologue

In the summer before her first year of high school, Lizzie McGuire took a trip that would change her life forever. But Lizzie didn't like change. A small difference in her everyday routine wasn't that big of a deal, but a change too big could send Lizzie into cardiac arrest. How big? Try "becoming-a-major-Italian-pop-star-and-kissingyour-best-friend" big. Now, becoming the next best thing in Italy since sliced bread was an easy enough thing for Lizzie to forget about, but her little rendezvous with Gordo on the balcony wasn't about to leave her mind any time soon. If asked, Lizzie would deny all recollection of such a thing happening, but deep down she knew that it was the most mind-blowing, out of this world kiss she had ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Gordo knew just as well as Lizzie that she did not like change, so he made a point never to mention the kiss to her. Ever. This was fine with Gordo, of course, on account of him being the shiest boy on the planet. So Gordo and Lizzie spent the next year and half sneaking looks at each other, but then darting their eyes away. Gordo had been waiting for that kiss Lizzie gave him in Rome his entire life, and it didn't take much to convince him to take action. Over the years, friends of Lizzie and Gordo had watched their whole relationship play out, and they had become fed up with the ridiculousness of the whole ordeal. So they poked, prodded, and stuck their noses where they didn't belong, just like any true friend would. Months later, they did the impossible and witnessed a miracle. Gordo walked up to Lizzie, with about as much confidence as a mouse up against a cat, and asked her out. Much to his surprise, Lizzie accepted before he could even finish, and they have been together ever since. Now, both 18 and in their senior year in high school, Lizzie and Gordo are about to embark on the biggest adventure of their lives.

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Chapter 1

"Finally, the last college application is filled out! Now I can sit back, relax, and enjoy my senior year," Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief as she put the last set of papers into an envelope. "Watch out! Coming through!" In the next split second, Lizzie watched Matt, in what seemed like slow motion, fly through the room on his roller blades. Before she could do anything to stop him, he knocked over Lizzie's smoothie, sending a pink wave of liquid fruit to land ALL over her newly finished college applications. "Matt, you weasel! Get back here! I'm gonna kill you!" Lizzie screamed, filled with rage. She started to chase after Matt, but he was on roller blades, and easily escaped Lizzie's grasp, leaving her with a sticky mess of college applications. "MOM!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, hoping for some sort of aid to salvage her college career. "What is the problem, Lizzie?" Jo said as she poked her head into the kitchen. "Oh, honey, what happened here?" "Matt! That's what happened. You guys should have sent him off to the kennel like I originally suggested." "Alright, we can fix this. All we have to do is get new envelopes, Lizzie. The applications are safe," Jo assured her. "Mom, if I have to lick one more envelope there will be no moisture left on my tongue!" "Aww, you must be stressed out. Here, while I clean this up for you, why don't you and Gordo see a movie? My treat. Go celebrate the end of filling out college applications," Lizzie's mother went to her purse and pulled out $40. "Thanks, Mom." Lizzie grabbed the money, ran out of the house, and made her way down to Gordo's. Just as she lifted her hand up to knock on the door, Gordo swung it

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open. "Wow, I must be psychic because I was just going over to your house to see if you wanted to do something. C'mon in." Gordo opened the door wider for Lizzie to enter. She smiled and leaned in to kiss Gordo lightly on the lips. "So why were you on your way over here?" Gordo asked as he shut the door. "This," Lizzie said, holding up her mother's $40. "My mom is treating us to some food and a movie. I finally finished my college applications!" "Well, congratulations! Do you wanna head for the movies now?" Gordo asked. "Nah, you can't talk in the movie theater. Let's go get something to eat. You hungry?" "Starving. I'm so hungry I would even eat genuine Scottish food," Gordo replied with a chuckle. "Well I don't know about Scottish, but how about something from the Digital Bean?" "Sounds good." Lizzie and Gordo left the house and got into Gordo's car. Once they arrived at the Digital Bean, they ran into Kate and Ethan, the off again on again couple of their school. It just so happened that they were on again when Lizzie and Gordo saw them. ***** "Gor-don! Over here, man. Come chill wit' me and the old lady." "Do I look like an old lady to you, Ethan?" Kate said as she hit Ethan on the shoulder. He flinched and rubbed his arm, giving Kate a death stare. But he quickly lost interest and became focused on the food in front of him. "I know you guys must have other plans, so you don't have to sit with us. Really," Kate said smugly. "Hmm. Lizzie? Do we have any other plans?" Gordo asked. "Why, no Gordo, I believe we are plan-free. We would be happy to join you Kate," Lizzie replied, smirking at Gordo. Since Rome, Lizzie had realized that, on the inside, Kate was really a softie. Plus, she figured that any misery inflicted onto Kate would make the score of Lizzie: 2, Kate: 1,000,000,000 even out a bit. "So, how are you guys doing with your college applications?" Lizzie asked as she sat down in the chair that Gordo had pulled out for her. "Well, of course I only applied to one school. The New York Fashion Institute. I did early decision, and with my keen fashion sense, I'm surprised they haven't already graduated me." Gordo looked over at Lizzie and rolled his eyes at Kate's reply. "So what about you, Ethan?" Lizzie asked.

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"I decided not to go to college. I'm going to bean actor. I know that whole walking and talking thing is hard and all, but you earn enough money to buy some tight stuff. I hear that Frankie Muniz kid bought a car from Fast and the Furious. That is bank, dude." "That does sound,"bank," Ethan," Lizzie said, holding back her laughter. "What about you Gor-don?" Before Gordo could answer for himself, Lizzie chimed in, "Gordo has five different film schools that all want him," she was obviously proud of her boyfriend's accomplishments. "Yeah, I'm narrowing it down to USC or NYU. It kind of depends on where Lizzie is going to school," Gordo said, throwing her a knowing glance. "So where did you apply, Lizzie? Clown College?" Kate asked, letting out a small chuckle in response to her insult. "No," she glared at Kate, "but I kept my options open. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for quite yet. I applied to 18 different colleges." "Wow. Talk about keeping your options open, McGuire. I mean, why didn't you just apply to all the colleges in the world." Kate scoffed. "It's not that many colleges. Right, Gordo?" "Umwell it is kind of more than average, but I'm sure you'll find one that is right for you," Gordo replied with a nod. Lizzie paused. "S - suddenly I don't feel so well," she said as she got up from the table. "Oh, too bad we had to cut our conversation short," Kate said sarcastically. She looked over at Ethan who had been sitting in silence the whole time. The plate of French fries that had sat in front of him at the beginning of the conversation was now just a basket full of crumbs, and his attention was completely devoted to a fly buzzing around his head. Just as Lizzie ran out of the Digital Bean, Kate smacked Ethan. They were about to be off again. "Wait! Lizzie! Lizzie wait!" Gordo exclaimed as he ran after her. "What Gordo?" Lizzie turned around with an upset look on her face. "What's wrong?" Gordo asked, catching his breath. "Kate's right. That's what's wrong," she confided. "Well, it was bound to happen at one point or another. I mean, a person can only be wrong so many times before they get something right," he laughed. "Gordo! This isn't a time to joke, okay? I mean, I filled out 18 college applications! 18! That is one application for every year of my life. That's almost four times the

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amount of colleges that you applied to. I'll never be able to make a decision and then you'll go off to college. Sure, we'll write and call, but soon each call will be further and further apart until you meet some 'college girl,' fall in love, and you'll dump me. But, on the upside, by then I should have been promoted to head fry maker at McDonalds," Lizzie ranted. Gordo let Lizzie regain her composure before he started up the conversation again. "Are you finished?" "Yes," she whimpered. "First of all Lizzie, Kate isn't right.18 applications aren't too many and you WILL be able to pick one. You WILL be successful, and you WON'T end up working at McDonalds." "You think so, Gordo?" "Look, Lizzie, I believe in you. And besides, I know for a fact that one part of your rant will never come true." Lizzie looked at Gordo questioningly, "What's that?" "I will never dump you," Gordo replied, taking her hand. He laughed, "Hey, I'm psychic, remember? No matter what happens to us we are going to end up together Elizabeth McGuire. I promise." She smiled. "I hope so." "C'mon," Gordo said, "Let's go for a walk." Gordo and Lizzie walked, hand in hand, until they found a park bench and sat down. "You know, sometimes I wish Miranda still went to school with us. Then we could be clueless together," Lizzie admitted. "Same here. I still can't believe she moved to Mexico City right before high school. What is she up to these days?" "Get this, she is going to join the Peace Corps." "Miranda devoting her life for the good of mankind?" he gave her a skeptical glance. "Gordo! She's really changed in these last couple of years. I'm happy for her." "I know, I know. I am too. She seems to know what she wants." Lizzie looked down at her feet and the smile she was once wearing was now no where to be found, "Which is more than I can say for some people." "Hey," he pulled her chin up, "you'll find your niche. Don't worry about it." "I better get home. I'm kind of tired." She forced out a smile, for Gordo's sake, as she stood up from the bench.

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"You aren't just going home so you can try and find something you're good at, are you?" "Uh, why would I do that?" She looked at Gordo, then at the ground, at Gordo, and then the ground again as she started to walk away. "Lizzie" It was no use, Gordo knew her too well. "Okay, fine. I was going to, but I really need to find what I'm good at or else I won't have any direction." Gordo stopped her and put his hand on her shoulder, "Here, I'll make you deal. Wait until your college applications come back and if you feel the same way I will personally help you make slips of paper with career choices on them for you to pull out of a hat. But for now you have to promise me that the only direction your life will be headed is enjoying senior year." Lizzie smiled. "That sounds fair." "Great. Let me drive you home." Gordo kissed Lizzie on the cheek and walked her to his car. "Thanks, Gordo." He smiled as he opened the door for her. ***** The next day at school Gordo walked into his film class and put his books down on his desk. Just as he was sitting down the door to the classroom swung open. "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen! Larry Tudgeman has arrived! Please, please, no autographs." Larry stood in the doorway when he looked at his teacher, standing at her desk with her arms crossed. "A-heh, sorry." Gordo laughed as he shook his head, "Tudgeman." Larry took his seat next to Gordo at their table. Over the past few years, Larry and Gordo had become good friends. They both had an interest in filmmaking, and seemed to always be in film classes together. "Hey, Gordo. What's up?" "Nothing much. So, how's that new sci-fi project of yours coming along?" Larry spun his head around and looked at Gordo, "Hey!" he leaned in a little closer and whispered, "that was supposed to be a secret. How did you know it was sci-fi?" His eyes became shifty, "Who told you?" "Tudgeman." Gordo stared at Larry, "You only dosci-fi." Larry backed away from Gordo, "That's a good point. And it is coming along very nicely. Oh, hey, I heard you got into USC and NYU, congratulations, man." Larry gave Gordo a pat on the back.

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"Thanks. Yeah, I'm just waiting for Lizzie to choose where she's going before I make my final decision. That way we'll be near each other." "You really love that girl don't you?" Larry asked. Gordo fumbled with his papers and cleared his throat, "W-what?" "Oh come on. It's so obvious. I mean, you're basing your future on what she's doing. You have it bad, man." Gordo struggled to find the words, "Well, I-I care about Lizzievery much." Larry scoffed, "Just say it! You are in love with her. Say it say it say it say it say it" It was obvious that Larry wasn't going to be stopping any time soon. "Fine! Okay. Yes, I love her. I love Lizzie McGuire," the words brought a smile to his face. "So have you told her yet?" Larry asked, proud of his victory. "No. So you really have to keep this quiet. I'm gonna tell her at prom." "Why not Valentine's Day? It's just around the corner." Gordo shook his head, "It's so clich to tell someone you love them on Valentine's Day." "And prom isn't?" "No, prom is clich with the loss of one's virginity," Larry shot Gordo a glance, "And Lizzie and I won't be participating in that." "Okay. So let me get this straight. You are planning when you are going to tell her you love her five months in advance?" Gordo thought about it for a minute, "Wellwhen you say it like tha - No, okay, it has to be perfect." "Man, you really do love her. You love her to the extent that you are planning five months in advance how you are going to tell her you love her and you are basing your entire future on what she does." "I wouldn't say I'm basing my ENTIRE future on Lizzie's decision. I mean, those schools equally excel in their film programs," Gordo nodded, "I would be lucky to go to either." "Well, hopefully you'll go to NYU. I got in early decision and I'm going into the film management program." Gordo chuckled, "You mean you are going to manage directors? You? Larry Tudgeman?" Larry seemed offended, "What's so strange about that?"

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"Well, Tudgeman, no offense, but you aren't exactly a 'people person.'" "But I am persistent." "Okay, I'll give you that." Just then the bell rang and the teacher began speaking. "Alright, class. You know that you're all here because you are looking to pursue a career in filmmaking. And even though this is just a high school course, the things that you do here can really make an impact on where your career goes. So I am assigning you your final project. Remember, as usual, all original work. I don't want to see a 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 2006,'" the class laughed, "Now, since this is your last project, I'm giving you all the time you need. So get to work and try to end your high school careers on a high note, will you?" ***** Lizzie sat in her room working on the homework she had due the next day. It was two months after she had sent in her college applications. Just then Jo ran into Lizzie's room, "Lizzie, Lizzie! Come downstairs quick. I think some of your college acceptance letters have come." Lizzie stared at her mother for a minute, "Okay. Are the envelopes big or small? BIG or SMALL?" She was obviously very nervous. Her mother just smiled, "Come downstairs and take a look." Jo left her daughter sitting on her bed, her heart pounding in her chest. After finally working up enough courage to walk downstairs, she went into the kitchen only to find a huge pile of envelopes on the table. LARGE envelopes. Lizzie was ecstatic, "Mom this is good! Large envelopes are good," she said as she looked at all of the envelopes. Her mother gave her a big hug, "I am so proud of you, Lizzie. Let me get the camera," Jo was just leaving the kitchen when Matt came running down the stairs. She stopped him, "Go congratulate your sister. She just got accepted into several colleges." Matt rubbed his chin, "Oh, I will. Heh heh heh" "Matt! I wouldn't do anything if I were you. Remember, your sister isn't going to be around next year," Jo scolded him. Matt was going to have to make a quick recovery from this one, "Uh, that's right, Lizzie isn't going to be around. Andthat's whyI'm going to go cherish the time I have left with my sister! Yes, I am going to cherish it." Jo smiled and patted Matt on the shoulder, "I love it when you two get along."

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After his mother was officially out of sight, Matt slinked into the kitchen and next to Lizzie as she looked through her applications. "What do you want, worm?" Lizzie said, never once taking her eyes off of her applications. "Lizzie, my dear sister, I just wanted to come congratulate you on your college acceptances." He gave his sister a pat on the back. Lizzie stopped and looked up at Matt, "Okay, what do you want?" "Can't a brother congratulate his sister on a job well done?" "Brothers can. Worms can't." Matt was offended, "Lizzie. I am sincerely happy for you. Now, do any of these colleges happen to have summer programs," he said as he shuffled through the papers, "Because I just want you to get out of the - I mean I want you to expand your educational opportunities." "Ugh. You just want a bigger room. Don't worry. I'll be glad to get out of your hair too. I just have to decide on a college." She went back to her papers. Then Matt picked up a large envelope and held it up to Lizzie, "Hey, you got into NYU. Isn't this one of the colleges that Gordo got into? You should go there. 1: It is as far away as possible, 2: You'll be near Gordo, and 3: It's the only one where you seem to have a major picked out. Education? You want to be a teacher?" Lizzie thought for a minute about what Matt was saying, "Well yeah, I think I have a knack for it. I did tutor Ethan and got him to understand math." Matt laughed, "Now that's what I call miracle teaching." Lizzie nodded, "I hate to say it Matt, but you have a point. I mean, all the signs are pointing towards NYU. I can hear it now, 'New York University, Lizzie McGuire, Professional Educational Instructor Freshman.' It has a nice ring to it," she put her hand on Matt's shoulder, "Thanks, Matt." Matt put his hand on Lizzie's shoulder, "Anything to get you moved out of your room quicker. I mean, it's bigger than mine. And I need the space for my spider collection," a disgusted look came over Lizzie's face and Matt smiled, "Well, good luck. And remember, if you need any help moving your stuff out, I'd be glad to assist you. I have to go now. Lanny and I are trying out for the school play." Lizzie laughed, "The one with Jay and Silent Bob?" "Yeah, what's so funny about that?" "Let me guessYou're Jay, and Lanny is Silent Bob." Matt looked at Lizzie like she was crazy, "Um, no. Lanny is too talkative to be Silent Bob," Matt rolled his eyes and left the kitchen just as Jo walked in with the camera.

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She noticed that the NYU papers were sitting in front of Lizzie and all of the other papers were strewn off to the side. "So you're thinking about New York University, huh?" Jo inquired, "This doesn't have anything to do with a certain curly-haired director we know, does it?" "Is it so wrong to go to the same school as my boyfriend? I mean, Mom, right now I feel like I have no direction, no purpose. The only thing I'm sure about is that I'm Gordo's girlfriend," Lizzie confessed. "No, there is nothing wrong with it, honey, but I just want to make sure that you are picking the college that is right for you. Not the college that is right because that is where Gordo is going." "Well it does have a nice education program. I was thinking about becoming a teacher." Jo smiled, "A teacher? That sounds wonderful, Lizzie!" "I just want this to be the right decision. I mean, how do I know that I'm not just picking this school for Gordo? I didn't get into USC, so I can't even choose between two schools to follow him to. This is the only option I have," she sighed, "Am I settling?" "Honey, only you can know what's right for you. You'll figure it out," she kissed Lizzie on the head. "I'm going upstairs to try and sort all of this out," Lizzie said, standing up from the table. "Okay. And don't worry, honey. I know you'll make the right decision." With a reassuring smile from her mother, Lizzie went upstairs to sort out her entire mess. Just as Lizzie sat down with her papers, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Lizzie yelled as she answered the phone. "Hello?" "Buon Giorno. May I please speak to Lizzie McGuire?" It was a female voice. A female voice with an Italian accent. Lizzie was slightly confused, "Speaking" "Lizzie! It is Isabella!" "Isabella! How are you? We haven't talked in like, over a year. What's up?" "Oh, same as usual. Touring, greeting fans, mingling with other stars. Typical pop star behavior. And you?" "Oh, I've been going to school and stuff. I'm trying to decide on what college to go to right now. I'm thinking about New York University. Gordo's going there too so it would be nice." "Gordo? You two are still an item? You go girl."

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Lizzie laughed, "Yeah, he's really great. I'm glad to have him in my life." "Well, Lizzie, I have the exciting news for you that might make you want to put your NYU plans on hold." "What is this about Isabella?" "Well, you know how I have been expanding myself. As an artist. Right?" Lizzie didn't know where she was going with this, "Right" "Well I also want to bring my talents and expand other artists so they may live the great life like me." "I don't get what this has to do with me." "Lizzie. I want to be your manager. Just think about it. 'Lizzie McGuire the pop star.' It does have a nice ring to it, no?" Lizzie's mind started to race. The words "Lizzie McGuire the pop star" just kept replaying in her head. "Suddenly I have a lot more options than I thought."

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Chapter 2

Lizzie would have expected a phone call from Brad Pitt before she expected this. She couldn't believe that Isabella Parigi was actually offering her the chance to become a huge pop star. "Wow, Isabella. This is a lot to take in." Isabella wouldn't let Lizzie think twice about it. She wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer, "You will train with the finest vocal teachers, finest choreographers, and wear the finest clothes. The best part is, bella, you get to return to Italy!" Lizzie's mind rushed back to the summer before her freshman year in high school, "Italy. I haven't been there since" Isabella stopped her, "Lizzie, I know you loved it when you were here and I know you cannot wait to return. I can hear it in your voice." "Italy was the end of one Lizzie and the start of a new one. I mean, without Italy, who knows if Gordo and I would be together?" Lizzie stopped, "Gordo" "What about him?" Isabella asked. "Isabella, the only thing that I am certain of in my life right now is that I really care about Gordo. I just can't imagine being away from him." Isabella was growing impatient, "Don't let the opportunity of a lifetime pass you by because you are afraid of losing Gordo, Lizzie." Lizzie was having trouble sorting this all out, "I mean, part of me wants to do this. Really bad. But the other part of me is saying that Gordo is also the opportunity of a lifetime and if I let him go I may never feel the same way for another person. What if I go and I lose Gordo forever?" "This is not about Gordo. It is only about you, Lizzie. Do you want to do this?" Lizzie stammered, "I do. But I-I don't know. I'm scared. What if I don't make it?

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What if I don't make it AND I lose Gordo? Then I'll have nothing." "Lizzie. I have faith in you. I promise you that you will make it." Lizzie wasn't convinced, "How can you be so sure?" "Remember when I left you to sing onstage four years ago? I knew that you had more talent in your pinky finger than most people do in their entire bodies. I knew it then and I know it now. The crowd loved you, Lizzie. They thought you were, how do you sayAwesome." Lizzie remembered. She could see that night so vividly in her mind; it was as if it was just yesterday that it all happened, "There was something about that nightit changed everything for me." "Think about it, Lizzie. Think about being able to experience that feeling every single night. I am choosing you because I know that you are a sure thing. I would never let my first client be someone less than magnifico." Lizzie paused, "This is very tempting, but I'll have to think about it. And of course, if I did choose to go, I would want to finish school before starting anything." Isabella was satisfied enough with this, "I understand, bella. Why don't you give me a call when you make up your mind?" Lizzie took down Isabella's phone number, said her goodbyes, and hung up the phone. Up until a few minutes ago, New York University had seemed like her future, but now she had the chance to actually do something with her life. Gordo would be going off to make his mark in the film industry, Miranda was going to save the world, and then there was Lizzie, who was just going to make herself happy. But with this, she had the opportunity to actually be recognized. Lizzie knew she couldn't make this decision on her own. She needed to talk to someone, and there was only one person in the world that she could think of. Lizzie grabbed her phone again and pressed speed dial #1. "Hey, Lizzie," Gordo greeted her. Lizzie laughed, "I love caller ID." "So did you get your college acceptance letters?" Gordo said with anticipation. After all, Lizzie's decision would be the deciding factor on where he would be going to college. But Lizzie didn't want to talk about colleges right now, "Uh, yeah I seemed to have gotten most of them." "W -" Lizzie cut him off. "But you will never believe what just happened to me, Gordo. I still can't believe it." "What is it? What's going on, Lizzie?" Gordo was very confused. Lizzie was so excited she had to struggle to keep her words straight, "Isabella just

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called and offered to help me get into show business as a singer. She completely believes in me and thinks I'm a 'sure thing.' Like, I could be a pop star in no time. I could be meeting other famous celebrities, going on tour, the works." Gordo didn't know what to say. It took him a while, but he finally found some letters, put them together, and formed a word. "Wow." "I know! Isn't it great news? I mean, I can travel around the world, and the best part is I would be going back to Italy," with those words, Gordo felt like his heart had just been smashed with a sledgehammer, "Haven't I always said I've wanted to go back there? I mean, so many things happened in Italy. Everything happened there. It was the most beautiful place. And it isn't even just about going to Italy, it's the fact that I really think I can do this. And more importantly I WANT to do this. I finally found something that makes me feel like I have purpose." Gordo didn't understand. Didn't he make her feel like she had a purpose? "W-well, so, I guess that means you aren't going to college" Gordo braced himself. "Probably not. I don't see how I could do both." "Well, I'm happy for you, Lizzie," Gordo's voice was morbid and unenthused. "Gordo, are you okay? Because you sound kind of funny." "Um-No, I'm just a little sick. But, yeah, that's great." "Thanks, Gordo. This means a lot coming from you. I'm just so excited! I remember when I was - when Frankie came and I couldn't handle the fame, but it came naturally to me when I was in Italy. I didn't feel like I was being hounded. I just felt like I was being honored. Gordo, this could be it for me. This could be what I'm doing for the rest of my life." Gordo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just the other day, Lizzie was telling him that she felt as though she didn't have a purpose, that she was willing to follow him to college. Now she suddenly knows what she wants to do for the rest of her life? "That's awesome." "Oh God, I have to tell my family and MirandaI have to tell everyone! Gordo, talking to you always makes me feel better. I didn't really know how much I wanted this until I said it out loud. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, I can't pass it up." "Yeah, no problem. I'll just go to NYU, and you'll go off to Italy. Yeah, we'll write, and we'll call, but then the calls will be few and far between until you meet some 'pop star guy,' fall in love, and you'll leave me." "Gordo, I kind of wanted to talk about that. I mean-" Gordo cut her off. "Lizzie, I was - I was just kidding. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm really happy for you. Really." Gordo wasn't even fooling himself; he wondered how he was fooling Lizzie. "Um. OkayWell I've gotta goI'll talk to you later."

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"Wait, um, just out of curiosity. Before you got the call, where were you planning on going?" "Oh, yeah. Well, I probably would have gone to NYU. I mean, it was the only logical choice. It has a great educational program and you'd be there." And he'd be there. It's a factor in deciding what school to go to but not in her going to Italy? Gordo squeezed the last of his words out in a quiet whisper, "Just wondering." "Alright, I have to go now, Gordo. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Bye!" Lizzie hung up the phone. Gordo took the phone away from his ear and hung up. "Goodbye, Lizzie." ***** This was it, and Lizzie knew it. This was something that she really wanted to do, and with news this big, she couldn't stand to keep it to herself any longer. She called up Miranda and told her the big news. Miranda, in true best friend fashion, was absolutely ecstatic for Lizzie. She gave Lizzie her full support, but on one condition: she had to introduce her to Josh Hartnett. They laughed and talked for a bit until Lizzie realized that she still hadn't told her family. Lizzie and Miranda said goodbye, and Lizzie hung up the phone. Lizzie was feeling a little indifferent about telling her family. Part of her was really excited to tell them the big news, but the other part of her was afraid of how they would react. She had no doubt that Matt would jump at the chance to help her pack her bags and get her out of the house, but she wasn't so sure about what her parents would think. Lizzie went downstairs and called throughout the house, "Mom! Dad! Matt! Can you guys come into the living room? I have something I need to tell you all!" They all dropped what they were doing and came running to see what all the yelling was about. "What is it? Is something wrong, honey?" Jo said, voicing her concern. "No, nothing is wrong," Lizzie said as everyone sat down, "Actually, it is quite the opposite. I have some good news. I've decided what I want to do with my future." "You mean you've decided where you're going to go to college?" Lizzie's dad said, jumping to conclusions, "That's great!" Lizzie stopped him, "No, Dad. Actually, I don't think I'm going to go to college," Lizzie braced herself. She was sure there was going to be yelling. Matt and Sam both stood up at the same time, "What? No college?!" Matt fell to his knees, "But you have to go to college!!" Jo pulled Sam back down and glared at Matt, "Now, you two, let her speak. I am sure there is a logical explanation for all of this. I know that Lizzie would never do anything so stupid as to not continue her education and destroy her chances at a good future," Jo looked sternly at her daughter, "Would you, honey? Go ahead."

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Lizzie gulped. She really had her work cut out for her, "Okay. Well, um, do you guys remember Isabella Parigi?" Jo thought for a minute, "The Italian singer?" "Yeah. Well, she called me up today and she wants to be my manager." None of them knew what that meant, "Your manager?" Jo asked. "She thinks that I have the talent to be a professional singer. I would go to Italy as soon as I graduate to start working with her." Sam shook his head, "There is no way you are going to Italy again. No way. There is no way I am going to let you go." Jo smacked her husband, "Sam! Of course you can go, honey. Lizzie, if this is what you really want to do I want you to know that I am going to support your decisions. As long as you promise me two things." Lizzie was surprised by her mother's support, "What things?" "One, you have to make sure that your decision is something that you really want to do, and that you will quit if you don't enjoy it. Two, if all of this doesn't work out, you will go to college." Lizzie smiled, "No problem. I promise." "Does this mean Lizzie is going to be moving to Italy?" Matt rubbed his chin, "Hmm, even further than I imagined. I better start working on my new room," Matt stood up and put his arm around Lizzie, "Lizzie, you are going to need a publicist if you are going to get anywhere. I can be 'your people' and in no time I - I mean, WE, will be raking in the dough." Lizzie peeled her little brother off her shoulder, "Matt, Isabella and her team are going to be 'my people,' and don't you dare touch my stuff! Mr. Snuggles is still traumatized from the last time you tried to sell him" she added quietly to herself. Matt backed off and started upstairs, "Sure, Lizzie. I promise. I won't touch your stuff," he said, cracking a devious smile. Lizzie rolled her eyes at her little brother and focused her attention back to her parents, "So, Dad. Do I have your support?" "No! Absolutely not." Jo gave her husband a swift kick in the leg, "Ow!" He sighed, "Yeah, you have my support." Lizzie ran up and hugged her father, "Thank you, Dad! You guys don't have to worry, I know this is the right decision for me," Lizzie smiled. "My baby is leaving the nest," Jo's eyes started to well up, "It seems like just yesterday that I was changing her diapers," Jo just barely finished her sentence before she started crying.

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Lizzie went over to comfort her mother, "Come on, Mom. We all knew this was going to happen sooner or later. It's just like I'm going off to college. I'm going to be educated in my future profession, singing. And before you know it, I'll be home touring." But it was no use; there was no comforting Jo. She started bawling, "My baby is leaving home!" Jo's wailing continued for the rest of the night, beating on everyone's nerves. Lizzie was on cloud nine. She had finally found her calling. Too excited to sleep, she called up Gordo again. "Hey Lizzie. What's up?" Gordo's voice wasn't as morbid as the last time they spoke to each other, but he wasn't exactly the happiest camper you've ever heard. "Nothing, really. I just needed to talk to someone. I couldn't sleep." "Well I'm glad you called. I have someconcerns regarding you going off to Italy." Lizzie was confused, "Like what?" "Well, are you sure you want to do this?" Lizzie didn't understand why this was such a big deal to everyone, "Of course I am, Gordo. I'm positive. I have never been more positive about something in my entire life." Gordo's first thought was, 'not even about their relationship?' But he didn't want to get into that right now, "I'm just worried about you. I mean, well, remember that time you went out with Frankie Muniz?" Lizzie cringed. She didn't like talking about her ex-boyfriends with Gordo, "Remember how lonely you said it was being famous? Are you really sure you want to go through that again?" "I thought that at first, too, Gordo. But the memory of being up on stage in Italy is so much more vivid. I felt connected to all of those people out there. I never really understood why Frankie does what he does until I was up there, experiencing it for myself." Gordo was lost. He couldn't compete with that. He had to think of something quick, "W - What about the, the uh, the Nile virus? I hear it's traveling up to Italy" Lizzie stopped him, "Gordo, this isn't about the Nile virus," she was catching on, "Do you not want me to go?" This was his chance. This was his chance to tell her how much he cared for her and that it would kill him if she left. To tell her that he wanted her to stay and that he never wanted to be away from her. 'I want you to stay.' Those five words could change her mind and make her stay with him forever. But he couldn't say it, "No. Of course not, Lizzie. I want you to do whatever makes you happy. I'm just concerned for your well being." As much as he hated to admit it, he was telling the truth. He wanted her to be happy more than anything in the world.

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Lizzie stopped to think about what Gordo was doing. Did he really want her to stay? No, she couldn't think about that now, "Thank you for being concerned, Gordo, but I don't think I'm going to contract the Nile virus. You sure you're okay with this?" She was giving him another chance, but he still wasn't taking it, "Of course. All I'm saying is those viruses can be tricky." Lizzie laughed as she looked at her clock, "Oh jeez. It's 2 in the morning, I should probably get to bed." "Yeah, I guess I should too." "Well goodnight, Gordo." "'Night, Lizzie." Gordo hung up the phone and leaned back in his bed. He was sinking into despair. He hit the play button on his stereo and grabbed Lizzie's senior photo that he had framed on his bedside table. I need you so much. You're out of reach. You're out of reach but you're so close. Gordo just sat and stared at her photo. He couldn't help thinking that in a few months, this was all he would have. You're out of reach. You're out of reach but you're so close. But as much as he didn't want her to go, he couldn't shake the fact that his main concern was her happiness. This was what she wanted to do, and this was what was going to make her happy. You're out of reach. You're out of reach but you're so close. I hear you call, I feel you fall. He couldn't change that part of himself. No matter how selfish he wanted to be, and no matter how much he wanted her to stay and be with him, he always put Lizzie first. But you're out of reach. Gordo put her photo back on his bedside table and hit the repeat button on his stereo. Gordo fell asleep with a tear running down his cheek. I need you so much ***** Gordo sat at his desk with his head in his hands as Larry got his papers organized in the seat next to him.

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"And she's going to Italy right after graduation to start her singing career. I mean, we don't even have the summer together. I don't know what to do. For once, Lizzie is the one heading in some kind of direction and I'm at a crossroads," Gordo dropped his head to the table. "Well, Gordo. It's obvious what you have to do," Gordo turned his head, still on the desk, to look at Larry, "You HAVE to tell her how you feel. If you don't, then she'll leave and never think about you again." Gordo glared at Larry, "I thought you were supposed to make me feel better." "I'm just trying to give you advice, man. Don't be so hard on me! My life isn't exactly a bowl of cherries either!" "It's called sarcasm, Larry. It's my defense mechanism," Gordo sat up. "I'm just saying that you have to tell her that you don't want her to go. By being supportive you are only pushing her to go towards Italy. You aren't giving her the chance to go to college with you. You need to let her know that you care about her." Larry was starting to make sense. "But the choice is there. I don't need to be the one to tell her it's there. If she wants to choose the choice she can choose the choice but the college choice might not be the one she wants to choose and when she chooses the other choice it just might kill me," Gordo caught his breath. He was making less sense than Larry. Larry tried to work that out in his head, "Yeah. I didn't follow any of that." "Look. The bottom line is: I just want her to be happy. And if she's happy going to Italy," Gordo paused, "then I'm happy for her." "Well then at least make the most of your time together. Besides, you make it sound as if you guys will never see each other for the rest of your lives. Italy and New York aren't that far apart." Gordo nodded, "You have a point." Larry dropped the papers he was trying so hard to organize, "I do? I mean, of course I do," Larry bent over to pick the papers up off the floor, "So are the prom plans still on?" Gordo thought for a minute, "Well, I would like Lizzie to know how I feel about her before she leaves. Because I think once we establish that we love each other, it'll be a lot easier to keep a long distance relationship." "So what's the plan?" "Well Ethan wants to share a limo - " "Assuming he and Kate are still together that week." Gordo laughed, "Yeah. And I was going to go pick Lizzie up and do the normal dance

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thing, but then I was going to take her to this balcony in the prom dance hall. It overlooks the garden." "Okay man, you have to cut that out. You're making me tear." "It's going to be great. Just Lizzie, the stars, and me. I'm gonna have a boom box play our song as we dance cheek to cheek. Then I'm going to pull out a yellow rose that I saved in my pocket, and tell her I love her. And while we dance, I'm going to whisper in her ear all of the things that I love about her" Gordo sighed and stared off into space. Larry sniffled, "That is beautiful, man," tears started to well up in Larry's eyes, "Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom." Larry ran off. The sound of Larry's hysterical crying snapped Gordo out of his trance. "Heh. Tudgeman." Just then Gordo heart a familiar voice behind him, "Hey Gordo. What's so funny?" It was Parker, "Oh, hi Parker. Just Larry being Larry. So uh, how are you?" "I'm great. Can I sit here?" she asked, pointing to a seat next to Gordo. "Umsure. I guess." "So this final project is going to be a killer, don't you think?" "Yeah. A killer." Gordo obviously had other things on his mind. And right now, Parker wasn't exactly at the top of his list of people to talk to. Parker wanted desperately to keep the conversation going. She took another shot, "Souhhave you decided where you're going to go to school yet?" "Probably New York University. They have a great film program and Tudgeman's going to be there, too. He's going into film management. Can you imagine someone hiring Larry to manage them?" Parker burst in to laughter, "Oh Gordo, you are so funny!" She gave him a playful nudge. Gordo forced out a smile. He was feeling very uncomfortable, "Yeahuh" before Gordo had to think of something else to say, the bell rang. He pulled his backpack out from under his chair and threw it on the table, "Well class is going to start." Parker smiled and went to sit down at her desk. The teacher stood before the class and immediately began to drone on about the difference between television and film direction. After four years of film classes, Gordo was pretty sure he knew the difference between the two, and figured it was safe to let his attention off class for a while. He began to daydream. Gordo and Lizzie are standing on a moonlit balcony of the Mariott hotel. Lizzie's smile is wide and bright as she and Gordo dance to their song.

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"Gordo, this night is so beautiful. Not to mention that I'm here at prom with you. Nothing could be better." "I feel the same way, Lizzie. Here, this is for you," Gordo pulls a yellow rose out of his jacket and holds it up to Lizzie. "Oh Gordo, a yellow rose, my favorite. It is beautiful," she says, smelling the flower. "Not as beautiful as you." Lizzie blushes, "Oh, Gordo." Gordo continues, "In fact, I don't think anything else on this earth is more beautiful or more perfect for me than you. That is why I wanted to tell you that I, David Gordon, am in love with you, Elizabeth McGuire." A tear rolls down Lizzie's cheek, "Say it again." "I love you." "I love you too, Gordo." Just as their song ends, Gordo gives Lizzie a long, passionate kiss. Larry stumbled back into the classroom, tissue in hand. He sat down next to Gordo, who was obviously not paying attention to anything that was going on in the room. Larry waved his hand in front of Gordo's face, "Gordo. Earth to Gordo," he wasn't snapping out of it, "Oh my God! Gordo has been abducted by aliens! They took his brain and left his body on earth! Someone! Help me fight the aliens!" he shook Gordo violently. Gordo awoke from his daydream, "Larry! Larry!" Gordo screamed, "I have not been abducted by aliens! I repeat. I have not been abducted by aliens!" Gordo looked around the class to find everyone staring at him. Including the teacher. Gordo let go of Larry, "A-heh. We were, uhwe were just practicing a scene from Larry's movie!" They both smiled at their teacher. "Mr. Tudgeman and Mr. Gordon if you could please refrain from practicing while I'm speaking." Larry and Gordo spoke in unison, "Yes ma'am." "Now, as I was saying" their teacher continued on with her lecture as Larry leaned over to Gordo, "Man, what happened to you?" he whispered. "Nothing. I was just daydreaming." "About Lizzie again, right?" "Yeah." Larry nodded in agreement, "I once had that problem too. You know, when I went out with Lizzie. I don't mean to bring it up, man, but I know to woman can ever get

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over Larry Tudgeman." Gordo laughed and shook his head. "You know, those Italian guys aren't going to be gentlemen like me. I remember to you telling me about that Paolo guy. He sounded like a real dirk, and he's one of the best Italy has to offer." Larry's words sent Gordo into a panic. Lizzie was going to be moving a way from him and into a city full of Paolo's. He couldn't let that happen.

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- 24 -

Chapter 3

Lizzie and Gordo sat across from each other at a table the next day at lunch. Lunch, to the students at Hilridge High School, wasn't so much eating as it was sitting, talking, and poking at your tray with your fork. And that is what Lizzie and Gordo had done every day throughout their four years there. "So our high school years are finally coming to an end," Gordo pointed out. "Yeah. Can you imagine, prom is in a couple of weeks," it was a subtle hint, and Lizzie was praying that Gordo had picked up on it. He had, "Yeah, about that. Do you have a date?" "GORDO!" That wasn't exactly the question she was hoping for. "I hear there's a certain guy that wants to ask you." Lizzie decided to play along, "Oh really? Well this 'certain guy' better get off his behind and ask me or I might have to take up my other offers." Even though Gordo knew she was just joking, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous, "What other offers?" Lizzie smirked, "Oh you knowjust some guys" Gordo gave in, "Look Lizzie, I promise I'll ask you, I just have to wait for the time to be right," just then a light bulb went off in Gordo's mind. All he needed was a grand romantic gesture that would make Lizzie realize just how much he cared for her so she wouldn't be able to leave him. "Well I better get an invite soon, David, or else." Gordo cringed. Yep, it still only sounded good coming from his grandmother's mouth, "Okay, okay, I get it. Just please don't call me that again." "I promise to never call you that again as long as you promise to ask me to the prom before we graduate!"

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Gordo laughed, "Deal." He paused for a second, "Um, speaking of graduation. I kind of wanted to talk to you about Italy." "Me too. Look Gordo, I know that we'll be far apart and everything, but I think we can make this work. The flight is only a couple of hours and I'll come home every chance I get. And maybe you can come to Italy for breaks. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be no time before I'm asked to be in the states again," she gave Gordo a reassuring smile, "And by then you'll be a famous director that will probably direct me in something." Gordo chuckled, "So you're going to be Lizzie McGuire turned pop star turned actress?" "Hey, I'm not a bad actress. I once convinced Kate that she was the most important person in the world." "That does take skill. The only other person who could pull that off is Kate herself." Lizzie and Gordo laughed for a bit until they remembered what they had been talking about in the first place. Lizzie went back to being serious, "Are we going to be okay?" Gordo looked down at his food, "Part of me wishes you were going to stay." "Part of me does too, Gordo. I know I'll never find better friends," she took Gordo's hand, "or a better boyfriend than what I have now, but I also know that there is a better me out there." Gordo couldn't believe how wrong she was. To him, Lizzie couldn't be any more perfect, and he couldn't let someone that perfect go. He looked into Lizzie's eyes, "Would you come with me to college if I asked you to?" Gordo had caught Lizzie by surprise. Just the other day he seemed so happy for her, despite his concerns about the Nile virus. "I - I don't know," the bell rang before they could say anything else. Lizzie let go of Gordo's hand and stood up from the table, "I need some time to think, Gordo." Lizzie left Gordo sitting there, stunned out of his mind. She didn't know? How could she not know? Lizzie turned the corner into a hallway and leaned up against the wall. Her mind was racing. She started to think about all of the things she would miss if she went off to Italy. All of her friends would be going to college and exploring new things without her. She knew that Italy would be waiting for her after college, but would Gordo be waiting for her after Italy? Gordo, still sitting at the lunch table, thought he was finally shifting Lizzie's decision. She didn't say no, and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she really was concerned about their relationship. He realized that it was imperative for him to invite her to prom as soon as possible while she was still on the cusp of her decision. *****

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"Lizzie, honey? It's time to get up." Lizzie awoke to the light shake of her mother. Her eyes were still blurry after sleeping, so she couldn't see around her room very well. Although, it did seem a lot more yellow than usual. She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. When she opened them, she found her room filled to the brim with beautiful yellow roses. There were vases on her bureaus, bouquets on her bedside table, and petals at the foot of her bed. Lizzie gasped. She didn't have to smell the flowers, because the aroma of them all filled her room. She smiled as she noticed a card sticking out of one of the flower arrangements across the room. She got out of bed and opened the card. It read: Couldn't find any flowers worthy of you. I hope these will do. -Gordo Lizzie's heart melted when she read the card. Her smile never left her face as she got ready for school. Before she went downstairs, she pulled one of the roses out of a vase and put it in her hair. Lizzie was in a daze as she walked into the kitchen for breakfast. Not even Matt could ruin her good mood today. "So I see you found the flowers that Gordo left for you this morning," Jo said, noticing the huge smile on Lizzie's face. "Yeah. You know, I think he's going to ask me to prom today. I was hinting yesterday and I think he finally got it." Jo put Lizzie's breakfast down on the table in front of her, "You are one lucky girl, Lizzie. Your father never did anything like that for me." Jo noticed Matt rolling his eyes, "Matt, you'll do well to remember that Melina deserves romantic gestures as well." Matt scoffed, "I'm romantic all the time, Mom. Just the other day our teacher gave Melina a bad grade on one of her papers, so I made sure my volcano project exploded in his face," Matt grinned. "Matt!" Jo scolded him. "It was a really good paper! I had to defend her honor," he gave his mother a sharp nod. Jo shook her head, "Well at least you didn't blow up the school," she looked at her watch, "Come on, kids. You are going to be late for school! Get a move on!" ***** Lizzie made it to school on time, proving her mother wrong, but when she got there she noticed that Gordo was no where to be found. She shrugged it off, though, assuming that he had been running late that morning, too. Lizzie walked over to her locker so she could get her books for first period. After entering the combination, Lizzie opened her locker, only to be showered by what seemed to be an endless flow

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of Hershey Kisses. She laughed as the silver wrapped chocolate candies fell to a pile at her feet. Only one person could be responsible for this. She noticed a card with her name on it on top of the books in her locker. She opened it up: One for every time I've thought of kissing you in the last minute. -Gordo Just when Lizzie thought her day couldn't get any better, it did. The mile-wide smile that she had been wearing on account of the flowers that morning was now a smile long enough to stretch from California to New York. Lizzie turned around to find everyone in the hallway staring at her. After all, it's not every day you see a girl standing in Hershey Kisses grinning like the Cheshire cat. Lizzie chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, "Anybody want a Hershey Kiss?" ***** Lizzie didn't have any classes with Gordo that day, and come lunchtime, she still couldn't find him anywhere. Little did she know, Gordo was avoiding her on purpose. Assuming that Gordo had just been sick that day, Lizzie spent lunch catching up with the newly single Ethan. But only a few minutes into their conversation, Kate had shown up and Ethan was once again off the market. Kate sat down next to Ethan, "So Lizzie, I heard about Italy. That's totally awesome! Congratulations!" Before that morning, Lizzie probably would have talked her head off in excitement about Italy, but now the mention of it just made her dread even more the decision she was going to have to make, "Thanks" Kate tossed her hair over her shoulder, "You will make sure to tell Isabella about me, right? I'm bet you'll end up getting all of your outfits from me when you're famous. After all, I am going to be the biggest fashion designer around. In a few years they'll be saying, 'Calvin Klein who?'" Lizzie couldn't help but laugh at Kate's confidence. She didn't necessarily believe it could never happen, but she wasn't about to bet any money on it either, "Yeah. I'll get right on that, Kate." "I also heard about the Hershey Kisses in your locker," Kate chuckled, "Or saw, rather. I'm pretty sure there's still a pile of them in the hallway. Did Gordo do that?" Lizzie blushed, "Yeah, he did." "Well all I know is that if someone was going to ask me to prom, they would have to do something much more romantic than that if they wanted me to say yes," she looked over at Ethan who was too busy with his Capri Sun to pay attention to what the two girls were saying. He sat there, juice pouch in one hand and straw in the other, struggling to figure out how to get the drink out. Kate smacked him upside the head, "You poke the straw through, Ethan!" The expression on Ethan's face turned from confusion to amazement, "Ooohhh! So

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that's how this thing works. Man, that is awesome!" Ethan held the pouch firmly in his left hand as he jammed the straw through the top with his other. The straw went in, but Ethan's grip caused the juice to squirt out all over his face and chest. Kate threw her hands up in the air. Lizzie shook her head and tried to re-focus her attention on the conversation, "Um. Actually, Gordo hasn't asked me to prom yet. Although, judging by this morning's events, I suspect he's doing some sort of pre-asking suck up," she smiled, "And it's working." Ethan, wiping himself off with a napkin, chimed in, "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Gordon asked me to give you this." Ethan pulled a note out of his pocket. It was a bit wet and sticky from his Capri Sun, but it was still legible. He handed it to Lizzie and she read it aloud: Meet me at the football field tonight at 7. Bring your dancing shoes. -Gordo "Another surprise? Wow, if Gordo wasn't so unbelievably unpopular I might actually consider going out with him." Lizzie rolled her eyes. She almost wished that Gordo had been there to hear that; he probably would have taken it as a compliment. She waved the note around, in an attempt to dry it off, but it was useless. She slipped the note into her pocket, regardless of its dampness, and walked off, wondering what Gordo had in store for her that night. ***** Lizzie had never been so anxious for anything in her entire life. Lying in bed when she was little on Christmas Eve night, waiting for Santa to come and bring the presents was nothing compared to this. She looked at her watch, "3:00. Great. A half hour down, four hours to go." She headed upstairs hoping to find something to keep her occupied until she had to meet Gordo. After what seemed like an eternity, the time for Lizzie to get ready finally rolled around. She put on her nicest outfit so she would look her best for the special occasion, and right before she slipped out of the house, she made sure to put on some lip-gloss. Lizzie arrived at the school at 6:55. She was filled with excitement as the walked to the football field, wondering what Gordo could be planning. She made it to the top of the stadium and looked around for Gordo, who, much like earlier that day, was nowhere to be found. Then Lizzie looked down at the football field. Spelled out in what must have been thousands of yellow rose petals was the word: "Prom?" Lizzie gasped as she brought her hand to her mouth. "So how about it?" Lizzie turned around to see Gordo standing there with a smile on his face. He walked up to Lizzie and took her hand, "Will you go to prom with me Lizzie McGuire?"

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It took Lizzie a minute to regain her composure. With tears in her eyes, she gave him the answer he had been looking for, "I would love to go with you Gordo. This is the most romantic thing that anybody has ever done. I can't believe you did this for me." "I can. You deserve it." Lizzie blushed, "So why did I need to bring my dancing shoes." Gordo began to lead Lizzie down to the football field, "Well I thought I needed a little practice before prom." "Confident that I'd say yes, huh?" "Heh, you could say that," he led her to the center of the field where they stopped among the rose petals. He held out his hand to her, "May I have this dance?" Lizzie looked confused, "But there's no music" "Au contraire," Gordo said as he let out a loud whistle. Just then a beautiful ballad blared through the stadium and Gordo gave a thumbs up to the control booth. Larry had been up there, the technical advisor to this whole plan, "Those kids are meant for each other," he said as he left the control booth, teary eyed. Down on the football field, Lizzie and Gordo danced the night away, kicking up rose petals. "Gordo?" Lizzie took her head off of Gordo's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "Yeah?" "Thank you so much for this. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have you," she gave Gordo a kiss and rested her head back on his shoulder. He whispered into her ear, "And I'm the luckiest guy." ***** Jo had been sitting at the kitchen table when she heard the front door open. It was Lizzie. She had finally come home after spending hours dancing with Gordo at the school. Jo jumped up and met Lizzie at the door, "Lizzie, where have you been?" Lizzie was too occupied with the night's events to care about anything else that was going on around her, "Huh?" Jo put her hands on her hips, "Where were you?" Lizzie stood there smiling, "Oh! Uh, I was at school," she walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter, "Gordo asked me to prom tonight. He's the most romantic

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guy I have ever known, Mom. You can't even imagine all of the things that he's done for me. Flowers in my room this morning, showered with kisses in the hallway - " Lizzie's mother cut in, "Honey I don't think it's appropriate for you and Gordo to be," she stammered, "making out in the hallway." Lizzie glared at her mother, "Mom. They were Hershey kisses," she rolled her eyes and continued with her story, "Then he asked me to meet him at the football field tonight. And when I got there he had spread flower petals all over the field. It spelled out, 'Prom?'" Lizzie sighed, "I still can't believe he would do that for me." Jo smiled at her daughter's elation, "Gordo is a very special boy. I can still remember that day when he gave you his pudding up. I knew from then on that he was always going to treat you right." Lizzie laughed, "Gordo gave me his pudding cup?" "One day in kindergarten I had forgotten to pack you dessert. I came to the school in the afternoon to pick you up and you had chocolate pudding all over your dress. I asked your teacher what had happened and she told me that you started crying during lunchtime when you found out you didn't have anything for dessert. Apparently Gordo came over, saw you crying, and gave you his pudding cup to make you feel better." Lizzie smiled, "That sounds like Gordo, alright. I guess he has always been looking out for me," she rested her chin in her hand, "Gosh, I remember when Kate told me he had a crush on me. I just wish I had noticed earlier. Then I wouldn't have wasted my time with guys like Ronnie." "Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince." Her prince. That's what he was. Gordo was her prince. She sighed, "Mom, can we talk about something?" Jo became concerned, "Sure, honey. What is it?" She sat down at the counter next to Lizzie. "It's about Italy." When Lizzie went home that night, she had left her purse at the football field. Gordo picked it up for her and brought it to her house. When he arrived at the door, he noticed that it was unlocked, and welcomed himself into the house as he had done a million times before. In a few minutes he was going to wish he had knocked. He heard some talking in the kitchen and he went to investigate. "Lizzie, I promise you that your father and I support your decision 100% an - " "No Mom, It's not that. I know that you guys are behind me on this. It's - it's about Gordo. Besides you guys, he is the only person who has been there for me my entire life. Even when we went to Italy he watched my back. I think it's safe to say that I wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for him." Gordo smiled at his girlfriend's words. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn't

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help it. He just wanted to hear about how much Lizzie cared for him. He was careful not to make a sound as he peered around the corner, listening in on their conversation. Jo nodded, "I see. You're afraid of leaving Gordo behind." "No, I don't really feel like I would be leaving him behind. I just feel like we're hading in two separate directions. He would be moving forward in his film career and I'd be moving forward in my singing career. I mean, even if we were in the same place, I just can't see us having time for one another." "Hey, just because you two have different futures doesn't mean you can't be together. I'm a firm believer in 'if it's meant to be, it will happen.'" "So you think that no matter what happens, if Gordo and I are destined to be together, then we will be together?" "Well you can't leave everything up to destiny. We aren't stuck in a movie of circumstances; you have to at least make the effort." Lizzie paused. She knew she would make the effort, "What if Gordo doesn't want to make the effort?" Gordo cringed when he heard her say that. How could she not think he wanted to make the effort? He took a step forward, ready to tell Lizzie that he would do anything to be with her, but Jo cut in instead. "Do you think he would be doing all of these things for you if he didn't want to make the effort?" Lizzie blushed, "I guess not. But I don't know. Yesterday he wanted to know whether or not I would stay if he asked." "Well what did you tell him?" "I didn't tell him anything. He kind of sprung the question on me and then the bell rangI told him I would have to think about it. And so I did. Mom, I really care about Gordo. I think I would be willing to give up this dream for him. Maybe this is a sacrifice I have to make." As much as Jo hated to hear herself say it, she had to, even if it was Gordo they were talking about, "Lizzie, never sacrifice yourself for a guy. You always come first, okay? Always." "But shouldn't my happiness come first, also? I'm happy with Gordo. I'll always be." Gordo's heart softened at the sound of Lizzie's sacrifice. As much as he wanted to agree with her and jump in to tell her to stay with him, he couldn't make her give up her dreams for him. Even if letting her go was giving up one of his biggest dreams, he knew that Lizzie would always regret never even giving it a shot, wondering if she could have made it. "Lizzie, are you choosing Gordo because you really don't want to go to Italy, or are

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you just afraid of failing in the music industry?" "Well what if I did fail, Mom? What if I failed and lost Gordo. I would regret that for the rest of my life. But I don't know if I would regret losing this opportunity." "Lizzie, you didn't get to see yourself up on that stage. I did. I saw how your eyes lit up at every cheer you got from the audience. I saw your genuine smile; I saw you LOVING it, Lizzie. Don't give up on something this big, because I know that you will regret it. If Gordo really cares about you, he'll understand that you need to do this for yourself." Jo's words brought back to Lizzie the memory of that night she spent on stage in Italy. She didn't have to see herself up there to know that she loved it, "You think? I mean, I would never make Gordo follow me to Italy. But I really don't blame him for wanting me to go to NYU with him. He as always wanted to be a film director, but Mom; I haven't ALWAYS had this dream like Gordo has had his. What if this is one of those things I feel like doing now, but ultimately I'll hate it?" "You can always stop if you decide you don't like it. Don't wimp out just because things are going to change. This time, the change will be good, I know it." Lizzie thought back to the last time there was a big change in her life. That time it was good. Very good. Maybe she was on a roll. "I know I always say that I want change; I wanted to be popular, I wanted the world to change. But Mom, I'm terrified of change. It doesn't always work out for the better." Jo put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "I have faith in you, honey. And I'm sure Gordo has faith in you, too. You can do this. Even your brother thinks you can do this. He was rocking out to you on stage." "Mom, I am trying to have a serious conversation with you, here. Can you please try to not use phrases like 'rocking out?'" Jo laughed, "Yeah, I'll try," she paused, "You know, I think there's a bigger issue than whether or not you want to do this. I think the bigger issue is the reality of your relationship with Gordo." "What do you mean?" Jo gave Lizzie a few seconds to get ready for the question that she was about to ask, "Well, do you love him?" Gordo held his breath. Lizzie stared at her mother, and then looked away, "I - I - I really care about him, Mom. I just don't know if I love him." Gordo's heart sank. 'Operation: I Love You' at prom was planned perfectly, except for one little detail: he never considered Lizzie not returning the sentiment. Gordo leaned his head up against the wall. He sighed as he left the McGuire house, dropping Lizzie's purse on the stairs.

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Chapter 4

Gordo walked right past his car as he left the McGuire residence. What he really needed right now was to take a walk. He wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood, contemplating what had just happened. He had never heard Lizzie talk about him like that. To think, she was willing to sacrifice her dream to keep their relationship going. But as much as that made his heart soar, it still sunk to the ends of his toes. After a long walk, Gordo finally decided it was time for him to go home. He walked back to his car, not able to think of anything but Lizzie. Her last words, "I just don't know," stung him. "At least it's better than 'no,'" he said aloud to himself as he got into his car. His attempt to make himself feel better did no such thing; he still felt as miserable as he had when he left her house. Gordo made it back home and plopped down on his bed. He was in such a fixed mindset that he didn't even bother to take off his coat and shoes. Lying down with his hands behind his head, he realized that his prom plans were no more. Gordo grabbed the remote to his CD player off of the bedside table and hit play, hoping that music might take his mind off that night's events. Once again, BBMak's 'Out of Reach' was the song that Gordo found himself listening to. He sat up and turned the song off, "God, why do I even have this CD?" he stopped when he realized that Lizzie had burned it for him, "Lizzie" With his prom plans ruined, along with his future, Gordo realized he could no longer be selfish when it came to Lizzie. He couldn't make her stay if she didn't love him. She would end up regretting him; regretting their relationship. He couldn't handle that kind of suffering, and he couldn't let her walk away from her dreams. He decided it was just best to break things off with her right away to dull the pain he was feeling. Sadly, it seemed as though Gordo had experienced the greatest high and greatest low of his life in the exact same night. ***** "How do you know if you love someone? Is it when your heart flutters and your

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stomach does flip-flops every time you see them? Or you think about them every minute, every second even? Or you feel sad when they are sad? Happy when they are happy? Or maybe all you want to do in your life is to make sure that they are happy? Or - " Lizzie's mother stopped her, "Lizzie, honey. Slow down. Is that how Gordo makes you feel?" Jo watched her daughter's face light up. Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, it is. I love him, Mom. I'm in love with David Gordon." Jo put her hand over her mouth, "Oh, I can't believe my little baby is in love!" She tried her hardest to hold back her tears. Lizzie put her elbows on the counter and held her head in her hands, "Oh my gosh I can't believe I just told my mother that I'm in love with my boyfriend," she looked up at her mom as she began to panic, "I should have told him first. I mean, what if he finds you that I told you first? I should tell the person that I love that I love them before I go around telling other people! What if he didn't want anybody to know that I love him? What if he doesn't love me? Oh my gosh. I hadn't thought of that. What if Gordo doesn't love me? I think he loves me. The things he does for me and the way he looks at me makes me think that he loves me, but I don't know. What if he doesn't? I couldn't stand to bear my soul to Gordo and have him just reject me to my face. Or even worse, what if it totally freaks him out and he breaks up with me? Gordo and I are broken up Mom! What am I going to do?" Lizzie's sudden panic attack allowed her mother enough time to regain her composure. Jo put her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Lizzie. Look at me. You need to calm down. Take some deep breaths," Lizzie took a few deep breaths, but it didn't seem to calm her down at all, "You and Gordo are not broken up. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Gordo feels the same way you do. "Do you really think so?" Lizzie recognized a voice behind her, "Although I don't understand how anyone could be in love with the ugliest and most disgusting girl in the world, Gordo is. He's been in love with you forever. Any idiot could see that," in one fluid motion, Matt had entered the kitchen, spoke his mind, grabbed a soda, and headed back to his room without letting his mother nor Lizzie say a single word in response. "Except for his former comments, I think that Matt's right, honey." Lizzie sat there, thinking. She thought about what Matt had said, she thought about what her mother had said, and she thought about Gordo. She smiled, "Mom, I'm in love with someone. I never thought this would happen to me in high school. I could be one of those people that marry to their high school sweetheart. Aww, Gordo and I would have the most beautiful little wedding ceremony, and we'll have three kids. We'll live in a house with a white picket fence and a yard that goes on for miles. I'll be Mrs. David Gordon," Lizzie sighed and stared dreamily into space. "Lizzie, snap out of it! I don't want you getting married at 18." Lizzie laughed at her mother's concern, "I know, Mom. It's just a nice dream to

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have." "Speaking of dreams. Now that you know how you feel about Gordo, do you still want to go to Italy?" Lizzie's good mood was once again ruined by the sound of that one word, "Well, I know it's going to seem like I'm changing my mind because of Gordo, but I truly feel like I'm not ready to go to Italy. I want to try college out first." "Are you sure that's really what you want? You were so gung-ho about going to Italy. Not two minutes ago you were wondering why you should stay." "I know Mom, but I can't even remember the words to 'Jingle Bells.' I just really don't think I'm ready yet. I'm finally at a point in my life where I think it's right on track. I want to be normal, you know? Just like everyone else." Lizzie's mom still wasn't convinced, "Is that really such a good thing? What happened to the girl that was so elated she called a family meeting, which she hates, and specifically invited her brother, whom she hates even more than family meetings? I just want to make sure you're not making a rash decision, Lizzie." "Mom, saying yes was a rash decision. I mean, I didn't even give myself a day to think about it before I decided to go. I know this is right for me. I know that Isabella will always have a place for me. If I change my mind I can always quit school and go to Italy. Mom, you said you would support my decisions, and after a lot of thought, I've decided I just want to be a kid." "Can you honestly tell me that this is just about you and not about Gordo?" "I can honestly tell you that this is what I want. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that Gordo isn't part of the reason, because he is. I feel like he has a right to be. This is what I want to do, Mom. Please understand that." "I do understand, honey. I just need to be sure before I let you make a decision this big," she gave her daughter a hug and started towards the stairs, "Now go get a good night's rest. You have school tomorrow. You haven't graduated yet." ***** Lizzie thanked her mother for the talk and headed upstairs. Halfway up the staircase, she remembered seeing her purse on the floor below the stairs and went back down to get it. Wondering why she would leave her purse there, she walked into her room, and assumed she must have dropped it carelessly on the floor in her daze after dancing with Gordo. Lizzie put on her pajamas and got into bed. Before turning off her light, she blew a kiss to the picture of Gordo she had framed on her nightstand. She tried to go to sleep, but that night's revelations had her much to excited to do anything but stay awake. She got out of bed and went into the bathroom to get herself a glass of water when she noticed that Matt's door was open and his light was on. Out of curiosity, she walked into his room, "Matt, what are you still doing up?"

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Matt was sitting at his desk, the glow of his computer screen lighting up his face. On it was a picture of Lizzie with a mustache photoshopped onto her face, "Uh, um, nothing," he said, closing the picture, "Hey, what are you doing in my room? I thought we drafted up restraining orders after I found your hair on my Weird Al CD." Lizzie looked at the clock next to Matt's bed, "Matt, it's 3 o'clock in the morning. Don't you ever sleep?" "This is when I think of my best pranks! And why are you asking me why I'm up? What are you doing up at 3 in the morning?" Lizzie sat down on her brother's bed. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but her brother had proven to be a tad bit more mature these days, despite his pranks, "Matt, you can't let this get out to anybody. I swear, if you tell anyone, even Melina, I'll show everyone at school your autographed picture of Spongebob Squarepants." Matt spun around in his chair, "You must be pretty desperate to come to me for advice. What can I do for you?" He crossed his legs and folded his arms, "Who are you looking to embarrass?" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "No, Matt. It's not that. Look, tonight I made my final decision. I'm not going to go to Italy. Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Either way I'm out of your hair." "Wait, wait. You actually want my advice on something non-prank related?" Lizzie leaned forward and pointed her finger in Matt's direction, "I swear if you tell anybody -" "I won't, I won't," he assured her, "I wouldn't want my reputation ruined. So, is this about how you LUUUVEEEE Gordo?" he teased her. Lizzie glared at her little brother, "Part of it." "Well I don't really care what you do as long as I get my bigger room." Matt wasn't helping her. She really needed his advice right now, "But what if you were to care?" Matt could tell that Lizzie was really backed into a corner here. As much as he loved to make her life miserable, he loved her just the same and he was willing to help her out when she really needed it. He leaned forward, "If I were to care, I'd tell you to do what you want to do. Don't listen to Mom or Dad; you're your own person. Listen to what your gut is telling you. And so what if it is isn't the right choice? You're only 18, Lizzie; you aren't exactly over the hill. You can afford to make the wrong choice and go back on it. There's nothing wrong with that. And if you're worried about Gordo, he's a good guy. No matter what decision you make, if he really cares about you, he'll understand." For a human prank factory he sure could spit out some great advice every once and a while, "You're right, Matt," she laughed, "Wow, I never thought I'd hear myself say those words."

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"Hey! Watch it. Hopefully I can burn this from my memory. Now, those are the only nice things I can secrete for you tonight, so get out of my room, spinster!" Lizzie chuckled to herself. He was back to the same old Matt again. Lizzie started to leave his room when she stopped in his doorway, "Matt?" He turned around, "Yeah?" Lizzie smiled at her little brother, "Thanks," he smiled back, "Now go to bed! I don't want you making me late for school tomorrow morning because you couldn't wake up," she said, shutting his door. Matt shook his head and laughed. "I really hope she remembers this moment after I post this picture on the school website" ***** Gordo left Lizzie waiting at her locker the next morning at school, beginning his plan to shoo her off to Italy. He realized it wasn't so hard to make her hate him if he took the indirect approach to everything. He hoped this was going to be easy, but deep down he knew that it would be the hardest thing he would ever have to do. Larry and Gordo sat at their desk with yet another moment of class free to work on their projects. Larry looked over at Gordo who was silently working on his movie with a depressed look on his face, "So, uh, how did it go last night? Did everything go as planned? Music come on at the right time? I thought I went a little early but you gave the sign so - " Gordo put a stop to Larry's worried rambling, "It was great Tudgeman. You did a fantastic job. Thanks, I owe you one," the tone of Gordo's voice was not that of someone who had just asked his girlfriend to the prom; and been accepted, mind you. Larry noticed the change in Gordo's disposition, "What's wrong, my fellow Dwarf Lord?" "That's Retired Dwarf Lord," Gordo corrected him, "And what's wrong is that the prom plans are cancelled. I think I'm going to break up with Lizzie." In a series of most unfortunate events, Larry just happened to take a sip out of his water bottle when Gordo broke the news to him. He spit out his water, sending a mist of Aquafina to land all over his papers, "WHAT?!?" he yelled out, causing the entire class to turn their heads. He quieted down, "How can you break up with Lizzie McGuire? That's like - like Britney and Justin breaking up!" Gordo was amused at Larry's lack of knowledge regarding current events, "Larry, Britney and Justin broke up years ago." Larry gasped, "What?! Britney and Justin broke up?!" Gordo gave Larry a pat on the shoulder, "It's okay, Larry. It's okay. They're still

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friends." Larry got back to the topic at hand, "So what's with this sudden change of heart?" "I heard Lizzie tell her mom yesterday that she doesn't know if she loves me. How could she not know, Larry? I knew in kindergarten. I've always known she was the one for me." "Hey. You know, it took Lizzie 15 years before she realized that she liked you. She's just a few steps behind you, Gordo. Give her a chance to catch up." "We've been going out for three years now and she still doesn't know? Part of me thinks we're only going out because she knows how I feel about her and she knows our relationship is easy." "Don't even say that, man. I've seen the way she looks at you; she's in love, she just doesn't know what love is yet." As hard as Larry was trying to cheer him up, Gordo still couldn't seem to shake his feeling of despair, "What's the use? We only have a few weeks left together before she leaves for Italy. You should have heard her talking about it yesterday with her mom. It's her dream and she needs to go. I can't ask her to stay." Larry couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Give this a chance, Gordo. How can you break up with her? Think about what she means to you. Think about what you mean to her." "She means everything to me, Larry, and that's why I can't let her stay. Mrs. McGuire was right. No one should give up their dreams for someone else. She would regret it for the rest of her life." "But it's only one of her dreams. I know that you're one of her dreams, too. You two belong together," the thought of his two friends so much in love brought tears to Larry's eyes. He stood up from his seat, "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go to the restroom," Larry squeaked, his voice breaking. Just as Larry left the classroom, the teacher put on a movie for the class. Gordo closed his books and put his papers away, but he still couldn't seem to concentrate on the video they were watching. All he could think about was Lizzie, and how he was going to have to break up with her. ***** Lizzie had spent all morning searching for Gordo. She knew that there was definitely something going on with him, and she wished she knew what it was. She hurried out to lunch, full and willing to spend her entire lunch period searching for Gordo to find out what was up with him. But she wasn't going to need all of lunch, because the second she walked into the quad, she spotted Gordo sitting by himself, dipping his fork in and out of his spaghetti, which bore an uncanny resemblance to a heaping pile of mildew. Lizzie sat down next to Gordo and put her tray on the table, "Miss Mush really outdid herself this time, huh? I think my spaghetti is alive," she pushed her tray towards

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the other end of the table. Gordo didn't say a word. He continued to stare into his plate of unappetizing slop, his heart slowly breaking with every second that went by. If it was this hard to ignore a small comment she made, how was ever going to break up with her? "So, uh, I guess you forgot, but we were supposed to meet this morning by my locker, remember? Like we've done every morning for the past six years?" "Oh yeah. I forgot," Gordo never looked up as he gave Lizzie a monotone response. Lizzie gave Gordo a smile, "Oh. Well, that's okay." Gordo could see the disappointment streaming from Lizzie's eyes. He watched as she tucked some hair behind her ear. It was at that moment when he realized that there was no way he could break up with Lizzie McGuire. She was too perfect for him. He knew in his heart that he couldn't do that to her. Lizzie interrupted his thoughts. She turned to him, "Look, Gordo. I have something important I need to tell you." Gordo finally spoke up, "Yeah, I have something I want to talk about, too." Lizzie stopped him. She figured that the sooner she told him the good news, the sooner he would be back to normal, "Well, what I have to say is really important, Gordo. Do you mind if I go first?" Gordo backed down, "No, go ahead." "I decided not to go to Italy," she gave Gordo a big grin, "I'm going to go to New York with you!" Gordo stared at Lizzie in complete shock. He couldn't believe that after the conversation he heard her have with her mother, she would just change her mind like that. "Gordo? Did you hear what I said? I'm not going to Italy." Gordo shook his head as he snapped himself back into reality. He looked into Lizzie's eyes and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the lips, "That's great, Lizzie." She smiled at his happiness, "I knew you would think so." But Gordo was still perplexed, "What made you change your mind?" "I just want to be normal, you know? Besides, I'm not cut out for that life. It's for people who are truly talented," Lizzie turned away from Gordo to look at her tray. She pulled it towards herself, realizing her hunger, only to remember the reason she had pushed it away in the first place. She was convinced it was talking to her. Gordo's heart sank. Despite Lizzie changing her mind, which caused his heart to skip a few beats, he knew that she was more than talented enough to become a famous singer. She was just being self-deprecating, and she had no reason to be. Even if it

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meant the end of their relationship, he knew that she had to do this. He had been right, and once again, Larry had been wrong. "Yeah," he whispered as he picked up his fork and began poking at his plate once again. The garbage that was sitting in front of him must have somehow been an inspiration to Gordo, because at that point in time, he started to formulate a plan. He figured that part of the reason she wanted to go to New York was because it was the safe thing to do, and that the other part was because of him. He knew that she really did care about him, even though she didn't love him. Gordo decided that he needed to get Lizzie to dump him. He knew from experience that it was easier to be the dump-er than the dump-ee. His plan: to act like every other jerk out there. Lizzie would have no choice but to dump him. Gordo pulled his backpack up off the ground and put it on his shoulder, "Well I'm gonna get home now. I have a free period, and the food at my house is way better than this slop," he said, giving his tray a shove. Lizzie laughed, "Okay. I really wish I could join you," she glanced at her tray, "but I can't. So I guess I'll just have to settle for the Digital Bean after school." Gordo looked away and took a deep breath, "I'm not going to be able to make it. I made other plans." "Okaymaybe tonight then?" Gordo still couldn't look at her, "Busy." Lizzie was beyond confused, "Oh. Well, uh, okay. I, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah, whatever. Bye." Gordo started to stand up when Lizzie leaned in to kiss him. He almost leaned in to kiss her back, but then quickly turned his head away when he realized what he was doing. Lizzie's lips ended up connecting with his cheek; not exactly the target she was aiming for. Lizzie looked up at Gordo standing next to the table. She smiled at him, "Bye." Lizzie couldn't understand what just happened. She seemed to be getting mixed signals from Gordo. One minute he was giving her a kiss, and the next minute he turns his cheek. There was no doubt in her mind that there was something seriously wrong with Gordo, and Lizzie was determined to get to the bottom of it. As Gordo walked away from the table and headed straight for his car, his heart ached in his chest. No matter what he said or did, she still smiled for him. ***** Later that night, Lizzie gave Gordo a ring.

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"Hey," Gordo said as he picked up the phone. Lizzie paused, hoping to hear him finish the line that he had always greeted her with, ever since the day he got caller ID, but he never did, "Oh, hey! Um, I was wondering if you could help me out with my Calculus homework. With the test coming up in a few days, I really need your help." He knew it was strange, but there was nothing Gordo liked more than helping Lizzie with her homework. He didn't know why, but he really did enjoy it. Which is why it killed him to turn her down, "Look, Lizzie, It's like I told you earlier. I'm busy." With that, Gordo hung up the phone. He sighed deeply, wondering how much longer he could keep up this 'jerk' act. Lizzie stared dumbfounded at her phone. She couldn't believe he had just hung up on her, but after that afternoon's events, she almost wasn't surprised. Lizzie walked downstairs, "Mom?!" "I'm in the kitchen, Lizzie!" her mother responded. Lizzie headed into the kitchen and sat down at the counter where her mother was making dinner, "Mom, I need to talk to you again." "Sure, honey. What's up?" "Gordo's been acting really strange lately. He blew me off for our date this afternoon and then he just hung up on me a few minutes ago." Jo was trying hard to concentrate on her beef stroganoff while still giving her daughter some good advice, "He's probably stressed out about some last-minute film project he has to finish." Lizzie nodded, "That must be it. I mean, he seemed pretty excited to find out that I was staying." "That's good. I'm sure you and Gordo are going to be just fine," Jo put the dinner in the oven, giving her a chance to focus more of her attention on the conversation, "So, did you tell him that other little revelation you had yesterday?" "No, not yet. I was thinking prom is in a couple of weeks and it would make the night even more special if I told him then." "Oh, honey. That sounds wonderful!" Jo walked around the counter to her daughter and gave her a big hug. Lizzie cringed, "Mom. It's not that big of a deal." "Oh, but honey! It is that big of a deal! It's your first true love. You will never ever forget Gordo. He'll always have a special place in your heart. Lizzie started to get worried, "Mom. Obviously I'll never forget him. You say that like we aren't going to end up together," she remembered what her mother had said at the beginning of their conversation, "But you're probably right. I'm sure Gordo is just

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busy doing his last minute projects and stuff." Jo was happy to have calmed her daughter's nerves once again, "Good. Now go on upstairs and do your homework. Before NYU and Italy are both no longer options." Lizzie got up from her seat and headed towards the stairs, "Thank you, Mom!" Lizzie made it up to her room and concentrated on her homework. For once, she was able to fully understand calculus without Gordo's help. ***** The next day was just like the day before. Gordo was avoiding Lizzie at all costs, but she just brushed it off on account of her being busy with her own work. That night, Lizzie spent hours studying for her Calculus test. She fell asleep on her book, and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to tackle her test. When the test was handed to her, she knew right away that she was going to ace it. At lunch, Lizzie ran up to Gordo, Calculus test in hand, "Gordo! I totally aced my Calculus test thanks to you!" she gave him a big hug. Gordo closed his eyes and took in that moment, knowing in the back of his mind that it could be the last, "What do you mean, 'thanks to me?'" "Well I know you've been busy lately, but I know you didn't help me with my Calculus homework on purpose. It was just a ruse to get me to really learn the stuff myself. That way I could totally ace the test. Thank you, Gordo! Thank you!" Lizzie put her arms around Gordo and planted kisses all over his cheeks. Gordo blushed, gladly accepting them. This wasn't working. He couldn't be a jerk to her anymore. He had to resort to plan B: Be direct, "So, um, have you thought more about that Italy thing?" "What do you mean?" "Well are you still going to go to NYU?" "Of course I am, Gordo! And I'm not going to change my mind. My relationship with you is much more important, and this singing thing isn't for me. And plus, if I went, I'd miss Britney Spears' new tour. Something I will be dragging you to," she gave Gordo a playful nudge. Gordo twirled his finger around in the air, "Sounds fun!" they laughed, leaving an awkward silence when the laughter died down. "Lizzie, I want you to reconsider this whole singing career. Why don't you call Isabella up and tell her that you'll do it. Just try it out. This is an opportunity of a lifetime." Lizzie couldn't believe they were still talking about this, "So is college, Gordo. I don't want to be a 30-year-old freshman when I realize I want to quit singing and get an education. I want to be with my friends. I want to be with you." "Lizzie, you won't have to be a 30 year old college freshman because you'll make it as a singer. I know you will. You'll make new friends."

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Lizzie stared at her boyfriend, "Gordo. Are you telling me you want me to go?" Gordo took one look into Lizzie's concerned eyes and he found himself unable to lie, "No. I want you to stay. I just want you to be sure about your decision. That's all." Lizzie and Gordo ate their lunches together in silence, as Gordo thought about his current situation. Lizzie was making it impossible for him to go through with plan A: ignore and annoy, and plan B: Be direct, didn't seem to be working out so well, either. He had to go to plan C. The last thing that Gordo ever wanted to do was resort to plan C. But times were getting desperate, and graduation was just around the corner. If plan C didn't work, then his whole mission was hopeless. Later that night, Gordo sat at his desk with his phone in his hand. Before he could go through with plan C, he had to make sure that it was going to pull through. He had to know if plan C was up to it. When he finally mustered up enough courage to make the call, he dialed the numbers and the other end began to ring. "Hello?" "Kate? I need your help."

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Chapter 5

"Can you make this quick, Gordo? My nails are drying and I don't have time for a chat." Gordo laughed, "That's exactly the Kate I want to speak to." "What are you talking about?" Kate was becoming impatient. Truth be told, she was already impatient the second she picked up the phone, but now her impatience was growing. "Look, Kate. I hate to ask you, but I need your help." Kate held up the phone with her shoulder, blowing on her nails, "Why would I help you? Ugh, Gordo, I have to put on the second coat before my nails start to chip so if you have anything else to say to me you better make it quick." Gordo cut right to the chase, "I need you to help me make Lizzie miserable." Kate paused. Suddenly the second coat of nail polish didn't seem so important anymore, "What do you need me to do?" Gordo sighed in disgust. He couldn't believe he was about to say this, "I need you to pretend to like me." Kate laughed, "Me? Like you? I'm a good actress, Gordo, but I'm not Gwyneth. I can't do the impossible," then Kate realized who she was talking to and put the pieces of the puzzle together, "Wait a minute, why would you want to make Lizzie miserable?" she asked, a hint of genuine concern in her voice. Gordo didn't feel like wasting his time telling her every little detail of their relationship if she wasn't even going to help him, "I don't think that's any of your business." "It is if you want me to help you." "So you're going to do it?"

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"Not if you don't tell me what's going on! And besides, it's not like I won't eventually find out. I'm sure your little friend Larry would tell me anything I wanted to know." Gordo knew she was right. Larry was trustworthy unless Kate was involved, "Well I just figured that you wouldn't need a reason to make Lizzie unhappy." "Well usually I don't. But that's when it's my own plan. This time I'm curious as to why Lizzie's boyfriend of three years and the love of her life would ever want to hurt her using her greatest nemesis. There's something going on here and I want to know what it is!" Gordo heard Kate smash her fist down on the other end. He figured she must have just ruined her nails, and he was starting to get scared. He told her out of pure fear, "If you must know, Lizzie doesn't want to go to Italy anymore and - " "What?! Is she insane? It's one of the most beautiful countries in the world! She is practically a god there and she doesn't want to go? Oh wait, let me guess. She gave the old 'I want to be in the same place as my friends excuse.' What a wimp." "Hey! I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't call my girlfriend names." Kate smirked, "You mean your ex-girlfriend." Gordo cringed. As if this conversation wasn't hard enough already, "Are you going to help me or not, Kate? You're my last hope here and if you aren't going to help me I would like to get to thinking of another plan. So, if you could not waste my time - " "You don't need to have attitude with me! And no, I'm not going to help you. Sure, she'll be miserable for a while, but then she'll just end up finding out that you did all of this just so she could go realize her dreams, blah, blah, blah, and you end up back together anyways. That is quite the opposite of misery." "Great. Thanks a lot for your time," Gordo said as he hung up the phone, his voice dripping with sarcasm. ***** "Plan D?" Gordo said aloud to himself. Who was he kidding? He knew he didn't have a plan D. And besides, his sure-fire plan C didn't work out at all, so he knew that anything he came up with from then on would be useless. He figured that Kate would jump at the chance to hurt Lizzie. Obviously he underestimated her intelligence. After all, she did figure out what Lizzie was up to in Italy four years ago, so of course she would figure out that his plan was for Lizzie's own good. Gordo didn't know what to do. He needed to get out of the house, and he decided that shooting some hoops was just the thing to calm his nerves. Gordo grabbed his basketball and headed for the park. When he got there, the noticed Ethan Craft slam-dunking the living daylights out of his ball. Gordo walked up behind Ethan, "Nice one."

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Ethan spun around, "Oh, hey! Thanks Gor-don! Gotta work on my style, ya know. The big game is coming up and I gotta look good." Gordo wondered what style had to do with winning a big game, but then he remembered who he was talking to and figured that it was understandable for him to be a bit confused, "I'm sure you'll have no problem doing well." Ethan shot the ball from the free-throw line and made a perfect swish, "So what brings you to the courts, dude?" "I need to think," Gordo said as he dribbled his ball. Ethan ran back up to Gordo after retrieving his ball. He stared at him in amazement, "Wow. You really are a genius. I can't dribble and think at the same time. It hurts my head," he admitted, rubbing his forehead. Gordo held back his laughter and decided it was better to just go along with whatever Ethan was saying, "Uhyeah. It strains me too sometimes." Ethan brought his arms up to shoot a basket, but then brought them back down again so he could talk, "What did you need to think about, my man?" "Just some girl problems, I guess," Gordo said as he made a basket. Ethan gave Gordo an understanding nod, "Liz on the fritz?" Gordo chuckled, "I guess you could put it that way. She's not going to Italy." "Well, so? Now you and Lizzie won't have the Pacific Ocean separating you." Gordo stopped to think, while still dribbling, and went over the globe in his mind, "Um, Ethan, we were never going to be separated by the Pacific Ocean. Just the Atlantic." Ethan slammed his ball do the ground in anger, "Oh, man! I thought I got that one right on the geography test. Oh well. But why do you want Lizzie to go to Italy, anyway, man? She's your girl." "She needs to go. It's just one of those things she has to do." "You mean like how my mom has to write my name on my underwear so I know it's mine?" Gordo stared at Ethan, baffled by his childlike mind, "I guess so, yeah. And I've tried everything, but Lizzie's still focused on going to school with me." Ethan put his hand on Gordo's shoulder, "Well, if you need my help Gor-don, just give me a holla'." "Thanks, Ethan," just then an idea popped into Gordo's mind, "Actually, Ethan. I just might take you up on that offer." *****

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"Did you hear about Lizzie? She is ditching Europe and kicking it to college," Ethan and Kate sat at the Digital Bean the next day after school, sharing a basket of fries. "Yeah. How lame is that? If a famous Italian pop star offered me a job like that, I would take it in a second. Like anything that great is ever going to happen to Lizzie McGuire again." Ethan stared at Kate, "You know, there is more to me than great hair. I'm not as stupid as everyone thinks. I know you care about Lizzie." Kate slammed her palm down on the table, "I do not care about Lizzie McGuire!" Ethan turned towards his girlfriend and took her hands in his, "You know, Kate, the first time I fell for you was in Italy. I mean really fell for you. Before that, it was all about looks. I mean, we all know you're hot, but when you helped Lizzie out, that made you SUPER hot." Kate smiled and tossed her hair over her shoulder, "Well I'm just a super hot person." "What happened to that? What happened to the Kate that I fell for? The REAL you. The nice and sympathetic you. The you that is going to help out Gordo." "No! I will not help Gordo. There is just no way." "Come on, Kate!" Ethan tried to persuade her. "Mark my words, Ethan. I will never do anything to help out Lizzie McGuire." ***** *DING-DONG!* It was 9 o'clock when Gordo ran downstairs to answer the door, "I'll get it!" he yelled throughout the house. He swung the door open; shocked to see who was standing there. Kate invited herself in, "I am going to do this for you, Gordo. But I have a few conditions." Gordo stepped back and watched in awe as Kate Saunders and Ethan Craft walked into his house and sat down in his living room. He closed the door behind them. "I never thought I'd see the day," he whispered to himself. Gordo sat himself down next do Ethan, and watched Kate's lips move, but couldn't seem to concentrate on what she was saying. He was still in shock. He leaned over to Ethan, eyes still fixed on Kate, and whispered, "How?" Ethan kept it quiet, as not to interrupt Kate, "She doesn't show it, but she's got a little soft spot for Lizzie. Plus, if Lizzie does get famous, she could chill with guys like Shane West."

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Kate stopped when she noticed that the two guys sitting in front of her weren't paying the slightest bit of attention, "Ethan? Gordo? Are you two even listening to me?! This will never work if you guys don't pay attention!" Gordo snapped out of it, "Whatever you want, Kate." Kate nodded, "That's more like it, Gordo. Now, here's what we're going to do" ***** It was lunchtime, and day 1 of plan C. Gordo made it out to the quad before Lizzie, and went to sit with Kate and her friends at the "popular" table. Lizzie saw them from afar, confused as to why Gordo would be sitting with Kate, of all people, and went over to say hello. "Hey, Gordo. What's going on?" Lizzie asked, desperately hoping for an explanation. "Hi, Lizzie. I just wanted to show a little school spirit. You know, give something back to the school, and Kate was kind enough to let me join the prom committee." Lizzie's brow furrowed. What would Gordo be doing on the prom committee? And with Kate. Lizzie knew that something wasn't right, and she wasn't going to leave until she found out what it was, "Gordo. You don't believe in school spirit." Gordo shook his index finger in the air, "Well, it's about time I did!" Kate smirked at Lizzie, and interrupted her before she could say anything. Not that Lizzie would have, she was too shocked to speak, "Lizzie, we have some important business to discuss right now. We would appreciate it if you could take a hike, because you're only distracting Gordo. Why don't you go hang out with Larry and Veruca? You know, a crowd that's more your speed," Kate shooed Lizzie away. Lizzie started to walk towards the table that was currently occupied by Larry and Veruca, but she kept staring at Gordo. She gave him her "are you crazy" look, which he had, quite frankly, seen many times. Gordo just shrugged her off and went back to pretending to be interested in what Kate was saying. Lizzie walked up next to Larry, "Hey. Can I sit with you guys?" "Sure!" Veruca scooted over to make room for Lizzie, "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that Gordo over there with," she gasped, "Kate?" Larry swung his head around, almost giving himself whiplash. He stared at Kate and Gordo for a moment, and then turned back to the girls, "Oh my gosh, I see it too. I thought maybe I was hallucinating, but - Do you see it, Lizzie?" Lizzie sighed. It seemed that they were just as surprised as she was, "Yes, Larry. I see it. Apparently he joined the prom committee." "Gordo on prom committee?" Veruca questioned, "Are we talking about the same Gordo? Cynical, sarcastic, hates-being-school-spirited Gordo?" Lizzie nodded, moving her food around with her fork, "I'm afraid so. He said he

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wanted to 'give back to the school.' Whatever that means." Larry nodded his head, well aware of the situation, "You know, I've heard about things like this happening before. In fact, there was a story a few years ago about this kid, who much like Gordo, was cynical and bitter, not wanting anything to do with school activities or social gatherings. But then, one day, totally out of the blue, he decided that he wanted to have school spirit. Turns out, he was abducted by pod people who sucked out his brain and were using his lifeless, soulless body to get to the other humans." Larry looked down at his food, but then looked up again to find Lizzie and Veruca staring at him, "What?! We shouldn't rule out all possibilities!" Lizzie rolled her eyes at her friend's wild, and somewhat creepy imagination, "Well, whatever it takes, I'm going to find out why Gordo is doing this. Whatever it takes." ***** Lizzie sat in her car in the parking lot of the high school, waiting for Matt and Melina to get out of class and come to the car. They were always a few minutes late, typical freshmen. After a bit of waiting, Lizzie spotted Matt and Melina in her rear-view mirror, holding hands and walking to the car. She was eager to talk to them that day, which was an emotion she had never felt before. Lizzie knew that she couldn't find out what Gordo was up to on her own. She needed to recruit someone to help her. She needed someone with training, someone devious, someone with attitude. She needed the sneakiest person she knew: her brother. When Matt and Melina got in the car, Lizzie greeted them wholeheartedly, "Hey, you two! How are you guys? You know, we really don't hang out enough. Melina," she said, turning to her brother's girlfriend, "you should come over sometime this week, and I can do your hair and make-up for you! It'll be fun!" Melina scoffed, "Alright, what do you want?" She had been caught, "Um, excuse me?" "Lizzie, I'm not a kid. I'm not stupid like this one over here," she pointed to Matt, who in response, just smiled at Melina, "No girl would ever offer free hair and makeup advice unless they wanted something." Their conversation lasted the car ride home and brought them back to the McGuire house, where it continued in the kitchen, "Okay, fine. I need your guys' help. Gordo has been acting a little strange lately. He joined the prom committee, and then he blew me off at lunch today because he was sitting with Kate." Matt sat down at the dinner table next to Melina, "What exactly do you want us to do? Spy on your boyfriend?" "No! That's not what I'm asking. I just want you guys toyou know, take a peek and see what he's up to." "Well, too bad. Like I'm really going to do you ANOTHER favor," Matt paused for a moment, hoping that Melina didn't realize what he had just said. Lizzie stopped also, giving Matt a look as to imply that she would completely break him if he said anything else regarding that early morning conversation they had. Melina just sat there, eyebrow raised, looking back and forth between her boyfriend and his sister,

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wondering what was going on, but not really caring enough to do any further investigation. Matt continued, "Now, Melina and I have things to do and people to destroy. So, if you're finished, we'll be going now." Lizzie ran up to Matt and Melina, "Come on, Matt! Please? If you do this for me I swear I'll sleep on the couch for the whole summer so you can have your room early." Matt ignored Lizzie's plea and stood up, when Melina, who was still sitting at the table, put her hand on Matt's shoulder. He immediately sat back down. Melina wasn't about to turn down the offer so soon, "That isn't going to be enough, Lizzie." "Oh, come on! What more do you want?" Lizzie asked, afraid of what Melina might request. "Well, because Matt and I are only 15, and unable to drive, we are going to need a chauffer this summer. Any time, any place," Melina crossed her arms. Lizzie would have rather spent her entire summer shoveling manure on a farm in Missouri than drive her little brother around everywhere, "What? I can't just spend my whole summer carting you guys around. I have a life, too, you know." Matt laughed at his sister's comment, but Melina stopped him before he could do any name-calling, "Take it or leave it." Lizzie still wasn't so sure. She looked at Melina who seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. Melina shrugged, "All I'm saying, is that if Matt were to hang out with my arch nemesis," she gave Matt a death stare, "which he better NEVER do, I would want to know what was going on. What Gordo was doing todaywell, let's just say that wouldn't be sitting well with me." Lizzie sighed. She knew she was making quite a sacrifice, but she did say that she would do whatever it took to find out what Gordo was up to. She nodded, "Alright. You have a deal." Melina smiled and stood up to shake Lizzie's hand. Matt followed after her, furious at the thought of helping out Lizzie again, "Hey! Don't I get a say in this?" Lizzie and Melina both turned their heads and snapped at Matt, "No!" Matt sat back down, "Alright, sounds good." Melina couldn't wait to start her assignment, eager to do some spying. She sat on the couch in the living room and yelled over to Matt who was still in the kitchen, "Matt? Get out plan 121B." Matt walked into the family room, interrupted mid-sandwich making, holding a loaf

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of bread and a bottle of mustard, "121B? But it isn't rabid squirrel season. I say we go with 148C." Melina had been taking notes from Lizzie's address book, finding out Gordo's address and phone number. She stopped writing and looked up at Matt, "Are you questioning me?" Matt backed down a bit. He tucked the loaf of bread under his arm and scratched the back of his neck, "Well, I - I, um" "Are you?" Matt gulped, "No. No sir - I mean! No, my dearest. I would never question your authority." Melina smiled and nodded, "That's what I thought," she looked back down at what she was writing, "Although, you are right about the squirrels. It is very difficult to get a rabid one this time of year. Why don't we go with plan 56?" "Is that the one with the llama farm?" "No. It's the one where we get to eat ice cream." "I love that plan." "Of course you do. Remember? You made it up that one time when you really wanted ice cream?" "Oh yeah! I was - " "Enough reminiscing!" Lizzie had been listening to their entire conversation, and as fascinating as it was to hear her little brother talk, she couldn't let it go on any longer, "I'm giving up my entire summer for this. Shouldn't you guys get to work?" Melina put her hand up, "Please. Figuring out which plan to use is 90% of it all. We'll be able to tell you what Gordo is up to in no time." "Alright, fine," Lizzie said, surrendering all decisions to them. After all, they were the experts. Lizzie turned around to head upstairs, but then remembered something she needed to tell Matt. She stopped him on his way back to the kitchen to finish making his sandwich, "Oh! And you to better not even think about using any of this as blackmail against Gordo. Because if you do, you will regret it so much that - " Matt shook the bottle of mustard in Lizzie's face, "Trust me. If I wanted to blackmail Gordo, I would have done it a long time ago." Lizzie just stared at Matt and then went upstairs. As she went to her room, she could hear Matt and Melina talking to each other about the plan; Melina in the living room taking notes, and Matt in the kitchen making a sandwich. She bit her nails. She was worried. Not just that something would go wrong with the plan, but about Gordo. She knew she could trust him, but Kate was another story. *****

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"Do you think this is working?" Gordo was sitting on his bed, trying to work on his homework. He couldn't seem to concentrate though, his conscience wracked with guilt over what he was doing to Lizzie. Kate sat at his desk, filing her nails. She, on the other hand, had yet to open her backpack, "Of course it is. Lizzie was completely jealous from the first moment she saw us together. You should have seen her making her lame puppy dog eyes at you during lunch. Don't worry, it's in the bag." Gordo slammed his book shut and threw it to the side, dropping his head into his hands, "I just wish I didn't have to hurt her like this." Kate sighed. She put down her nail file and turned towards Gordo, "I know I don't seem like I'm a big fan of Lizzie. Like, I always make fun of her lame clothes, how she's a klutz, how I would never want her to succeed - " "Kate, do you have a point?" She glared at Gordo, "Yeah, I was getting there. Look, I may not always have Lizzie's best interest at heart, but I know that you have to do this for her. Lizzie needs to go experience the world, and she can't do it from a little corner of the United States." Gordo ran his hands through his hair, "I guess you're right." Gordo almost picked up his homework again, but decided that his mind still wasn't in the right place to be doing any homework at the moment. All he could think about was the plan, "So part one is complete. I'm 'on' the prom committee. What's part two?" "We are going to have to pretend to enjoy each other's company." Gordo laughed, "Do you think you can do that?" "Anything for a chance to meet Shane West," she had obviously been talking to Ethan. Although, like most things coming from Ethan's mouth, there was something wrong with the 'Shane West plan,' "You realize that if this plan works, Lizzie is never going to want to talk to you again, right?" Kate's head fell backwards, "Oh man, I hadn't thought of that! I have definitely been hanging out with Ethan too much. It's totally contagious, I know it." Gordo laughed to himself. He had noticed that too, "Knowing Lizzie, though, I bet she would still introduce you to him." "You think?" "Don't you? I mean, is she not the nicest person you have ever met?" Gordo smiled. "Yeah, that's true. It is kind of amazing. Despite the fact that I've been totally horrible towards her all these years she has still managed to be my friend," Kate thought back to when she and Lizzie were good friends. Those memories always

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made her happy. "That's Lizzie, for ya. A friend 'til the end," Gordo and Kate sat in silence for a moment, thinking about Lizzie and the great person that she was. No doubt, they were also feeling guilty for hurting her they way they were. Kate broke the silence, "Aren't you worried that she won't want to be your friend anymore?" "We've known each other our whole lives. I always knew that even if our boyfriend/girlfriend relationship didn't work out, our friendship would stay intact. I knew," Gordo took a deep breath, "I hope." Kate stood up and sat down next to Gordo on his bed. She put her hand on his shoulder, "Come on, Gordo. She'll forgive you. 'Friend 'til the end,' remember? I know Lizzie well enough to know that she wears her heart on her sleeve. You don't have to hope. She will forgive you." Gordo smiled, comforted by Kate's words. Comforted? By Kate? "I hate to say it, Kate. But I think we just had a nice moment." Kate looked at her hand on Gordo's shoulder and quickly pulled it away. "Don't push it, Gordo." She stood up and went back to his desk, "Now, if you want people to think that you are on the prom committee, you have to at least act like you are. You need to help out!" Gordo leaned back to get his prom committee papers, "Yes master," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "And don't you forget it." ***** Matt and Melina sat outside. In an ice cream truck. No need to go into details on how two fifteen year olds acquired an ice cream truck, but let's just say it involved a chicken, a pair of tweezers, and a lot of masking tape. It wasn't pretty. They had set up surveillance in front of Gordo's house. With their high tech sound equipment, they planned on listening in on any conversations Gordo may be having inside. Conversations with, say, Kate? Their plan was foolproof, except for one risky detail. A detail so risky that they would have completely skipped over plan 56 if it hadn't been for the ice cream. Somehow they needed to get a bug inside of the house without arousing suspicion. Matt stood at the side of Gordo's house, finishing up an ice cream cone, when he heard Melina on his walkie-talkie, "Rocky Road. Come in, Rocky Road. Are you in position? Over." "I'm in position, Cookie Dough. Good luck. Over." Melina took a deep breath and walked up to Gordo's door. She rang the doorbell. Gordo jumped up at the sound of the doorbell and ran downstairs, "I got it!" He

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swung the door open to find Melina standing there, dressed from head to toe in a Girl Scout uniform, patches and all. Gordo's face went from surprise to complete and utter confusion, "Melina, what are you doing here and," he gave her a once-over, "what are you wearing?" Melina gave Gordo a big grin and held up an order form, "Would you like to buy some Girl Scout cookies?" For a girl dressed like a Keebler elf, she sure could put on a convincing smile. "You can't be serious. They don't sell cookies in March," for a second, Gordo could have sworn he saw fear in Melina's eyes. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished. Melina was quick on her feet, "Girl Scouts are devoted all year round. I made sure to order extra boxes just in case my friends didn't get their cookie fix," the smile never left her face. Gordo was still very confused, "Melina, don't take this the wrong way, but you don't strike me as the type of girl who would be in Girl Scouts. In fact, I think it's safe to say that you wouldn't strike anyone as the type of girl who would be in Girl Scouts." Gordo blinked and her smile was gone, "My mother made me join. She thinks it will 'build my character,'" Melina emphasized her disgust with a violent show of finger quotes. He wasn't so confused anymore, "That explains it." "Will you please just buy some cookies from me so my mom will get off my back?" Melina pleaded, holding out an order form and a pen. Gordo nodded, "Sure," he opened the door for Melina, "Come on in and I'll get my mom to write you a check." Gordo looked away for one second and the smile was back, "Thanks Gordo. You're such a peach." Gordo closed the door behind Melina, "Just a sec," he ran upstairs to his mother's bedroom. Melina whipped out her walkie-talkie and whispered, "Cookie Dough has entered the building. Over and out." Matt got into position. Gordo came running downstairs, holding his mother's checkbook. He picked up the bag of cookies and brought them to the coffee table in the living room. As he was looking through the boxes, deciding which ones to buy, Kate came downstairs after hearing Gordo talking to someone at the door. She spotted Melina standing there, looking noticeably uncomfortable in her Girl Scout uniform, "Aren't you a little old to be in Girl Scouts?" It was safe to say that Kate and Melina weren't on very good terms ever since Melina tricked Kate into switching the yearbook disc for Lizzie. "Aren't you a little young to

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be dressing like a whore?" Melina snapped back. In the living room, Gordo dropped a box of cookies on the floor and started laughing. Kate advanced forward, "Why you little - " Gordo's laughter died down when he realized that Melina and Kate fighting was not a good idea, "Ladies, ladies. Let's calm down. Kate, do you want any cookies? My mom's treat," he offered as he held up his mother's check book. Kate looked longingly at the cookies, but then turned Gordo down, "No thanks. It's not carbs until prom for me." Gordo shook his head, "Kate, you don't need to go on a diet. You look fine to me." Kate turned her head and looked at Gordo, "Really? Oh. Well, then I guess I'll take a box of thin mints." Melina gasped. It was to her knowledge that Kate never ate carbs, unless it was to impress a boy. But as important as this information was, she had to let it go, because it was time for the plan. Melina walked into the living room where Gordo was still ordering the cookies. She walked next to the table with the bag of cookies on it and knocked them over onto the floor. She pretended to trip and then fell on top of the scattered boxes, crushing them all. Melina stood up and looked at the mess she had just made, "Oh no! I can't believe this, oh man, I'm so clumsy. My mother is going to kill me! She's going to be so mad!" Melina broke out the water works, producing one of the best fake cries you've ever heard. Gordo thought he was confused when he opened the door to Melina, but now he was even more confused. He never thought that Melina would start crying over some cookies. He helped Melina up off the ground, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's all right. These boxes will be as good as new. I don't think any of the cookies were damaged. If they are, I promise to buy them from you, okay?" Gordo put his arm around Melina and lead her to a chair by the window in Gordo's living room. Melina sniffled and nodded. She waited for Gordo and Kate to turn their backs to pick up the crushed boxes before she continued with the plan. When they were fully occupied, Melina turned and opened the window for Matt to crawl through. She whispered to him, her tears completely gone, "You better hurry up!" Matt smiled, "No problem, boss." He ran throughout the house, setting up his surveillance equipment as Gordo and Kate were on their knees, trying to organize and assess the quality of the many boxes of cookies that lay on the floor. In no time, the satellites were up and Matt was out of the house. Melina stood up, noticing that Gordo and Kate were about finished organizing the cookies, "Thank you so very much for all of your help, you guys. I don't know what I would do without you." Gordo stood up, "Uhthanks, Melina." He was starting to get suspicious. After all, this wasn't the Melina that he was used to. Gordo handed Melina the order form and

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bag of cookies, "Only a few of the boxes were badly damaged, the others were just a bit dented. So, I'll take 6 boxes. Here's the check." Melina swiped the check from Gordo's hands. Not only did they get to eat ice cream in this plan, but they also got paid. She smiled and backed towards the door, "Thank you, Gordo. Thank you, Kate. Really, this is too much. Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. So many boxes, so little time! Bye!" Kate and Gordo watched as Melina left the house. They stared at the closed door in confusion, "What a weird kid," Kate commented. Gordo popped a cookie into his mouth, "Tell me about it." ***** Melina made her way back to the ice cream truck and met up with Matt. They climbed inside and started pushing buttons, "Time for stakeout mode," Matt said, handing Melina a fudgesicle. They both put on their headphones, listening in on Gordo and Kate's conversation: Kate: Okay, let's get started with the prom stuff. How about the music? Gordo: I could take care of that. Kate: You do have a very nice CD collection. Gordo: Just write down a list of the music you think we need and I'll make sure you have it. Kate: Wow, you really are good at this prom stuff. "This conversation is BO-RING. It looks to me like Gordo actually joined the prom committee," Matt took of his headphones and leaned back in his chair. Melina rolled her eyes. "Boys," she mumbled to herself. "Don't you find that suspicious, though? Why are Kate and Gordo being nice to each other? I don't think they made a single bad comment about each other the whole time I was in there. It doesn't make sense." Matt nodded, "Now that you mention it, that is peculiar behavior." "Duh," she said as she smacked Matt in the head, "Pass me a Drumstick. We are going to be here longer than I thought."

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Chapter 6

Kate: Finally! The preliminary plans are done. Gordo: Those were just the preliminary plans? Kate: Gordo, new trends come every day. We'll probably have a whole new theme tomorrow. Gordo: GreatI can't wait! Kate: So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Gordo: I did have a date with Lizzie tomorrow, but I guess I'm going to have to blow her off, huh? Kate: If you want to be attracted to me you have to blow her off. Gordo: Yeah, I got it. Well, I'll meet you at your table tomorrow at lunch. --There were footsteps and the sound of a door opening and closing.-Gordo: This is going to be harder than I thought. Melina slammed her fist down on the table as Matt sat next to her, eating a Drumstick, "What is going to be harder than you thought? WHAT? UGH!" "So, what we have so far is that the prom theme is Midnight Madness - " Melina smacked Matt upside the head, causing him to jump and drop his drumstick on the ice cream truck floor, "Matt! Pay attention! You're such a guy sometimes." "Would you rather be dating a girl?" Matt asked as he picked up his Drumstick and got himself a new one. Melina rolled her eyes, "Sometimes I wonder why my eyes aren't in a permanent eye roll." "Maybe because then you'd be constantly running into things?" She glared at him, "Look, the point is, Gordo is going to blow off Lizzie and he's attracted to Kate." "Gordo and Kate? I don't think so," Matt shook his head.

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"You heard it for yourself, my friend. She said that if he wanted to be attracted to her he would have to blow off Lizzie." Matt sighed. Gordo was acting suspicious, but he still was so confused as to why he would be hanging out with Kate, "I just can't believe that Gordo would do something like that. I mean, I've known him my whole life. He's a good guy. His only questionable behavior was when he became obsessed with that geeky dwarf game." "Well obviously not if he has the hots for Kate." Melina was right. Matt smiled, "Does this mean we get to eat more ice cream?" "No, this means we are going to have to become Gordo's shadow," she pulled out the notes she had gotten from Lizzie, "Now hand me those band-aids. That chicken was a biter!" He tossed her the box, "Yeah, well next time you're wearing the tutu." ***** Lizzie sat on her bed, as nervous as ever. She only ever employed Matt's help when she was desperate, and she wondered whether or not this was all worth it. She was talking about Gordo here. Loyal, lovable, moral Gordo. "Lizzie, get a hold of yourself. It isn't like Gordo is cheating on you with Kate or anything," she assured herself. Matt and Melina headed home after Kate had left Gordo's house, deciding that without Kate there, any spying on Gordo was useless. On their way home, Matt asked the question that was on both of their minds, "Do you think we should tell Lizzie?" Melina had been thinking about it, and she decided that it was best if they didn't say anything to her, "Not yet. If there is anything that I have learned from television, it is that we should get all of our facts straight before we tell her." "TV is such an educational tool. It's way underrated." "Tell me about it. Yesterday I learned how to make glue from everyday household items." "MacGyver?" Matt asked as he opened the door for Melina. "No. Martha Stewart." Lizzie heard the front door open from her room and headed downstairs. She found Matt and Melina sitting on the couch, "So?" Matt and Melina looked at each other. In a quick conversation with their eyes, Melina convinced Matt to speak first, "So, what?" Lizzie was starting to get impatient, "So did you find out what was going on with

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Gordo?" Matt stammered, "Uhnope. Nope. Right, Melina?" Melina shook her head, "No, we didn't find anything." Lizzie groaned. She knew this was a bad idea, "Listen, you two. I'm not going to be your chauffer if you guys are just going to sit around and eat ice cream all day!" Melina stopped her, "Lizzie. I can honestly tell you that we didn't just eat ice cream. We have been working and we have been working hard. We are just looking to further investigate so we can bring you a report that is as detailed as possible. You hired the best in the business, and we aren't going to squander our reputation just because you can't trust your boyfriend." Lizzie hated that. The more she heard it out loud, the more she started to believe that it was true, "No, I do trust Gordo. It's Kate that I don't trust." Melina stood up from the couch and shrugged, "Whatever you say, Lizzie." Matt followed Melina, who was heading out of the room. He stopped next to Lizzie and nodded, "Uhyeah. What she said." Matt and Melina left the room, leaving Lizzie questioning her relationship as she plopped down on the couch. She had figured that the two most malicious and devious spies in the world would have come up with something by now. But in a sense, the lack of knowledge was a bit reassuring, "Oh well. I guess it's good news that they haven't found anything yet." ***** Over the course of the next few weeks, Matt and Melina tended to their ice cream needs while still spying on Kate and Gordo. The conversations between the two started to become so nice and full of sincerity that it made Melina nauseous. Lizzie and Gordo spent less time together. Both of them were so busy with their senior activities and finishing up their last year of high school, that they had little to no time for one another. Lizzie wasn't too worried, though, because Matt and Melina kept assuring her that there was nothing going on. Little did Lizzie know, Matt and Melina kept spying on the two burgeoning friends behind her back, suspicious of their behavior. Without her daily dose of Gordo, Lizzie was noticeably down and began to mope around the house. And though Matt did love to see his sister miserable, he couldn't stand to let her get hurt by Gordo. It just didn't seem right to him. ***** Matt and Melina spent yet another day staked out in their ice cream truck in front of Gordo's house, "Are you starting to think there's something going on between those two?" Matt asked, already knowing the answer. Melina sighed, "If you had asked me that a few weeks ago, I would have said 'no

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way,' but I mean, you've heard it. Kate and Gordo are actually being nice to each other. It gives me the chills just thinking about it." Matt was starting to get pissed off. He shook his head, "I'm the only person who can hurt my sister. I swear, if Gordo cheats on Lizzie he is going to regret it for the rest of his life." Melina smiled sweetly at Matt, "It sounds as if you actually care about your sister, Matt." He rubbed his face, "Look, I don't want this to get out, but I can't stand to let Lizzie get hurt like this. This isn't like putting her underwear on the school flagpole. This is totally different. She loves this guy and he's going to break her heart." "Surprisingly, I don't find this new side of you completely repulsive." Matt moved his eyebrows up and down and leaned a bit closer to her, "Hey baby, there is more where that came from." He tried to kiss Melina, but she pushed him away, "If you go all goody-goody on me I'm going to have to scratch your eyes out. Seriously." Matt leaned back and smiled, "I love it when you say those things to me." She waved her hand in his face, "Shh! I'm trying to listen." Kate: I can't believe how much time we've spent together in the past couple of weeks. It's been really fun having you around, GordoGordo? Earth to Gordo! Are you thinking about Lizzie again? Gordo: Uhno. Of - Of course not Kate: In the end, I'll make sure she finds out. Even I'm not cruel enough to have Lizzie in the dark about this forever. Gordo: I just don't want to hurt her. I always want to be her friend. Kate: After she finds out about us I don't think you guys will be friends for a while. "Now do you think we have enough proof?" Matt asked, handing Melina an ice cream cone. "I just still can't believe that Gordo would do something like this. Especially to Lizzie. I just can't believe it." "Believe it, babe. Not all guys are a one-woman man, like myself," Matt straightened the collar of his jacket. Melina chuckled, "You wouldn't be alive if you were anything else." Matt stood up to scoop himself some ice cream, "Now all we have to do is decide whether or not we should tell Lizzie. I'm all for embarrassing her, but I think in this situation, we should have a little heart." "I suppose we could. But let's wait until after prom tomorrow night. There's no use in ruining that for her. I mean, it isn't like Gordo is going to tell her about him and Kate

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during their senior prom." "You're right. Even Ethan Craft isn't stupid enough to do something like that." Melina burst into laughter, "Oh that's a good one, Matt. You slay me." Matt nodded his head, "I knowEthan CraftHa ha." She gave Matt a pat on the back, "Yeah, it wasn't that funny," she cleared her throat, "Anyway, I think we've heard all we need to. Let's get the surveillance equipment back. I think I'm getting a C in History, so I need to dig up some dirt on Mr. Appelton." "Sounds good. Retrieval 167?" Matt said as he got himself prepared. "Yeah, Kate should fall for that one," Melina got her equipment ready, "Let's do it." ***** Matt walked up to Gordo's door and took a deep breath. Retrieval 167 was a great plan, but it took some darn good acting on Matt's part. He psyched himself up, and started to get the tears flowing. Matt rang the doorbell as he put his hands over his face. Gordo swung the door open to find a teary-eyed Matt standing on his doorstep. He was concerned, "Matt, come in. What's wrong?" Matt walked slowly into the Gordon household, "Melina," he whimpered and took a few short, quick breaths. He started bawling, "Duuummmpppeeedddmmmeee!" Gordo could hardly understand him. He quickly shut the door and walked up next to Matt, "Wait, what?" Matt sprawled himself out on the stairs, his face buried in his arms, "Melina dumped me, all right?! You don't have to rub it in!" Gordo leaned up against the railing, "I was just trying to - " Matt rolled over to look at Gordo, "She was the love of my life!" He stood up and sobbed into Gordo's arms. Gordo awkwardly pat the sobbing Matt on his back and led him over to the same chair that he had sat Melina in weeks before. Kate came downstairs after hearing sobbing coming from downstairs. She noticed Matt sitting in the chair, his head in his hands, and she gave Gordo a look as to ask what the heck was going on. Gordo just shrugged and let Matt cry. After a few moments, Gordo leaned to Kate and whispered, "Can you get Matt some lemonade?" he kneeled down next to Matt, "You want some lemonade, Matt? Huh?" Matt sniffled and nodded his head, "Okay." Gordo stood up and leaned to Kate again, "You know where it is."

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Kate obediently followed Gordo's orders and went into the kitchen. The window that was Matt and Melina's entrance to the house was already open, and Melina made her way through as she started to pick up the supplies. Gordo put his hand on Matt's shoulder, "I'm going to help her out in the kitchen. I don't think Kate has ever poured a drink in her life. Is that okay?" Matt's heart began to pound as Gordo started to turn towards the kitchen. Matt knew that if Gordo turned anymore, he would no doubt see Melina at the window. Melina froze with fear as her eyes widened, afraid that Gordo would see her. It was up to Matt to save his woman and save the plan. He jumped up and grabbed Gordo, hugging him with all his might, "Please don't leave me, Gordo! Please don't leave me! I feel so - so ALONE!" Gordo groaned and stood there motionless with Matt latched onto him. He couldn't wait for Kate to get back with the lemonade. Behind Gordo, Melina breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly gathered the rest of her things and gave Matt a thumbs up as she exited out the window. Matt pushed Gordo away and put his hands on his shoulders. His bawling ceased, "You know what," he said, patting Gordo on the chest, "I feel better." Matt walked backwards towards the front door and wiped the tears from his eyes. Gordo stood there, extremely perplexed, "Are you sure, Matt? You didn't even get your lemonade." Matt backed into the door and felt around behind him for the doorknob, "I'll take a rain check," he opened the door and backed outside, "Bye!" he quickly shut the door. Matt sighed as he leaned his head up against the door. After he composed himself, he ran back to the ice cream truck. Gordo shook his head and headed towards the kitchen, "What a weird kid," he said to himself. He ran into Kate on the way, who was holding two glasses of lemonade, "Here," she handed one glass to Gordo, "Gosh, it took me forever to figure out how to open that juice carton. I had to find a screwdriver and then--hey. Where's the squirt?" Gordo shrugged and pointed at the door, "He, uh, left. I think I cured him." Kate took a sip of lemonade, "How did you do that?" "I have no idea." Kate handed her glass to Gordo and picked her purse up off the table, "Well, prom is coming up tomorrow night. I have to start getting ready." "Why? All the arrangements have been made, we called the - " Kate laughed, "No, Gordo. I need to get myself ready. The natural look is in, and you

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have no idea how long it takes to pull that off." "Whatever you say, Kate," Gordo said, placing her glass down on the table. "Tomorrow night she'll see us together and it will be all over. You'll finally get what you want." Gordo was nervous, "I don't know. I don't think this is the best time to hurt her." "It's the best time. Trust me," she said as she headed towards the door, "The more publicly humiliating, the better. It will stick in her mind more and drive her to Italy," she smiled, "I know what I'm doing, Gordo." Gordo watched as Kate closed the door. He took a sip of his lemonade. "I hope so." ***** Lizzie opened her eyes to the beautiful sunshine on the horizon the next morning and stretched herself awake. "I can't believe it. Tonight is my senior prom!" she thought to herself, "Nothing can ruin this day. Not even Matt." Lizzie got out of bed, freed her prom dress of its plastic wrapping, and smoothed it out on her bed, "Tonight is going to be perfect." She headed downstairs and ate a good breakfast so she would have enough energy to spend the rest of the day getting ready for prom. Going to everything from hair and makeup appointments, Lizzie wanted to make sure that this would be a night to remember. After hours of sitting in a chair getting beautified, she finally made it back home and was in the process of finishing up when Matt knocked on her door, "Come in." "Hey, Lizzie," Matt said as he walked into her room. He watched as Lizzie turned around too look at him. He was surprised to see her looking so beautiful. He smiled, "Wow. You look really nice." Lizzie tilted her head to the side, "ThanksI think." Matt's heart ached for his sister when he saw her so happy; so oblivious. He wanted so badly to tell her how much of jerk Gordo was, but he remembered what Melina had told him, "I, uh, I just wanted to say that I hope you have a really great time tonight." Lizzie knew this was too good to be true, "Alright, what did you do?" Matt shook his head, "Nothing, nothing. I just want my sister to have a nice senior prom, that's all." Lizzie looked in the mirror and checked herself up and down, "What happened? Did you ruin my dress? I swear, if you did something - " "I'm just trying to be a nice brother, okay? I know we haven't always seen eye to

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eye on things, but I just want you to know that I would never ruin this night for you." Lizzie smiled, "Thank you, Matt. For this, and for checking up on Gordo for me. Since you guys didn't come up with anything, I think it's safe to say that Gordo was just being nice. I'm sure Kate roped him into prom committee because of his music collection or something. Like you said, it's just Gordo, I have nothing to worry about. Thanks," she gave her little brother a kiss on the cheek. He laughed, "I didn't mean for you to get all mushy on me." Both Matt and Lizzie turned their heads to the sound of the doorbell ringing. Lizzie grinned as she took one last look in the mirror, "Gordo's here." As she grabbed her purse, she took a deep breath and started to head downstairs. Matt stopped her, "Lizzie?" She turned around. "What?" A few seconds before, when he had said her name, Matt had every intention of telling Lizzie all about Gordo and Kate, and that she shouldn't go to the prom with him. But then she turned around, and he saw her face so full of happiness that he didn't have the heart to tell her the bad news. He backed down, "Nothing. Just have fun tonight. You deserve it." Lizzie just stood there and smiled at her brother. She liked this side of him. "Lizzie! Gordo's here!" her mother yelled from downstairs. Lizzie looked away from Matt and looked in the direction of the stairs, "I'm coming!" she yelled as she walked towards the staircase. Gordo was standing at the foot of the stairs, his heart pounding in his chest. As he waited for Lizzie to come downstairs, he rolled back and forth on the heels of his feet. Jo was standing right next to him, holding a camera with a giant flash in her hands, "Gordo, you sure look handsome tonight." Gordo forced out a smile. He was very nervous, "Thank you, Mrs. McGuire." "Here, let me take a picture of you," Jo whipped her camera up and took a picture of Gordo before he could say anything. The bright flash from the camera momentarily blinded him. He dropped his head down to rub his eyes. When he looked up, he saw Lizzie descending down the stairs. She took his breath away. He was amazed at how beautiful she looked in her pink satin dress. Her natural beauty combined with the dots from the flash made her sparkle in Gordo's eyes. "So?" Lizzie asked, noticing that Gordo was staring. He was still in a daze, "Huh?" "How do I look?" Gordo snapped out of it, but it didn't make much of a difference,

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because it seemed to him as if his ability to form complete sentences was shut off, "I - uhyouyou'reI mean, you lookuhyou beautiful." Lizzie laughed, "Thanks, Tarzan. Try a verb next time," she walked closer to Gordo and started fiddling with his bow tie, "You look pretty nice yourself." Gordo blushed as his heart started to pound even harder. He had known Lizzie his whole life, and had been going out with her for three years, yet he had never seen her more beautiful. Her beauty reverted him back to his years in Jr. High. Bumbling and at a loss for words. Lizzie noticed Gordo's inability to move forward in conversation, so she decided to help him along, "Is that for me?" she asked as she pointed to the corsage in Gordo's hands. Gordo held up the box, "Oh, right. Yeah, it is. S - sorry." Gordo looked down as he slid the flowers onto Lizzie's wrist, and then looked back up again as their eyes met. Gordo's troubles seemed to slip away as he gazed into Lizzie's eyes and smiled. She smiled back at him, but their smiles immediately broke when millions of flashes began going off. Lizzie shielded her eyes, "Mom!" "Oh, Lizzie," she took a few more shots, "I just want to capture this moment for you!" Lizzie put her hands over her mother's camera, "Thank you, Mom. I appreciate this, but Gordo and I have to get going or we'll miss the prom." Jo pulled the camera away from Lizzie's grasp, "Just one more picture?" Gordo nodded and put his arm around Lizzie, "We'd be glad do." Lizzie and Gordo posed by the door, and their smiles were almost as blinding as the flash from Mrs. McGuire's camera. Gordo fell into such a daze when he saw Lizzie that he completely forgot who was waiting in the limo. He opened the door for Lizzie, and the minute he spotted the limo parked outside the McGuire house, the daze was gone, and the smile left his face. ***** "Hey guys!" Lizzie greeted Ethan and Kate as she and Gordo climbed into the limo. "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie! You look slammin' tonight!" Ethan took Lizzie's hand and kissed the back of it. She chuckled to herself at Ethan's act of chivalry, "Thank you, Ethan. You are looking very nice, as well," she glanced at Kate a smiled, "You too, Kate." Kate pushed some hair out of her face, "What else is new?" Her attention turned to

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Ethan, who was staring at her with an encouraging glance. She gave in, "You look nice, too, Lizzie," and although everyone in the limo knew that Kate's compliment was undoubtedly true, she still somehow managed to add a touch of sarcasm. Gordo got himself settled and put his arm around Lizzie. But he was not focused on her, "You are looking rather lovely, Kate." "I've never seen you looking better, Gordon." Both Ethan and Lizzie looked back and forth between the two who were acting as if they were old friends. Their eyes then met, and they both shrugged off the unusual behavior. "You should have seen me this morning when I tried to get myself a glass of lemonade," Gordo said to Kate, "You mauled the carton so badly, I ended up getting more on my shoes than in the glass!" Kate started laughing, much to the surprise of Ethan and Lizzie, "Sorry about that. That's what you get for trying to enslave moi." Lizzie interrupted Gordo and Kate's laughter, "What are you guys talking about?" The ball was in Gordo's court on this one, "Kate - you see Matt - well, it's a long story. Too long to explain. But let's just say it ended with me soaked to the bone with lemonade." Ethan was completely oblivious to what was going on with Gordo and his girlfriend, "Man, that bites." Gordo laughed, "Tell me about it." Lizzie was starting to notice the new-found chumminess between Kate and Gordo. They even had their own inside jokes. In the past few weeks, she had felt distant from Gordo, but she never would have guessed that the farther they grew apart, the closer he grew to Kate. They almost seemed to her like friends, and that was starting to worry her. ***** The foursome finally made it to the hotel, and the decorations were heavenly. Thanks to Kate and Gordo. "This place is da bomb-diggity!" Ethan pat Gordo on the back, who managed a smile as he cringed from Ethan's forceful blows, "Good job, Gor-don! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check out the dance floor," he held out his hand to Kate, "Care to join me?" Kate practically laughed right in Ethan's face, "And have you embarrass me? I'm sure. Maybe when I don't want to be popular anymore." Ethan shrugged and accepted Kate's decline, "So, I'll catch you in five?" Kate just rolled her eyes as Ethan made his way to the dance floor. The girls who

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were already dancing flocked to him, regardless of their dates who were, without a doubt, much better dancers than Mr. Craft. Kate, Gordo, and Lizzie laughed together as they watched Ethan shake his groove thing. Kate shook her head, "I can never take him anywhere." The sight of Ethan dancing, which had only a few minutes ago been enough to make you die of laughter, was now quite sickening. Lizzie decided she needed a break from the horrible motions that Ethan called "dancing." She turned to Gordo, "I'm gonna head to the ladies room to freshen up. I'll meet you right back here, okay?" Gordo nodded his head as Lizzie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He watched as she walked towards the restroom, and then turned to Kate who was sitting next to him at the table, "So, do you think she's getting the hint?" "She seemed a bit jealous in the car when we were laughing about the lemonade, but I just don't think this is going to work." Gordo sighed, he couldn't let her quit on him now, "Kate, you don't know how important this is to me. I need Lizzie to dump me and go to Italy. God knows I can't dump her. I don't have the heart to, but - " Kate finished Gordo's explanation of the plan. She knew it all too well, "I know, I know. If she sees something going on between us she'll dump you. I get that. I just don't understand why you want her to leave." "She needs to see what life is beyond her family and friends. This experience would be perfect for her. It's everything she's always wanted." Kate surrendered, "Whatever you say." Gordo paused for a moment, but then turned to Kate once again, "I can't thank you enough for all of this, Kate. You have been a true evil genius," he took a look around the room at all of the beautiful decorations. Everyone was having a blast, "And I have to say, no one ever gives you the credit you deserve for being the chairperson of all of these dances. I mean, I've been to them, but I never thought about how much work really goes into making a dance like this perfect. You do a great job." Kate stared at Gordo for a bit, and then smiled, "You know, you're the first person who has ever said something like that to me. Thank you, Gordo. That means a lot." Gordo was shocked at the two magic words that had just come out of Kate's mouth. And as much as the words "thank you" meant to him, it was the third that meant the most: "Gordo." Kate Sanders had just said thank you to him, and meant it. Kate continued, "I'm always thought of as just this pretty face - " "Well, you are pretty," Gordo caught himself, "I mean - I'm not trying to hit on you or anything. I'm not attracted to you, but you are pretty." Kate chuckled at Gordo. He never was a smooth talker, "All the same, thank you for thinking of me as more than just a pretty face." Gordo was happy to be friends with Kate again, "You're welcome."

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At the table, Gordo and Kate sat and watched Ethan on the dance floor while Lizzie was still in the restroom, most likely spending most of her time waiting in line. And although Ethan's dancing was most entertaining, Gordo's mind kept wandering back to Lizzie and his plan. He thought about his failed attempts, and how he never could have done it without Kate. Kate was thinking the same thing, only Kate knew something that Gordo didn't. She knew that at the rate they were going, Gordo was never going to be able to pull it off. Kate could tell that Gordo was in love with Lizzie, and that he would do anything for her, including sacrificing his own happiness. She also knew that if that was the way Gordo felt, then surely Lizzie had the same feelings. Kate was sure that their little game of cat and mouse would not work on a couple that was so in love. She had to think of something drastic, and she had to think of it fast. Meanwhile, in fantasyland, Gordo was still oblivious to the ineffectiveness of his plan, "I really owe you one for doing me this favor. Really. I can't thank you enough." Kate looked at Gordo, but quickly focused her eyes on what was going on behind him. She watched as Lizzie walked towards their table, looking at the kids on the dance floor. With Gordo's back facing Lizzie, Kate looked back at him, "Then you'll forgive me for doing this." With that, Kate leaned in and kissed Gordo. Lizzie looked back at the table and stopped dead in her tracks.

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Chapter 7

Lizzie stood in the middle of the ballroom at the Marriott hotel, her mouth wide open with shock. She felt as if all of her muscles had frozen and melted at the same time, but she still managed to bring her hand to her face. As she stared at the sight before her, her eyes started to tear, but she still could not take them away. All she could focus on was Gordo welcoming a kiss from Kate Sanders. In reality, Gordo was desperately trying to push Kate away, but at that odd angle, Lizzie misinterpreted her boyfriend's reaction. As quick as Kate started the kiss, she and Gordo broke apart, but it was already too late; Lizzie had seen everything. Gordo tried to keep his composure, "What are you doing? It is one thing for Lizzie to think that I like you, but I don't want to hurt her like this!" Kate pointed to Lizzie staring from a few feet away, "Too late." Gordo's face fell white with fear. As he slowly turned around, he prayed to God that the person that Kate was pointing to was anyone but Lizzie. But alas, at this moment in time, it seemed that God was not on his side, for the person standing behind him was, in fact, Lizzie McGuire. Lizzie's legs, which were completely immobile a few seconds earlier, were now quite the opposite. She turned away from Gordo the minute she saw his face, and ran out of the room with tears running down her cheeks. Gordo quickly stood up and pushed his chair aside. "Lizzie!" he called out as he chased after her. Lizzie had gotten a head start, but she was in high heels and Gordo quickly caught up with her. He followed her outside, "Lizzie, wait! Please, Lizzie! Wait!" Lizzie slowed her pace down and turned to face him. Gordo could see the endless flow of tears streaming from her eyes. She sniffled and shook her head, "Drop dead." Gordo had never heard her talk to him like that. He had never heard her talk to

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anyone like that. His heart, which was already split in two, managed to break some more, "Just give me a chance to explain, Lizzie. It was all a part of - " "Save it, Gordo," he could hear the hurt in her voice, "I don't want to hear anything you have to say. Goodbye." Lizzie turned away from Gordo and started walking again, but he wasn't going to let her get away so fast. He followed behind and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face him, "Well tough. Because you are going to hear it." She shook her arm away from his grasp, "Look, Gordo. You can smooth talk your way out of almost anything, but I am not going to buy it this time. I know, Gordo. I know you like Kate," she started to cry again, "How could you? How could you do this to me? And with Kate? I just don't care about your explanation anymore, Gordo." "Lizzie, we can't just leave things like this. Please, just come inside with me and we'll talk. Please, Lizzie. You know me. You've known me your whole life. You know I would never do something like this to you." "No, Gordo. I thought I knew you. My whole life, I have only thought of you as Gordo, the guy who would always be there for me and would never deliberately hurt me. But I guess I was wrong. Maybe you are just the low-key best friend, because the Gordo that I knew never would have done something like this. I was wrong. We are wrong, Gordo. We are wrong together." Gordo had no idea how to respond to that, so when Lizzie turned and walked away, Gordo didn't stop her. He just let her go, without a word in his defense. His head sunk down as he sulked back to the hotel to gather his things. He had just arrived at the entrance when he noticed Kate waiting there for him. He stopped to let her talk, but avoided eye contact. Kate had noticed Gordo's depression from a mile away; she could tell by his walk that something was wrong, "I take it she dumped you." "Yeah." "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" "Yeah." "And it isn't." "Yeah." "Is that all you can say?" Gordo lifted his head to look at Kate. She could see in his eyes a mixture of anger, sadness, and disappointment. As he started to walk back into the hotel, he nodded, "Yeah."

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Kate called after him, "Gordo!" Gordo turned on his heels and walked back outside, forcefully pushing the door open, "What?!" Kate jumped back. It wasn't like Gordo to raise his voice to anyone, "What do you want me to say, Kate? Do you want me to say that I feel like I just got my heart ripped out of my chest and torn up into a million little pieces?! Do you want me to say that for the first time in my entire life, I saw pure, genuine hatred in the eyes of Lizzie McGuire? And because of me! Or how about the fact that I think you are completely insane for kissing me?! No, you know what, let's go with how I will always remember my senior prom as the night that the girl I love, the girl I was destined to be with dumped me because she thought I was cheating on her with you!" Kate backed off, "You are a little negative right now - " "A little negative?!" Gordo threw his arms up in the air, "You don't get it do you? You don't realize what you've done! Lizzie just dumped me! She thought I was cheating on her in front of everyone! You picked the absolute worst time in the world to do this, Kate." "Lizzie would have never fallen for it if I didn't." Kate heard Gordo's voice break, but he managed to keep the tears from falling, "How do you know, Kate? How do you know if you didn't even give it a chance?" "I just know, Gordo. Just like I know that right now you are really hurting, but once you think about what's happened you'll realize that I'm right and you'll thank me." Gordo laughed and shook his head as he looked up at Kate, "No. I couldn't possibly think something so ridiculous. Goodnight Kate." Kate yelled after Gordo as he started to head back into the hotel. He stopped with his back turned to her as he held the door open, "Gordo, I know I messed things up but it's for the best. In your heart, you know that Lizzie wouldn't have gone unless I did this." Gordo paused. He slowly turned his head to look back at Kate, but couldn't bring himself to say anymore. He walked back into the hotel and let the door shut behind him. After he had grabbed his things from inside, Gordo immediately left his prom. He knew there was no use trying to have fun. Quite frankly, he felt like he would never be able to have fun again. Gordo called for a cab and got himself a ride home. Lizzie, however, wasn't so lucky. ***** Lizzie was left all on her own, walking around aimlessly with a tear-streaked face. She would have called a cab, but knew that she had absolutely no money, so she took out her cell phone and called the next best thing. "Hello?"

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"Matt? It's Lizzie. Look, I need you to pick me up at the Marriott." Matt could hear in Lizzie's voice that something was wrong, "Why?" "Please don't ask any questions, Matt. Oh, and whatever you do, don't tell Mom and Dad." Matt was about to turn down his sister's request, but he knew that she was in some kind of trouble, and he knew that he needed to go get her. He agreed to pick her up, and he managed to sneak out of the house while Jo and Sam weren't looking. They had passed out on the couch after watching a movie on TV, so Matt was able to grab the keys to Lizzie's car and get out of the house without them noticing. Even though he was only 15, Matt had his permit and had driven before, so he was able to make it down to the Marriott without any major problems. Ten minutes later, Matt arrived at the hotel in which the senior prom was being held, and pulled up next to a crying Lizzie on the sidewalk. He stopped the car and got out, ready to hand Lizzie the keys so that she could drive home. The last thing he needed was to get pulled over without a license. But the second he looked at his sister, Matt realized that she was in no shape to drive. He reluctantly got back into the car. Lizzie got into the passenger side of the car, sobbing like crazy. Instinctively, Matt reached over and gave his sister a big hug. He had absolutely no idea what was going on, but he knew that she needed a hug right then. Lizzie cried on her brother's shoulder for a minute, but then finally let go and leaned back in her seat. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Matt was mostly asking the question for his own sake, desperately hoping that she would explain to him what was going on, but he wouldn't be so lucky. "Later," she said as she put her seatbelt on, "Do you think you can sneak me back into the house." Matt started the car, "I've never done something like that before. It's usually the sneaking out part that I participate in. But it's made for TV movie night, and they're passed out on the couch. I'm pretty sure it's do-able." "Thanks, Matt," she watched her little brother start to pull away from the curb, "Blinker," she reminded him. He pulled his foot off the gas and turned on his left blinker, smiling at his forgetfulness. "I owe you one." "What are annoying little brothers for?" Lizzie looked over at Matt, driving her home. He wasn't so little anymore, "To be there when you need it." She looked down at her hands as she twirled a claddagh ring on her finger that Gordo had given her. She quickly took it off of her hand and held it out the window. She closed her eyes as the wind finally caught it and it fell to the ground, bouncing on the road.

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Matt took a quick glance at Lizzie, still trying to keep his eyes on the road, "Did you just throw something out the window?" "Just something that should have never belonged to me." Matt was worried. There was something wrong with his sister and he needed to know what it was, "Lizzie, will you please just tell me what is going on?" Lizzie paused. She looked out the window, "I saw Gordo kissing Kate." Matt turned his head to look at Lizzie and nearly ran a red light, "You saw what?" Matt's reckless driving didn't seem to phase Lizzie, for she was in her own little world right then, unaware of what was going on around her, "Gordo and Kate were kissing in front of everyone at prom." A tear ran down her cheek. Matt kept his cool as he drove the last few feet back to their house. He stopped in the driveway and turned off the car. He turned to Lizzie, "God, I never thought that Gordo would do something like that. He's such a nice guy," Matt slammed his hands down on the steering wheel, "He promised he wouldn't hurt you like this on the tape." Lizzie sniffled and wiped a tear away as she turned to Matt, "Tape? What tape?" Matt's head shot towards Lizzie as his eyes widened, "UhW - um. What? What are you talking about?" "Matt!" He had been caught, "My surveillance tape." Lizzie tried to hold back her tears, "So you knew about this?" "Well I would exactly say I knew, more like suspected" "Matt, I can split you into five thousand pieces with one move," she pointed her finger in his face, "Talk." Matt looked at his sister. She had already been through so much tonight, he felt it would be better if he told her all about it tomorrow, "Lizzie, I don't think you want to hear this right now." "I couldn't possibly be any more hurt than I am right now, Matt. Please, just tell me what you knew." Matt sighed, "I was going to tell you after prom, I promise. Melina said that it would be better if we didn't tell you right away, but for the past couple of weeks, Gordo and Kate have been talking about how they like each other." "Y - You mean, like-like each other?" Matt nodded as he looked down.

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"Are you sure?" He looked at her, "I'm positive." Lizzie started bawling again as she put her head in her hands, "Gordo has liked Kate this whole time, and to think, I was stupid enough to believe that he loved me." Matt shook his head, "He duped us all, Lizzie. I really thought he was a decent guy, but apparently he's just a big dirk. You're way to good for him, Lizzie. I know you are." Lizzie looked up at Matt as her tears slowly stopped, "I know I might sound crazy when I say this, but I'm glad you're my little brother." Matt smiled, "Well, you are crazy. And this might make me sound even crazier, but the more that I think about it, the more I think that Gordo would never intentionally hurt you like this. What was his explanation?" A look of disgust came over Lizzie's face, "You are crazy. I didn't want to hear it! And you know why? Because whatever excuse he has isn't going to fly with me. What he did was unforgivable." "Don't you want to hear him out?" Lizzie's sadness turned to anger, "What is wrong with you, Matt? Two seconds ago you were on my side and now you're on his? Can't you see I'm the victim here?" He hated to get her so upset, but he felt as if he had to defend Gordo a bit, "I just don't think that after three years of being in this relationship, Gordo would end things like this. You guys have known each other your whole lives. It just doesn't make sense." Lizzie didn't say a word to Matt as she turned her head away from him and started to get out of the car. Matt unbuckled his seat belt and followed after Lizzie. He stopped her on her way to the front door, "Just promise me one thing, Lizzie," she turned around to look at him, "Just promise me, that one day, you'll hear him out. I think you need to. For your sanity's sake." Lizzie shook her head and started towards their house again, "I just can't think about him right now, Matt. It hurts too much." Matt kept his mouth shut as he watched Lizzie walk to the door, but stop when she realized she didn't have a key. He followed behind and opened the door for her. Matt walked into the house and checked to make sure that their parents were still asleep. He walked back to the door and gave Lizzie the all-clear sign. She quietly tiptoed in and glanced over the couch to see her sleeping parents. Somehow, they always managed to curl up in the most uncomfortable positions, but still stay sound asleep. Lizzie turned around on her way up the stairs and mouthed thanks to Matt as he closed the door.

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Lizzie closed the door to her room behind her and crashed onto her bed. She pulled Mr. Snuggles close to her as tears fell from her eyes. As she closed them, she tried her best to forget this nightmare of a night. She never even took off her dress. ***** As Gordo looked out the window of the taxicab, nothing that he passed reminded him of Lizzie. For she was already on his mind, and everything he saw only intensified those memories of her. He faintly heard someone speaking to him, but didn't care much to listen to what they had to say. It was the cab driver, asking him where he was headed, "So where are you headed?" A small sound came from Gordo. It was not quite a whimper, but not exactly a response either. He hoped that it was a good enough answer to the question that had been asked. It wasn't. "What was that, son?" Gordo finally came to his senses, realizing what the man in the front seat had asked him, "Oh, I'm sorry. Um, just take me to - " he paused. Did he really want to go home? He didn't think he could face his parents and have to explain to them why he was back so early. "I made out with Kate Sanders and Lizzie hates me now" wasn't exactly a great conversation topic. He changed his mind, "No, scratch that." Gordo arrived a few minutes later at the playground of his old elementary school. He paid the cab driver, and walked with his hands buried in the pockets of his suit as he heard the cab speed off behind him. Gordo paused for a moment as he looked over the playground and at the school behind it. He didn't think he had ever been there when there weren't little kids running around and having fun. It was fitting though, for his current mood. Almost as if the entire world felt the same way he did, including that playground. Over to his right, Gordo spotted the old swing set that he used to play on at recess. A small grin came and left as Gordo walked over to the swings. As he sat down, a feeling of comfort swept over him, and he felt that once again he was a little boy playing on the playground with his best friend; not a care in the world. Only this time, his best friend wasn't there. As Gordo moved the sand around with his feet, he thought about those few hours before when his world had come crashing down on him. He knew he couldn't blame Kate for what had happened. If she hadn't kissed him, Lizzie would have never ended the relationship. Kate had known that, and now he knew it too. Gordo leaned his head against the cold metal chain of the swing and slowly rocked back and forth. The way he was feeling, Gordo couldn't believe that there had been better times. Times when he and Lizzie could swing for the entire recess, laughing at the silliest things. Those were the days when futures and relationships didn't complicate things. He closed his eyes. Gordo was positive that this was the right thing, but still didn't

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understand how the right thing could make him feel so horrible. ***** Lizzie opened her eyes to the beautiful sunshine on the horizon. It was just like the morning before, only now the beautiful sunshine meant nothing to Lizzie, and the day that was before her was to be a horrible one. The rays of sun had awoken her, showing her tear-stained face. She was surprised, though, to find herself waking up, because she felt as if she hadn't slept a wink at all that night. Every time she had closed her eyes, the mental picture of Kate and Gordo kissing came back to haunt her. When she had last looked at her clock it was 5 in the morning, but now it was 8, and she could hear the sound of her parents downstairs. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to talk to anyone. But her stomach was talking to her, and it was saying that she was starving. She slowly and reluctantly got out of bed, cursing herself for not eating anything the night before. As she was about to open her door, Lizzie caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her mascara had run down her face, her beautiful pink dress was now a wrinkled mess, and she carried herself like a rag doll. Lizzie was disgusted, but only had enough energy to change her clothes. Lizzie walked downstairs like a zombie and entered the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire watched in shock as their daughter walked before them in shambles. "Lizzie, what in the world are you doing home?" A concerned Jo asked. Sam put down the carton of milk he had been holding and took a step towards Lizzie, "Are you okay?" "Have you been crying?" "Do you want something to eat?" "Something to drink?" Sam and Jo watched as their daughter sat at the kitchen table and didn't ay a word. They both spoke at the same time, "Lizzie?" Lizzie just sat there and stared at her hands, "Last night didn't go as planned." Sam became furious. He knew this whole prom thing was a bad idea, "Did Gordo make a move on you?" he grabbed his coat and headed towards the door, "I am going over there right now and I'm going to give that kid a - " Lizzie stopped her overprotective father, "Dad, Gordo didn't make a move on me. More like a move on Kate. Right after we got there I saw him kissing her." A tear ran down Lizzie's face, but she never took her eyes off of her hands. Sam dropped his head and hung his coat back up in the closet. Jo ran up to Lizzie and put her arm around her, "Oh, honey, are you okay?"

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A few more tears accompanied Lizzie's response, "I don't know. I don't think so. It's just so weird, Mom. I mean, Gordo has been such a big part of my life for so long and now it's over. I just can't believe it's over." Jo noticed that Sam was starting to become a bit uncomfortable with the subject matter, so she let him go, "Sam, why don't you go to work and I'll talk with Lizzie." Sam breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that anything he said would probably just end up making things worse. He kissed Lizzie on the head and left the house. Lizzie's mother stood her up and led her over to the couch where she would be more comfortable. She put her arm around her daughter. "Mom, I thought he loved me as much as I loved him." Jo's anger and sadness had to lay low for a while, because she knew she needed to be compassionate for Lizzie's sake, "Sometimes our feelings play tricks on us. I know he loved you honey, but if he didn't love you enough, it's because he isn't the right guy for you." "But I could've sworn he was the right guy for me." "Life is unpredictable that way. The important thing to remember right now, though, is that Gordo is a stupid boy who wouldn't know a good thing if it came up and bit him in the butt. Did you hit him? Did you?" Lizzie surprised herself when she let out a soft chuckle, "No, but I did yell at him." Jo pat Lizzie on the back, "That's my girl." For the first time, Lizzie's mind went to the important decision that she thought she had already made, "Mom, I can't even bear to think about him, how am I going to be able to stand going to the same school as him next year?" Jo sighed, "You'll pull through. I know things might seem horrible now, but - " "Mom, I think you were right before. I was only going to NYU because I didn't want to leave Gordo." "What are you saying, Lizzie?" Lizzie almost couldn't believe the words she was about to say, but at the same time, she wondered why she hadn't said them long ago, "I want to sing, Mom. I'm going to move to Italy as soon as I graduate. I can't be in the same place as him. I just can't. It hurts too much. You have to understand." Jo smiled, she had been waiting for that moment, "I do understand, honey. I think that singing is what you really wanted to do this whole time. It'll be good for you to broaden your horizons." A smile came across Lizzie's face. Suddenly she was completely thrilled to get started on her singing career, "I think so too, Mom. Thank you for understanding."

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Lizzie gave her mother a big hug. Jo let go, "But I need you to understand this, Lizzie. This is the last time you are going to change your mind. I mean it. If you are serious about this we are going to call Isabella right away and tell her you are going to do this. There is no turning back." Lizzie nodded, "I know, I know. This decision is the right one. It has to be. It's the only thing that is making me feel better." "It might make you feel better now, Lizzie, but do you think down the line you might change your mind again?" Lizzie thought for a moment, but she finally came to a conclusion that suited her, "Mom, I know I've been really fickle lately, what with changing my mind back and forth and back and forth again, but I need to do this. I have to find myself, and I have to do it without Gordo. My whole life, Gordo and I have been this team, you know? We had this friendship that developed into something else, and today, for the first time in my life, I know I'm going to go on without him. It's not going to be Gordo and Lizzie anymore. From now on, it's just Lizzie." Jo shook her head, "Oh, honey, I never thought of you as Gordo and Lizzie. You have always been just Lizzie to me." Lizzie didn't pay any attention to what her mother had just said. All she could think about were the words she had spoken about Gordo a few seconds before. They had sounded so good in her head, but now that she had said them out loud, she couldn't believe what she had heard. She's going to go on without him? Without Gordo? "Mom, I don't think I can do this." Her tears, which only a moment ago were a thing of the past, had come back for one last shot, "I can barely stand him no longer being my boyfriend, but I don't know if I can handle not having him as a friend." Jo didn't know what to say to her daughter anymore. Her feelings were too much, and they both knew it. Jo held Lizzie as she cried on her shoulder.

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Chapter 8

For two kids that were so unpopular, it was surprising just how many people knew about them. By Monday morning the school was buzzing with the news of Lizzie and Gordo's break up. No one thought that the two would ever leave each other's side. Until now. With the extremely public Kate and Gordo kiss, everyone was sympathetic towards Lizzie, treating Gordo like the black plague. The dirty looks and whispers hurt, but not as much as the look that he had seen on Lizzie's face on prom night. Not everyone was avoiding Gordo, though. Turns out, all you need to do to find out who your true friends are is pretend to cheat on your girlfriend. Gordo had heard from Larry and Veruca that morning that Lizzie had made her final decision to go to Italy. She had made the call to Isabella, and Gordo knew that it was time to explain everything to Lizzie now that her plans were finalized. Gordo hung out by Lizzie's locker after first period and waited for her arrival. Lizzie turned the corner into the hallway and saw him standing there, bouncing on his heels; a sure-fire sign that he was extremely nervous. Lizzie hadn't smiled all day. In fact, she hadn't smiled since that night, but her lack of expression was quickly replaced with one of anger and annoyance. Her first reaction was to just turn around walk the other way. She didn't really need her books for next period, did she? But her common sense took over, and she realized that if she was ever going to get over Gordo, she couldn't let him get to her. She took a deep breath and walked towards her locker, never once looking at her exboyfriend. Gordo had been turned the other way, and didn't realize that Lizzie was heading his way until she was standing next to him, opening her locker. He quickly spun around to face her, "Lizzie!" She said nothing. "Um. I heard that you're going to go to Italy after all." Still nothing.

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"Yeah, so, umNow that you're going, I thought - " "What did you think?" She finally looked at him as she slammed her locker shut, "Oh, wait. Let me guess. You thought that because I'm leaving, it'll be easier for you and Kate to be together. Is that it?" Gordo's mind flashed back to the conversation he had with Kate. Lizzie would always be his friend. Always. She had to be. "Lizzie, Kate and I aren't together." She scoffed, "Oh, right. After all, she is dating Ethan Craft. I have no idea how she would be able to choose between the two of you." Gordo's head dropped down. She was right, and he deserved it, but it still hurt. Lizzie was taken aback by the words that had just come out of her mouth. Did she really just say that to Gordo? She felt horrible, "I didn't - I mean" Gordo didn't want her to apologize, because he knew she didn't have to. He cut her off, "Lizzie I still care about you." "If you really cared," Lizzie looked Gordo in the eyes, "then you wouldn't have done this to me." Lizzie and Gordo stared into each other's eyes for a few moments. Lizzie was praying that she wouldn't have to say what she was about to, and Gordo prayed that he wouldn't have to hear it. "Just leave me alone Gordo." With that, Lizzie walked away. He followed after her, "I can't, Lizzie! Please, just give me a chance. I want to talk." Lizzie turned around, but before she could say anything Matt came to her rescue. He had been watching their conversation from around the corner, and the loving brother in him pushed him forward to help his sister. "Gordo, I think she said to leave her alone." Gordo pointed his finger at Lizzie's little brother, "Matt, this is none of your business, okay?" He could have just left her alone, but he had to keep pushing, and now she was getting mad, "Hey! Don't talk to my brother that way. He's right. Leave me alone. Get the hint." "Lizzie, pl - " Matt grabbed Gordo's shirt and slammed him up against the lockers. Lizzie turned away, with tears in her eyes, and headed towards her next class. The sound of Gordo against the lockers made the heads of everyone in the hallway turn in his direction. But Matt and Gordo didn't care. Matt put his face close to Gordo's. He spoke slowly and with authority, "Leave. Her. Alone."

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Gordo stared at Matt and then looked at the grip that the kid had on his shirt. He was big now. But Matt's size had nothing to do with Gordo backing down. He didn't mean for it to go this far. If it was going to cause this much trouble, maybe explaining himself to Lizzie wasn't really worth it. He looked at Matt and nodded. His voice was quiet as he surrendered, "Alright. I'm sorry." Matt let go of Gordo but didn't take his eyes off him. "But it's not what you think, Matt." He straightened the wrinkles out of his shirt. "God, I just wanted her to go to Italy," he mumbled under his breath. Matt put his hand on Gordo's chest, causing him to flinch a bit. Gordo had never been so scared of Matt McGuire in his entire life. "What does Italy have to do with this?" Gordo was about to explain, but Matt never even gave him the chance to begin, "No, you know what? I don't even care. I have tapes, Gordo. Tapes that prove everything." "What are you talking about?" Gordo wasn't so surprised, though. It was just like Matt to have tapes of some kind. "Melina and I heard you telling Kate how much you like her. You said that you would never hurt Lizzie like this, but look at her now, Gordo. You broke her heart! I thought you were a good guy. I thought you were better than this." Gordo jumped at his opportunity to redeem himself, "I am better than this, Matt! You know me! Please, if Lizzie won't give me a chance to explain, you at least have to." Matt thought for a moment. Besides his family, Gordo was the one person that he had known his entire life. And in all of those years, he couldn't think of one single example where Gordo had been any less than a great guy. He had been his sister's best friend and boyfriend for years, and Matt knew that this whole mess was not typical Gordo behavior. He would never do something like this to Lizzie. "Please, Matt." He sighed, "Fine. But I am only doing this because of all of those times you've helped me out with things when no one else would." Gordo smiled and told Matt the whole story, making sure to leave nothing out. ***** "Ladies, Ladies. You gotta listen to me, here. That's not how it went down!" Ethan slowly but surely managed to shoot down the many girls that were swooping in at the chance to go out with him. They had all seen Kate making out with Gordo, and automatically assumed that Ethan Craft was now back on the market. But that was not the case. He tried to explain to them all that it was just a misunderstanding, but all the girls could think about was how they wished that they could have a "misunderstanding" with Mr. Craft. But alas, Ethan remained devoted to Kate.

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"Thanks for understanding," Kate said after all of the girls had left. "I had to do it. It was the only way." Ethan could tell that this was really tearing her up inside, so he said the first thing he could think of to make her feel better, "You macking with another guy only made me dig you more." Kate gave Ethan a confused look, but gladly accepted the kiss that he planted on her forehead. "Only this once, though. I want to be the only guy you kiss from now on." Kate smiled, "You got it." As the couple walked down the hallway, they came across Matt and Gordo in a heated discussion. Ethan tapped Matt on the shoulder, "Hey, Bond! What's going on, man?" "Gordo just explained everything to me. A very clever ruse." He turned to Gordo and questioned him, "Who orchestrated such a masterful plan?" Kate stepped forward, "Me, of course." Matt nodded and rubbed his chin, "Is it copyrighted?" "Copyrighted?" "I'm going to mark it 781C." Kate rolled her eyes, "Whatever." "Well, Gordo," Matt continued, "Now that you told me, I can tell my sister, and everything will be back to normal." "No!" Gordo jumped forward, "You can't." "Why not? She deserves to know." "It isn't worth it, Matt. Plus, if she doesn't want to hear it from me then I don't think there is a friendship to salvage." Gordo picked his backpack off the floor and threw it over his shoulder. "You can't just give up, Gor-don!" Gordo smirked, "Oh, I'm not going to give up. I would just rather you guys let me tell her." He looked at the three people standing in front of him. Besides Larry, they were probably the three most untrustworthy people on the planet. "Promise?" "Promise," they said in unison. As Gordo walked away from his group of friends, Kate turned to the two remaining guys standing beside her, "So do you think he'll be able to pull this off?"

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"Gor-don's the man. If anybody can do it, it's him." Matt turned to Kate, "But I still don't understand. Gordo did all of this so that Lizzie would break up with him, and now he wants to make amends?" She shrugged, "He figured that being just friends with Lizzie is better than not being friends with her at all." Matt shook his head, "There is no way he can pull this off himself." "He's not going to." Ethan and Matt gave each other a look as Kate quickly walked down the hall. ***** Every single senior was gathered in the quad of Hillridge High School. The end of the school year was nearing, and it was time for everyone to pick up their yearbooks. Student after student got into line and picked up the very last book of their high school career. When you're a senior in high school, the first thing you do before counting the number of times your photo is in the yearbook, is take a look at the senior standouts. "Look, Ethan! I'm 'Most Beautiful!' Kate exclaimed. She wasn't at all surprised, but she couldn't just let it go unnoticed. "Congrats, babe!" He said as he flipped through the pages. He stopped. "Uh oh." Kate examined her page, "What? Did they spell my name wrong or something?" "No." Ethan replied, holding out his yearbook to Kate and pointing to the very last nomination. She sighed. "Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon." As if on cue, Ethan and Kate both read the words that followed those two names, "Cutest Couple." They watched as Lizzie and Gordo entered the masses from opposite sides of the quad to pick up their yearbooks. The synchronization between the two was unreal, as they both got their books, walked away from the line, and flipped straight to the standouts. Kate was keeping her eyes on Gordo, while Ethan kept his on Lizzie. "Who can believe the masses?" Lizzie said to herself, yet loud enough for everyone else to hear, "They voted Kate most beautiful." Kate had heard Lizzie's comment, and saw Gordo roll his eyes at the same time Lizzie had spoken. She figured they both had been looking at the same page. Lizzie and Gordo turned to the last page of senior standouts; their eyes going

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straight to their picture at the bottom of the page. They gasped and looked up at each other. At one point, Gordo could have sworn he saw a touch of sympathy and regret in Lizzie's eyes, but as quickly as it came, it vanished. Lizzie slammed her book shut and stormed out of the quad, leaving Gordo standing there, almost in tears. Ethan put his hand on Kate's shoulder, "Lizzie didn't really mean what she said, Kate." She nodded, "I know. I just need to make things right again." ***** "So this was all some plan?" Melina always enjoyed lunchtime. Unlike most kids at school, she didn't have to buy lunch there; she had the privilege of bringing her own. Matt always hated lunchtime. He had to watch Melina eat her homemade meal while he choked down a tray full of slop. Matt took a bite of his food and a quick swig of water, "Yeah, I guess it was." "Good plan. Make sure to make a note of it." She took a cookie out of her Ziploc bag, "Cookie?" "Girl Scout?" "Of Course." "I would love one," he said as he accepted the leftover Girl Scout cookie from Melina. "And don't worry, I've already written it down." Melina chewed and swallowed a bite of her sandwich, "You know, if we ever need any outside help - which we probably won't - I say we go to Kate." "She's evil," he said, drooling at the sight of her sandwich. "Most girls are." Melina tore off a bit of her sandwich and tossed it onto Matt's tray. He ate it up like a starving rat before a very large wheel of cheese. "So Gordo's going to try and get Lizzie to listen to him?" Melina asked. "How does he plan on doing that?" ***** "Good lord! Will he ever stop?" For the tenth time, Lizzie tore up a note that Gordo had left in her locker and threw it in the trash. She had read the first one, not knowing that it had been from him, but never even bothered to even open the rest. Gordo had watched her tear up each and every letter, but it still wasn't enough to, as

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Ethan would say, kick him to the curb. Gordo sent telegrams, flowers, stuffed animals, and chocolates that whole week, but everything either got trashed or returned to sender. He only had one idea left. With a giant poster in hand, Gordo sat outside of Lizzie's bedroom window. Lizzie woke up that morning and looked outside. A bright yellow sign with the words "Lizzie please talk to me" in big, bold letters was the first thing she saw. She opened her window and yelled down to the curly-haired boy sitting on her lawn, "Gordo, come on. Please leave me alone." His head perked up at the sound of her voice, "Not until you talk to me, Lizzie." "What are you going to do? Stay outside with that sign all day?" "I'll stay out here with this sign for as long as it takes." Lizzie sighed, "Gordo it's Saturday. Do you mean to tell me that you are going to be out there for the entire weekend?" He nodded confidently, "If that's what it takes. Only taking breaks for the bathroom and sleep." "Well don't waste your time, Gordo. I would talk to you if you were the last guy on earth!" "Aren't you talking to me now?" Gordo wasn't sure whether or not he was trying to be cute or if he was genuinely confused. Either way, he knew that it was going to make Lizzie mad. It did. "Ugh! I mean starting right now!" Lizzie slammed her window shut. When she came downstairs she was nicely dressed for the day and sat down at the table to have breakfast with her family. "Good morning!" she announced to the family, smile and all. "You sound chipper today," her mother noticed. Lizzie smiled as she took a bite of her toast, "I just told Gordo off." Jo sighed and sat down next to her daughter. "Honey, he's been in the backyard since dawn. Can't you find some way to talk to him?" Her mother's change in attitude nearly made Lizzie choke on her food. "No way, Mom! You know what he did to me. There is no way that I'm going to speak to Gordo for the rest of my life." "That's a little drastic don't you think?" Matt had been sitting at the table in silence, but now that he knew the real story with Gordo, he decided he should try to stick up for him, "I agree with Mom."

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Jo and Lizzie turned to Matt at the end of the table, "What?" they both said, in shock. Matt shrugged, "What? Is it so wrong for my beautiful mother and I to have the same opinion on something?" Jo scoffed, "Not unless you want something in return." "I just want Lizzie to go outside and listen to Gordo. She might want to hear what he has to say." Jo got up and sat down in the chair next to her son. She put her hand on his forehead, "Are you okay, honey? Do you have a fever?" Matt rolled his eyes and gently took his mother's hand off of his forehead, "Mom. I'm fine. I just think Lizzie should take your advice. What's the harm?" Lizzie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was everyone suddenly on Gordo's side? Had they gone completely brain-dead? He kissed Kate! "I'll tell you what the harm is. If I go out there and start listening to all of his malarkey, I'll fall into Gordo's web again while he's off kissing other girls!" "Lizzie, I don't think that's going to happen," her mother said. "It'll be something like that," Lizzie replied, "I guarantee it." Lizzie stood up from the table and grabbed her car keys off of the counter. If anything could make her feel better right then, it was shopping. Jo shook her head as she watched Lizzie slam the front door, "How did I raise such a cynical child?" Matt ate his last spoonful of cereal, "I think Gordo rubbed off on her more than she'd like to believe." Jo stood up from the table, fixed a plate of food, and handed it to Matt. "Why don't you go take Gordo some breakfast." "Okay," Matt said, taking the plate from his mother. Matt walked outside to find Gordo still sitting there, holding up his sign for the whole world to see. He put the plate down in front of Gordo, "You know, she just went shopping. She might not be back until tomorrow night." Gordo furiously ate the food that Matt had brought him. "Well then I might as well get comfortable like this," he said with a mouthful of toast. "Your dignity isn't worth this, Gordo. Why don't you just let me tell her?" "No. It's not the same."

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Matt didn't understand why Gordo was being so stubborn. "Gordo, we both know that this is a friendship that is worth saving. So it shouldn't matter how it is saved as long as it is." Gordo stopped eating. "Why are you being so nice? It's kind of giving me the willies." Matt was wondering the same thing himself. "You're the only one of Lizzie's friends that I can tolerate. I mean, Ethan's okay and everything but he's dumber than a post. And I would only associate with Kate if I needed that extra touch of evil that we both know only she can provide." "Well, thanks for the support, Matt, but I want to do this on my own. If it doesn't work then I'll just have to throw in the towel." He took another bite of his food. "How long are you going to do this for?" "Until graduation or until she falters. Whichever comes first." Gordo had managed to completely clear his plate in a matter of minutes, and Matt bent over to pick it up so he could bring it back inside, "Gordo, you know Lizzie. When she gets stuck in her ways she's going to stay there." Gordo wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "I'm hoping this isn't one of those times." Matt nodded and started to walk back towards his house, but then turned to Gordo again. "Oh, and by the way, there's a kid I know who invented this all-purpose chairI think it's called the Lounge-O-Matic 3000Anyway, it has a cooler to store food and it's cable-ready. He lives in Sacramento, but I'm sure he could ship it here. He says he'll give me the wholesale price." Gordo shook his head, "No thanks, Matt. I need Lizzie to know that I'm willing to devote all of my time to this. That I'm not fooling around." Matt looked over at Gordo's bright pink, kid-sized lawn chair. "Then you might want to rethink your choice of furniture." ***** As the rest of the school spent their time preparing for senior activities and graduation, Gordo spent all of his free time in the backyard of the McGuire home. Lizzie still wouldn't give him the time of day, but no matter what, every morning, she always opened her curtains to make sure he was still there. Sam McGuire didn't understand in the least the situation between Gordo and his daughter, so he went into the backyard to investigate. "Gordo, you have been sitting on my lawn for the past couple of weeks now, and I was just wondering; what are you doing here?" Gordo gulped. He knew that Mr. McGuire could be a great guy if you were on his good side, but if you were on his bad side, it wasn't pretty. "I'm trying to talk to your daughter, sir."

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Mr. McGuire took a knee next to Gordo. "Listen," he said, "Jo told me everything. And if you want me to, I can pay Lizzie to talk to you." Gordo shook his head, "That's okay, sir. I'd rather she come to me of her own free will." "Whatever you want, son." Sam McGuire stood up and began to walk back inside when he remembered something very important that he wanted to tell Gordo. "Oh, and Gordo? If you find who has been painting black teeth on my gnomes, can you tell me right away? I'm going to get that scoundrel if it's the last thing I do." Gordo raised his eyebrow at Sam. He never did understand his fascination with lawn gnomes. "I'll be sure to do that, Mr. McGuire." Sam nodded his head in thanks and went back into the house as Gordo sat in his lounge chair, still holding the poster that he had made weeks before. After sitting there for a few hours, Gordo started to doze off again. He could have sworn that he saw Matt walking through the backyard, carrying a bucket of black paint, but he wasn't quite sure whether or not he was dreaming. He later shook it off, blaming it on his sleep deprivation. Meanwhile, inside the McGuire residence, Lizzie was peering outside into her backyard, checking to make sure that Gordo was still there. Her father had quietly entered the room behind her, and was watching her as she watched Gordo sleep. "You know, you can go talk to him. You wouldn't be giving in." Lizzie turned around, surprised at the sound of her father's voice, "Dad, I wasn't even thinking about talking to him." Sam sat down on Lizzie's bed and pat the space next to him, signaling Lizzie to join him. She sat next to her father and he put his arm around her, "Lizzie, I am your father. Every day I see you look out that window, and I know you're just working up the nerve to go out there and talk to him." Lizzie sighed and looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers, "Is it that obvious?" "Well, your mother told me it was," he admitted. Lizzie laughed, "Thanks, Dad." She stood up and started to walk out of her room, stopping at the door, "I'll think about it." ***** Matt walked outside on the Sunday before graduation to find Gordo standing up, fiddling with his lawn chair. "Now do you want me to help?" Matt noticed that Gordo's poster was strewn off to

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the side, and the few things he had with him were all packed up in his bag. "No," Gordo said dryly, "I think I'm just going to throw in the towel." "What!?" Matt exclaimed. "You can't do that!" He grabbed the chair out of Gordo's hands and unfolded it again. "Matt." Gordo grabbed Matt's hand, forcing him to stop. "It's over. I tried. She just won't talk to me, and as much as I'd love to, I can't just sit out here for the rest of my life and make a fool of myself." "Gordo wait - " "No, Matt. I'm being practical. I'm done." Gordo started to walk away when Matt noticed his poster, tattered and worn, lying face down on the lawn. "You forgot your poster!" he said, yelling after him. Gordo slowly turned around to find Matt standing there, holding what was his last lifeline. "Give it to Lizzie. It might, uh, make her happy to burn it or something." His comment wasn't so much a shot at Lizzie as it was at himself. You could tell by his disposition and tone of voice that he would forgive Lizzie for everything, but would never forgive what he had done. Matt was trying his hardest to keep Gordo from leaving that backyard. Matt knew that the second Gordo left, he probably wouldn't ever see him again. The only link between the two was Lizzie, and now that that was broken, there was no point in them staying friends. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" he yelled back. "Um, no." Gordo said. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Tomorrow's your sister's day." Gordo paused to hold back his tears, "Just promise me that, uh, you'll give her the attention and love that I would have given her. That she deserves." Matt nodded. "Thanks. You're a good kid, Matt. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime." Matt didn't say a word as he watched Gordo open and close the gate to his backyard. That gate was the one thing keeping Gordo in that family. The one thing keeping Lizzie and Gordo's relationship alive. But now it was closed, and Gordo was on the other side of it. For 18 years Gordo had been a part of the McGuire family, but now he was gone. Which is why Lizzie was crying. She had witnessed the whole conversation from her bedroom window and she had finally realized that Gordo wasn't going to chase her anymore. She shut her window at sat down on her bed with tears running down her cheeks. It was really over. Lizzie sniffed and wiped a few of the tears off of her cheeks as she heard her cell phone ring. She almost didn't pick it up, knowing that she didn't want to talk to

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anyone right now, but she decided that maybe a conversation with a friend might take her mind off of things. "Hello?" "Lizzie, it's me, Kate." Lizzie rolled her eyes. She should have stuck to her instinct. "I don't want to talk to you." Kate spoke quickly, knowing that Lizzie could hang up at any moment. "Listen, Lizzie. I know in the past couple of years I haven't been your friend; especially lately, but I have to talk to you. Please listen to me. I don't want to be the one who hurts you." Lizzie wasn't buying it, "Don't you think it's a little late for that?" "I'm praying it isn't." Lizzie had never heard that before. There was something in Kate's voice, something genuine, something kind, which made Lizzie want to trust her. "You have two minutes. Speak."

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Chapter 9

Two minutes. It was a complicated story, but was it too complicated for two minutes? Kate was about to find out. "I just need you to believe me, Lizzie. Look, it all started when Gordo came to me and asked for help with getting you to break up with him." There was silence on the other end of the line. "What? I don't understand what you just said." Kate sighed. This was definitely not going to fit her two-minute quota. "Gordo wanted you to break up with him. See, he realized that your happiness meant more to him than you two staying together, so he tried a series of - " The events of the past weeks came flooding back to Lizzie in an unorganized mess of memories. The lunch, the jokes, the kiss. And with that, Lizzie pieced the puzzle together. "That's why he wouldn't help me in Calculus and why he kept blowing me off. He joined the prom committee to make sure that I would be happy." Lizzie's revelation took a big weight off of Kate's shoulders. It was just one more thing she didn't have to explain. "Basically. But he realized that it wasn't working and to make sure that you would break up with him he enlisted my help. After all, my goal in life is to make you miserable. So I got him in the prom committee and we started to hang out together. And to tell you the truth, Gordo is a really nice guy." Kate was veering away from the original point of her story. "Don't tell me you have a crush on Gordo," Lizzie said. "Oh, no. No, nothing like that. Trust me," Kate assured her, "I just started to believe in his cause. He didn't mean to hurt you, Lizzie. He just wanted you to go after your dreams instead of accompanying him towards his." The unorganized mess of memories was now fully organized in Lizzie's mind, "It all

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makes sense now." "That's why I kissed him, Lizzie. I knew you would never break up with him unless you saw him kissing someone like me." A chill ran up Kate's spine at the same time Lizzie stopped paying attention to the conversation. It was then that they both realized that Kate was being helpful. She was being nice. She was doing something for someone else and getting nothing in return. They both cringed at the thought. "I guess you're right. But, why are you telling me all of this, Kate?" "Because if I were you I would want to know. Plus, you have always been my friend when I haven't been yours. I owe you one." That was a good excuse. They both accepted, and almost, but not completely, believed it. Judging from past experience, Lizzie assumed that she was the last person to know, wondering just how many people knew about the plan before she did. "So how many people knew about this?" She asked. "Pretty much everyone." Good assumption. "Some birds spread the word around the school so Gordo didn't look like such a jerk." Lizzie laughed to herself, "And by 'birds' you mean you, Ethan, Matt, Melina, Larry and Veruca?" "No, no, no," Kate corrected her, "Of course I couldn't. Nobody would believe me. But yes to everyone else." "And somehow it managed to escape my radar." "Well, it wasn't hard. You've been in such a daze, walking around like some sort of zombie all week." Lizzie thought back on the past few days. She had run into more locker doors than usual. "Have I really been that bad?" "Seriously. You are asking me that?" There was a bit of silence. No one ever knew what to say after that question. "But anyway, the only problem with the whole scenario is that Gordo wanted to tell you himself - " "And I wouldn't let him." Lizzie shot a glance towards her window. "He's been sitting in my backyard for the past couple of weeks and I wouldn't even give him the time

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of day." "You should have let him explain." "Thanks a lot, Kate. Where were you this morning with that advice?" Kate accepted the sarcasm, "I'm just trying to help you, Lizzie." Lizzie looked at the whole situation from Kate's point of view. Lizzie had been so clueless to everything and was acting like a complete jerk, yet Kate took it all in, willing to help Lizzie out and take abuse for it. She felt horrible. "I'm sorry for blaming you, Kate. I've been acting like an idiot lately. You've been a wonderful friend to me and I treated you like dirt. You really are the most beautiful girl in our class." Kate smiled her smug 'you-know-it's-true' smile, "Was there ever any doubt? Let's just say we're even." Lizzie smiled, but was still wracked with guilt from the whole ordeal, "That sounds really good, Kate." Sure, it was a touching moment, but Kate couldn't let it go any further without setting some ground rules first. "Just don't tell anyone that I did this. This would sour a reputation as good as mine." "But doesn't it make you nervous that I know the truth? That you aren't as evil as you want everyone to think you are?" Kate took offense to that, "Hey. I'm still evil, I just know who to suck up to. When you're a famous pop star, I expect you to introduce me to Shane West." Lizzie laughed, "If I be come famous, I will make sure that you get to meet him." The laughter and friendliness between Lizzie and Kate died down as their minds turned back to Gordo. "What am I supposed to do now, Kate?" Kate thought it was pretty obvious, "Go talk to him." Lizzie was going to have a nervous breakdown in 3, 2, 1 "I can't do that! I'm too embarrassed! I can't talk to him now, Kate. I just can't. Maybe it would be better if I just waited until I left and, I don't know, wrote him a letter or something. I can't face him after all of the horrible things I said to him. I practically let my little brother beat him up! I basically said to his face that I liked Ethan more than him!" Kate knew what Lizzie was saying. She took no offense to the Ethan comment, for there were times when she, too, enjoyed Gordo's company more than Ethan's. "But Lizzie, you shouldn't let what you said stop you from talking to him. He knows you didn't really mean it."

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"Sure he can get over what I said, but can he ever get over what I did? Can I ever get over what I did? I didn't even believe him when he said that you kissed him! I don't know what kind of relationship we have if I can't even trust Gordo. I feel like I betrayed him." Kate knew exactly what to say to fix this predicament. "Lizzie, the problem is, you both think that you hurt the other. And granted, you probably did a little, buthmmI'm sure I had a point when I started out." Or not. "We did hurt each other. That's the thing. I just don't want that to happen again." Kate knew what to say again. And this time it was something good. "Well you are going to hurt him if you don't at least give him a chance to talk to you." Lizzie paused. No. She couldn't take it anymore. "Listen, Kate. I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Lizzie hung up the phone and fell back into her bed, the thoughts of what she did to Gordo running through her mind. "I blew it." She took Mr. Snuggles into her arms as tears began rolling down her cheeks, exactly three minutes and thirty seconds after she had picked up the phone. ***** For the first and last time, senior Kate Saunders found herself walking over to the locker of freshman Matt McGuire. She tried to act as nonchalant as possible, hoping that no one would notice that the coolest girl in school was going to talk to a measly freshman. On any other day, she would have requested a secret meeting place for their little conversation, but she figured she might as well live a little. After all, it was the last day of school. "So I told her everything and she still doesn't want to talk to him." "Are you serious?" Matt slammed his head against his locker, "I thought this would work! Ugh, do you have any other plans?" Kate shook her head, "All of my plans are for evil. I don't think I've ever come up with one for good." Matt knew exactly what she was talking about. If anyone could relate to that, it was him. "Gordo's given up all hope. Just look at him." Matt and Kate turned to find Gordo coming towards them. Everything that he once was had been completely sucked out of him. Now, as just a shell of the person he

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used to be, he dragged his legs to mimic some form of a walk as he moved slowly down the hall. His backpack acted as a boulder weighing him down even more. "Hey Gordo" Matt greeted him as he shuffled by. "Hey." Gordo's 'hey' came out as a lifeless whisper as he continued to trek down the hall. "By the time he makes it to next period," Matt said, "I'll have graduated college." As Gordo was walking away from the two masters in crime, Ethan was walking towards them. Gordo's sluggish movement made Ethan look like he was moving at light speed. He came up behind Kate and put his arm around her. "Hey baby," he gave her a kiss, "How'd it go?" "Not well." Ethan frowned, but then looked at Matt and realized that all of her troubles were solved, "Well if anybody can fix it then it's this little dude right here!" Ethan grabbed Matt with one arm and shook him back and forth as he gave him a pat on the chest. Kate let Ethan's excitement die down before she broke the news. "He's looking to me for advice." Ethan's big smile immediately disappeared. "We're in trouble." "Well," Kate said, "I did all I could do. It's up to Lizzie and Gordo now." They all three turned to find Lizzie walking down the hall. "Look at her," she pointed out, "She's worse than Gordo." A look of disgust came over Kate's face. "Wasn't she wearing that outfit yesterday?" Lizzie's hair was a mess and her shirt was wrinkled beyond belief. It was quite apparent that she hadn't looked in a mirror that morning. But she couldn't care less, because she was in her own little world. She, too, managed to drag herself down the hall. Matt took the opportunity to sneak in a nasty comment when he knew his sister couldn't do anything to him. "I find that to be a vast improvement on her normal self." But Kate could. She felt it was her duty to protect Lizzie during a time like this, "Oh, you would, you little freak." "Who are you calling a freak? I think you're the one who's the freak with your freakishly high shoes and your freakishly freaky makeup." "Oh! You think' you're so cool - " Ethan put a hand between his girlfriend and Matt, "Break it up, dudes. We're losing

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sight of the big picture here." Kate huffed, "I don't have time to help Lizzie and Gordo anymore. I have to go exfoliate." Kate flipped her hair over her shoulder and stormed off down the hall. Matt raised his eyebrow, "What's exfoliating?" "I think it has to do with organizing folders of her ex-boyfriends." Ethan's brow furrowed, "Wait a minute" Matt chuckled, "Yeah, okay." "But Kate is right, man. Lizzie and Gor-don have to do this whole thing themselves." Ethan sighed, "We've done all we can." Ethan slapped Matt on the back and went on his way to his class. As Ethan left, Matt rubbed his chin and decided that Ethan and Kate were right. If Gordo and Lizzie hadn't gotten the clue by now, they were never going to get it. ***** A sea of blue caps filled the stadium as the graduating class of 2007 sat awaiting their chance to move their tassels from left to right, taking their first step into the real world. Everyone had made it. Even Ethan. By some miracle, he had managed to pass all of his classes, and no one understood how that was possible. But he had done it, and he wore his graduation cap with pride. He wore it backwards, but he wore it with pride. Valedictorian Maragret Chan, future Harvard student, stepped up to the podium to deliver her speech. "As we ascend into the future" Meanwhile, somewhere in the mass of blue gowns, Kate tapped on the shoulder next to her, "Does everyone have to wear the same outfit as me?" She rolled her eyes. That shoulder belonged to Larry, and turned to her in annoyance. "Kate, everyone wears the same thing at graduation. That's just how it works." "I know! That's exactly my point! I can't be seen wearing the same thing as everyone else. That is so pass. And when I demanded a different color, Miss Ungermeyer looked at me like I was insane!" "Miss Ungermeyer looks at everyone like they're insane. I'm convinced out to get us all. She's just trying to put a crimp in your fashion sense." Kate nodded, "I think she's just jealous because she's such a bland dresser and I'm a walking fashion trend." Miss Ungermeyer turned around in the front row and planted a stare directly on Kate. She brought two fingers up to her eyes, and then aggressively spun them

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around to point back at the perpetrator. It was quite obvious that she wanted her to quit her yapping and pay attention. But Kate did no such thing as she rolled her eyes and leaned in to speak with Larry again. "See?" Larry chuckled, "Oh, Kate. Your life is just filled with problems, isn't it?" Larry was about to begin listening to Margaret Chan's speech again, when something caught his attention. "Hey, did you see that?" He asked Kate. "See what?" "Well, Lizzie will be looking at Gordo, and then when he looks back at her, she turns away. And then he'll do the same thing. My goodness, when are they going to learn? Did you not tell Lizzie about what happened between you and Gordo?" Kate stared at Larry with a blank expression on her face. After a moment she began to speak, "You know, I saw your lips move, but all I heard was 'blah blah blah blah'" Larry looked at her with a stern expression on his face. "Fine," she said, "I promise to listen this time." "Okay. Watch Lizzie and then watch Gordo." Kate and Larry's heads moved from side to side in complete synchronization as they looked back and forth between Gordo and Lizzie. "I see what your saying," Kate said, still keeping her eyes on the two, "She's looking at him, and then when he looks back at her, she turns away." Larry nodded, "And vice versa." Kate finally looked away as she crossed her arms, "Those two are really getting on my last nerve." "And she's really going to Italy, huh?" "She needs to do it. But this whole thing isn't even about her going anymore. It's about the fact that those two are too shy to ever DO anything." Larry grinned. "You know, Kate. I'm quite the opposite of shy." Larry lifted up his arm and tried to put it around Kate. But she stopped him before he could go any further, "If that arm touches me, Tudgeman, I will rip it straight out of its socket." Larry stopped centimeters before his hand touched her shoulder. "Ookayy," he said as he pulled his arm back, taking care to not accidentally touch her. "You know, Lizzie and Gordo are usually the ones who push each other to do things. I bet they need a friend to start them in the right direction."

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Kate nodded sincerely, "Yeah, they probably need a friend." There was a pause as Larry gave Kate a look. She looked back at him, "Hey! I can only do so much, alright? I got Lizzie to break up with him, I got the school off of Gordo's back, AND I told Lizzie about the plan. What else can I do?" Larry raised his eyebrows. She sighed, "Fine! But Lizzie better introduce me to Shane West and Brad Pitt for this one." Kate and Larry looked up as Miss Ungermeyer's voice boomed through the stadium, "I now present to you the graduating class of 2007!" The graduates moved their tassels from left to right and threw their caps high up into the air as they cheered in excitement. After four long years, their high school days were finally over. ***** High school graduation is never complete without a party. Which is why Kate was throwing one the next day, and everyone was invited. Even Tudgeman. In fact, Larry, as well as Lizzie, Gordo, Veruca, and Ethan, had all gotten special invitations to meet an hour before the real party started. Lizzie was the last to arrive. "Hey Kate. Thanks for inviting me to your party," she handed Kate a small box, "I got you a little something." Kate gladly accepted the gift as she welcomed Lizzie into her home. She shook the box next to her ear as she closed the door. "Thanks for the new mirror. Exon 21, not 34, right?" Lizzie looked confused, "Uh, I think" Kate smiled, "Perfect! Just what I needed for school." She put the still wrapped gift down on the table, "Come on, everyone's out back." "Everyone?" she stopped, "Who is everyone? You told me it was just going to be us so we could sign each other's yearbooks." "Uh, well yeah. That's partially true" Kate led Lizzie into the den, and much to her surprise, she found all of her best friends sitting on the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked at Gordo. As did his. But, as always, Ethan was there to break the tension. "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie! Come on down and sit on the floor."

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With Ethan's arm around her, Lizzie reluctantly sat down on the floor of Kate's den, as far away from Gordo as possible. Kate sat down too, at the front of the circle. How one would go about finding the front of a circle is still unclear, but in any situation, wherever Kate is sitting is automatically the most important position. "Now, I don't want this getting out or anything, but I just wanted to say that all of you guys have been the most influential people in my life. And before we all go off in our different directions, I wanted us all to sign each other's yearbooks." She looked at Lizzie and Gordo, who were completely avoiding eye contact with each other. "And everyone is going to do it because this is how I planned it. And we all know what happens when things don't go my way!" The whole group jumped at Kate's demands. Scared by her authoritative attitude, they all sat there, one by one, signing each other's yearbooks. Lizzie looked at everyone in the room. Much to her disappointment, she had signed everyone's yearbook, and had everyone else sign hers. Except one person. She slowly walked up to Gordo and held out her yearbook, "Will you sign mine?" "Only if you sign mine." Lizzie smiled as she let out a sigh of relief, "Deal." Gordo took Lizzie's yearbook and walked over to a corner of the room. As he sat there, he contemplated just how he was going to go about summing up an entire lifetime of friendship in one short paragraph. Dear Lizzie, I don't really know what to say. We have shared everything together. Sometimes I think you know what I'm going to say before it even comes out of my mouth. You have been my absolute best friend even before I can remember having one, and I hope that you will still be my best friend when I'm too old to even know that I have one. I will always be there for you if you need me. Yours truly, Gordo Gordo closed Lizzie's yearbook and turned around to look at her. He got up and walked over, but noticed that she was still furiously writing and made sure he didn't interrupt her thoughts. With her back turned to him, Lizzie spoke up, "I'm almost done Gordo." Gordo smiled. It was just like he had written. A few moments later, Lizzie closed Gordo's yearbook and turned around. "Done." "Thanks, Lizzie," Gordo said as he handed back her yearbook.

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Lizzie smiled, "Thank you, too." Their glances lingered longer than they should have, but once they had broken, they quickly shook it off. Everyone had finished signing yearbooks, and Kate, once again, took her position at the 'front' of the circle. "So I guess this is it," she began, "After this, Lizzie leaves for Italy." "And then there were five," Larry remarked. "Soon to be none," Veruca added. Ethan nodded, "So, I guess now is the time to say 'peace out." There was a moment of silence between the old friends. Lizzie was the first to break it, "You heard the man. Peace out." They all smiled as the looked around the circle, "Peace out." The laughter that they all shared would be their last, as Kate's guests started to arrive. ***** Lizzie looked at the clock. The party wasn't quite over yet, but she knew that it was time for her to go. After all, she hadn't completely finished packing yet. She couldn't believe that this was it. The second she walked out the door, she would be ending years of childhood friendships, and turning what was once her reality into mere memories. Before she made her way out the door, she surveyed all of the friends that she had made over the years. She would miss Veruca's bold attitude, Larry's psychotic episodes, Kate's vanity, and Ethan'skind heart. Then her eyes stopped on Gordo. In a matter of seconds, 18 years of wonderful memories came rushing back to her. She began to cry. "Goodbye Gordo," she whispered as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She made her way to Kate's door unnoticed, and opened it. She turned back to look at her friends one last time, but then she walked out, shut the door, and left. Despite her efforts, she hadn't gone completely unnoticed. Gordo watched from across the room as Lizzie left. The laughter he had been engaged in stopped. She was gone.

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Chapter 10

Sometimes the smallest moments in life can turn out to be the biggest. In Lizzie's lifetime, there had been a countless number of bittersweet moments. Times when for days, she could only think about one thing; wondering how something so sad could make her feel so happy. And out of all of those moments, there was only one that Lizzie could pick as the biggest of her life. As Lizzie sluggishly walked up the stairs, she thought about the party that she had just come home from. She couldn't help but feel like she had just lost all of her best friends forever. What if she never saw them again? They would all be at their various colleges, and she would be in Italy. She would be in Italy. She was about to go back to the country that made her famous, to make herself famous once again. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she was going to do what she loved; what she was born to do. And that was it. The absolute most bittersweet moment in Lizzie's life was a quick walk up the stairs. She quietly closed the door behind her as she walked into her room. She started to take down posters from her walls, and take out clothes from her closet. She was taking down and packing up all of her memories from the past few years. In her heart, she knew that she could never live in the past and stay in high school forever, but there was still a part of her that wanted to do just that. As she packed up her room, she soon realized that it wasn't going to be her room the next time she came back. She could hear Matt through the wall, hammering away. When she came back, if she came back, everything would be different. Nothing, not even her room, would be as it was before. A knock at the door broke her out of her trance. "Lizzie?" "Come on in, Dad." Sam walked into Lizzie's room, surprised at how barren it looked. "Do you have a

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minute to talk?" he asked. Lizzie was up for anything that would take her away from the packing. "Of course." She sat down and pat her bed where her father joined her. "I know you and your mother have had a lot of talks lately," he began. "Yeah. But it's nice to have a talk with my dad once and a while. You can only listen to Mom's 'You're All Grown Up' speech so many times." "That's exactly it," he said, "You have grown up, Lizzie. And don't get me wrong, you still have some more growing up to do, but if you keep heading in the direction you are, I will be very proud." Lizzie smiled. Her dad did have a knack for making things worse, but he could make things so much better just as well. "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me." She looked around at all of her things strewn over the floor of her room, "Do you want to help me pack?" Sam was horrified, "You haven't finished packing yet?" Lizzie laughed, "I might have grown up a lot, Dad, but I'm still a teenager. Obviously I'm going to leave it for the last minute." Sam stood up and picked a few of Lizzie's things off the floor, "Sure." He rolled up the posters that she had taken off the wall and slid them into some poster tubes, "So how was Kate's party?" Lizzie placed a few stray items into a box, "It was fun." "Who was there?" She rolled her eyes, "Yes, Dad. Gordo was there." Sam stopped in the middle of folding one of Lizzie's shirts, "I didn't ask if Gordo was there." "But you were about to." He resumed his folding, "So?" Lizzie sat back down on her bed, "Dad, don't you think this is kind of weird? Us talking about Gordo? I mean, it took you a year to acknowledge that he was my boyfriend." "No father wants to accept that his daughter is going out with someone. Even if he is a great guy like Gordo." Lizzie looked away from her father. "I think he's a pretty great guy, too." Sam once again sat down next to his daughter and put his arm around her. "Your mom told me what Gordo did."

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Lizzie nodded and quietly whispered, "Yeah." "You know, your mother once gave up the chance to deal a very, VERY high stakes Black Jack game to cheer me on in a Gnome Painting Competition." Lizzie didn't know what that meant, but it sounded important. "She did?" Sam nodded, "Yep. Back when we were in college." She let out a false smile and looked up at her father, "That's nice Dad, but I don't get it." He chuckled, "That's when I knew that your mother was the one for me. And it didn't even matter if she was in my life as my girlfriend or just as a friend, because as long as she was there, I knew I would be happy. Your mother has always been my best friend first." Lizzie paused to let that register for a moment. "YeahI still don't get it." "What I'm trying to say, is that Gordo reminds me a lot of your mother at that age. And I would hate to see my daughter lose her best friend." Lizzie would have hated to see that too, but, "Maybe it isn't meant to be, Dad." Sam shrugged, "Maybe not. But that doesn't mean that you should just walk away from it. Sometimes, the best things in life are worth fighting for." Lizzie sighed. She finally understood what her dad was saying. "Oh! I almost forgot, I have something for you." Sam reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. "What is it?" she asked as she took the box from her father. Sam smiled, "Open it and see." Lizzie raised a questioning eyebrow at her father, but then proceeded to open the box. Inside, she found a miniature gnome keychain. She stifled her laughter, knowing that it probably meant a lot to her father for some reason. "UhThanks, Dad." Sam smiled a proud smile, "That is the first Gnome that I ever painted. He has brought me lots of good luck. A wonderful wife and two wonderful kids - " Sam and Lizzie jumped as they heard a crash coming from Lizzie's bathroom. A shaken up Matt poked his head into the door, "Don't worry everyone. Everything's okay. I was going to replace that mirror anyway." As quickly as he came, he left to continue renovating his new room.

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Sam corrected himself, "WellOne wonderful kid. His name's Gizmo, and if you just hold him in your hand like this," he took the gnome out of the box and held it tight in the palm of your hand, "He'll bring you luck." Lizzie smiled as she closed the box, realizing just how important the little gnome was to her dad, "I'll make sure to have it with me always. Thanks, Dad." Lizzie hugged her father, but they were interrupted by Matt running out of the bathroom. He was soaked from head to toe, and there was water spraying out from under the sink. He swatted at the water in an unsuccessful attempt to keep it away. "Turn off the water! Turn off the water! Agghh!!" Lizzie and her father just laughed as they continued her packing. ***** Matt struggled to walk down the stairs without falling while holding two of Lizzie's largest suitcases. She wasn't just going to summer camp or over to Miranda's to spend the night. She was moving to Italy. "So you're really doing it," Matt said as he dropped the suitcases at the bottom of the stairs. "Yeah." She nodded. "Are you scared?" Lizzie laughed, "Are you kidding? I'm terrified." "Well you don't have to be," Matt assured her, "I know you'll do great, Lizzie." She smiled as she put her arm around her brother, "Thanks, Matt." They both paused, thinking about what life would be like without the other. Matt would be getting what he had always wanted: a life without Lizzie. He would be able to walk downstairs and not have her sitting at the breakfast table. He would be able to brush his hair without finding long strands of her hair left in the brush. He would be able to go a whole day without having a fight with someone over something petty. He would miss her like crazy. Lizzie would get the life that she had always dreamed of: a life without Matt. She would be able to wake up in the morning knowing that she wouldn't be annoyed out of her mind by a pesky little brother. She would be able to take a shower without having to smell her shampoo to make sure it wasn't honey. She would be able to sit in her room without -- wait, her room. "Now that I think about it, I'm more scared for my room than I am for my career. Melina showed me some of your plans, Matt. It looks to me like I'm going to have to sleep on the couch when I come back home."

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Matt sighed in disgust, "She showed the plans to you?" "Girls have to stick together sometimes," Lizzie said. "Plus, Isabella sent her a personally autographed CD. She was putty in my hands." Matt rolled his eyes, "You women and your witchy ways." Lizzie laughed as her father came in the front door. He had been outside loading up the car. "So is this the last of it?" Sam asked. Lizzie looked at the large suitcases that stood up next to her brother. She was surprised that he had gotten them downstairs. "Well, probably the last of it that will fit in the car. I think you'll need to mail over some stuff." Jo had been crying non-stop for the past few days. The waterworks had turned on again as she walked into the house. "Our baby is leaving home," she said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back the tears. Lizzie's attempt to keep the tears from falling was for naught. She took a deep breath as a small tear fell down her cheek. "I'll be back home in no time for Thanksgiving." She didn't know who she was trying to kid with the Thanksgiving comment. She hoped it would make her mother feel better, as well as herself, but it did no such thing. She couldn't help but cry. After all, she was leaving her home of 18 years to go live in a foreign country. "Come here honey!" Jo weeped as she pulled Lizzie in close. When Jo was finally able to let go of her daughter, Lizzie went over to her father and gave him a big hug. His good advice was sporadic, but when it came, it was never anything less than invaluable. She wondered how she would be able to live without that. As she let go of Sam, she turned to look at Matt. Much to Lizzie's surprise, and the surprise of Jo and Sam, Matt quickly leaned in to give his sister a hug. Lizzie didn't care about her room anymore. She would miss him like crazy. ***** Gordo sat in his room thinking about his childhood. In a few months, he would be leaving home and leaving the friends that he grew up with. He would have to meet new people, make new friends, and break in a new home. He didn't want to leave. He wanted to go back to being a kid again, without the pressures of the real world. His thoughts reminded him of the night before. He would always look back on that one hour before the party started as one of the best moments of his life.

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His eyes fell on his yearbook. He still hadn't read the messages that his friends had written for him. He decided that reading them would make him feel better. Either that, or they'd make him extremely depressed. The messages surprised him. Ethan had actually written something deep, and Kate had somehow managed to write something nice. Those four messages brought a mile-wide smile to his face. Until he turned the page. Dear Gordo, I can't believe I have such a tiny space to tell you how I feel. I want you to know that Kate told me everything, and that no matter what happened, I never stopped caring about you. I don't think I could ever stop caring about you. You have always been the one to push me to do things, yet the one thing you couldn't do was push me to talk to you. I couldn't face you after all of the horrible things I had said. I have been such a dirk lately, and I wasted the last bit of time we could have spent together. I will always regret that, Gordo, but I hope that I will be able to make it up to you sometime in the future. Forever Yours, Lizzie She knew. During those long weeks of agony, she knew. The whole time. She knew. Gordo closed the book, along with his eyes, as he rested his head in his hands. How did he let it get this far? ***** The car ride to the airport was a quiet one. Normally, for Sam and Jo, a car trip without fighting and bickering in the backseat was a car trip to be treasured. But not this time. Everyone in the car would have much rather been on a six-hour car ride to Grubby Gulch. Lizzie was the first to break the long silence as the McGuire family stood at the airport terminal. "So, I guess this is it, huh?" Lizzie, as well as the rest of the family, began to get teary-eyed. "Call us when you get there," Jo said, as Sam gave her a pat on the back. "You bet." Lizzie turned to Matt who had been her lifeline and biggest help during the last few weeks. He was the first one she told about the incident, and he was the first one she turned down when she was told to give Gordo a chance. "I'm sorry I went back on my promise."

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Matt thought for a moment, "What promise?" "On prom night. I promised I would hear Gordo out, but I never did," Lizzie looked down at her feet, knowing that Matt had been right. "I'm sorry, Matt. It was just too hard. I - I couldn't" Matt put his arm around Lizzie, "Hey. Don't worry about it. Let's just say you owe me one, huh?" Lizzie simply nodded as she gave her brother a hug. She turned to Sam and gave him a hug. "Bye, Dad." She turned to Jo and gave her a hug. "Bye, Mom." Jo let go at the same time as Lizzie, and for the first time, she didn't hold on any longer than she had to. Jo knew it was time to let Lizzie go, and she knew that getting on that plane would be the best decision that Lizzie would ever make. But knowing that it was the right decision didn't make it any easier. The McGuires noticed a business-looking woman come up behind Lizzie. "Pardon," she said with a thick Italian accent, "Lizzie McGuire?" Lizzie turned around, "Yes?" "Ciao. My name is Francesca. Isabella sent me and my crew to prepare you for what is to come and to make sure you arrive in Italia safely." It was time. Lizzie turned back to her family, "Well, I guess I better get going. I'll miss you all." She forced out a smile as a tear rolled down her cheek. She whispered, "Bye." Jo turned to Sam and started bawling in his arms as Lizzie got into the security line. She watched as her father and brother waved goodbye to her. Even Matt looked a little depressed. He was just starting to get used to her. ***** Gordo sat on his bed, still moping and depressed after reading Lizzie's letter in his yearbook. The ringing phone brought him out of his trance. As he picked up his phone and checked the caller ID, he noticed that it was a blocked number. His curiosity got the best of him, and he answered the phone. "Hello?" The person on the other end was speaking with an altered voice. "David Gordon?" "Speaking" He replied with suspicion.

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The altered voice continued. "Lizzie McGuire's flight, Air Italy #209 leaves in an hour. If you hurry, you can make it to the airport on time." "What?" Despite the alteration, Gordo could have sworn he recognized the voice on the other end. "You heard me. Hurry or you'll miss her, dummy." The altered voice confirmed his suspicions. After quickly jotting down the information, Gordo grabbed his coat. "Thanks, Melina." She faltered, "Wh - How - But you - I - " "I've got a plane to catch! I owe you one." Gordo hung up the phone, grabbed his car keys, and headed out the door in a mad dash for the airport. Melina stared at the phone in shock. "He knew." Kate sat next to her, eagerly awaiting the results of the phone call, "So is he going?" "He knew." Kate rolled her eyes. "Hey twirpette," she snapped her fingers in front of Melina's face, "Did he go?" Melina nodded, "On his way as we speak. Pretty good plan." Kate grinned in triumph, "Was there ever any doubt?" There was a moment of awkward silence as Kate and Melina's smiles slowly disappeared. Kate looked around the room. "Now, let's go make fun of someone. This niceness is starting to give me a rash." Melina jumped up, "Tell me about it." ***** Gordo ran up to the Air Italy ticket counter and slammed his wallet down in front of the woman behind the desk, "Your cheapest, fully refundable ticket, please." The ticket agent tapped a few things into her computer, looked up, and gave Gordo a big smile, "That will be $1,557." He quickly leafed through his wallet. "How 'bout a twenty?" "$20 will get you about two feet." Gordo had to think fast. He had about three seconds to raise $1,537 so he could catch Lizzie in time before she got on her flight.

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3 He noticed some gold glimmering in his wallet. He quickly pulled out the credit card that his mother had given him in case of an emergency. 2 He heard his mom's voice warning him that the card was for emergencies and not for producing films. 1 He didn't nearly get in two car accidents for nothing. This was an emergency. "You take Visa?" Gordo held up this credit card and showed it to the ticket agent. He was a regular Vanna White. A few minutes later, Gordo's ticket had been printed and he dashed to the security line. Luckily for him, there was no one there, and he was able to go straight to the metal detector without having to wait behind tons of brain-dead people who couldn't even remember to take their keys out of their pockets. *BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP* The security guard pulled him off to the side and wanded him down. Gordo was getting restless. He didn't have time for this kind of road block. The guard's wand started beeping around Gordo's right pocket. Gordo reached down and chuckled as he pulled out his car keys. ***** Gordo was running so fast that he nearly slammed face-first into the departure board because he couldn't stop in time. He struggled to find Lizzie's flight. "Flight 209 leaving from gate 19." In the blink of an eye, Gordo was off in the direction of gate 19. He got there in record time. He didn't have time to think about it now, but Gordo was sure that the guilt from mowing over that old lady would catch up with him later. Right now he had other things to worry about. Lizzie wasn't anywhere in sight. He scanned once, twice, three times over the crowd in front of the gate. He had been jumping up and down, hoping that those few inches might give him a little advantage and help him find Lizzie. But it was no use. He ran over to a chair and climbed up on it. Just then he saw Lizzie's blonde hair poke out of the mass of people about to board the plane.

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He waved his arms in the air, "LIZZIE! LIZZIE!" Lizzie slowly turned around to find an out of breath and slightly sweaty Gordo jumping up and down on one of the chairs. Gordo breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Lizzie turn around. He had made it. "Lizzie! Over here!" "Gordo?" Lizzie made her way through the crowd and walked up to Gordo as he jumped down from the chair. "Gordo, what are you doing here?" she asked in shock. Gordo gave himself a few seconds to catch his breath before he answered her question. Or at least until he realized that he didn't know the answer any more than she did. "I - I don't know." There was an uncomfortable silence between the two old friends. They both started, "I just - " And both gave in, "You go first." But Gordo won, "No, you go first." Lizzie nodded. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I never meant to treat you the way I did. I care about you too much to ever think those things in a million years." Gordo smiled. "Well, I never really believed what you said about me, anyway. I know you too well to think you could say things like that and mean them. And, I'm sorry too. I should have just told you how I felt up front." "I wouldn't have listened." "No, you probably wouldn't have." Lizzie and Gordo laughed together for the first time in a long while. But even as the laughter died down, they still had trouble looking each other in the eye. "So" Lizzie began, "I guess, we both apologize and forgive each other." Gordo cleared his throat, "Yeah. I guess so." Lizzie couldn't take it anymore. She finally let herself go as she took hold of Gordo. She threw herself on him, "I'm going to miss you, Gordo!" Gordo was taken aback by the bold move that Lizzie had made, but although he was surprised, his arms did not hesitate to wrap around her. He had been waiting for so long to hold her in his arms. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he whispered into her ear, "I'm going to miss you

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too, Lizzie." When they finally broke apart, Lizzie quickly wiped the tears off her cheeks, hoping that Gordo would not notice that she was crying. But he had, and it only made him that much more upset. Lizzie sniffled a bit as she tried to muster up a smile. In an attempt to keep his tears from falling, Gordo changed the subject. "If you ever need someone to direct your music video, I'm your guy." Lizzie laughed. Thanks to Gordo, she had found a smile. "I might take you up on that someday." As they finally looked each other in the eye, they both felt their problems fade away. Until Francesca tapped Lizzie on the shoulder. "Lizzie, we must go now or we will miss the flight. Andiamo!" "Just one more second, Francesca. Please." Francesca walked back to the gate mumbling to herself as Lizzie turned back to Gordo. She sighed. "Goodbye, Gordo." Gordo shook his head and put his hands on Lizzie's shoulders. "Hey. We'll see each other later. I promise." He smiled for her, "No goodbyes." "No goodbyes." Lizzie closed her eyes and turned away from Gordo, rejoining the line. Gordo turned away as well, but he still felt something tugging at him, telling him that what he said wasn't enough. His heart raced as his brain tried to manufacture the courage for what he was about to do. He turned around. "Lizzie, wait." She turned back to him. "Yeah, Gordo?" "I - I" He screamed inside of himself, 'I love you!' Every ounce of his body was pushing him to tell her how he felt. To tell her that he would never be able to love anybody like the way he loved her. That he didn't care she was leaving; maybe a long distance relationship would work. Maybe they could be together. But those maybes would go unanswered. "I just wanted to wish you good luck." A look of disappointment crossed Lizzie's face. "Thanks. I'll write."

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She blew him a kiss, and as she put her hand back down to her side, Gordo noticed that something was missing. The claddagh ring, the one he had given her, the one she never took off, wasn't on her hand anymore. Her entourage was pulling her away. People were buzzing around her, telling her about appointments and what to expect. She managed to turn around one last time and mouthed a goodbye to Gordo. Just before she turned away, she saw tears fall from Gordo's face. It was the first time she had seen him cry in 15 years. Gordo walked to the window and looked out at Lizzie's plane. As he put his hand on the glass, he whispered. "I love you, Lizzie." Lizzie settled in her seat and looked out her window. She noticed Gordo standing in the airport, his head leaned up against the glass. "I love you, Gordo."

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Chapter 11

It was just like her trip four years ago. She was going to Italy, and when she got there, she would become a pop star. Only this time, she knew it. The last time she was on a plane to the Eternal City, she would have never guessed what she was going to find there. But now she knew, and as great as that trip was bound to be, there was still something missing. Her best friend. She had Francesca, sure, but she spent most of the plane ride typing furiously on her laptop. For business, Lizzie assumed. She didn't speak more than two words to Lizzie during the entire trip. Lizzie took a deep breath. A few more minutes, and she would step into a whole new beginning, without her lifelong friends, without her family; just her. She had never made a leap like that before in her life. She looked through her bag and found some stationary that her mom had hidden inside, unbeknownst to Lizzie. She laughed to herself, "Just like Mom" Francesca looked up from her laptop, "What?" "Oh, um. Nothing." Lizzie took out a sheet of paper and a pen and thought about what, and to whom she could write. The decision was simple enough, for she had been thinking about just one person for 14 hours. Dear Gordo, Just a few hours ago, we said goodbye at the airport. I know you wanted it to be a 'see you later' kind of thing, but I want you to think of it as a goodbye to the old Lizzie McGuire. The new Lizzie is going to push herself to do things, and not always rely on her best friend to give her that extra boost of courage. But don't think that I won't still need it, because if there's ever a time when I can't find the courage myself, I'll need you to give it to me. I just want to make a promise to you, Gordo. One that I should have made in person: I will forever be your best friend. And don't even think about replacing me.

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This plane is going to land in a few minutes, and when it does, I'm going to start a brand new life all on my own. Without my family, and without you. But you know what? I'm okay with that. I know that no matter what, we will stay best friends, and that my family will always love me. It is just a given that I have in life. And I'm glad that I have it. I wouldn't trade that for anything. I promise to give you a call soon after I get to Italy. Good luck rooming with Larry next year! I'll see you soon. Love, Lizzie P.S. Since you'll be Larry's roommate, can you see if he has more than one weekend shirt? I've always wanted to know. Lizzie put her letter in an envelope and sealed it up. Just as she finished writing out Gordo's address, she noticed the fasten seatbelts sign light up. Lizzie gulped and tightened her hold on the armrest. That was it. Lizzie McGuire was about to change. ***** Over the past few months, the gang had had their fair share of 'lasts.' Their last day of school, their last time all together, their last shared laughter. And now it was time for their final 'last.' Their last time at the Digital Bean. Larry, Kate, Gordo, and Ethan, all sat together in a booth at their favorite hangout spot. Larry took a bite of his burger. "Yeah, I said goodbye to Veruca yesterday. She's on her way to the Midwest as we speak." "Whose dream school is in the Midwest?" Kate scoffed, "Some of those places don't even have an Abercrombie and Fitch. I wouldn't be able to survive." Gordo rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, "It's a wonder." "So, homies, you two leaving tomorrow?" Ethan asked Larry and Gordo. "Yep." Gordo checked his watch. "To tell you the truth, I should get to packing." "Come on, Gor-don. Stay a couple more minutes. This might be the last time we're all together." Gordo looked down at the empty plate in front of him. "We aren't all together." As if on cue, the whole group said the same thing at the same time as Gordo, "Lizzie isn't here." Gordo looked up and around the table in shock, "Is everyone psychic all of the

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sudden?" They all laughed, but Kate was the first one to give Gordo the truth, "Maybe it's because you talk about her non-stop. She's gotten a life, Gordo. I thought with you two in different countries that maybe you could get one also." Gordo was offended. "I have a life." "Gor-don." Ethan looked at Gordo with sympathy, "I have to agree with the old lady on this one. You've been flying solo for the past few weeks." "I'm just trying to spend time at home with my parents before I go off to college. It's a natural reaction." Gordo loved the way he could make up excuses at the drop of a hat. It was a quality that would get him far in life, he was sure. Kate took a sip of her diet soda, "Yeah, spending time at home is natural as long as you don't spend it sitting in your room with the door locked blasting BBMak songs." Gordo wondered how in the world she would know such a thing, but he figured it was useless to try and hide it. "You know, those guys are very underrated." "I always thought so too," Larry agreed. "Yeah? I'm thinking about getting their first album," Ethan and Kate watched in awe as Larry and Gordo talked about BBMak, "Lizzie burned - " Kate stopped him, "See? There you go again. Can we not go two minutes without mentioning L-I-Z-Z-I-E?" Ethan stopped, his hand halfway to his mouth to eat a french fry. If he didn't make any movements, he would be able to concentrate better. L-I-Z-Z-I-E? Hmm "It spells Lizzie, you idiot." Kate didn't even have to look at Ethan to know that he was furiously trying to figure out what word those six letters turned into. He nodded happily. They were made for each other. Larry put and end to the nonsense, "Why do we always have to talk about Lizzie, anyway? It's not like we're supporting characters in a TV show about her. What about Veruca, huh? Let's not forget about Veruca. She's not here either." Kate rolled her eyes, "Oh please. She was a poor Miranda replacement." Gordo laughed. "Hey! Do not talk about my woman like that." "You mean your ex-woman." "For now." "Face it, Larry. She's going to meet some Jethrow-type guy who lives with his entire 40-person family and spend the rest of her life on a farm. I know her type."

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"Oh yeah?" "Yeah." Larry stared Kate down. "Good point." Gordo's neck had started to hurt from looking back and forth between Larry and Kate during their little spat. "You know, I would love to stay for this philosophical discussion, but I really have to get going." "Right," Kate said, "Because Lizzie promised she would call you." "Uh. No. I don't know what you are talking about." Maybe he wasn't so good at making up excuses on the spot. "Ha! He is so getting a call from Lizzie. I called it." Ethan gave her a high-five. Gordo wondered what the big deal was. So he was getting a call from Lizzie. Who cares? "She has a really hectic schedule and I would just like to talk to her once and a while." Kate laughed, "Ladies and gentleman, I think someone is whipped." "What? I am not whipped. Lizzie and I aren't even going out." Just then, an unexpected visitor dropped by their table. It was Parker. "Hey Gordo. Hey guys." Gordo smiled, "Hey." "I hope you guys have been having a good summer." She said 'you guys' but she only looked at Gordo. And only he replied. "Yeah. A great one. Oh, and sorry I never called you back. I've just been so busy with packing and everything." "Don't worry about it. I think we're going to the same school so I'll see you there." "You're going to NYU?" Gordo asked in shock. "Oh yeah. They have an excellent film program and I've always been interested in that kind of stuff." Larry, Kate, and Ethan watched their conversation in complete silence. "That's exactly why I'm going," Gordo said, "I'll see you there." Parker finally took her eyes off of Gordo and looked at the rest of the occupants of the table. They all just stared at her. She was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, so she decided it would be best if she left. "Well, I have to go finish packing. It was nice seeing you guys!" As soon as Parker was out of earshot, Kate leaned over to Gordo, "It is sooo obvious

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that she likes you." Gordo looked at Kate like she was crazy. Well, more crazy than usual. "Who? Parker?" Kate couldn't believe how dumb all of her friends were. She was sure it was some kind of curse. "Oh, please! She calls you constantly and she's always trying to hang out with you. She's even going to the same college as you." "Yeah, because she wants to get into film." "Because you're into it." Gordo shook his head, "That's ridiculous." "Well, whether she likes you or not, Gordo, that isn't the point. Look, a pretty girl like Parker shows a little interest in you and you completely dismiss it. I hate to tell you this in a harsh manner - actually, that's a lie. We all know I love - " Gordo put his hand up. He knew where that was headed and he didn't want to hear it, "The point?" "The point is: you aren't Lizzie's boyfriend. You guys decided that you were just going to be friends months ago. Remember?" Gordo rolled his eyes. They hadn't talked about Lizzie for a whole two minutes, and when they finally do, Kate's the one to bring her up? How ironic. "Yes, I remember, Kate. I know that we aren't going out." "But you two act like you're some exclusive couple." Larry finally chimed in, "She does have a point, Gordo. Parker is a tasty little dish, and you completely ignored her. You diss her by waiting at the phone for Lizzie to give you a ring." Ethan agreed with a mouthful of French fries, "Long distance ain't the way to work it, man." Gordo slapped his hands to his face in annoyance, "Lizzie and I aren't in some kind of long distance relationship! What is wrong with you guys?" "The not seeing other people." Kate remarked. "The constant phone calls." Larry added. "The letters." Ethan noted. "Him talking about her all the time." Kate pointed out. "Her doing the same." Larry finished. Ethan nodded his head, "Sounds like a long distance relationship to me, yo."

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"Come on, Gordo. This is coming from Ethan." Kate put her arm around her boyfriend, "If he figured this out, then it shouldn't be that difficult for you to see." "Yeah," Ethan said, giving Kate a hug, "What she said." Larry nodded, "Kate is speaking logically." Gordo shook his head and stood up from the booth. "I think you guys have been spending too much time together lately. Lizzie and I aren't pining for each other. We're just calling each other because that's what friends do. I had to live with her hating me, and you have no idea what that feels like. But now that I finally have her back again you're asking me to give that up?" he scoffed, "I don't think so. Now, I gotta go." Gordo picked up his things and put some money down on the table to pay for his food. "She's going to call." Ethan, Larry, and Kate watched as Gordo put on his coat and walked out of the Digital Bean. For the last time. Ethan shook his head, "He's got it bad." Kate corrected him, "Major bad." Larry kept his eyes on the door that Gordo had just walked out of, "It's Gordo and Lizzie. They'll always have it bad. And there's nothing in the universe that can do to stop that." ***** Gordo was at his front door when he heard the phone ringing inside the house. He quickly fumbled to get out his key and slid it into the lock. In his rush to answer the phone, he nearly left his keys in the door. He dropped everything on the floor and ran up the stairs, two steps at a time. Tripping on the top step, Gordo sprinted into his room, leaped on his bed, and picked up the phone. He didn't even have time to check the caller ID. "Hello?" Gordo wheezed, out of breath. Just as Gordo had suspected, it was Lizzie on the other end, "Didn't you know it was me? Who else would call you from Italy." "Maybe Isabella, maybe Paolo. You never know." Lizzie laughed. "Anyway, I don't have a lot of time. I'm sorry, but Isabella has had me going from interview to photo shoot and back again. I've barely had time to go to the bathroom." "Are you trying to say you're calling me from the bathroom?" Gordo joked.

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"Gordo!" Gordo laughed, but decided it would be best to change the subject, "So what else have you been doing?" "Voice lessons, dance lessons, piano lessonsBasically anything that you can learn, I'm learning." Gordo could tell that she had been working her butt off. He could hear in her voice just how exhausted she was. "Sounds exciting." "It really is." Lizzie sighed at the enormity of it all. Even though she was exhausted, and her work was tiring, she still loved it. "And the city is amazing," she went on, "I feel bad because the last time we were here we didn't really get to appreciate the culture." Gordo was appalled. "We? No, no, no. You didn't really get to appreciate the culture. I appreciated. I was with Miss Ungermeyer. I was forced to appreciate." 'That's true,' she thought to herself, 'I suppose I was too busy appreciating Paolo to really notice the culture.' She figured it was best to keep that comment to herself. "Well, now I can really appreciate shopping without a budget. Isabella is footing the bill for everything. I'll feel really bad if I don't make it as a singer 'cause she's bought me to many cute clothes. I've gotten 50 new pairs of shoes alone this summer. She's crazy" Gordo wondered if she really didn't understand why Isabella was buying her so many clothes. "I'm thinking that since, I don't know, Isabella is practically YOUR TWINshe wouldn't really mind paying for a bunch of clothes that are all her size." Lizzie paused. "I see your point there." All of this time she had thought Isabella was just being nice. But that didn't really matter, "So, are you excited? You're going to be a big college man tomorrow!" "Yep." "Uhyou don't sound that excited." "It's been in my experience that getting excited for school generally leads to a big disappointment. I try to avoid it at all costs." Lizzie laughed to herself. That was Gordo, for you. Bitter and cynical. "It's more than just school, Gordo. You're actually going to learn useful stuff. No more filling your head with history dates and math equations. You get to learn how to do the best camera angle for the scene you want to capture." Gordo thought for a moment. Maybe Lizzie was right. Maybe this wasn't just school. He wasn't in high school anymore. He was going to college. College was where he would start his career as the greatest filmmaker that ever was. But just plain 'filmmaker' would work as well. "I guess this whole time I've just kind of forgot about

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myself." "What do you mean?" Gordo was about to tell her, when he heard a noise in the background. Someone talking. "Sorry Gordo, hold on just a sec." Lizzie had put her hand over the phone, but Gordo could still hear the muffled conversation between Lizzie and someone who was surely trying to pull her away from him. "Gordo, I'm so sorry, but they need me for a costume fitting. We'll talk about this later, okay? I promise. Bye!" Lizzie didn't even wait for Gordo to say goodbye before she hung up the phone. Gordo was used to that, though. That was one of their typical conversations. Lizzie would tell Gordo what's been going on in her life, and Gordo would get in a few words about his, but as soon as any sort of meaningful conversation started, she would be pulled away. Voice lessons, dance lessons, piano lessons. Basically anything that she could learn would interrupt her time with Gordo. Her life was so chaotic that she didn't even have the time to act like normal. Without any meaningful conversation, they just weren't the same friends that they used to be. Gordo threw the phone across his room and into a pile of his yet-to-be packed clothes that lay on the floor. "Oh yeah, Lizzie," he said to himself, mockingly, "I spent so much time pushing you to go to Italy that I forgot about myself. I never thought about what I would do without my best friend. I never thought about what I would do in college. What if I fail?" He stood up from his bed and picked his phone up out of the pile of clothes. The impact had knocked the battery out. He carefully placed the batteries back into the phone and slid the back into place. "Maybe I will." ***** A few hours later, Gordo was still packing up his things, when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in!" he yelled to the visitor as he placed a few stray items into a box. The visitor? Why it was Matt, of course. "Hey Gordo," he said as he opened his door. "I just came by to return your video camera. Thanks for letting me borrow it." Gordo welcomed Matt into his nearly empty room and took the camera that was being returned to him, "No problem." He set it down on his desk, "What did you need it for, anyways?"

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Matt pointed a stern finger in Gordo's direction, "To fight an injustice in the judicial system of The United States of America!" Gordo raised an inquisitive eyebrow. Matt put his stern finger away and calmed down a bit, "That, and my grandma wanted a video of me doing the chicken dance." With a big grin, Matt gave Gordo a little taste of the "chicken." "Okay" Gordo plopped down on his bed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. And Matt had noticed. "Looks like you're still moping around." Gordo didn't know what he was talking about, "Why do you say that?" Matt walked over to Gordo's stereo, one of the few things that was left of his room, and opened it. Lo and behold, what was inside? "To, Gordo," Matt read, "Love Always, Lizzie. BBMAK #2." Gordo rolled his eyes. "I like the CD, alright? There is no crime in liking their music." Matt laughed. "Sure there is! BBMak is a crime against humanity's hearing." Well if he was going to make fun of them, "What do you want, Matt?" Matt sat down on the bed next to Gordo. "Everyone knows how you've been lately, Gordo. I figure I have my sister's genes inside of me somewhere, even though I'd like to think she's adopted. You can talk to me, man. I might be able to offer some good advice." Gordo's eyes became shifty, "What's with this new nice attitude of yours, Matt? Seriously, it's freaking me out." 'Can't a guy go around offering advice to another guy without getting the third degree?' Matt wondered. "I don't have anything against you, Gordo, just my sister. I'd like to think that if you had a sister, she'd be talking to Lizzie right now." Gordo shrugged, "I guess it doesn't hurt to talk about things." "It doesn't." Gordo finally yielded to Matt's request. He sat up, leaned his head against the wall, and dove right in. "I spent so much time worrying about your sister that I kind of forgot about myself. You've seen me this summer. I'm a wreck. This is what happens when I'm not with Lizzie." "You don't have to be a wreck, Gordo. I mean, you've spent this entire summer doing nothing. Once you get to school, you'll be as busy as Lizzie is and you'll forget all about being a wreck."

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How did he know? Just because he was busy didn't mean that Gordo wouldn't be thinking about Lizzie every second of every day. "I just feel like I don't have a role without her." "You do have a role. Your role is to be David Gordon. And you don't need Lizzie McGuire to do that." For a fifteen-year-old, Matt gave pretty good advice. It was obvious that he took after his dad in that department. But as good as Matt's advice was, Gordo still couldn't imagine leading a happy life without Lizzie by his side. "I guess we'll just see what happens tomorrow." Matt stood up and started to leave, realizing that anything more he had to say would go in one ear and out the other. He stopped at Gordo's door. "Yeah, well if you don't change your mind in a week, then I would consider moving to Italy." And with that, Matt left.

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Chapter 12

Gordo awoke to the bright sunlight beaming on his face. He stretched out his arms, let out a huge yawn, and looked around his empty room. It was a big day for Gordo. Possibly the biggest. Today was the day that Gordo was going to leave his life in Hillridge behind, and start over in a brand new city. He was determined to make it a new social scene for himself, knowing that if he didn't, he would end up having to hang out with Larry all the time. And there was only so much of Larry he could take. Gordo sighed as he got up and put on his outfit for the day. Before he headed downstairs, he checked himself out in the mirror. First impressions, according to Gordo, were always the most important, so he straightened out the collar of his shirt and decided he needed to practice a greeting. He took a deep breath and thought for a minute. "What's up?" he said, pointing a finger at the mirror. Gordo shook his head. "No," he thought, "Too Kate." He tried again. "Yo. How you doin'?" Gordo could hardly keep from laughing. "Absolutely not. Way too Ethan." He thought to himself. He took one more shot. "Hello." Gordo smiled. That was Gordo, right on the money. He had already said goodbye to his close friends the day before, and now it was time for him to say goodbye to his family. Gordo's mother and father were understandably upset to see their one and only child going off to college, 3,000 miles away from home. No coming back on weekends, no

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surprise visits, no coming back home to do laundry every week. Just holidays and summer. Gordo gave his mother as kiss on the cheek and gave his father a giant bear hug. He didn't really feel much like crying, knowing that he would see them again, and wanting to get out of the house he spent the last 18 years in. The real world was beckoning him, and he had to go. Simple as that. A sighing Gordo closed the door to his house and proceeded to the airport. He and Larry were headed to the Big Apple. ***** As soon as the two arrived at their dorm room, Larry and Gordo were pulled from party to party, and in the middle of it all, they still managed to find time for sightseeing as well. "This is the life, Larry," Gordo said. "We just lounge around, sometimes we do work, but most of the time it's just like this. Nothing to do but nothing." Larry was looking in the mirror as he combed his hair, "I told you I was going to need that extra weekend shirt. The girls love it!" Gordo shook his head, "Heh. Tudgeman." After a couple days of chaos, Larry and Gordo finally found themselves in their dorm room at night, with nothing to do but relax. "This place is great!" Larry exclaimed, "Did you know that you can get pizza 24 hours a day here? 24 hours! And it isn't just one place, either. There is a pizza shop on every corner!" Gordo nodded with excitement, "And what about the park, man? There is a lake in the middle of the city! How cool is that?" Larry sat down on his bed and sighed, "How in the world did I manage to go through 18 years of existence without this place?" "I have no idea," Gordo said in agreement. "But the cool part is, we haven't even started classes yet. Tomorrow we enter film land." Larry bounced up and down on his bed with the grin of a little boy in a candy store. "I can't wait to start filming my new movie. I won't even have to put fake algae in the water. The Central Park Lake is so slimy, it will be perfect for my new sci-fi." Gordo looked over at his clock. It was 2 in the morning. "We better get some rest, through. It's our first day of classes tomorrow." The entire time, Larry hadn't stopped bouncing. He bounced even higher as he remembered his schedule. "My first class isn't until 11:00! College life is great!"

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Gordo gave Larry a few minutes to stop bouncing and calm down before he turned off the light, "Goodnight, Larry." Larry's voice still squeaked with excitement, "'Night, Gordo." ***** For the next couple of months, life went on for Lizzie and Gordo. Unfortunately for them, neither of their lives had time for the other. They just couldn't seem to find any time to spare to get in touch. Gordo was head of the new Freshman Film Society, and with the extra effort he put into all of his class work, it was a wonder he had time to socialize. But don't think Gordo spent all of his time sitting in his dorm room slaving away. Because sure enough, Gordo still found time to party. "Did you see?" Gordo yelled to Larry over the loud music, "Adam Sandler is at this party!" Larry nodded, "I heard he used to go to NYU. Mike, the guy throwing the party, is his protg." "It's nice having friends in high places. I should go talk to him. In this business, it's vital that you make connections early on." Gordo started to walk over to Adam Sandler, but Larry quickly stopped him. He shook his head at Gordo, "Watch and learn." Gordo just watched as Larry walked over to Mr. Sandler. He was nice at first, talking to Larry a bit, but after a few minutes, everyone could tell that Larry's annoying personality was getting on Adam's nerves. "Dude, for the last time! Leave me alone!" Gordo chuckled as he watched Adam Sandler walk away from a stunned Larry. "Heh. More like crash and burn." He said to himself. ***** Lizzie's life was just as hectic. She had already begun to record her album, and she was practicing building up her stamina for singing and dancing at the same time. Just ask Lizzie; it's much harder than it looks. She woke up at 6, as she did every day, and headed off to the gym. At around 8, she made it back home, showered, and had some breakfast. But most importantly, she got some time to rest. "So what am I doing today?" she asked Francesca, who was tapping away at her Palm Pilot. "10:00 AM, dance rehersals for two hours." She finally looked up from her handheld and directly at Lizzie, "You need to work on that pop and lock routine a little more, bella. It is still not quite perfect."

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Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Then, 12:00 to 12:30, lunch." Lizzie nearly choked on her water, "ONLY half an hour? It takes me half an hour to order!" Francesca couldn't have cared less, and went on reading Lizzie's schedule, "12:30 to 1:30 we will have our daily efficiency lesson." "How about we be a little more efficient and cut a half an hour off of that so that I can have a longer lunch." "HmmHow about no." Lizzie held her head in her hands. Francesca was never going to give in to that request. "What else?" she asked reluctantly. "1:30 to 4:00, wardrobe fittings." "After lunch? You can't send me in bloated to try on clothes!" Francesca glared at her, "Lizzie." Lizzie scoffed, "But I guess it doesn't even matter anyway, because it's not like I'll be able to eat any food in the two seconds you're giving me for lunch!" "Well if you would cut this conversation out of your daily routine then maybe you would have a little more time for lunch." Lizzie sighed. "Fine." "Then after your wardrobe fittings you have the voice lessons until 6:00." Voice lessons. Lizzie always hated voice lessons. She never understood why someone had to take lessons for singing. Either you were a good singer or you weren't. Did the fact that she had to take lessons make her a bad singer? "Francesca, can I ask you something?" Francesca nodded. "Do you think I have a good enough voice to do this?" "Bella, I think you sing like an angel. They are only doing this so you can learn some techniques. Those 'la's' and 'bum's' don't magically appear, you know." "What else do I have to do?" Lizzie asked exasperatedly. Francesca could tell that Lizzie was exausted already, just from hearing the schedule. She knew that all of the stress was really taking its toll on Lizzie.

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"Well, I arranged for you to have some gelato with me tonight after we watch the new Chad Michael Murray film." Lizzie looked up at Francesca. Gelato? Since when did they go out for gelato? "What?" "I pulled some strings and got the new Chad movie for us to watch tonight." A smile came across Lizzie's face. "That's not even out in the US yet, let alone Italy." Francesca smiled as well. That was the first time she had ever seen Lizzie happy during a schedule reading. "What do you say to a movie and, how you say, vegging out with me tonight?" "I say awesome." Lizzie got up and gave Francesca a big hug. "Thanks," she said, "I really need this." Francesca just smiled in response as she picked her purse up off the ground. "Come on. We are going to be late." ***** And that's how both of their lives were. Always busy with jam-packed days, and no time to just sit down and talk. Their conversations became a series of messages on the other's answering machine. It was an endless game of phone tag, but they figured that any sort of communication was better than nothing. One afternoon, Gordo was on his way out to an on location shoot at Yankee Stadium. He quickly grabbed a bottle of water as he ran out of the dorm room, but spun around at his door when he heard the phone ring. Realizing he was already late as it was, he turned back around and headed out the door, deciding to let the answering machine pick it up. Gordo: This is Gordo Larry: And this is the Lar-Bear. Gordo: Nobody calls you that. Larry: I call me that. Gordo: Don't pull a J.Lo on me. You can't just give yourself a nickn - BEEP! "Hey Gordo, hey Larry. Um, I got your message, Gordo. I'm sorry it took me two weeks to get back to you, but I've been recording non-stop to get the album out on time. I hope you're having a good time in New York. Give me a call. Bye." Every time Lizzie had called Gordo, she ended up talking to his empty dorm room rather than her friend she was hoping to speak with. She regrettably hung up the phone, but a few minutes later, when she entered the recording studio, she didn't seem to care anymore. It was as if the thought of Gordo managed to completely escape her mind. Oh, who was she kidding? Gordo was always on her mind. But singing took her into a place where things weren't so complicated. Where she could imagine that Gordo was

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standing right there in that room with her. And that made everything better. But she only ever found that special place when she was singing. The rest of the time, it still made her sad to think about him. She knew he had his own life now; she just wished it included her. ***** Weeks later, it was Lizzie who was too busy to answer her phone, and Gordo was the one who found himself talking to an empty room. Lizzie: Hey, It's LizzieWait. Did I just press a button? Is this still recording my message? Wh - Yeah? It is? Right now? Oh. Okay. Well, this is Lizzie, plea - BEEP! "Hey, Lizzie. I just got some free time, but you're probably out recording another hit single right now. I know this whole calling each other thing has been hit and miss lately, but I'm sure we'll get the hang of each other's schedules eventually. Hope to talk to you soon! Bye." Gordo hung up the phone and laughed to himself. "Classic Lizzie," he thought. "Can't operate machinery to save her life." He wondered how their lives had gotten so complicated that they couldn't even get a hold of each other for a one-minute conversation. He missed her in his life; he now relied on Larry as his best friend, and trying to have a normal conversation with Larry was like trying to teach Ethan quantum physics. Gordo sighed as he decided he would try to get a hold of her in a few days, when he had the time, and he got back to his work. But for a couple of months, that was all that Lizzie and Gordo ever heard. Slowly and surely, Lizzie was learning to rely on herself, and Gordo was learning how to live life without Lizzie. ***** Thanksgiving was just a few days away, and for the first time since he became a college student, Gordo would be heading back home. "So you leaving tomorrow?" Larry asked as he sat as his computer. Gordo flipped through the channels on their TV. "Yep. Thanksgiving in Hillridge. You going to stay?" Larry spun around in his chair, "Well, I was going to. But then I called my parents, you know, to ask them if they wanted me to come home for Thanksgiving, but I couldn't reach them. It keeps telling me that the number is no longer in service." Gordo stopped his channel surfing for a moment and looked at Larry questioningly. But Larry just shrugged and spun back around to face his computer. "Well, I hope you have fun here." Gordo said.

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Larry nodded, "Jon and I are going to the Star Wars Thanksgiving Feast in Times Square. The force is definitely going to be with the turkey this year." He chuckled at his joke. Gordo chuckled at Larry. But don't think he was laughing with Larry, because he was surely laughing at him. "I'm sorry I'll be missing out." "So are you going to meet up with the gang while you're home?" "Well, you know that Veruca's staying in the Midwest. Something about the harvest. Then Kate and Ethan are jetting off to Los Angeles because he got the lead in some new teen movie." Larry was so shocked, he nearly choked on his own tongue, "Ethan actually got an acting job? He learned to talk and move at the same time?" "I'm not so sure about the latter, but apparently he's been doing quite well." Larry crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "You know, I could be an actor if I really wanted to. All it takes is good looks and charm." Gordo finally came to a channel that he was happy with and put down the remote. "Ethan's 2 for 2 on that." Larry grinned smugly, "Yeah. And if Ethan's 2 for 2, then I'm one million to 2." Gordo shook his head, "Heh. Tudgeman." Larry was about to turn around and focus his attention back at his computer, when he remembered one more thing. "What about Lizzie?" Gordo shrugged, "I still haven't been able to get a hold of her. She's been really busy in the studio recording her Italian debut. I think her first single is going to be a cover of that Paolo and Isabella song." "What Dreams Are Made Of?" "Yeah." Larry stood up from his desk and started putting his books into his backpack, "Well, she still might be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. You should give her a call." He swung his bag over his shoulder, "Well, I'm headed off to class. I'll see you when you get back." "Bye, Tudge." Larry said goodbye to Gordo and headed out the door. Once again, Gordo picked up the remote control and began changing the channel. ***** After watching an episode of Martha Stewart Living, Gordo realized that he was

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acting a bit pathetic. He decided to take Tudgeman's advice and give Lizzie a call. They hadn't had an actual conversation since August, and they definitely needed to catch up on each other's lives. And who knew? Maybe she would actually pick up this time. Gordo dialed the numbers and listened as the phone rang on the other end. A woman with a thick Italian accent answered the phone, "Lizzie McGuire's phone." The woman who was clearly not Lizzie surprised Gordo for a moment. "UmIs Lizzie there?" The Italian woman was Francesca, and she sounded impatient and irritated, "Lizzie is busy right now. Can I tell her who is calling?" Gordo was still confused, "Yeah, uh. Just tell her Gordo called." Francesca's irate disposition turned to one of excitement, "Scusi? Did you say Gordo?" "Yeah. Is there a problem? Did she say she didn't want to talk to me?" "No, no, no. Actually, it is quite the opposite. Let me get her for you." Gordo waited on the line for a while as he heard some whispers in the background. Finally, Lizzie got to the phone. "Gordo! I can't believe we're actually on the phone at the same time." Gordo smiled, "It's been a while, McGuire. So what's with Francesca? She said you were busy, but" "These insane people keep on calling me. I have no idea how they got my cell number. She's my caller ID. But I would drop anything to get a call from you." "So, what ARE you doing right now?" Gordo asked. "Oh, I'm just looking at some storyboards for my video." "And you didn't call me?" Lizzie laughed, "I didn't think that a busy NYU film student like you would want to film a sell-out video." "For you I would sell out." Lizzie and Gordo laughed for a bit, but as their laughter died down, they were left with an uncomfortable silence. Gordo spoke up, "Wellthe real reason I was calling was because I wanted to know if you were going to be coming home for Thanksgiving. The last time we saw each other we had practically just graduated from high school."

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"Yeah, it's been almost half a year," she sighed, "I remember freaking out if I didn't see you for half a day." "And you don't anymore?" Gordo was praying that Lizzie would say no. There was a part of him that wanted her to say yes, but he couldn't help but wonder if she ever really needed him at all. If she said no, he would know that he was getting along fine without him. Lizzie, however, was thinking that if she answered no, it would hurt Gordo. But she knew that if she said yes, then all of that time that Gordo spent in pain to help her would be in vain. If she still needed him at all, all of his work would be for nothing. "Umno. Only when you don't send me a message every two weeks." They were both content with the answer that she gave. "Fair enough. So, are you coming home?" Lizzie didn't want to have to break the news to him, because she could tell over the phone that he was hoping beyond hope that she would say yes. "Actually, since I'm so busy with the album, my family was going to come out here and spend Thanksgiving here in Italy." Gordo had been smiling ever since Lizzie had picked up the phone, but after he heard her say that, for a moment, his smile faltered. "Oh." He tried his hardest to hide the fact that he was completely devastated, but he couldn't help but want Lizzie to come back home. It was the only time that they would be able to see each other. A complete phone conversation was rare enough, but now they actually had the chance to see each other in person. Lizzie's heart sank. She knew that he was trying his hardest to hide the fact that he was completely devastated, but right now she had to focus on her dream. She wanted so badly to see Gordo, and she wanted even more to spend time with him, but she knew that it was impossible. "Well," Gordo said, "Christmas, then." "Christmas for sure." Then she got an idea, "you know, the rates are really cheap for flying right now, why don't you come to Italy for Thanksgiving?" Gordo winced. Another chance to see her blown to pieces. "I already have my plane ticket home and my parents can't wait to see me." For a moment, Lizzie's smile faltered as well. "Well, maybe some other time. We did have some good times in Italy." "We did," he said, "First IMVA's." "First time with Ungermeyer." "First time realizing that Kate really does have a heart."

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"First impersonation of a pop star." They both paused as the same thing popped into their mind. "And first kiss. Our first kiss." This time, their smiles completely faded. "Yeah," Gordo whispered, "Italy has a lot of good memories." "And that's why you have to get your butt over here and make some more firsts with me! When you come, we are going to do everything together. No more sneaking off with loser lip-synching pop stars." "Aww, darn." Lizzie laughed, "Just the two of us." His smile came back, "Sounds great." "You know," Lizzie said, "I miss talking to you like this. I don't really have a longrunning history or inside jokes with the people here." "Yeah," Gordo agreed, "I've got Larry, but he's, you know, Larry." "We should make this phone call thing a weekly event." It sounded like a good idea, but Gordo wasn't so sure, "Do you think we can pull that off?" And neither was Lizzie, "Probably not. My schedule is constantly changing. I don't know what I'm going to be doing every day until five minutes before we have to leave." "How about e-mail?" Gordo suggested, "We should e-mail each other every week." "E-Mail? That's a little impersonal, don't you think?" "Yeah, I guess." There was a moment of silence as Lizzie and Gordo tried to think of ideas. Lizzie got to it first, "Okay, how about this? I'll write you a letter that makes it to New York every other Friday, and you have to do the same for me." "You want me to write a letter that makes it to New York every other Friday?" You would think after 18 years of being his friend, Lizzie would have learned by now to ignore his sarcastic comments. But she hadn't, "Gordo!" she scolded him, "It's brilliant. A letter shows that the person put time and effort into it. Plus, they're way personal and we can write them anywhere, anytime." Gordo nodded, "It does sound practical." Lizzie was excited about her idea, "Great! So, this Friday, I'll make sure a letter makes it to your house in Hillridge, and next Friday, you make sure a letter gets to me in Italy."

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He complimented her, "This really sounds like a good idea." "And no matter what, the letters have to come." She paused, "Unless you're in a coma. I'll excuse you for that." "What about death?" he questioned. "Definitely not death. I would expect you to write me one from the great beyond." "OkayGot it. No death, but comas are okay." She laughed, "Exactly." "Well," he said, "You have yourself a deal, McGuire." "This way, we can check up on each other without having to call fifty billion times. It's a way to show that we still care, and I still get to hear all of your crazy Larry stories." "Well how about this for a crazy Larry story. He's going to a Star Wars Thanksgiving Feast in Times Square." Lizzie roared with laughter, "Are you serious? I can't believe they even have those." He laughed with her, "Believe it." Lizzie and Gordo continued to talk the day away just as if they had never parted. As if they were the same friends that they were five years ago. Three hours later, Lizzie broke the conversation, "I can't believe we've been talking for three hours." "I guess we had a lot to talk about." "But one thing you never told me," Lizzie said, "Did you ever find out about Larry's weekend shirt?" Gordo nodded, "I did. And he has two." Lizzie snapped her fingers, "Darn it. I just lost five bucks." "What?" "Kate and I bet about his weekend shirts. I said he had one, and she said he had two." "Well," he chuckled, "Kate does know her clothes." "Don't I know it." Gordo was reluctant to end the conversation, but if he didn't hang up right then, he was sure to be late for his flight back home. "I better get going, Lizzie. I have some things I have to do before I head homeSuch as pack."

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"Well, that is pretty important." He paused, "So, I guess we'll do that letter thing." She smiled, "You guess? We will do it. And don't you forget. If you don't send me a letter, I'm going to completely freak out, think that you don't care and that you forgot about me. And we don't want that, do we?" Gordo laughed. "No. We don't want that. But don't worry, Lizzie. I will always care, and there is no way that I could ever forget about you. You'll get your letters. I promise."

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Chapter 13

Exactly three years ago, David Gordon made a promise to Lizzie McGuire. He promised her that no matter what, every other Friday, come rain or shine, there would be a letter from him sitting in her mailbox. And for the past three years, every other Friday, come rain or shine, Lizzie McGuire would open her mailbox and find a letter from Gordo. Neither of them ever faltered on their promise, and they both found ways to mail their sacred letters every other Friday regardless of how busy they were. They had only seen each other a total of four times in the past three years, each time affirming their life-long friendship. Lizzie and Gordo were closer than ever. In college, Gordo's life was flourishing. He was finally able to step back into the dating world and put himself on the market. However, unfortunately for the ladies, he wasn't on the market for long. Parker McKenzie took the first chance she got to step in and claim Gordo as her man. With her pretty looks and charm, she was able to bring Gordo's old feelings to the surface, and the two began to casually date. Casually being the key word. Parker was crazy about Gordo, but as things started to escalate between the two, Parker noticed Gordo pulling himself away. Parker wasn't so worried, because she trusted Gordo. She knew that he was a good guy, and that he would never cheat on her. And he wasn't. But with every day that passed, Gordo found himself thinking about Lizzie more and more. ***** Parker and Gordo sat in his apartment filled with boxes, trying as quickly as possible to unpack all of his things.

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"I'm glad your parents sprung for the apartment this year," Parker said as she put his dishes in the cabinet. Gordo was sitting on the floor trying to build the entertainment center. Parker could tell he was having some trouble, because she could have sworn that he was building a doghouse until he told her what it was. Just because he's a certified genius doesn't make him a handyman. "Me too. Now I don't have to listen to Larry sing himself to sleep every night." Parker laughed, "Row Row Row Your Boat will never be the same for you, huh?" Gordo dropped the hammer on the floor and covered his ears. As he rocked back and forth, he groaned in disgust, "No, stop. You're reminding me of the terror." Parker chuckled to herself, but then cleared her throat when she remembered that there was something she had wanted to ask Gordo. She stopped putting the dishes away for the time being, and turned to look at him, "SoThere's this dance for the Tsich Film students, and I was wondering if you wanted toyou knowgo with me." Gordo stopped hammering and raised his eyebrows, his eyes fixated on the nail, "A dance?" "As my boyfriend, of course." "As your boyfriend" He put down the hammer, never taking his eyes off of the nail that was protruding out of his 'entertainment center.' Parker's heart sank. This wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. "Is there something wrong, Gordo? I mean, I haven't been dating anyone else, you haven't been dating anyone else, and we've been going out for a year. I just assumed that we were exclusively boyfriend and girlfriend." He was silent. "Please, tell me if that was a wrong assumption." Gordo's gaze finally broke from the nail as he stood up. "No, that wasn't a wrong assumption. It's just thatI guess you could say I'm not really big on dances. I haven't been to one since senior prom." He walked over to the couch and sat down. Parker rolled her eyes, "Right, Lizzie again." "Come on, Parker. This isn't about Lizzie." She threw her arms in the air, "It's always about Lizzie! You don't know what it's like being second best to someone, Gordo. I care about you from the bottom of my heart, but sometimes I feel like I came along and you just said to yourself, 'Oh, well. I guess I'll go out with Parker until Lizzie comes along again.'" Gordo stood up from the couch and walked over to Parker, "Hey. That is not true and you know it. I care about you, too. Ever think that maybe Lizzie was second best to you? I asked you to that dance in Junior High didn't I? I never asked Lizzie to a dance until we were in High School."

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Parker groaned and stormed over to the other end of the apartment, "Gordo! We're in our senior year of college and you're bringing up something that happened in Junior High to try and make me feel better? You've used that excuse so many times! I'm just wondering if you don't want to go to this dance with me, as my boyfriend, because it makes you feel guilty when you think about her." Gordo followed after her, "Of course I'm going to think about her, Parker, but it doesn't make me feel guilty. We went out for three years. She was my first serious girlfriend, and you can't just forget someone like that. But now she is just my friend. And she will always be just my friend. That's all I see her as. My best friend." She once again walked away from Gordo, "She has to mean more to you than that, Gordo. Do you remember the one time a few months ago when you forgot to put her letter in the mailbox? You skipped out in the middle of The Lion King on Broadway just so you could mail your stupid letter! Those tickets cost $300! Would it have mattered if it was a day late?" "Parker, you know the deal that I have with Lizzie. I promised her that - " "Letter on Fridays. I got it, Gordo. I've gotten it for the past three years. It's just that you do ridiculous things to make it happen. You've broken plans with me and interrupted dates so you can do this silly letter thing." "It's not silly to me." Parker scoffed, "Oh, well if you take your stupid letters so seriously, then in reality, our relationship must be a huge JOKE!" Gordo shook his head and walked towards Parker. He had finally caught up after chasing her around the apartment. "Our relationship isn't a joke. Come here." He wrapped his arms around her, "You are very important to me. Us, together, that's important to me. Gordo kissed the top of Parker's head, and the sadness and anger seemed to fade away from her face. She nodded, "You're important to me too. I guess I just have a little jealous streak in me." Gordo laughed, "A little?" Parker playfully hit Gordo's arm, "Hey, don't make me yell at you again." He smiled as he looked down at his feet, "Alright, I got it." Parker gave Gordo another hug before quickly heading into the bathroom to powder her nose. When she came back out, she found Gordo sitting on the floor again, working away at his doghou - er, entertainment center. She laughed softly to herself. He was going to have to get a dog.

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"I'm going to get to class now," she said as she picked up her bag, "Dinner tonight?" Gordo wiped the sweat off of his brow, "Definitely." Parker smiled, "I'll miss you." She walked over to Gordo and bent over to give him a kiss. Gordo sat on the floor as he watched her walk out of the apartment. But once she left, he didn't continue working on his project. He just sat there, thinking to himself. He really did care about Parker, but he knew that he didn't care about her to the extent that he had cared about Lizzie. Why didn't he? It was then that he realized that it had taken him 15 years to fall in love with Lizzie, the woman he had known his whole life. It just took time to love somebody. Or so he thought. ***** Lizzie had spent her entire first year in Italy training herself to become a professional singer. But unlike some singers, Lizzie's talent was real, and because of that, she didn't have to train very hard. Along with a new respect for all of the professional singers in the world, something else came out of Lizzie's training experience. A new Lizzie had emerged; one that could rely on herself and find strength from within. Over the following two years, Lizzie spent her time touring Europe to promote her first European album, and after the immense positive response that Lizzie's album received, Isabella had finally decided it was time for her to head home. Kate and Lizzie had also kept in contact. Kate had spent her second year of Fashion school interning for Franca DiMontecatini. Because fashion school was only two years, Kate worked as Lizzie's personal stylist and has been still ever since she graduated. The two were around each other 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, causing the impossible to happen. Lizzie McGuire and Kate Sanders were friends again, just as they once were so many years ago, proving that even Kate could wear her heart on her sleeve if she wanted to. ***** Kate and Lizzie sat in a small Italian caf, having coffee with their friend Anita and discussing Lizzie's unhealthy relationship with a certain someone. "Lizzie," Kate began, "You and Gordo spend WAY too much time on each other. It's sick. I'm dating Ethan and I don't write him letters half as much as you write letters to Gordo."

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That certain someone was Gordo, of course. Who else could it have been? Lizzie defended herself, "You guys are talking to each other on the phone every two seconds. I swear, every time I turn around you are on the phone with him." "That's because he's my boyfriend, Lizzie. It's completely natural. Gordo's just a friend." Kate raised her eyebrows, "Or is he?" "You know he is. Besides, we are both leading two different lives now. He's off being a successful film student while I'm here moving forward in my singing career." Kate took a sip of her espresso extra foam with non-fat milk and two sugars. "You're doing more than singing; you're an international pop star! I honestly never thought you could pull it off." Lizzie laughed, "That's the high school Kate I love." "You know it." They all sat for a moment in silence. Lizzie was secretly hoping that the topic they had been talking about would be brought up again, but she didn't know why. She waited for someone to say something, but no one did. So she brought it up herself, "I just write letters to him, okay?" Kate and Anita looked at each other and smiled. "It sounds to me like you still like him." Anita pointed out. Lizzie rolled her eyes, "I do not, okay? I just write him a letter every other week. That's all." Kate looked skeptically at Lizzie and then turned to Anita, "One time, she almost cancelled a concert to deliver one of the letters." "I couldn't trust that weird guy to do it!" Kate paused. "Lizzie. He worked for FedEx." She stammered, "That doesn't mean he knew what he was doing." Kate laughed, "Face the facts, McGuire. You have it bad." Lizzie groaned in annoyance, "I do not have anything bad." "YeahI'm going to have to agree with Kate on this one," Anita added. "Ugh! You can't! Come on, Anita. Kate doesn't know what she's talking about." Anita thought for a moment before shaking her head in disagreement, "No, I think you're the one who doesn't know what she's talking about, Lizzie." "I don't know what I'm talking about? Hello! This is my life."

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Kate leaned in to Anita and whispered, "This subject is always a little sensitive for her." "And plus," Lizzie continued, not hearing Kate's comment, "I didn't cancel the concert, did I?" "No. You didn't," Kate said, "and I will give you that. But what about that one time when we went to Africa for that AIDS concert? You made me drive you around for five hours in the middle of the night to find a suitable place to ship the letter." "You love driving me around, Kate. We get to sing songs like 'My Sharona.' It's fun!" "Not for five hours!" Lizzie shrugged, "Fine. So ONE time I - " Kate interrupted, "What about the time in Japan where you paid some random guy fifty bucks to point us in the direction of a mailbox?" "He looked hungry, and I was just trying to be nice, okay?" She shook her head, "Lizzie, you were being desperate." Anita was laughing to herself as she listened to Lizzie and Kate squabble back and forth about whether or not Lizzie really did still like Gordo. But as entertaining as it was, she had to go. She stood up from her seat and picked up her purse, "Wow, okay. Well I have to head on over to a photo shoot now, but don't let me interrupt your little argument. And if I come back tomorrow and you two are still here talking about the same thing, I'll kill you both. Seriously." Lizzie and Kate laughed and said their goodbyes as Anita walked out of the caf. "Who would have thought that Lizzie McGuire would be friends with a model?" Kate asked. Lizzie looked insulted, "You know, I was a model once, too." Kate scoffed, "For two days? Oh yeah, that's quite a career." Lizzie and Kate laughed together for a moment. "We've really changed, huh McGuire?" Kate observed, "You're actually confident, and I'm actually nice. The world is getting scary." Lizzie took a sip of her coffee, "I'd like to think you've always had the niceness in you." "Perhaps," Kate said, "But there are some things that never change." "Like what?"

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"Like you and Gordo denying your feelings for one another." "Oh, stop it, Kate. We both know that - " Kate stopped her, "Don't even try and argue with me again, Lizzie. Ethan and I are making it work even though I'm here in Italy and he's in L.A. shooting a movie. I don't see why you and Gordo couldn't make it work." Lizzie took a minute to compose herself so she didn't scream her head off. Conversations with Kate could be so frustrating. "It's not distance that's the problem. We are just meant to be friends, okay? If we were meant to be anything more we would have gotten back together by now, don't you think?" "No." Kate said matter-of-factly, "It took you fifteen years to admit you liked him." Lizzie thought for a moment. "Thirteen," she finally said, "Because I did have a crush on him in the fourth grade. So we can cut off two years." Kate chuckled, "I rest my case. You like him for more than half your life and then you just suddenly stop liking him?" "It's complicated." "What's complicated about two people liking each other?" Lizzie sat there for a moment, thinking to herself. She did have to admit, part of her still did have those feelings for Gordo. She wasn't sure if they had ever gone away; even when she thought he had cheated on her. Gordo was always going to be in her heart, no matter what happened, but she knew that neither of them was in a place in their lives where that relationship could work. "We're going in two different directions." "Oh, please! That excuse is tired and old. Gordo could direct your music videos or something." Lizzie looked down, "Gordo could do so much better than just direct my videos." "Have you seen him do anything lately?" Lizzie thought for a moment. "He's on this documentary trip right now. Something about racism today." "Interesting, but so not as cool as a Lizzie McGuire music video." Kate added some emphasis to her point by shaking her hands back and forth to Lizzie's name. Lizzie smiled to herself. Somehow that made her feel better. "Thanks Kate. Who would have thought that I would be sitting here, in Italy, next to you as one of my best friends?" "Not me." Kate blurted out, "I'm just pretending to be your friend so I can meet Luke Wilson."

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Lizzie raised an eyebrow, "I thought it was Shane West." Kate shook her head. "No. I already met Shane West. After you made that happen, I decided I should milk you for all you're worth." Lizzie and Kate laughed together as if they were in elementary school again. They talked about everything; from Gordo, to Ethan, to the newest fashion crazes. But mostly, they just talked about the fun times they had shared together those many years ago. ***** Gordo had finished his entertainment center, and miraculously, the finished product actually did look like an entertainment center. Now he sat on his bed. Lizzie had been weighing heavily on his mind lately. Much more than usual. She was due to come back to the states soon, which mean that they would actually be able to spend time together, off of paper. When Gordo was thinking about Lizzie, his mind always ended up wandering back to Parker. Gordo liked Parker; he really did care about her, but for some reason, she didn't make him feel the way he did when he was with Lizzie. Gordo didn't know why that was, but he was willing to work at it; hoping that maybe, one day, he would feel the same way about Parker that he did about Lizzie. But Parker was at class all that day, and with Gordo's mind racing with thoughts of Lizzie, he needed something to ease the pain. Gordo went to the back of his closet and pulled out an old shoebox. Inside that box was everything imaginable from the relationship that he and Lizzie had shared. There was 18 years of movie ticket stubs, flowers from dances, and hundreds of photos. It was also where he kept all of the letters that she had sent to him over the past 3 years. It seemed as if somehow, he managed to fit their entire relationship into one small box. Gordo loved that box, but with Parker around, it was hard for him to find time to really look at it anymore. As he was looking at the pictures of him and Lizzie hugging and having fun together, he paused. He thought for a moment, and realized that the last time he had looked through that box was probably over a year ago. Which is why it had taken him so long to realize it. "I'm still in love with her." He stared at her senior picture. She had cheesily kissed the back of it, and the lipstick mark was still there. He knew now that with those feelings surfacing again, there was no way that he could advance his relationship with Parker. It just wasn't fair to her. He was in love with Lizzie, and there was nothing more to it.

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Gordo had known that he would always love Lizzie, and there was a part of him that was still holding onto her. To move on or not to move on really depended on Lizzie's feelings for him. He wouldn't want to pursue her for the rest of his life only to be rejected at every turn. So Gordo knew he had to take a shot before moving on or getting one of his wildest wishes to come true. He took out a sheet of paper for his bi-weekly letter and began to write. Dear Lizzie, Even though we are thousands of miles apart, I have never felt closer to you than I do now. Everything seems to be going my way; classes are great, friends are great, but even with all of that, our weekly correspondence is the highlight of every week. You've probably heard that I'm casually seeing Parker. She is a nice girl, but I don't have the same feelings towards her that she has towards me. I find myself holding back. Not wanting to pursue the relationship any further because of you. Recently, when I was rummaging through a box filled with photos and memories of our past, I realized something. I realized that I have never gotten over you, Lizzie. You are the girl that I gave my pudding cup to in kindergarten, and you turned into the beautiful woman, inside and out, that I fell in love with. I know I have never told you that before, and that the first time I do shouldn't be in a letter, but I needed to let you know how I feel. You are my first love, Lizzie, and I want you to be my only love. Everything about you does something to me. I think about you constantly, and every time I do a smile comes to my face. It's just something that I can't seem to help. And I was kind of hoping, after all this time, that you felt the same way about me. I need to know how you feel about me, so I will know if I should move on or not. We fit together, Lizzie. I know we do. Because no God could be cruel enough to keep me apart from the perfect woman. And right now, with us not even living in the same country, this may seem ridiculousBut I would follow you anywhere. We have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and there is no person on this Earth that I am closer to or care more about. I love you, Lizzie McGuire, and regardless of how you feel about me, I will always love you. Always. Love, Gordo Gordo folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope. Then sealed it shut and addressed the letter to Lizzie. He sat back and sighed, wondering if he was doing the right thing. *****

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"So, Gordo's been going out with Parker?" Lizzie asked, still sitting in the small caf with Kate. "He hasn't told you?" Kate was perplexed. 'Why wouldn't Gordo tell his best friend about Parker?' she wondered. "Larry told me just last week that they are still seeing each other. Parker is totally obsessed with Gordo, but he's being all casual about it. He won't even call her his girlfriend." She grinned as she realized something, "You know what that means?" Lizzie paused. "Gordo's just trying to get some?" Kate practically choked on her drink, "Lizzie! He's totally smitten with you." "Kate. This is like the five millionth time today that I've said this to you. Gordo and I are just friends. Why can't you just drop it?" "Fine. But I'm just saying that you guys may still be 'just friends,' but that doesn't mean that he's not still into you." Lizzie shook her head, "He's not. That's ridiculous, okay? He's dating Parker." Kate decided that it would be best if she finally gave in. But not before taking one last shot, "I guess you're right. I mean, it isn't like you still like him." "Yeah," Lizzie laughed uncomfortably, "Of course not." She looked down into her coffee and couldn't help but feel like a deer caught in headlights. She hadn't thought about Gordo this way and this much in a long time. All of the things that Kate had said finally started to sink in. Why wouldn't he call Parker his girlfriend? She had heard they had been going out for a while now. Could it be possible that he really did still like her? Could it be possible that she really did still like him? It was as if Kate's final remark had flipped a light switch inside Lizzie's mind. But what Lizzie still didn't know was that thousands of miles away, at that exact same time, Gordo was realizing the same thing. "Oh my God," She whispered to herself, "I'm still in love with him." Luckily for Lizzie, Kate was once again not really paying attention to what she was saying, "What was that?" Kate asked. Lizzie looked up, "I said thatI have towrite to him." Kate checked her watch. "Isn't it Gordo's week?" "Well, I like to work on my letters a bit early so that I have them ready to send on time." Kate chuckled, "Yeah, we don't want another Greece fiasco." "Hey," Lizzie said defensively, "My eyebrows grew back." Kate had noticed the time when she checked her watch to see what the date was,

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and realized that they were already running late. She pulled her purse out from under the table, "Come on, Lizzie. Photo shoot time." Lizzie grabbed her purse as well, "Woo-hoo!" she said, unenthusiastically. "Why are you being so sarcastic about this?" Kate asked as she stood up from the table. "Standing there for hours on end in ten pounds of makeup when they're just going to end up airbrushing it anyway isn't exactly my idea of a good time." Kate shrugged. "I guess that's true. But, you do get to dress up in outfits made by yours truly." Lizzie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Let's go," She said as they left the caf.

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Chapter 14

Gordo sat on his couch, a few hours later, staring at the blank screen of his television set. The sound of the door opening broke him out of his trance. As Parker walked into Gordo's apartment, she dropped her bag down next to the door, "Hey, I'm back from class! How is the unpacking going?" Gordo looked up at her and chuckled, "It's not really going." Parker closed the door and did a double take as she looked at the entertainment center in which Gordo's TV sat. She could not believe that he had actually done it. He had actually resurrected that sorry excuse for a doghouse from the dead. It was official. Gordo was a genius. Parker made her way into Gordo's living room to sit down next to him when she noticed a box on his coffee table. "What's this?" she asked, pointing to the box. Gordo's eyes shot to his 'Lizzie box.' He quickly looked back at Parker as his eyes widened. "Uhnothing!" he said as he dived toward the box, hoping to make it there before Parker did. But Parker was too quick for him, and she picked up the box and opened it before Gordo could stop her. She rummaged though the photos and other things that the box contained, "Is this some kind of 'My Life with Lizzie' box?" "Sort of. She is still my best friend, you know." Gordo was getting ready to defend himself, because he knew that WW3 was about to commence, and he was on the receiving end of the attacks. Parker put the box back down on the table. It looked like WW3 would be postponed until a later date. She calmly sat down next to Gordo. "You can have a box with Lizzie stuff in it, Gordo. It's fine." Parker chuckled, "And hey, when she makes it big you can sell all of

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this stuff on eBay and make quite a fortune." Gordo sighed with relief and smiled, "If I don't make it as a filmmaker, I'll think about that." "Hey," Parker said as she looked at her watch, "Don't you have a 4:00 class with O'Brian?" Gordo's head spun around to look at his clock. It was 3:51. "Oh shoot!" he said, standing up from the couch and running to gather his books, "I do! I guess I got a little lost in building that godforsaken entertainment center." Parker could hear the resentment in Gordo's voice. He picked the letter he had written to Lizzie off the counter, "Ugh, and I have to mail this letter. Whatever, I'll just be late for class." Gordo was about to run out the door when Parker stopped him, "Don't be silly, Gordo. I'll mail the letter for you." "Are you sure?" he asked, "I mean, because our conversation this morning" "No, you know what? I realized this morning that I have nothing to be jealous about. You're my boyfriend, Gordo. I have no reason not to trust you." She smiled. But Gordo didn't. His stomach started to churn. Parker had EVERY reason not to trust him, and he held those reasons in the palm of his hand. After all, if Lizzie was still in love with him, he would leave Parker for her. He just didn't want to be cruel about it. Maybe he could set her up with Larry, or something. Gordo looked up at Parker. She was perfect for him, except for one major flaw. She wasn't Lizzie. He forced out a smile, "Yeah. Nothing to be jealous about." "So I'll mail the letter for you, and you go off to class." She took the letter out of Gordo's hand, "I have some stuff I need to get in the mail anyway." "Thank you, Parker. That would be great." He opened the door behind him, "I'll see you back here before dinner." "Of course." Gordo kissed her on the cheek and left in a hurry to get to his class, hoping that he wouldn't be too late. Right after Gordo had left, Parker took the letter and the rest of her mail and left his apartment. She walked down the street towards the mailbox, and when she got there, she sifted through the letters, making sure that each one was addressed and stamped properly. And then she came to the very last one in the bunch.

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In Gordo's sloppy handwriting, Lizzie's address was written on the envelope. There it was, plain as day. Suddenly, Parker had an idea. 'If I don't send the letter,' she thought to herself, 'It'll prove to Gordo that he doesn't need to send these things right on time. Then maybe he won't be so stressed about it every week.' She nodded her head and stuffed the letter into her purse. As she dropped the rest of her mail into the mailbox, she convinced herself that she was doing the right thing, and walked back up to Gordo's apartment to watch TV until he came back from class. ***** Gordo looked up when he heard the door open, and watched Parker walk into his apartment. "Ran your errands?" he asked. Parker nodded as she tossed her keys on his counter, "Yeah. And I mailed your letter, don't worry." Parker was an excellent liar. There wasn't any reason for Gordo to be suspicious, because her voice never faltered. "Thanks," he said. "You don't know what would've happened if I didn't get that letter mailed out on time." But it seems as though she was only a good liar the first time around. She began to get nervous, hoping that the conversation about the letter wouldn't have to go on any longer. "Oh, don't worry about it," she shook her head vigorously, "I mailed it." "I know this whole Lizzie thing makes you uncomfortable," Gordo said as he walked towards his coffee table. "So I decided I'm going to put the Lizzie box away tonight. I'll ONLY open it when she's around and when we want to share some memories. After all, I wouldn't want you waving an Ethan Craft box around in my face." Parker laughed as she sat down on his couch, "Please. I would never keep an Ethan Craft box. His dancing alone is enough to scar me for life. I can't even think about it. Yuck." Gordo chuckled to himself as he remembered all of the times he had to see Ethan dance. And then he cringed. He didn't want to think about it either. "How about thinking about dinner, then?" She smiled, "Yeah, I just have to get my purse." Gordo had been standing, and noticed that Parker's purse was lying on the counter next to her keys. "Here, I'll get it for you." Parker's eyes widened as she noticed the letter sticking out of her purse. She started to panic. Just as Gordo was about to reach for her purse, Parker jumped up from the couch

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and ran in front of him. She had made it just in time. "Hey," she said, out of breath, "Why don't you go and get some of that gum I know you're stashing away in your bedroom. It'll serve us both well." Gordo brought his hand up to his mouth, sharply breathed out twice, and then breathed in again through his nose. "Is my breath really that bad?" "No, but mine is." Gordo shrugged and nodded as he walked into his bedroom. Parker was right, she really did need some gum. Just as Gordo had left the room, Parker turned around to her purse and pulled out the letter. She ran over to his coffee table and struggled to figure out what to do with it. Gordo then unexpectedly came out of his room. "Hey," he said. Parker jumped, "Oh! Hey!" She hid the letter behind her back, "That was fast." "Yeah, I just remembered that I have two kinds in my pocket. Peppermint or spearmint?" Parker looked at the gum that Gordo held out in front of her. She smiled, "Spearmint sounds good." As Gordo was pulling out a piece of gum for Parker, she quickly turned around and spotted the Lizzie box on the table. Just when Gordo was about to look up again, she slid the letter into the box. "Here you go." He held out the gum to Parker, who was leaned over the table, fiddling with the box. Parker picked up the box and turned to Gordo, "Let me help you with this. I'll put it away for you right now," she said, completely ignoring the gum. "Thanks for doing this Gordo. It makes me feel more secure about myself." Gordo smiled and watched in confusion as Parker walked into his bedroom, opened his closet, and shoved the box, with the letter inside, into the back of the top shelf. She came back into the living room with an uneasy smile on her face. "Better?" Gordo asked. "Much. Come on, let's go to dinner." Parker grabbed her coat and handed Gordo his. "Okay, let's go." Gordo stopped at the door, "But, seriously. Take the gum." All throughout their dinner, Parker couldn't help but worry about the letter that was in the box, waiting there for Gordo to find at any moment in time. But she knew that

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Gordo would keep his word and not open the box. And if Lizzie ever did come over, when he opened the box and found the letter, she would just say that Gordo must have forgotten to mail it. She knew that he would buy that. He was absent-minded enough to forget what had really happened. ***** Lizzie had spent all day signing autographs for eager fans at a local record store. She loved meeting and talking to her fans more than anything, but it just so happened that the signing fell on a Friday, so Lizzie was a little bit more than anxious to get back home to check her mail. And when she got home, that was the first thing she did. Lizzie found the mail sitting neatly in a pile on the table. She scooped it up and sifted through the letters, but then stopped. "Where is it?" she asked, staring at the pile of mail in her hands. Kate sat in a chair across the room, unable to look Lizzie in the eye. "What?" Lizzie threw the mail down on the table she had picked it up from and walked over towards a suspicious-looking Kate. "It's Friday, Kate. Where is my letter from Gordo?" Before Lizzie made any further advances towards her friend, she turned around and searched through the mail once more, as Kate looked on sadly. "Uh, I don't know. I haven't looked through the mail yet," she lied. "Hmm," Lizzie said. She slowly looked at each letter, one by one, making sure she hadn't missed it. She came to the end of the pile and started at the beginning again. Carefully going through each and every letter, checking to see if it had been stuck to another, or perhaps hidden inside a magazine. After her 10th run-through, she gave up and put the mail back down on the table. But she hadn't given up completely. "Maybe it's still in the mailbox," Lizzie said with optimism as she headed to the door. Kate finally spoke up, "Lizzie, it isn't in the mailbox." Lizzie stopped, her hand inches away from the doorknob, "What are you talking about?" "I looked in the mailbox. It isn't there. It isn't anywhere. I spent an hour sifting through that mail, Lizzie." Lizzie shook her head, "Well, there must be some kind of mistake. Gordo would never miss a letter. We made a promise to each other. I mean, unless he's in -" she gasped, "Oh my gosh Gordo's in a coma." Kate sat down next to Lizzie, who had plopped down on the couch in shock, and put

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her arm around her, "Lizzie, I highly doubt that Gordo's in a coma. Maybe it is just time you realized that Gordo has a life separate from yours." "I know we have separate lives, Kate." "Yeah," Kate said, "you say that, but look at yourself. You wait every other Friday for this letter, and no matter what you're doing that day it's all you can think about. You never get this excited about singing or dancing." Lizzie sighed, "I just want to know about his life. We made a deal, and we both promised that the letters would only stop if we stopped caring." Lizzie's mind started to race. It was then that she realized exactly what had happened. Gordo must have forgotten. He had forgotten her. "Or he stopped caring," Lizzie whispered to herself. There was a long pause as Lizzie and Kate sat on the couch, Kate trying frantically to figure out something she could say, and Lizzie not wanting to hear whatever it would turn out to be. A light bulb went off in Kate's head, "Wait! Lizzie, I've got it. It got lost in the mail." Lizzie glared at Kate, "I think we both know it didn't get lost in the mail." Yeah, that was true. "Well, maybe he just forgot to mail it." "Exactly," Lizzie said, "Which means he forgot about me." Kate rolled her eyes. "Lizzie, I hate to send your dreams crashing down in flames, but the world doesn't revolve around you. You seriously need to let this one slide. People make mistakes." "I know, Kate. But my world revolves around his." Lizzie looked off to the side, "I just thought maybe" "Lizzie." Kate said. Lizzie shook her head and stood up from the couch, "I need to be alone." Kate followed after her, "No, you don't." Kate grabbed Lizzie by the arm and sat her down at the kitchen table. "You know," she began, "maybe this whole Parker thing is getting serious." Lizzie looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers, "What Parker thing?" "Oh, come on, Lizzie. Sooner or later, you're going to need to accept the fact that Gordo is going out with Parker. He's been going out with her for like a year." Lizzie slammed her hands down on the table. "That's what bothers me, Kate! I

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mean, this is Parker McKenzie. The girl who deemed Gordo too short. And he didn't even tell me about it. Can you believe that? He's supposed to be MY best friend and he didn't even tell me that he's been seeing someone for the past year. A WHOLE year! It isn't even like he just went out on two dates with her; he has been going out with her forever! It took him 15 YEARS to ask me out!" "Good lord, Lizzie. Are you ever going to let that go? You need to calm down a bit." Lizzie was a bit winded from her rant a few seconds earlier, but that didn't stop her from starting up again. "How can you ask me to calm down? I can't calm down! This isn't the time to calm down. I can't do that! I just can't believe he would do this to me." "He was just trying to protect you, Lizzie. Moving on with your lives might be the best thing for both of you. You guys just need to live without each other for a while, you know?" "You don't just give up a best friend like that for no reason. Unless of course he is keeping secrets from you," her eyelids narrowed, "Deep, deep secrets." Kate took a minute to recover from Lizzie's mental breakdown. A few years ago, a mental breakdown like that would have taken her hours to recover from, but she had experienced so many, the recovery time had begun to shrink. "In the immortal words of Gordo, you are acting like a goober, Lizzie." Lizzie put her head in her hands, "I just thought that - I mean, I thought we could that he would" "Wait for you?" Lizzie looked up at Kate, only to look away again as she stood up from the table. "It doesn't matter. He's with Parker now." She walked away from the table and towards her room, "I feel a song coming on. I'm going to go write." Kate turned around in her chair and watched Lizzie walk away, "But you don't write your own songs." Lizzie stopped just before she went in her room, and turned to look at Kate, "Yeah? Well maybe it's time I did." She walked into her room and slammed the door behind her. Lizzie sat down at her desk, pulled out a piece of paper, and picked up a pen. Seconds before the pen hit paper, she spied the letter that she had already started writing to Gordo, just sitting there, right in front of her. Lizzie dropped the pen and grabbed the letter. She ripped it up furiously and threw the remains on the ground. Her head fell into her arms on the desk as she sat there, sobbing. Lizzie decided then and there that if Gordo didn't care about their friendship anymore, she wouldn't care either. *****

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Gordo stood over a near-empty box as he pulled out the one CD case that was inside. CD in hand, he walked over to his newly-built, fully-stocked entertainment center, and slid the final CD into place. He had finally finished unpacking, and his apartment was absolutely perfect. Gordo stood there and looked over his new home just as Parker walked in. "Hey, honey," she said as she plopped her things down on the floor. He turned around, "Hey." Parker led Gordo to his couch and sat him down, "So, uh. I was thinking about something today." Gordo gave Parker a look, signaling her to go on. "Well," she began, "I spend all of my time here, and I only ever go back to my dorm room to shower. So" Gordo stared at her, "What are you trying to say?" Parker sighed, "I think we should move in together." Gordo felt the blood rush out of his face. He couldn't believe what Parker had just said to him. It was like someone had just smacked him across the face with a largemouth bass. He had no idea where it was coming from, and he wondered why in the world it had just happened. Gordo started to think that perhaps Parker was only asking because of her insecurities, thinking that if they moved in together, he wouldn't think about Lizzie as much. Boy, was she wrong. He didn't want that to be the reason for them moving in together. This was a huge step for the both of them, and the fact that he had just declared his undying love for another woman was bound to complicate things. Gordo tugged at the collar of his shirt, "Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?" Parker sighed. She was afraid of this. "Don't freak out on me, Gordo. This makes sense. It would save us both a lot of money, which quite frankly, I really need, and I think that our relationship is at the point where we should think about taking this next step. Gordo reluctantly nodded his head, "Y - Yes, those are very good points, Parker. Very logical and practical, but I don't know if I'm emotionally ready for something like this." Parker had expected a reaction like that, but she figured that she might as well take what she could get, "Will you promise me you'll think about this?" Gordo forced out a smile, "I promise."

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***** In all three years that Gordo and Lizzie had been sending letters to each other, Gordo had never been so eager to receive a letter from Lizzie than on that Friday afternoon. The days between him sending the letter and the Friday on which he would receive Lizzie's, were some of the hardest days of his life. Each hour was an hour less in the time he would have to wait to hear back from Lizzie, to know if she loved him back, but still, with each hour that passed, he found it harder and harder to look Parker in the eye. But Gordo knew that was all about to change. The last hour had dwindled down, and he would soon know just which woman he was meant to be with. From around the corner, Gordo spied the mailman walking towards the mailboxes in the lobby of his apartment. He swooped in and made his move. "I'm David Gordon, 4-D," he said to the mailman, who had yet to open his mailbag. "Hold your horses, son. Let me just deliver this mail and you can get yours when I'm done." Gordo nodded and stepped back, letting the mailman do his job. He waited until he was finished before quickly taking out his key and sliding into his mailbox slot. His nervous hands fumbled the key and he dropped it on the ground. He mumbled to himself as he bent over to pick it up, and then finally unlocked his mailbox. Gordo sifted through the mail. He reached the end of the pile, and was perplexed to find that he wasn't holding a letter from Lizzie in his hand. "Where is it?" he said to himself. Gordo sifted through the mail once again. And still, finished with an empty hand. He looked up as he saw the door to his apartment building swing shut. The mailman. Gordo shoved his mail back into his mailbox, and sprinted out the door and after the mailman. "Hey!" he yelled. "Hey, you! Mr. Mailman!" The mailman turned around, "What can I do for you, son?" Gordo caught his breath. "Are you sure you delivered all of the mail?" The mailman nodded with a smile, "That's my job."

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"W - Well," Gordo stammered, "can you check again?" "David Gordon, 4-D?" "Yeah." The mailman sifted through his bag once, and then once again for good measure. He shrugged, "Sorry. Nothing else." Gordo stood there in shock as he watched the mailman turn and walk away, his hands still empty. ***** Gordo walked back to his apartment, all the while wondering what the heck had just happened. He shut the door behind him, walked into his room, and threw the mail on his bed. "Ow!" the bed yelled out. Gordo stopped and turned to look at the crying lump that lay on his bed. "Larry?" Larry flipped the covers over his head to show his face. "What are you doing here?" Gordo asked. Larry sat up in Gordo's bed, "Trying to take a nap?" Gordo stared at Larry, "How did you even get in here, anyway?" Larry pulled a key out of his pocket and held it up for Gordo to see, "This?" Gordo rolled his eyes and walked over towards Larry, "You can't just go out and copy the key to my apartment." He swiped the key out of Larry's hand, "I'll be taking that, thank you." A look of sadness came across Larry's face, "Where am I supposed to nap?" "In your dorm room!" Larry got himself out from under the covers and sat himself cross-legged on Gordo's bed. "So what's with the hostility? You threw that mail pretty hard." Gordo plopped down in a chair on the other side of his room, "Today is Friday." "So?" Larry asked. "Oh, right. It's Lizzie Letter Day, I forgot. So, what did she say?" "That's just it. She didn't say anything. She didn't send me a letter."

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Larry stared at Gordo with his jaw dropped, stupefied. A few seconds later, his brain started functioning again. "Are you kidding?" Gordo shook his head lightly. "Look," Larry said, "maybe you just missed it." Gordo looked on as Larry sifted through his mail. He knew there was no chance the letter was in that pile, he had looked through it at least 300 times before finally giving up. But he let Larry take one more look, anyway. Larry came to the middle of the pile and started to chuckle. "What is it?" Gordo asked excitedly, "Did you find the letter?" Larry burst into a roaring laughter. Gordo jumped up from his chair, "What is it?! Did you find it?" "No," Larry said, after finally regaining his composure. "But I did find this issue of Popstar! Magazine addressed to a certain Mr. David Gordon!" Larry waved the magazine in Gordo's face. Gordo's eyes widened. "GIVE ME THAT!" he said as he snatched the magazine away and stashed it in his dresser drawer. Larry, once again, burst into laughter. "Why the heck do you have a subscription to that?" Gordo glared at Larry, and began to explain himself, "Well, I - " But Larry stopped him, "No. You know what? I don't even want to know." Gordo sat down in his chair as Larry let out one last laugh, but then stopped when he remembered the topic at hand. Larry took a deep breath as he composed himself once again, "Haven't you guys been doing this for three years? You haven't missed a letter yet!" Gordo sighed, "I guess it finally came." Larry's head perked up as his shifty eyes scanned the room, "What finally came? The alien?" "No." Larry looked down in slight disappointment. "The time finally came where Lizzie decided she doesn't care about me the way I care about her."

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"What are you talking about?" "Well," Gordo said, hesitantly, "I might have told Lizzie that, I, uh - that I'm in love with her." Larry slammed his hands down on the bed. "You did what?! You're going out with Parker, you fool!" "I know, I know! And things are fine with Parker. But that's it. They're just fine." "Sounds like you're leading Parker on." Gordo held his head in his hands. "I know, but I just thought that if I wrote to Lizzie and she loved me back, then I would know I wasn't meant to be with Parker. And if she didn't say she loved me, then I could put my whole heart into this relationship with Parker." Larry raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Gordo. "Do you not hear yourself when you speak? That is such an unbelievably dirky thing to do, Gordo. Especially for you." "I know, I'm a huge dirk. I got it, Larry, okay?" "I know you're hurt, Gordo." "Of course I am!" Gordo exclaimed. "This girl who I have loved since kindergarten decided that she doesn't love me back." Gordo stood up and started pacing around the room. "Why do you say that?" Gordo pointed to his mouth, "Do you see a smile on my face?" He held out an empty hand, "Do you see a letter in my hand where she declares her love back?" "Gordo," Larry said, "I think you just need to work things out with Parker. I mean, this girl is fully devoted to you, and you cast her off as second best. Maybe this is for the better." Gordo sat back down in his chair, finally starting to calm down a bit. "Maybe. And you don't even like Parker, so I can tell you're being sincere here." Larry and Gordo looked towards the entryway of Gordo's apartment as they heard the door open and close. They sat there as nonchalant as possible as Parker walked into the room. "Hey honey," she said, smiling at Gordo. She looked at the man sitting on Gordo's bed. "Larry." Larry pulled out a wide and oh-so false grin, "Princess Parker." "Oh, how I love your wit," she snapped back sarcastically. Larry started to feel a bit uncomfortable, much like he always did in Parker's presence. "That's my cue to go. I have spare keys, so don't worry about that one

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you took from me." Parker breathed a sigh of relief as Larry walked out of the apartment. "Spare keys to what?" she asked. "To the apartment." Parker cringed at the thought of Larry meandering in and out of Gordo's apartment at any moment's notice. But her thoughts were interrupted by Gordo. "Hey, Parker. You know, what we were talking about yesterdayWell, I think we should do it." A smile came across Parker's face, "Really, Gordo?" "Yeah," he said. "Let's move in together."

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Chapter 15

"I can't believe it, Gordo! I'm so excited!" Parker jumped into Gordo's arms, more excited than she had been in a very long time. Gordo wrapped his arms around her, feeling about as excited as one would feel when getting a new puppy to replace the dog they have had their entire life, their best friend, that has run away. "Me too." Parker broke their embrace and began to pace around the apartment. "We have so much stuff to do. I have to cancel my housing and call the movers to get my stuff here. And then there's that whole issue with our parents. I'm sure if we tell them that we aren't 'together' in the biblical sense they won't freak out too much. I mean, you and I agree that we should wait until marriage for that kind of thing, right? Gordo? Earth to Gordo, are you there?" Gordo shook his head and returned to reality to find Parker waving her hand in his face. "Wh - What? Oh, yeah, of course. We have to tell our parents." Parker gave Gordo a questioning look, but then continued her pacing. "This is going to be great! Okay, I'm going to go start getting my stuff ready. Bye hon!" Parker gave a dazed Gordo a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the apartment. Gordo was feeling uneasy about the fact that he could have just made the biggest mistake of his life. But Parker was a gorgeous, smart woman, and she and Gordo had the same interests. They were perfect for each other. And just as her one flaw started to show; that one last "but" started to form in Gordo's mind, he dismissed it. "I'm going to make this work," he said, as he walked into his room. He had to prepare for the move.

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***** A couple of weeks later, on Lizzie's end of the world, Kate sat in Lizzie's apartment, on the phone with Ethan. "How is the movie going?" Kate asked. "Fine. But for this one scene, they want me to mess up my hair. That's whack! I can't help it if my hair is always perfect." Kate laughed. "You do have pretty perfect hair. Our children are going to have the most perfect hair in the world. With your hair stability and my color, they will be gorgeous." Ethan sat in silence for a moment. He had always thought babies were bald. "How are things going in Italy," he asked. "Great for me. Horrible for Lizzie." "What's wrong with the Liz-inator?" Kate sighed, "Gordo stopped writing to her. She's been locking herself in her room trying to write a song." "Bummer. Maybe he was busy, you know? He's been helping Parker move into his place." Kate's jaw dropped. "Parker? Parker McKenzie? Parker 'I like to steal everyone else's boyfriend' McKenzie?" Ethan thought for a moment. Was that really her middle name? "Well, if you're talking about the Parker McKenzie we went to school with, then yeah." "I can't believe this. I just heard they were casually dating. Now they are going to be living together?" As Kate sat on Lizzie's couch, her back to the door, Lizzie walked into her apartment, unbeknownst to Kate. "Who is going to be living together?" Kate turned around to see Lizzie standing at the door. "Lizzie!" Lizzie dropped her bag on the counter, "Who is moving in together?" "Uhno one." Lizzie's eyes shifted a bit as she walked over to her window and looked outside, "Kate! Oh my gosh, that girl on the street has the exact same sweater as you!" Kate jumped up from the couch, "Are you serious?!" She dropped the phone on the

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floor and ran out of the apartment to track down the alleged sweater wearer. "That was almost too easy." Lizzie picked the phone up off the floor. "Ethan?" "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie! What is up?" "Nothing much. I was just wondering who Kate was talking about. Who is moving in together?" "Gor-don and Parker." Lizzie's heart stopped. "Are you sure?" "He just told me last week. They're both really stoked about it." "Oh." "And I'm sure that's why he couldn't send you that letter, Lizzie. Gordo's a good guy, you know that. He wouldn't skip out on a friend. Especially his best friend." Lizzie scoffed, "Yeah. I'm sure that's why." Ethan was completely oblivious to the pain in Lizzie's voice, and continued on with their conversation, "So what happened to Kate?" Lizzie heard the door slam behind her, and Ethan heard it over the phone as well. A frazzled Kate stood at the door. "Lizzie McGuire! If you pull another stunt like that again- " Ethan shuddered, "Uh-oh. The claws are coming out. I think I'll let you two talk. Bye." "Bye, Ethan." Lizzie hung up the phone and quickly prepared herself to face a pissed-off Kate. "I can't believe you made me run outside in my Jimmy Choo's just so you could get to Ethan!" "At least one of my friends is telling me the truth." Kate sighed. "Lizzie, I just found out. I wanted to break it to you gently. Not have Mr. Brain-Dead tell you when he has no idea what you're going through." "Well you don't need to protect me, Kate. I'm a big girl. I can handle it."

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"Then I guess that's why you've been locked in your room for the past couple of weeks, huh? Oh yeah, little miss 'big girl.' You seem to be handling this really well." Lizzie groaned and stormed to the other side of her apartment. "I've just been meditating, okay? We're moving back to the states soon, Kate, and we need to start thinking about how are lives are going to change." "Lizzie, I haven't been out here for as long as you have. I can adjust to life back home at the drop of a hat. I just don't think you can." Lizzie turned to look at Kate. "I can do whatever you can do." "Lizzie, our argument is just going to go around in circles. Look, I was wrong to try and protect you, but you were wrong about tricking me." Lizzie nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry." Kate made her way over to Lizzie at the other end of her apartment. "I'm sorry too. Are you going to be okay?" Lizzie paused, and for a moment, Kate truly believed that she was going to say yes. But she didn't. "I just need some time to think." Lizzie once again stormed into her room and locked the door behind her. It was even worse than she had thought. Gordo and Parker had moved in together. They were now sharing the same plates, the same chairs, and dare she even think it, the same bed. The mere thought made her sick to her stomach. She picked up a picture of Gordo she had by her nightstand and ripped it in to pieces with out a moment's hesitation. "Goodbye, Gordo." ***** Once again, the years passed. Lizzie had spent the last six months in Italy, and then finally got the chance to head back home to America. Isabella had agreed that it was time for her to go home and try her luck there. Lizzie and her crew stood in the airport, treasuring the last few minutes before Lizzie would head back to the states. It was a scene Lizzie knew all too well. "Well, Lizzie," Isabella said, "You have done it. You made it big here and now it is your chance to show all of America what you are made of. Buena suerta." Lizzie stood at the terminal, holding her carry-on bag. "Thanks, Isabella. You will be

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coming to visit me, won't you?" "Of course. I am still your manager. You cannot get rid of me that easily." Lizzie laughed, "I'll miss you." "Me too, bella." Lizzie and Isabella hugged goodbye, and then Isabella stepped aside so Francesca could bid farewell to her friend. "I can't believe I won't have my daily efficiency lesson tomorrow. How will I survive?" Francesca smiled, "I think you have become pretty efficient." "I'm really going to miss you, Francesca," Lizzie said. "I don't know what I'll do without you by my side day after day, telling me what to do and what to wear and how many minutes I have left to eat." Francesca chuckled, "You will probably learn to relax a little." Lizzie wasn't so sure. The idea of relaxation frightened her. "So why don't you come with me?" Francesca softly shook her head, "Just as you have missed your country, I would miss mine. My place is here, in Italy, while yours is in America." Lizzie nodded. "Call me?" "I will." Francesca noticed the clock on the wall behind Lizzie, "Come on, you better get going. You know how long it takes you to pick out a magazine." Lizzie checked her watch. Francesca was right. "Thanks for everything. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you." "Thank me on your CD." As Lizzie and Francesca hugged goodbye, Lizzie heard a familiar voice behind her. "Wait, McGuire!" Talk about deja v. But it wasn't who it had been those many years before, and Lizzie turned around to see Kate coming towards her, luggage in hand. "Kate, what are you doing here?" Lizzie asked. "You didn't really think you were going to leave me here in Italy, did you?" "Well, yeah. I mean, I thought you wanted to stay in Italy."

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"A girl can only eat so much pasta. Plus, Ethan is back in the states and I would love to spend some time with him." "So are you my own personal designer again?" "Someone has to keep you in check." Lizzie smiled. "It's time. Let's do this." Kate rolled her eyes. "Cut the drama, Lizzie. It's still America, it hasn't changed that much." Lizzie sighed as she made her way towards the security check, "No, but I have." ***** Because she was so well received in Italy, Lizzie's label let her take her time and record the best album she possibly could. A year later, Lizzie was ready with her new CD, and it became a smash hit in the United States. She was the new Madonna, cornering in on the entire market. Girls wanted to be her, guys wanted to date her; it seemed like the perfect charmed life from the outside, but on the inside, Lizzie was in the same place she was a year ago. Gordo and Parker officially moved in together, and had been with each other ever since. Gordo decided to pursue a master's degree in film, and had just graduated from film school. But every time he walked by a music store, another promotional item for Lizzie's new CD was waved in his face, taunting his already broken heart. Things had been fine with Parker, the two got along great, and Gordo was beginning to see a permanent future with her. ***** Larry and Gordo sat on a bench in Central Park, as Larry slapped the new issue of US Weekly into Gordo's chest. Gordo picked up the magazine. "What's this?" "This time it's Chad Michael Murray." "Who?" Larry scoffed. Who doesn't know Chad Michael Murray? "The actor. He's been romantically linked to Lizzie." Gordo rolled his eyes. "Larry, I've told you a billion times. I don't care who Lizzie is romantically linked with! I didn't care when she was 'with' Aaron Carter, Frankie Muniz, or Justin Timberlake." Larry watched as Gordo went through the magazine. "Right. And that's why you're flipping through the article."

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Gordo closed the magazine faster than the time when Parker almost walked in on him reading an article in Pop Star! "Oh, so I'm not allowed to read magazines now?" "I'm just trying to keep you informed, man." "Thanks, Larry. I don't mean to take this out on you, but I'm just not over it, okay? I don't feel like we had any closure." "Yet you've had enough closure to live with Parker for two years." Gordo sighed, "Parker is different from Lizzie. She has the same interests as me, and geographically we're in the same place. It's a match made in heaven." "Gordo, a dog could have those same qualities." "Now there's an animal. Loyal, smart, loveable. Exactly the same qualities I want in a girl." A disgusted look came over Larry's face, "Don't tell me you're in to dogs or something." An even more disgusted look came over Gordo's, "No! No, no, no. I'm just saying that that's what I need, and even if Lizzie cared about me the same way I used to care about her, it wouldn't be working out." Gordo checked his watch, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet Parker for lunch." As Gordo started to leave, Larry yelled back for him, "Hey Gordo!" Gordo turned around. "What?" "Would you mind giving me back my magazine?" Gordo looked down to find Larry's magazine rolled up tightly in his hands. He chuckled, "Oh yeah, sorry about that." Larry got up from the bench to go retrieve his magazine from Gordo, and went to sit down on a different bench, due to the fact that the other one was in the shade, and he was starting to get a bit chilly. Just then, Larry noticed a beautiful woman walk by. It was time for him to turn on his charm. "Hey, baby. Wanna come over here and get some Larry Lovin'?" he winked at her. And in response, she laughed. "I don't go out with guys who sit in wet paint." Larry stood up and looked at his behind to find it marked with strokes of green paint. Using his magazine to shield what he could of his little mishap, Larry ran back home

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to change his clothes.

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Chapter 16

The day finally came when Gordo graduated from college. He would be entering the real world to direct pictures for major studios. The offers were pouring in, and after delving himself into documentaries and dramas, Gordo decided it was time for him to leave the dramatic scene, and head in the direction of comedy. Larry had been begging Gordo for a job as his manager, and after only days of constant pestering, he finally gave in, not being able to turn down his good friend. Gordo's talent made it easy for Larry to arrange meetings with the major studios, and with his persistence, (or maybe it was annoyance), he was able to score some amazing deals from most of the major companies. The most lucrative offer came from Disney. "I can't believe Disney is interested in me," Gordo said, sitting in his apartment with Larry. "I mean, look at my previous work All of it is dark and not suitable for children." "They have a catch," Larry revealed. "A catch?" "Well, you get a five picture deal with the ability to choose the stars, budgets and limit, but you have to do them this tiny favor first." Gordo was growing suspicious, "And what favor would that be?" "Direct a teenage romantic comedy staring Ethan Craft and some rising pop star." Gordo laughed in Larry's face. "There is no way that I am doing some teeny-bopper movie. You know that, Larry. It's not my style." "I know, I know. But you don't even have to use your real name in the credits if you don't want to." "I don't want to be Alan Smithee. I want the world to know who directed the picture."

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Larry took a sip of his coffee. "Then do it. Prove to the world that you can direct anything. Even something with Ethan Craft in it." Gordo thought for a moment about the deal that was being handed to him. "It is a pretty nice offer." "You have no idea." But Gordo didn't know if it was nice enough. "I don't think I could compromise what I believe in to do this." "Gordo, this is the perfect opportunity for you." Gordo stood up from his seat. "I'll think about it, okay?" Larry decided that Gordo's response was a good enough start, and he left it at that. "Okay." And as Gordo walked back into his room, Larry sat there, knowing full well that Gordo would probably end up saying no to the once in a lifetime chance that was being handed to him on a silver platter. Larry knew that Gordo was going to need a little nudging. "And I know just the right person to do it." ***** The next week, as Gordo once again sat in his apartment, he got a phone call. "Hello?" "Gordo, how are you?" Gordo slightly recognized the voice on the other line, and after a few seconds of thinking, he realized who it was. "Kate. We haven't talked in a long time." "Yes," she said, "I do miss your dry wit. Anyhow, I'm in the city for a little bit and was wondering if you wanted to get some coffee or something." Gordo became confused. "Are you sure you called the right person?" "Oh, I'm sure." Gordo was skeptical, but he checked his calendar anyway. And not surprisingly, he was completely busy all month. Except for one day. "Are you free today? My schedule is kind of full for the rest of the month. I'm doing this mini-documentary for HBO." Kate hated to make plans on such short, short notice, but it was imperative for her to meet with Gordo. "Yeah, I can make it. I'll meet you at Dean and Deluca at 2:00." "Sounds good," Gordo said, "I'll see you then."

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***** Gordo walked into the coffee place, promptly at 2:00 PM, only to spy Kate sitting at a table by the window. He walked up and sat down. "Hey, Kate. I hope I'm not late or anything." "No," she said, "I was just a little early." Gordo chuckled. "You sure have changed these past couple of years. I remember when we all had to go by 'Kate Time.' Always half an hour ahead." Kate smiled. "Yep. I've changed. I guess you could say I've had some good influences around me." "Is that so? Who are you hanging out with these days?" Kate was surprised by Gordo's oblivion. "Ethan hasn't told you?" "Well, he might've. But most of the time I can never understand what he's saying. The last time he talked about what you were up to I think he said that you were in Italy with Lizzie." She nodded. "I'm still hanging out with Lizzie. I'm her stylist." "Who would've thought that you, of all people, would be Lizzie McGuire's stylist?" "Not me, that's for sure." The two old "friends" sat in silence for a moment as they both took a sip of their respective drinks, Kate having already ordered a coffee for Gordo before he had arrived. "So," Kate began again, "Larry gave me a call." "Larry?" "He tells me you have some movie deal issues." Gordo thought for a bit. "You mean the deal with Disney?" Kate nodded slightly. "I normally wouldn't grovel under any circumstances, but Gordo, you have to take this offer. Ethan really needs a guy like you directing him. To tell you the truth, his career has been faltering lately." "What are you talking about? All I keep reading about is how he's the next 'It Boy.'" "Of course that's what the magazines are saying. Ethan's hot. But what I'm talking about is the fact that no one takes him seriously enough. He's a great actor, Gordo, and I know you are the director to make it happen." Gordo shrugged. "I can't get even the greatest actor in the world to be taken seriously with a bad script."

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"Didn't Larry tell you? You can do rewrites. All you have to do is keep the general premise and the names of the characters." Gordo was slowly becoming suspicious of Kate's sudden interest in his well-being. "I have a feeling you have some kind of ulterior motive." Kate brought her hand to her chest. "Me? Gordo, I am shocked! Here I am, trying to help you and my boyfriend out with furthering your film careers, and you are just insulting me." "I'm sorry, Kate. It's just that I'm not used to the new you." "So will you do it?" "Rewriting the script. Shooting the movie," He shook his head. "I don't know if I want to do this much work." "This is a director's dream, Gordo! And you are throwing it all away." "It does sound like a plus for everyone" "Come on Gordo," she pestered. "You know you want to do it." Gordo sighed deeply. "How are you so evil and smart?" A big grin came across Kate's face. "So you'll do it?" "As long as I get to 'write' it as you said." She clapped her hands together. "Great! Well, I have to go meet more important people, but I'll see you on the set." "What do you mean?" Gordo asked as he finished up the last of his coffee. "Disney hired me as the stylist." "Per?" "Per Ethan's request. But we both know I'm the best person for the job." "Right," Gordo chortled. "SoUh, what about Lizzie? How is she doing?" Kate let out a smile, but it was bittersweet. "She's doing great, Gordo. She's really making it as a singer. Who would have though that one little trip to Italy would change everything." "For all of us." They both looked down at their hands. "You know she still thinks about you, Gordo."

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He looked up at Kate. "She does?" "She could never forget her best friend." Gordo's head dropped down again. "Well, I kind of let that ship pass." "It's never too late to catch it at the next stop." Gordo let Kate's words bounce around in his head for a minute, but then stopped them. "Nah. We've both moved on with our lives. It's better this way." Kate shook her head as she mumbled to herself, "You guys always had your wires crossed." "What was that?" "UhHow are things going with Parker?" "Fine." Gordo's tone couldn't have been more dry, bland, and unenthusiastic if he had been talking about a piece of cardboard. "Just fine?" Kate remarked. "Haven't you two been living together for the past 3 years?" "Yes. Fine is just the response that people generally want to hear. They don't want to hear if someone is over elated or unhappy." "Gordo. We are friends, and I expect you to cut this 'fine' nonsense out. So I'll ask you again. How are things going with Parker?" Gordo whipped out a big smile and two thumbs up, "GREAT!" Kate smiled smugly. "Much better. Now, I really have to get going, or I'm going to be late. Toodles!" "Bye." Gordo said as he watched Kate walk out of the coffee shop. He waited until he was completely out of sight before he slammed his head into the table. "What have I gotten myself into?" ***** Gordo jumped when his cell phone started ringing a few seconds later, right next to his ear. He glared at the caller ID as he answered the call. "So I see you brought out the big guns." Larry chuckled on the other end. "How could I not?" "Well I said yes." Gordo resentfully admitted.

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"I know." "How do you know?" "Well," Larry said, "I knew that Kate would be able to convince you. That, and she called me." Gordo was impressed. "Already? Her gossiping is an art." "This is great, Gordo. You aren't going to regret this." Gordo then realized that he had no idea what the movie he was soon to be directing was about. If all there was to the plot was Ethan Craft, then he was going to have a heck of a lot of work to do. "So what is this whole story about, anyway?" Gordo heard the other end of the line click and the dial tone began to sound. He looked at his phone in confusion, and jumped again when Larry put his hand on his shoulder. "Let's talk about it over coffee." Larry walked over to the counter and picked up two black coffees to bring back to their table. "Is it that bad?" Gordo asked, accepting the hot drink. Larry thought for a moment about how he should phrase it. "It's workable. You see, there's this girl named Jake Stevens. New to this small suburban town, but she's my kind of girl. Gritty, tough, and has plenty of street smarts." "Since when do you like girls who are gritty, tough, have street smarts?" Gordo wittily remarked, "If I recall correctly, Veruca used to get beat up by that girl in junior high and high school." Larry's lip quivered as he tried to hold back his tears. "Veruca is a mistake of mine and I would appreciate it if you didn't mention her. It brings back the pain." Gordo put his head down as he tried to hold back his laughter. "Okay." "As I was saying," Larry continued. "She comes to this school and all the popular kids hate her." "This sounds so conventional. Let me guess, the popular boy falls for her." "Ryan William Hunter, a.k.a. our friend Ethan. How did you know?" "Hold on, I think I can do this. She ends up with the 'friend' she never knew existed?" "Actually, she falls for the popular guy." "After some ridiculous makeover."

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"No. The studio is very persistent that you keep her punk look for the entire movie." Gordo was shocked to hear the plotline veer away from the normal teen movie mold. "This actually does sound workable." "The lead girl is going to be a pop star wannabe actress." Gordo slapped his hands to his face. "Are you serious? I bet she's going to be horrible. Don't the studios realize that it's a mistake? Have they not seen Crossroads?" "Well Crossroads didn't have a great director like you on board. Plus, what about A Walk to Remember? Critical acclaim up the wazoo for that one." "So she is going to sing." Larry threw his arms up in the air. "Of course. The popular kids ridicule her for her unconventional style, but everyone else thinks it's cool. Their school is having a competition for singers and prom, and she's really, really good. Yet she doesn't win, some popular chick does. Which leaves it up to Mr. Hunter to make it all happen at prom." Gordo nodded in agreement. The ideas were flying through his head, and he was starting to think that he could really pull this off. "Okay, I see what you're saying. Now, who is this pop star?" Larry cleared his throat as he took a sip of his coffee. "You wouldn't know her." "Well, what's her name?" "Elizabeth." Gordo thought for a minute. Elizabeth? He shrugged. "Hmm. I haven't heard of an Elizabeth lately." Larry nodded. "Yeah. She's, uh, kind of new to the scene." "Can she sing?" "Like an angel." Larry grinned. "She's one of my exes." Gordo laughed. "Larry, Veruca is your only ex." Larry smirked and looked slyly at Gordo. "Oh, I've got others." Gordo just shook his head and laughed to himself. "Right." "So I'm making the call." "Go ahead. I really think I can make this work." Confidence was streaming from Gordo's voice. "Where are we going to shoot?"

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"New York." Larry tapped his finger on the table. "Right in your home away from home." Gordo smiled. It just kept getting better. "Perfect." Larry stood up from the table. "Alright. I'm going to make the call." Gordo followed. "You go do that. I'm going to go tell Parker the news." A look of rage came across Larry's face. "Of course. The Ice Queen." Gordo rolled his eyes. "Why do you call her that?" Larry put his hands on his hips. "She started it!" Gordo put a hand up in front of Larry, signaling for him to calm down. "Look, I'll talk to her about that, okay? But you are going to have to be nice to her, too." Larry looked down at his feet as he faintly nodded. "I'll try." "See ya, man." Gordo left the coffee house laughing and shaking his head, as Larry called after him. "See ya!" ***** Larry watched as Gordo walked down the street, and once he was completely out of sight, he pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed Kate's number. "You did it!" he exclaimed. "Was there ever any doubt?" "Of course not, your royal evilness." Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, Ethan chimed in on the conversation. "Wait. What did you guys do?" Larry was walking down the street, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Ethan's voice. "Ethan?" "We're on three-way." Kate explained. Larry grinned as he started walking again. "Score." Trying hard to pretend she didn't hear what Larry had just said, she continued. "So does he know?" "That Lizzie is the major pop star? No. He asked me who she was and I just told him her name was Elizabeth." "I hate to say this, Larry, but that is masterful. You actually told the truth."

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"What are you guys talking about?" Ethan asked. "He said she was Elizabeth. Isn't Lizzie doing the movie with me?" As Larry chuckled to himself on the other end, Kate calmly explained the situation to Ethan. She was used to it. "Ethan, Lizzie is Elizabeth." "I don't get it. How is Lizzie Elizabeth?" Kate usually gave up after the first try. "You're right Ethan. What were we thinking? Larry lied to Gordo so that he would do the movie." And she always found a way to insult him in the process. It was just too easy. Ethan smiled. He loved being right. "That's what I thought, dude." Kate gasped. "Do you think I'm a dude? Because I am so not a dude. Can a dude dress as fashionably as I do? Do you think - " Ethan interrupted her. "Kate, I didn't mean it that way." "And now you're interrupting me? I have never! Ugh!" "That's my cue to hang up." Larry said to himself. "I can't believe you just interrupted me!" "Honey, I was just trying to apologize." Larry smiled as he hung up the phone. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cab pulling up to the curb, and quickly ran to go claim it as his own. He made it just in time, and as he dialed the number of the Disney offices, he saw the old lady he had pushed out of the way shaking her fist at the departing taxicab. ***** Gordo walked into his apartment and shut the door behind him. "I did it." Parker was sitting on their couch, reading a magazine, and didn't even bother to look up when she heard Gordo come in the door. "Did what, honey?" she asked as she flipped the page. Gordo took off his coat and threw it on the counter. "I decided to take the deal with Disney." Parker finally looked up from her magazine with a big smile on her face. "Oh, I knew you would! This is the best thing that has ever happened to us! And you know, I normally don't agree with Larry, but when he told me about this I knew you couldn't pass it up." Parker seemed to be much more excited than Gordo was about what was supposed to be his once in a lifetime opportunity. "Larry and his big mouth are sure getting around these days."

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"He just mentioned the deal to me. Well, that and the fact that you get to hire your own assistant." Gordo became a tad more excited as he considered the possibilities. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone that would want to do it, do you?" He joked, knowing very well that Parker wanted the job. She playfully hit him, "You better hire me, or you'll be sleeping on the couch, buddy." Gordo put his arms around Parker and gave her a kiss. "I wouldn't hire anybody else." "So do you know who is going to be in the movie?" Parker asked. "Um," Gordo thought back to the conversation that he had with Larry at lunch. "Some pop star named Elizabeth. And, oh! Get this. Ethan Craft." A disgusted look came over Parker's face. "Ethan Craft?" "What? Bad images of your ex coming back to you?" Parker shuddered. "Ugh. Don't even call him that. I swear his dancing haunts me in my sleep." Gordo chuckled. "Yeah, but he is a nice guy." "Right," Parker said. "He's just not the smartest guy. After all, I hear he's still dating 'Queen of the Snobs' Kate Sanders." "Kate isn't a snob." Parker couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of Gordo's mouth. If she had been drinking a glass of water, she surely would have spit it out by now. But Gordo corrected himself, "ANYMORE. She's actually become quite mature. She's the one who talked me into the deal." "Just because she was nice once doesn't make up for the lifetime of snubbing she gave me and everyone else at our school." "Believe me," Gordo said. "She's changed. She's actually going to be the wardrobe gal." An evil gleam overcame Parker's eyes. "So I'll be above her? Right?" Gordo sighed. "Come on, Parker. Please play nice. And I happen to know that Kate has an excellent eye for clothing, so let her do all that stuff. It is her forte." Parker reluctantly conceded with a shrug and a nod, and proceeded to jump up and down in excitement. "This is going to be great, Gordo!" *****

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"So they finally secured a director for that movie of yours." Kate sat on Lizzie's couch, filing her nails, while Lizzie stood in the kitchen making herself a salad. "Really?" Lizzie asked, getting the salad dressing out of the refrigerator. "Who is it?" "Some guy named David. Anyway, in a week the cast is going to come together and meet with the crew to begin the whole movie process." As Lizzie poured the salad dressing on her lunch, she shook her head. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this. I never wanted to be an actress." "It's the next logical step in your career. Besides, you up on stage is kind of like acting. I've seen you. You become a whole different person." Lizzie sighed deeply as she sat down at her table. "Nonetheless, I'm still kind of nervous about this. I mean, I just put out my first album. Sure, it's a big success, but if I flunk on this acting thing then my second album might not do so well, and I can just forget about being a singer. Oh great, I won't be a singer anymore and then some accountant of mine will cheat me out of all of my money and I'll be poor and I'll end up - " "Working as the fry cook as McDonalds." Lizzie and Kate said in unison. "I swear, McGuire, you need some new material." Lizzie chuckled to herself as she took a bite of her salad. "Okay. We have been spending way too much time together." She paused so she could swallow her food. "So where did you go this afternoon, anyway?" "Oh," Kate said, nonchalantly, "I actually ran into Gordo and we had some coffee." Lizzie's fork stopped midway to her mouth. "Gordo? Umhow is he?" "He's looking good. Not as good as Ethan, mind you, but pretty good for Gordo." The fork still hovered in front of Lizzie's face. "And?" "He's still living with her." Lizzie placed the fork down on her plate and took a sip of her water. "Oh. Well, it's not like I care or anything." Kate laughed. "Oh shut up, Lizzie. I know you care." "I only slightly care." Kate gave Lizzie a look. "Okay. I care a lot."

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Kate stood up from the couch and went to join Lizzie at the table. "Well he asked about you." Lizzie's head perked up for a moment. "He did?" But then she quickly shook the perkiness away. "Why am I dwelling on this? Gordo and I have both moved on with our lives. We are on two separate paths, and if I start to think about himNo, I can't. I have to concentrate on this acting thing." Lizzie stood up from the table and emptied her bowl of salad, that she had only taken a few bites of, into the trash. "You know, McGuire, you need some kind of love life. Nobody can go through life alone." "There was that one guy in Italy." Lizzie said, as she rinsed off her bowl. "You mean that guy you went out with once? Lizzie, you can hardly call him your boyfriend." "I live vicariously through the tabloids. This week I'm dating that hottie Chad Michael Murray." "Although he is pretty fine piece of man," Kate swooned, "We both know he isn't really your boyfriend. He probably has a girlfriend, anyway." "What hot guy like that wouldn't?" Kate sat in silence for a moment as a plan started to formulate in her head. When she came to her final decision, she spoke up. "I have a proposition for you." Lizzie had sat back down at the table across from Kate. "What is it?" "If you go out on a couple of dates I fix you up on, I'll promise not to bother you anymore about your lack of a love life." Lizzie weighed her options. "How long are we talking here? Forever? Five years?" "More like five weeks, but that's a heck of a lot better than nothing." Lizzie sighed. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this." "Lizzie." Kate said in a serious tone. "Would I ever steer you in the wrong direction?" "Uhyeah." "On purpose since I've been your friend?" "I guess not." Kate smiled. "Well that settles it, then. I'm going to set you up on some blind dates and you have to go on all of them, Lizzie. I can guarantee you that within the next week, you'll see the man of your dreams."

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Lizzie noticed an evil gleam in Kate's eyes. She wasn't so sure if this was the best thing to be agreeing to, considering the fact that it was Kate she was talking to, but in the end, she figured she didn't have anything to lose. Kate tapped through her Palm Pilot. "So you have a week off next week, and a date a day seems like a good pace." "What if the first date is someone I really like?" She stood up from the table and made her way towards the door. "Then we'll dump the rest and you can just stick to guy number one. But regardless, you are going to do this, Lizzie, and you are going to like it!" Kate slammed the door as she exited the apartment. What had Lizzie gotten herself into?

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Chapter 17

It was that same day, and Kate and Ethan sat in a small restaurant having lunch. "So I actually got Lizzie to agree to go out on these blind dates." Kate said with a hint of pride. Ethan was about to take a sip of his Shirley Temple, but he quickly put it back down on the table as he sighed. "I don't get it. You want her to go out on dates with other guys? I thought you wanted her to get back together with Gordo." "Ethan. Follow me here. We set her up with some of your loser buddies, and 'poof!' She realizes that no guy out there is as great as Gordo." "But I don't have any guy friends." Ethan nodded with a smile on his face, "I'm a ladies man." "Correction. You are a one lady man." "Okay." Ethan sorted things out in his head. "So, you want Lizzie to go out with other guys." Kate smiled as Ethan caught on, "Exactly." He shook his head, "Man, that is one complicated plan." "It isn't a complicated plan. My dad simply informed me that Disney was looking for a hot new director, and I of course told him about Gordo. They loved him, and since I knew that they were searching for a director for your movie, I figured that this was how I would get Lizzie and Gordo together." Ethan's eye started to twitch as he rubbed his forehead, "Too much information at once. Oooh. Brain freeze." Kate reached over and pet Ethan on the head, "Oh, I'm sorry, honey. I forgot how sensitive your mind is."

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Ethan lightly shook his head as his brain freeze went away. "So who are you going to set her up with?" ***** "So you're Lizzie McGuire the singer?" Lizzie nodded as she sat in a fancy restaurant with Date #1. "Yup." "Well, it's your lucky night, because I am a fabulous singer, too. Check this out." He cleared his throat, "'Oops I did it again. I played with your heart, got lost in the game'" Lizzie promptly stopped him before he could go any further. "Wow." "I know, I'm the best singer of all time. You don't need to tell me that. And look at these muscles!" Lizzie's date pulled up his sleeve and flexed. "Aren't they huge?" It strained Lizzie's face to hold the fake smile that she had been wearing since the date began, "Yeah. Huge." They weren't all that huge. "And my smile! People tell me that I have the best smile." Lizzie groaned as she slammed her head into the table. ***** "You know, pop singers sell their soul to God." Lizzie gave Date #2 a once over, and couldn't believe that the guy wasn't Marilyn Manson's twin. "That's me. A soul seller." "God is exploiting your many talents. You should come join me on the dark side where your soul shall be rejoiced." Lizzie buried her face in her hands, "I hate Kate." "Good start." ***** "Look, look, look! I'm a walrus!" Lizzie looked up from her plate as she heard the goofiest laugh come from the other end of the table. The owner of the laugh? A man with straws hanging down from his mouth. Like a walrus. "You sure are."

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The man guffawed, "I'm not really a walrus! I just put these straws in my mouth. See?" Date #3 pulled the straws out of his mouth and held them up in front of Lizzie's face. "Wow." She smacked her forehead, "And here I was, thinking that you were really a walrus." He bounced in his seat, "Wanna hear me belch the National Anthem?!" Lizzie held up her hand to a waiter that was passing by, "Check please." ***** After three consecutive nights of dates, Lizzie came home and slammed the door behind her. She threw her coat and purse on the table, picked up the phone, and dialed Kate's number with so much force that she nearly broke the phone. The phone rang at Kate's apartment, and before she even had the chance to say hello, Lizzie jumped down her throat. "Do you know me at all?" "Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What are you talking about?" "All of those guys you set me up with were completely insane! The first guy was ridiculously vain, the second guy was a scary devil worshipper, and the last guy was a walrus!" There was a long pause on Kate's end of the line. "Have you been smoking the crack or something?" Lizzie sighed, "No. The last guy did the whole 'straws in the face to look like a walrus' trick. As if that was going to impress me, or something." "Okay, I see your point." "The guy was dumber than Ethan." "Oh, come on. Isn't that a little harsh? I mean, Ethan does have street smarts." Lizzie shook her head. Kate was so blinded by the shine of Ethan's hair that she still couldn't accept the fact that he was downright stupid. Would she ever get it? "Someday, Kate. Someday." "Look, Lizzie," Kate said. "I'm just setting you up with some guys. Dating is hit and miss, and these guys happened to be misses. It's not like I'm just going to hand you over some Gordo clone." "Why not? We both know I felt fine with Gordo." Kate smiled, "You felt more than fine." "Wellexactly. Even more reason to give me a guy like him."

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Kate decided to push the conversation a little further, hoping to get a full-on discussion about Gordo. "Remind me again why that didn't work out?" "We decided to not see each other because of the whole distance thing." "What's stopping you now?" Lizzie was confused, "What are you talking about?" "He lives in New York too, you know." "He has a girlfriend." Lizzie replied morbidly. Kate chuckled, "So? It's Parker McKenzie. Didn't she dump him because he's a tad on the shorter end of the scale?" Lizzie smiled as she thought of Gordo. "I like that about him. I didn't have to break my neck to kiss him." Mission accomplished. "Aha! You still like him." "Aha nothing." Kate rolled her eyes, "Well it could be an aha if you let it be, but apparently you are too bitter for that." "I am not bitter." There was a long pause between the two of them. "Okay, maybe I'm a little bitter. But look at it from my point of view. We both have this great friendship, and he ONLY has to write me a letter every two weeks. Yet he misses one. And I would probably be over it by now if the letter had come a few days later, and he had a good excuse for why he was late, but I got nothing. I don't think I can ever get over that. He stopped caring, and if I ran into him now, I don't think I could handle it." "Yeah, but time has passed, and time heals all wounds." "No," Lizzie said, "Not all wounds. I just don't feel like I'm going to find somebody as good as Gordo was." "You will." Lizzie shook her head. "You and Ethan have been together for the past six months without breaking up, and you've been going 'strong' since high school. That is five years of valuable relationship time. Anita has her boyfriend Steve and even Matt has Melina. I have nobody. I'm going to end up calling my mom and dad on Saturday nights looking for something to do. We'll probably end up doing decoupage." Kate laughed to herself, but not loud enough for Lizzie to hear. "You aren't going to be doing decoupage on Saturday nights with your parents, Lizzie. You are a

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beautiful, talented young woman who has about 100 more years left to live. So why don't you start living them?" Lizzie thought back to her last three lively nights, "If you had gone out on those dates, you would realize why I don't want to be living them. Besides, with the movie coming up and my new album, I can't afford to spend time with guys." Kate scoffed, "You are a workaholic." "No," Lizzie calmly disagreed, "I just work really hard. There is a difference. To stay alive in this business, you have to keep yourself busy 24/7." "Just promise me you won't let this take over your life." "This IS my life, Kate. It has to be my priority." "Would you date someone if you worked with them?" Kate asked. "What are you talking about?" "Well, what if you liked someone that was on the crew?" Lizzie thought for a second, "Well I guess if I really liked him I'd date him when I had the time." Kate smiled. "Are you just saying that to please me or do you really mean it?" Lizzie chuckled softly, "I really mean it." Kate's smile got even bigger as she replied in a sing-song voice, "I'm going to hold you to that!" "Fine, but chances are we aren't going to find any one guy on the crew that I would like enough to date." "I wouldn't be too sure of that." For the millionth time during their friendship, Lizzie started getting suspicious of Kate, "I have this feeling that you're up to something, Kate. So when I find out, and I will find out, I'm going to tell Larry your house number." Kate gasped, "Lizzie McGuire! I would never do that to you." "But I would do it to you." "I personally, I myself, alone, I am not up to something." Lizzie checked her clock, and realized that she didn't have the time or the patience to get to the bottom of Kate's suspicious behavior. "I have to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day." "Yeah, we're all going to get together with the director and officially start the movie. Are you nervous?"

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"Kind of. I mean, I'm not the one to be the actress, you know? I just hope this guy is cool and understands that I'm new to the acting world." "I'm sure this guy will know that." "You seem pretty confident." "Everyone is charmed by you. Just don't lose that good girl image you have going on." Lizzie laughed, "Oh I won't." "Goodnight, Lizzie." "Goodnight." Kate hung up the phone as Ethan walked into their bedroom. "Who was that, sweetie?" Kate got into bed, "Just Lizzie." "Did her dates go well?" Ethan checked himself out in the mirror. "Nope." "I'm sorry to hear that." "Ethan," Kate said. "We didn't want them to go well. Remember?" "Oh yeah! So she'd get back together with Gor-don." Kate looked up at the ceiling with a smile. "He understood me. There is a God." "Tomorrow is the day they see each other," Ethan pointed out as he got into bed. "For the first time in almost two years." "Do you think she's going to be mad?" Kate laughed, "As sure as I am that we're the hottest couple in the western hemisphere." She turned off the light, "Let the games begin." ***** The next morning, all the cast and crew of Lizzie, Ethan and Gordo's movie were gathered together in a studio in New York City. Everyone from the coffee gopher to Lizzie McGuire herself was there to meet and greet one another. "Wow," Lizzie said to the girl working at the coffee table. "I can't believe it takes so many people to work on a movie."

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"I've been in this business for quite a while. It's pretty shocking how many people they need to pull this off." Kate walked over to the coffee table, "Excuse us. Can I steal Lizzie away for a second?" The coffee girl smiled, "No problem." "Nice talking to you," Lizzie looked at the girl's nametag, "Lauren. I look forward to working with you." Lizzie and Kate walked over to a separate corner of the room. "So what did you need to talk to me about?" Lizzie asked. "I was just making sure you were going to keep your promise." "Uh, which one?" "If someone on this crew was someone you were interested in, then you would go out with them." "Okay, I promise." Lizzie looked down at her watch, "This director guy is like a half an hour late. How rude. Look how many people he's keeping." "He's probably just stuck in traffic or something." "Well still, these people are nice, and I'm sure they have better things to do with their time than just sit here. Who is this guy, anyway? Is he famous?" Kate stammered, "Yeah, you know of him." Lizzie started to get excited. It would be pretty cool to work with a big-name director in her first motion picture. "Really? Who is it?" Kate gulped, "Uh" She noticed another snack table to her right, and quickly grabbed a large piece of bread off a platter and stuffed it in her mouth. Forget carbs, this was an emergency. "Damhfd Goarun." "Who?" Kate chewed and swallowed the bread, which tasted so good, and looked down at her shoes as she prepared for the biggest explosion she would ever experience in her entire life. "David Gordon." Lizzie stared at Kate.

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Kate stared at her shoes. Where was the explosion? All of the sudden Lizzie started laughing, "You know, that's really not funny. You know why it's not funny? It's not funny because you could actually be serious. Oh my God, you're serious." Kate nodded, "I'm serious." Kate tried to sneak away, but Lizzie grabbed her arm and swung her right back around. "WHAT?!? Are you kidding me?!" Everyone in the room turned around, suddenly overwrought with concern for Lizzie's sanity, but Lizzie couldn't care less. She continued to look angry, nonetheless ignoring the peering faces that surrounded them. Kate shamefully shook her head no, as she spotted a curly-haired man walk into the room behind Lizzie. She pointed at him. Lizzie's eyes widened as she slowly turned around to find herself face to face with David Gordon. Gordo was just as surprised. He nearly choked on his tongue. They both pointed at the other, "You? What are you doing here? I asked you first!" Gordo spoke up, "I'm the director." He suddenly had an epiphany, "And let me guess, you're Elizabeth, the rising pop star." Lizzie groaned, "And you're David. KATE!" "LARRY!" Kate and Larry were now standing right next to each other, grinning wildly. "Yes?" Lizzie looked at Kate, "You knew?! How could you not tell me?" Gordo looked at Larry, "And how could you not tell me?" Kate shrugged, "What are you talking about?" Larry shook his head, "We kept nothing from you." Kate looked at Gordo as she pointed to Lizzie, "This is Elizabeth McGuire." And Larry looked at Lizzie as he pointed to Gordo, "And this is David Gordon." Kate smiled, "No lies." Lizzie shook her head, "I knew you were up to something." Gordo stared Larry down, "I should've known after you and Kate wanted to have

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coffee with me." Gordo and Lizzie pointed to each other as they both exclaimed, "I can't work with him!" her!" Ethan had just walked into the room, fashionably later than the already late Gordo. He walked up behind the two reunited 'friends' and put his arms around them. "Gordon, my man! What is up? Hey," he said, raising his eyebrows at Lizzie. "I see you and Lizzie hooked up." Gordo glared at Ethan, "Did you know, too?" Ethan grinned, "Of course, man. I always get to approve of my leading ladies, and when Lizzie's name came up, I couldn't say no." Gordo looked away. "You should have - " he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Lizzie broke free from Ethan's hug to face Gordo, "Excuse me? What was that? I'll have you know that I was on this project long before your name ever got attached to it." "Oh yeah? Well what ever happened to Lizzie McGuire's 'I could never be an actress, I can't even remember the lyrics to Jingle Bells' schpiel?" Lizzie's face got closer to Gordo's, "What about the Gordo I knew who would 'never sell out to a major corporation that promotes greed and massive unnecessary material consumption?'" It had become a stare-down. "An elephant never forgets!" Their foreheads were almost touching. Lizzie gasped, "UGH! WellA - a weasel only remembers the bad stuff!" "That doesn't even make sense!" "Oh yes it does! TO SMART PEOPLE!" Larry turned to Kate, "Okay, let's take them to their corners." Kate nodded, "I agree." Kate took hold of Lizzie and Larry did the same to Gordo. The others in the room were wondering what the commotion was all about, and were hoping that they weren't going to have to deal with that kind of scene every day on the set. Most of them didn't understand how a nice, sweet girl like Lizzie could turn into a vicious wildcat when faced with the director. Gordo had the power to hire and fire people at a moment's notice, so they weren't about to revolt for Lizzie's sake.

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Kate tried her hardest to calm Lizzie down, even though she knew it wasn't going to work. "Okay, you seriously need to chill out." "Chill out? Chill out? You want ME to chill out? Tell him to chill out!" "Lizzie, come on. You and Gordo need to pull back the claws. At least in front of the crew." Lizzie's face was bright red, "He is such a - UGHH!" Larry did his best to contain Gordo's anger on the other end of the room, despite the fact that it was clearly a wasted effort. "Cool down, man. Lizzie is just one of your exes. You guys were best friends once. What's up with that? Not Gordo character at all." "She made me the villain after I wrote her the love letter and she didn't write me back. I can't believe her! She is such a - UGHH!" "Gordo. This is your first major movie. If you clash with the star, you clash. There's nothing you can do about that. I don't want you quitting just because you guys don't get along. You need to do this picture or the entire deal is off." Gordo sighed as he started to calm down, "Just keep her away from me, okay?" Larry nodded, "Will do." Kate had waited for a minute in order to let Lizzie cool her jets a bit. "Are you calming?" Lizzie nodded, "I'm calming." Anita walked up behind Lizzie and Kate, somewhat afraid for her life, but too curious to really care. "I haven't seen a fight like that since someone brought a gummy bear backstage at the Calvin Klein runway." Lizzie shook her head, "You should back out of this movie now, Anita. The director is a psycho." Anita raised an eyebrow, and looked at Kate for confirmation. "He is? Well, I think you both have taken your share of crazy lately." "He's Gordo." Kate said. Anita's jaw dropped, "The Gordo?" Kate rolled her eyes, "How many Gordo's do you know?" "Good point." Anita turned to Lizzie, "Is this going to be a problem for you?" Lizzie threw her arms up in the air, "Yes! And it should be a problem for you, too! You are one of my very good friends and you are a great actress. You'll find other acting jobs. We'll find others together. Let's revolt!"

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Anita sighed, "Lizzie, you know I'm doing this movie for you. I'm a famous actress, a famous model, and I'm also a good friend of yours. And as all of those things, I really think you should do this. By going off and running away you'd just be letting this Gordo guy know that he has won. You know? That he can phase you and push your buttons. But you are your own woman, Lizzie McGuire." Lizzie cracked a smiled, "I am." "So go over there and let's start this meeting!" Lizzie nodded as her smile got bigger, "I'm going to! I'm going to march right over there and start this meeting!" Lizzie started to walk over, but quickly turned back around. "Just as soon as I go throw up." Kate stood with Anita as they watched Lizzie run off to the bathroom. "Good speech," Kate commented. "Thanks." Kate pointed in the direction of the bathroom. "At least her hair is pulled back in a bun." Anita nodded, "Yeah." Kate and Anita looked at each other, and headed over to the meeting. ***** Lizzie sheepishly came out of the bathroom and into the meeting room to find Gordo standing at the front of the table, and everyone else with their eyes on her. She quietly took her seat. As Gordo began speaking again, their eyes turned to him. "Okay, now that everyone is here, let's get started. My name is David Gordon, you can call me Gordo, and I will be directing this picture. The movie is starring Ethan Craft and newcomer pop star suddenly turned actress even though she never wanted to be one, Lizzie McGuire." Lizzie gave Gordo a death stare and raised her hand. "I would just like to say, that I never said I didn't want to be an actress. I just didn't think I could do it well, but now I think I can actually accomplish it." "Yeah," Ethan spoke up. "She can walk and talk at the same time." There was silence throughout the room. In response to Gordo, in response to Lizzie, and in response to Ethan. "Okay." Gordo said. "Well. Now that Lizzie has finished with her little outburst, we

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can get started on the schedule for thisthis - uh - this movie." Gordo found himself sneaking glances at Lizzie out of the corner of his eye. He could barely concentrate on what he was saying, and was sure that he was about to flub his speech and say Lizzie's name instead of what he had already planned out. "First, a lot of these shoots are going to be on location, so we are going to need to do some L-," he cleared his throat, "Some late nights. I want people to be prepared for that." He sighed. That was a close one. "Now, are there anyanyany questions?" No one in the room raised their hand, too confused to have anything to say. "Good." Gordo said, sorting out his papers. "Get to know each other, folks. We are going to be working with each other for the next few months." ***** Gordo grabbed Larry by the arm and dragged him into one of the other rooms. For what felt like the first time since he had seen Lizzie, he let out his breath. "Could that have gone any worse?" Larry looked at Gordo with concern. His friend was starting to fall apart at the seams. But Lizzie wasn't any better. She had pulled Kate into one of the neighboring rooms and started her rant. "Oh my gosh, I have never been so uncomfortable in my entire life." Kate put her hands on Lizzie's shoulders in an effort to calm her down. "Lizzie, it was the first time you guys have seen each other. I'm not surprised." Although Lizzie and Gordo had grown up, their whole insecurity bit was still as strong as ever, and Larry and Kate were getting fed up with it. Larry pat Gordo on the back, "You need to relax. Things will be smooth from here on out." "I can't go through with this," Gordo replied. "She is just constantly on my mind. Did you hear me out there? I sounded like an idiot! I am supposed to be the director of this movie, the boss, and now I can't even face those people." In the other room, Lizzie paced back and forth. "Did you see him embarrass me like that? Seriously, did you see? He has all the power, and I've got nothing!" Gordo threw his arms up in the air, "She's got all the power!"

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Lizzie and Gordo smacked their hands to their faces, "What am I going to do?" Kate sat Lizzie down in a chair, "Suck it up, Lizzie, and act professionally. This isn't the end of the world." Larry put his arm around Gordo, "Just stick to it, man. You can do it." Lizzie shook her head, "I can't believe you knew about this." Gordo shook his, "And you didn't even tell me." They both pointed at their respective friends as they headed towards the door, "You owe me." Lizzie and Gordo opened their respective doors, walked into the hallway, and once again found themselves face to face. They stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually looked away. They both huffed and stormed down opposite ends of the hallway. ***** Larry and Kate met in the same hallway, but didn't have nearly the same reaction that Lizzie and Gordo had. "You know," Larry said, "They are going to either hate each other or love each other by the end of this movie. It could go either way." "Let's hope it is the latter. If we have another day like this, though" Larry raised a hand, "I'm on Gordo." Kate nodded, "And I'm on Lizzie." "So what's Ethan's job?" "To be himself. Ethan, in his stupidity, can see or say things that most intelligent people wouldn't." Larry raised an eyebrow, "And that's a good thing?" "Sometimes things just need to be said aloud." "And sometimes when he opens that mouth of his he gets us in deep trouble." Kate scoffed, "He knows better this time. Trust me." Larry and Kate stood in the hallway for a moment when suddenly Kate realized something. "You know what? We are such good friends to Lizzie and Gordo!" "I know!" Larry exclaimed. "I wish I had friends as good as us."

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But Kate sighed, "Do you think we're in over our heads?" Larry shrugged, "A little bit. It wouldn't hurt to have some assistance." "Hmm" Kate pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial 3. After a few seconds of ringing, she simply said, "It's an emergency." She closed her phone and gave Larry a confirming nod, "Backup is on its way." Kate turned around and jumped in surprise when she found Melina standing in her face. "So, what's the emergency?" "How the heck did you get here so fast?" Kate said, her heart beating a million miles per second. Larry folded his arms, "Wow. She is THAT good." Kate nodded in agreement with Larry. Melina rolled her eyes at just how stupid people could be. "No, you morons. I was here already. Matt and I were invited." "By who?" Kate asked. "Do I have to explain everything? By Ethan, of course. You know he can't be in this movie without his stunt double, Matt McGuire." "Oh yeah." Larry remembered. But Kate thought for a minute, something that Larry didn't find necessary to do. "Ethan isn't doing any stunts in this film." "No, there is this one part where someone has to pull his hair, so he wanted Matt there instead just to make sure he didn't lose any." For the first time in her life, Kate found herself glad that she would be in the presence of Lizzie's annoying little brother. "Thank God! If Ethan ever goes bald," she gasped. "No. I don't even want to imagine it." She looked around, expecting to see Matt right behind Melina. "So where is Matt, anyway?" "He didn't want Lizzie to be paranoid in his presence, so he decided he'd rather go hang out with Jet Li over at his place. Now, what was the emergency?" Kate led Larry and Melina into one of the rooms so that she could explain what was going down. She took a deep breath as she began, "Operation 'Get Lizzie and Gordo Back Together' hasn't been going so well. When they first met up again, I thought for sure they'd do that doe-eyed shy routine, but obviously I was wrong. They ended up yelling at each other in front of the entire crew."

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"Wait, wait, wait," Melina stopped her. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Lizzie and Gordo, here? Those two couldn't yell in public if it meant saving a bus full of 2nd graders with puppies." "Apparently they have it in them. I guess they are both more hurt than they thought." Melina rolled her eyes. Much like everyone else, this Lizzie and Gordo thing was starting to get on her nerves. "This is the LAST time that I'm going to do this. I don't want to get the reputation of being someone who 'helps' people." Kate nodded, "I know what you mean." Larry raised his hand, "Yeah! Me too!" Kate and Melina gave Larry a look. "Oh, I'm bad when I want to be. You just don't realize it. I'm THAT bad." Melina slammed her fist down in front of Larry as he jumped back in fear. "Listen Mr. Daisy-May-Goody-Two-Shoes. I'm in charge of this operation from now on, and let's get one thing straight. I'm the bad one in the group, and don't you forget it." Kate snickered as she watched Melina nearly make Larry cry, "So, do you have any suggestions for us?" "Since I'm the boss, and I'm the smartest person here, it would be an intelligent move to go by MY plans. Here is what we're going to do."

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Chapter 18

Somehow, Lizzie had found herself alone in the middle of the cast and crew party of her new movie. She had absolutely no idea where any of her friends were, so she wandered throughout the room all by herself. While meandering around, not paying any attention whatsoever to where she was going, she slammed into somebody. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to - " She looked up. "Parker." Parker smiled unenthusiastically, "Lizzie. How have you been?" "Good." Parker nodded through the uncomfortable silence. "I got your CD. You're a really great singer." "Thanks." Parker cleared her throat, "So, uhI'm Gordo's assistant. We're living together, you know." Lizzie didn't know exactly what emotion she was trying to hold back when she heard those words, but she did know that it was extremely hard to do. Whether it was sadness, anger, or jealousy, the intense emotion that was banging on the door to get out of Lizzie miraculously stayed inside as she smiled pleasantly, "Yeah, I know." "Look, Lizzie," Parker said in a 'tone.' "If you could just take care to not have anymore of those little outbursts like the one you just had back there, it would make this whole experience a heck of a lot better for all of us." Parker promptly turned around and walked away from Lizzie, whose mouth was wide open in shock. Kate walked up a few seconds later, and Lizzie had yet to pick her jaw up off the floor. "Trying to get wrinkles, McGuire?" Lizzie, still staring at the route that Parker had taken to leave the room, partly snapped out of her trance. "Parker just told me not to have anymore little outbursts

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because it's hard on everyone." "Are you serious?" Kate exclaimed. "What a witch!" "Tell me about it." Kate looked at Lizzie who hadn't taken her eyes off the door since she had walked up to her. "And let me guess. You stood there, in true Lizzie fashion, with your mouth hanging open, keeping in all of the things you should have said to her face." Lizzie's stare finally broke as she looked at Kate. "I don't do that!" Kate didn't even have to change her expression before she changed Lizzie's mind. "Okay, well I do it sometimes." There was a silence. "Fine, I do it a lot. But if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all." Kate nodded, "Under any other circumstance, that would be true. But if you have the opportunity to minimize your witchy ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend to the size of a thimble, then it's very much okay to break that rule." Lizzie thought for a moment about the tempting proposition. Boy, was it tempting. "Kate, I - I could never do that." "Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't a certain someone once say that it was impossible to trust the masses because they voted me most beautiful in high school?" "Well, yes, I might have, but that was one comment in response to years of pent up frustration and anger towards you. Parker just started being a dirk to me. There's no way I could say something so mean this early on in the game." Kate rolled her eyes at Lizzie's goody-two-shoes demeanor. "If Parker was bold enough to say something like that to your face, imagine what she has been saying about you behind your back." Lizzie and Kate looked across the room to find Parker, who had re-entered the room, whispering to another member of the crew, pointing and laughing back in Lizzie's direction. Lizzie couldn't believe her eyes, "Well I guess it's settled, then. At some point, later, not any time soon in particular, I'm going to just have to blow up and explode in her face." "It has to be done," Kate agreed. "But for now, I find it best to just bottle up my negative comments." "Oh, of course. So the explosion of the negativity, when it comes, will be that much

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greater." "Yes." Kate turned to her bottled-up friend, "Lizzie." Lizzie turned to Kate, "What?" "This isn't healthy." "Just trust me, Kate. It'll be nastier this way. Right now, I'm in the: 'My outbursts are not as ugly as your face' phase." "Okay, I see your point," Kate said. "To actually get to normal standards, the feelings must be bottled up." Lizzie gave a sharp nod as she headed back into the party, "Exactly." Kate laughed, "Okay, sounds good." ***** Gordo walked up to Larry as he scanned the room, "So, I guess the star has left already." "Nope," Larry said. "But she is avoiding you because she can't take the 'negativity.'" "Yeah, well I can't take hers either." Larry placed his glass down on the table next to him, "You and Lizzie seriously need to lighten up. I mean, for a while, she was all you thought about. Isn't there some part of you that still cares about her like that?" Gordo looked down as he fiddled with his hands, "There will always be a part of me cares about her. It's like some genetic disorder that I can't get rid of, but that doesn't mean that I have to be nice to her all the time. BesidesShe starts it." "Listen to yourself! You're usually the mature one, Gordo. And you just said, 'She started it.'" "She makes me say those things." Larry picked up his drink again and took a sip, "Yeah. I think you should just not talk for the rest of the day." Gordo nodded, "I agree." "Come on," Larry said as he led Gordo across the room. "The least you can do is say hi to some old friends." For the first time in many years, Gordo found himself face-to-face with the dynamic duo, Matt and Melina.

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He smiled as he gave them both hugs, "Hey! How are you guys? What have you been up to?" "We're doing great. I'm currently studying at NYU Law," Melina responded. Gordo thought for a moment as he did the math in his head, "But I just graduated. How did you" "Summer school classes. Instead of the regular 16 credits per semester, I took about 64." Gordo was impressed, "Wow. You're some kind of superwoman." Matt grinned as he put an arm around Melina, "That's my babe." Melina gave Matt a disgusted look as she removed his arm, "Not if you call be 'babe' again." Gordo chuckled softly and shook his head, then turned to Matt, "So what are you up to?" "I have my own stunt coordinator business. The biggest in the city, in fact. I only do stunts for one star, though," Matt pointed across the room. Gordo turned to find that the person Matt was pointing to was none other than Ethan Craft, "Ethan? But, with your hair, don't you have to?" "Wear a wig? Anything for my buddy Ethan." Melina shook her head, "And apparently your buddy Ethan wants you to look like a clown. You should see this thing, Gordo, it has a life of its own. Matt made sure it was made out of Ethan's real hair." "You can't make that kind of perfection from synthesis," Matt said, admiring Ethan's head from afar. "Yeah, but synthesis doesn't make psychos like Ethan's real hair does." Melina turned to Gordo, "When he puts on that wig, I swear his IQ drops at least 100 points." Matt rolled his eyes, "How many times to I have to explain this to you? I need to 'get into character.'" Gordo laughed, "Well, it sounds like you guys have been very successful." Melina smirked, "You had any doubts?" Matt spoke up again, going back to the topic they had been discussing before, "I would just like to clarify, that I, too, am an actor. It's not like I'm obsessed with Ethan. It's quite the opposite, actually." Melina nodded, "He does have a point there. Ethan thinks Matt is the coolest thing since sliced bread."

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"When it comes to reading people, Ethan sure is smart," Matt said. Melina scoffed, "Or not." Gordo waited for one of the two to say something, but they just kept staring each other down. He looked around uncomfortably, but then finally decided he should just go. "Well," he said, "I'll let you guys talk this out, and I'm going to go mingle with some others. It was great seeing you two." Matt and Melina continued to stare at each other, and they didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Gordo or what he was saying. After a few minutes, they finally came out of their stare-down, and searched for Gordo. Melina looked around, "Where did he go?" "Hmm, I don't know." Matt shrugged, "We'll see him later." "You know, even after Lizzie told us what he did, I can't help but still like Gordo. I mean, he's one of those goody-two-shoes nice guys. The Sandra Dee of the male world, if you will." Matt nodded, "He's a great guy. I think Lizzie is just a little oversensitive about the whole issue. So he forgot a letter. He has a life too." "I know what you mean. Sure, I would probably be really pissed off if you did the same thing to me, but she isn't his entire world." Melina looked over at Gordo, who was staring longingly at Lizzie. "Right?" ***** Lizzie walked up to Kate as she took one last sip of her drink, "Come on, let's get out of here. I have some lines to practice." Kate downed the last of her drink as well, and picked up her purse. "Who would have thought that we would become such good friends that I would leave a Hollywood party for you." "You love me. You know it." "Let's get out of here before your head becomes Hollywood size. I can see it happening already." Lizzie and Kate went around the room saying goodbye to Ethan, Larry, Matt and Melina before they headed back to Lizzie's apartment. When they finally arrived back, Lizzie sat down on her couch, "I'm really nervous. In my second week I already have a crying scene. How am I supposed to do that? I've never had to fake cry before in my life."

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Kate rummaged through Lizzie's refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water, "You'll do fine." "I can't even lie, Kate." Kate took a sip of her water as she sat down in the chair across form Lizzie, "But that's the beauty of acting. This girl, Jake, she isn't Lizzie McGuire. At this point in her life, she is feeling pretty lousy, so she starts to cry. You just need to get into the character." Lizzie nodded, "Okay. So, I'm sad because I just saw this guy I like kiss another girl." "Exactly." Lizzie took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she tried to get into character. She waited for a few moments. And waited some more. And then waited yet again. Lizzie shook her head, "And nothing." "Um, hello!" Kate exclaimed. "Dj vu, anyone? Take from real life. Remember when you saw me kiss Gordo?" "Well, yeah, I remember it, but know that I know why you guys did it, I don't remember those feelings anymore. They just don't exist in me, Kate." Lizzie stood up from her couch, "But I seriously need to start believing in myself. I will pull this off tomorrow." "I just pray you aren't turning into some kind of optimist," Kate remarked. Lizzie laughed, "Me? No! It's called acting." "See? You are getting better." ***** A few weeks later, the shooting finally began. The crew was exited and ready to get started, but they had yet to forget the chilling fight between Lizzie and Gordo that had taken place at their very first meeting. Separately, Lizzie and Gordo were both considered extremely nice people. On their first, very cold day of shooting, Lizzie bought the whole crew hot chicken noodle soup, while Gordo made sure that everyone had heaters. They were perfect people to work for; they just couldn't work with each other. During the second week, tensions started to run high once again, and Lizzie and Gordo weren't doing well. They were on the 60th take of Lizzie's infamous crying scene, and she still could not get it. "Cut! Cut!" Gordo groaned as he took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair, "Look, Lizzie. Nobody is going to believe that."

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Lizzie put her head in her hands, "I'm sorry! I'm trying as hard as I can here, but I just can't seem to get this whole crying thing down. Maybe we could just erase it from the script." Gordo laughed at Lizzie's ignorance, "Well, obviously, since you are this pop star turned actress, you don't know anything about making a movie. You can't just erase a part of the script. This is the most important part. This is where we find out that Jake is vulnerable. This is where the audience finally can see past her faade. You can't just 'erase' that part. If you knew anything about acting" "Well why don't you come up here and show me, Gordo, since you're such the expert. You couldn't show, let alone feel this kind of emotion if your life depended on it. I am doing the best I can here, and I'm sorry but this is my first time doing this. So don't go spouting off to me about acting when it isn't even something you do." "I have taken classes, as a matter of fact. A director needs to know about acting in order to direct the actors." "Well then I suggest you go back to Acting 101 because your direction sucks!" "Maybe we should just get a new Jake!" "Maybe we need a new director!" "I need a star that knows what they are doing! A lot of people's careers are riding in this picture, and I don't understand why you have to be so selfish! Just step down and take a supporting role. Here's an idea, why don't you play the evil girlfriend? That's more you. It wouldn't be such a stretch." Lizzie huffed off the soundstage, red with anger, not able to take Gordo's abuse any longer. "Fine," Gordo called after her, "Walk away! Now you'll just be labeled as the difficult star!" He turned to all of the crew, who was completely silent with fear, "Sorry to waste your time, folks, but it seems as though Lizzie McGuire is too big of a star to participate in these activities." Ethan, the only one brave enough to break the chilling silence, walked up to Gordo. "Dude." Gordo shook his head, "I know. She is being so unreasonable." "I think you both need to chill out. Be easy on her, man. This isn't the easiest thing to do." Gordo was shell-shocked by Ethan's seriousness. And for the first time in his life, Gordo started to think that maybe he was, in fact, being more childish than Ethan. *****

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Ethan had followed Lizzie to her trailer, and he knocked on her door. "Who is it?" "It's Ethan. Let me in, Lizzie." Lizzie reluctantly got up and opened the door for Ethan, "Come on in." Ethan followed Lizzie into her trailer, and sat down next to her on the couch. He respectfully waited as Lizzie grabbed a pillow, and put it over her face. "AGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" He pulled the pillow away from her face, "Lizzie, Lizzie. Chill out for a second." "How can I chill out, Ethan? Did you hear what he said to me out there? Could he have been any ruder?" "Well - " Lizzie jumped up as she started pacing back and forth in her trailer, "Like he can be an actor or something. Until I see him cry, I don't want him in my face telling me how easy it is. I can do this, Ethan." "I'm sure you can - " "And he shouldn't be so mean about it. I mean, there was a point in time when we cared about each other. He used to be my best friend, and now" Ethan simply watched as Lizzie once again brought the pillow to her face in frustration. "AGGGGGGGGHHHHH!" "Lizzie, you said some mean things to him, too." She brought her feet up on the couch and curled up with the pillow, "Only in retaliation." "Still, I know Lizzie McGuire, and she isn't this type of person." "I know I'm not, too. I just get so frustrated with him." Ethan clapped his hands together, "Well then let's prove him wrong." Lizzie threw her arms up in the air, "How? You saw me out there. I was going to laugh before I ever shed a tear. This is the most pivotal point in the movie and I can't get it down. If this doesn't work, maybe I should just quit." Ethan took her hands, "Lizzie. You need to be in this movie. You are beyond perfect for this part, and I know you can pull it off. Let me just give you some tips. They might help."

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"I'll take all the tips I can get." "Now, this is a big secret of mine, and I don't want you to tell anybody else about this. Promise?" Lizzie nodded, "I promise." "I just don't want this out before I publish my 'Acting for Smarties' book." "I swear to you, Ethan." "Okay," Ethan rubbed his hands together. "This is what I do when I'm going into a crying scene." He looked around the trailer, the clearly empty trailer, and signaled with his finger for Lizzie to come closer. "Yes?" "...I think of something sad." Lizzie waited for a minute for Ethan to continue, but he just kept on staring. "And?" Ethan shrugged, "That's it." Lizzie backed away, "That's it? That's the big secret?" "Shh! Not so loud!" "So all I have to do is think of something sad." Ethan nodded with a big grin of his face, "See, I think aboutaboutMan, it's so horrible I can't even say it without wanting to cry. But I think you can handle it." Lizzie was wondering what in the world Ethan would think about that would make him want to cry, "What is it?" "Going," he gulped, "bald." Oh. Right. "Going bald? That would be a travesty." Ethan nodded a sad nod, "I know. Just don't tell Kate, because I don't think she would take it as well as you are." "You have my solemn vow that I will keep this entire conversation a secret." Ethan stood up from the couch, ready to get back to work, "So just think of something sad, and you'll be crying like a baby." Lizzie stood up after Ethan, also ready to go back and prove Gordo wrong, "Okay. I'll

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give it a try." ***** After their talk, Lizzie and Ethan finally returned to the set. "Sorry, everyone," Lizzie announced to the crew. "I got my focus back. I promise to make this up to all of you. Tomorrow, smoothies all around!" As the crowd cheered, Gordo approached Lizzie, "Ready?" "Yeah," she said in a challenging tone, "I'm ready." Lizzie took a deep breath and she walked back over to her mark. As she stood there, she tried to get herself into character, but part of her still couldn't let go of Lizzie McGuire. "Okay," she thought to herself, "Think of something sad. Something sad. Bunnies dying, puppies getting run over" Lizzie ran through a list of every single thing she found sad, hoping that maybe something would trigger in her the emotion she was trying so hard to find. She even tried thinking of Ethan balding, but nothing seemed to work. She quickly glanced off set and noticed Gordo, sitting in his director's chair. He was staring intently at the monitor, waiting for her to do something - anything, but she was just standing there. But as soon as Lizzie looked at him, she started to feel something. She saw the friend she used to have, the best friend that had always been there for her when she needed him. There was even a point in her life when Lizzie had loved him more than anything, but nowit was all gone. A tear fell down Lizzie's cheek. She thought about their fighting, and all of the hurtful comments that they had exchanged with each other, and how she would have never even thought of saying those things to him a few years ago. Another tear fell. Before she knew it, Lizzie was standing on the set, sobbing. Even the crew started to get teary-eyed in response to Lizzie's performance. When Lizzie had finally finished the scene, no one said a word. No one could bring themself to speak. Gordo was still staring at the screen, trying his hardest not to cry. Seeing Lizzie upset somehow still killed him inside. "Cut and print," he whispered. "That's a wrap. Time to go home, people!" Gordo could not believe what he had just seen. He was beyond moved by her sudden

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turn-around into a glorious performance. Yet, he found it wrong to call that a performance. All of the other takes before had been Lizzie as Jake, but that last take was Lizzie, and only Lizzie. He knew from her quivering lip to the way the tears fell down her cheeks, that it was the true Lizzie. It was the Lizzie he had come face to face with at the prom. "She is going to be trouble." Parker, who stood next to Gordo, snapped him out of his trance. "Wha - What was that?" "Lizzie. She took 61 takes for that one scene. She is going to delay this movie and give you a bad name. She didn't even do that well, anyway. She was sobbing too much. No one wants to see a girl cry like that." Gordo couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, "Parker, the time that she took for that scene was totally worth it. It came across perfectly. I wouldn't have done it any other way." Gordo shook his head as he stood up from his chair, "I just feel bad for yelling at her. Excuse me." Parker stood there, stunned, as Gordo started to walk away. After he had berated Lizzie in front of the entire cast and crew, suddenly he was praising her? She didn't know what was going on with him, but she knew that she had to get to the bottom of it. "Gordo, where are you going?" Gordo turned around, "I just need to take a walk. You can head home, I'll be there in half an hour or so." "Are you sure?" She started to follow after Gordo, "I can walk with you, honey." "I'm a big boy, Parker. I think I can take a walk by myself." Parker stopped following, "Okay. I'll see you at home." Gordo took off, leaving a perplexed Parker behind. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed some time to think. ***** Lizzie was tidying up a few things in her trailer, when she heard a knock on her door. "I'll be ready in a sec, Kate!" She yelled back. The knocking continued. "Kate, can you just wait a sec? I once waited 2 hours for you to get ready!"

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The next time, the knocking was louder. Frustrated, Lizzie headed towards the door, "Kate!" She swung the door open, "If you need - " To her surprise, the visitor at Lizzie's trailer was very much not who she had thought it was. "Gordo." She said, confused. He faintly smiled, "Hey, Lizzie. Can I come in?" Everything in Lizzie's body stopped, except for her mind, which was racing like crazy. Should she let Gordo in? She would let in her old best friend in a second, but she knew he wasn't that person anymore. Lizzie didn't know if she could trust him. And even though she wasn't up for another round of lecturing, that small part of her that still missed her old best friend couldn't help but falter and move away from the door. "UmYeah, sure." Lizzie stepped aside to let Gordo into her trailer. And although her mind was racing, her heart was beating just as fast, trying to figure out why the heck Gordo was there. To be honest, Gordo himself didn't know what had brought him there, either. He kept replaying the encounters he had with Lizzie earlier that day in his mind, and he still couldn't piece together just why he would want to face her again. "Nice trailer," Gordo commented, looking around. He picked up a framed picture that Lizzie had on her desk. It was of her, Anita, Kate, and Isabella. "Hey," he said, pointing to Anita. "Isn't this girl in the movie?" Lizzie politely snatched the frame from Gordo's hands and placed it back down onto her desk. "It's Anita. She plays Ethan's girlfriend. She is one of the leads. Shouldn't you know everyone by now?" Gordo stammered, "W - Well yeah. I mean, I knew her name was Anita, but I was just making sure - " "Well now you have confirmed that she is indeed Anita." Gordo nodded, hoping the movement of his head would kick his brain into gear and help him think of something to say. "So, did you get her the part?" he asked. "No. She earned the part on her own."

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Gordo shut his eyes as he cursed his stupidity, "No, I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I just - " "Look, Gordo," Lizzie interrupted. "What do you want? I have plans, and - " "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I was hard on you today." Lizzie stopped as she let what Gordo had just said register in her mind. "Uh, what?" Gordo chuckled, "Are you really going to make me say it again?" "No, I just" Lizzie sighed. "It's just that things have been really tense between us lately." "I think we both are to blame for that." Lizzie nodded, "I agree." "And," Gordo continued, "I think it might be best if we just keep our distance from each other. We are going to be working together for the next few months, and I'm sure neither of us can afford to be getting diva-like reputations." Lizzie laughed. After their two epic outbursts, she was wondering if they still had reputations left to salvage. "Sounds good. From now on, I will try and respect your decisions." "And I will respect yours." For a few moments, Lizzie and Gordo stood, silent, in Lizzie's trailer, half-smiles on their faces. The second Gordo noticed himself start to bounce on his heels, he quickly nodded, and headed for the door. But much to his surprise, Lizzie touched his arm and stopped him from leaving the trailer just yet. "I also wanted to say I'm sorry for all the things I've said lately. It was wrong of me to assume things that I shouldn't assume." Gordo smiled, "I'm sorry, too." The two looked towards the door as they heard a knock, and watched as Kate entered Lizzie's trailer. "Hey, Lizzieand Gordo." She scoffed, "Well, well, well. Mr. Hot Shot Director has found time for his humble little actress." Gordo nervously pointed towards the door, as he found himself, once again, bouncing on his heels. "I was just leaving." Lizzie nodded, "He was just leaving." "I'm sure he was." Kate stared at Gordo, waiting for him to leave, "Well? Buh-bye.

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Off with you." Kate waved her hand, shooing Gordo away. "Nice seeing you too, Kate," Gordo muttered as he left the trailer, and Kate shut the door behind him. She immediately turned to Lizzie, "What was that?" "What was what?" "Uh, Sir Bouncy-Pants in your trailer. I heard what he said to you today. He has no right to talk to you like that. I don't care who he is, I don't care who he thinks you are; he shouldn't treat people like that." Lizzie plopped down on her couch and picked up a magazine, "Kate, chill out. Gordo came to apologize to me, and I apologized to him." Kate stood there, completely stunned, "You did what?" Lizzie put the magazine down, "Kate, I said some really horrible things you there; things I would only reserve for my worst enemy. And yet, I said them to Gordo." "You did say some harsh things, but - " "No buts, Kate. I was a dirk, and so was Gordo, and we both apologized for it. But for now I think we've come to some kind of understanding. Just stay out of each other's way." She picked up her magazine again, "Thanks for being concerned, though." Kate became uneasy, "Who said I was concerned?" Her tough faade rarely let her softer side surface, but Lizzie knew that Kate really cared. And Lizzie wasn't about to let is show that she knew Kate's secret any time soon, "Not me! Now, come on. Let's get out of here." Lizzie and Kate both gathered their things and headed for the door. "So he actually said sorry to you?" Kate asked. "Yep," Lizzie replied as she closed the door to her trailer. "And you said sorry to him." "Yep." "So, does this mean we are cool with Gordo?" "Nope." Kate stopped, "No? Why no?"

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"Just because I forgave him for this stuff doesn't mean I'm going to forgive him for writing me off. Literally." Kate thought for a minute, "Actually, it was more like not writing you off." Lizzie rolled her eyes and kept walking, "Oh that's great. Let's just pour salt on the wounds. Let's just make them bleed more." "Lizzie, you need to get over that," Kate said as she followed behind. "There is no way I will ever get over it." "What are you going to do, dwell on it for the rest of your life?" Lizzie thought about it for a second. "Pretty much." Kate scoffed, "Oh, that's healthy, McGuire." Lizzie grinned, "You know me. Poster Child for the sane." After walking in silence for a while, Kate spoke up again, "You know, Gordo is a pretty cool guy." "You don't need to tell me that," Lizzie said. "And I think this whole movie would run smoothly if you and Gordo were friends again." "We'll never get to that point again, Kate. We just came to an understanding which I'm sure will be broken soon, anyway." "All I'm asking you to do is try." Lizzie stopped walking, "And I'll I'm saying is no. There is no way in a million years that David Gordon and Lizzie McGuire would be friends again. There is just no way." As Lizzie walked ahead, Kate still stood there, smiling evilly to herself. "That's what you think, Lizzie."

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Chapter 19

Gordo made his way back to the soundstage and he settled into his director's chair. As he held his hat in his hands, he wondered exactly why he had apologized to Lizzie. He didn't know the answer, but he knew that it was something that he had to do. He jumped at the sound of Larry behind him, "What are you still doing here?" Gordo turned around to look at Larry, and then back at the set, "Just looking." "So," Larry said as he sat down in a chair next to Gordo, "How does it feel to be Mr. Big Time Director?" A faint smile came over Gordo's face, "It feels really good. I can't believe I'm the director off all this." Larry looked over the beautiful set, "I can." As they both sat together, basking in the glory of their first big-time feature film, Larry turned once again to Gordo, "Why are you really here, man?" "I just wanted to take all of this in. I don't know," he buried his face in his hands, "I need some time to think." "Think about what?" "Justhow did things get so complicated? Remember the days when our biggest concern was trying to decide between red or orange Popsicles?" Larry scoffed, "Red or orange? Red or orange? What about purple? You know, the purple - slash - grape Popsicle is one of the most popular flavors. A very underrated flavor, and I'll say it, the BEST flavor!" "Larry, Larry! It is okay. Calm down. When I said orange I really meant purple." Larry breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as you include purple, man. We need the purple."

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Reverting back to his original point, Gordo quickly tried to forget the Popsicle related comment that had interrupted his thoughts, "But do you know what I'm walking about?" "Yeah, I think I do." "I just want things to be simpler." Larry's attention moved from Popsicles to his troubled friend in a matter of seconds, which was a personal best for him, "What is this all about, Gordo?" Gordo swiftly shook his head and stood up from his chair, placing the hat back on his head, "You know what? Nothing. I'm just stressing out because of the movie. We are already behind." Gordo caught a glimpse of his watch, an suddenly realized that he was late to meet a certain someone back at their apartment, "I have to go. I told Parker I was going to be home a half an hour ago." "Gordo, we should seriously talk about what's on your mind." He grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, "I've got to go, Larry." Gordo ran out of the room towards the parking lot, leaving Larry sitting on the set, shaking his head. ***** Gordo surprised himself when he made it back to his apartment in ten minutes flat. Those extra hours at the gym were really starting to pay off. Oh, who was he kidding? He never went to the gym. He was just terrified of what might happen if he were eleven minutes late coming back home, so he ran as fast as his scrawny little legs would allow him to. He ran into his home, huffing and puffing, "Hey," he said as he caught his breath, "Honey." Parker immediately stood up from the couch, "Gordo, I was worried. You said you were going to be home an hour ago." "I know. I just got tied up at the set." She took his jacket off and hung it up on the coat rack, "You're sweating. Did you run here?" "No. Uhwe - uh, yeah." Parker gave Gordo an understanding look as she put her hands on his shoulders, "Gordo. Next time just call." As Gordo relaxed on the couch, he was relieved at how well Parker had taken him

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being late. But Parker could tell that something was different about Gordo, and as she sat down next to him, she rubbed his shoulders, "Gordo, you don't need any more stress right now. You are directing your first major motion picture and with that witch Lizzie on the set you haven't had any peace." Gordo squirmed out of the reach of Parker's hands, "Lizzie isn't a witch. I am just as much to blame for our fighting as she is." Parker drew her hands back and placed them on her knees, "Why are you defending her? In that scene today, she was completely unprofessional. I'm telling you, the only reason she got this job is because she's a famous singer." Gordo shrugged, "Despite the two million takes, I thought she did really well. She put that raw emotion into the scene perfectly." Parker stood up from the couch and looked at Gordo, "One minute you are in the 'I Hate Lizzie McGuire Fan Club' and the next you are singing her praises? What is going on?" "Nothing is going on, I just think it might be better if I kept a positive attitude about her. It might make the working environment better." Parker shook her head and walked into the kitchen, "Gordo, she is going to make this whole experience a living hell for you no matter what kind of attitude you have." "I don't know. I mean, we talked today and - " Parker spun around to face Gordo, "You talked to her? When?" Something in the pit of his stomach told Gordo that he shouldn't continue the conversation any further, but he had been known to be pretty dumb at times for a smart guy, "After you left." Parker threw her arms in the air, "That's why you stayed? T - To spend time with with - with her?" Gordo was starting to think that he should've followed his instincts. "I can't believe you, Gordo! I know I'm being insecure, but you have to look at it from my perspective. My BOYFRIEND - no, no, no - my LIVE-IN BOYFRIEND goes off to talk to his ex and he doesn't even tell me about it! How do you think that makes me feel, Gordo?" Gordo stood up and advanced towards Parker, "Well, first of all, I did tell you. And second of all, she was my ex who knows how long ago?" He knew. It had been five years since they had broken up. "You told me? You told me? You told me after the fact, Gordo! After you had gotten 'caught.' You probably only told me because you felt so guilty on account of you and Lizzie doing more than just talking!" Gordo's tone went from sympathetic to serious as he became offended at Parker's

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accusation, "I would never cheat on you. Never. I am not that kind of guy. We both know that." Parker rolled her eyes, "Every guy thinks that he isn't that guy but in reality he really is that guy!" "Parker, listen to yourself. You aren't making any sense. I'm still Gordo, and I have been YOUR boyfriend for the past three years. I'm committed to US." Parker softly shook her head as she began to calm down, "Sometimes I can't be so sure." She took one more look at Gordo before storming out of the living room, into their bedroom, and slamming the door behind her. Gordo immediately followed after Parker and tried to open the door, but it was locked. He pressed himself up against the door, in an effort to make her hear him better, and in an effort to hear her better. "Come on, Parker. Open up!" "No!" "Parker, come on. This is silly." "My feelings are silly? I don't think my feelings are silly, Gordo. Do you think my feelings are silly?" "No, I don't think your feelings are silly, but I do think that us not talking face to face is silly. Parker, it is you I care about. Please come out." As Gordo waited a beat, hoping that he would hear the sound of the door unlock, he found himself listening to nothing but silence. Normally that would be a bad sign, but for him, it was good, for it meant that Parker was giving in. "Please, Parker," he said in his sweetest voice, "I can only beg so much." The pause meant she was regretting having to concede, "I think you could beg a little more." Gordo smiled. Victory, "I care about you, Parker. You are the only girl for me. Come on, open the door." Gordo stepped back as Parker opened up and stood in the doorway, "The only girl?" He nodded with a smile, "The only one." Parker walked out of the room, "I'm sorry I freaked out on you, Gordo." "And I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Lizzie. All we did was apologize to each other. Both of our behaviors have been a little out of character lately." She nodded, "You certainly haven't been yourself."

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Gordo took her hands and pulled her in a little bit closer, "I promise you, Parker. I will devote myself to you from now on." Parker smiled and blushed, "That's silly. You have to put all of your concentration into the movie. But if and when you do get some free time, I wouldn't mind being at the top of your list." "I think I can handle that." Gordo smiled in response to their resolve as he leaned in a kissed Parker. ***** With Kate's newfound information about Lizzie and Gordo's little rendezvous in Lizzie's trailer, she felt it necessary to give a call to her accomplice that night. "Larry, guess what." "What?" he guessed. "Gordo and Lizzie apologized to each other today. Can you believe that?" Larry's mind flashed back to his odd conversation with Gordo on the set of the movie, "So that's what he wanted to talk about. I should've known it had something to do with Lizzie." But Kate knew nothing of this incident, "What do you mean?" "I found Gordo sitting by himself on the set earlier today, and when I asked him what was up he said something about things being complicated. And then he started to talk about Popsicles, but he forgot to mention the purple one which really set me off and - " "No need to speak any further. He was thinking about her. Just as I thought," Kate nodded. "Too bad though, I was talking to Lizzie today too and she said that they had made a temporary peace, but that didn't mean that they were going to be friends." "Don't we want them to be more than friends?" Larry asked. "I almost didn't want them to during the shoot today. Gordo was being the biggest dirk ever, but then he goes and apologizes to her. You should have seen them together today, Larry. I could tell they were fighting it." "Fighting what? All I saw today was them fighting each other." Kate groaned, "Larry, you know what I mean. They still have feelings for each other and we are going to do everything in our power to exploit those feelings." "That'll be awfully hard considering the fact that they won't even set foot in a room together."

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How quick Larry was to give up, "I think it's time to start Melina's plan." "Already? But we just heard about it. I don't know if I can pull it off this soon. I mean, what if my voice goes all Steven Anthony Lawrence and cracks?" Kate could hear Larry hyperventilating on the other end of the line, "What are you talking about?" "You know. Beans from Even Stevens." "Who?" Larry rolled his eyes at Kate's ignorance of brilliant television programming, "Never mind." Kate's attention was focused back on the plan, "Next week we have those morning shoots so everyone is going to have free time in the afternoon." "Perfect timing." "Let's do it." "Next Thursday." "3:00 PM." "Be on time." Kate huffed in disgust, "I am ALWAYS on time." Larry laughed, "You are NEVER on time." "Well this time I will be." "Kate" "I will! Thursday at three. I'll let Big Mama know." Kate hung up the phone and quickly jumped on her computer to e-mail Melina with the details. "This HAS to work." ***** The set was tense that entire week; much like it had been during the earlier weeks. Although Lizzie and Gordo had called a peace of sorts, eye rolling and immature hand gestures proved that they still, despite their promises, held some sort of grudge against one another. Lizzie was walking back to her trailer during a short break on what was yet another long day of shooting, "Man, I cannot wait to get out of here. If Gordo uses the phrase 'more emotion' one more time I'll kill him."

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Kate was following close behind. She was hoping there wouldn't be any fatalities on the set that day, on account of the plan that she was about to implement on her two stubborn friends, "So we're still meeting at Serendipity's this afternoon, right?" "Of course. I'm in dire need of one of their desserts. I deserve it after the week I've had." "Seriously, McGuire. You and Gordo just need to get over it. You are grown-ups now and grown-ups do not roll their eyes. I think you're pretty lucky to have Gordo as your very first director." Lizzie laughed, "Lucky? How could possibly call this luck?" "Lizzie, no other director would take you rolling your eyes and muttering obscenities behind their back." "I wouldn't have to roll my eyes and mutter obscenities with a different director because any other director would not be bringing up me spilling punch on their white shirt in the third grade! People in the crew out there know more about me than my own mother. It is embarrassing." Kate gave Lizzie a pat on the back, "And yet they still love you, so you must be doing something right. But I must get going, I have to get ready for our little lunch." Lizzie looked at her watch, "Kate, it's only 11. We aren't meeting until 3." Kate pulled her keys out of her purse as she started in the direction of her car, "I know, and I'm already running late. Only four hours to get ready! I don't know how you do it McGuire. Bye!" Lizzie watched Kate hurry off to her car, "See you later." ***** Lizzie continued to do her scenes that day, all the while taking peeks at the clock as the minutes ticked down to 3:00, when she needed to meet Kate at Serendipity's. The last thing she needed in her life was to be late to meet Kate, of all people, for lunch. That would be something she would never live down. Much to her dismay, she finally finished at 2:30, much later than she expected. But Lizzie was resourceful, and she knew that she could get ready and down to the restaurant in under 30 minutes, unlike a certain high-maintenance friend of hers. As she hurried down the street to Serendipity's, she couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching her; following her every move. Every few feet, she would turn around, expecting to see someone right behind her, but there was never anyone there. Little did Lizzie know, her instincts were right. Melina was hot on her trail. "Big Mama to Commander Dorko. Over."

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Larry reluctantly responded to Melina, "Why does that have to be my name?" "Because this is my mission." Melina kept her eyes on Lizzie, "She is heading for the restaurant. Over." Larry was about to respond when he noticed Gordo walking down the other end of the street. He began shaking as his adrenaline started pumping. In his loudest whisper, he 'screamed' into the walkie-talkie, "DETAIN! I'M GOING TO DETAIN! My guy is coming towards the restaurant! I repeat, I am going to DETAIN!" Larry fumbled as he shakily put his walkie-talkie into his pocket and ran over to Gordo. He was as white as a ghost and sweating like a pig. "Hey, Gordo. What's up?" his voice cracked. That hadn't happened to him sincelast week. "Are you ready for the best sundaes in town?" Gordo was somewhat perplexed by Larry's odd behavior, but he was more confused by the fact that everyone seemed to be 3,000 times more insane than usual these days, "Yeah." Gordo slightly cringed as Larry put his arm around him. He was afraid that the crazy might have been contagious, and the last thing he needed was to be acting like Larry. "Actually," Larry said, leading Gordo down the street in the opposite direction of the restaurant, "I need to go pick up something from the dry cleaners." Gordo writhed his way out of Larry's grasp, and headed back down towards Serendipity's, "Okay, I'll go in and get our table." Larry ran in front of Gordo, "NO!" Gordo raised an eyebrow, "Why not?" "Why not," Larry said, matter-of-factly. "Now there's a question if there ever was one. Why not? Why not do a - " "Larry." Larry shut up. "Stop kidding around. I'm starving." Larry sighed, "IWell, I need help." "Yes, yes you do." "No," Larry shook his head, "I need help with my dry cleaning." "With your dry cleaning?"

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"Yes. I need help. I, uhuhMy fingers! I was working on my new Starfleet Lego Station last night and my fingers are mangled like you wouldn't believe." Larry made a point to keep his hands, and his fingers, in his pockets. He had finished that Lego Station weeks ago. Those wounds were long healed by now. Gordo sighed and shook his head as he turned around and walked towards the dry cleaners, "I told you to take it slow, only work one hour at a time. You must take breaks, Larry." "I know, I know. I can be so stupid sometimes!" Larry chuckled inside of himself as he smacked his forehead. Stupid? No, no, no. He was brilliant. Who else could have come up with an excuse that foolproof? No one, that's who. As they continued to walk down the street, Gordo turned to Larry, "What did you need to send to the dry cleaners?" ***** Meanwhile, with Larry and Gordo heading in the opposite direction, Lizzie stepped into the restaurant. And Melina, hiding behind a plant outside of Serendipity's, pulled out her walkietalkie and contacted Kate who was standing i the middle of the restaurant, "Miss America, Mandy Moore has entered the restaurant." "Really?" Kate started looking around, "Mandy Moore? Who is she with?" "Hello! Mandy Moore is the code name that we made for Lizzie. Just like mine is Big Mama, yours is Miss America, Gordo's is Spielberg, and Larry's is Commander Dorko. Although now I'm starting to think that maybe you and Larry should switch. It would be a little more appropriate for the both of you." "Hey! Just because you are as conniving and as evil as me does not give you the right to - " "Lizzie's coming! Get ready!" Kate turned around before she could hide her walkie-talkie and was suddenly faceto-face with Lizzie. "Lizzie!" she said, putting the walkie-talkie behind her back. "So nice to see you!" "Nice to see you too, Kate." There was a bit of hesitation in Lizzie's voice because of Kate's over-excited demeanor. Everyone was way more insane than usual these days. "Why do you have a walkie-talkie behind your back?" Kate slowly pulled the walkie-talkie out, "UhEthan's little way of keeping in contact with me." "Can he not operate a phone?"

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They both paused for a moment and chuckled in response to Lizzie's comment, knowing full and well that Ethan probably couldn't operate a phone. She had answered her own question. "But don't you guys have to be within 100 yards or something?" "I don't know," Kate said, quickly dismissing the conversation and shoving the walkie-talkie into her purse. "So how was your day today, Lizzie?" "Pretty good. I was really afraid that I was going to be late. We were working really hard on the scenes today and I kind of lost track of time. Ethan's been a big help, though." "That's Ethan, for you. Always wanting to help. A little helper." "Well," Lizzie said, pointing in the direction of the hostess, "I'm famished. How about we eat?" Kate nodded and walked towards the woman behind the counter, "Good idea. We should eat. Right now. Eating sounds very good to me. We have to eat or else we would die." Following the waitress, Lizzie started to fear that Ethan was seriously affecting Kate's mental health. Kate let Lizzie walk ahead of her, and she started to lag behind as she quickly took out her walkie-talkie, "This is Miss America. Mandy is in. Over," and quickly put it back in her purse. When the finally arrived at the table, Lizzie turned to Kate, "Why are there four chairs?" And in record time, Kate whipped up an excuse, "For our purses. I would never let my bag touch the floor in a public place." ***** "I can't believe I left my dry cleaning ticket at home." Gordo trailed alongside Larry, "Yeah, neither can I." Larry noticed Melina, crouching behind a few trashcans, giving him the thumbs up signal. He nodded and turned to Gordo, "Come on, let's go eat." "What about your dry cleaning?" Gordo asked. "I'll pick it up tomorrow. Right now I want food. I'm starving." Larry and Gordo walked into the restaurant next to the cluster of trashcans, as Melina ducked out of sight. When they reached the receptionist, Larry smiled at the

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woman behind the counter. "Sanders please." The waitress checked the list of reservations, grabbed two menus, and led the way, "Right this way, sir." Gordo stood for a few moments in confusion, but then caught up to Larry and the waitress, "Sanders?" "UhWell, you know how it's my dream to be Mr. Kate Sanders. No fun in going to a restaurant and giving them your real name!" Gordo rolled his eyes. How very much like Larry. "Right. I think the lack of food is going to your brain." When Larry and Gordo reached the top of the stairs to the second floor of the restaurant, Larry grinned evilly as he spotted his accomplice. "Hey," he said, "Isn't this a funny world? Kate is here." Gordo's eyes fixated on where Larry was pointing, and sure enough, sitting there in all her glory, was Kate. But because of the many people crowded around in the restaurant, his view of Lizzie with her back to him was obstructed. Larry grabbed Gordo's wrist and dragged him towards the table, "We should go over and say hi." "Larry, I don't want to have lunch with Kate. I mean - " But it was too late. Larry waved in response as Kate signaled for them to join her. " - Kate annoys me." "Come on, Gordo," Larry insisted, "You need to socialize with other people besides your little girlfriend." Gordo rolled his eyes as he was forced over to the table. But it was then that he noticed another person sitting with Kate that he hadn't seen before. Larry greeted Kate, "Hey! What's up? Fancy meeting you here. Who's your friend?" Laughing at a comment of Kate's, Lizzie turned around to find herself looking at Gordo. Shocked, her laughter stopped, "What are you doing here?" Larry spoke up, "See, I was - " "I think she meant me, Larry." Gordo said. "Oh yeah," Larry backed down, "You."

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Kate motioned for Larry and Gordo to sit down, "What a pleasant surprise seeing you two here. I didn't know you would be coming tonight." Lizzie stopped Kate's act, "Save it, Kate. I think you and Larry are up to something." Gordo nodded, "They are up to something aren't they." "I'm pretty sure of it." Kate slammed her hand down on the table, "Are you, McGuire? Are you sure? I mean, I'm trying to be a good friend and spend time with you, and you just go off and accuse me of trying to manipulate you!" Lizzie laughed, "Now, see, I would have bought that, but you used the same line on me already in Rome." Kate signaled once again for Gordo and Larry to sit down, "I don't know what you are talking about, McGuire." "You said the same exact thing the day I lost my eyebrows." Larry nearly spit out his water and Gordo stifled back his laughter as they both looked wide-eyed at Lizzie, "You lost your eyebrows?" Lizzie, realizing her mistake the second the words came out of her mouth, grimaced and shook her head, "It was a long time ago." "So what do you have now?" Larry asked. "Eyebrow extensions?" Gordo chuckled, "Or do you have to use Rogaine?" Larry and Gordo started to buckle with laughter. They weren't sure they had heard anything this funny before in their entire lives. Kate sat at the table with her hand over her mouth, trying her hardest not to laugh, but she couldn't help but join in. Lizzie glared at them all, "It wasn't that funny." Kate held up her hand as she snuck in a few words between her bursts of laughter, "You should have been there, guys. It was funnier than you could ever imagine." "Kate!" "I'm sorry, Lizzie, but it was really funny." "It wasn't funny to the makeup artist," Lizzie explained. "She had to draw the expression on my forehead for weeks." Kate, Larry and Gordo started to laugh even harder than they had been before. Lizzie turned to Kate, "Well it only happened because YOU didn't deliver Gordo's letter!" The tone of the group suddenly got serious.

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Gordo, who didn't even have as much as smile on his face, looked up at Lizzie in disbelief, "What?" Kate noticed Lizzie looking down at her hands, and assuming that she wasn't going to say anything, Kate responded for her. "I forgot to mail your letter one night, and Lizzie wanted to make sure it got there on time." Gordo still hadn't taken his eyes off of Lizzie, "You lost your eyebrows to send my letter?" "Well," Lizzie whispered, "Yeah." Through the uncomfortable silence that followed, Gordo nodded to himself, and then finally spoke up, "Good thing they grew back though, huh?" Lizzie shook her head, "Oh, they never grew back. These are Kate's spare eyebrows." Gordo gulped, "Spare eyebrows?" Lizzie smirked, "I was kidding. I can make jokes too." No one laughed. But Kate had just winked at Larry, something she thought she would never find herself doing, and that was their signal to get going, "I see you two are in a little gabbing fest, and I just remembered that I have to spend some time with Ethan." Larry nodded, "Me too." Everyone at the table, including Kate who had no prior knowledge of Larry needing to spend time with her boyfriend, gave Larry a questioning look. "You have to spend time with Ethan?" Gordo asked. "Oh yeah. We're going to watch some football." Lizzie laughed, "Larry, even I know that football season is over." Larry scoffed, "Well, duh. That's why we're going to be watching football classics." Lizzie crossed her arms, "Well I had no idea that you were into football. What's your favorite team?" In an effort to come up with yet another brilliant excuse, Larry had done nothing more than backed himself into a corner that he couldn't get out of, "The one with the bear as the mascot." "And that would be?"

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Larry pointed a stern finger at his interrogator, "I don't need to explain myself to you, Lizzie!" Gordo sat in silence, suspiciously looking at Larry and his perfectly well, completely un-mangled fingers. He wondered what they were up to. Lizzie looked back and forth between Larry and Kate, "Okay, what are you two really up to?" Kate placed her hand over her chest in offence, "She wants to know what we're up to? Us! Her close, trusted friends." Lizzie stared Kate down, and just for the fun of it, Gordo decided to stare down Larry. It was cruel, but he always found it funny to see Larry shaking in his boots. "Okay," Kate conceded, "here is the thing. Larry and I thought that with all of the fighting on set, you and Gordo needed to talk. I mean really talk. I know you guys apologized the other night, but you guys didn't really talk. You just said your insincere sorries." Gordo put up his hand, "My sorry was not insincere." Lizzie nodded, "And neither was mine." Kate looked back and forth between the two, "If they really were sincere, then you guys wouldn't be fighting like you have been." Gordo rolled his eyes, "We haven't been THAT bad." Larry laughed, "Half of the crew has asked me if we've been depriving you two of your medication. They think you guys have multiple personalities." "What?" Gordo said, appalled. "How could they think that?" "I do NOT have multiple personalities," Lizzie defended herself. "I only have one personality." "Not on the set," Kate corrected. "You have the nice Lizzie McGuire that goes and gives the crew parties and smoothies, and then you have what I like to call the 'Rabid Dog McGuire' you that is constantly yelling at Gordo." Gordo nodded and looked at Lizzie, "I know that one." Kate scoffed, "And you, Mr. Ten Foot Pole Where the Sun Don't Shine, you are just as bad as she is." "Hah! You're crazy too!" Lizzie stuck her tongue out at Gordo. Kate sat dumbfounded, staring at the two children sitting in front of her. She could not believe that she had just witnessed Lizzie stick her tongue out at Gordo, and Gordo actually accept it as a commendable comeback. "The only mature thing to do," Kate continued, "is for you two to sit down and talk

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about things. Like rational adults." Gordo shrugged, "It doesn't matter if we do, anyway. The crew already thinks we're crazy, so why waste our time trying to be friendly? They'll just think you finally gave us our meds." "Everyone trusts us," Larry said. "Exactly," Kate agreed. "And they know you guys are both good people." "We already let them know that you guys aren't really crazy, just that you used to be crazy about each other." "You told them that we used to date?!?!" Lizzie exclaimed. The entire restaurant turned to look at Lizzie, and she smiled innocently as a waiter came around to tell them to keep the noise down. Lizzie leaned in and whispered, "You told them we used to date?" Once again, Larry had backed himself into a corner, "Maybe." And Kate was there to save him, "Yes, we did. But after that there was no more talk of you two being clinically insane. Don't you want these guys to know the truth?" "Well, yeah," Lizzie said, "but I don't want them to know ALL about my personal life." "My personal life is off limits to the people I work with. I want them to respect me," Gordo emphasized his point by hammering his finger into the table. Kate laughed, "Trust me. They respect you even more for landing a babe like Lizzie." Lizzie grinned, "Did they really call me a babe?" Gordo scoffed, "What, do they think she's out of my league or something?" Kate and Larry gave Gordo a look as they wondered what exactly he saw then he looked in the mirror. "Well she is better looking than you," Kate said. "And more famous," Larry added. Gordo looked at the two in shock. Kate rolled her eyes, "Oh please, don't even give me that. When you and Lizzie were dating you told me that you thought she was out of your league too." Lizzie had been smiling quietly to herself, basking in the compliments, but her smile quickly faded as she turned to Gordo and faintly asked, "You did?" Gordo had been looking down at his hands in embarrassment, but when he looked up at Lizzie, their eyes locked.

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Lizzie looked into his eyes, and she could actually see the friend that she used to know. She could see him perfectly, and he was sad. It killed her inside to see the man that Gordo used to be in pain like that, because she knew exactly why he was so upset, and she was feeling the exact same thing. He couldn't believe that they weren't friends anymore, and neither could she. Lizzie could see the compassion streaming from his eyes, and she could feel his heartache. Gordo saw a sight that he thought he would never see again. Lizzie was looking at him with the eyes of a true friend that cared about him more than anything. He remembered those looks. That was the way that she used to look at him when she knew that he was hurting inside and that there was nothing she could do to fix it. And every time she looked at him with those eyes, he would put away his troubles and put on a smile just to make her feel better. It wasn't so much that they weren't those people anymore, but they just couldn't find the friends that they used to be. They had built up years and years of protection against the world without their best friend by their side, and the people they used to be were lost in it all. Nevertheless, Gordo smiled for Lizzie. "I - I don't know. I might've said something like that." "Look," Lizzie continued, "There are no leagues, okay? We are all in one big league together." Larry winked at Kate, something he had done millions of times before, and would probably do millions of times again, "Kate, it's already 3:30." Kate nodded as she picked her purse up off of the floor, "We have to go." "But you guys should stay," Larry said. Gordo shook his head, "I don't think that would be a good idea." Lizzie agreed, "Definitely not a good idea." Kate stood up from her chair, "We thought you might say that." Larry followed, "So we brought backup." Across the restaurant, Melina stood up at her table. Lizzie and Gordo weren't worried. If they tried hard enough, they both figured they could probably take on Melina together if they were willing to leave with a few broken bones. But then the two large, black bodyguards stood up and towered over Melina. Lizzie and Gordo quickly dismissed the idea of trying to fight their way out of the restaurant. "Those three," Kate explained, "Are going to make sure that you two stay here."

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Lizzie stood up, "What? You guys can't force us to talk." Larry grinned, "Watch us." Lizzie and Gordo started to follow after Larry and Kate, who were leaving the restaurant. "Guys, wait!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Come on, guys," Gordo pleaded. They were both about to take another step when they stopped dead in their tracks. They could see Melina and her two accomplices standing up across the room, and they both cringed as one of the giant men pounded his fist into his hand. With one last death stare from Melina, Lizzie and Gordo started backing up to their table, and finally sat down. Melina laughed manically as she turned to the two men sitting with her, "So what are you boys ordering? It's on me."

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Chapter 20

"We're stuck. Oh my gosh, I can't believe those two! They think we'll just magically make up. You can't force two people to talk." Lizzie ranted to Gordo as the two sat back down at their table in the restaurant, filled with fear because of Melina and the two big men she had on each arm. "Exactly. I think they are the ones that are talking crazy." "They are!" There was an uncomfortable silence between Lizzie and Gordo as they both sat across from each other, not wanting to speak at all, yet at the same time desperately searching for something to say. It was a silence that they had experienced a countless number of times before, and one that only Lizzie and Gordo could produce. "So what do we do now?" Lizzie asked. "We could" Gordo began. "No, that wouldn't work." Lizzie couldn't think of anything any more than Gordo could, so she decided to take a stab at him, "Aren't you a certified genius? Can't you figure out something to do?" "Well, yes," Gordo countered, "But sometimes brains cannot conquer over brawn. I mean, look at those guys! My head is smaller than their biceps." Lizzie nodded, "And then there's Melina. I definitely couldn't take her on my own." "Remember when she gave your brother those stitches? Ouch." Lizzie remembered. Due to an unfortunate argument between Matt and Melina, Matt was rushed to the hospital, and left with 27 stitches. To this day, no one knows what exactly the argument was about. Which is why Lizzie knew to never mess with Melina any more than necessary, "Looks like we'll be staying here for a while." "You and I know how to act. Why don't we fake some kind of peace and then get out

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of here?" Gordo proposed. But Lizzie shook her head, "Melina's too smart for that. She could tell if someone was lying from a mile away." Gordo scoffed, "Oh, I'm sure. She thought Kate and I were having a secret affair. I really don't think she has that great of an eye for lying." "If you had listened to those tapes you would have thought the same thing." Gordo ran through the conversation he had just had with Lizzie in his mind. 'When did they start talking about tapes?' he wondered. "Tapes? What tapes?" Lizzie fumbled, "Tapes? No. There were no tapes." "Lizzie." She sighed, "Melina and Matt spied on you and Kate and recorded some of your conversations. I started listening to them after you and Kate kissed." "Those little brats!" "I asked them to do it." "You what?" Gordo was floored. Spying was something he completely expected from Matt and Melina, but from Lizzie? "I can't believe you had someone spy on me!" "For good reason." "I didn't cheat on you, Lizzie!" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Tell it to the judge. You kissed another girl." "Yeah," Gordo said, "to make you go to Italy. Very selfless on my part." Lizzie shook her hands back and forth, "Well I'm so-rry, Mr. Selfless!" "Why are we even talking about this, anyway? We aren't together anymore. I don't feel that way about you and you don't feel that way about me. We never will. This is about regaining friendship, not about regaining a romantic relationship. Besides, I already have a girlfriend." Lizzie's eyes rolled in response to the mention of Parker, and she hadn't even realized she had done it. "We are talking about this because it is one of the things that affected our friendship. I couldn't trust you even after I was told what happened. And I had to be told by Kate of all people." "Well you should have just trusted me. It's blind faith here, Lizzie." "If you had seen me kiss Ethan would you have been able to trust me?" Gordo stammered, "Uhyeah. Of course."

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Lizzie scoffed, "I don't think so, Gordo. That's a load. You wouldn't have been able to trust me with a ten foot pole." "You could never trust me." "What are you talking about? I trusted you, Gordo. I trusted you with my heart and then you trampled all over it." Gordo got himself comfortable for the conversation that was about to begin, "What about Italy?" "What about Italy?" "Remember when we went on that class trip?" "YeahWhat's your point?" "My point is, that when I brought you Isabella you didn't believe me. You still believed Paolo, this guy you had only known for like, three days." Lizzie pointed her finger at Gordo, "It was four. And okay, maybe I didn't trust you then, but I thought I was in love with the guy. Give me a break! I'm sure if Britney Spears came up and said to you all of the things Paolo had said to me, you would be buckling too." Gordo shook his head, "I trusted you, Lizzie. There was no way I would do that to you." "I ended up trusting you, didn't I?" "Yeah, after Isabella had talked do you. Even a girl you knew for a mere five minutes you trusted more. You have known me your whole life." "That's not true. I've only known you since I was a day old. There is a lot that can happen in 24 hours." "You're making excuses. Why can't you just admit that you can't trust me?" Lizzie groaned, "Because it's not true! I trusted you with my future. You made me go out there and sing, Gordo. Without that little hand signal, I never would have gone back out to the stage." "Lizzie, you only went back onstage because you knew that if you took one more step in my direction I would throw you back out there anyway, and because all of the other exits were blocked." Lizzie struggled as she searched for a way to recover from being proved wrong, "Ughh! You read too much into things!" "Well you only read into things that you want to!" *****

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Lizzie and Gordo continued to pointlessly argue for the next few minutes. Their meaningful discussion a few minutes earlier now just consisted of insults and cheap shots. They never would have stopped if it hadn't been for the waiter that came up to their table, "Are you two ready to order?" Lizzie, embarrassed by her yelling, quickly calmed down and turned to the man standing over them, "I didn't even bring my wallet. Kate said our meal was going to be on her." Gordo shrugged, "Neither did I. Larry said ours was on him." The waiter looked down at a pad of paper in his hands, "Not to worry. A Kate Sanders has left her credit card to pay for the meal." Suddenly, Lizzie and Gordo's eyes lit up with the thought of revenge. "Is that so? She left us her credit card?" Lizzie asked, wondering how Kate could be so stupid. "Interesting. You know, Lizzie, I suddenly find myself very hungry." Lizzie grinned, "As do I." Gordo picked up his menu with a smirk on his face, gave it a once over, nodded, and looked up at the waiter, "I'll have everything on the menu." Before the waiter could say anything, Lizzie chimed in, "I think I'm probably a lot hungrier than you are, Gordo. I'll have TWO of everything on the menu." The man couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Are you sure?" Gordo looked to Lizzie, "The customer is always right, right?" Lizzie looked to the waiter, "And you wouldn't want us to tell your boss that you were sending away good business." The waiter still stood there, shocked. "There's a big tip in it for you." And that was all the man needed. He quickly scribbled down the order and ran to the front desk to make Kate's card was good for the extremely large meal that she was about to purchase. Lizzie's evil grin soon turned to a nervous expression as she looked down at her hands, "I kind of feel bad. I mean, Kate doesn't make as much money as me. I should probably pay for half." Gordo stopped her before she could make any more generous offers, "With a boyfriend like Ethan and a salary like his, she can easily afford this. Trust me."

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Lizzie shrugged, "Still, I feel bad." Gordo sighed as he cursed the goody-goody conscience of Lizzie McGuire, "Look what they have done to us, Lizzie. You don't have to feel bad about anything." "Oh come on, they did this out of the kindness of their own hearts." "Still, do you really want to be having lunch with me right now?" Without even skipping a beat, Lizzie responded, "I guess not." For some reason, Gordo was offended by Lizzie's comment. Had anyone else said that to him, he wouldn't have appreciated it, but he still would not have been saddened to the extent that he was when the words came out of Lizzie's mouth. There was something about her that changed all of the feelings he should have for someone he hated. Instead of anger, there was sadness. Instead of frustration, there was compassion. And Gordo hated that. "Yeah, well you're no picnic either." Lizzie sighed, "Gordo, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that we aren't really friends right now, and I'm sure you'd rather be sitting here with Parker or Larry than with me." "I definitely would rather sit with Parker." She cringed. "Larry is questionable right now." Lizzie suddenly realized just how much she did not want to be there. She knew she had to do something to finish their lunch up and get herself home. And fast. "I think the only choice we have is to talk about it?" she suggested. "How bad can it be?" "Lizzie, this is us you are talking about. We explode in front of hundreds of strangers every day." "That's because we haven't sat down and talked about our feelings." Gordo rolled his eyes and wondered if people ever really 'talked about their feelings,' "Communication isn't necessarily the key to a successful relationship. I say, let sleeping dogs lie." "Come on, Gordo. For your reputation?" Gordo thought back to all of the times he had acted like a complete and total dirk on the set, and wondered now what everyone really thought about him, "I do need a good one."

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"Then it's settled. We need to talk about stuff." "Where do you want to start?" ***** Unbeknownst to Lizzie and Gordo, Melina had planted a mic at their table. Despite their ignorance on the matter, they wouldn't have been the least bit surprised had they been told. Melina turned to the big man on her left, "Finally. All of that Lizzie and Gordo back and forth, back and forth talk was making me nauseous. Now we're getting to the good stuff." She looked at the two, scarfing down their ice cream. "How are you enjoying sundaes, boys? Yummy?" They nodded and continued to shove the cold dairy treat down their throats. Melina chuckled, "Oh, how you two love your sundaes." ***** "How about from the beginning?" Lizzie offered. "That way, we can see where things went wrong." "Okay. Well I think we can pretty much rule out elementary school. Was there anything I did to traumatize you then?" Lizzie thought for a second, seriously considering the possibility, "There was the smashed brownie incident" Gordo scoffed, "Oh, third grade. Those were the days. Do you want to talk about the brownie, Lizzie?" "Gordo, come on. Take this seriously. I'm over the brownie thing, okay? What about junior high?" He shrugged, "That's when things started to get weird, I guess." "What do you mean? We were best friends." "Well we were both changing, you know? You needed a - a, uh - b - a bruma and me. The only influence in my life with any testosterone was Coach Kelly. I needed to hang out with some guys." "Which you never did." "I hung out with Larry, didn't I?" "In high school."

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Gordo groaned as he began to get annoyed by the whole process, "Should we just move on to high school, then? The end of junior high was when things really started to change." Lizzie shrugged and shook her head, "Why do you keep saying that? What do you mean things were changing?" "W - well I kind of liked you. As more than a friend. And sometimes it led to some muttering and stammering moments. You know, some awkward situations between us." "We fixed that. In high school." "Exactly! By going out. Which isn't an option now." "Well what else did we do back then? We communicated. Which is what we should do now. Now, there are some other high school issues." Gordo let out another sigh, "You still aren't over things in high school? I told you why Kate kissed me. Somehow you can forgive her but you can't forgive me? I did nothing! It was all her!" Lizzie looked away, "It's not even like that, Gordo. That was when I stopped trusting you. I thought the real Gordo would have taken me aside and convinced me to go to Italy instead of cooking up some stupid plan which only resulted in a stupid misunderstanding that could have easily been avoided!" Gordo pointed at her, "No, no, no, no, no. You are not going to put this on me. Lizzie, I spend hours, DAYS trying to think of something I could say to convince you. But every day you just kept on saying, 'Oh, no. I want to stay with you, Gordo!' It was you." "Oh so I was devoted. Sue me. At least I didn't play all of those games. I was always upfront with you. Who kissed whom, huh? I let you know how I felt and it took you forever to ask me out!" "What? I did ask you out and then you shot me down!" "Only because I didn't want to ruin the friendship we had! But then I finally said yes and look where we are now. Clearly I was RIGHT!" Gordo smacked his hand to his forehead, "Why do you make this so impossible? Why do you dump all of our problems onto me?" "I don't." "What do you mean 'you don't?' You blame our breakup on me, you blame our estrangement on me. I'm getting no slack here, Lizzie. You're hogging it all!" Lizzie folded her arms, "Well maybe I just don't make as many mistakes as you do." Gordo's jaw dropped, "Oh, ho, ho. You did not just say that. Excuse me, Lizzie, but can we say Danny Kessler? Ethan Craft? Paolo?"

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"Hey!" Lizzie said sternly. "Ethan is one of my best friends. I didn't make a mistake there. We just happened to not mesh. And now I have to know right away if I'm supposed to be with someone? That's ridiculous." "I'm not saying that, Lizzie. I'm just saying that we both have made mistakes. All of the ones I've made I have learned from. For example, I've learned that you can never really trust anyone, especially your best friend." "Well what about the age-old lesson of best friends who say they care about you but end up hurting your feelings. They would rather protect their own pride than tell the truth." Gordo raised his eyebrows, "Oh yeah, that age-old lesson." Lizzie ignored him, "You're not honest with me, Gordo. That's why our friendship couldn't even work out." "Obviously we are just going in circles on this topic." Lizzie wasn't so quick to end the argument, "Okay, well then let's try this one on for size: Why do you push all of our problems aside?" "I do not push all of our problems aside. I calmly analyze the validity of the situation and decide whether or not I should waste my breath discussing it." "Yes, and then you decide that nothing should be discussed." "Did I not apologize to you in your trailer? That was 'talking.'" Lizzie shook her head, "No, that was more like, 'Hey, Lizzie. I was a dirk. I'm sorry. Bye.' I wouldn't call that talking." Gordo threw his hands up in the air, "Oh, sure. Like we were supposed to have an entire conversation like that in front of Kate." "No, but there have been plenty of chances when we could have talked about it." "Like when? When someone pulled you away to do a scene? Or maybe when I was off directing?" Lizzie decided to join in on the eye rolling, "There you go again! Running of to your good friend sarcasm instead of talking to me." They both sat in silence for a moment as they caught their breath. They could have ended it there, but for some reason, Gordo wouldn't let it die either, "Why are we starting from the beginning, anyway? We shouldn't be." Lizzie wondered where they should be starting if the beginning wasn't the right place, "Isn't that when things were good between us?" "What, you want us to be a couple again?"

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"No! I'm not saying that at all. I just wonder what happened to 'Lizzie and Gordo: Best Friends.'" Gordo looked Lizzie in the eye, "They both grew up." She darted her eyes away, "We were both grown up last year, and I kind of thought we grew up together. Then one day, out of the blue, that all changed. Sure, we grew up, but until last year I still didn't think anyone else could be my friend." Gordo began to get nervous, "Is this about the letters?" Lizzie nodded reluctantly, "That's what it comes down to. The letters." Gordo chuckled, "We did a pretty good job of mailing those things, huh?" "I lost my eyebrows to send one." "I lost Lion King tickets." "Not as bad as eyebrows." "True. Next time I should try to lose a leg or something, that would definitely top eyebrows." Lizzie and Gordo laughed together for the first time in as long as they could remember. But once the laughter died down, there was no uncomfortable silence. There were no shifty eyes, no twiddling thumbs; just smiles. Gordo looked up at Lizzie, "See? This is what works. Lizzie and Gordo being light and not thinking too deeply about things." "But when we do that, we just ignore our problems. And then they'll just end up surfacing again and we'll go all Exorcist on each other." Gordo sighed, "Well then we should talk about the letters." "I have to be honest with you," Lizzie said, "What you did really hurt me." "I - it did?" Gordo's heart started to race. How could him telling her he loves her be hurtful? Did she not care about him that way? Did she not care about him at all? "Well, yeah," she replied. "I mean, it just felt like our friendship was over." Gordo shook his head, "I never meant for our friendship to be over. When you didn't send me a letter I just thought you wanted to cease all contact with me." Lizzie shook hers, "Gordo, I never meant for that to happen. I do miss our friendship." A faint smile came over Gordo's face once again, "I miss it too."

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"Well after what you did I wasn't sure I could be friends with you again." "After your letters stopped I didn't want to be friends with you, either." Lizzie had managed to be compassionate so most of the latter end of their conversation, but now she was just confused. Her confusion turned to anger as she dwelled on the words that had just come out of Gordo's mouth. To the extent of her knowledge, after all, Gordo had just stopped writing one day. But to the extent of Gordo's, Lizzie never wrote back once she found out that he was in love with her. "You didn't want to be friends with me anymore? It was your fault we got this way in the first place!" Gordo pointed a finger in his own direction, "My fault? I would hardly say it was my fault." "Oh don't start blaming me because we aren't friends." Gordo ran his hands through his hair, "You are impossible!" "You are impossible-er! So there!" After quite a while of waiting, the waiter had finally come back to the table, but he only had sodas in hand. When you order everything on the menu three times over, it takes the chefs quite a while to cook the meal. As he put them down in front of the two, Lizzie stood up from the table. She swiftly picked up one of the glasses and threw the drink in Gordo's face. But before she left, she stopped at the waiter's tray, picked up a handful of straws, and threw them at Gordo. "You might need a straw to go with that." She stormed away, and just before she exited the room, she left Gordo with one last thing, "And your hair looks stupid!" Gordo licked the orange soda off his lips as he sat there and sighed, completely calm, "What a day to wear white." ***** Melina had seen the whole ordeal from afar, and she was right on Lizzie's heels. The two big bodyguards had beaten Lizzie down the stairs, and the stood in her way like a giant, muscular brick wall. Lizzie was so angry she was red with rage. But in her sweetest voice, she politely asked the men to move, "Excuse me." "I'm sorry, young lady. We are under strict orders not to let you through," Big Man on the Left informed her. "We have loyalty towards the other party," Big Man on the Right added.

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"Well unloyalize yourselves." Left shook his head, "I can't do that." Lizzie brought her hand to her temple as she withheld the anger that was so close to exploding out of her, "I'm not in the mood for this right now. I will give you guys one more chance." Right shook his head, "Sorry, ma'am. Can't do it." "Ugh! YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET IN MY WAY TODAY!" Although she was only a pint-sized little girl, there was so much rage and anger in Lizzie's voice that the two large men nearly wet their pants. Lizzie didn't even have to make a move before they both slowly backed away and let her pass through. On her way out of the restaurant, Lizzie turned around at the door, "Don't mess with this." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked off. Melina walked up behind the two big men, "Sorry, boys. I didn't know she would go all Ungermeyer on you." "She was scary," Left whimpered. "Very scary," Right concurred. Melina nodded as she stared at the door, "That must have been years of pent-up frustration. I have never seen her act like that in all of the years I've known her. This is more serious than I thought." She walked the men back to the table so she could gather their things, "Come on, boys. Ice cream time is over." ***** Kate and Larry were hanging out the next day. "I just got a call from Lizzie," Kate said. "I guess things aren't working out." Larry sat with his phone in his hand, "I got a text message from Gordo: 'Lizzie spilled soda on me. Thanks. I'm using Kate's credit card for my dry cleaning bill.'" Kate jumped up, "Oh no he is not!" Larry put his cell phone back in his pocket, "So I take it either the alien king Condor came down and abducted Lizzie and Gordo so his brother and sister could take their form and assume their identities on earthOr they had a fight." Kate shook her head, "You are so weird."

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Larry laughed, "At least I didn't leave my credit card with Gordo and Lizzie." Kate rolled her eyes, "Oh, what? Did I get charged for some sodas and dry cleaning? Big whoop." Larry pulled out his phone once again and brought up Gordo's text message outlining their entire spendings from the night before. Kate fainted as he showed it to her. "Let me repeat," Larry stated, "I'm glad I didn't leave my credit card with two people who aren't exactly happy with me." ***** Later that evening, the 6 train's 86th street station had an eerie feeling to it. Not a soul was in sight at 11:00 PM, a time when it would normally be buzzing with people. It was for that reason, and that reason only that Kate did not feel safe as she wandered the empty underground subway. She never would have been there otherwise, but she had received an anonymous message to attend, and a photo of her wearing orange was enclosed. Obviously, the anonymous sender knew Kate well enough to know that orange is NOT her color. Kate had to find this blackmailer, and she had to find him soon. But when she heard a noise behind her, she started to think that maybe it wasn't such a big deal after all. There was really no need for her to stay. But alas, she did, not before clutching the pepper spray that she carried with her at all times. Kate backed up with fear, when she suddenly bumped into someone behind her. Screaming, she quickly turned around and emptied half the can of pepper spray on the mystery man before realizing that it was Larry. "AAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!" Larry screamed in agony. He dropped to the ground and writhed in pain as he tried his hardest to wipe the stinging, burning liquid off of his face. Kate sighed and rolled her eyes as she put the pepper spray back in her purse, "Larry? What are you doing here?" Larry cried in pain, but managed to whimper out a few words in response, "Becoming Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge of Star Trek, apparently." "Speak English, not Dork." "I'm gonna need a little visor to see?" Kate shrugged, not caring at all about Larry's immense pain, "Sorry. I didn't know it was you."

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She helped him up off the floor, but Larry was still crying. "You shouldn't creep up on me like that. What are you doing here, anyway? Are you the one who sent me the picture?" Kate grabbed the collar of his shirt, threatening the already blinded Larry. He wailed, "I didn't do it! I swear! I got a letter asking me to come here!" "So did I," Ethan said, walking up behind the two. "And as did I," said Matt, coming in from the opposite direction. "Who would want all of us to come here?" Larry wondered. Kate pointed at the three men in front of her, "Who sent me that picture? WHO?!" A dark shadowy character suddenly emerged from the far corner of the station, "I did." Kate squinted to see who the advancing figure was, "Melina? Why?" "I knew you wouldn't come unless I sent you that picture." Ethan looked back and forth between the two, "What picture?" Kate stammered, "Um, no picture." Matt leaned in and whispered to Ethan, "Just one I have of Kate wearing orange." A big grin came over Ethan's face as he blurted out, "Orange? Like a pumpkin!" Everyone shook their heads as Matt patted him on the back, "Yes, Ethan. Like a pumpkin." Kate turned back to Melina, "Why did you bring us all together?" Melina began to pace back and forth, "Well, I'm sure all of you know that the current plan did not work out as we hadplanned." Kate scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Tell that to my credit card bill." Matt shook his head, "My sister is rambling on and on and on. Nobody understands what the heck she is saying." Larry nodded, "Gordo is still sticky from the soda." Ethan had finally returned from a long philosophical discussion with himself on how his head was just as empty as the room he stood in, "What's going on?" Melina stopped her pacing, "Who is running the meeting here? Did I say that I wanted everyone's opinions? Did I? DID I?!"

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Everyone was too scared to respond. Which was sufficient enough a response for Melina to continue pacing, "That's what I thought. Now, Kate, no one cares about your money. Matt, your mom can translate what Lizzie is saying. Larry, I'm sure if Gordo bathed every once and a while, he wouldn't be having that problem. And Ethan, this is clearly too much information for that tiny brain of yours. So now that we have that out of the way, I brought you all here to night to invite you to join in on the greatest plan on of all time." Matt's eyes widened with fear, "No. No, not that one." Melina nodded, "Yes, Matt. That one. These two are the most stubborn people I have ever met in my entire life. It needs to be done." Kate was starting to get worried, "What are you guys talking about? Is this plan dangerous our something? Would I have to wear orange?" "It's time to implement," Melina tapped her fingers together, "Plan Number 1."

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Chapter 21

Matt could not believe that Melina would ever, in a million years, propose the idea of even considering the use of Plan Number 1. There were so many things wrong with it that he didn't even know where to begin. He just stood there in shock, shaking his head, while the rest of the group curiously wondered what exactly was so worrisome about Plan One. "Plan one?" Larry asked. Kate started to see a ray of hope with the mention of Plan One. Although she had no idea what Plan One was, she knew that it had to be good. And she was sick of implementing failing plans. "So, this must be like, the mother of all plans, right?" She hoped. Larry nodded, "It must be really elaborate." Kate added, "And it must contain a lot of elements." Melina simply stated, "Actually, it's the simplest plan of all." Ethan had been intently staring at his shoe for the entire first half of the conversation. It had somehow become untied, and Ethan had no idea how it had happened. Shoelaces just don't get up and untie themselves, do they? Ethan had quickly dismissed that question, assuming that the answer must be yes, as he moved on to wondering how the heck he was going to get them tied again. He was always amazed when Kate tied his shoes for him in the morning. And then he lost interest in the subject, and returned to the conversation at hand, "I don't get it." Melina looked over to Ethan, "You rarely do." "So tell US the plan," Kate demanded. Matt stepped in front of Melina and for a moment took her away for a private conversation, "Melina, we can't do this. This plan passed our league in kindergarten.

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A trained monkey could to this plan! An untrained monkey could do this plan! This is too simplistic. Gordo and Lizzie might actually be smarter than this plan." Melina laughed, "You overestimate those two. I think the reason why our plans haven't been working is because they are too elaborate. Plus, they put me in charge, okay? Now, don't cross me again! Do you hear me?" Matt sighed as he stepped aside and let Melina face the group once again, "Yes, cupcake. I don't know what came over me." "Anyway," Melina continued, "As I was sayingTHE PLAN!" Ethan stopped her before she could reveal the brilliance that was Plan Number One, "Is this the plan where you call one person pretending to be the other person pretending to apologize for the other person even though the other person hasn't really apologized?" Melina almost choked on her own tongue. Matt's jaw dropped, "How did you know?" "Yeah," Melina said once she had finally recovered, "How did you know?" Matt threw his arms up in the air, "See how simple this plan is? Even Ethan knows it!" "Shh! I wanna know how Ethan knew," Melina poked Ethan in the chest, "Have you been to Geneva lately?" "No," Ethan responded. Matt leaned towards Melina and whispered, "So he hasn't been to the plan headquarters." Melina nodded as she thought to herself, "Hmm. Interesting. So how did you know?" Ethan shrugged, "It was in one of my movies." Melina breathed a huge sigh of relief. She knew that her plan had to be at least above Ethan's understanding. "Can you explain the plan again?" Kate asked. "I didn't quite get it. I seriously feel like everyone is speaking some other language, here." "Yeah. It sounds like you guys are speaking the native language of the planet Antar." Kate looked at Larry, and then turned to the rest of the bunch, "The sad thing is, I actually agree with him." Matt stepped forward, "It's simple. We have someone from our team call Lizzie's answering machine pretending to be Gordo." Kate stopped the explanation for a quick question, "How are we supposed to do that?

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None of our guys sound like Gordo." Melina reached into the inside pocket of her coat, "You are forgetting the voice modifier." She pulled a small black box out of her coat and held it up to her mouth, "I love being a Dwarf Lord." The voice resemblance to Gordo was uncanny. Ethan even looked frantically around the empty subway station, searching for Mr. Gor-don, but he couldn't seem to find him anywhere. Kate nodded, impressed by the tiny piece of equipment, "So what is he going to say exactly?" "He apologizes, recognizes that it's ALL his fault, and begs for forgiveness. He also asks Lizzie not to mention anything about the message," Matt said. "They are dumb enough to fall for that," Melina added. Matt continued, "And we do the same thing with Lizzie calling Gordo." Kate nodded as the plan started to formulate in her mischievous mind. She could actually see them pulling this off, "It's such a simple plan that it might actually work. But who's going to be Gordo?" Matt spoke up, "Well, Lizzie knows me too well, and Ethan isn't exactly," he tapped his brain discreetly, "if you know what I mean. So then that leaves Larry." "Me?" Larry pointed to himself and shook his head, "I can't do that." "He's your best friend. I'm sure you can impersonate him," Matt argued. "So who's going to be Lizzie," Kate asked, oblivious to what the answer would be. Everyone in the group looked at her. She shook her finger back and forth, "No, no, no. There is no way that I'm going to pretend to be Lizzie. That's too difficult, even for me! I can't pull off her sweet innocence; it's enough to make me gag. I'll end up puking into Gordo's answering machine." "Well we would ask Miranda," Melina said, "but she isn't exactly in the most accessible of places. And I haven't spent enough time with Lizzie to impersonate her like you could, Kate." "It's true," Matt agreed. "For the plan to work to its fullest capacity, you two," he pointed to Kate and Larry, "will have to be your best friends." Kate shook her head furiously, "There is no way that I am doing this. I don't care if Lizzie and Gordo are never friends again. I just won't do it!" Ethan put his arm around Kate, "Baby, you don't mean that. I know that out of all of

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us, you want Lizzie and Gor-don to be tight the most." Kate sighed as she gave in to Ethan's convincing argument, along with his puppydog face, "Fine. But Lizzie SO owes me. Something big this timeLike a part in her next film!" She glanced to her right. Then to her left. And soon she was looking all around her, suddenly completely aware of her surroundings, and horrified that she was there, "I can't believe that I'm still in the subway. I had no idea that there was underground transportation here until today. Come on Ethan," she grabbed his hand as they headed towards the exit, "We're taking the limo home." Melina turned to the remaining members of the group, "Okay, guys. Tomorrow night we implement the plan. Are you with me?" Matt muttered under his breath, "Do we have a choice?" Melina's head spun in Matt's direction so fast that she nearly gave herself whiplash, "What did you say?" He looked up and smiled sweetly, "This is the best choice." Melina lowered her eyes, knowing full well that was not what Matt had said. But she let it slide, promising herself that she would make him pay later. ***** The next day on the set was a busy one. The entire cast and crew were trying to pull off a huge scene in which Ethan and Lizzie's characters become engaged in a snowball fight in the middle of Central Park. But for once, it was Ethan who couldn't quite seem to grasp the concepts of that day. He had no idea how to pack a snowball, and Lizzie and Gordo were trying to help him out. "How can you guys do this? We grew up in Southern California, and correct me if I'm trippin', but there was no snow there." Lizzie picked up a handful of snow to show Ethan the correct way to pack a snowball, "Gordo and I went vacationing on the east coast every year. It was a family thing." Ethan mirrored Lizzie, and picked up a handful of snow as well, "So that's where you learned to do it?" Gordo had already started packing his handful of snow, "Yeah, our families went out to this cabin in Maine and we would have the annual Kids vs. Grownups snowball fight." Lizzie nodded, "And we pretty much lost every year." Gordo smiled, "But we did learn how to pack a nice snowball." Ethan watched in amazement as Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other, remembering the old times. He could have sworn that they had returned to normal, just by the way they were acting, but they were soon both shaken out of their

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trance. "Lizzie has horrible aim." "Gordo isn't as good as I am at packing them. Mine are like blocks of ice while his just melt in the air." "I'm not THAT bad at packing." "Your mom could pack a snowball better." Gordo shook his head, "I don't think so! I pack them harder than my mother." Lizzie eloquently delivered her rebuttal, "Nuh-uh." But Gordo had a brilliant counter-argument, "Uh-huh." "Nuh-uh!" "Uh-huh!" "NUH-UH!" "UH-HUH!" Ethan shook his head, "Guys, I don't care who can pack a snowball better. I need to learn how to pack one for myself!" Lizzie gave Gordo one last glare and picked up a fresh handful snow, "You just want to take the snow in your hands like this and pack it really hard. Like a meatball." Ethan thought for a second, "Like spaghetti and meatballs. That kind of meatball, right?" "Exactly," she explained. "See, if you don't pack it tight enough all of the meat escapes and you don't have a meatball anymore. You just have some meat, but if you pack it really tight, you can get a great meatball." Gordo stood up out of the snow, "Ethan, we can pre-pack snowballs for you if you would like." "Or I can, because we all know that Gordo's are, well" Lizzie remarked. Ethan violently scooped up another mound of snow, "No. I need to learn this. For my motivation." "See how much it's snowing right now, Ethan? This shot needs to get in and I don't know how much time we have left before the snow stops." Ethan sighed in disappointment, "Well then I guess there's only one thing to do. STUNT DOUBLE!" Matt came running in from under the tent, "What do you need boss?"

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Ethan put his hands on Matt's shoulders, "Snowball fight." "Snowball fight with Lizzie?" His eyes lit up, "Alright! You're going down!" Gordo promptly stepped in, "No. Matt CAN'T be your stunt double during this, Ethan. I will not allow it." "Why not?" Ethan and Matt questioned. Gordo rubbed his face, "Because it's a lovey-dovey scene between Jake and Ryan. You can't have Lizzie and Matt doing this scene. It's sick." "EWW!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Ugh, that's disgusting. For once, I agree with you Gordo. There is now way that I'm doing this scene with my brother." Matt ran back to the tent as he called back to Ethan, "Sorry, man! You're gonna have to learn to do this on your own!" Lizzie rubbed her chin as she began to pace back and forth, "Maybe he doesn't have to. I know this is a whole montage of scenes where Ryan is teaching Jake about the city and the way things are and all that, but he's from this 'hoity-toity snotty private school cake-eating mama buys his clothes for him' background. Why would he start a snowball fight? It doesn't seem like someone like him would do that, but it does seem like something that Jake would do. "So why don't we have Jake start it off? I mean, can't we change the scene a bit? Jake needs to teach this guy to have a little fun. He can't be teaching her everything. She has to add something to their relationship, and right now, the only reason why he falls in love with her is because of her singing ability, and that shouldn't be the only reason." Gordo decided to shorten Lizzie's whole speech into an easier to swallow summary, for Ethan's sake, "So instead of Ryan starting the snowball fight, Jake does." Lizzie nodded, "And she teaches him a thing or two." Gordo shrugged and sighed, "Lizzie, this is your first movie, and I hardly think that " He noticed Ethan giving him a look. It was to remind him about the conversation they had a few days earlier, where Ethan told Gordo he needed to be nicer to Lizzie. Gordo quickly changed his mind regarding how he would shoot her down, "There isn't enough time to rewrite the script. It's a good idea though, Lizzie." "There's always time," Lizzie argued. "As much as I hate to say this Gordo, you're a great writer. Do a little rewrite of your own. You can do it quickly. Come on, Willard Scott said that there's at least two more hours of snow. You can create this scene in twenty minutes." Gordo looked Lizzie in the eye as he conceded, "Rewrite. We need a rewrite quick!"

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Lizzie smiled at Gordo and Gordo smiled back. And as Gordo got into a huddle with the rest of the writers, Lizzie realized that for the first time, they had worked together and something good had actually come out of it. Exactly twenty minutes later, Gordo broke away from the huddle, and sat down in his director's chair, "All right everybody! Let's try this scene out to see if it tickles our fancy." Ethan stood in confusion, "How does a fancy get tickled?" After the much-deserved eye roll, Gordo pointed to the cast, "AndACTION!" ***** Jake discreetly leaned over and picked up some snow to pack into a snowball, "So you think you can't learn anything from me?" Ryan thought, "Well, I taught you how to ride subways, where the best restaurants areWhat can you teach me?" Jake grinned, "This!" She pulled a snowball out from behind her back and slammed it into Ryan's chest. "Aghh!" Ryan screamed. ***** Lizzie kept grabbing more snow, packing more snowballs, and pelting more at Ethan, who didn't look like he was enjoying it one bit. In fact, he looked as though he was in pain. Lizzie knew that the shot wasn't going to make it into the final cut, just based on the face that Ethan was making. She also figured that it was going to be snowing for a few more hours, so she decided to have a little fun instead. Out of the corner of her eye, she couldn't help but notice Gordo, sitting in his chair, staring intently at the monitor and acting as serious as possible. She got the sudden urge to pelt a big one at him, just for old times sake. It was so tempting, she kept hearing his voice echo in her head, 'Lizzie has bad aim. Lizzie has bad aim,' over and over again. She grinned as she gave into her temptation. She packed a deadly snowball, and aimed right for Gordo. It hit him square in the face. "CUT!" Gordo bellowed. He wiped the snow out of his eyes. Lizzie couldn't tell if Gordo was mad, or if he was forming a plan in his mind as revenge for her snowball. Either way, she was starting to regret what she had just

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done. "Okay everyone," Gordo finally said, "this scene was working, right?" "Right!" the crew responded. "And the snow doesn't look like it's going to end any time soonright?" "Right!" Gordo shook his head vigorously, as to get all the snow out of his hair, and he yelled, "Ten minute snowball fight!" He jumped down from his chair and grabbed five snowballs that they had pre-packed for Ethan, just in case. As he threw them, he ended up hitting Ethan and Lizzie. The entire crew abandoned their equipment and joined in on the fun. The only people who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves were Ethan and Kate. "You're messing up our hair!" Kate exclaimed. "My hair! My hair!" Ethan cried as he ran for cover like a little girl. Kate chased after him, "Ethan! Come back here and be a man! Protect me!" Gordo ran after Lizzie into a woodsy area, far off from the rest of the cast and crew. He threw snowballs at her as fast as he could pack them, but she retaliated just as quickly, and soon, both of them were wet to the bone. They both fell to the ground laughing, unable to get up, exhausted from all the running and throwing. Gordo lay in the snow, breathing heavily, "I haven't had this much fun since the snowball fight of '97." Lizzie laughed heartily, "The one where we managed to beat the grownups? That was great! You and I snuck around that cornerand BOOM! Our parents never saw it coming." Gordo sighed, "That was the best time." Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, it was." They both lay in silence. "Lizzie?" he said. "Yeah?" she asked. "Maybe we should talk about" "I was thinking the same thing."

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Gordo sat up, snow falling from his back, and looked at Lizzie, "We should have dinner tonight or something." Lizzie shook her head, "I already have plans." Gordo looked down in disappointment, "Oh, well if you don't want to - " "No," she explained, "of course not. I really do want to resolve this thing once and for all." He nodded, "We should." "How about dessert?" Lizzie proposed. "We could get some gelato in Little Italy." She smiled, "Sounds good. Text message me the directions and I'll be there." "Great," Gordo said. "Yeah," she agreed, "great." There was an awkward silence. "So, uhtonight. Nine-ish?" Gordo asked. "Yeah, that's fine." There was another awkward silence. Gordo cleared his throat, "For two people meeting to talk, we sure can't find anything to say." Lizzie chuckled, "That's true." Gordo was looking at Lizzie, who was looking down at the ground, when he noticed that she had some snow on her face. Just as he leaned in to wipe it off, he heard a noise behind him. "Ahem!" Gordo spun around, "Parker!" She was standing with her hands on her hips, "What is going on here, Gordo?" He jumped up, "Nothing, Parker. Lizzie and I were just talking." Lizzie stood up and wiped the snow off herself. Parker wasn't buying it, "It didn't look like you were just talking."

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And with that, Parker started to walk away. "Parker!" Gordo called after her. Lizzie put her hand on Gordo's shoulder, "Go. I need to back to hair and makeup anyway." He let out a soft smile, "Thanks, Lizzie. Ice cream tonight." Gordo gave Lizzie a quick kiss on the cheek as he sprinted after Parker. Lizzie watched as Gordo caught up with Parker, ran his fingers through her hair, and whispered in her ear. She laughed at put her arms around him. Gordo returned the gesture. Lizzie could feel the green-eyed monster inside of her start to come out, but she suppressed it long enough to make it back to the makeup trailer. After the commotion of the snowball fight had died down, they shot the scene without a hitch, despite the fact that Ethan nearly broke down crying quite a few times, due to the torture his hair had to endure. ***** Later that night, Lizzie and Gordo met in Little Italy for some gelato. "So" Lizzie began, after eating a spoonful of gelato. "Yeah" Gordo responded. "We should probably talk," Lizzie said. "We should," Gordo agreed. Lizzie and Gordo both paused for two beats, and then spoke up, "You first." They laughed together. Lizzie continued, "I guess I'll go first. Gordo, even after what happened, I should have kept writing to you, because I do want you as my friend. It feels weird having this tension between us." Gordo nodded with a smile, "I agree. I should have kept writing as well. I guess life caught up with the both of us, right?" "Yeah. Grownup Gordo and Lizzie can't spend every day together like young Gordo and Lizzie used to." "About everything I've said in the past couple of weeksI didn't mean it." "I know you didn't," Lizzie said. "I didn't mean what I said either. I guess I was just upset because I didn't have my best friend anymore."

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Gordo looked Lizzie straight in the eye, "I'm sorry. And this time I mean it." She smiled back at him, "I'm sorry too." His smile widened, "I miss this, Lizzie. I miss us having snowball fights, I miss the Digital Bean, I miss the cupcakes." Lizzie chuckled, "We can't exactly do the cupcakes without Miranda." "I'm could always have half of a cupcake more." "Yeah, same here. But I miss all of those things too. I miss my best friend. You know that you're the only person besides Miranda who I could really talk to. And even more so, you knew my hopes and dreams better than anyone could." "Nobody knows me as well as you do. Nobody believed in me and my dreams as much as you did. Even during that whole credit card fiasco in junior high, you still stuck by me." Lizzie thought back to that dreadful event, "I'm so glad you didn't make that one. When you have to change the premise of a movie from the old west to aliens, I don't think you have a hit on your hands." Gordo laughed as they both finished off their ice cream. "We really have to learn how to relax, you know, "Gordo said. "And not be as uptightso let's start over. Let's forget everything in the past, and just focus on the present." "Sounds good to me." Sitting in silence for the millionth time since they had been reacquainted, Lizzie and Gordo suddenly realized that perhaps the present wasn't so exciting when there wasn't the past to dwell on. "We are too cheesy for words," Lizzie finally remarked, breaking the silence. Gordo snickered, "I have to admit, we have more cheese than those Hallmark commercials." "So we do have something in common." "And what do we do now?" Lizzie made a sharp nod, "We talk. Now, friend, what's on your mind?" Gordo took a moment, searching around for what was, in fact, on his mind, "I can't believe that I'm sitting here, hanging out with THE Lizzie McGuire." Lizzie looked down at her empty bowl of gelato, "Gordo, stop." He shook his head and grinned, "No, come on, you're this famous singer now. Your CD sold more than Britney Spears' last one!"

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"Yeah, I just hope that I don't end up being some kind of phase." Gordo shook his head in disbelief, "There is no way that you are just 'some kind of phase,' Lizzie. You're here to stay." Lizzie blushed as she turned the spotlight on Gordo, "So I hear that you've won some big film awards yourself." He shrugged, "Just a couple. No big deal." "Of course it's a big deal! Larry told me about all the offers you've been getting from all of the major movie companies. They don't just hand those out to anyone who has JUST gotten out of school, you know. I mean, you've done it too. You've made it." Gordo nodded, "We both have. So, what's been happening with you over the last couple of months?" ***** Lizzie and Gordo talked until 2:00 in the morning. The gelato shop closed at 10:00, so once the management finally was able to shoo them out, they found themselves at a 24-hour coffee shop around the corner. Lizzie checked her watch, "I can't believe that it's so late. I have a 7 AM call time. I better head home." Gordo nodded, "I know what you mean. I have to be there too. I am the director, after all." They both rose from their chairs, and Gordo helped Lizzie slip into her jacket. As they walked out of the shop and into the cold, Gordo rubbed his hands together. "Cold night," he commented. "Tell me about it." "So where do you live?" Gordo asked. Lizzie shook her head, "Not too far." "I'll walk you," he offered. "I can take a cab. Don't worry about it." "Well you shouldn't take a cab by yourself at 2 in the morning." "I'm a big girl, Gordo." He still wouldn't give in as he reached into his coat for his phone, "Let me call this car service I know. I trust them." Lizzie smiled at Gordo's overprotective demeanor, "All right. If you feel it's

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necessary." A mere two minutes later, the car pulled up to the curb in front of Lizzie and Gordo. "Well," Lizzie said, turning to Gordo, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "Yeah," Gordo nodded, "tomorrow. Bye, Lizzie." "Bye." Lizzie was about to step into the car, when she suddenly stopped. Much to Gordo's surprise, she turned around, stepped back up onto the curb, and gave Gordo a hug. The memories of the airport many years ago came flooding back to Gordo. His shocked arms still managed to hug her back. "Gordo?" Lizzie asked, not moving from their embrace. Gordo sighed, still not opening his eyes, "Yeah?" "Thank you. For everything. Thank you for being there for me every time that I needed you, and thank you for always watching out for me. I forgive you for everything, Gordo, and I hope that you forgive me too. Sothank you." She quickly let go and looked into Gordo's eyes. He had never seen a look like that in her eyes before, and he didn't know what it meant. It was almost as if there was a mixture of love, sadness, happiness, and longing all rolled into one. Gordo felt the same way. Lizzie turned back to the car and got inside, as she looked at Gordo through the window. And just before the car drove away, Lizzie saw Gordo say back, "No problem. And I do." ***** Gordo practically skipped all the way home. He walked into his apartment and threw his keys on the counter as he headed towards his phone to call Parker. He then realized that she had left that day to visit her mother back home. Looks like it's just me, he thought to himself. He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. As he was taking a sip, he noticed the flashing light on his answering machine. With a pen ready in one hand, and a pad of paper in the other, he pressed the button. *YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE. MESSAGE RECEIVED AT 10:19 PM.* "Hey, Gordo. I just wanted to say that even though you are a horrible dresser and

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you have bad hair, I want you to be my best friend again. You are the bestest friend I have ever had in my entire life, and I shudder at the thought of never speaking to you again, much like I do when I look at your hair. And don't even think about mentioning this message to anyone UmI like puppies and rainbowsYeahBye." *BEEP* Gordo played the message over again, wondering if he had heard it right. Didn't he just talk to Lizzie? Listening to the message one more time, he wondered, "What is going on here?" ***** At exactly the same time, Lizzie walked into her apartment. Noticing a flashing red light on the answering machine, she threw her purse on the counter and hit the button as she grabbed a bottle of water. *YOU HAVE ONE NEW MESSAGE. MESSAGE RECEIVED AT 10:23 PM.* "Lizzie. It's Gordo. You know, the G-Man? Anyway, I'm calling on behalf of myself here saying that I want us to be friends until the end of the Star Trek serie - I mean forever. I'm sorry about what happened between us and I hope you forgive me because I get stupid sometimes. Please don't mention this message in front of me because I will get embarrassed and I'll become redder than a Volcan in the middle of a dead winterOkay bye." *BEEP* Lizzie froze with her water bottle up to her mouth. She slowly brought it down as she asked herself, "What the heck?" She repeated the message over and over trying to understand what was going on. Something wasn't quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

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Chapter 22

Lizzie's mind was racing. She was nearly positive that the message she had just listened to was the weirdest thing she had ever heard in her entire life, and she simply could not contemplate what was going on. She was still in a daze when her phone rang. Lizzie picked it up, "Hello?" Gordo was on the other end, just as confused as Lizzie was, "Hey Lizzie." "Gordo," she said, cutting right to the chase. "I know you didn't want me to bring this up, but why did you leave that message on my machine?" "I never left a message on your machineI don't even have your home phone number." Lizzie thought for a moment, "Oh yeah, huh." "Are you talking about the message that you left on my machine?" Gordo asked, thinking that Lizzie could easily make the mistake. After all, she had been hanging out with Ethan a lot lately. "Me?" Lizzie asked, also seriously considering the possibility. "I didn't leave a message on your machine. At least I don't think I didNo, no I didn't." "ButBut," Gordo said, confused, "it sounds just like you. It even told me I have bad hair." "Gordo. I didn't call you today." "Then who left the message on my machine?" "Who left the message sounding like you on my machine?" Gordo shook his head, "Something isn't adding up here. Let me listen to it one more time."

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As Gordo hit the button on his machine and listened to the message one more time, he started to realize something. "It says that I got the message at 10:19," he mentioned. "We were in the Pastry Shop at 10:19." "Let me check mine." There was a pause on Lizzie's end of the line. "10:23." She confirmed. "So who could leave messages that sound like us? I mean, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't mewho is it?" Lizzie shrugged, "I can only think of us. I don't know anyone that sounds like me. But it just doesn't make sense 'cause we were both in the pastry shop." "Wait a secondplay your message for me," Gordo requested. Lizzie pressed the button and held her phone up to the machine. As Gordo listened to the message that had been recorded by a stranger who really did sound exactly like him, Gordo figured out just what was going on. "So do you know who it is?" Lizzie asked, in response to a small chuckle she heard from Gordo. "You know who it is. Listen to the message yourself." After the fifth time of listening to the mystery message, Lizzie discovered for herself the secret behind the recording, "Oh my God, it's Larry! Nobody ever understands what he's talking about, with these Volcans and how long Star Trek is. It's totally Larry!" "So if Larry left the message on your machine -" "Kate left one on yours. I'm sure of it. She is the only person who would attack your hair first. But why would they do something like this? I mean, we're friends again -" "As far as they know, we aren't," Gordo pointed out. "I think it's pretty obvious what they were up to. They simply wanted us to be friends again. And quite frankly, that was the lamest of all their attempts." "Like we wouldn't eventually figure it out," Lizzie laughed, ignoring the fact that Gordo had figured it out. "What a lame plan. It sounds like something Matt would have done when he was an infant. This has to be plan number one or something." "I don't think we would have figured this out if we hadn't been talking to each other," Gordo added, also not recognizing that he had uncovered the mystery. Lizzie shook her head, "Those guys really need to lay off. We resolved this without them. But, on the other hand, they did care about us enough to do this for us."

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Gordo nodded in agreement, "That was really nice of them." "I know we're going to be friends on the set tomorrow and everything, but I say we make them believe that their whole plan actually worked." "Why?" Gordo questioned, wondering if anyone would actually believe that a pathetic plan like the one they pulled had actually worked out. "So they don't feel like all of their work has been in vain." "Including Kate's credit card bill." Lizzie smiled, "Okay then. It's settled." "What's settled?" Gordo asked, still clueless. "We'll pretend we don't know about the plan, and they won't know that we know about the plan because we'll be pretending that their plan worked." Gordo paused. Not out of confusion, but out of shock, "It scares me that I actually followed what you just said." "It wasn't rocket science. I just explain things really well." "So tomorrow," Gordo confirmed, "we're going to be really friendly in front of them so that they think their plan worked." "Well we don't really have to act. We can just be ourselves. Matt and Melina will see through us if we act otherwise." Gordo scoffed, "I would like to think that I'm smarter than Matt and Melina, thank you." "You might be smarter," Lizzie said, "but you aren't trickier." "Oh, you think so? Well we'll see about that tomorrow, my friend." Lizzie laughed, "Gordo, you aren't being tricky if you're just acting like yourself. That doesn't count." "Au contraire. It counts even more that way." Lizzie shook her head as she laughed to herself at Gordo's strange reasoning, "I'll see you tomorrow, Gordo. If I don't get any sleep tonight, Kate is going to pitch a fit." "Why?" Gordo asked, once again. "Because apparently, the bags under my eyes make her clothes look like potato sacks." Gordo chuckled, "Clever simile."

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"I'll see you tomorrow." "Where I will be extra tricky." "Oh yeah, because when I think of tricky, I think of David Gordon." "'Night, Lizzie." "Goodnight, Gordo." And they hung up their phones. ***** The next day, Kate and Matt snuck in a quick conversation off to the side of the set hoping that no one would notice. "So do you think the plan worked?" Kate asked, all the while on the lookout for anyone that might walk by and notice the two talking with each other. "There's only one way to find out." Matt spotted Lizzie across the set and walked over to her, "Hey sis." Lizzie looked suspiciously around the room, "What do you want?" He shrugged, "Nothing." Lizzie scoffed as she shook her head, "No, because you just called me sis. And if I know you, which I do, I know that sis means you want something." "I was just checking up on you. I know that you and Gordo haven't really been getting along lately." Lizzie grinned as Matt confirmed her suspicions that he, in fact, was in on the plan. "Whywhatever do you mean?" she asked sweetly. "Lizzie, you two have been getting into fights non-stop." "You know, Matt. The weirdest thing happened yesterday. Gordo apologized for everything in this message on my answering machine, and now we're cool again!" Matt's jaw dropped, "Really? It worked?" Lizzie smiled, "Uh, what worked?" Matt stammered as he averted his eyes from Lizzie's stare, "I mean, just an apology worked?" She shrugged, "That's all it takes. He admitted that he was the wrong one." From across the room, Lizzie spotted Gordo and decided to make her lovely

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conversation with her little brother a little more interesting. Not to mention the fact that she wanted to see just how "tricky" Gordo could be when put to the test. "Gordo!" Lizzie yelled to him. "Come on over here!" Matt elbowed her as he spoke through his teeth, "What are you doing, Lizzie?" He panicked as he feared that their plan would be discovered. Melina would not be too fond of Matt if she found out that he single handedly sent their brilliant plan down the toilet. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. Gordo walked over, "Hey Lizzie, Matt. What's up guys? Are you ready to go to lunch?" Lizzie smiled with a nod, "All set! Let me just get my jacket." "Sure," Gordo responded. Just before Lizzie headed off away from the two men, she shot Gordo a wink, and he knew exactly what to do. Matt wiped the sweat off of his brow, "So what's with you and my sister?" Gordo shook his head and shrugged, "What are you talking about?" "It's just thatwell, you guys are acting all chummy and you're going out to lunch." Gordo sighed happily, "What can I say? We're chums! She admitted she was wrong in this message on my answering machine. So now we're friends again!" Just as Gordo finished speaking, Lizzie walked over and once again, Matt became nervous. She turned to Gordo, "Let's go." Gordo nodded and turned back to Matt, "See ya, Matt." The two chums walked off together, leaving a dumbfounded Matt in their dust. Kate came back to find out the news, "So?" "The plan worked." Kate's eyes widened as she smiled, "Seriously?" "I'm too shocked to speak." She shook her head, "Wow. That Melina is a genius!" "She is." "It must have been my acting," Kate proclaimed. "They tell me I'm just like JuliaRoberts, that is."

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"Yeah. Must be. I'm just so shocked. This can't be right. Yesterday they're fighting over snowballs, and today they're going out to lunch?" Kate shrugged, "Well, at least our efforts have finally paid off and made them see that they're meant to be friends." Matt's eyes never left the door that Lizzie and Gordo had exited through until he turned to Kate and asked, "Isn't this a little too convenient?" "Do Lizzie and Gordo ever make sense?" ***** Back on Lizzie and Gordo's end of the spectrum, they were walking down the street, picking apart the details of the plan that had been implemented by their friends. "I'm guessing this whole thing was Melina's idea," Lizzie said. Gordo shook his head in disbelief, "But it's sojuvenile." "Well, I'm guessing that she was either THAT desperate, or she thinks we're THAT stupid." "And that explains Matt's surprise." "I don't think he thought the plan was going to work." Gordo chuckled, "He must be kicking himself now." Lizzie laughed, "We can't please everybody. 4 out of 5 sounds good to me. Especially when that one extra is my brother." Gordo turned to Lizzie and straightened his coat, "Did you see how I was tricky?" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, Gordo. You were very tricky acting like YOURSELF." He let out a soft laugh, "So you wanna have dinner tonight?" "You know, if I were your girlfriend, I would be very jealous. I mean, you must have gotten home pretty late last night." "Actually, Parker's visiting her mother in Boston for a week. The McKenzie's moved there after Parker went off to college." "I just don't want to upset the old ball and chain, that's all," she shrugged. "Because I know that when we were going out, I - umI got jealous from time to time." Gordo stopped in his tracks, but quickly caught up with Lizzie again, who had kept on walking, "You did?" "Of course. Every girl gets jealous."

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"Of who?" "Well, there was the Kate thing" "And?" "And that girl Beth, the tall ballerina. I think she had a crush on you. Oh, and of course there was Parker." Gordo nodded, "Well that last one kind of has merit. But of course, not at the time that we were going outI mean - " Gordo began to stammer, trying to redeem himself for the comment which may have implied that he had cheated on Lizzie while they were going out. But Lizzie shook her head, dismissing the idea, "Gordo, I know you never cheated on me." "What about - " "I never thought you were cheating. I just said that to spite you." "Good to know," he nodded. "So how about dinner since the old lady is out of town? You don't want to leave me all alone, do you?" Lizzie smiled, "Well in that case, I'd be very happy to have dinner with you." "Great. 7ish over in your trailer? It IS bigger than mine." "Well, that's because I'm the star you know." Gordo laughed and shook his head, "Come on, Miss Diva. Let's get back to the set so we can make our friends even more dumbfounded." They started to walk back to the set. "Just not Ethan, though. It might prove lethal." ***** For the next few days, despite the fact that Lizzie and Gordo were both completely bombarded with work, they still managed to spend practically every meal and spare moment together. It was just like old times. Melina was thrilled that her plan had finally paid off, and Kate, Larry, Ethan, and Matt were grateful to once and for all get rid of the cranky versions of Gordo and Lizzie. But soon, Gordo started blowing off Parker to spend time with Lizzie, and the greeneyed monster that lived inside Parker as well wasn't too happy about the whole idea. "Parker," Gordo pleaded, "I told you. I already promised Lizzie that I'd have dinner with her to celebrate her album going diamond."

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"I just don't understand why you have to be spending all of this time with her." "She's my friend. I need to be there to support her. You understand. Gotta go!" Gordo gave Parker a quick peck on the lips and dashed out of the apartment. Parker had become accustomed to it. Many times during the past couple of weeks, she found herself being overly "understanding" about Gordo's night's out with Lizzie McGuire. But just because she was accustomed to it didn't mean she was okay with it. And to be frank, it was getting on Parker's nerves. ***** "So was Parker mad?" Lizzie asked that night at dinner. "I feel really bad because this was totally last minute, but I just found out today and you're the only person I feel like celebrating with." Gordo shrugged, "She seemed okay. I had a little talk with her." "Well good." "So how does it feel selling 10 million copies of your first album?" Lizzie grinned, "I can't believe it. I can't wait to get into the studio and make another one. Making this movie has been great, it's been really relaxing, but I think I'm ready for a crazy tour." Gordo shook his head in disbelief, "I can't believe the shooting is almost done." "Yeah, I only have a couple more scenes to shoot, including the infamous prom sequence." He chuckled, "Well at least you won't have to stick around for post production." "Good luck editing this thing." "I just hope my bosses like the final cut. They put so much faith in me I'm kind of afraid it might not be good." Lizzie reached across the table and grabbed Gordo's hand, "Gordo, I would never lie to you about this stuff, so trust me when I say this. You are great at what you do, and I wouldn't' have done this movie if I didn't think it was a good one. The last thing I need is a Crossroads on my hands here." Gordo looked down and laughed, "Please don't compare it to that movie." As the two laughed together, still holding hands, Gordo looked up at Lizzie and there was a part of him, deep down inside, that began to think about kissing her. But he knew that he couldn't, and he knew that he couldn't even entertain the

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thought. Gordo pulled his hand away and shook his head as he whispered to himself, "Stop it." Lizzie was confused, "Stop what?" Gordo looked up, embarrassed that Lizzie had heard him, "I was - umthink ing that we better stop and look at the menus before the waiter comes." Lizzie shrugged it off, and agreed, "Okay." They both looked at their menus, but only one of them was deciding what they wanted. While Lizzie tried to figure out what she would order, Gordo stared at the menu, thinking of nothing else but Lizzie. When the waiter finally arrived at the table, Lizzie knew what she wanted, but Gordo still hadn't read one item on the menu. "Gordo. Earth to Gordo. Come in Gordo!" He finally snapped out of it and looked around him, "What?" Lizzie leaned towards Gordo and whispered, "The waiter's here." "Oh. Um, I'll have whatever the first one is." Lizzie made a disgusted face, "You want snails?" Gordo made the same face in realization of what he had just ordered, "Snails? Oh, no. I meant whatever's second." They both finished ordering as they continued to talk. And as they did, Gordo began to realize his attraction to Lizzie. No longer was he thinking about her as just afraid, but eh thought to himself that maybe he never stopped loving her. Gordo was beyond confused with himself. He needed some advice, and he needed it quick. Whenever he spent more time with Lizzie, his feelings only became stronger. He had to fix this problem right away. ***** Every Saturday morning, Larry and Gordo would head down to Central Park for a jog, despite the fact that neither of them were the type to do so. They had both gone out and bought every jogging item that one could find at the sporting goods store, but when they went out to jog, they found themselves walking far more than they ran. This Saturday, they went out for their weekly jog once again, and paused for a break after only one minute of running. "I don't know Gordo," Larry said, somewhat out of breath, "maybe you're just reminiscing about the past."

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For Gordo, the one good thing about his weekly run with Larry was that he could have great conversations when he was worried about something, "That's the thing, though. I don't think I am. I feel like I'm starting to like her all over again. I like the new Lizzie. I just don't know what to do. I don't think either of us are ready for a relationship." "What about Parker?" "What about her?" Larry followed as Gordo started up running again, "Hello? You are going out with her." "Oh yeah, good point." "Break," Larry said as he stopped running, followed by Gordo. "This is worse than I thought. You can't just do that to Parker. No matter how much I hate her, I would never want her, or anyone, to get hurt like this." "Larry, I don't think I'm going to act on my feelings. I'm not even in Lizzie's league. Remember? She's so incredibly famous right now. You've read those tabloids. Guys like Aaron Carter are going after her, there's no way I could snag her." "Don't think about things like that, Gordo, because when you start to think about them you think they can come true." Gordo huffed, "I just - don't know!" and began running again. Larry groaned and caught up to Gordo, "I think your feelings for Lizzie are just a door to the past. You're relationship was unresolved and now you have the time to repair it, so you want to go after her. But it would be a mistake, Gordo. A huge catastrophe. Like George Lucas creating Jar Jar Binks kind of mistakebreak." They both stopped once more, out of breath, "Larry, I'm just so confused." "I'm giving you the answer, Gordo. Don't be confused!" "I just want to kiss her every time I'm with her. I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself next time." Larry stopped walking, dead in his tracks, "Well you're going to have to, Gordo! Get it together, man!" He pulled Gordo to a stop by his running jacket and began to shake the living daylights out of him. Gordo grabbed Larry's shoulders, "Larry! Larry!" "Sorry," Larry said, calming down, "I got carried away there. But you're getting carried away too, Gordo." Gordo started up again, in hopes that perhaps Larry wouldn't follow after him, but

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when he did, Gordo quickly defended himself, "I am not! My problem is that I care about two different women. Two very smart, beautiful, perfect matches for me." "You are living with Parker. You have made a commitment to her and now you are going to throw that all away?" "Break," Gordo said, stopping, "Why are you all gung ho for Parker?" "Because she's on the side of YOUR sanity. Look, I tried my best for you and Lizzie to become friends again because I think you guys should be best friends, but I don't know about having a relationship again." "And why not?" "You mean besides the whole Parker thing?" "Yeah." "Because if it is this hard for you two to be together, maybe it isn't meant to be." Gordo stopped walking. His legs had stopped functioning, and his brain could only concentrate on what Larry had just told him. Larry stopped a few steps ahead of him and looked back when Gordo whispered dejectedly, "I had never thought of it like that." Larry walked back to Gordo and put his arm around him, "And that's why I had to tell you." Still standing in the middle of the path, Gordo asked, "So you think the fates are trying to keep me and Lizzie apart because we aren't meant to be together?" "Exactly, now you are getting it," Larry said with a pat on the back. Gordo shook his head and sprinted away from Larry, "I don't believe that. It isn't even logical." Larry took a deep breath, determined to catch up to Gordo, "Look! Maybe you shouldn't be talking to me. I would talk to a guy who's been in a loving relationship for a while. He should be smart and willing to listen to this Lizzie stuff, because quite frankly, I've done my part!" Gordo was still many feet ahead of Larry, calling back to the man he was trying so hard to avoid, "Yes, Larry, you have! And I thank you, but who else do you think I can talk to about this?" Larry was straggling next to Gordo, just barely keeping up with his fast pace, as he gave Gordo a look. "No," Gordo refused, "I don't think that would be a good idea, Larry." Larry started to fall behind, and soon he was stopped, hunched over, breathing heavily, "I think he'll be able to help!"

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Gordo faced towards a burnt-out Larry and ran backwards away from him, "But would he want to? That's the real question!" He spun around and kept running, leaving Larry in the dust. ***** Gordo went to the upper part of Manhattan the next day. He spent most of his time searching around, due to his tendency to get easily lost in seemingly simple situations, but eventually found his destination. Walking into an old warehouse, Gordo was approached by a marshmallow looking blob that extended its hand out to greet Gordo. "Gordo," the blob said, "what are you doing here at my headquarters?" Gordo quickly recognized the blob as Matt, "First things first. What are you doing with all of those pillows wrapped around yourself? You look like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man." "Today I'm practicing one of my stunts," Matt explained. "I get run over by a car." "You're getting run over? By a car? Are you sure that's safe?" Matt nodded with confidence, "Yeah." His eyes became shifty, "WellI'm pretty sure. But the only way to test it is for me to actually do it myself. I would never endanger my crew like that. Plus, my little bundle of love is in the driver's eat." Gordo looked past Matt to see Melina waving from a car, looking a little too eager to step on the gas. "She looks a little too happy to be doing this, Matt." Matt grinned as he turned around to wave at Melina, "Yeah, that's my little cupcake for you! So," he said, turning back to Gordo, "what can I do for you on this fine day?" "I need some advice from someone who has been in a stable and loving relationship for practically a decade," Gordo stated, suddenly questioning his use of the term 'loving.' "About what? I can tell you anything about anybody or anything, just not about my sister." Gordo cringed. "Anything but my sister I can help you with. Anything." Gordo was silent for a bit, wondering how the heck he was going to get advice when Matt was refusing to talk about Lizzie. "So it IS about my sister."

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Gordo shrugged, "Isn't it always?" Matt stared at Gordo, and Gordo stared at Matt. But Matt finally gave in, unable to turn Gordo down, "What the heck? One more time. It's something I can hold over her head later anyway." As Matt took off his pillow helmet, he called back to Melina, "Hey, Melina! I'm going to talk to Gordo for a bit, but as soon as I'm done, you can run me over!" Melina leaned out the window and called back to Matt, "It better not be a long conversation, honey! Or I'll be running you both over. Without pillows!" An extremely scared expression came over Gordo's face as he nodded and gave a thumbs up to the madwoman behind the wheel, as to ensure that their conversation would be extremely quick. Gordo followed Matt over to a bench and sat down, "You love Melina right?" "Of course. That goes without saying." "Okay, so how do you know you love her? I mean, how do you know that she's the one?" Matt chuckled, "Did you just pull that line out of ALL the romantic movies in the universe?" "Matt we are pressed for time, here. Your girlfriend wants to run us over so do you think you could cut the sarcasm for two seconds?" "Okay, okay. I see your point. I've been run over without the padding. It isn't pretty," Matt took a deep breath and continued their man-to-man conversation. "Okay, this is what I'm getting from you. You have started to have feelings for my sister again and you don't know what to do about it." "Am I that transparent?" Gordo asked, worried. "No. Just that predictable. This soap opera has been going on for far too long." "So what should I do?" Matt took a second to think, "Lizzie or Parker? I can't tell you who to choose, Gordo. It isn't that simple." "I just didn't think I could have these feelings for Lizzie again, but at the same time I do have feelings for Parker. I'm living with her for God sakes!" "Are you living with her because you love her, or because you feel you owe her?" Gordo paused. "I - uhI don't know." Gordo and Matt both turned their heads as they heard Melina rev up the engine of the car, which was faced right at them.

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Matt jumped up from the bench and strapped his pillow helmet back on, "Gotta go. The little lady isn't too happy right now." But Gordo wasn't finished just yet. He stood up from the bench and followed Matt to the car, "One more thing!" "You better hurry," Matt said as he lay down on the warehouse floor. "I promise I won't hurt your sister, no matter what I decide." Matt sat up to look at Gordo, "I know you won't." "Thanks, Matt," Gordo smiled. "No probleeeeeemmmmm!" Melina ran Matt over with the car, laughing evilly. Matt groaned, laying like a rag doll on the floor, "I think I broke something." "Ah, what a kidder," Melina commented, getting out of the car. Gordo turned to Melina, "Is he going to be okay?" She nodded, "Yeah, he's done this a thousand times." Matt tried to get up, but he fell back down again. "Are you sure we shouldn't take him to the hospital?" Gordo offered with concern. Melina shook her head, "Nah. It's all the pillows. It's hard to get up with all those pillows." "Rightum, so I'm going to go now." Just before Gordo could escape from all the madness, Melina stopped him, "Look, Gordo. Do you want some advice from a girl?" "How do you know I need advice?" She scoffed, "You always need advice. So let me guess, you've been hanging out with Lizzie a LOT lately, and you have realized that you might have feelings for her again. I'm right aren't I?" Gordo threw his hands up in the air, "Is ESP contagious around here? How come everyone else knows everything before I do?" Melina shook her head, "Please, Gordo. I'm so much more intelligent than you." "So what's your advice?" She cracked a small smile, "I don't think I need to give you any, Gordo. I know you've already made your choice, so why don't you tell her already? I can't waste my

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time on this anymore. I have to go take my Bar exam." "Already? I thought you were just going through the motions of law school." She shrugged like it was no big deal, "I graduated early." Gordo was shocked, "In two months?" Melina grinned, "I told you I'm smart." Matt, with the help of his crew, was finally peeled off the warehouse floor. They removed his padding and plopped him down in a wheelchair, when wheeled him over to Gordo and Melina, "That one didn't hurt one bit, babe." "See, Gordo," Melina said, giving a wincing Matt a hard pat on the head, "he's fine. Strong as an ox." Gordo rolled his eyes at the clinically insane couple, "Oh yeah, strong as an oxSo, I better get going." "We'll see you later," Melina said. Matt held out his hands and felt around for the origin of the voice he was hearing, "Gordo? Is that you? I see a bright light!" Melina laughed heartily, "Such a kidder, this one!" Gordo shook his head and left Matt in the hands of Melina. As he walked off, he could hear Matt's screams from outside, and from his car. But as he started driving back home, he simply shook them off. Gordo had bigger problems to deal with. He thought back to all of the advice he had been given. None of it seemed to help him. But he knew, that out of everything that he had heard, Melina was the only one who was right on the money. Subconsciously, Gordo had already made his choice. "Is this the right choice?" Gordo asked himself. "Does she really love me?"

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Chapter 23

Lizzie was facing dilemmas of her own. She simply couldn't understand what was going on with herself. No matter how much she tried to pour herself into her work, what with memorizing lines and her various appointments, she kept finding her thoughts trailing back to Gordo. While sitting in her trailer, Lizzie's dialogue coach, Ellen, noticed this lack of focus. "Why is it that whenever I read these lines they come out cheesy and stupid? I have no idea how I can be such a good coach when I can't even deliver the lines myself." Ellen laughed to herself, but Lizzie didn't seem to hear anything that she had just said. Ellen waited for a response from Lizzie, but got nothing. "Earth to Lizzie. Come in, Lizzie." Lizzie finally snapped out of it, "What?" "The next line," Ellen pointed to the script, "Come on, you need to get these lines for tomorrow." She shook her head, "I can't focus right now." Ellen sighed as she threw her script onto the table in front of her, "Why don't we take a break? You look like you could use one, anyway. I'll come back here tonight." "Thanks, Ellen. I'm sorry, I promise by tonight I'll be ready to get these lines down." Ellen laughed to herself, "You know, you are so lucky that you can memorize your lines so fast. No one else but you would be able to get down an entire scene in just one night." Lizzie smiled a modest smile, "Well I'll see you today at the shoot for the infamous kissing scene." "Are you ready to kiss," Ellen sighed longingly, "Ethan Craft?"

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Lizzie shrugged, "It's just Ethan." Ellen was staring off into space, and didn't once focus her glazed eyes on Lizzie, "I could never think that. He's a dream boat." "Did you just say dream boat?" Ellen took her eyes off the wall as they became shifty, "Maybe. I don't know, Ethan makes me zany like that." Lizzie grabbed some peanuts out of a bowl on the table and snacked on them, "He has a girlfriend you know." Ellen threw her arms in the air and fell back into the couch, "I know! Maybe he'll wise up and realize that I'm the girl of his dreams." "Trust me. You don't want to cross Kate." "Yeah, I've seen her on the set. She looks like she brings out the claws." Lizzie chuckled, "Oh, she does." Ellen sighed and stood up from the couch as she collected her things and headed towards the trailer door, "I'll see you tonight, Lizzie." "Alrighty," Lizzie said, still on the couch. "I promise you that I'll be focused tonight." Ellen pointed a stern finger in Lizzie's direction, "Don't forget to memorize those lines." "I won't." Ellen left the trailer. Lizzie reluctantly stood up from the comfortable couch, thinking that it was best Ellen had left. She had to get ready for the next shoot, anyway. ***** "So Lizzie and Ethan," Gordo said, just a few hours later on the movie set. "I want you both to lean your heads to the right and kiss lightly. I don't want a passionate kiss. Just a very light one. Almost like you're kissing your grandmother." Lizzie shot a confused look at Gordo in response to his strange request and suspicious emphasis on certain words, "Are you sure? Because this is their first kiss, and I was thinking that maybe they kiss lightly at first, but then become more passionate as they start to realize that they're both in love with each other." Ethan nodded as he put his arm around Lizzie and pulled her close, "Yeah, man. Feel the love." Lizzie grimaced slightly and turned back to the director, "What do you think, Gordo?"

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Unknowingly, Gordo glared evilly for a moment at the two co-stars and good friends who were so close to each other, and about to become closer. Despite Gordo's extremely high IQ and great common sense, for some reason, he still could not figure out why he was having so much trouble accepting the fact that Ethan and Lizzie were going to be kissing each other. He simply shook his head, "I don't even find this one kiss necessary." Lizzie broke free from Ethan's grasp, "What? This is the staple point of the movie. This is where Ryan realizes that he could really love Jake. This is where the audience can finally see that his feelings are genuine." "I'm going to go with Lizzie on this one," Ethan agreed. "This is a much needed kiss." Gordo watched as Ethan reached into his pocket, pulled out a bottle of Binaca, and sprayed it in his mouth, once, twice, and three times for good measure. Gordo visibly cringed. "We're just going to keep it as a light kiss. Like you said, it is their first kiss and both of them are holding back from the other. That's why they aren't all into it. I personally don't even think there should be a kiss here, but why don't we just film it, and when it comes along, I'll decide if it's necessary. Besides, how do you two know what the audience wants, anyhow?" Ethan and Lizzie began to notice Gordo's testy behavior as he paused to catch his breath. The two decided to shrug it off and they got into their places. Gordo sat down in his director's chair, "Okay, ACTION!" In front of Gordo, Ethan touched Lizzie's hair softly as he put his hand lightly on her cheek. They both leaned to their respective rights, and their lips were just about to touch when -"CUT! CUT!" Gordo stood up from his chair and rushed the set. "No, this is all wrong. You guys should be tilting left." "Are you sure, Gor-don?" Ethan asked, confused. "Yes. Left. The lighting is better this way. Trust me." Ethan shrugged, "Okay, man. Whatever you say." Both Ethan and Lizzie returned to their positions, but Gordo did not sit down in his director's chair as he normally did. Instead, he stood anxiously in front of the monitor, tapping his foot in annoyance. Ethan and Lizzie, for the second time, leaned in for this kiss, only this time they went to the left. As their lips almo -"CUT! CUT!" Gordo rushed the set once again. "This isn't working. I think we need to cut the scene."

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Lizzie finally spoke up in response to Gordo's crazy antics, "What are you talking about, Gordo? You aren't even giving this scene a chance! You keep cutting it before anything can happen!" Ethan followed after Lizzie, "Yeah, Gor-don. What's wrong with you today?" Something snapped inside of him, and suddenly Mr. Brain-Dead Gordon finally realized why he was having such trouble with the scene they were trying to shoot. Deep down, he had known why all along. He didn't want Lizzie and Ethan to kiss. Ethan, with his perfect hair and perfect heightit made Gordo physically sick to think about Ethan and Lizzie kissing. "I just don't think the scene works." "Gordo," Lizzie said, sternly, "This is THE scene. You can't just cut it. It even goes with the song that Jake's going to sing at the prom. The song specifically says, 'As you se yourself lost in his kiss.' And how can Jake think about the kiss unless it actually happens?" Gordo remained calm, knowing that any outburst had the potential of pushing his already suspicious behavior over the edge, "I'm the director and I would like my vision respected." Lizzie shook her head, turned away, and rolled her eyes, "Okay. Whatever you say." "Look everyone," Gordo said, turning to the crew, "While I think about this some more, why don't you guys take a quick break." As Gordo walked away to do some thinking, Lizzie turned to Ethan, "Hey, Ethan. Want to head over to the kraft cart and raid the gummy bears?" A wide grin came over Ethan's face, "My empty stomach will lead the way." ***** Unbeknownst to Gordo, Parker had witnessed the entire thing. As she got up from her chair, she sighed. She had seen the jealousy in his eyes, and she knew exactly what she had to do. She promptly slipped out of the set. Gordo didn't notice at all, for he was sitting in his director's chair, furiously writing out a new scene, "Ahh, perfect. A much better scene than before." Kate walked up behind Gordo. She too had seen the madness that had gone on between him and the two actors, but unlike most of the cast and crew, Kate knew exactly what was going on. "Gordo," she demanded, "what do you think you're doing? I know that you're trying to stop this kiss, and it isn't going to work." Gordo didn't look up from his writing as he responded, with absolutely no enthusiasm, "I don't know what you're talking about Kate."

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Kate threw her arms up in the air, "Oh puh-lease! Like it isn't written all over your face. You are still deeply, madly, truly in love with Lizzie McGuire, and don't try to convince me otherwise." Kate was surprised when Gordo didn't flinch, and still stayed focused on his writing, "I'm not in love with Lizzie. I just wrote a better scene." "Gordo, everybody here isn't blind! You. Are. In. Love. With. Her." Gordo put down his pen. "Fine. Okay, I will admit that at one point in my life," he stammered to get the words out, "I was in - I REALLY cared about herbut I've moved on. And so has she." Kate scoffed, "Yeah, that's why she hasn't had a serious relationship since she broke up with you." Gordo's mind raced back to all of the tabloids that Larry had been shoving in his face over the past few years. Aaron Carter, Chad Michael Murray, Frankie Muniz. None of them were true? He honestly could not believe what he was hearing. "S - She hasn't?" he asked, stunned. "Look, Gordo. You and I both know that you are stopping these kissing scenes between Lizzie and Ethan because there is something going on with you. You're jealous." "Me? Jealous of Ethan?" Gordo tried his hardest to act as if he didn't know what she was talking about, but Kate gave him a look letting him know that she couldn't be fooled. "I am not jealous of some really tall, good looking, has-great-hair heartthrob, okay? Besides, Kate, this is acting. It isn't real. Lizzie and Ethan don't really want to kiss each other, it's Ryan and Jake that do." Gordo was very unconvincing in his effort to make Kate believe that he couldn't care less. "I know that my boyfriend is going to go out there and kiss a very beautiful and very famous pop star. I'm extremely jealous despite the fact that I understand that it is their job and that they don't have feelings for one another. I mean, Lizzie's crush on Ethan was like, ages ago. Get over it, Gordo, or you are going to lose her again. But this time for good." Gordo became serious, "What do you mean lose her?" "I know you have feelings for her, so don't wait forever. No girl is going to want to be with someone who is constantly jealous." He was growing angry, "Kate. I don't have feelings for Lizzie. I'm just trying to make the movie the best I can. Have you forgotten? I'm with Parker. I've been living with the girl for the past couple of years." Gordo's tone became louder and his normally happy-go-lucky smile turned into a pissed-off scowl.

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"Yeah," Kate muttered, "who could forget?" "My interest in this kiss is purely for the audience enjoyment factor." "You heard the mini-test audience, Gordo. It was a great, great scene. Don't even think about deleting it." "Who is the director here, Kate?!" "Did you just use a forceful tone with me? Oh no, you did not just do that!" Gordo was suddenly shaking in his boots. He had just made a huge mistake, and he knew it. Kate started to go after Gordo, but he quickly shielded himself with the movie script. His split-second thinking stopped Kate for a moment, but not long enough, according to Gordo. Luckily for Gordo, Ethan and Lizzie were just returning from their snack break to see the predator seconds away from pouncing on her prey. Ethan ran to Gordo's rescue, knowing that a man of his size wouldn't survive a Kate-Attack like he could. "Kate! Stop it!" He demanded, holding her back. She struggled to get out of Ethan's grip, "Let me just have one punch! Please, Ethan! Just one! Lemmeattim!" Lizzie rushed to the scene, "What is going on here?" Kate finally calmed down, but she was still fuming, "Just a creative difference." She stared Gordo down. As Kate straightened out her clothes and stormed away, a confused Lizzie turned to a terrified Gordo, "What's her deal?" "What she said. Creative differences. That's all," his voice was shaky. "Okaayy," Lizzie said, still confused. Ethan shook his head, "I'll talk with her later." After a few moments of silence, Gordo finally recovered from his near-death experience, and handed the brand-new, freshly-written scripts to the two actors, "So here is the new scene, minus the kiss." Ethan looked over his new lines, "Minus it?" "Well, I decided it just wasn't the right time for the kiss." "Are you sure, Gordo?" Lizzie asked. Gordo paused, knowing that he had driven his way into quite a pickle. As a director,

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he knew that he needed this moment, this big kiss to hook his audience in and really get them to love the movie. But then there was the other part of him, Gordo the guy, that knew he couldn't bear to watch Lizzie and Ethan kiss over and over, take after take until they got it just right. But to him it never would be "just right." It would always be horrible. No matter how well it came across on the screen. "You know what?" he finally decided, "Let's just skip this scene for now. I think once you and Ethan have had more experience being lovey-dovey together, the scene will come off much better." Lizzie smiled, "That sounds like a great idea." Ethan nodded, "Yeah. Good call, Gor-don! Way to make a better movie." Ethan slapped Gordo hard on the back. Gordo winced. ***** With a cough, Gordo announced to the rest of the cast and crew his new decision. They all understood, and he told them the next scene, "Let's get that scene with Lizzie and Anita." Lizzie walked up next to Gordo as she flipped through her script, "Which one is that?" Gordo did the same, "The one where she first sees you and you guys have that little argument." He found the page in the script and pointed it out to Lizzie as she nodded in recognition. "Okay, sounds good. I actually already memorized these lines," Lizzie turned away from Gordo and called back to her co-star, "Anita, we have a scene to do!" Anita came running, a mile-wide smile adorning her face, "I get to make fun of Lizzie! Yeah!" Gordo laughed to himself as he headed off the set and called back to the crew, "Okay, let's get started, folks! We're going to move over to the school set. We need those extras!" Half an hour later, everyone was in position, and the scene was ready for shooting. "Action!" ***** Veronica and her best friend Joan walked into their afternoon math class. "Oh. My. Gosh." Veronica gasped, "Do you guys see that train wreck?" Joan looked all around, "What are you talking about, Ronnie?"

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Veronica pointed directly at Jake, sitting innocently in her seat, "She must be new. What a freak!" Joan giggled as the two walked up to Jake, ready to make trouble. "Uh, excuse me," Veronica said, "You're in my seat." Jake looked up slowly, noticing Veronica's rude tone, "There are about five million other empty seats in this classroom, so why don't you go take one of those?" Veronica glared, noticing Jake's sarcastic tone, "Look, freakazoid, you need to move. Everyone in this class knows that this," she slammed her hand down on the desk, "is MY seat." "Well I guess you're just going to have to deal with the fact that someone else is going to be sitting in YOUR seat," she shoved Veronica's hand off of the desk, "today." "Okay, blondie. It's clear to me that you don't know how things work around here. I'm the leader of this school and you, you little freak, will do whatever I say." Jake didn't miss a beat, "Oh, you're the 'leader' of this school? Is this like a dictatorship? Because I don't think that Hitler would have ruled in those pants." Veronica stood fuming in front of Jake wearing a pair of bright orange capris. "If you didn't know, orange is the hottest color on the runways in Paris and Milan." "You can certainly see those pants all the way from Paris and Milan. Let me get out my sunglasses real quick, I'm going blind just from looking at those." "Have you seen your pants? I'm pretty sure I had them in fourth grade when the goth look was in." Veronica leaned down, her face right in Jake's. Jake turned away, disgusted, "Jeez, what did you eat this morning? No, wait, let me rephrase that: Did you happen to see what it was that you vomited up this morning?" "Look here, missy. Get your wannabe Avril Lavigne, really a Michelle Branch copycat butt out of my chair!" Jake stared Veronica down as she realized that she had lost the fight. She got up and moved to another desk, but not before sneaking in the last word. "Your sunny disposition has certainly brightened my day." ***** "Cut!" Gordo stood up from his chair, "That was great, guys. Let's run it a few more times, and I think we should get Lizzie some sunglasses that she can pull out for that

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one line." They spent an hour more on the scene until Gordo was sufficiently satisfied with the takes he had filmed, "Okay, that's a wrap 'til tonight, everyone. I'll see you all then." Lizzie walked with Anita off the set, "I am so sorry that you had to wear those pants." "Actually," Anita said, looking down at the bright orange fabric that covered her legs, "I think they're kind of nice. Orange is coming back, you know. It's the new pink." Lizzie chuckled as she waved goodbye, "Whatever you say, Nita." She walked up to Gordo, "Hey, pretty good scene. I hear you wrote it." "Yeah. I think I have a pretty good insight into the female mind. Especially after listening to you and Miranda for so many years." She laughed, "Yeah." Lizzie and Gordo caught each other's eyes and uncomfortably looked away. "Well, I guess I'll see you tonight, then," Lizzie said. "Yeah," Gordo responded, "tonight." ***** Lizzie headed back to her place, along with Kate, just to hang out for a while before she had to work more on her lines, "Ellen's going to be here in an hour to rehearse lines with me." Kate rolled her eyes. Of all the many people that she despised, of course it had to be Ellen that was coming over, "Oh. Fun." "You don't like her very much, do you?" "Have you seen the googly eyes she's been making at my man? I don't think so." Lizzie had gotten used to Kate's extreme distaste for most people, but she still had something on her mind, "Kate, can I ask you something?" Kate's eyes stayed fixated on the television as she reassured Lizzie, "Don't worry, hon, no one can see that your eyebrows don't match on camera." But Lizzie wasn't so reassured, "My eyebrows don't match?" "Oh," Kate said, "You weren't going to ask me about that? Well thendon't worry, I'll fix them later, okay?" "Kate," Lizzie stopped her, "It's about Gordo." "This again."

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"I mean, I'm starting to have these feelings again whenever I'm around him." Kate's interest suddenly perked, "Feelings?" "You know, the can't eat, stomach in knots, all I want to do is kiss him kind of feeling?" Kate nearly gagged at the thought of kissing Gordo, "Oh, THAT feeling." Lizzie, sitting on her couch, pulled her legs into herself and rested her head in her knees, "What am I supposed to do, Kate? He has a girlfriend." "Who is SO ugly compared to you." "And she's a nice person." "Not compared to you." "And she's been living with Gordo for two years." "You've known him since you were born and dated him for three." "Kate!" "What? I think you should go after him. It's about time one of you had the nerve to do it." Lizzie shook her head, "It's not that simple. I don't think I shouldI mean, it's just wrong. He's with someone right now." "Well obviously he's not totally with her." Lizzie stared at Kate and asked slowly, "What do you mean?" "I called him on changing the scene today. He totally did it because he was jealous." Lizzie once again buried her face in her knees, "No!" "Yes he did, Lizzie! He basically said it." She looked up, "What do you mean by 'basically?'" Kate shrugged, "He didn't SAY it, but I could see it in his eyes." "Kate, you can't honestly think that you can read people through their eyes. I mean, for all you know Gordo could have been trying to hold in a sneeze. He wasn't jealous." "Why else would he have stopped that scene?" "Like he said, it wasn't working for him."

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Kate laughed, "Well I don't buy it." Just then, Kate's day planner beeped. She quickly pulled it out, tapped the screen a few times, and then dropped it back into her purse, "Gotta go! Vera Wang is looking at some of my designs. Ta ta!" Kate hurried to the door and let herself out, leaving Lizzie still sitting, curled up, on her couch. ***** Lizzie jumped up from the couch and grabbed her address book. She flipped through, finally finding the one person she KNEW would give her some sound advice. "Hello?" Lizzie was relived that her last-minute contact was available, "Miranda?" "Lizzie! How are you?" "I'm great. What about you?" "I'm excellent. We're doing a lot of good down here." "Oh yeah," Lizzie recalled, "the Peace Corps thing. So not the Miranda I used to know." Miranda chuckled, "Yeah, Mexico City changed me a lot." "It's still so weird to me that you're all the way across the world." "Yeah well I'm still getting used to the fact that you're a famous pop star. Oh, by the way, did you get the package I sent you?" Miranda asked with excitement. Lizzie burst into laughter, "Cindy Loo Moo? I can't believe you still had that!" Miranda joined in with the laughter, "I know, my mom had found it when she was cleaning the house, and I thought I'd send the good luck your way for your new movie." Lizzie let out one final laugh as she continued the conversation, "Well thank you, but I'm actually calling for a specific reason." "And what reason is that?" Miranda wondered. "I - well, um," Lizzie stammered, "this is going to sound kind of weird, but it's about Gordo." There was a pause on Miranda's end of the line, "Gordo? As in our best friend, David Gordon? As in your ex-boyfriend Gordo?" "Yeah, he's been on my mind a lot lately."

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"In what context? In the, 'I'm glad my best friend and I are best friends again' context, or the, 'Oh my God, my best friend is making me have feelings' context?" "WellUm, I mean" "Lizzie!" Miranda was shocked, "Are you guys hot for each other again? Isn't he going out with Parker?" "I think I still have feelings for him, yeah. And he is still going out with Parkerkind of. More like living with her." Lizzie braced herself, knowing that Miranda was getting ready to let it loose. "Well you better unfeel yourself, Lizzie! You don't want to be the other woman. He's living with her!" "I know, I know, Miranda, but I just can't help it. I don't think I ever stopped having feelings for him." "Lizzie," Miranda said, calming down, "This is the guy who completely stopped writing letters to you, after promising that he would only stop when he stopped caring, and the guy who called you a bad actress." "Yeah, I know. And I tried doing that. I tried looking at all his faults, but every time I did I found myself finding the King of Norway jokewellcute." Miranda gasped, "NO!" "Oh, yeah. I think it's cute." Miranda was shocked beyond belief, "Wow. You really do have feelings for him." Lizzie was pained. She didn't need Miranda telling her things she already knew, she needed her to be giving advice, "I know! And it's getting worse. I just know that I have that 'I wanna kiss you face' on every single time I see him." "Okay, number one? That's gross, Lizzie. Gordo is still one of my best friends, and you may think of him that way, but I certainly do not. Number two? This is bad, Lizzie. This is really, really bad. You really need to not become the 'other woman.'" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "You said that already. And I don't want to be that, but I just feel like I have to do something." "And this whole, 'I want to kiss Gordo' face happens EVERY time you are near him?" Miranda clarified. "Yes." "And you probably can't avoid him." "Not a chance. He's directing the movie I'm in and he's my best friend." Miranda sighed. She knew that Lizzie had called her for advice, but she also knew

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that she had no idea what advice to give, "This is really tough, Lizzie. An as cheesy as this sounds, all I can tell you to do is to follow your heart." Lizzie nodded, "That is pretty cheesy." Miranda chuckled, "Hey, I'm in the Peace Corps. I am full of cheesy lines I can spout out at you." "No, but that's good advice. The best I have received so far." "Who else did you ask?" "Well...Kate." Miranda laughed at the thought, "I'm not surprised, Kate isn't one of the best advice givers in the world." "Don't I know it. If I took half of the advice that she gave me, I would be cleaning up trash on the side of the freeway." "Well I'm glad you can reach me to get some SOUND advice." Lizzie smiled, "Thanks, Miranda. For being there for me." "I know you'll do the right thing, Lizzie. Just try to stay out of trouble." Lizzie scoffed, "Me? In trouble?" "Lizzie. Sometimes when you get yourself into these types of situations, trouble just seems to hover over you." She sighed, "Yeah you're right." "Welp," Miranda concluded, "I have to go help dig some irrigation tunnels." Even after all of this time, Lizzie was still unbelievably impressed by the work that Miranda was doing. But despite the fact that she was impressed, it wasn't something that she would ever want to find herself doing, "Have fun with that." "I really am, Lizzie. It's actually quite fulfilling work." Yeahshe still didn't understand how, "Well I'm glad you're doing something you love." "Bye, Lizzie. And good luck with this Gordo thing." "Bye, Miranda." The two old friends hung up their respective phones and got back to their jobs. Lizzie was about to turn on the TV, but she knew that Ellen would be arriving in a few minutes, and any show that she got herself interested in would inevitably be interrupted by the memorizing of lines.

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So Lizzie sat in silence, with her own thoughts. What was she going to do? On one hand, she was thinking that Gordo could quite possibly feel the same way. He had to. Every time she wanted to kiss him, didn't she see the same look in his eyes? She quickly smacked her hands to her face, "Not the eyes again! Not the eyes!" Lizzie realized that she had to make up her mind, and quick, before something truly catastrophic happened.

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Chapter 24

Lizzie sat in her apartment. She didn't move, she didn't blink; she just sat and stared at the wall, in a complete daze. If Lizzie had actually had the energy to do something, she probably wouldn't be doing it anyway, because right then she was devoting every muscle in her body and every nerve in her brain to thinking. Lizzie was thinking hard. Suddenly she heard a noise coming from the door. She thought nothing of it and kept sitting there. She heard the noise again, and again, and then once again. She finally decided to snap herself out of the daze she was in so she could figure out what the noise was. Lizzie snapped out of it. She waited for the noise to sound again, and it did. It was a knock at the door. Lizzie quickly jumped up and sprinted for the door, opening it just before the fifth round of knocking. Ellen stood at the door, noticeably annoyed, "Took you long enough. You're supposed to answer on the first knock. Before the first knock when it's me." "Sorry," Lizzie said, opening the door for Ellen to come in, "I'm ready to focus." "Are you sure? You look like you're in orbit right now." Lizzie closed the door, "Trust me, I have never been clearer about things than at this very moment." And Lizzie was right. The two sat down to memorize the lines, and Ellen was amazed at how well Lizzie was doing. Normally, Lizzie would just shrug off the memorization of lines, due to the fact that she was so good at it, and would get them down with only a few tries. But now, Lizzie was really trying to get everything perfect. She kept asking Ellen questions and asking for opinions; things Ellen normally had to offer up herself. She had ever seen Lizzie more focused on her work.

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In record time, Lizzie memorized all her lines, and delivered them all perfectly, with courage and conviction. "You are beyond prepared for tonight," Ellen remarked in amazement. Lizzie sat back in the couch, "Yeah, I guess so." Ellen noticed Lizzie's sad disposition. Of course Lizzie's ambition to do her work just had to come with a price, "Okay, what's wrong, Lizzie? Despite the fact that we just had our best session yet, you seem kind of down. Have you been watching Boy Meets World again? You know that episode where Cory and Topanga break up always makes you sad." "No, I wasn't watching Boy Meets World." Although, if she had turned on the TV for the few minutes before Ellen arrived, that probably would have been what she would have watched. "Then what is it?" Lizzie shook her head, dismissing the question, "I just finally made a decision about something." "And it makes you sad?" Ellen suddenly felt like a shrink trying to figure out exactly what was ailing Lizzie. It annoyed her. "It's for the good of everyone." Quickly shaking of the psychiatrist persona, Ellen tried to turn Lizzie's frown upsidedown, "Don't sound all Edgar Allan Poe about it. Let's pep you up!" "I don't feel like it." Ellen sighed in defeat, "Too bad you work better depressed. I should depress you more often." Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh, please. Then I'll retreat into my room and write those Fiona Apple like, my life sucks kind of songs." "That's the spirit!" Ellen clapped her hands, and then stopped. "Well I'm gonna go. I'll see you on the set in a few hours." Lizzie didn't so much as lift a finger to see Ellen out of the apartment, "'Night." Ellen's words started to get to Lizzie. Why wasn't she happy? Deep down, she knew that Gordo's happiness was what really meant the world to her, and if it was Parker that he wanted to be with, then he should be with her. ***** "Okay, guys! Let's shoot the original script from this morning." It was that same night, and the cast and crew had returned to the set for another round of shooting. But despite the fact that they knew they were shooting, they

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never thought that they would be revisiting the kissing scene. Lizzie and Ethan were as shocked as the rest of the crew. After he had fought with them, and fought with Kate, he was actually going to back off and let everyone else have their way. It was very un-Gordo like. Ethan walked up to Gordo and, for the first time ever, gave him a light pat on the back, "You feelin' okay, little man?" Gordo resented the term little man. He had grown at least an inch in the last eight and a half years, "What do you mean?" "This morning you didn't want to do the scene at all, and now you do. What's the deal?" "Yeah, Gordo," Lizzie said, appearing out of nowhere, "usually when your mind is made up, it is made up, and nowwell, let's just say the unpredictability is not comforting." Ethan nodded, "Totally not comforting." He shrugged, "I just changed my mind, that's all." Lizzie looked at Gordo with suspicion, "David Gordon doesn't usually just 'change his mind.' Especially regarding something he's so passionate about." "WellI decided to go with your guys' opinion on this scene, and I think you guys are the ones that are crazy because you're fighting it now that you've got your way." Lizzie and Ethan looked at each other. "Never mind" "Whatever you say, Gor-don, whatever you say." As Lizzie and Ethan walked off, Gordo turned back to the set, "Now, can we please set this thing up again?" Once the indoor set - which was actually used to film an outdoor scene, on account of the bad weather outside - was finally set up, the scene was ready to be shot. "Okay, ACTION!" ***** "Jake! Wait up a second!" Ryan ran out of the school and after Jake, who was quite a few feet in front of him. Much to his surprise, she turned around, "What?" Ryan was taken aback when he saw that she had tears streaming down her face. He approached her slowly.

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Jake shook her head, "I knew it. I'm so stupid." "Why would you think you're stupid?" "For thinking that I even had a chance in hell to sing at the prom." Ryan shook his head, "Look, they sabotaged you. I saw you, Jake, and I know that you're a better singer than anyone that will ever get up on that stage." "Then why is Veronica singing?" He put his hands on her shoulders, "I wish I could say that our school is fair, but no school is. There's always a popularity hierarchy that gets in the way." "Yeah, well it bites," Jake whispered as she looked down at the ground. Ryan pulled her head up by her chin, and when Jake looked at him, he was smiling, "Hey, you're the best. You just can't let this stuff get to you." Jake looked into Ryan's eyes. He looked into hers. They both leaned in and gently kissed. Their kiss grew more passionate as the seconds passed. Gordo felt his heart break inside his chest. A moment later, they broke apart, and Jake pushed Ryan away. A look of utter disbelief came over her eyes, and she ran away. ***** "CUT!" As Gordo yelled, his voice slightly cracked. No one else in the studio noticed but him, but he still was afraid that everyone had heard. So he cleared his throat before he spoke again, "That was great, guys. I think we got it in one take." Lizzie wiped the tears from her eyes, wondering how such a thing was possible. She had filmed quite a few scenes from the movie, and never once had Gordo walked away from a shot after only one take, "Are you sure? Because I could - " "No, no, no. That take was THE take." She shrugged, and for the 100th time said, "Whatever you say, Gordo." Ethan intercepted Lizzie on her way off the set, but the two were still within earshot of Gordo, "Dude, Lizzie, great scene. And nice kiss, might I add." Kate was standing right behind him, and she promptly proceeded to give him a good, swift, smack on the head. He turned around, rubbing his injury, "What? She's a good kisser. It doesn't mean I think of her like that. You are my old lady, and no one else could ever replace you." Lizzie laughed, "Thanks for the compliment, Ethan, but you're probably going to have

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to take Kate out to a very expensive dinner and buy her tons of jewelry after that comment." Ethan took a moment to think. Oh, no, he wasn't thinking about Lizzie's comment, he was thinking about what exactly makes a club sandwich a club sandwich. He finally returned to the conversation at hand, "Awwww, man!" As Ethan stormed off to go find a restaurant that sold club sandwiches, Kate stood next to Lizzie, "He has Tiffany's programmed into his phone. I have a wish list there just in case he messes up." Lizzie wished for a split second that Ethan was her boyfriend so that she could get piles and piles of Tiffany's jewelry, but she soon realized that she would NEVER want Ethan as her boyfriend, and that the buying of jewelry does not result from Ethan's stupidity, but from Kate's power, "Good thinking." Gordo simply sat back in his director's chair, watching the conversation between the three play out. While Lizzie had only wished for under a second that Ethan could be her boyfriend, Gordo couldn't help but believe that she still liked Ethan as much as she did back in Junior High. He wondered how he managed to not have a nervous breakdown during the shooting. Watching that kiss, even though he knew that it wasn't for real, broke his heart, and he couldn't stand to watch it again. It was just too much for him to bear. "Let's clear out, folks!" he yelled and then turned to Lizzie and Kate, "I need you to be ready for a reshoot of that hallway scene. It'll be about a half an hour for that, so why don't you guys take a little break and I'll call you when I'm ready?" "Okay, Gordo," Lizzie said, Gordo nodding and walking off. She turned to Kate, "I'm going to go catch up with Anita in her trailer." "I'll be here making sure Ethan orders the right thing from Tiffany's." ***** Responding to a knock at her trailer door, much quicker than Lizzie ever could, Anita called from behind the book she was reading, "Come in!" Lizzie opened the trailer door and let herself in, momentarily interrupting Anita's reading. For a supermodel, she did seem to be very intellectually advanced. But only so much as to be able to read a very complicated book and understand it. Other than that, she only had her comic wit and good looks going for her, "Hey, Nita. So tonight we're going to be doing a reshoot of that hallway scene." Anita paused for a moment as she quickly read to an appropriate stopping point in her book. When she found it, she placed the bookmark in the page, placed the book on the table, and placed her eyes on Lizzie, "Yes, even more being mean to Lizzie for no reason! I love this job." "Thanks," Lizzie said, sitting down in a chair across from Anita. "So what's up?"

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Lizzie shrugged, "Gordo's finishing setting up the scene so I'm just hanging out." "No, Lizzie. I mean, what's up?" she said with emphasis, as if there was a difference between that and what she had said before, "I can tell something is wrong." "Nothing is wrong. I'm just tired from all of this shooting." Anita gave up and turned away from Lizzie, "Okay, I'm not going to press, but I will find out. I don't know when, or how, but I will." There was a pause between the two as Lizzie stared at Anita, who was staring at the wall, "Things are going to get crazy for us, aren't they?" Anita finally tore her eyes away from the fascinating nothingness that she was staring at, and adjusted herself to face Lizzie, "Not really for me, but definitely for you. You'll sell more albums than Britney Spears and have Mandy Moore's acting career to back it up. You're going to be huge. You can't even walk down the street right now without attracting attention, Lizzie." "I can too!" Anita stared at Lizzie, "Remember last week when we got stormed at Armani?" Lizzie shrugged in defeat, "It was justone of those days." Anita laughed, "Yeah, just one of those days when you weren't wearing a hat, or sunglasses, or any form of disguise." "Then I'll disguise myself." "Listen to me, Lizzie," Anita said in a serious tone, "I don't want you to go around thinking that things aren't going to change for you, because they are. Sooner or later you're going to have to deal with that." Lizzie groaned and crossed her arms in a very childish manner, "I do not." She was suddenly acting as an adult again as she remembered something she wanted to tell Anita, "Oh, did I tell you? Disney called this morning and they want to do 'The Lizzie McGuire Show' about this insecure teenage girl in high school." "Seriously? That sounds cool." "Who would want to watch a show with me in it? I don't think so. Besides, I can't wait to get back to my music. This whole acting thing is way harder than I thought it would be." Anita took a sip of the Diet Coke that sat on a coaster on the table in front of her, "It's only hard because you're so good at it." Lizzie let Anita's comment bounce around in her head, "That doesn't even make sense."

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"Ah," Anita said, holding up her index finger, "but it does. You are really good when you're Jake. And when she's crying, it's real, you know?" "Thanks, Anita. I need your positive reinforcement." "So how was the kiss with Ethan today?" Anita asked, knowing full well of Lizzie's crush on Ethan that she had when she was a teenager. She smiled and looked down at her hands, "He's a good kisser." Lizzie began to think about the monumental occasion of her first kiss with Ethan Craft. She had had the biggest crush on him for as long as she could remember, and she finally got to kiss him. She got to kiss Ethan Craft. But she suddenly realized why she stopped liking him. His good hair and the fact that he was a good kisser were all he had going for him. Lizzie smiled at her maturity for realizing such a thing. "Ooooo!" Anita exclaimed. "I bet Kate is jeal-ous!" "She wasn't really, but she just pretended to be to get some nice things." Anita laughed, "That's Kate for you." Flaunting her newly realized maturity, Lizzie commented, "I used to have this humongous crush on Ethan when we were in Junior High, but that's long passed. I didn't feel a thing when I kissed him." Anita knew about the crush, but didn't feel it necessary to mention that to Lizzie. If Lizzie knew that Kate had told Anita about that, Lizzie was sure to ask about all of the other things that Kate had been revealing, "Speaking of crushes, your friend Gordo there is mighty hot." Lizzie's jaw dropped, "What? Anita!" She smiled, "What? I can't express my opinion? He's hot." To which little Miss Hypocrite responded, "I can't believe you! He has a girlfriend, you know. And you have a boyfriend!" Anita thought for a second, "Oh, you mean Steven? Eh. He's cute and all, but Gordo is hot!" Lizzie shook her head, "You can't think he's hot." "Why not?" "Because." "Because why?" "Just because." "That's not good enough."

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"Yes it is." "No it's not." "Yes it is!" "Why can't I think he's hot?" "Just because!" "Because why!?" "Because I like him!" Anita pointed at Lizzie in victory, "AHA!" Lizzie's eyes suddenly became shifty, "Aha what?" Anita jumped up from her couch, "I knew it! I knew it! I totally called it! I am such a genius!" Lizzie desperately tried to pretend as if she didn't know what the heck Anita was talking about, "What did you call?" "Oh puh-lease! Everyone and their mom knows that you have a thing for Gordo," she sat back down. "You still carry the torch." "I - I do not. I just like himas a friend," Lizzie stammered. Anita shook her head, "I know that stammer, Lizzie. You aren't a good liar. I have heard the stories from Miranda. By the way, when was the last time you went school supply shopping?" Lizzie sighed, "So I like him, okay? It's not like I can do anything about it. As a matter of fact, I decided today that I'm not going to do anything about it at all." Anita was confused, "Why?" Lizzie threw her arms up in the air, "He has a GIRLFRIEND! Not just a girlfriend, but a live in girlfriend." Anita shrugged, "That never stopped me." Lizzie's jaw dropped once again, "Anita!" "Don't let a girlfriend stand in the way of true love, Lizzie." Lizzie stared at Anita, who had, with one phrase, put a whole new spin on Lizzie's perspective of what she should do about Gordo. With Lizzie still staring at her, Anita pat a place for her on the sofa, "Let's catch up on some TV. You know you want to."

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Lizzie looked down at the floor and declined, "Actually, I think I'm going to go look around. There are some people on the crew that I haven't said hi to today." Anita rolled her eyes as she turned on the TV, "I swear, sooner or later you're going to steal the nicest person title from Tom Hanks." Lizzie smiled and left the trailer. ***** Lizzie wandered around the set, saying hello here and there to various members of the crew. Looking to her right, she suddenly noticed a certain spiky-haired guy she knew, "Matt, what are you doing here?" He turned around and gave Lizzie a light smile, "Well, I'm pretty much Ethan's stand in. I also help him out when it comes to stunts and stuff." "Well yeah, I know that, but there ARE no stunts in this movie. That's why I'm asking you why you're here." "Besides supporting my mentally and physically challenged sister, Ethan needed a little help." "With what?" "His dancing. The boy isn't exactly the best dancer in the universe." Lizzie laughed, remembering all of the school dances that she used to see him at. At the time, it was sad and embarrassing, but in retrospect, it was downright hilarious, "As Kate says, 'His hair is as good as his dancing is bad.'" "I hate to say it about the E-Dawg, but it's true," Matt nodded until he noticed Ethan coming up behind Lizzie, "Shh. Here he comes now." Lizzie turned around to find Ethan walking towards them, and assuming he wanted to talk to Matt, she wished him luck before heading off, "Good luck." Ethan approached just as Lizzie left, "Hey man, what's up?" "I'm ready if you are." Ethan nodded with a smile, "Yeah, man. I was working ALL last night on this thing." Matt took a step back, giving Ethan some space, "Okay, let's see what you got." Ethan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and prepped himself. He rolled his neck, and did a few stretches as Matt waited impatiently. When he was finally ready, he started to dance. The dance he was doing slightly resembled the 'Chicken,' but Matt wasn't so sure. It looked more like the 'One-Legged, One-Winged Duck with Its Head Cut Off,' to him. Matt quickly stopped him before the dance went any further, "Okay, okay, Ethan, that's a start. Now, the major problems I saw were that you have absolutely no

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coordination and you're apparently completely tone-deaf." Ethan raised an eyebrow, "Huh?" Matt rolled his eyes and moved on, "Let's try and move your arms, er, your wings, at the same time. That would help. Actually, you know what? I brought a tape of me doing the chicken so you can watch it at home and try to copy what I do." Ethan smiled, taking the tape from Matt, "I need all the help I can get for the prom scene." A grin came over Matt's face as he thought about what would happen when they were filming and Gordo told Ethan to 'dance,' "I'm happy to provide." ***** The night shoot went along without a hitch. For once, Lizzie was able to really focus on her lines and nail her character. It was as if a huge weight was lifted off of her shoulders after the conversation she had with Anita. Ellen was quite surprised at the improvement in her student, and she went up to Lizzie once the shooting was over to tell her so, "Whatever was distracting you before doesn't seem to be distracting you at all anymore." "Yep," Lizzie smiled, "I'm distraction free." "Yeah, well let's try to keep it that way. Your performance today rocked." "Thanks. I'm gonna head home now. See you tomorrow!" Lizzie and Ellen parted, but Lizzie's trip out the door was soon cut short when something slipped in the large load of things she was carrying, sending everything else falling to the floor. She sighed in annoyance as she bent down to pick up her things, "I'm such a klutz." Gordo, with his impeccable timing, appeared above Lizzie with a helping hand, "Here, let me help you." He bent down next to Lizzie, flashed her a smile, and helped her with her things. Once they had both collected everything, they stood up and Lizzie took her belongings back from Gordo, "Thanks." Gordo stuffed his hands in his pockets, "So, you did a really good job today." "Thanks, so did you." "You're just saying that." "Yeah, I am." She paused, and then laughed, "Just kidding."

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Gordo laughed along with her, "So, um, what are your plans for tonight?" "Oh, well, I'm really busy tonightAnd, actually for the rest of the week." This was news to Gordo, "What's going on?" She shook her head and looked across the room, "I'm just going to be really busy, that's all." "Oh, well maybe next week we can grab a meal together or something." Lizzie nodded and said in a 'definitely not next week' kind of tone, "Yeah, maybe next week." Gordo picked up on it, "UmsoI guess I'll see you in a couple days for the prom scene." "My last one." They stood in silence. "I'm glad we put that kiss back in," Gordo commented, breaking it. "You are?" "It needed to be in the movie." "Yeah, of course it doesSo what did you think of it?" Gordo forced the words out, "You and Ethan did a great job. You guys look like the perfect couple." Lizzie was surprised at Gordo's statement, but she went along with it anyway, "Kate told me she was kind of jealous watching us kiss." "Yeah, understandable," Gordo said as a comment to himself, but in a volume that implied he was talking to Lizzie. "What?" Lizzie said back. Gordo was caught, "Understandable that Kate was jealous since Ethan is her boyfriend. Weird if anybody else were to be jealous, because you're not dating anyone, and Ethan isn't dating anybody elseWell, he could be, but I sure don't know about it - " "You're rambling." Gordo smiled, "I tend to do that. You always need to stop me." She smiled back, "Will do." "WellI'll see you."

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"I'll see you, Gordo." Lizzie and Gordo turned and walked in opposite directions, both cursing themselves and wondering what the heck kind of conversation they had just had. ***** Still cursing himself, and understandably so, Gordo walked through the parking lot and got into his car later that evening after watching some dailies. He sighed as he turned the key and thought to himself, "Was it just me, or was Lizzie acting really strange? Nah, it was definitely just me acting strange. I wonder what she's up to this week that has her so busy." Gordo contemplated for his entire drive home, and his contemplation led him to almost run a red light, but luckily, he stopped just in time. When he finally arrived back to his apartment complex, still contemplating, he took the elevator up to his floor, got off, and continued to contemplate. He walked himself, and his contemplation to his open door, and looked inside. Now, normally for a guy that's going home to his and his girlfriend's apartment, he expects to find a closed door. Where he then has to unlock that door with his key, and enter the apartment to find his girlfriend sitting somewhere inside. So when Gordo looked into his home to find Parker standing in the middle of a half-empty apartment surrounded by tons of boxes and a few suitcases, he was understandably confused. "What is going on here?" He asked in shock, putting down his keys and the mail on the counter. Parker spun around, "Gordo! What are you doing home so early? I thought you would still be shooting that scene." "We scrapped it." "Oh!" she said, walking towards him, "I justI didn't think you'd be home yet." "Parker. Can you clue me in, here? I want to know what's going on." Parker looked down at the ground, and turned back to where she had been before, putting things in boxes, "I'm moving my stuff." "What?" She sighed, "I'm moving out, Gordo. And don't worry, because I'm sure you might be thinking that this will make things awkward on the set, but I promise to maintain a professional relationship with you. I cooked you some meals since I knew you would be busy with the big prom scene coming up, and I didn't want you to be living off of pizza for the next few days. There are casseroles and brisket in the fridge, okay?" Gordo was sure he had missed some sort of memo. Did they actually have a conversation about her moving out that he had no recollection of? Why was she so

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calm about this? "What?" Parker didn't look up from her packing, "Oh, don't act all confused, I know you heard what I said." Gordo walked over to Parker in a daze, "I don't understand why this is happening." Parker picked up one of her boxes and moved it into the kitchen, "We both know this is over, and it was nice while it lasted. Really." He followed her, "Who said this was over?" Parker turned and looked Gordo in the eye, "You know it is, Gordo." He shook his head, "I don't know why you're saying that." She put her hands on her hips, "Did you even notice that I left the set early today?" "Wellum, no" Parker shot him a look. "But that doesn't mean I don't care! I have a lot of things going on right now and I can't be paying attention to what people are doing around me. I want to try to work this out between us, Parker. I'll pay more attention to you, I swear. I'll be a better boyfriend." Earlier, Parker had promised herself that she wouldn't cry. Not so much as shed a tear. But when she felt that knot in her throat, she had to try her hardest not to let it go any further, "I don't want you to pretend to be nice and say that you want me to stay, because I now that would be a mistake." Gordo was starting to get angry, despite the fact that Parker was so calm. In fact, that was exactly the reason why he was so angry, "What mistake? You can't say that the past two years of our lives have been a mistake." "No! They haven't been. I think that we've both really needed each other over the past few years, but now it's time to move on." "Move on? Move on? Just like that? This is completely out of thin air!" Parker stopped as she put on a serious face, "Tell me the truth, Gordo. Why did you go see Matt and Larry?" Gordo couldn't afford to falter with his excuse for why he had gone to see his two friends, and miraculously, he didn't, "I was just hanging out with my friends." But no amount of good acting on Gordo's part could convince Parker of what she knew wasn't the truth, "You only go to talk to every friend you have when you have a problem. I'm just giving you a solution, Gordo."

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"Well did you ever stop to think that maybe this isn't the solution I want?" Parker gave Gordo the 'are you kidding' look, "I have known you forever, Gordo, and I think I know you well enough to know that you do really want this, no matter what you say." "Oh yeah, and what made you come to that realization?" Parker felt the knot disappear from her throat as she thought more and more about how it was the best decision for everyone, "Well, to tell you the truth, it's the way you look at her, Gordo. I know you'll never look at me like that." "Like what?" Parker let out a soft smile, "Like I'm the only person in the room." He shook his head, "I do NOT look at Lizzie like that." "But you do, Gordo. You just can't see it because it's involuntary, like second nature to you." "I don't look at her any differently than I do anyone else." Parker rolled her eyes at Gordo's stubbornness, "Okay, well then how about your inability to let Lizzie even pretend to kiss someone?" "What are you talking about?" Gordo asked, wondering why everyone and their mother kept asking him about this. "Lizzie and Ethan's kiss earlier today?" "What about it?" "Your inability to watch it happen?" Gordo pointed a finger, "For your information, I did watch it happen. We reshot the scene after you went home to move out!" "How many takes did you do?" Gordo glared at her, "One." "See? No one ever does just one take of a scene. You couldn't stand the fact that Ethan was going to kiss Lizzie. It was like ALL of your junior high nightmares finally coming true. You still have feelings for her. I'm just ending things before I get hurt." "It shouldn't end like this, Parker." She shrugged, "It has to end sometime. We both can't go on living like this, Gordo. As if everything is okay when we both know it isn't." "And what if I asked you to stay?"

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Parker looked away as she felt the knot come back, "I probably wouldbut it wouldn't be right. You know who you really want to be with." "How do you know I want to be with anyone else?" "Gordo I'm not stupid." "Parker, I'm just really confused right now. I - " "Please," Parker stopped him, "Just look at it from my perspective. There is something that keeps on pulling you and Lizzie together, and you and me further apart. I can't have the type of relationship with you that you and Lizzie have together, and you know it. Please. Stop pretending, Gordo. You're only acting this way and saying these things because you're such an incredibly nice guy, but you really don't mean them. I am giving you an easy out, so please, just take it while the offer is still on the table." Gordo stared at her for a long while. When he finally decided to give in, he closed his eyes and rubbed his face, "I'm so sorry, Parker. I never meant to hurt you like this." Parker was relieved that he was finally backing down, and she smiled, "The funny thing is, I'm not that hurt. I think I knew all along that this wasn't going to last. I just pushed it and pushed it because I had myself convinced that we could make this work." He nodded, "I wanted this to work out, too." Parker took him by the hands, "I know that you tried, Gordo, and I tried too, because I thought that maybe we were meant to be. But we aren't. I deserve better, Gordo. I deserve someone who loves me as much as you love Lizzie." He waved his finger in front of her face, "I never said I love her! I just have feelings for her again." Parker laughed, "I know you love her, Gordo." Gordo groaned, "How come everyone can read me so well?" "Well, think about it, Gordo. If everyone knows, then it must be pretty obvious. Just don't wait until it is too late." Parker gave him a kiss on the cheek. "The movers will be by tomorrow to pick up my stuff. Goodbye, Gordo." Parker let go of his hands, and they fell to his sides. She grabbed her purse, a suitcase, and a few more of her things, and left the apartment. Gordo stared at the closed door, "Goodbye, Parker."

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Chapter 25

For the past week, all Gordo could bring himself to accomplish were things concerning work. Any activity or daily routine that he normally engaged in meant nothing to him, and he distracted himself only with things revolving around the movie. There was some sort of void inside of him, one that suddenly appeared when Parker left, but he knew that Parker was not the one that he needed to fill it. The void prevented him from doing anything that any normal person couldn't imagine going a day without. Gordo lived in filth, and he did it well. He had only left his apartment once or twice to oversee the construction of the prom set, and when he did, he was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants, so no one could see the complete mess that he was. When he was home, which was most of the time, he succeeded in eating up New York City's entire supply of junk food. Unfortunately for Kate and Ethan, they were about to walk into the biggest pigsty east of the Mississippi. Stepping over the threshold of terror, Ethan looked around Gordo's apartment at the pizza and takeout boxes, which greatly outnumbered the furniture and other items one might normally find in a household, "Dude, who robbed you?" Just the mere look of Gordo's apartment, let alone Gordo, was enough to make Kate gag. She pinched her nose as she reluctantly walked into the apartment and picked a huge ball of lint off of Gordo's shirt, "Eww, Gordo, I think you're molding." "I am not molding, Kate." "Yeah, then what is that smell?" Kate finally unplugged her nose, and began to sniff around, frantically searching for whatever was producing the wretched, rancid smell that penetrated the apartment. Suddenly she stopped, smelling Gordo's hair. She had found the point of origin.

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"Ugh!" she exclaimed, jumping back as fast as she could. "When is the last time you took a shower? I'm sure that smell violates some kind of health code." Gordo sat in the center of his floor, motionless, expressionless, and growing angrier by the second at the two visitors who had so rudely intruded on his self-loathing, "Did you come by just to insult me, or do you have a purpose?" "We wanted to see what's up with you," Ethan said, fishing through Gordo's empty takeout boxes, hoping to maybe find a leftover piece of pizza. "You've been a hermit all this week. What's up with you, Gor-don? It really does smell bad in here." "It might just be the food boxes, okay?" Ethan hit the jackpot when he found a few pieces of pizza in a box about halfway through a stack of ten. He flicked off a foreign object, sniffed the slice, took a bite, and then realized that it probably wasn't the best idea to do so. "I can't even walk with my Jimmy Choo's on in here for fear that they might lose market value from coming in contact with this horrendous mess." Ethan put down the piece of pizza back where he found it, grabbed a napkin off of Gordo's counter, and wiped his tongue thoroughly in hopes of getting the taste out of his mouth. "I'm just doing a little redecorating, all right? I've been so busy with this movie that I haven't had the time to clean up or cook for myself." Ethan looked around for a trashcan, but then realized that to have a trashcan in an apartment in such bad condition would just be silly. He threw his napkin on the floor. "Well clean yourself up, Gordo. And you should really shave. It's bad enough to have that mass of curls resting on top of your head like an uncontrollable lion's mane, but come on, do we really have to see it on your face, too?" Ethan looked over on the other side of the counter and found a fortune cookie. Ethan loved fortune cookies. He eagerly reached over and grabbed the treat, tore it open, and read the fortune inside. It read: Yes, do it with confidence. Ethan shrugged and confidently popped the cookie in his mouth. And as he gnawed on it, Ethan wondered why he had never tasted a fortune cookie so chewy before. "Kate, your bout of encouraging words regarding my appearance always seem to make the day a little bit brighter." Ethan was still chewing on his fortune cookie. "Ha, ha, Gordo. Be sarcastic and cynical about it now, but don't come crawling to me when something starts living in that wretched thing on your head." Ethan's jaw was starting to hurt from all the chewing. He listened to the mumbling and bickering coming from Kate and Gordo, but was devoting most of his brainpower to chewing on the fortune cookie, so he couldn't really pay attention to what exactly they were saying. When the rubber cookie was finally chewed and swallowed, Ethan

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decided to stop the fighting, "Break it up, you two. Break it up. Now, Gor-don, we're inviting you to come hang out with us today, if you want to come." "No thanks. I need to go over this stuff and think about how I want the prom scene to go down." Ethan kneeled down next to Gordo, long enough to get a whiff of his hair and quickly stand back up, "Come on, man. You haven't chilled with me or the old ball and chain here in like, forever." Kate put her hands on her hips, "Why do you always have to call me something old? Do I look old to you? I'll have you know that I'm in the prime of my life, which won't end until I'm 50, so don't you forget it!" Ethan sighed, "Sorry, babe." He whipped out his phone and pressed the number one on his speed dial, "Hey Jonathan, my man! It's Ethan. Look, I need you to get something from Tiffany's again. What do you have new in necklaces?" As Ethan walked over to a corner of the apartment to talk with the Tiffany's associate, Kate approached Gordo once again, "He's getting better at that. So what's really bothering you, Gordo? What about that girlfriend of yours? She doesn't mind living in this garbage dump of a room?" Gordo looked down and shook his head, "She doesn't mind." He wasn't lying. Parker didn't mind at all. And of course she didn't. She wasn't living there anymore. "Well I mind. Obviously Gordo isn't coming out with us tonight." Kate turned her back on Gordo and dragged Ethan out of his corner. "But babe!" Ethan exclaimed. "Ethan we are leaving!" Gordo winced as the door slammed shut, and he sighed to himself, "Finally. Peace and quiet again." ***** Although he had finally regained the silence he had longed for, Gordo could not help but feel like screaming, or throwing a tantrum, or punching a pillow until the stuffing came out. He sat there anxiously staring at the phone, wondering whether or not he should do it. It would have been the millionth time that week that he went through the same routine. He picked up the phone and dialed the seven numbers he knew by heart. Four rings later, Lizzie's familiar voice penetrated his ear.

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"Hello?" "Lizzie! Hey, I'm glad I reached you - " "This is Lizzie's answering machine. She's busy right now, but she'll get back to you." Gordo slammed the phone down on the receiver. And it would have been the millionth time that week he had fallen for it. ***** Anita held up Lizzie's cell phone. "He's calling you again, Lizzie. Why won't you answer it?" Lizzie sat on the couch in her apartment, motionless, expressionless, and growing more frustrated by the second at the two visitors that had so rudely intruded on her self-loathing, "I can't, Anita. I just can't." Ellen shrugged, "I think you should answer it, loser." "AH! I'm not a loser!" Ellen got up and walked into the kitchen, "This cute guy obviously wants to hang out with you and I don't understand why you wouldn't want to hang out with him. Only a loser would deny this guy." "I told you why!" Lizzie said in anguish. "I'm afraid I'm going to do something really stupid the next time I see him." "Lizzie," Anita put her hand on Lizzie's shoulder in assurance, "We all know that is inevitable." "Ha, ha. Very funny, Anita." Anita removed her hand and positioned herself to face Lizzie, "You like this really hot guy who just so happens to be smart, charming, funnywait a minute. Why aren't you going after this guy again?" "He has a girlfriend." Anita nodded, thinking, "Okay. I'm going to ask you this question, Lizzie, and I want you to answer me completely and honestly." Lizzie nodded. Anita looked Lizzie straight in the eye, "So?" Lizzie looked at Anita, waiting for her to continue, "So what?" Anita sat back, grinning, "Exactly."

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Ellen walked back from the kitchen holding a three-pound bag of Skittles. She threw it down on the table, threw herself onto the couch, and held up a hand to give Anita a high-five, "Nice one." Ellen and Anita both seemed to be in agreement about the fact that Gordo's girlfriend shouldn't be an obstacle for Lizzie. She should go after him nonetheless. But Lizzie wasn't so clear on that fact. She was pretty sure that she had no idea what was going on. "Are you guys from the same planet or something? Because I feel like I'm stuck in a room with people who are speaking some kind of foreign, alien language." "As opposed to all of those other alien languages that aren't foreign to you," Ellen wittily remarked. Anita laughed. But Lizzie didn't find it so funny, "Is this pick on Lizzie day?" Ellen thought for a moment, "Hm, I believe that's every day, hon." "Oh, burn!" Anita yelled. "Sorry, Lizzie," Ellen said with sincerity. "I just can't help but sneak those jokes in. But really, let's get back to your love life." Anita popped open a can of Diet Coke, "Lizzie, I think you know what we're saying about Gordo." "You just don't want to admit it," Ellen remarked, tearing open her three-pound bag of Skittles and pouring the fruity candies all over the table. "I'm not playing stupid. I really don't know what you guys are saying." Lizzie was genuinely confused. "In love and war," Ellen said. Anita nodded, "Exactly. See, Lizzie, you need to go after this guy. Who cares that he has a girlfriend?" Lizzie scoffed, "I don't know about you guys, but I have morals." Ellen spoke, staring at the Skittles on the table, separating them by color, "This isn't about morals, Lizzie. It's about following your heart." Anita, curled up on the couch, took a big gulp of her soda and glared at Ellen, "Your cheesy lines are making me want to vomit." Ellen tore herself away from the Skittle separation to sit back and look at Anita, "Okay, how about this: Lizzie, just go after the guy. You like him, and maybe he isn't responding because he doesn't realize that you are majorly, totally in love with him to the tenth degree."

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Anita stared at Ellen. She shrugged, "Boppy, but a little less cheesy." Ellen smiled, "I try," and went back to her Skittles. Lizzie hated it when Anita and Ellen were in the same room together. Separately, she could handle them, but when they were feeding off each other, there was no stopping the obnoxiousness and insanity, "Do you want me to leave you guys alone so you can discuss my love life without me? Would that help?" Ellen rolled her eyes and moved three Skittles into the green pile, "Lizzie, you really need to chill out." "And take some initiative," Anita continued. "This guy is totally into you. He has been calling you all week and you haven't once picked up the phone. I know you are dying to hang out with him." "I am dying to hang out with him. He tells the funniest jokes. There is this one," she laughed thinking about it, "It's about - " Ellen and Anita finished Lizzie's thought, "The King of Norway. We know." Lizzie winced, "Have I said that before?" "Well, if we count this time, I'm pretty sure you've said itlet's see" Ellen counted on her fingers as she stared intently at the ceiling, silently whispering numbers to herself, "4,237." "That's what I got, too," Anita agreed. "I have not. I mean, the joke isn't even THAT funny." Ellen and Anita gave her a look. "Okay, I think it's that funny." "Honey, the joke isn't funny," Ellen said. "I'm going to have to go with Ellen on this one," Anita concurred, "It's a big fat stinker." "Definitely." "Without a doubt." "Hello?" Lizzie said, waving her hands in front of the two women she was suddenly regretting ever letting into her apartment, "Remember me? You're supposed to be helping me." "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie," Ellen paused. "Wait. Does Ethan talk to you like that? I think he does."

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"Ah, yesEthan Craft," Anita mocked. "My future husband to be." "Kate would kill you if she heard that." "Oh, I know - " Lizzie was fuming, "SHUT UP!" Ellen and Anita turned, afraid, and Anita finally spoke up, "RightLizzie has problems." "What. Should. I. Do?" Anita proposed an idea, "I would go with not ignoring him." Ellen nodded, "Ditto on that plan." "Well what do I do if I want to kiss him?" Ellen moved her completed pile of red Skittles off to the side of the table, "Do it." "I can't!" Lizzie exclaimed. "What if he's completely weirded out by it?" Anita placed her empty Diet Coke can down on the table in the middle of Ellen's Skittle organization. Ellen looked up and glared at Anita, picking up the can and slamming it down on the table, far away from her work. Anita rolled her eyes at Ellen and continued on with the conversation, "When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror, Lizzie? You're probably one of the most attractive women in show business next to myself. I'm pretty sure that Gordo would not be weirded out if he was kissed by the likes of you." Lizzie blushed at the compliment, but she had bigger things to worry about than where she ranked on the list of the most beautiful women in show business, "He's my best friend. I would rather have just his friendship than take a chance at having a relationship that doesn't work out and ends up making everything awkward." Ellen moved her completed yellow pile off to the side, "If you want his friendship so badly, then why aren't you hanging out with him? Isn't this avoidance the same thing as having an awkward relationship?" Lizzie groaned the mother of all groans, "I hate it when you're right." Ellen laughed and moved the green Skittle pile away, "I know, and it happens all the time." "I see it happening all the time," Anita observed. "Oh, with you too."

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"I know! It totally does." Ellen separated the final two piles of orange and purple Skittles from the rest, "But seriously. You should at least hang out with him." "If you still want to be friends," Anita added. "So do that for us, Lizzie. Come on. You know you want to!" Lizzie's mind was racing with thoughts. Despite the fact that Lizzie was loathing their company at that particular point in time, what Ellen and Anita were saying did make sense. She should at least hang out with him sometime. Maybe it would help her realize that Gordo isn't the perfect guy for her. Give her the realization and strength to move on. Lizzie shook her head as she surrendered to her two prying friends, "If this blows up in my faceI swear to you guys - " Just before Lizzie could finish her threat, the phone rang. For the first time that week, Lizzie picked it up and walked to the other end of the room. Ellen stared proudly at her Skittle organization skills for a minute before she could bring herself to dig into the fruity candies. Anita stared at Ellen as if she was clinically insane, "Why do you do that?" Ellen popped red, yellow, and green Skittles into her mouth, "I don't like the purple ones." And Anita's assumption very well may have been true. ***** Lizzie took a deep breath and hit the talk button on her cell phone. "Hello?" Gordo groaned on the other end, "I'm not falling for this again." As he pulled the phone away from his ear, he was just about to hang up when he heard a voice come from the receiver. "Gordo?" He quickly stuck the phone to his ear again, "Oh, it's really you this time. I've been having this battle with your answering machine all week. I hate those hello messages." Lizzie laughed, "Sorry, Anita dared me to do it a while back. I haven't gotten around to changing it. So, uh, what's up?" Gordo cleared his throat, "I was wondering, you know, if you weren't busy, maybe you'd like to do something with me sometime."

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Lizzie sneaked a glance over at Ellen and Anita, who were both sitting on the couch, laughing hysterically about something Lizzie probably would never understand, and paying absolutely no attention to the phone call that was going on in the corner. Luckily for Lizzie, she was able to sneak into her room to continue the phone call in private. "Lizzie?" Gordo asked, waiting for a response. She gulped, "Gordo, I would love to, really, but I'm very busy. I have to write some songs for my next album, go do some press on talk shows, you know, that kind of stuff. You understand, right?" "Yeah," Gordo said dejectedly, "I understand." Lizzie felt horrible, and found it best to end the conversation then and there, "Thanks, Gordo. Well, I gotta run. I'll talk to you later." "Yeah, call me." "I will. Bye." Lizzie hung up the phone. Despite everything that Ellen and Anita said, and everything that she was feeling, she still knew that she just couldn't bring herself to hang out with Gordo. Just the sound of his voice, frustrated with her phone message, was enough to make her swoon. If they were in close proximity, there was no telling what could happen. Lizzie walked out of her room and sat back down on the couch. Anita, wiping the tears away from laughing so hard, looked at Lizzie, "So we're agreed, right?" Lizzie looked at Ellen who was catching her breath, back at Anita, at Ellen again, and then finally stopped where she had started, "On what?" "From now on," Anita said, "If Gordo calls you, you are going to talk to him and hang out." Lizzie smiled slyly, "Yeah. From now on. Deal." "Good," Anita concluded proudly. She stood up and headed for the door, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go memorize some lines of my own. Ciao, Lizzie." Anita left Ellen and Lizzie to finally work on her lines. ***** After that phone call, Gordo decided that he didn't want to push Lizzie any further. If she said she was busy, she was busy, and if she didn't have time for him, she didn't have time. He just wasn't going to call her anymore, because the last thing he

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needed was to come off as desperate. Especially since he was. The week dragged on and Lizzie kept true to her promise. Gordo never called her for the rest of the week, so she never had to agree to hang out. She was kind of concerned by the fact that Gordo didn't want to hang out with her anymore, but she just figured it was all because she told him how busy she was. Then, the end of the week finally came. The prom set was complete, Gordo had shaved, and the scene was ready for shooting. He walked into the set for the first time it had been completed. Gordo made sure that they spent the most time on the prom scene, because it was the most important part of the movie, and it was the scene that meant the most to him. When he finally saw the finished product, it took his breath away. He had envisioned it exactly how it stood before him, and he couldn't have been more proud. The final day had arrived, and all Gordo had left to shoot were the prom sequences. His first major motion picture, and the filming was almost complete. He couldn't believe that time had passed so quickly. He had managed to gain a best friend, lose a girlfriend, and see Matt get run over by a car, all in a matter of months. Larry walked up behind Gordo, who was facing the set. All Gordo could hear were footsteps, but he knew that it wasn't anyone else. "Larry," he said, still staring at the set, "It's five in the morning. What are you doing here?" "Looking for you. I figured I'd find you here." Gordo looked down at his feet and turned to his friend for approval, "So? What do you think?" Larry looked all around him, walking back and forth across the set, looking at every detail. He stopped and turned to Gordo, "Exactly as I remembered it." Gordo smiled as he finally got the confirmation of whether or not the prom set that stood in front of him looked like the one he had attended so many years ago, "That's what I was going for." "Hey man, how are you holding up?" Gordo spoke sincerely, "I'm actually doing pretty well. I'm sadder about the filming of this movie almost being over than I am about the breakup. I think I knew it was coming." "I don't think anyone ever knows it's coming. One day, you're exchanging pleasantries in a murder mystery game, and the next thing you know, she's promised herself to hillbilly in the Midwest." "I thought Veruca already got married."

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"Technically speaking, yes she has." Gordo thought for a moment, "Well, what's the non-technical version?" "She's married." Gordo shook his head, "I actually see the difference. That scares me." Larry laughed to himself and put a hand on Gordo's shoulder, "Are you sure you're going to be all right? We could get together, you know, kick back a few beers and watch some football if you want." Gordo stared at Larry for a very, very long time. "Do you realize what you just said? Do you know me? Do you know yourself?" Larry shrugged, "I just thought that when a breakup happens, guys are supposed to get together and do guy things. Like we're tough and rough and make noises like: ugggghhhhh!" "Larry, the kinds of guys that do that are steroid pumped jocks. We're two skinny boys from suburbia. I see us pulling out Star Wars before we ever watched football." Larry's eyes widened as a great big grin came upon his face, "Can we?" His voice squeaked. "No." Larry's smile turned to a scowl, "Curse you, David Gordon and your witchy ways." Gordo sighed, "Larry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Maybe later, okay?" Larry smiled again, "Okay! So, have you told Lizzie yet?" Gordo shook his head, "No, I've only told you. It just happened. Besides, I think she's ignoring me. I've invited her out to dinner so many times, and she just keeps on turning me down. I don't know, maybe she knows I have feelings for her again so she's trying to stay as far away from me as possible." "Gordo, Lizzie is the hottest thing since sliced bread right now. I bet she really does have a demanding schedule. And why are you so scared to tell her, anyway? I know I told you not to go after her before, but that was when Parker was in the picture. She isn't anymore." "Yeah, but when I tell her that we're not together, she's going to know that Parker broke up with me. And then she'll just think that she's the rebound girl. That I only want to be with her so that I won't be alone," Gordo sat down in his director's chair. "I can't take Lizzie thinking that." "Well you can't just sit here love-struck for the rest of your life, Gordo. Sooner or later, you're going to have to tell her."

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Gordo shrugged, "Well it's going to be later. My first priority is this movie." He stared long and hard at the set. If what he was looking at wasn't perfection, he didn't know what was. He couldn't have asked for anything better. Larry, realizing that there was no more to say, headed for the door, "I'm gonna go then. I have a meeting with Disney. Call me if you need me." "Uh huh. I'll make sure to do that." Larry walked off of the set, leaving Gordo sitting by himself amidst the infamous prom set. ***** Ten minutes later, Gordo was still walking around. He was desperately trying to soak up each and every detail of the room, despite the fact that he had been the one overseeing the whole build in the first place. This time, when someone walked into the room, Gordo didn't hear the footsteps behind him. And even if he had, he never would've been able to guess who it was that was behind him, like he could with Larry. "Gordo?" Gordo spun around, startled, "Oh, hey, Lizzie. Long time no see." "What are you doing here so early?" she wondered. "I could ask you the same thing. I don't think I've ever known you to be up before 6:30." Lizzie chuckled, "I just wanted to check out the set. I had heard how much time you spent on it, and I knew I just had to see it. So this is it, huh?" Gordo nodded proudly, "This is it." "Well I have to say," Lizzie said, after a moment of reflection, "You have a very photographic memory. Everything from the balloons to the little table decorationseverything is the same." "I was on the prom committee. Actually, Kate helped me out with this too. She remembered some of the little things, like the table arrangements, that I had forgotten." "Well, Kate does know the fashion of any time, any place." The two stood in a perfectly un-awkward silence. "Look," Gordo spoke up, "I know that prom wasn't a particularly great night for either of us, but I promise you that this one will be a lot more fun." Lizzie smiled, "I'm sure it will be."

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"Soum" "So um, what?" Gordo looked down at his shoes as he bounced on his heels, "Would you like to dance? I don't know about you, but I never got to dance at my senior prom." "But there's no music." Gordo held up a finger and walked over to a little sound card off to the side of the set, and turned on a nice slow song. He grinned, "Better?" Holding out his hand, Gordo motioned for Lizzie to join him on the dance floor, "Shall we?" Lizzie was feeling a little embarrassed, "I don't know, Gordo. I feel kind of silly dancing in sweats." Still holding out his hand, Gordo replied, "You did it during the Spring Fling dance we had at your house." Lizzie hesitantly grabbed Gordo's hand and followed him to the center of the dance floor. Gordo put his hands out, and he and Lizzie awkwardly but desperately tried to find an appropriate place to put their hands. Gordo chuckled a nervous chuckle, "No wonder we never got to dance. By the time we figured out where our hands went, the song was over." They laughed. Gordo slipped both of his arms around Lizzie's waist, and Lizzie rested her arms around Gordo's neck, both finally finding positions that were comfortable for them. "So, was it your idea for this whole prom setup?" Lizzie asked. "Well, it was my idea to use it in the movie, but back in high school, everything was pretty much Kate's idea. This is the one she finally decided on. You should have heard some of the prom themes," Gordo recalled in disgust. Lizzie snickered, "I'm glad I wasn't on the committee." "Yeah." After a record-breaking conversation free of awkward silences, one finally appeared. But Gordo wasn't about to let the spotless conversation go down the tubes, so he spoke up and initiated awkward conversation instead, "Lizzie, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something." "What about?"

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Gordo sighed, "Have you been avoiding me lately?" Lizzie was becoming nervous, "Why would you think that?" "I don't know. It's just that - just when our friendship seemed to be on the right rack, I kind of feel like you're pulling away." Lizzie grew more and more nervous by the second. She couldn't tell hem that she really had been avoiding him, let alone why. But she couldn't not tell him, either; she was the worst liar on the planet. "I just thought you and Parker should have some alone time." Lizzie took pride in how well she had delivered that line. At least it was the truth. The painful truth, sure, but truth nonetheless. "Lizzie, I can balance the girlfriend and the best friend. Just don't avoid me, okay?" Gordo requested reassuringly. She nodded with a smile, "Okay." But Lizzie knew that she had to avoid Gordo. It seemed to her that everyone on the planet, including him, had told her that she shouldn't avoid him. Yet no matter how many people told her this, she still could not shake her initial instinct. She knew that there was no other way to suppress her feelings for him but to stay away. Gordo quickly ran over to the sound cart and changed the tunes to something a bit more upbeat. Some swing music came over the speakers. He and Lizzie really started to get into the dancing; doing moves that neither of them really knew they could do. Gordo was swinging Lizzie back and forth, when he decided to really be daring and dip her. Lizzie, not quite prepared for the advanced dance move, ended up tripping herself and bringing Gordo down with her. "Ow." Gordo remarked. "You can say that again." "I will. Ow." The two were entangled in each other, so Gordo rolled off to the side as they both still lay on their backs on the floor. "I'm such a klutz," Lizzie said, embarrassed. "That should be your middle name. Lizzie 'Klutz' McGuire." Lizzie chuckled, "It does have a nice ring to it."

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"I can't even count the number of times you've hit the floor." "I think we know my most memorable one" Both Lizzie and Gordo exclaimed together, "Jr. High graduation!" "Our graduation was the only one to make the national news," Gordo commented. "Now that I look back on it, it was pretty funny." "It was hilarious. Ethan and Kate were screaming about their hair the whole time." "No way! Ha ha!" Lizzie and Gordo suddenly erupted into laughter and simply couldn't stop. "And Larry," Gordo started to laugh again, but quickly recovered, "Larry thought that some pod person had taken over your body and purposefully did that." Lizzie laughed just a little bit harder, "That's such classic Larry." As Gordo caught his breath, yet still not fully able to control his laughter, he picked himself up off the floor, and proceeded to help Lizzie up as well. But once again, in true Lizzie fashion, she lost her footing and slipped to the ground, pulling Gordo down with her for a second time. "Sorry," Lizzie chuckled nervously, "I - " Suddenly the tone turned serious as Lizzie stopped talking and caught Gordo's eye. Their laughter dwindled. Lizzie tried her hardest to aver her eyes, but they kept coming back to Gordo's. His blue eyes just stared back at her, showing his intense nervousness. Neither of them really knew what exactly happened next; just who it was that leaned first, but somehow, by some strange twist of fate, Lizzie and Gordo found themselves lost in a kiss.

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Chapter 26

Lizzie and Gordo had been waiting five long years for that moment. Five years of desperately trying to fill a void inside of them that could be filled by one thing, and one thing only. A kiss. Gordo's hands moved around her waist, and Lizzie's hands found their way to his neck, as they both deepened the kiss, thoroughly filling that void. Lizzie's mind was so lost in the sheer greatness of the situation that it took her much longer than normal to realize what she was doing. Suddenly her mind started to race as her eyes broke open and she violently pushed Gordo away. Gordo was just as confused as he was surprised. That kiss had mended every break in his heart, and it had ended too soon. He wondered why Lizzie was pushing away from something that he could've sworn she wanted just as much as him. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Lizzie stared, a mix of shock and fear coming over her face, and Gordo was looking as confused as he had ever been. "What was that?" Lizzie whispered. A faint smile formed at the corner of Gordo's mouth, "I think it was a kiss." Lizzie sighed, as her expression was suddenly more stern, "Don't be a smart -" "Ah! I don't think the curse-free Lizzie McGuire should finish that thought." Lizzie glared at Gordo, "I was going to say smartie. Like the candy?" "Oh," Gordo realized. "It - it didn't sound like it. I thought you were saying - " "Don't change the subject," Lizzie demanded.

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Lizzie was a few feet away from Gordo at that point in time, after pushing him so far away from her, but she once again approached him, pointing an angry finger directly into his face. She looked confused for a moment, a sign that Gordo's inadvertent subject change had clearly done it's job in making Lizzie forget about what she was going to say, but she quickly remembered exactly what she was thinking about that made her so angry. "Gordo! You can't just go around kissing people!" Gordo suddenly realized why Lizzie was so mad, why she had pushed the kiss away. He knew just what to say to calm her down, "I - " "Jeez! You have a girlfriend! What am I doing? I just kissed a guy who has a girlfriend! I am a tramp! A dirty, dirty tramp!" Gordo wondered why he thought that Lizzie would actually stop freaking out for long enough to let him explain, but nonetheless, he still tried again, "Lizzie, will you calm down for a second? I - " Lizzie spun around to face Gordo after pacing back and forth during her rant, and pointed her finger, once again, right in Gordo's face. He took a step back, threatened by Lizzie's finger. "Calm down? Calm down? You want me to calm down? You practically just sent me a one-way ticket to hell, Gordo!" Gordo tried his hardest not to laugh. It was hard for him to keep his composure when Lizzie overacted about things that she had no reason to. Luckily for him, Lizzie didn't notice his stifled laughter, "Lizzie, you aren't going to hell." Lizzie took her finger and shook it back and forth in Gordo's face, "Oh don't think I'm going alone, mister! You are SO going, too!" "Lizzie. Neither of us is going to hell, okay? Just give me a second to explain." Lizzie shook her head as she finally caught her breath and made it seem as if she had calmed down, "I don't think anything you have to say could rectify what you just did." Gordo was relieved that Lizzie was finally giving him a chance to speak. He took a deep breath and put his hands on Lizzie's shoulders in an effort to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, "Listen, Lizzie. I - " As if right on cue, Parker McKenzie walked into the building. Gordo's back had been to the door, but Lizzie had a perfect view of anyone that was to walk onto the set that morning. And as soon as the door opened, and Parker walked through it, Lizzie's eyes opened wider than they had after she kissed Gordo. For the second time that morning, Lizzie shoved Gordo away from her while her guilty eyes stayed firmly planted on an approaching Parker. "PARKER!" Lizzie yelled with an extreme amount of forced excitement.

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Gordo spun around, and sure enough, he found Parker walking towards them. He smacked his hands to his face and groaned loudly as he realized that he was never going to be able to explain to Lizzie that he and Parker weren't seeing each other anymore. He gave up, then and there, and figured he might as well just let the two women's conversation play out, Lizzie not knowing that they had broken up, and Parker not knowing that he hadn't told her. And Parker was no fool, she could see that there was something going on, but no matter what it was, she still needed to talk to Gordo, "Gordo. Lizzie. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Lizzie jumped to respond, "Nope! Nope. Nope. Not interrupting anything here, Parker. Nothing would EVER be going on between me and Gordo that you could interrupt. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Nothing here. Nothing ever. Ever." Parker stared at Lizzie with a raised eyebrow. She looked over at Gordo for an explanation, but he simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. She turned back to Lizzie, shaking off her weird behavior, "Well, umOkay, Lizzie. Whatever you say. Listen, can I borrow Gordo for a sec?" Lizzie nodded her head like crazy and pushed Gordo towards Parker, "Have him for a minute. More than a minute, even. For hours, for daysheck, how about for the rest of your lives?" Parker stared at Lizzie again, "Okay. Thank you. ButI really only need him for a sec." Lizzie clapped her hands together as she suddenly realized she hadn't blinked since Parker had walked in. Her eyes were starting to hurt. But she couldn't concern herself with that now, she had to get out of there, "Great! Well, I have to practice my lines with Ellen anyway." Without even saying goodbye, Lizzie quickly walked away. Gordo called after Lizzie, who was almost to the door when he said, "Lizzie! We'll talk later, all right?" Lizzie ignored him and sped out the door. Parker's eyes had been fixated on the door that Lizzie had exited through, but she was now turned to Gordo, looking to him for an explanation, "Wow. What is up with Lizzie? She's acting beyond weird." Gordo shook his head and calmly explained, "Nothing. Nothing's going on with her, it's just me." "What happened? What did you do?" He paused, "I don't really feel comfortable talking about it." "Despite the fact that we aren't going out anymore," Parker said," I thought we had agreed to still be friends."

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They were both willing to keep up to that agreement, and they both wanted to, but Gordo still wasn't feeling comfortable with the discussion, "I'm just not ready to discuss a personal matter, okay?" Parker backed down, "Okay, okay. I get the hint. I just need you to sign off on some of this stuff." Gordo looked over the stack of papers in Parker's hands, and sighed deeply as he realized all of the work he was going to have to do. He took the papers from her, "I'll check these out and get back to you." "Okay. Well, I'm going to go do a once-over in the apartment to see if I can find any more of my things." Gordo smiled, "Sounds good. The stuff of yours that I found is just in a box on the counter, so you can throw anything else you find in there." "Thanks." Parker had started to walk away, trying to decide whether or not she should turn back and tell Gordo what was on her mind. A sudden burst of bravery caused her to turn around, "Gordo, I mean it when I say don't wait until it's too late. I'd hate to think that I gave up a great guy like you for nothing." She smiled at him and walked out. Gordo was left on the set, stunned out of his mind. So many things had happened to him in the past five minutes that he was sure he had just experienced his greatest high and low of his past few months. And unfortunately, he had also completely lost any idea he had of how to handle the situation he was in. ***** When Lizzie left the building, she didn't leave completely. In fact, she had stopped right outside the door and leaned against the wall, waiting impatiently for Parker to come outside. When Parker did emerge, Lizzie ran behind her, "Hey, Parker." She hadn't seen Lizzie when she walked outside, so she jumped back when Lizzie spoke, "Oh! Hi, Lizzie." Parker kept walking, leaving Lizzie behind. "Um," Lizzie said, following again, "Do you have a second? I mean, you know, for us to talk?" Parker finally stopped and turned to Lizzie, "Yeah, I guess I have a second to spare. Not many places I need to be at 5:30 in the morning."

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Lizzie let out a nervous chuckle, "Well, about what happened in there" "Yeah?" Parker asked, waiting for her to continue. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm a morally upstanding person, and I don't believe in braking the rules or - or betraying people. It's just not me." Parker looked around in confusion as she wondered what kind of coffee Lizzie had to drink that morning, "Okay." "I mean, it might have looked funny with me and Gordo standing so close to each other, with the guilty looks on our faces - " Parker suddenly realized that Lizzie was trying to make her feel better about the breakup, and the fact that Gordo was now seeing Lizzie. But Parker was wrong, on both accounts, because Lizzie had no idea about the breakup, and was definitely not seeing Gordo. Nonetheless, Parker cut Lizzie off, believing that she knew what was going on, "Lizzie, don't worry about it. I don't care. WellI mean, I care, but I don't care." Lizzie continued on, completely ignoring Parker, "All that happened in there was a little argument between be and Gordo. I would never want to come in the way of your relationship with him." "Lizzie, you haven't affected my relationship with Gordo. Don't worry about it, okay? I trust you to make the right choices." Parker then walked away, got into her car, and drove off. Lizzie stood there, unbelieving of Parker, who she thought was Gordo's girlfriend, and her nonchalant attitude regarding what had just happened inside the studio. ***** It was hard to tell just how Lizzie McGuire was feeling at that very moment. To be honest, she didn't even know how she was feeling either. All she did know was that she needed to get her mind off of the milestone event that had just happened. Lizzie walked into her trailer and did not so much as acknowledge the presence of Ellen and Anita. She simply sat down in a chair and stared off into space. Ellen and Anita looked at each other in confusion, and Ellen decided to start off the round of questions that would hopefully clue them in on what was going on, "So? Did you talk to him?" Lizzie's eyes remained glued to the wall as she quietly responded, "Let's wait for Kate to get here. In about ten seconds she'll come waltzing through the door complaining about Ethan." Lizzie's eyes slowly moved to the clock.

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"Five. Four. Three. Two. One." All three heads turned to the door that swung open to reveal a fuming Kate, "You will never believe what happened yesterday!" Anita and Ellen burst out in laughter. Kate cautiously closed the door behind her as she looked back and forth between Anita, Ellen, and Lizzie, "What's so funny?" Anita shook her head, still lightly laughing, "Nothing, Kate." Lizzie's brain-dead demeanor had died down with the funny event that had just occurred, so she asked Kate with genuine interest, "What happened with Ethan?" Kate tore off her purse and threw it on the trailer floor, throwing herself down on the couch, "He made me go visit Gordo." Lizzie became nervous. "There was trash ALL OVER his apartment. Oh, and just to let you guys know, Gordo's facial hair is curly, too." Ellen groaned, "Oh, I did not need to hear that." Kate's head spun to her left at the sound of Ellen's voice, "And what are you doing here?" Kate turned to Lizzie, "Did I say she could be here?" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Kate, play nice. So, Gordo's apartment was a mess? That is so - so un-Gordo." "Ugh! I shudder at the memory." The four were silent, and something inside of Lizzie caused her to speak up and say what was on her mind, "I have some news." "You have news?" Kate asked, slightly annoyed that Lizzie was detracting from her attention. "About what?" Lizzie looked at her three friends sitting in the room as she simply said, "I just did the dumbest thing in history." Her three friends chuckled. "Dumber than the eyebrows incident?" Anita asked. "Dumber than the time you thought you could single handedly save the entire planet by wearing a burlap sack to school?" Kate wondered. "Dumber than the time you couldn't tell stage left from stage right?" Ellen quizzed.

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Normally, Lizzie would have been annoyed by the comments that were being made, but she had more important things to worry about, and she calmly ignored them. "Yes, okay. I understand that I've done a lot of stupid things in my lifetime, but trust me when I tell you that this one takes the cake." She paused for dramatic effect. "I am officially a tramp. A skank if you must know." Anita, Ellen and Kate could all tell that Lizzie was dead serious as she told them this, so they tried their hardest to hold in their laughter. "Lizzie," Kate said, laughter-free, "You are the complete opposite of a skank. What did you do that would make you think that?" Lizzie sighed and stared down at the table. Anita, Ellen and Kate all stared intently at the clearly distraught Lizzie. Lizzie looked up, "I kissed Gordo." There was a collective gasp from all three girls. "Shut up!" Ellen demanded. "You did not!" Kate exclaimed. "You go girl!" Anita declared. For a few brief seconds, everyone's eyes came off of Lizzie and landed on Anita. "What?" she asked in defense. "He's a hottie." Ellen rolled her eyes, "And you call me the bop." Lizzie stood up and paced back and forth in her trailer, "Guys what am I supposed to do? I am officially the worst person in the universe. I actually lied to Parker." "What? What happened?" Ellen asked. "Wait, wait, wait," Kate stopped Lizzie before she could respond. "Lizzie McGuire lied? This is headline news!" Lizzie continued, "We kissed and I pushed him away. And then, you know, Gordo just started freaking out, but I simply talked to him and he eventually calmed down." They all stared at her. "What?" "You were the calm one and Gordo was the frantic one?" Kate doubtfully questioned.

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Anita sniffed in the air, "What is that smell? I - I think it'syes, yes it is! Lizzie! Your pants are on fire!" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, Parker walked in while Gordo's hands were on my shoulders. And I told her that absolutely nothing happened." She fell face-first into the couch, and tried to speak as the pillows muffled her words, "I'm a horrible person." Kate got up and sat down next to Lizzie on the couch, "You aren't a horrible person, Lizzie. And trust me, I know horrible people." "Yeah, Lizzie," Ellen assured her. "You did it to spare her feelings." Kate spun around and glared at Ellen, "Did someone say you could speak?" Lizzie's head popped up from the sofa, "Kate!" Ellen snapped back, "You know, you already have Ethan, so I think this whole bitter thing you have going on, it really has to go." Kate jumped up from the couch, "Well, I never!" "Kate. Ellen. Chill out," Lizzie demanded. Anita watched in amusement and kicked the bickering twosome back into gear, "If you guys haven't noticed, this is the Lizzie McGuire Hour right now, so could you please not stray away from the topic of conversation? Honestly, pretty much our entire lives are devoted to Lizzie's problems, so we're going to need to get back on track. Now, Lizzie, then what happened?" Lizzie smiled, thanking Anita, and went on with her story, "I waited for Parker outside, and then she said that she trusts me. What have I gotten myself into?" "Something good and juicy. This has soap opera written all over it," Ellen gushed. "So who kissed who?" Kate asked. Lizzie thought for a minute. She had been so caught up in blaming Gordo that she hadn't even stopped to think who had caused the kiss in the first place. As she thought about it, she suddenly realized that neither of them had caused it. It just happened. "I don't knowI don't think he even knows. It just happened." Anita grinned wildly, "So? How was it?" Lizzie blushed as a smile came over her face, "It was a little different than before." "Good or bad different?" Ellen wondered. "Definitely good," Lizzie's mile-wide smile quickly disappeared when she realized what she was doing. "I'm swooning again! I'm swooning over a guy that I can't have!"

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Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Ugh. Did he at least shave?" Lizzie sighed, "He was baby soft." "He shaved for you. How romantic," Ellen said. None of them could decide if she was being serious or sarcastic. "I don't think he planned for this to happen, though. He looked just as shocked as I was." Ellen clapped her hands together, "Well there you go. See? He didn't mean for it to happen." "And," Anita added, "he's an upstanding guy. I once saw him put the toilet seat down." Ellen raised an eyebrow in Anita's direction, "How did you see him do that?" Anita groaned at Ellen's immaturity, "He talked to me in my trailer one time, had to use the restroom, and the next time I went to the bathroom the toilet seat was down, okay?" Kate turned to Lizzie, "So now that you know that this 'upstanding,' pig-sty-dwelling, curly-haired freak didn't mean to cheat, what are you going to do?" "That's what I'm trying to figure out! What do you guys think I should do?" Kate rolled her eyes, "We've been over this, McGuire. I tell you to go out and stake your claim on your man, and what do you do? NOTHING! And now that you guys have finally kissed, I thought that something in that brain of yours would click, but Lizzie, you're - you are impossible!" "Jeez, Kate. I'm really hurting here. I need help." "Yeah, well I think I've been pretty clear about my opinion, Lizzie, and I can help no more." Ellen spoke up, "I have to agree with Kate on this one. We have all given you pretty much the exact same advice. It's obvious that you like Gordo and that he likes you, but you guys are too scared to ever do anything about it." Anita agreed, "It's true, Lizzie. I'm sure you would be having Gordo's babies by now if it weren't for this tired insecurity bit that you two have, yet shouldn't. Especially with Gordo, he is totally hot." Lizzie was confused, "I'm already having a horrible day and you guys are just ganging up on me?" "Think of this as an intervention," Kate said. "If we didn't all say these things in such a harsh way, then you would never get it. As usual." "Okay, well I get it now. Gordo and I both know we have feelings for each other yet

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we both refuse to do anything about it." Kate smiled, "Thank you." "But I still have one problem." "What's that?" Ellen asked. "Parker." "Oh, whatever. Seriously, she's not even the deal here," Anita said. "You can bypass Parker. He kissed you and liked it. I would say that Parker is already in the can," Ellen commented. But Kate wasn't so sure, "I don't know, they LIVE together. For once, I think Lizzie might actually have a legitimate problem." Anita spoke up, "You should just stop liking him. I'll marry Gordo and save both you and Parker." Kate and Ellen stared at Anita. Anita rolled her eyes, "It was a joke, guys. As in 'ha ha?' No? Okay. Lizzie, I say that for now, we should all just sit back, relax, and see what Gordo does." Ellen shrugged, "That's a good plan. You always want the guy to come to you, anyway." Lizzie was unaware of this piece of information, "I do?" "Of course," Kate nodded. "That gives you the power, Lizzie. How do you think I have Ethan buying me all of those things?" Lizzie was starting to realize the genius of the plan. She did nothing, and ended up winning in the end. It was perfect. "Okay, so I'm just going to sit back and relax. I mean, if he breaks up with Parker, I'll know it's my cue to do something." "Or even better," Kate added, "register with me at Tiffany's so he can buy you something to go along with the fact that he's going to ask you out. I think I nice diamond tennis bracelet would be good. It'd look perfect on you. I'll go call them now." Kate whipped out her phone and walked outside Lizzie's trailer to make the call. "That girl has a one-track mind," Ellen said. "Actually two," Anita corrected, "jewelry and Ethan's hair." "Oh, I forgot about Ethan's hair."

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"You? Forgot about Ethan's hair? How is that possible?" "I like him for his personality." "Hah! Yeah, right. You can't tell me that you like guys who are dumber than a post." "Did I say personality? I meant looks and money." "Better." Sometimes Lizzie's neck would strain from looking back and forth and back and forth between Anita and Ellen, "You guys need a personality rehaul." "If you really thought so," Ellen challenged, "then why do you hang out with us?" "Yeah," Anita reiterated smugly. "Why do you hang out with us?" Lizzie groaned and smacked her hands to her face as she mumbled to herself, "I need some new friends." After their long conversation, Lizzie quickly shooed her remaining friends out of her trailer so that she could change for her next scenes. Lizzie was starting to wonder if the whole plan of just waiting it out was really what she wanted to do. If she went by Gordo's timetable, they probably would have never even gone out in the first place. She instigated everything from their first kiss to their first date. How could she rely on him to get them back together? Granted, this wasn't the same Gordo that she used to know, but she still believed that some people never change TOO much. Then Lizzie realized that there was still a part of her that was hurting from their initial breakup, and she didn't want to risk having to experience the same heartbreak over again. Lizzie shook her head and proceeded to get dressed. ***** Gordo was in the exact same boat as Lizzie was. He couldn't remember who exactly it was that kissed who, but he couldn't believe that it actually had happened. "For a guy who doesn't like drama, why am I always the one creating it?" he asked himself. ***** The day started off with Lizzie's big prom performance. Because the amount of takes it would require to get the shot perfect would strain her voice, Lizzie was going to lip sync for her entire performance. But she was okay with that, and she understood the technicalities of it. Lizzie and Gordo worked out the final kinks in their respective projects, and amazingly enough, were able to remain professional. Lizzie took his direction and

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followed it, while Gordo listened to her concerns. It was as if nothing had happened. All of the extras dressed up in their prom attire gathered around the room. Anita and Ethan were ready for the close-ups of their reactions to Lizzie's character singing. "Speed. Rolling. And, ACTION!" ***** At the prom, Veronica noticed that Ryan was easily distracted, and that he kept looking over at Jake. Jake only attended the prom because it was required of the prom committee; one of the clubs that she joined after Ryan gave it a top-notch recommendation. Other than that, she wouldn't have been caught dead there. Veronica soon realized that she was in her senior year, and that in only a matter of months, she was going to hit the real world, and if she wanted to make it there, she needed to grow up. She was about to do the most grown up thing she had ever done in her entire life. The audience cheered and chanted her name as she went up onstage. "You guys all know me. Normally, I would come up here and eat up all the glory; but tonight, that's going to change. Somebody else in this room deserves to be up here, and I hope that she's willing to sing a little song for us all. Give it up for Jake Stevens!" Jake spit out her drink. "What?" She exclaimed, looking up at Veronica. Veronica covered the microphone with her hand as she leaned over the stage to talk to Jake, "Look, I'm really sorry about what I did to you, but I hope you'll still come up here and sing for the school. I promise no tricks." Something about Veronica's voice made Jake trust her. She walked up onstage and everyone started clapping. Ryan, standing in shock in the audience, couldn't believe what he was seeing, yet was still very interested in what was going on. Just as Jake walked by, Veronica whispered in her ear, "Big Mama says hi." It was then that Jake realized that Veronica meant no harm, and she decided to sing. Jake cleared her throat, grabbed the microphone, and began to sing the song "You Wish." ***** Gordo watched intently as Lizzie performed. Anyone who was watching him watching her would have said that he was paying more attention that Ethan was, whose character was scripted to be completely mesmerized by her. Gordo couldn't help but imagine that that Lizzie was singing only to him. "Cut! That's a great first take, guys. I want to run over Lizzie's performance a few

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more times with a different lighting pattern, so take a break while we set up." As Gordo sighed and began to scribble notes down on his notepad, he heard someone behind him sniffle. He finished writing his notes and turned around. It was Parker, standing with tears in her eyes. Gordo was suddenly concerned, and he put the clipboard down on the table next to him, "What's wrong?" Parker sniffled some more, took a few sharp, quick breaths, and tried to speak, but she instead burst into tears. Gordo jumped up from his chair and pulled Parker close to him, giving her a comforting hug. He had no idea what was going on with her, but he figured he should let the crying die down before he asked any more questions. Lizzie was sitting in her chair, makeup and hair people swarming all around her. But her eyes stayed fixated on Gordo and Parker. She thought to herself, are they breaking up? Just then she watched as Gordo let go of Parker, who had calmed down a bit, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. I guess they are staying together, she thought. Lizzie stood up, despite the fact that she wasn't finished with makeup, and walked away from the scene, towards the catering. ***** Gordo, with his arm around Parker, led her to his trailer so that they could have a heart to heart about why she was so upset, unaware of what Lizzie had seen. He opened the door for her and sat her down on his couch, as he pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, holding her hands in his. "What's wrong, Parker?" She sniffled a few more times, and then proceeded to explain, "My mother just calledBooBoo died!" She started to cry again. Gordo thought for a moment when he remembered, "BooBoo your cat?" Parker nodded, her lip quivering. Gordo sighed, glad that the cause of her crying wasn't something bigger, but still upset that she had lost one of her favorite pets, "I'm so sorry, Parker. I know you loved that cat a lot." "I do. I mean, I didor, I do. I don't know what I mean."

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Gordo rubbed her hands in his, "It'll be okay, Parker." "I never even got to say goodbye." Gordo's mind started wandering back to when his dog had died when he was 5. He had been completely devastated, but his parents, both being psychiatrists, knew just the trick to make him feel better. Gordo sat up in his chair, excited, "Well here is your chance. Pretend that I'm BooBoo, and tell me goodbye." "What?" "Come on, Parker. This will help you. You'll get some closure. Trust me, my parents used to do this to me whenever I lost a pet and it totally works. Just close your eyes." Parker shrugged, still not quite convinced, but willing to go along with it anyway, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try." Lizzie, being the nosy person she was, let her curiosity get the best of her as she walked over to Gordo's trailer. She stood right outside the door, trying her hardest not to look suspicious, as she listened in on their conversation. She could hear them clearly from outside. Parker closed her eyes, "I just want to say that I love you, BooBoo." BooBoo? Lizzie wondered. Must be Gordo's pet name or something. "I just want you to know that I have loved you forever, and I will continue to love you until the day I die," Parker finished. Gordo, as BooBoo, responded, "I love you too, Parker." It was then that Lizzie's heart sank. It was hard for her to believe that five words in the English language, when put together like that, could hurt her so much. But he had made his choice. Lizzie reluctantly walked away from the trailer, but much too soon. For right after she left, Gordo said, "No one cleaned my litter box like you, Parker. Wellthat's what BooBoo would say back if she could." Parker genuinely laughed as she opened her eyes, "Thanks for being there for me, Gordo, it really means a lot." They both continued to laugh at Gordo's comment when she said, "I felt really stupid doing that." "Join the club. But it did make you laugh, didn't it?" "It did. And if you ever need a friend, I'll be there for you. Remember that." Gordo paused, "Actually. I do need a friend." Parker wiped the tears from her face as her sadness faded away. Her attention was

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focused completely on Gordo now, "Tell me what's up. I can fix anything, I promise you." "I don't knowI mean, we just broke up, and it might be a little weird." "Gordo, I'm so over you and you are so over me. Don't even play this 'we just broke up' card." Gordo slapped on his puppy-dog eyes as he whimpered, "You're over me?" Parker smacked him, "Oh, stop being sarcastic. We've been over each other for a while now." Gordo chuckled, "Okay, okay." "So, let me guess. This is about Lizzie." "Why does everyone always guess that it's about Lizzie?" "Uh, because it always is. I'm not stupid, Gordo. In fact, even Ethan is smart enough to understand this." "Okay, I get it." "So," Parker continued, "what's up?" Gordo slowly began, "This morningshe kissed me." "No!" Parker exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that what I walked in on? No wonder she was acting so weird. I just thought she was off medication or something." "Nope. We kissed. But she doesn't even know that you and I are over. I've only told Larry. She went off about being a tramp and how we're going to hell." Parker couldn't help but laugh, "That Lizzie is a riot." Gordo gave her a stone-cold glare. Parker cleared her throat, "Not funny. No. Well, let me just go tell her right now that we're over." Gordo pulled Parker, who had jumped up from the couch and was heading for the door, back down to his level, "You can't do that, Parker." "And why not?" "I have to do this Lizzie thing on my own." Parker scoffed, "Yeah, we all know how well that works out." "What are you talking about?" "You always take matters with her into your own hands, and then your friends have

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to jump in and save you. It's been that way since the beginning of time." "Parker, I can handle this one by myself, and I should. No one else should have to go up to Lizzie and say, 'Hey, Gordo likes you!'" "Well you might as well do that, Gordo and send over one of your little buddies because otherwise it's never going to happen." Gordo shook his head, "I don't know why you say that. I am going to win Lizzie's heart. On. My. Own. Just you wait and see."

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Chapter 27

Lizzie didn't remember walking away from the trailer. She didn't remember anything that had just happened. All she knew was that she had heard Gordo say, "I love you too, Parker," and now she was aimlessly wandering around the set, her head spinning. She was starting to hyperventilate. She felt sick to her stomach. Lizzie stopped walking and tried desperately to calm herself down. "Just breathe in," she breathed in, "and out," she breathed out. "Don't freak out, Lizzie. So what? Parker loves Gordo and Gordo loves Parker. They love each other. Gordo. Parker. Parker and Gordo. Gordo and Parker.Oh, who am I kidding? I'm Lizzie McGuire, all I ever do is freak out!" Lizzie started walking again, still breathing heavily. She needed a paper bag or something. Heck, at that point in time, the prospect of a plastic bag was even starting to sound appealing to her. She walked around some more, grabbing a bottle of water and ignoring the curious glances that she was getting from the crew as she paced back and forth on the set, mumbling to herself. And after quite a while of walking and mumbling, she finally managed to calm herself down, somehow suppressing her sadness and tears. In fact, Lizzie suppressed her sadness so much so, that it quickly turned to anger, much like coal turns into a diamond when placed under intense pressure. Now the prospect of a plastic bag was starting to sound even better, but not for her. For Gordo. Lizzie was furious. For the rest of the day, she reluctantly complied with Gordo's direction. Every move he made and every word he spoke got on her last nerve.

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"Lizzie, try not to look into the camera, okay?" Gordo politely requested with his charming smile. Lizzie rolled her eyes as she turned away from Gordo and muttered to herself, "Sure, Hitler." Gordo could have sworn he heard Lizzie say something to him, "What was that?" Lizzie spun back around, "Oh, I was just saying my lines quietly to myself. It helps me practice, you know." Gordo shrugged, "Oookayy. Well, other than looking into the camera, keep doing what you're doing. It's perfect." "Yeah, perfect for someone's floozy." That was the gist of every one of their conversations that day. And they didn't get much better than that, either. In fact, they got worse. It almost got to the point where sweet, innocent little Lizzie McGuire was on the verge of saying some not-soinnocent, very bad words. "Lizzie, please don't look into the camera." Despite the fact that it was the 10th time he had asked her to do this, Gordo still managed to stay calm and polite. But Lizzie wasn't buying it, "Son of a - how am I supposed to do that if you have that freaking camera all in my face every time I look up?" Gordo had noticed Lizzie's growing hostility over the past few takes, but he quickly brushed it off, blaming it on the long hours that they all had to work through, "I'll try to keep it out of your way, all right?" Lizzie took one final, deep breath in, trying with all of her might to not say anything horrible to Gordo, who had been nothing but kind to her throughout the entire shoot. Somehow, she managed an, "Okay." Because she promised herself that she wouldn't make any more mean comments directed towards him, Lizzie had to rely on making crude faces and trying to choke Gordo every time he turned his back. It tied her over until the end of the shoot, where she could finally leave and blow up in the privacy of her own trailer. But Gordo was pleasantly clueless as ever, and once the shoot was over, he concluded with a smile, "Okay, people! Perfect! We're done." ***** Kate stormed into Lizzie's trailer, not even toying with the idea of knocking first. She shut the door behind her and sat down across from her friend who wasn't in the best of moods, "What is up with you today, McGuire? First you kiss Gordo and now you are snubbing him?" Lizzie glared at the wall as if it was the one that was at fault for making her life a

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living hell, "I don't know what you're talking about, Kate." "You have this whole, classic, Lizzie McGuire avoidance issue thing going on." "Kate. You took a one-credit psych class over four years ago. Get over it." Kate was shocked, "Whoa, what's with the attitude McGuire?" Lizzie finally stopped glaring at the wall and spun to glare at Kate, "Do you wanna know why I have an attitude? Wanna? Well, let me tell you. Gordo, the most perfect guy in the world for me who also just so happens to be my best friend is a complete dirk!" "Why the 180?" Before Lizzie could answer, Anita and Ellen walked into Lizzie's trailer, also not even toying with the idea of knocking first. "Hola," Ellen greeted. "What's up with you two?" "Uh, none of your business," Kate snapped. She tried to shoo Ellen away, but it didn't work. Lizzie scolded Kate like a parent yelling at two fighting children, "Kate! Would you stop being so rude?" Anita put her hands up and slowly backed away from the three other women sitting in the trailer, "Whoa. Lizzie actually standing up to Kate? Did that just happen? No, seriously, did that really just happen?" Kate shrugged and shook her head, "I tell you, she's been giving me this attitude all day." Ellen sat down, "Lizzie, tell us what is going on." Kate groaned, "She was about to until you stormed your 'I have the biggest crush on Ethan I flirt with him in front of his girlfriend' little patootie all up in here." Anita darted over and quickly sat down between Ellen and Kate. She had learned from experience that the best way to prevent bloodshed was to put a barrier between the two fighting females in order to block direct eye contact. This rule could also be applied to wild animals. "Kate," Anita said, "Let's hear from Lizzie." Lizzie nodded, "That's right. Let's hear from Lizzie. Let's hear about how she always manages to get herself into these kinds of situations in which she gets hurt, or hurts someone else, and just fuels the never-ending, vicious, hurting cycle." Anita, who was still staring at Lizzie, leaned closer to Ellen and whispered, "Making sense to you?" Ellen kept her eyes fixated on Lizzie as well, as she whispered back, "Like purple

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ketchup." Lizzie continued, not hearing Anita and Ellen, "And he is my BooBoo, okay? He isn't HER BooBoo, he is MINE. He was my BooBoo first, anyway. But maybe she does love my BooBoo as much as I do. Am I selfish to love my BooBoo, selfish enough to take him away from someone who might love him as much as me?" Lizzie went on and on with her rant about BooBoo, saying the actual word 'BooBoo' about 13 more times before she was finally finished. Of course, she probably wouldn't have said it at all had she realized that she was talking about Parker's dead cat. "AaaaandBooBoo," Anita said, summing it all up. "What the heck is a BooBoo?" Ellen asked. "It's like, you knowa BooBoo," Anita explained. "YeahNo. I still don't get it. Sadly enough, we are once again diving into the deep psyche of Lizzie McGuire." Anita snapped her fingers as a light bulb went off, "Maybe she's talking about a scrape on her knee, you know? Like, it hurts, and now she calls it a BooBoo." "Oh, good one." Lizzie had perfected the talent of ignoring Anita and Ellen. And, chances are, she might actually be the only person on the planet who is able to pull it off, "Ugh! Why do I have to be me? I mean, remember when things weren't all complicated? Remember when we used to just swing on the swings, our moms and dads drove us everywhereI mean, those were the days!" "She's reverting to childhood," Anita commented. "Classic signs of dementia," Ellen diagnosed. "Oh yes, I agree." Lizzie threw her arms up in the air before flopping down onto the couch, "When did life get so complicated!" Kate moved closer to Lizzie, "While the Olsen twins over there psycho analyze your every word, I think I know what's really going on." Lizzie scoffed, "Well, duh. I just explained it to you." "Uh, yeahof course you did." "Didn't I? Guys, back me up here." Lizzie looked over at Anita and Ellen, giving them the death stare. Ellen nodded, afraid, "Oh, yeahtotally."

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Anita was equally afraid, "Couldn't be clearer." As Lizzie turned to Kate, Anita and Ellen shook their heads while mouthing, "No," behind her back. Kate leaned past Lizzie to the twosome and whispered, "Can you please not make the psycho think she's sane?" She leaned back to Lizzie, as if she hadn't heard, "So, you and Gordo hit another rough patch, right?" Lizzie was irritated, "Why are we summarizing what I just said?" "To make sure I understand the entire situation." She couldn't argue with that, "Oh, okay." "So, you and Gordo hit this rough patch. He kissed you, but he's still with Parker." "And it looks like it's going to stay that way. Can you believe that he cheated on her with me? I'm such a floozy. I'm the queen of all floozies. You might as well put a big sign around my neck that says FLOOZY in big, black, bold letters, and then I'll walk around the streets of New York so that everyone will know that I'm Lizzie McGuire: The Floozy!" "Lizzie," Kate assured her, "you aren't a floozy. Sometimes these things just happen." "I heard him say he loved her. Can you believe that, Kate? I thought for sure things had changed butmaybe it was just time for me and Gordo to - to" Lizzie suddenly noticed the look on Kate's face. She had just made a big mistake. "He did what?" Kate was practically foaming at the mouth. "Kate, it's okay. Calm down," Lizzie pleaded. Ellen mumbled to herself, "Danger, danger Will Robinson!" Anita was shaking, "Ohmygodwe'reallgonnadie." Kate rose up from the couch, "I swear, I'm going to knock that kid's head off!" Lizzie desperately tried to pull her back down, "Kate, please don't." Anita was nearly in tears, "Ohmygodwe'reallgonnadie." Kate was furious, "What is wrong with you, McGuire? Did you even hear what you

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just said? I can't believe the love of your life said that he loved Parker! Parker doesn't even like him because she thinks he's to short, despite the fact that he's taller than her!" Somehow, Ellen had managed to calm Anita down, and she was able to speak to her again, "Even though Kate and I are sworn enemies, I must commend her on her vivid descriptions." Anita was calmed down, but she was still curled up in a fetal position, "Yes, they are quite colorful, aren't they?" Kate turned to Anita and Ellen, "Hello? Is anyone home in there? I realize that you two share a brain, but we are trying to right an injustice that was brought upon us today! We aren't here to analyze one another! Really, you two can feel free step in and say something useful at any time." Anita and Ellen whispered back and forth to one another, discussing the implications of that plan. Ellen spoke up, "We think you're right, Kate." Anita agreed, "We are going to contribute to the conversation." "Totally." "Gordo is a total poo-poo head." "Who has bad hair." "And, isn't good enough for our dear friend Lizzie McGuire. Now, Kate, I know that you want to beat up Gordo - as do I - but you have to think about the movie. I mean, it needs to get finished. And Gordo can't very well direct if his eyes are swollen shut, now can he? No, no he can't. So, I say, if we beat him up, it's going to have to be after this movie's completed." Kate shrugged, "Very well put." Ellen laughed, "I can't believe that you just told Kate to beat up Gordo." "The little bugger deserves it," Anita said. "What happened to the whole, 'Ooh, Gordo! He's so hot and cute!'" "Okay, first of all, a guy cannot be both hot and cute at the same time. Second of all, Gordo is so not my type anymore." "He was your type just this morning." "No, see, Gordo is more likeeye candy." Kate tended to become sick to her stomach when Anita was let in on conversations about Gordo, "Ew! I can't believe you just said that. I think I'm going to vomit."

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"What? I can't help the fact that he's still semi-attractive." Lizzie was becoming very irritated, "You guys are getting me nowhere once again." "Oh, oh, oh! I totally just remembered something," Anita piped up excitedly, turning to Lizzie. "Today, I could've sworn I heard you say to Gordo, and I quote, 'Sure, Hitler.'" Lizzie cleared her throat in embarrassment, "I - I might have said something like that" Ellen, Anita, and Kate all burst into laughter. "What? What's so funny?" Lizzie asked. Ellen explained, over her laughter, "I realize, that in your anger, you probably didn't see the irony of the fact that Gordo is Jewish, and Hitlerwell, he's pretty much AntiJewish." Lizzie's anger quickly turned to shock and embarrassment. She didn't say a word. Anita was still laughing, "I never thought that sweet little Lizzie would be calling Gordo something like Hitler. This is almost too much to takeOh my God, I can't breathe I'm laughing so hard." "Wow," Kate said, "and I used to think that you guys weren't good entertainment." "You guys!" Lizzie whined. "This isn't a laughing matter, okay? This guy who has been a major part of my life ever since the day I was born is officially going to be out of it!" Anita, Ellen, and Kate all continued on with their own side conversations, completely ignoring Lizzie and her problems. "Hello? Guys? A little help here?" Kate finally tore herself away from Anita and Ellen, "Do you want to know why we're acting this way, Lizzie? Why we aren't rushing to give you advice?" Lizzie nodded. "It's because you've said that same line over and over again for the past 20 years. Some days we love Gordo, and other days we hate him. You keep on dumping him, but somehow you always manage to forgive and forget, no harm no foul. How can you expect us to believe you this time?" "Because those other times didn't even command the same magnitude as this one! Those other times I always thought to myself, 'I don't care what Gordo has done, because I know that I'm the most important girl in his life.' But this time, I can't think that. Because I know that I'm not the most important girl. Parker is. He is in love with Parker, and nothing is going to change that. Gordo didn't even tell ME that he loved me and we were together for three years and friends our whole lives. He's never said it to me"

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Lizzie started to cry. The other three quickly went over to her and gave her a little hug in an effort to comfort her. Kate was the last to do so, "Hey, Lizzie. It's like I've always said, Gordo isn't the guy for you." Lizzie managed out a small chuckle, "Kate, you're the one who's always pushing me towards him every day." "Well, I was wrong, okay? You can do a lot better than that loser." "Yeah, Lizzie," Anita said. "I know so many guys that would love to go out with you." Ellen agreed, "Ditto. I could probably hand you 20 phone numbers right now." Lizzie smiled as she wiped away her tears, "Thanks, guys. But I just don't think I'll ever get over him. It's been how many years now? I mean, he still affects me like this. I just want this whole nightmare to be over." "Then make it over," Anita said, beginning one of her famous Lizzie pep talks. "What do you mean?" Ellen grinned, "I think you know what she means." Anita continued, "Dump his sorry butt! Let him know that you are done with him once and for all. That Lizzie McGuire is no man's tramp!" Lizzie was getting fired up, "YeahLizzie McGuire is no man's tramp!" "And she is not going to take this stuff from Gordo or from any other guy!" "Yeah! I'm not going to take this from Gordo or any other guy!" "Now get up, move your butt, and go tell Gordo that he can drop dead!" Lizzie jumped up, "Yeah! I'll - Oh no I can't do that. I can't tell Gordo to drop dead." She sat back down. "You did it after prom, why can't you do it now?" Kate wondered. "That was different. I'm not ready to confront him now. I know I'll end up saying things that I'll regret. It's what I do in the heat of the moment." "Lizzie, you usually just stand there like a coward in the heat of the moment," Ellen said. "Yeah, well you obviously didn't see me that one time at McDonald's when I asked for a cheeseburger and they gave me a hamburger."

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Kate laughed, "Oh yeah, I bet you were very hot tempered." "Mm-hmm. I almost got kicked out of McDonald's for that one." "Whoa there, badass. Calm yourself," Anita commented. "But you guys understand why I have to wait on this one, right?" "Yeah," Kate said, "we get it. We probably wouldn't do it that way if we were you, but we understand. He's still Gordo, and he'll always be that way to you." Lizzie looked down and sighed, "Yeah. I need to go home guys. I'm tired. I've had a long day." Kate stood up from the couch, "Haven't we all? I have to get out of here before everyone starts to think I live in Lizzie's trailer." She said goodbye to everyone whose name wasn't Ellen, and left the trailer. Anita stood up as well, "I gotta go swing over to the beau's pad. Feel better, okay Lizzie?" Lizzie gave Anita a hug, "I will. I promise." Anita said goodbye to Ellen, and left the trailer. Ellen remained seated on Lizzie's couch, "Well, well, McGuire. You know, when I first met you, I thought to myself, 'What a simple, nice girl.'" "And now?" "...You're a nice girl." Lizzie laughed, "Well, I might need you again for my next movie. Or at least for the reshoots." "I'll be hanging around. Anita still needs help with her dialogue. That girl simply cannot say her lines with a straight face." "Kick her for me." Ellen stood up and headed for the door, "Will do. Goodnight, kiddo." "'Night." Ellen and Lizzie hugged, and Ellen left her trailer. Lizzie quickly gathered up the rest of her things, turned off the light, and left for home. *****

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"Hey man, I'm outie." Larry walked up to Gordo on the set after he had collected his things. Gordo turned around, "'Outie?' Have you been talking to Miranda?" "Yeah. How did you know?" Gordo chuckled and put some papers into his briefcase, "Wild guess." "Are you out of here soon?" Larry asked. "Yeah. Tomorrow starts the long days of editing. Man, I can't believe it has only been a couple of months. It feels like a lifetime." "It does, doesn't it? Speaking of liveshave you finally picked the girl of your dreams?" Gordo looked at Larry in disgust, "I didn't have to pick, Larry. There was never any question. I'm heading over to Lizzie's tonight with flowers and wine. Hopefully she feels the same way about me that I do about her." Larry couldn't help but smile at Gordo, who was clearly elated, "I know for a fact that she does." Gordo closed his briefcase and stuffed it under his arm, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm sure you'll stop by and find some way to distract me." Larry saluted, "That's me. Always at your service. Now, come on. Let's get out of here." "You go ahead. I'll be just a minute." Larry nodded and walked off the set. Gordo stood there alone and smiled. ***** Lizzie was at the door to her apartment, and she couldn't find her keys. Her feet were aching, her body was exhausted, and she was growing more and more frustrated by the second. She rummaged through her purse, looking thoroughly throughout every pocket, but she still could not find them. She checked her pants pockets, her back pockets, and then went back to her purse. She just wanted to be inside, not out in the hallway with a locked door as the only thing standing in her way of comfort. Five minutes later, Lizzie finally found her keys. She slid the key into the slot, unlocked the door, and walked inside, sighting with relief. "Home, sweet home." Lizzie dropped her keys into a bowl on her counter, and began sorting through her

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mail. After the day she had, with the sadness, anger and tears, she really needed some sort of relaxation. Throwing the mail back on the counter, Lizzie went to go draw herself a bath. Just minutes before she was about to get in, Lizzie heard the doorbell ring. She groaned as she put on her bathrobe and walked to the door. Lizzie looked through the peephole and gasped as she stepped back. On the other side of that door, there was Gordo, bouncing on his heels, eagerly awaiting Lizzie to answer. He had his arms behind his back, as if he was hiding something. Something he would pull out as a surprise when she answered. Lizzie took another step back as she heard Gordo ring the doorbell again. She started to panic. "Should I let him in? Should I? I mean, it's Gordo but then again, it's GORDO. Oh my gosh what do I do?" If it hadn't taken her so long to find her keys, she would have already been in the bath and wouldn't have gotten up to answer the door. She cursed herself. All of the sudden, for reasons she could not explain, Lizzie stepped forward and unlocked the door as she thought to herself, "What the heck are you doing, McGuire! You're crazy!" Gordo smiled as the door opened, "Hey." Lizzie stood, still blocking the doorway so Gordo couldn't come in, "Hey." "Can I come in?" He said with his ever-popular charming grin. Lizzie wasn't so impressed, "Whatever." She moved away from the doorway and held the door open for him as Gordo took a step inside. "Here," Gordo said, pulling out a bouquet of flowers and a nice bottle of wine from behind his back. "These are for you." Lizzie accepted them, "Thanks." She walked into her kitchen, shoving the flowers into her trashcan. She opened one of her drawers, and pulled out a corkscrew. As she opened the bottle of wine, she looked at Gordo, who was standing there in confusion, and smirked. The second the cork popped out, Lizzie picked up the bottle and poured the wine down the sink. Gordo raised his eyebrows, wondering if she had gone completely insane. He nervously chuckled, "I hate to be a stickler, but you usually put those," he pointed to the flowers, "in water. And that," he motioned towards the empty wine bottle, "we usually drink. Uhare you okay, Lizzie?"

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Lizzie crossed her arms, "Just peachy now that you're here." Gordo didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't. "If you don't mind, I was in the middle of taking a bath." Lizzie walked towards the door and held it open for him. But Gordo wasn't about to step down so easily, her pushy attitude only made him step further into Lizzie's living room. He turned around to face her, "Have I offended you in any way that I should know about?" Lizzie groaned and closed the door, "Have you offended me? You don't even know, do you? Jeez, Gordo, I thought you were smarter than that. Or maybe you just thought I was dumber than that." Gordo was genuinely confused, "Lizzie, what is going on here? I came here tonight because I thought - " "Oh, I know what you thought, mister!" "And that angers you? WellI guess I read the signals wrong" "Yeah, well so did I. Get over it." Gordo was stunned, "Lizzie, I don't understand why you're so angry with me. I thought - I mean, I know things are confusing because of the kiss, but I never thought that it would cause so many problems. This is about the kiss, isn't it?" Lizzie groaned, "Gordo, this is much bigger than the kiss. I can't believe that you actually think that this is just about the kiss." "Did you - was I - was I out of line to kiss you?" She threw her arms up in the air, "Yes!" Gordo's face fell expressionless, and then looked worried, "But I thought - I justI looked at you and I thought you felt it too." Lizzie sighed, "I did. And I blame myself just as much as I blame you. The kiss was just as much my fault as it was yours." Gordo felt like he was starting to get somewhere, "Then we agree that we both participated in a nice kiss." "I never said it was nice." Or maybe he wasn't, "Okaythen what did you think of it?" "Nothing. I don't think about things that don't matter."

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Gordo scoffed and shook his head, "Lizzie, you're sending me all of these mixed signals, here. Today, when I kissed you, I recognized that look in your eyes. I know that look, Lizzie. I've seen it before. It was the, 'Gordo, I'm really nervous, but I want you to kiss me' look. And you can't tell me otherwise. That kiss, LizzieI know you felt what I felt." Lizzie stared at Gordo. She hated him so much when he saw right through her. He knew her too well. But Lizzie wasn't about to let Gordo think he was right, "You know what, Gordo? I tried to be nice to you, but you're making this too hard. I just can't be civil with you anymore." Gordo was starting to get frustrated, but he knew that he had to keep his anger inside if he wanted to get anywhere with the conversation, "What are you talking about, Lizzie? I come over and bring you flowers and wine, and somehow that makes me someone you can't be civil with?" "Why do you always do that? You use your sarcasm to make me seem like the bad guy! I am SO not the bad guy." "Lizzie, I'm not trying to do that. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on with you." Lizzie took a step towards Gordo, "Do you want to know why I'm angry, Gordo? Do you want to know why? It's because of what you want me to do." "What do I want you to do?" "Oh, you know what you want me to do." "No, I really don't." "Didn't you come here tonight wanting to get back together with me?" Lizzie's question caught Gordo off guard. He started to get nervous. He gulped and his bouncing resumed. "WellumI - uh - yeahI wanted to, uh, maybe talk to you about something like that." "You, um, maybe wanted to talk to me about it?!" Lizzie mocked him. "Maybe!?!" Gordo was scared, "Lizzie, just please tell me what I did. Please." "You think that I'm just going to be your mistress, your little trampola!" Gordo raised an eyebrow, "Trampola? I don't think that's even a word. It sounds like one of those drinks that you get with the little umbrella. Maybe a cherry, or a pineapple slice in it - " He was clearly very nervous.

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But Lizzie didn't care, "You're missing the big picture here, Gordo! You think that I'm just going to stand here and take this from you." Gordo slapped his hands to his face, "Take what, Lizzie? I don't get it! Do you even know what happened between me and Parker?" "I do." "You do?" "Yes. And it made me realize even more how much I don't want to be with you." Gordo couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Lizzie, I thought that kiss - " "That kiss...was the biggest mistake I have ever made in my entire life. No, no. You know what? I take that back. Our relationship has been the biggest mistake of my life." Gordo felt like his best friend had just shot him in the chest at point-blank range. And for all intensive purposes, she had. He stared at Lizzie, as his heart shriveled up inside his chest. Miraculously, he managed to whisper, "What?" "You heard me, Gordo." Lizzie had no sympathy for him. She pushed him out the door and as he stood on her doorstep, she kicked him while he was already down, "Now get your pompous ass out of my apartment." Lizzie slammed the door in Gordo's face.

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Chapter 28

Gordo was no stranger to having his heart broken. He had had it broken many times before by none other than Lizzie McGuire, but if he had taken all of those instances combined, he would not have felt nearly as much pain as he was feeling at that very moment. He couldn't move. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing. When he finally realized that he wasn't, he had to remind himself each time to breathe in, and then breathe out. Gordo felt a sudden sense of dj vu. It was as if every time there was a moment when it seemed like he and Lizzie made sense, he hopped on an emotional roller coaster with an endless upside-down loop. And as much as Gordo was hurting inside, that roller coaster was just making him sick. He was downright sick of the whole ordeal . Lizzie had forgotten to breathe also. She stood with her back up against her door, hand still on the doorknob, and heart beating faster than ever. She eventually caught her breath, but when she did, she started to hyperventilate. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak; the only think she could do was cry. She slid to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs, crying into her knees. Everything that they had meant to each other, the way that he looked at her, all of that was gone. And for what? Lizzie managed out a whisper between sobs, "Because Gordo was trying to two-time you, you idiot." She pulled herself up off the floor and dragged her body back into the bathroom. Testing the water, she realized something. "It didn't even get cold. It took me less than five minutes to undo 23 years of friendship." Lizzie got into her tub, and never stopped crying.

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***** Gordo's legs felt like limp spaghetti as he tried to walk down the stairs without his legs giving way under him, sending him toppling to the floor. He made it to the bottom, without so much as tripping, and walked outside. He didn't put on his gloves, or his hat, or his scarf; he just stood there in the snow. Temperature meant nothing to him. Not much meant anything to him, anymore. Gordo hailed a cab, and a memory of his prom momentarily came back to him. The cab pulled up next to him, and Gordo got inside. "Where to, kid?" Gordo lifelessly reached into his pocket and pulled out two twenty-dollar bills. As he handed them to the cab driver, he said, "Can you just drive around the city for a while?" The cab driver smiled, "Sure kid." Gordo sat in silence as they pulled away from the curb. "Girl problems?" The cab driver caught Gordo's attention, "How did you know?" "Once you get into a business like this, you just know. Anything I can help you with? I have had my fair share of relationships." "I just got dumped. By the girl of my dreams. But the thing is, she isn't just a dream, she's very real, and she's the one. The one. There is no other." "You know, kid, you may think that now, but if she was really your 'one,' you would be with her right now." Gordo looked out the window to his right, "I don't know. I just know that no other girl has made me feel this way. I've dated others before, but no one even compares to her." "So what's the problem?" He sighed, "It's too hard to be with her. She just blew up at me and told me that our relationship was the biggest mistake of her life." The driver lightly chuckled, "She burned you good, son." Gordo raised an eyebrow, "Burned?" "Isn't that the slang you kids use today?" "Well, yeah, it's just that you don't hear it too often from someone - "

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"My age?" Gordo stammered, "I didn't mean - " "I know you didn't mean it, kid. Let's just pretend I never mentioned it." "Can we pretend I never mentioned Lizzie?" The cab driver grinned, "So that's her name, huh?" "Yeah, well actually it's Elizabeth, but we all call her Lizzie," Gordo felt it was important to explain this to the man driving him around for some reason. As if the cab driver couldn't deduce that for himself. But Gordo enjoyed talking about Lizzie. It still made him happy, despite all that had happened. "I once knew a girl named Lizzie. She broke my heart three ways to Sunday." "I know what you mean." "But the thing is, son, I'll always regret it." "Your relationship with her?" The cab driver shook his head as he turned a corner, "No, no, no. I'll always regret never telling her to her face that I loved her." Gordo paused, "WellI've done that." "And what did she say?" "She saidshe said" The more Gordo thought about it, the more his fears started to come true. It was then that he realized that he had never actually told Lizzie that he loved her. He had only ever written it to her. "I guess I told her this one time in a letter." The cab driver scoffed loudly, "A letter? Kid, a letter don't mean squat! Plus, with the US Postal Service these days, you can't trust them to deliver anything." "I guess you can't." The driver stopped at a red light, "You have to tell this girl - to her face - that you love her." Gordo stared through the rear-view mirror at the cab driver, before sighing and looking down at the floor of the car, "I - I can't. It's over, and, sure, I hope we can be friends again somedaybut for now? We're through. There isn't anything I can do about it. I don't know if this is even worth saving." "Son, I saw your face getting into this cab. That relationship is worth saving."

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Gordo shook his head, "I don't think my heart could take another disappointment, no matter how big or small. But thanks for the advice, though" Gordo checked the identification of the man behind the wheel. "Archie." Archie smiled, "No problem, kiddo. How about around the park a couple more times?" "Sounds good. Somehow, I always end up getting the best advice from cab drivers." "It's cause we've been around the block once or twice. Both literally and figuratively." Gordo laughed heartily, but it didn't make him feel any better, "Man, that's almost as good as my King of Norway joke. Here, let me tell it to you" ***** Lizzie couldn't believe it, but her bath was starting to relax her. Although, as relaxed as she felt, her thoughts persisted to float back to Gordo, making it impossible for her to completely enjoy what would normally be a wonderful bath. She needed to talk to someone. Or a few someones. Lizzie reached over out of her tub and picked up her cordless phone, hitting the speed dial 1, 2, and 3. A few seconds later, she was connected with Kate, Anita, and Ellen. "Lizzie, didn't we just talk to you like an hour ago?" Ellen complained. "I could've sworn it was Lizzie. It walked like her, looked like her, and it most definitely whined like her," Anita quipped. Ellen laughed, "Oh, burn!" "Hey," Kate said, "You guys are interrupting my prime beautification hour, so let's get down to business." Despite how bad Lizzie felt about what she had done to Gordo, her three friends had repeatedly told her that it was the right thing to do, so she was excited and proud when she broke the news, "I did it!" "Did what?" Ellen asked. "I told Gordo off!" Anita gasped, "Shut up! You did not." "I did." Kate brought the conversation to a halt, "Wait a second, guys. Telling him off 'Lizzie

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McGuire Style' just means she called him a poopie head." "Hah! I did not call him a poopie head. I told him to get his pompous ass out of my apartment." "Wow," Anita was taken aback, "You said ass?" Ellen was stunned, "And pompous? Do you even know what that means?" "Are you guys completely blind?" Kate was outraged. "Lizzie has gone insane!" "Kate," Ellen replied, "I think you're the one who has gone insane. Lizzie finally stood up for herself. This is a good thing!" "Yeah, and if she starts standing up for herself against Gordo, she'll be standing up for herself all over the place. And then what are we here for? Plus, she's innocent little Lizzie. She's not supposed to do stuff like this. It isn't like her." "UhHello?" Lizzie said. "I'm on the phone you know." "Of course I know that, Lizzie," Kate remarked matter-of-factly. "Kate, I can too stand up for myself. I completely told Gordo off and then I kicked his butt out!" Anita chuckled, but not loud enough that anyone could hear over the phone, "Wow. Watch out for Lizzie McGuire!" Ellen played along, "Her temper is quite gnarly." Kate sighed on her end of the line, "I can't believe you actually did it." Lizzie sighed as well, and there was a silence as the other three waited for her to say something. "ButI guess the real reason why I'm calling you guys is to askif I can take it back." Ellen groaned, "You did not just say that." Anita followed, "I think she did." Kate was screaming, "Lizzie McGuire, I will never be able to accept your newfound power to DRIVE ME INSANE! You can't just take it back! We aren't living in some kind of Groundhog Day kind of world here! You have to live with the consequences of your actions!" "I don't think I'm ready to do that. Can't I just apologize to him?" Lizzie begged. Ellen shook her head, "I'm going to go with a no on that one." "Lizzie, you did the right thing. Trust us." There was some noise in the background of Anita's end of the line, "Oh shoot, I gotta go. Justin's home."

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"Who's Justin?" Lizzie asked. "My boyfriend." "I thought Steven was your boyfriend." "That was last week. Keep up, Lizzie. I keep up with your love life, and let me tell you, your monogamy is way harder to stay on top of." "She does have a point," Kate commented. Ellen was laughing hysterically, "I completely agree." Kate was starting to become scared, "Oh man. She's finally lost it." Ellen continued to laugh, "Hah!" She stopped, "I probably have. I'll have to go evaluate my life now." Lizzie rolled her eyes in a very animated fashion, knowing that none of them could see her, "Goodbye my little drama queens." She hung up the phone. With the affirmation from her friends, Lizzie was becoming more and more okay with what she had done to Gordo. After all, she was the victim of his lies. ***** At around 1 in the morning, Gordo was dropped off at home. He wandered into his building, dragged himself to his floor, and shuffled to his apartment. He dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door, tossing them onto his counter and shutting it behind him. Flipping on the light, Gordo found Larry sleeping on his couch. "Larry?" Larry's eyes shot open, and he turned his head to the front door where Gordo was standing, "Gordo! Finally, you're home." Gordo walked into his apartment, and upon further inspection, he found Larry with an old issue of Pop Star! magazine lying on his chest, and a few others on the floor beside him. Gordo quickly snatched them away and threw them off to the side. "You still have those?" Larry asked. "I have them for Lizzie, okay?" "You had some of these even before Lizzie was famous." "Wellthat's because I was on the lookout for her."

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Larry shook his head, "Whatever you say, Gordo." Gordo walked across the room and sat down in his chair, "What are you doing in my apartment?" "I heard." "Heard what?" Larry swung his legs off the couch and sat up, "Parker told me that you were having Lizzie troubles, so I figured that you would want to talk." Gordo put his feet up on the coffee table, "And that's why you came over?" "Wellthat, and my Hulk night light broke. You know I can't sleep without a night light unless - " " - Unless there is someone else in the room. Well, the couch is yours buddy. Until you get a new night light." Larry grinned, "Much obliged. So, what happened with Lizzie?" Gordo sighed, "Guess." "Didn't go so well, huh?" "Would I be here right now if it had gone well? No. Lizzie and I would be back together, and we'd be up all night talking." Larry leaned over to pick up a water bottle he had been drinking before Gordo had come home, "What happened?" "She went off on me! To tell you the truth, I have never seen Lizzie like that, and I don't ever want to again. I talked to this cab driver tonight, and he asked me how I know that Lizzie is the one, and to be honest with you, I just don't think I know anymore. Of course, I told him that I did think she was the one so that I could get some advice on how to handle the situation if she were the onebut I just don't know. Would the one be giving me this much trouble?" Larry cringed, "Could we please any phrase other than 'the one?' Jeez, man. Get a thesaurus." "How do I know if she is, Larry?" Larry shrugged as he took a ship of water, "I guess you're just supposed to know." "So that means she isn't." "Or maybe you're just trying to save yourself from being hurt by doubting that she's the one ultimately leading to your demise." "No one is demising here. I am not demising. I'm merely reflecting upon a situation

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with a hopeless ending." "Or maybe," Larry continued, "Lizzie really isn't the one. In which case, you must feel really stupid wasting years and years of time and energy on someone who isn't even the one." "If you, an impartial person, can't even decide whether or not Lizzie is the one for me, how am I supposed to decide? How, Larry? Pick a flower and count its petals?" "Actually, that determines whether or not she loves you, which is a completely different story. It's not an 'Is She the One' kind of game." Gordo shook his head, "Larry, I think I should give her up. If I don't, we're both just going to end up in this vicious cycle again." "Didn't she already give you up?" Larry wondered, twisting the cap back onto his water bottle and setting it on the table in front of him. Gordo leaned forward, picked up Larry's water bottle, and placed it on a coaster, "This is Lizzie we're talking about, here. She probably had one of her big misunderstandings again, and she'll just be coming back to talk to me soon. I know her. It's what she does." "And if you're wrong?" Gordo stared at Larry, "It'll be over. Either way, it's over." "Come on, Gordo. Don't do this." Gordo stood up from his chair and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I don't really have a choice in this situation, do I?" Larry sighed, "I guess you don't." Gordo turned away from his friend and walked towards his room, "Goodnight, Larry." "Goodnight, Gordo." As Gordo flipped off the light in the living room before closing the door to his own, Larry looked out the window and whispered to himself, "Goodnight, moon." ***** Months had passed since the night that Gordo had found Larry in his apartment, since Lizzie had her phone conversation with Kate, Ellen, and Anita, and since Lizzie told Gordo off for what was looking to be the very last time. Gordo was sitting at a conference table with some of his crew and a few executives from Disney. Elizabeth Mansfield, a Public Relations exec for Disney, was sitting across from Mr. Gordon, tapping her pencil with impatience. "David, I can't go to press without a title."

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"Please, call me Gordo. Only my grandmother calls me David. But let's just use the old standby title until I can think of one." "The old standby title? What is it, 'The Untitled Lizzie McGuire Project?' You want me to use that? I can't go up to reporters a month before the movie is coming out with a title like that." "I know, I know. And I'm sorry, but that's all I can come up with right now." Elizabeth lunged forward and slapped her hand down on the desk in front of Gordo. He jumped back as everyone else in the room held their breath. "Well, David. You'd better get your act together pronto. I can call my bosses and have you removed from your contract, or I can slap some half-assed name onto your debut project! That's up for you to decide unless you can think of something better." Elizabeth slammed her briefcase shut and stood up from her seat at the conference table, "I want the title on my desk by five o'clock today. Or else!" With a snap of her fingers, the other executives followed Mrs. Mansfield, leaving their little minions to crank their creative gears and work on a title. Kyle, one of the men on Gordo's crew, stood up from his seat and decided to take charge, "Guys, you heard the woman! We have to brainstorm!" As everyone at the table began to pitch their ideas, some good and some bad, Gordo just sat there at the head of the table, sullen, not saying a word. Parker was sitting off to the side of the room, taking notes, and she had noticed how withdrawn he had been over the past few weeks. Except for his passion for the actual film, she hadn't seen him excited in weeks. Parker had deduced, "It must be another Lizzie problem." Through the mass chaos of naming the movie, Parker stood up and made her way over to Gordo's chair. She kneeled down on his right side. "Hey, Gordo. I wanted to hear some of your thoughts on the title. You are the director, here. This film is your baby." "Like I've said before," Gordo responded, his chin in his hand, "The director is simply a part of the crew, and the crew makes the movie." "Right. But do you have any ideas?" Gordo moved his chin from his right hand to his left, "None." "Well then the least you could do is pretend to be a part of this process." "No." "Gordo, you're acting like a child, here. Be professional. Did you hear Mrs. Mansfield? You're going to be in big trouble if you don't get a title for this movie. Your job depends on it!"

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His voice was monotone, "Maybe I don't care." "You better start caring, Gordo, or all of the people in this room are going to be out of jobs too. They are your crew, Gordo. You owe it to them." Gordo didn't move. "Kyle over there has two kids. Mary has to support her husband who is now handicapped. Would you like me to go on?" Gordo sighed, "I get the picture." "So are you going to be a team player or what?" Gordo finally lifted his head up off of his hand and looked at Parker. Expressionless, he stood up from his chair, picked the dry erase marker from Kyle's hand, and joined in on the process, "Okay, guys. Let's get cracking." Exactly one hour later, Gordo was definitely more passionate about the title, but the group still hadn't gotten anywhere. "Have any of you ever named anything? Please, if you have, raise your hand." Scattered among the conference table were a few raised hands. "Well, folks. This isn't like naming your dog or your cat or your rabbit. We can't just name the movie 'FLUFFY' and be on with it. We have to come up with a name that will turn people's heads. So let's tart from square one." Three seats down from Gordo, Heather had a suggestion, "What about 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie?'" Gordo turned it down, "The problem there is that she isn't playing a character named Lizzie McGuire. That's all fine and dandy for a television show, but we're looking for something that accentuates the movie's qualities, not its stars. Basically what we need is a very, very brief summary." Across the table from Gordo, Robert had an idea, "How about 'Punky Prom?'" Gordo was stupefied, "Bob, what is it exactly that you do here?" "Um, I'm the marketing assistant." Gordo smirked, "Yeah, let's try to keep it that way, shall we? I do not want people associating the title of this movie with a television character from the 80s. I wasn't even alive when that show was on!" Kyle leaned back in his chair and groaned, "Gordo, we've been throwing you ideas left and right for over an hour. We need a break." "And you'll get one. As soon as we all come up with a title."

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There was a collective groan throughout the conference room as various people slammed their heads on the table or rubbed their hands on their faces. Kyle stared Gordo down, "Let's hear some of your suggestions, then." Gordo sighed, "I like what you guys are giving me. I'm sure that you guys will come up with the right one." He glanced across the room over at Parker. She looked at him, nodding her head and encouraging him to toss out an idea. He conceded, "Okaymovie title, movie titlethe movie is about an awkward girl, so maybe something about being an outsider?" No one else in the room seemed to care anymore about what was going on during that meeting, so Parker was the only one to help him out, "Already a movie. But keep going, you're on the right track." Gordo continued, "He's the popular guy in school. Maybe, 'Not Everything is What it Seems?'" "That's more of a tagline than an actual movie title." Gordo plopped down in his chair, finally realizing how hard it was to think of a name for the movie, "Okay, coffee break, guys. Ten minutes." ***** As soon as everyone had flooded out of the room, Parker walked over to Gordo and pulled up a chair next to him, "Gordo, you're doing great." He was resting on the table, his head buried in his arms, "How much time do I have?" Parker checked her watch, "An hour." Head still buried, Gordo took his free hand and smacked it on the table, "Man!" Gordo leaned back in frustration, running his hands through his hair, "I just need this one thing done. Why aren't things going right in my life?" "Gordo, you can't freak out just because one little thing isn't going well." Gordo spun his head around to look at Parker, "One little thing? ONE LITTLE THING? Thousands of little things haven't been going well, which makes it one BIG thing that hasn't been going well, and that big thing is my life!" "Okay, so let me check," Parker remarked. "You're moving into a bigger place, you have a multi-picture deal with an amazing production company, and you're healthy. Sounds like you really do have a pretty sad life, Gordo." Gordo glared at her, "I don't need your sarcasm right now."

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"Yeah, and I don't need you moping around feeling sorry for yourself all the time. I know that this has something to do with Lizzie, I just don't know what. But whatever it is, Gordo, you need to put it aside for now. Okay?" "I can't do that, Parker. It isn't that easy." "Well how about some advice on the Lizzie front, then? Take action! Remember how you guys started going out in the first place?" Gordo shook his head. He didn't understand. "You took action. You asked her out." "Actually," Gordo corrected, "I was a stammering ball of adolescence. She deduced where I was going with my stuttering fit and finished it for me. Pretty much, Lizzie asked ME out." Parker smacked her forehead, "Well, let's just work with this whole Lizzie thing, okay?" "What do you mean work with it?" "Think about your relationship with Lizzie. It might be able to help us come up with a title." "I don't see how." Sometimes Parker was amazed at Gordo's stupidity, "This movie is all about unrequited love, or at least people who think their love is unrequited." "So?" "So! Come on, Gordo! What do you think about when you think of Lizzie?" Gordo nodded his head. He was started to get it. Reaching across the table to grab a spare piece of paper, he pulled his pen out of his pocket and began scribbling notes down like crazy. Parker looked over his shoulder, "BBMak? What is that about?" Gordo explained excitedly, "Lizzie burned me this CD a long time ago, and I was always too lazy to take it out of my CD player. I would always listen to it when Lizzie and I had a fight or something." Parker started to laugh. "What?" "You listen to BBMak? Hah! Now I know why things haven't been working out between working out between you and Lizzie," she teased and muttered one last remark, "And why they didn't work out between us."

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"Ha, ha. Very funny. I only listen to this one song" Suddenly the wheels started turning. Gordo's thoughts flew back to the movie title. Parker noticed Gordo's sudden spaced-out expression, "Hello? Gordo, are you there? What's wrong?" Gordo triumphantly capped his pen and dropped it on the table, "I've got it! Call everyone back in!" "What is it? What have you got?" "Parker, just call everyone back in!" She hurried to the door to alert everyone to cut their coffee break short and get into the conference room, because Gordo had some big news. Everyone hustled into their seats, half-filled coffee cups still in their hands. Gordo stood up from his chair at the head of the table, "'Out of Reach.'" He watched as the entire room thought for a few seconds, and then began nodding their heads. "Surprisingly," Parker commented, "I like it." Kyle, who had been bitter throughout his entire 4 minute break about the fact that Gordo was acting like such a dirk, suddenly was excited and on Gordo's side, "I think it's brilliant." "You could even put a picture of Ethan running after a subway train with Lizzie on it," Gordo suggested. "Tagline: 'Love isn't always easy to catch.'" Parker smiled, "Finally! The brain in there is working! Okay, so you heard it everyone, it's going to be called 'Out of Reach.' Get the pitch ready and we'll take it to Disney." Heather stood up from her chair, "Way to go, Gordo. I can't believe this. You are truly the master." "Yeah," Kyle followed, "how did you think of it?" Gordo smirked, "It, uh, just came to me. Kyle, why don't you and the guys take the rest of the day off? You guys could use a break." Kyle smiled and pat Gordo on the back before leaving to tell the crew, "Thanks a lot, bud. You da man!" Everyone had left the room to go work on the pitch, and Parker had walked over to stand next to Gordo once again, "Did you hear that, Gordo? You are DA man. Not just a man, not just the man, but DA man. That is pretty impressive." Gordo chuckled, "Thanks for the sarcasm. It's just what I'm looking for."

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Parker smiled, "Always a pleasure to serve." "So," Gordo said, clapping his hands together, "What's next on my agenda?" Parker looked Gordo in the eye before pulling a pad of paper out of her purse. She picked up a pen off of the table and began writing down what Gordo assumed to be a meeting that he would have to attend in the near future. She stopped writing, ripped the piece of paper off of the pad, and put it face down on the table, sliding it over to Gordo. Just as she was leaving the room, Parker said to him, "Why don't you sit on that one for a while?" Gordo watched in confusion as Parker walked away, just before he picked up the note to read. To Do List: 1. Resolve things with Lizzie McGuire once and for all.

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Chapter 29

Gordo didn't have to analyze the note that Parker had given him in order for it to ring loud and clear. He knew that he had to resolve things, but this was Gordo; he wasn't about to just waltz up to Lizzie and talk to her. Gordo shoved the note in his pocket and ran out of the room to catch up with Parker. A few feet behind her, he yelled, "You know, if I resolve things with Lizzie, that would almost be too mentally healthy for me and her." Parker continued walking, "And that's a bad thing?" Gordo finally jogged up to Parker's side, "I don't think that's how we work. Besides, if I did talk to her and resolve everything, what would be left for you and Larry to do?" Parker finally stopped and turned to Gordo, "Trust me, Gordo. You have more problems than just Lizzie. Plenty for Larry and me to work on for about three lifetimes." He laughed, "Thanks." She continued walking, "Don't mention it." Gordo stood in his place for a minute, and then ran to catch up with Parker once again, "I can give advice too, you know?" Still walking, Parker replied, "Gordo, there is nothing that you could say to me that I don't already know." "You'd be surprised." Parker stopped and turned to face Gordo, who was holding out a pack of gum. "Seriously, you need some." Parker smirked and snatched a piece from her ex-boyfriend, shoving it into her

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mouth, "While we're at it, do the world a favor." She reached into her backpack and pulled a pair of scissors, "I don't care how you get rid of it, but since it seems as though you have some strange inability to buy razors, I figured maybe these would help." Gordo chuckled and accepted them, "Is it that bad?" "It's like you have road kill on your face. Curly road kill." "That was a little harsh, don't you think?" Parker grinned, "Not at all." Gordo smiled to himself as he watched Parker walk away one more time, "Maybe we shouldn't have broken up. Because you would have never said things like this while we were going out." "You know what, though? I'm glad we broke up." "Because now you can go out with pizza breath and think that no one cares?" Parker glared at him, "No." "Well then why are you so happy?" "It's just thatwe used to talk like this all the time. Like friends, you know? And we even talked like this during the beginning of our relationship, but then it somehow went away. We're better like this. I missed it." "The friendly banter we have does seem to bode well for us," Gordo agreed. "That's the attitude," Parker smiled as she stopped in the hallway of the movie offices. "Well, the assistant's job is never done. I'm going to call and check to make sure that the editing room is up to code for you. Remember last time?" Gordo groaned, "How could I forget? That place was a mess." Parker and Gordo laughed together in the hallway. When it died down, Parker looked at Gordo and smiled, "You know, I see how you look at the screen when Lizzie's face is on it, Gordo. Don't think I don't notice. I'm a noticer. I think the premiere might be the perfect time for you to, you know" Gordo quietly sighed and stared down at his shoes, "I can't. I mean, if she really wanted to talk to me, she would have by now. It's been two months. I just - I just can't." Parker rolled her eyes and huffed as she started walking again, "Fine, Mr. I Like to Have Unhealthy Relationships." He yelled after her, "Yeah, I now realize why I hired you to be my personal assistant, because you have this wonderful way of making my self-esteem sky rocket!" "Oh, you just realized that?"

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Gordo followed after her, "I'm slow sometimes. Sue me!" "Well, my powers of persuasion can lower your self-esteem but they can't seem to do the impossible. Now that I've realized this, I must employ some experts for the most difficult situation." Gordo scoffed, "The Fantastic Five?" Parker stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly turned around, her eyebrows raised, "How did you know about the name?" Gordo smiled and shrugged, "Larry talks in his sleep." "I knew he'd be the one," she said, shaking her head. "Actually, no. That's a lie. I always thought Ethan would be the one to blow it. But Larry does come in at a very close second." "Yeah, well if you ask me, I think the Fantastic Five is completely worn out. They would have made their move already if they weren't." "I think they're smarter than that, Gordo. They don't just give up." He scoffed, "I have seen Kate give up on much more important things than this if she has to carry her own bag." "There's nothing more important than this. Plus, I think you underestimate them. They're pretty good." "Eh, sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. But, uhspeaking of the premiereI was wondering, you know, if you don't - " "I have a date." Gordo's eyebrows rose, "You have a date?" "Don't sound so shocked there, Gordo." He sighed, "I didn't mean it that way, it's just thatI didn't know you were dating someone." "Actually," Parker whispered, "don't tell Anita, but it's her ex-boyfriend Steven." Gordo laughed, "Are you serious?" "I couldn't be more serious. He's a really sweet guy and, wellhe's taken a liking to me." He chuckled, "Well, I'm happy for you." Parker grinned at Gordo and began to fish through her bag, looking for something,

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"But if you are in need of a date, since I know there's no chance that you'll take Lizzie as a suggestion, might I suggest someone else?" "Who someone else?" Gordo questioned. An evil gleam appeared in Parker's eyes as she pulled out a slip of paper and a pen, scribbling down 7 numbers and handing it to Gordo, "Here's her phone number. Why don't you give her a call?" Gordo looked down at the slip of paper and slowly folded it, placing it in his pocket, "Do I know this girl?" Parker grinned, "I can definitely say that you know this girl. And, you two get along." He cringed, "You aren't setting me up with Veruca or someone, are you?" Parker laughed, "No way. Besides, she's married. I wouldn't set you up with a married woman." Gordo shrugged, almost accepting the fact that Parker wasn't going to tell him who the mystery woman was, "Okay. I guess I'll give this girl a call. But can I at least know her name?" She shook her head, "Just tell her that Parker sent you." "Oh, come on. Can we cut the cryptic act?" "No." "Gotcha." "Oh!" Parker remembered. "By the way, you have to get a tux for the premiere. They want you to wear one designed by Kate." Gordo's jaw dropped, "Kate? You do realize that Kate and I haven't spoken in months, right? Actually, I take that back. About three weeks ago she was making snide remarks toward me when we were in the same line at Starbucks." Chuckling, Parker responded, "Gordo, I'm sure things will get better." "I just don't want to have to deal with Kate," he whined. "Get the tux!" Parker shoved the business card into his chest, and stormed out of the building as Gordo reluctantly accepted the card and slipped it into his pocket. ***** Gordo had tons of work to do on account of the movie coming out soon, and every day when he went home, he was completely exhausted. However, when he arrived at his apartment later that day, he did none of the work that he needed to do. Instead, he plopped down on his couch, grabbed the remote, and got to channel

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surfing. Nearly five minutes into Gordo's flipping of the channels, he heard a knock at his door. For a second, he stopped changing the channel, contemplating whether or not he should get up and answer the door. Eventually, he decided to just stay there. "It's open!" he yelled. Into the apartment walked Ethan, who shut the door behind him, "Hey, Gor-don. What's up, man?" Gordo found a channel he was pleased with and placed the remote control back on his coffee table, "Nothing." "Do you have the stuff?" Ethan asked, walking further into the apartment. Gordo finally turned around to look at Ethan, "What stuff?" Ethan sat down in a chair, "You know, you were going to give me those old copies of your movies?" Gordo groaned as he smacked his forehead, "Oh, shoot! I'm sorry Ethan, I completely forgot." "Don't worry about it, Gor-don. I know you're a busy man." "Thanks, Ethan. I'm sorry you had to come all this way for nothing." Ethan stood up from his seat and smiled, "No biggie. Well, I guess I'll see you around, dude." Gordo watched as Ethan walked towards the door to leave his apartment. He fought with himself over whether or not he should stand up and ask Ethan the question that was burning in his mind. Just as Ethan brought his hand to the doorknob, Gordo jumped up from the couch, "Ethan, wait." He spun around, "What's up?" Slowly, Gordo walked towards Ethan, "I was wondering you couldif you could tell me" "Tell you what, man?" Gordo took a deep breath, "How is Lizzie?" Ethan stared at Gordo for a moment, regretting already what he would have to say to the man who stood in front of him that would undoubtedly tear him up inside, "I'm not going to lie to you. She's not good." Gordo looked away and whispered, "Yeah."

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"She's just like you." Gordo cringed and shook his head, "Oh, God. I seriously hope not, because what I'm feeling is hell." "Gordo," Ethan said in all seriousness, as his friend looked up at him. "She cries every day." For Gordo, seeing Lizzie cry was enough to make him want to cry as well. Even if she was just crying over a sad movie, or a sad book, the idea that she could be so upset that tears might fall from her eyes killed him inside. But there was only one thing that made him more upset than seeing her cry. And that was knowing that she was crying, but not being able to do anything about it. Knowing that every night, she cries herself to sleep, but not being able to be there to wrap his arms around her and make everything better. Gordo turned his head to the side, desperately trying to hold back his tears, and not once looking Ethan in the eye, "Are you sure? Because - 'cause sometimes Lizzie can get sensitive about things, you know? I - I mean, it might not be because of me" "It's always about you, Gordo." Ethan sighed and gave Gordo a pat on the back. "I have to go. Kate is waiting in the car for me." "Ethan, thanks," Gordo said. "No problem, man. That's what bros are for. Just feel better, okay?" Gordo stared into space, but his trance was broken when his door opened and Kate walked in. Both Gordo and Ethan were quite shocked, but Kate thought nothing of it, quickly dismissing a worried Ethan, who desperately tried to explain that he was only just leaving. "Don't worry about that, honey," she assured him. "So, Gordo. How are you doing?" Gordo was horribly confused, "What?" "I asked how you are doing. Oh, and I also came by to drop this off." Kate slipped outside for a brief moment and returned to the apartment holding Gordo's tux. "Here you go. I hope you like it," she smiled pleasantly. Gordo was suddenly feeling more comfortable with the surprisingly friendly Kate. He gladly accepted her gift, "I'm sure I will, Kate. Thank you." "No problem. If you need any changes made or anything, just give me a call. It's no

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problem." He smiled, "I'll do that." Despite his acceptance of Kate's attitude, Gordo was still very confused by it. Either she had been taken over by pod people, a theory that Larry would surely offer up when Gordo told him the story, or she was actually being nice. The latter was the polar opposite of the Kate that he had been seeing lately, which lead him to conclude that Kate was, in fact, a pod person. "Well, Gordo," Kate said, "Sorry to be rude and rush off, but Ethan and I have an appointment to attend to." "Oh, that's all right. Thanks again, Kate." "Don't mention it." Ethan rose up his hand, "Bye, Gordo." "Toodles," Kate concluded, leaving the apartment. "Bye, guys." Gordo shook his head, lay his tux down on his bed, and returned to his TV. ***** Outside, Ethan stopped Kate who had proceeded to head down the stairs and out of the building, "You were laying it on a little thick there, Kate." Kate sighed, "I just feel so bad. I really shouldn't have acted the way I did in that Starbucks." "I forgetwhy are you being nice to Gordo, again?" She groaned. This would be the third time she had explained the story to her braindead boyfriend, "I'll tell you this story one more time, but please try to follow me, okay?" Ethan nodded, "Okay." "Well," Kate began, "It all started about a week ago" --------------------------------------------------------------FLASHBACK --------------------------------------------------------------Kate was sitting at the table in Lizzie's apartment. Lizzie was sitting on her couch, ear glued to the phone, while Larry sat in the chair next to Kate. Kate turned to look at Lizzie and whispered to Tudgeman, "She's still in a funk. Yesterday, I caught her writing songs again. No good can come from that, I tell you. And by no good, I mean that Lizzie sucks at writing songs."

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Larry grabbed a handful of peanuts out of the bowl that was sitting in front of him, and popped a few into his mouth, "Kate, you haven't even heard any of the songs she as written." "This is Lizzie. All of the songs she writes are probably about how cute puppies are. The mere thought of it gives me the chills." "So what's her funk about, anyway?" Kate scoffed, picking up a celery stick from the plate of veggies that was sitting in front of her, "Do you even have to ask?" "Let me guess. It starts with a 'Gor' and ends with a 'Do.'" Kate took a frustrated bite out of her celery, "This is getting on my nerves." Across the room, Lizzie was slumped on her couch, desperately trying to ignore the whispering between Kate and Larry that was going on in the kitchen, "So anyway, that's what happened." Miranda was on the other end of the line, slightly shocked by the story that she had just heard, "Wow. I didn't think Parker would ever come up with such a lame nickname for Gordo. I'm actually sad for Gordo because he's okay with her using it." Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Like he would ever let me call him BooBoo." Through the receiver, Lizzie heard Miranda burst into laughter. "What?" she asked. Still laughing, Miranda explained, "I just pictured you calling Gordo BooBoo. Very hilarious." Together, Lizzie and Miranda laughed just like they used to as Lizzie pulled out her best Yogi Bear impression, Miranda following. Once their laughter had died down, Miranda continued in all seriousness, "Are you going to be okay?" Lizzie sighed, "I would say yes, but that would be a lie." "Well, you can be sure that I'll be taking Gordo off of my list of who to buy Hanukah gifts for." "Miranda, I don't want you to stop being his friend just because of what happened between us." "Are you kidding? I would never be friends with a jerk like him." "Oh, come on, Miranda. Please promise me that you won't stop being his friend." Miranda was surprised to hear such a sincere plea for her to be nice to the man who

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had just broken Lizzie's heart, "I'll try." "Good." "Listen," Miranda said, "I have to go, but I'll call you later, okay?" "Okay. Bye, Miranda." From the kitchen, Kate noticed Lizzie hang up the phone, and struck up a conversation, "So how is Miranda?" "She's doing pretty well. It's nice to have so many people to talk to, you know? She's a good friend." Kate sighed, "It's been two months Lizzie." Lizzie looked away, "I know." "And you dumped him." "Not by choice." "If it makes you feel any better," Larry chimed in, "Gordo looks worse than you." "Just like he deserves to be," Kate added. It didn't make her feel any better. If anything, it made her feel worse. She stood up from her couch and headed towards her bedroom door, "I'm going to go take a shower and get ready to go to the studio." Kate gave Lizzie a sympathetic smile, "Larry and I are just going to hang out here for a minute." Leaving the room, Lizzie said, "Feel free to raid the fridge." Once Lizzie was completely out of sight, Kate turned to Larry, "Is Gordo really worse than her?" "Much worse. Lizzie has affected his facial hair again." Kate gagged, "Eww. I don't even want to think about that. It's like he wants to be ugly. Why anyone would choose to do that is just beyond me." Larry stared at Kate for a moment, "What is it like to live in your world?" "What?" "Nothing. So, what are we still doing here?" "Supporting Lizzie of course." "But, she's in the shower, Kate"

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"We're supposed to support her at all times, Larry." Disgruntled, Larry stood up from his chair, "Whatever. This whole thing is crap anyway." "Larry!" Kate exclaimed, standing up after him. "I can't believe you are using such language. And in front of a lady, no less." Larry looked around the room, "Lady? Where?" He winced as Kate punched him hard in the arm. "Ow!" Larry yelled, rubbing his wound. "A lady would not be doing that. And besides, I can't be here to support Lizzie while she's in the shower right now. I have to go meet Gordo." "Fine. Go fraternize with the enemy." "I will." "I can't believe you, Larry." Gathering his coat, Larry turned back to Kate, "Well I can't believe you, Kate. I mean, Gordo breaks up with Parker and then goes to win Lizzie back, and what happens? She freaks out on him! She doesn't deserve him anyway, so I don't see why - " Kate promptly interrupted him as she slowly asked, "What did you just say?" Larry paused, confused, "Uh" Kate couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Are you telling me that Gordo and Parker broke up?" "Yeah. Before he kissed Lizzie." Dumbfounded, Kate plopped back down onto a chair, "Oh, my God. Lizzie is a complete idiot." Sitting down next to her, Larry was pleased that Kate was finally agreeing with him, "Thank you!" Kate hit him again. "Ow!" "Don't call my friend an idiot. This changes everything. Are you sure about this, Larry? Because I swear to God, if you are wrong" "I'm positive. I spent a long time trying to convince Gordo that Lizzie is crazy." "She is crazy."

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Larry continued, hoping to clear things up, "So wait, are you trying to say that Lizzie thought Gordo and Parker were still going out when he kissed her? Did she think that Gordo was trying to two-time her?" "Yeah." "She thought that Gordo was going to do that?" "Wellyeah." "Ask yourself that question again." Kate groaned, "So we are all officially idiots." "Ahem," Larry cleared his throat. "I'm idiot free." "Too bad you didn't bring this to my attention two months earlier." "Oh, come on. I thought you knew!" "Do you really think I would have treated Gordo the way I did if I knew?" "Are you treating him any differently than you normally do?" Kate thought for a moment, "WellI wouldn't have made fun of him behind his back as much. I would have never been that mean to Gordo. I have to go tell her." Kate jumped up from her chair, about to tell Lizzie everything that had happened, but Larry quickly latched onto her arm and pulled her back. "I don't think that's such a good idea." "And why not?" Kate asked, miffed. "Because I know Gordo, and he wouldn't want us to do this. He wouldn't want Lizzie to think that he had someone else explain what happened for him." "This is an emergency, Larry. Come on, Gordo would have done the same thing for either one of us." "Still, I don't think we should do this. This isn't any of our business. Didn't we say a long time ago that we were giving up?" Kate was getting impatient, "I know we did, but Tudgeman, this situation doesn't require a master plan or anything. This is just us doing humanity some good. Honestly, do you want that thing on Gordo's face to have babies?!" Larry finally let go of Kate's arm as he crouched to the floor in horror, "Do you have to be so graphic?! I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life! Aggh!" Kate rolled her eyes and sat back down in her chair, "Larry, calm down. I'm sorry. I

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will never mention the babies from Gordo's facial hair ever again." Larry, who was trying to pull himself up off of the floor, fell back down again, "You said it again!" Kate kicked him, "Get a hold of yourself, man. Let's get back to the topic at hand." "Lizzie and Gordo." "So, why can't I tell Lizzie, again?" "Because for once in our lives, Kate, we have to butt out. She'll find out when the time is right, but it isn't going to be from us." "Well how else is she supposed to find out?" "Gordo will tell her." Kate scoffed, "Gordo? Are you serious? Gordo can't even tell Lizzie that he thinks she looks beautiful, and you expect him to tell her that he broke up with Parker? And why should he have to do all the work, anyway? Lizzie needs to grovel once and a while." She stood up once more, but Larry grabbed her arm again, "Kate, leave them alone." Kate looked down at Larry's hand wrapped around her arm, and back up at him again, "Larry, let go of me." He stood up, "Kate, think about this. If you tell her, Lizzie will only end up feeling even more horrible than she does now. You know her, Kate. She won't even go and talk to Gordo now, think about after you tell her. She'll blame the whole thing on herself and will never speak to him again." "Well she should blame this on herself. That girl needs to get her facts straight before she goes around being all depressed, and I'm going to be the one to let her know." "Do you really want her to feel even worse than she does now?" Kate stood in silence. "Kate" "Fine," she said, shaking her arm from Larry's grasp. "I guess not." "So let this go." "Or" Larry shook his head, "Or nothing, Kate." "Or we could come up with a plan."

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"How about we don't and say we did?" Kate groaned, "How do we always end up this little vicious cycle?" "Because that is what always happens in Lizzie and Gordo's World of Chaos. I think Gordo's starting to get fed up with this whole thing. They just go back and forth and back and forth. Lizzie will just ruin it, Kate. And then Gordo is going to ruin it as soon as Lizzie comes to her senses." "Which is why we need a plan!" Kate argued. "If we don't have a plan, then they're just going to end up in the same place." Larry was starting to see her point, "I see your point." "You know I'm right, Larry. Now hand me the phone." Larry reached behind him and picked up Lizzie's phone to hand to Kate, "Who are you calling?" Kate grinned, "I think it's time for the Fantastic Five to have one last meeting." ***** Later that evening, the not so accurately named Fantastic Five gathered in their not so secret meeting place to discuss the situation between their two not so intelligent friends, Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon. "So that's the story," Kate concluded, after quickly explaining to the group exactly what had happened between Lizzie and Gordo. "So, this whole time, Gor-don wasn't macking behind Lizzie's back?" Ethan asked. "That's right." Matt held up a hand, "Umhold on a minute." Pulling out his cell phone, Matt turned away from the group and whispered into his phone, "Cancel the wild sea monkeys. Actually, instead of David Gordon, could you send those to Heywood Biggs? Thank you." The group looked in confusion as Matt hung up his phone, grinning over the satisfaction of getting back at his elementary school bully. "You were going to release wild sea monkeys on Gordo?" Melina wondered. Matt shrugged, "Hey, he hurt my sister." "But the question is," Larry spoke up, "what do we do now?" "I say we tell Lizzie, but whimpo over here," Kate said, pointing to Larry, "says that we have to get to Gordo first." "Exactly," Larry explained himself. "We should because he's pretty much given up.

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We need to change his mind." "Well, then what exactly do you suggest?" Kate challenged. Larry looked around the circle of friends, "Has anyone hung out with Gordo lately?" All five of the group members looked at the ground, avoided eye contact with one another, and whistled silently to themselves. Melina grinned, "But I know someone who has." ***** The next day at the office, Parker was walking down the hall with Gordo, "Okay, we also have to get this budgetary report in." "Thanks, Parker," Gordo said, taking a few steps in front of her. He stopped to look over the papers in his hands, his back turned to Parker, and utterly unaware of what was going on behind him. Parker was about to speak up, when a gloved hand was placed over her mouth. She tried to scream, but the unidentified hand only muffled her efforts at a cry for help. Gordo spoke, his back still facing her, and his eyes still on the papers in front of him, "Oh, make sure you send me two copies of this one, okay Parker?" He turned to show her just what it was that she needed to make two copies of, but when he looked, holding up the papers, she wasn't there. He looked all around him, and he said her name once or twice, but she was nowhere to be found. Gordo scratched his head, wondering where she had gone. In the next room, Parker was handcuffed to a chair, an immensely bright light shining in her face. "Who are you? Look, my boss will come after you. Don't think that he won't figure out that I'm missing, cause he willeventually." Parker grew increasingly nervous as she saw a shadowy figure coming closer and closer. The second she could make out the face of her captor, her nervousness disappeared. "Melina?" "Sorry to scare you," Melina apologized, turning off the bright light, "but I've always wanted to do that." "Can you please take the handcuffs off?" Melina sat down in the chair across from Parker, "Not until you listen to my proposition. You see, Miss McKenzie, it seems as though our little Lizzie was misinformed. She thought that you and Gordo were still seeing each other when he asked her to go out with him."

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"So that's why she was acting so weird. Oh man, everything makes so much more sense now. Okayso what do you want me to do?" --------------------------------------------------------------END FLASHBACK --------------------------------------------------------------Ethan and Kate had made their way back to their apartment, and Ethan nodded, after hearing the story again for the third time, "Ooh yeah. I remember now." Kate shrugged, "Let's just hope that Parker did her part."

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Chapter 30

Gordo had been watching TV for a good ten minutes, but if you were to ask him what was going on in the show he was watching, he wouldn't have been able to tell you. His mind was occupied with other things that were much more important than whatever was on the tube that night. He just kept thinking back to what Ethan had said to him. That Lizzie was just like him. That she cried every day. Gordo knew that if Lizzie was feeling even one tenth of the pain that he was feeling, he felt sorry for her. And that only made the pain he felt even worse. Watching television wasn't the right thing for him to be doing at that point in time. It was too easy for his mind to wander back to Lizzie. So Gordo spent the rest of the day putting the final touches on the movie. And although his mind was staying as much away from Lizzie that was possible, he still couldn't stop thinking about the phone number that Parker had given to him earlier that day. He kept looking over at it; just sitting on his table, dying to know exactly whom the number belonged to. His concentration dwindling, Gordo knew that he had to end the mystery then and there, and call the woman behind the number. Gordo picked up his phone, and began to dial, all the while his fingers shaking like crazy. He put the phone up to his ear, and three rings later, a woman finally picked up. "Hello?" Gordo gulped, "Hi, um, my name is David Gordon, and Parker McKenzie told me that I should call you. She said that you probably wouldn't mind going out with me on a date." He heard a small chuckle on the other end of the line, "Do you know who you're talking to?" "Uh, technicallyno. But Parker says that we know each other."

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"Indeed we do." "So, are you going to tell me who you are?" "You can't tell by my voice?" "I'm not too good with phone voices." "You are going to feel really stupid when I tell you who I am." He laughed, "Stupefy me." "It's me," the woman said, "Miranda." "Miranda? You?" "Don't sound so disappointed, Gordo. I am one of your best friends." He was shocked, and at the same time, pleasantly surprised, "I haven't talked to you in so long. How are you doing?" "I'm back in the states." "Yeah, I noticed that the number I called was local." "I just can't believe I'm talking to you, Gordo." "I can't believe you're talking to me either. I thought Lizzie would have - " "She did." "And you would - " "I did." "Okay," Gordo continued, confused, "then why are you talking to me now?" "Well," Miranda said, "I - uhI asked Larry. He told me the whole story, and I decided that neither of you were the bad guy in the situation." Gordo wasn't surprised by what he was hearing about Larry, "He spills the beans on everything." "He is quite the beans spiller." Gordo chuckled, "He still has your picture as his screensaver, you know." "Ugh," Miranda was disgusted, "That was an overshare." "Hey, I'm a truthful guy." But Gordo thought it best to change the subject, "So, why are you talking to me?"

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Miranda thought it was obvious, "Because you called me." "No. I just thought that since LizzieI mean, you guys are best friends." "Gordo, you're my friend too." "I know, but Lizzie - " "Lizzie needs to learn to lighten up." Gordo was getting the sinking suspicion that there was something going on. He got this suspicion often, but it was also quite often that is friends started acting weird, "Why do I feel like everyone is privy to something that I don't know about?" Miranda sighed, "Gordo, Gordo, Gordo. You do realize that you and Lizzie are the most dense people in the world, right?" "I have no idea what you're talking about." She laughed, "You're just further proving my point." He was starting to think that since Parker had given him Miranda's number, she was also in on whatever everyone else was in on as well, "How are you and Parker even friends? I always thought you hated her." "Well, people can change their minds." "Miranda," Gordo said sternly, "are you going to let me in on this little secret?" "Maybe parts of it." "I'll take what I can get." "Well," Miranda began, "Parker and I talked on the phone a few days ago. I hadn't talked to her in a long time, and I was pretty surprised when she called me" --------------------------------------------------------------FLASHBACK --------------------------------------------------------------"Hello?" Parker was relieved to her Miranda finally answering her phone. That had been the fifth time she had tried to call her, and Parker knew that she wouldn't make it back alive from the conversation with Melina if she didn't get in contact with Miranda. "Miranda?" "Who is this?" Miranda asked. "Um, this is Parker. I - " Miranda loathed her fair share of people, and Parker was very close to the top of that

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list, "Save your breath, I don't want to talk to you." "Wait, Miranda" "Listen, I do not want to talk to you, and I don't know how you got this number, but -" Parker promptly interrupted her, "Look, Miranda. I know that we were never friends or anything like that, but you are the only person I can think of who can help me." Although she already hated herself for doing so, Miranda had to ask, "Help you with what?" Parker sighed, "With Gordo." "Oh, no. No, no, no. I can't get into the middle of this." "Well you already are in the middle of this, whether you like it or not. And you have obviously taken Lizzie's side." Miranda laughed, "What, you want me to take Gordo's side? Quite frankly, Parker, your man is awellhe's not nice." "Miranda, you know Gordo. You know he's a good guy." "No. He was a good guy. Then he got greedy and fit the mold of every other man out there." "Aren't you even the least bit curious as to why I am calling you? Doesn't it strike you was weird?" She hated to admit it, but Parker was right, "Now that you mention it, it is a little strange for you to be doing that. Why are you calling me?" Parker was relieved, "Thank you for giving me a chance to explain. Now, I've gone over this in my head millions of times, and the only thing I can think of to bring Lizzie and Gordo back together is you." Parker was throwing so many strange things at Miranda, that she almost had a breakdown, "Wait a minute. You want to bring Lizzie and Gordo together? Are we talking about the same Lizzie and Gordo, here?" She rolled her eyes, "Miranda, you know Gordo. You've known him for almost your entire life. Do you really think that he would ever do such a thing as try to go out with two women at the same time?" "I guess not." "Well he didn't. Gordo broke up with me before he kissed Lizzie." This uninvited call from Parker was starting to get more interesting, "Go on." "Now we have to get them back together. Are you with me?"

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But Miranda still wasn't so sure, "Why should I believe you?" "Why would I be calling you if I were still with Gordo?" Now she was sure, "Okay. You have a point. So, what do you need me to do?" "First of all, you need to go to the premiere with Gordo." "Me? Go with Gordo? Won't I look like his date?" "It's not like he's proposing marriage here, Miranda. It's necessary, okay?" "What else do I have to do?" Parker grinned, "Use your powers of persuasion." --------------------------------------------------------------END FLASHBACK --------------------------------------------------------------But that was not how Miranda told the story. "And then there was some small talk. You know, she mentioned you needed a date for the premiere, so I volunteered myself." That sounded fishy to Gordo, but he let it pass, "So, why exactly are you talking to me?" "Because Parker reminded me that once upon a time, we were best friends." "Were best friends?" "Gordo, when was the last time you called me?" He knew the answer to that one, "I get it, I get it. But telephones dial both ways, you know." "All right. I'll take some of the responsibility, too." Gordo smiled, "Thanks. I was afraid too much time had passed." "Even if we don't talk, Gordo, I'll always consider you as one of my best friends. As long as you don't do anything really stupid." He laughed, "Have I ever?" Miranda laughed too, "Uh, Dwarf Lord?" Gordo groaned, "Is that going to haunt me until the end of time?" "Yes, yes it is. That and the Pop Star! magazine subscription will eternally be in the repertoire of what we will never stop mocking you about."

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"Who told you?" Miranda flashed an evil grin, "Parker is quite the sharer." Gordo quickly turned the conversation away from his embarrassing secrets back to the original discussion, "But then that's it? Just Parker convinced you?" "Yeah." "Are you sure?" "Are you questioning me?" "You and Lizzie, with your girl talk, always ended up having an extra something you wouldn't share with me. I don't see why this should be any different." "No ands this time, Gordo." Gordo didn't believe her for one second. He had spent far too much time sitting between Lizzie and Miranda to think that there could ever not be any ands to a scandal as big as this one. But he let it go just this once, "So, will you be my date?" Miranda smiled, "I would love to." The two old friends went over the logistics for the big night, and once they were finished talking, they said goodbye. For once in a very long time, Gordo finally felt some peace. ***** Ethan's child-like mind and avoidance of all drama always made Lizzie happy when she was around him. Which is why she was in such good spirits when they both met for a Teen People photo shoot and interview the next day. It was nice to finally have a photo shoot with her friend and co-star after doing so many on her own. "What do you have this week?" Lizzie asked Ethan, picking up a few snacks from the table at the shoot. "Uh, let me seeI think we do Leno together and then I have Craig Kilborne at the end of the week. What about you?" "I have Leno with you, Ellen DeGeneres, which I also have to sing onOh! And I get Conan. In your face!" "Man!" Ethan stamped is foot. "Why couldn't I have gotten Conan? Craig makes me nervous with all of those questions of his." "Ethan, you don't have to do those if you don't want to." He shrugged, "I'll look like a wimp if I don't."

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Lizzie silently agreed, and as she popped a gummy worm in her mouth, she taunted him one last time, "Ha! I got Conan." "Whatever happened to that nice Lizzie that would have traded with me?" Lizzie smiled to herself, knowing that the Lizzie who would have traded with Ethan Craft only would have done so as a result of her crush on him. But that crush was gone, "She doesn't exist anymore. Plus, I'm smarter now. I'm going to go with the funnier guy. But, on the plus side of you, you don't have to spend as much time in New York during the winter." Ethan chewed on a piece of beef jerky and nodded, "True." "Are all of our photo shoots together?" "No. We only have Teen People, Entertainment Weekly, and Rolling Stone together." "Fun," Lizzie remarked, unenthused. "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. Have you ever done an interview with me?" She looked around, "No." "Well, I do them all the time, and they are always a blast," he put his arm around her. "Trust me. I'll make sure we have fun." Lizzie shrugged, only somewhat believing him, "If you say so." "Oh," Ethan remembered. "You might want to talk to my publicist before we do the interview." "Why?" "Have you ever done an interview?" "Well, yeah, but why would I need to talk to your publicist?" Ethan hated it when he had to explain such seemingly simple things to people that were supposed to be 'intelligent,' "So you don't accidentally tell someone something about me that they aren't supposed to know." Lizzie chuckled, "You're talking about Kate." "Lizzie, you know I wanna tell the whole world about Kate, but I just can't." She smiled, "I understand. Don't worry about it." "But you should talk to her anyway." "Okay," Lizzie said, pulling out her palm pilot and tapping in a note for herself, "I'll put that on my to-do list." She sighed as she put it back into her purse, clearly bothered by something. Ethan

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picked up on it, "Lizzie, what's wrong?" "NothingIt's just - I'm just kind of afraid that no one's going to like the movie." "Lizzie, if people don't like the movie, it isn't going to be because of you." "I just don't want to ruin your career, you know? I mean, what if this turns out to be another Gigli? Ben and J.Lo were never heard from again." "First of all, we aren't those losers. We aren't even engaged. At leastI don't think we are," Ethan suddenly became worried as he scratched his head. "We aren't." He smiled, "Okay, good. And second of all, we both rock the house!" Lizzie laughed, "You do rock quite a bit, Ethan. I have to say, acting really is your thing." Ethan shook his head; again unbelieving of the stupid things some people could say. But he was happy to correct her, "No, Lizzie. Acting isn't my thing. It was probably created by some guy named Joe Acting, back in the 1900s." Lizzie smiled and nodded, "Right." She had discovered that when Ethan went down the wrong path, it was best to just pretend that he was on the right one. Ethan took a sip of water from one of the many cups sitting on the table, "Man, I wish we didn't have this interview today. I could have gone with Gor-don down to that awesome candy store." "Soum" Lizzie looked up at Ethan, "How is Gordo?" "Gor-don?" Ethan shrugged. "He's all rightI guess." "He's all right?" Ethan shook his head, "I can't lie. You really did a number on him, Lizzie. He's totally distraught." Lizzie was surprised by Ethan's vocabulary, but her shock of his intelligence only for a second overshadowed her sadness to hear of Gordo's unfortunate state, "Distraught?" "Did I use that right?" "Yeah," Lizzie whispered. He shrugged, "My character says that in the movie. I thought I might borrow some of his big words." Lizzie nodded, emotionless, "I'm very proud of you, Ethan."

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Looking behind her, Ethan pointed to the woman approaching Lizzie, "Oh, I think that's the interviewer." ***** The woman approaching was tall with blonde hair and wore square rimmed glasses. She held a notepad and tape recorder in her hand. She smiled as she introduced herself, "Hello, Miss McGuire and Mr. Craft. Let me start out by saying that I am a huge fan of both of yours. Lizzie, I think your album is amazing and Ethan, your acting is incredible. My name is Jennifer Quinn, and I will be interviewing you two for Teen People. Call me Jenny." Lizzie and Ethan glanced to each other and shared a small laugh, no doubt because of the wealth of information that the young woman had just shared with them. She was obviously new. But Lizzie was kind and welcoming, extending out her hand to Jenny, "It's very nice meeting you, Jenny." Ethan held out his hand as well, and flashed his million-dollar smile, "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, Jen-Jen." Jenny hated being called Jen-Jen, but coming from the famous Ethan Craft, she couldn't care less, and blushed as she shook his hand. "So, are you guys ready?" Jenny asked, once she had regained her composure. Lizzie nodded, "I am. Ethan?" "Let's do this." The three sat down in their respective seats, and Jenny began the interview, "Okay, so you guys are coming out with a movie together. Tell me about it." Lizzie began, "Well, it's based in high school, and I play this character named Jake. She doesn't quite fit in." "Not with my group. I'm in the popular crowd," Ethan continued, speaking as if he were really Ryan William Hunter. "But Ethan's character does get a crush on me." Ethan shook his head, "It's the other way around." Lizzie scoffed, "Is not." Ethan spun to face Lizzie, "Is too!" Jenny laughed, "You guys seem to have a really close relationship." Ethan waved his hand back and forth, "No, no, no. Lizzie and I aren't dating."

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Lizzie laughed and said to Ethan, "I think she means our relationship as friends." "Uh, actually," Jenny corrected, "Ethan's right." Both Ethan and Lizzie looked at Jenny in confusion, "What?" Ethan couldn't believe that he was right. "Well," Jenny explained, "the way your body language is, and how at ease you guys seem to be with one other makes me think you two might possibly be dating." Lizzie had to hold in her laugher, "No, Ethan and I are not dating. And that's the truth. Although, I will admit that I had a major crush on him in Junior High." Ethan was shocked, "You had crush on me?" "Oh, you had to have known. Remember when I asked you to that dance in 8th grade?" "Uhno." "Thanks," she turned back to Jenny. "I was rejected by THE Ethan Craft. It was very traumatic time for me. And, even though we never dated, we have been married before." A shocked Ethan turned to a grinning Lizzie, "What? When? Was I there?" She laughed, "In Junior High, we hosted this mystery game thing where I was the bride and Ethan was the groom." Ethan breathed a sigh of relief, "Now that I remember." Jenny was impressed, "Wow, you guys have a LOT of history. Are you sure you aren't going out?" Lizzie shook her head, "Definitely not. In fact, Ethan - " "I'm as single as they come." Lizzie was confused, and she looked at Ethan as if to ask what was up. But then she remembered what he had told her earlier. Ethan, being the popular heartthrob actor that he was, couldn't act like he had a girlfriend. It would only hurt his image, and break his fans hearts. She really should have talked to his publicist. "I'm single, too," she added. Jenny scribbled something down on her pad of paper, "Darn it! I had money riding on that one. So, you guys went to the same school? Grew up together?" "Yeah," Lizzie nodded, "Ethan and I went to Junior High and High School together." "Hillridge was da bomb! Both of them."

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"So you guys were friends before you started this project?" Jenny asked. "Yeah," Lizzie explained. "It was very comfortable for me that way. We were, and still are, really good friends, and Ethan's such a big star, I thought it would help take some of the pressure off of my first movie." "Lizzie is smokin'. She's an awesome actress. We're also friends with the director, Gor-don." "Gor-don?" Jenny frantically searched through her notes. "Oh, you mean David Gordon. How do you guys know him?" "He went to school with us too," Ethan said. "One of Lizzie's oldest friends." Lizzie was starting to feel uncomfortable. She knew that this conversation could only lead to bad things, but she continued nonetheless, "Yeah, since I was born." Jenny was surprised, "So you just made this whole project a friendly affair." Lizzie continued, "It really just turned out that way. Kate Sanders, she does the wardrobe for everyone on the set, we've known her since we were kids; my brother, Matt, is Ethan's stunt double; and Anita is actually a friend I met in Italy." "Oh, and you can't forget Parker," Ethan added. "She's the director's assistant. She went to school with us, too." What an amazing coincidence, Jenny thought to herself, "Wow. Although you had such a friendly set, I heard there were some tense times between you and David, Lizzie." She knew this was a bad idea, but as the movie would soon prove, Lizzie was a great actress, "Gordo? Welluh, we had some 'creative' differences. I really attribute it to myself, though. I mean, it was my first time acting and it wasit was hard." "But she did a great job, and they adjusted to each other quickly." Lizzie and Ethan noticed that Jenny was rummaging through her papers. She pulled out a specific sheet, and looked to Lizzie, "I was looking through your old high school yearbooks, and I noticed that you and Mr. Gordon were voted Cutest Couple. And yet, now you're single. So, could the tension possibly be a result of that?" She could barely speak. Her words came out as whispers, "You really did your research, huh?" "I wouldn't be a good reporter if I didn't." Ethan looked to Lizzie, and with is eyes asked if she needed help. She lightly shook her head, and turned back to Jenny, very serious, "I don't really like to comment on my personal life. I like to keep that to myself. One of my hesitations on becoming a pop star was the act of being famous. And don't get me wrong, I love my fans, but I just don't handle being in the spotlight very well. I remember once, when I was in Junior High, I went out on a date with Frankie

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Muniz, from Malcolm in the Middle. It was crazy. All of these photographers were following me around and I wasn't even famous. I told my self then and there that I never wanted that kind of life." "What made you change your mind?" Lizzie shrugged nonchalantly, "This trip I took to Italy after I graduated from Junior High." "Ah yes," Jenny remembered, not even having to look through her papers, "your appearance in Rome masquerading as Isabella Parigi." She lightly chuckled, "Yeah, it was a lot of fun, and I realized that it isn't really as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I mean, I know I have to give up a part of my privacy, but making music is amazing. I really get to put myself out there and let people know who I am." Jenny was ruthless, "I think you're avoiding the question." Lizzie was starting to think that Ethan was lying to her when he said that interviews with him were always fun, "What question?" "Did your previous romantic entanglement with David Gordon perhaps cause some of the tension on the set?" She was becoming angry and upset, but she wasn't about to show it, "Gordo and I datedbut, umwe broke up about four years ago..." Lizzie wasn't telling the whole story. "...We were friends after that, and I feel like he will always be my friend..." She was surprised that those words even came out of her mouth. And unaccompanied by tears, no less. "...Our differences were purely ego driven. We both like being right..." Lizzie bit her lip. It wasn't exactly a lie. "...I have to say, Jenny, you are one ruthless reporter." Jenny grinned, completely oblivious to the pain and agony that she was putting Lizzie through, "I try my best. You need to have that certain edge in this business if you want to get anywhere." "Tell me about it." Luckily for Lizzie, Jenny went on to another topic, "So let's get back to the movie. The climax of this film happens at the senior prom." Ethan finally spoke up, "Yeah, Lizzie is slammin' in that scene. She knocks this song right out of the park."

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"So you're going to sing?" Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, I really wanted to put a part of myself into this character, and I thought that singing would be the best way to do it." "What song is it?" "It's this song called 'You Wish.' Um, it's written by a very talented singer/songwriter, Lalaine. I don't know if you've heard of her, but she's awesome. The song goes very well with the movie, and I just hope that people like it. It'll be on the soundtrack, too. Both her version and mine." "I heard that you penned some of the songs on the soundtrack, as well." Lizzie smiled, "Yeah, I did write a couple. One of my favorites is called 'Anywhere But Here' and it's just about being in love." "Basing this on real life?" Lizzie stared for a moment. She sighed and shrugged, "I have to draw from something. Every song is personal to me." "So who is the lucky guy?" Lizzie knew the answer to that question. "My perfect guy. I don't know if I'vemet him yet, or if I have yet to meet him, but I know that he'll make me feel the way I described in the song." That wasn't the answer that she had known. "Any other songs you love?" "'Metamorphosis.' It's a song about changing, and how I've grown as a person. Definitely my favorite song on the entire soundtrack. It's the most personal song; you really get to know me in that one." Jenny was clearly a fan, "I can't wait for this music to come out." Ethan agreed, "It's awesome, yo. I've heard the songs, and Lizzie has an amazing talent." Lizzie whispered to him, "Remind me to pay you for saying that later." All three of them laughed. Lizzie continued, "Actually, Ethan is the true talent on the set. If he hadn't made it in the acting business, he should have been teaching it. I got a few lessons from Ethan on the set, and he is just amazing. When he gets into the character, he truly becomes the character. He's got an incredible knack for it."

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Ethan smiled, almost blushing, "Thanks, Lizzie." "You guys are so supportive of one another." Lizzie nodded, "I think that's what has kept us both so grounded. We have this support system of friends; this one group we always hang out with that keeps us so sane and normal. I don't know where I would be without my friends." "It's all about support," Ethan said. "You need it in the biz." "So, is this senior prom anything like your senior prom in real life?" Lizzie's heart started to race so wildly that she could have sworn everyone in the room could hear it, like two loud cymbals crashing together relentlessly. If she told the truth, she would only be revealing that she had lied to Jenny earlier on. That their breakup wasn't as quiet as she portrayed it to be. She couldn't lie; she was horrible at lying. But she could act. Couldn't she? She acted her way out of the other question, but that was just a fluke. She could never do that again. She couldn't. How was she going to get herself out of answering the question? Without fumbling, without laughing, without crying? If she told the truth, then Jenny would pry even deeper into her personal life, but if she said anything else, she would see right through her lies. "Lizzie?" Jenny asked. "Hello?" Lizzie gulped and stuttered, "Um - I'm sorry. W - what was the question again?" She needed time to formulate her response. "How was your senior prom?" Jenny asked again. Lizzie knew that she couldn't deflect the question another time. She looked at Ethan with panicked eyes, not knowing what to do. As she stuttered Lizzie thought to herself, panicked beyond belief. "Lizzie McGuire, you can't talk your way out of this one."

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Chapter 31

There were times when Ethan's charm surpassed his lack of intelligence. Times like those came along close to never, but luckily for Lizzie, she was in dire need of one when it came along. But with a once in a lifetime stroke of luck as big as this, her chance of ever winning the lottery was officially out of the question. Ethan had spotted Lizzie's sudden increase in nervousness. She was avoiding eye contact with everything in the room, including things that did not have eyes, and she stuttered to speak as she at the same time struggled to keep her words in. "I had a blast. Senior prom was great," Ethan chimed in. Jenny smiled at Ethan and turned back to Lizzie, "What about you, Lizzie?" Lizzie's gaze accurately portrayed the face found on a deer caught in the headlights. Ethan spoke up again, "We actually went to the same prom, and I can honestly say that it was a night to remember. I think I speak for Lizzie when I say that, too." Lizzie nodded lightly, and as Jenny looked down at her notes for a brief moment, Lizzie quickly mouthed a thank you to Ethan. He winked in return. "Ethan, I feel like I've been paying more attention to Lizzie than to you," Jenny said. Lizzie knew exactly what she was talking about. "Aw, no. I don't mind. I'm just chillin' here in the company of two very fine ladies. It's all good." Jenny giggled and blushed, "Oh, Ethan." Lizzie rolled her eyes and discreetly mumbled under her breath, "Wait until I tell Kate." Jenny didn't hear, "So what made you decide to do this movie?" "Well," Ethan began, "Besides working with my awesome friend Lizzie, here, the

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script just seemed really cool. It shows that jocks can be sensitive and stuff." "I can tell you are a really sensitive man, Ethan," the reporter flirted. He didn't pick up, "Thanks." Lizzie, watching the exchange, almost burst into laughter, but managed to keep it in. A few moments later, the photographer arrived. Jenny turned around when she noticed him walking in, and then turned back to Lizzie and Ethan to excuse herself, "You two were very fun and easy to interview. Thank you so much for your time." "No," Ethan charmed, extending his hand, "Thank you." Jenny extended her hand in return, and with a move as smooth as silk, Ethan dismissed the handshake as he grabbed and kissed the back of Jenny's hand. She giggled and whispered to herself, "How charming," as she left the room. Lizzie stared at Ethan suspiciously, "How do you expect to explain that to Kate, Prince Charming?" He shrugged with nonchalance, "She knows I do that. How do you think she can afford all of those shoes?" Lizzie was shocked, and a tad bit jealous, "You buy her shoes?" "Correction. I pay for the credit card that buys the shoes." She laughed, "Come on. We have a lovely photo shoot to do." ***** The theme of the photo shoot that day was, coincidentally enough, the plot of their movie. Ethan would be draped from head to toe in jock attire while Lizzie sported the new styles in punk. As Ethan did his solo shot, Lizzie went to her dressing room to get ready for hers. As reliable as ever, Kate was waiting for her before she arrived. After changing into her first outfit, Lizzie sat getting her makeup done, still slightly irked about the interview that took place only a few minutes earlier, "I should just wear punk clothes all the time." Kate was appalled, "Lizzie, you can't pull that off. You have this good girl image that's too hard to break. Do you even remember the time you tried to go bad?" "I'm not saying I'm going bad, I'm just thinking maybe I should change my style a little." "Do you want to be the next Avril Lavigne or something?"

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Lizzie shrugged, "She was kind of cool, despite the fact that she was mean to her fans that one timeBut I guess not. Let's just keep the punk look for the movie." "Good job," Kate nodded and returned to her magazine that contained a very interesting article on the recent developments in the effort to find a cure for cancer. She wasn't reading the article, though. She was reading the gossip column. "So, the fact that Ethan is lying to the public about you guys is okay with you?" Lizzie inquired. Kate shrugged, still reading her column, "If he keeps the dough rolling in, who am I to say anything?" "Well, for starters, you're his girlfriend." Kate sighed. She never interrupted Lizzie when she was reading her big "books" and "novels," but she couldn't even give Kate three seconds to finish the gossip column? She put down the magazine, "Lizzie, we know I have the power in our relationship, and he wouldn't be doing anything that I didn't want him to. It's weird, sure, but at the same time, I think this whole thing is better. I wouldn't want to be known as some famous guy's girlfriend." "Why not?" "Because then people would end up making hate sites about me and going around invading my privacy. This way, Ethan and I can enjoy as normal a relationship as possible." That sounded reasonable to Lizzie, "So, if - " Kate picked up her magazine, "When." " - When I get into a relationship with someone, I can't tell people about it?" "Lizzie, I saw that interview. You wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it. You were uncomfortable telling her about the fact that you and Gordo used to date." The makeup artist had just finished on Lizzie, and she left the dressing room, leaving Lizzie and Kate to their conversation. Lizzie turned back to her friend, "I couldn't lie to the press. I'm a horrible liar." "Well," Kate continued, taking a break from her magazine, "Are you considering having a relationship with someone, or something? Perhaps a certain director we know?" "Wellno. No. I'm just curious for the future." She couldn't lie to Kate, either. "Lizzie, we all know that you're still hot for Gordo. None of us know why, but you are." Lizzie took a minute before responding, "Is it weird that I still have feelings for him?"

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Kate shrugged, "Eh. You'll always like that little curly-cue." "Yeah, but I'm furious at the same time. I mean, why can't I just get over him! Why can't I move on?" "'Cause I don't think we ever move on from our first loves." Lizzie was stunned, "I didn't say I was in love with Gordo." Kate scoffed, "Oh, please. Everyone knows you are." "I don't know if I am." "You are. I can tell. Now, the question is: are you going to do anything about it?" She shook her head and stated what she thought was obvious, "I can't." "Why not?" "Because you weren't there when he came over to my apartment. You didn't hear what I said to him the last time we talked. I can't do that, Kate. I can't go back." Kate had officially given up on her magazine, and she tossed it on the table, "What if I told you" No, she couldn't tell. She had sworn she wouldn't tell. "Nevermind." "What if you told me what, Kate?" But why couldn't she tell? Their reasons were stupid, anyway. Kate knew she should tell. Larry was stupid. They were all stupid. Kate was right. She should tell. "Lizzie, what I'm about to say to you might be shocking. But it's the truth." Lizzie was surprisingly intrigued as she stood up to make some finishing touches on her outfit, "What is it?" Kate was surprisingly guilt-ridden as she revealed the secret that she had sworn not to tell, "Well, remember when you thought that Gordo was trying to go out with both you and Parker at the same time?" "Yeah" "Well, it turns out he wasn't." There was a long silence in the room. Lizzie stared at Kate. Kate stared at Lizzie.

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Lizzie stammered, "I - II don't understand" Kate knew that Lizzie really did understand, but she clarified for her anyway, "Lizzie, Gordo had broken up with Parker. He came by your apartment that night hoping to get back together with you. Only you." "And I poured the wine down the drain and threw the flowers in the trash." "Yep." "And then I told him off." "Yep." "And I haven't talked to him in months." "That pretty much sums it up." Lizzie collapsed into the nearest chair and smacked her head into the table, "I'm so stupid." After a few moments of self-abuse, Lizzie looked up at Kate again, "Kate, are you sure?" "I've never been more sure about anything in my life." She groaned, tears forming in her eyes, "I'm such an idiot!" "It's catching, apparently." Lizzie jumped up from her chair in order to pace back and forth in the dressing room with her arms flailing in the air, freaking out like she always did, "I mean, how could I believe that he would do that to me? How could I believe that? What kind of person doesn't trust their best friend? I'll tell you who. The kind of person who ends up with their photo on the wall of the post office. I can't believe this! This is Gordo, potentially the love of my life! Oh my God. I just let the love of my life go, and I'm going to die a lonely old woman with a zillion cats." "Lizzie, I would never let you own a zillion cats." "Then I'm going to be that crazy lady who has a zillion imaginary cats." "Lizzie, you aren't - Do you actually know people who do that?" Kate was somewhat frightened. "No." "Where is this coming from, then?" "TV. Where else?" Kate quickly shook her head and forgot about the cats, "Lizzie, there is a simple

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remedy for what you're feeling right now." Lizzie disagreed, "I don't think anything could remedy how horrible I feel." "That's what you think. All you have to do is go apologize to Gordo." Kate couldn't even make that sound easy, "I can't do that." Kate was fed up with Lizzie. She had heard the final "I can't" from her love-struck friend, and she wasn't going to let herself hear any more. She had noticed a wrinkle on her forehead that morning, and she knew that it was because of worrying about Lizzie. She had had enough. Kate wasn't about to let Lizzie McGuire add another wrinkle to her flawless face. She jumped up from her seat, "And why the hell not?" "Because I'm too embarrassed, Kate. I could never do that!" "Lizzie, you got up the nerve to tell him off. Now just summon up that same nerve to apologize to him! It's not that hard!" "Wait a second. Weren't you the one telling me before that I shouldn't do it?" Kate paused, "No. You must be mistaken." Lizzie waved her finger in the air, "No, I distinctly remember it was you who told me that I shouldn't apologize." "Yeah, well I was wrong, okay?" "Kate, are you feeling all right?" She rolled her eyes in annoyance, "I'm fine." "It's just that you never admit you're wrong unless - is something going on that I should know about?" Lizzie asked, fairly certain that there was something going on. Kate couldn't be angry anymore, she had to cover, "No, nothing, Lizzie. Nothing is going on. What is going on? Nothing. So are you going to talk to him?" Somehow Lizzie managed to remain oblivious to Kate's nervous behavior, "Maybe I can someday, Kate. But not now. I can't face him now. He - he must think I'm some psycho woman who changes her mind every three seconds for no reason. I yelled at him for no reason! I told him that he was out of my league - " "Well, part of that is kind of true." Lizzie shook her head dejectedly, "No, you have it all wrong. Gordo's out of my league." The photographer popped his head into the dressing room, "Lizzie, are you ready? We need you out there."

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"I'll be there in a sec." "Gordo, out of your league?" Kate said as the door closed. "Have you seen him when he grows a beard?" "I blew it. I blew my 5 millionth chance all because I am the queen of misunderstandings. You'd think I'd be looking out for misunderstandings after going through so many of them, but I guess I'm just that stupid." "So what? Gordo will take you back." "That's just it, Kate. That's why I say that Gordo's out of my league. He has forgiven me for every harsh thing I have ever said to him. Everything I have ever done to hurt him. But this time, after what I said, there is now way he'll forgive me. He would want to, but I wouldn't let him. It would be a horrible relationship to be in." "Lizzie - " The photographer once again came into the room, interrupting Kate, "Come on, Lizzie. We're ready." "On my way. Look, Kate, I don't want you to convince me of anything else. This is how it has to be. It's better for the both of us this way." Kate stood up from her chair, "Who exactly is the 'both of us,' Lizzie? Your fear, or your pride?" Lizzie stared at Kate. "Both." She exited her dressing room and walked down to the shoot. ***** "Okay, Lizzie," the photographer began from behind his camera. "We need some poses today that represent sadnessheartache." "That shouldn't be too hard." The photographer was grinning wildly, "Are you ready to show me some heartache, darling?" Lizzie sighed, "I'm used to it." ***** Gordo couldn't remember the last time he had been fully relaxed. The last time that he wasn't stressed, or worried about something, or distracted by his thoughts. And on that day, sitting alone with his thoughts wasn't getting him anywhere. He knew that he needed to talk to someone. Gordo could only think of one place to go in order to solicit love advice. Matt and Melina.

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When Gordo arrived at Matt's stunt compound, he once again found Melina furiously stomping on a foot pump, filling up a mattress with air for Matt to jump onto. Melina turned around when she heard a noise behind her. She stopped her pumping, and caught the tail end of Gordo tripping on a stray wire running across the floor. She wasn't surprised to see him tripping, but she was surprised to see him in her studio. "Gordo, what are you doing here? I thought you would be sitting at home flipping through the channels." Gordo paused to look back at the wire he had tripped over, baffled that it had just jumped out in front of him. He quietly pointed to it, looking at Melina, as if to warn her of it for the next time she walked by. Acting as cool as possible, he continued walking, "Ha ha. Very funny. I'm not that pathetic." She shrugged, looking at him and back down at the wire, "Whatever you say, Gordo." "Okay, so maybe I am. But look at me, I'm outside right now." "Yeah, you really need some color. Casper has a better tan than you." Gordo rolled his eyes. Clearly she had been spending time with Kate, "I didn't come here for beauty advice." "No doubt to try and get some love advice, then." "You should really join John Edwards and capitalize on the psychic industry." She laughed, still pumping, "Like I would team up with that amateur. Besides, do you really see me actually 'helping' other people?" Gordo shook his head, "Not so much, no." "So you do know me well." Gordo shrugged as he quickly grabbed a chair that was sitting a few feet away. Inches before he sat down, Melina stopped him, explaining that what he was about to sit on was a stunt chair. If he put any weight on it, it would collapse. She pulled up a normal chair for him, and he sat down. "Thanks. I think I've come to know you pretty well over the past few years. And I've come to rely on your advice." "Well," Melina said, "ask away. I have to finish blowing up this mattress before Matt decides to jump." Gordo began, "So. You and Matt are in love."

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Melina shrugged. She didn't really like talking about it, or even thinking about it for that matter, but she and Matt really were in love. Despite the fact that they never showed it, "I guess you could call it love." "I can just see it when you two are together." He could see it? Melina was starting to worry that she and Matt weren't covering it up well enough. She would have to talk with him about that later, "Gordo, are you getting mushy on me here? Because I don't deal well with mushy." Gordo quickly changed the subject. He didn't want to make Melina angry while they were talking in the middle of a stunt studio, with gadgets and gizmo at every turn that could cause him serious bodily harm, "I think I need some tough love." "Well then you've come to the right place. But, I'm still wondering what you're doing here talking to me instead of talking to Lizzie." "She won't even take my calls." "You've bypassed that before, you idiot." Gordo was completely accepting of her insults, "Well, this cabbie told me not to give up, also." "You're listening to cabbies, Gordo? They think they're as good as bartenders in the advice area, but let me tell youthey're not." "So, you're saying I should give up." "No. I'm saying that you shouldn't always take what a cabbie says for face value. This time, however, he's right." Even with the advice that Melina and the cab driver had given him, Gordo was still having apprehensions, "But, if I have this much doubt, shouldn't I - " "No." "Well, I mean, don't you think - " "No." "Not even if - " "No! No, no, no, NO!" "OokayWhy bother talking, then?" Melina sighed, "Because you are here to entertain me with your little soap opera world. I'm just trying to save us both some time." Gordo continued to entertain, "You know, even when I was dating Parker, even when Lizzie and I were just friends, I still couldn't wrap my head around not thinking about her."

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Melina groaned, "You guys are so sick it makes me want to vomit. You really need to make this story into a tree-picture deal." "Melina, please help me," Gordo begged. She finally stopped pumping, "Help you with what? Running around in circles? Because that's all I have been helping with since the day I met you two." "No. Help me end this once and for all." "It's easy. Just get together already!" Melina reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet, "Here. Take my credit card. Go rent a room and get it on." Gordo shoved the credit card away, "Melina!" She rolled her eyes and put her card back in her pocket, "It's a joke, Gordo. You know, funny ha-ha? You really need to lighten up. It's like you have a stick up y - " "Melina." "Okay, okay. I'll keep this conversation PG from now on." Gordo was relieved, "Thank you. But, have you ever heard the saying 'if you love someone you'll let them go?'" "Oh yeah, sure. I do that to Matt all the time." Gordo wondered what she was talking about, "You do?" "Of course. Like, when we go skydiving, and Matt asks me not to let him goI just let him go." He rolled his eyes, "How kind of you." "Eh, what can I say? I wear my heart on my sleeve." "You've been hanging out with Kate lately, haven't you?" "Hey, let's not forget that when it comes to being ruthless, I'm the queen, and Kate is one of my court jesters." Gordo chuckled, "Oh, harsh." She shrugged, "You have to be in my line of work." Gordo sighed, "I think I'm just starting to realize that maybe all of this isn't what it's cracked up to be. I don't want to hurt her anymore." Melina went back to pumping her mattress, which wasn't even close to half-full, "Hurt her?" "Yeah. We're Gordo and Lizzie. We get together, have a big misunderstanding, and

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break up. If she feels one tenth of the pain that I feel when we aren't togetherI just - I wouldn't wish that feeling on my worst enemy." Melina was slightly stunned, "You have enemies?" "Well," Gordo thought, "NoNo, I don't actually. But - that's not the point, Melina. The point is, this is starting to wear down on my mental stability." "First of all, Gordo, I hate to break it to you, but you didn't really have a lot of mental stability to begin with. And secondly, if you two would just get together and not break up, then neither of you would get hurt. It's not that hard to figure out." "You make it sound so simple." "That's because it is! Sometimes you guys are so stupid I can't stand it. Really, would you two just get it together? Think, man!" Melina smacked Gordo upside the head. Gordo winced and rubbed his injury, "I signed up for tough love." "Yeah, and don't you forget it. Hitting you in the head was your payment." Gordo slowly stood up from his chair, "Oh, Melina. What would the world do without you?" "Probably prosper in some goody-two-shoes alternate reality. It gives me the heebiejeebies just thinking about it," she shuddered. "So, has this conversation helped your never-ending drama at all?" He nodded, "I think I have finally decided." "To get back together with Lizzie, right?" Melina hoped. "To clear this matter up once and for all." "Good," she was relieved. "Finally. And there isn't a better place than at the premiere." Gordo was growing suspicious, as usual, "Yeahthe premiere." "Both you and Lizzie will be there, and you guys can work things out," Melina suggested. He shrugged, "If she'll even talk to me." Melina devilishly grinned, "Don't worry. I'll take care of that." "I feel like there is some kind of plan brewing in that mind of yours." Melina simply smiled and shook her head, "There is no brewing. I do not brew up here."

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Gordo's light chuckle was interrupted by an extremely loud thud that came from behind Melina. Gordo leaned to get a better view as Melina turned around, looking to see what had just happened. "What was that?" Gordo asked, concerned. Melina shrugged and turned back around, "Probably just a bird, or something." "Must have been a pretty large bird." Melina paused a moment to think, "I feel likeI feel like I'm forgetting to do something" A few feet behind Melina, Matt lay on the only half-filled mattress, now flat as a pancake, making barely audible cries for help. "It's right on the edge of my brain," Melina continued, "but I can't remember" Matt desperately tried to raise a limb, but it was to no avail. He let out one last groan before he slipped out of consciousness. Melina shook her head and dismissed her nagging feelings of forget, "Oh well, it must not have been that important." Gordo laughed, "On that note, I have to go." Melina smiled pleasantly, "I'll walk you to your car." Gordo and Melina left the studio, as Matt lay unconscious on the warehouse floor. ***** Later that night, after Melina had finally discovered the moaning and decrepit Matt on the deflated mattress, she decided that the Fantastic Five needed to meet one last time before their plan took into effect. "I officially call this meeting to order," Melina began. "Let's get started. Status check. We can put a check by my name right now, because we all know that I finished what I started, and that I'm the only competent one here. Let's see how much the rest of you losers got done, shall we? Matt." Matt was sitting in a wheelchair next to Melina. His head was bandaged, his arm was in a sling, and his leg was covered in a cast, signed only by Melina with the words, "Not my fault." He slowly turned his head to look up at Melina and whispered, "What?" Melina kneeled down next to him, "Aww, honey. Do you still hurt from your little fall today?" Matt sadly nodded. Melina stood up and kicked the side of his wheelchair, "Well too bad! Never make me

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ask a question twice! Now, did you or did you not do your part?" Matt grinned, and suddenly felt much better, "Check." "That's what I like to hear. What about you, Ethan?" "Uh, what was I supposed to do again?" Melina was more sympathetic with Ethan. Sure, Matt was in a wheelchair, but at least he had a brain inside his head. Melina knew that she had to be more gentle with the stupid ones, "You needed to make sure that Lizzie doesn't have a real date to the premiere." "Oh yeah." There was silence. "Well?" Melina asked. Ethan looked around, "Well, what?" Melina could only be sympathetic for so long, "Ugh! I can't believe you four haven't burned down the entire planet! Once again, Ethan. Did you finish it?" "Oh, you mean that pie that Kate made for me? Yeah, I finished itEven though it tasted bad." Kate hit him. "Ow!" "She means did you make sure that Lizzie doesn't have a date, you half-wit." "Oh yeah," Ethan remembered. "I did that." Melina rolled her eyes and continued on, "Larry? How are we doing on the Gordo front?" Larry saluted, "Locked and ready." Melina looked down at her clipboard and marked another check, "Finally, one sane person. Kate, your part isn't until later, so I know that you haven't completed it yet." Kate nervously grinned and shifted her feet. No one noticed. "So what now?" Larry asked. "Uh, so far everything is going well. Now, are we sure that no one like Parker, Ellen, or Anita hasn't told Lizzie about Gordo yet?" Melina looked to Kate. Kate gulped, "I, uh - I can say that they didn't tell her. For sure." Melina had suspicions about Kate, so she decided to elaborate, "Thank God that no

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one told Lizzie. I mean, she already hates Gordo because she thinks that he wanted to two-time her, bit if she knew what really happened, I don't think that she would even go to the premiere. That girl cannot face someone when she's that scared. I can't even imagine how she would act tomorrow if she knew." "Uh, yeah," Kate spoke up, "about thatThere might be a little problem there." Melina knew what was coming, but asked anyway, "What problem, exactly?" "Sheshe might now." "How would she know, Kate?" "I might have inadvertently told her?" Kate braced herself. "Cracker Jacks!" Larry exclaimed. All four heads turned to him. "What? Kate is the one that screwed up, here. Not me!" "Yeah, but why did you say Cracker Jacks?" Kate wondered. Ethan shrugged, "Maybe the man is hungry. Don't beat up on a hungry man." "It's just my new phrase. I'm trying it out." Matt managed to speak, "And please, let that be the last time." "Hey, Chair-Boy! Don't knock the Cracker Jacks until you've tried it!" "I have a head injury and it still sounded stupid to me." Melina was frustrated with everyone, but no one more than Kate, "Kate, you only had one job! All you had to do was keep your mouth shut!" "I tried," Kate pleaded, "but I thought that Lizzie needed to know!" Melina shook her head in disgrace, "No, it's fine. Because I expected this. Matt, bring out the plan for 1213B since A is completely down the drain." Matt wheeled away and came back with a folder that he handed to Melina. "This is crunch time, people, and if we have another mess up like this one again, it could mean the end of Lizzie and Gordo. We have come TOO far to let stupidity stand in our way! Are you with me!" The group looked at one another and nodded. Melina grinned with delight, "Time for execution."

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Chapter 32

Lizzie, Ethan, and Kate sat amongst each other in the back of a limo, anxiously awaiting the event that they had all three been looking forward to since their movie had wrapped. The premiere had finally arrived. Deciding to play upon the free press, and to keep Lizzie away from finding a real date, Ethan offered that he and Lizzie should go to the premiere together. It was the perfect way for them both to avoid the hassles of bringing an "unidentified someone" to a big event, only to have rumors flying the next day about their private lives. Plus, the fact that Ethan going with Lizzie was the only thing that would make Kate happy didn't hurt the situation. Halfway to the premiere, Lizzie started to feel the significance of where she was going. She was sitting in a limo, the driver taking her to her doom. Lizzie shook her head for a good three minutes before finally speaking up, "I can't do this, guys. I'm sorry." She nearly stood up inside of the moving vehicle before Kate pushed her back down, "Sit, McGuire. You are the star of this movie, and if you don't go, people with just think you're a snob who doesn't believe in her own project." Ethan had been in a limo hundreds of times, yet he was still fascinated by the whole idea of a car that was like a house on the inside. A car that was so long, you could conceivably just lie down in the middle of it and take a nap. And there was a TV! And a fridge! What more could a guy ask for? He suddenly drew his attention away from the vast amounts of buttons that he could push in the limo, and focused his mind on Lizzie, "Come on, Lizzie. I'll be right there next to you, every step of the way." "What if I see him? What if he sees me? What if he talks to me? I don't know what to do. We have to turn this limo around." Lizzie scooted herself towards the front of the limo, motioning to the driver, but

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Ethan quickly took it upon himself to press the button that put up the partition. As it was going up, Kate called forward, "Pay no attention to her, driver." Lizzie gulped as the partition was all the way up, and Ethan was suddenly disappointed that he had no more buttons to push. Kate continued, "You have to stop freaking out like this, Lizzie. If you don't, our limo driver is going to sell your story to the tabloids." Ethan reached into a drawer next the mini-refrigerator and pulled out a brown paper bag. He kindly handed it to Lizzie so she could breathe into it. As Lizzie proceeded to hyperventilate, Kate went on, trying to convince Lizzie that going to the premiere is the best thing to do, "Think about all of the people that worked on this movie. Don't you want to see them again?" Lizzie took a few deep breaths and pulled the bag away from her mouth, "Everyone that worked on this movie is a friend of mine. I see them every day, anyway." "Lizzie, you need to be there for the press. Ethan can't handle it all by himself." She turned to her boyfriend and put a reassuring hand on his knee, "No offense, sweetie." "It's okay. I'll just go up against the press Hulk Hogan style!" Ethan pretended to rip off his shirt, and then continued to show off his biceps in every way possible. Both arms up, one arm up and one arm down, both arms down, and then over again. Kate reached over and stopped him, "See? You'd be sending that out there to promote your movie." Lizzie took two last breaths into the bag, staring at Kate. She finally crumpled it up and threw it across the limo, "Fine, I'll go. But you better keep Gordo out of my line of sight, or you'll see another paper bag episode." Kate nodded, "Will do." ***** Surprisingly enough, Kate stuck by her promise. She fielded the red carpet like a pro, making sure that Lizzie answered the press' questions without any trouble, and that when Ethan opened his mouth, he didn't make himself lookwell, too Ethan. The audience went into the theater, and the movie finally began. People laughed, they cried, they loved the movie. When it was finally over, everyone from the cast to the critics, who had voiced their doubts, thought that it was excellent. An elated cast and crew were headed for the after party. Lizzie, Kate, and Ethan all arrived in the same limo once again, and hurried inside to get the party started. Kate took her eyes off of Lizzie for one second to schmooze with AJ Trauth, allowing

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Lizzie to escape Kate's grasp. Without even thinking, Lizzie immediately headed for the bar, knowing the first thing she needed was a drink to calm her nerves. As Lizzie turned the corner, she stopped dead in her tracks as a sudden feeling of dj vu flooded over her. She didn't know why, and quickly dismissed it. Directly in front of her, standing at the bar, looking as handsome as ever was Gordo, laughing with some woman. The woman's back was facing towards Lizzie, so she couldn't make out her face, but she could see that she was a brunette. Lizzie's eyes turned to slits as she mumbled to herself, "Bad dye job." Suddenly, she saw both Gordo and the woman slightly turn towards her, and in a desperate effort to pull of her best James Bond move, she darted behind the nearest plant, and moved in to get a closer look without being seen. The two standing at the bar did not see Lizzie, but what she saw was Gordo reach over and touch the woman's arm. "AH!" Lizzie exclaimed quietly to herself, "That slime! He sure moved on quickly." The mystery woman turned and looked behind her, but Lizzie quickly moved behind the plant once again. Over at the bar, Gordo looked at his empty glass and then up at his date, "I'm going to go get another drink. You want anything?" Gordo's mystery date was, of course, Miranda, who politely declined, "Nah, I'm good. I'll just wait here for you." Gordo smiled before heading off towards the bartender at the other end of the bar, "Sounds good." Still crouched behind the plant, Lizzie watched as Gordo walked off, empty glass in hand, leaving his mystery date with the bad dye-job to stand alone at the bar. It was then that Lizzie decided to confront the brunette. On the other end of the room, Kate and Parker stood next to each other, whispering back and forth while watching over Lizzie's every move. Kate shook her head in disgrace, "Look at her over there, doing her James Bond routine." Parker rolled her eyes, "Does she really think people can't see her? That thing is a fern, for crying out loud." "Oh!" Kate pointed out, "She's taking the Miranda bait!" Parker turned to put down her drink, "Okay, we have to keep Gordo from going over there." Kate put her drink down as well, and raised her eyebrows to Parker, "Shall we?"

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Parker nodded, and the two perfect distractions hurried over to the end of the bar, ready to bug Gordo out of his mind. The second Parker and Kate reached Gordo, Lizzie reached Miranda. Only, Lizzie didn't know it was Miranda. Getting ready for the confrontation, Lizzie took one last deep breath and tapped the mystery woman on the shoulder, "Excuse me, Miss. I'm - " A smiling Miranda slowly turned around to face Lizzie. Lizzie froze, her jaw on the floor. But her look of shock quickly faded to a smile, as she came to her senses and realized what was going on, "So you're Gordo's date?" Miranda grinned, just as excited to see Lizzie as Lizzie was to see her, "In the flesh! Give me a hug!" Both Lizzie and Miranda squealed and hugged each other as if they were 13 again. When they finally broke their embrace, Lizzie began in awe, "Miranda, I am so glad you're here! I've missed you so much. I can't believe you didn't tell me you were coming!" Miranda shrugged, "It was a surprise." "Well, I'm happy you're here," Lizzie said, glancing over to the other end of the bar where she caught a glimpse of Gordo talking with Parker and Kate. "So, you came with Gordo, huh?" "Don't worry, Lizzie, we're just here as friends. He needed a date, so I said I'd go with him. Plus, you're the one who told me to give him a chance." Lizzie nodded and chuckled nervously to herself, "Well, here's a doozie for you. It turns out that Gordo - " "I know, Lizzie." Lizzie couldn't believe it. Miranda hadn't even been in the same country as Lizzie and Gordo when the chaos was taking place, and yet she still knew more than the one who was causing the chaos in the first place? "You knew?" "Well, I didn't know when you called me, but Parker let me in on what was going on." Lizzie groaned and leaned on the bar, "Does everyone know how big of an idiot I am?" Miranda laughed, "No different than usual, Lizzie."

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Lizzie simply smirked, and continued, "It's so good to have you here, Miranda. I feel like we haven't been together lately on all the important nights of our lives." Miranda sighed and took a sip of her drink, "Well, you end up missing a lot when you're aiding the less fortunate countries." "Trust me, with the roller coaster ride of drama we've had lately, you wouldn't want to be here." "When hasn't there been a roller coaster ride of drama in our lives?" Lizzie thought for a second, "I think there was a very brief moment in third grade, but that passed quickly when Gordo smashed my brownie." There was a slight tone in Lizzie's voice, which made it clear she was still a tad bit upset about the brownie incident, but Miranda was aware that Lizzie was still upset, and she knew that she would never get over it. Miranda turned to look at Gordo from afar, and Lizzie followed her gaze. She found herself looking at Gordo once again. Only this time, it was not a glance like it had been before. This time, it was a stare. She watched as Gordo's pleasant conversation with Kate and Parker suddenly turned to one filled with awkwardness. Lizzie could tell that Gordo was uncomfortable, while if you had asked Miranda, Kate, Parker, or anyone else in the room, they would have said that he looked just fine. But Gordo really was uncomfortable. Lizzie was the only one who would ever be able to see through him like that. Lizzie tore her eyes away from Gordo, and turned once again to Miranda, who had stopped looking at him long ago, and watching as Lizzie stared at him longingly. Lizzie noticed the convicting look that Miranda was giving her, so she quickly looked away and changed the subject slightly, "I heard he was growing some kind of beard on his face, but I think the clean-shaven look is good on him." Miranda laughed, glad that she never had to witness Gordo with facial hair, "I told him that if he didn't shave, there was no way I could come with him." Lizzie and Miranda laughed together, but somehow Lizzie's eyes found themselves planted on Gordo once again, and she didn't take them away. Miranda noticed, like she always did. She had noticed every single time that Lizzie stared longingly at Gordo, or Gordo stared longingly at Lizzie since the three were in Junior High. She figured it was her job, "Lizzie, you should go talk to him." Lizzie was still staring at him, as she shook her head, "I can't." Miranda gave Lizzie and exaggerated eye roll, knowing that she wouldn't see, "Why not?" Lizzie moved her eyes a foot to the right of Gordo, fixating them on the wall that he stood next to, "Because I'm humiliated, Miranda. I acted like a crazy person. I was

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full on Anne Heche crazy." "So? We all get crazy sometimes. Sure, you have had more crazy than normal, but I think that you should explain to him that you have taken your anti-crazy pill, and now you're fine." Lizzie acted as if Miranda's proposition was completely reasonable, "I'm still embarrassed, Miranda." Miranda looked at Lizzie, saying nothing until she finally averted her eyes from Gordo's general direction and focused back on the conversation. When Lizzie finally did, Miranda continued with a smile, "Lizzie, I remember when you first told me that you had kissed Gordo in Italy. You should have heard yourself." Lizzie sighed and looked at Miranda for a moment before their silent conversation was interrupted by two of Lizzie's nosiest friends. "What's this I hear about Lizzie kissing Gordo?" Anita asked, appearing behind Lizzie with Ellen in toe. Lizzie took it upon herself to introduce her friends to each other, "Miranda, this is Anita and Ellen; Anita and Ellen, this is Miranda." "Ahh," Ellen recognized, "So this is the infamous Miranda. Terrific to finally put a face to the name." Anita smiled pleasantly, "Nice to meet you." The three new friends all shook their respective hands, returned to their original positions, and Anita continued with her inquiry, "So what's the gossip here?" "I'm just telling the story of when Lizzie called me after she first kissed Gordo," Miranda explained. Lizzie began to blush. Ellen was getting excited. She loved gossip almost as much as Kate, "Do dish. I love a good romance." "Well," Miranda began, completely ignoring Lizzie's embarrassed pleads for her to stop, "she called me up as soon as she could, and let me tell you, she was completely floating on air. I can honestly say that I have never heard Lizzie so happy in my entire life than at that moment. She just went on and on and on about how great of a guy Gordo was." "How sweet!" Anita exclaimed. "I love these little cheesy anecdotes." "Very cute," Ellen agreed. "So, what's the verdict on tonight, Lizzie?" "Gordo is looking very delectable in the corner over there," Anita added. Lizzie knew that Anita was right. Boy, was she right. But she wasn't going to do anything, as usual, "Guys, I'm not going to talk to him."

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"Oh, come on, Lizzie," Ellen begged. "Gordo is a super guy!" Lizzie was surprised that now Ellen and Anita were also telling her that she should go after Gordo. She was certain that they were the only two people who didn't know that Gordo had already broken up with Parker. But, the more that she thought about it, the more that Lizzie realized she wasn't so surprised after all. The mere thought of the fact that Ellen and Anita wouldn't know a piece of juicy gossip about her life was laughable. Lizzie simply added that to the list of things that made her feel so stupid, "So you guys knew too, huh?" Anita laughed, "Oh, please. Secrets are hard to keep in this group. The second we talked to Larry he cracked like me at a shoe sale." "And, of course, Anita came running to me with the news," Ellen added smugly. Lizzie was slightly infuriated, "And why didn't anyone come running to me with this bit of information?" "Well," Anita struggled to explain, "Kate had dibs on telling you, but she wasn't supposed to tell you, and then when she did tell you - " "Why didn't she tell me when she found out?" "'Why?' You ask?" Ellen took over. "Hmmthat's a good question, and if certain people didn't open their big mouths, then maybe this situation would be so uncomfortable right now." Ellen gave Anita an incriminating stare, who in turn shrugged and rolled her eyes, "Oh, like she wasn't going to find out." Lizzie couldn't believe that there was something else people weren't telling her, "Find out what?" Anita sighed, "Ellen and I have a running bet with Kate to see whether or not you'll go talk to Gordo tonight." "Well, technically it's not really a bet since we're all on the same side," Ellen corrected. "Yeah," Anita continued, "We all pretty much think you aren't going to do it." Lizzie was only slightly offended, but she was offended nonetheless, "What makes you guys think that?" "Lizzie. We know you. You don't do that kind of stuff," Anita bluntly explained. "I do to do that kind of stuff!" Lizzie defended. Ellen shook her head, "Face it, Lizzie. You are, and always will be, a little whimpering puppy dog. You are not and will never be a badass." "Actually," Miranda spoke up, "I think I'll take that bet with you guys."

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Lizzie knew she was best friends with her for a reason, "Thank you, Miranda. I'm glad someone has faith in me." "Well, yeah. But, you do realize that you owe me now, right? I want you to go over there and talk to him so I can win this bet!" Lizzie smirked triumphantly, as if she was actually the victor in the situation, "I am going to do just that." And with that, Lizzie walled off to go talk to Gordo, none the wiser of the plan the three "new" friends had just pulled off. Ellen took a sip of her drink as they all watched Lizzie go determine the result of their fictional bet, "Cruel, but oddly refreshing." Anita took a sip of her drink as well, "We are good. Miranda, you are an awesome actress." Miranda grinned, "And Lizzie said I couldn't act my way out of a paper bag. Now you guys know the truth. I really can act." Ellen nodded, "You are quite brilliant." "Throw in an eating disorder and you're Hollywood material," Anita joked. Miranda chuckled, "I guess you could say that I'm Hollywood material, then." Ellen nearly choked on her drink, "No way!" She shrugged, "It lasted for like, a week in Junior High." Anita laughed, "You rock, Miranda. I would so dump being Ellen's friend to be yours." Ellen smacked her, "Hey!" Miranda laughed, watching the two friends that she had heard so much about, thinking that they were just as Lizzie had described them, "Let's make a toast." The three women raised their glasses. "To Lizzie and Gordo," Miranda announced. "To Lizzie and Gordo!" Ellen and Anita agreed. They clinked their glasses together, and turned to watch the show unfold before their very eyes. ***** There was something going on inside of Lizzie's head that was completely blocking out the significance of what she was doing. She didn't realize that she hadn't talked to Gordo in months. She had miraculously forgotten exactly what she had said to

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him so long ago that put them on non-speaking terms. She refused to recognize the fact that he looked utterly dashing and debonair in every way possible. Well, maybe not the last part. But she did, in reasons beyond herself, and beyond everyone in the room, manage to make it across the floor over to Gordo and tap him on the shoulder. All without thinking about what the heck she was doing. "So, it looks like the movie was a big hit." Gordo was in the same boat as everyone else when he was surprised to find that Lizzie was talking to him. He straightened up, "Yeah." "So, a lot of people turned out." "Yeah." "They, uh, asked me what songs I wanted to play here." "Yeah?" "Ahh, finally I got a 'yeah' in a different tone." Gordo chuckled, "Sorry, I was justlost in thought." Lizzie and Gordo both turned their heads as a familiar song game over the speakers. "Hey," Gordo commented, still shocked that Lizzie was talking to him, but excited, and willing to talk back, knowing that the chance may not come along again for a while, "I recognize this one. I think we danced to it at the Senior Spring Fling." "Only because I was the DJ." They laughed. Gordo went back to his original state, "Yeah." There was a silence. Lizzie spoke up, "So, what's with Kate and Parker? You looked like a deer caught in the headlights over here." Gordo didn't even want to think back to the event that had just occurred, and hoped that he would never again have to witness one like it, "It was a catfight that I did not want to get in the middle of." "Oh, really?" Lizzie asked, interested. "Yeah, they were fighting over me," Gordo joked. Lizzie chuckled, "So who won?"

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"Actually, I think they both banded together and left me." "Well, in the case of Kate, you should be glad." They laughed again, and then stood in silence. "Gordo - " "Lizzie - " they said at the same time. Gordo was a gentleman, "You first." "Oh no, you," Lizzie politely declined. Gordo wouldn't have it, "Lizzie, you came up to me." Lizzie sighed, not wanting to get into a fight with Gordo, even if it was over something so miniscule, "SoumI heard that you and Parker broke up." Gordo paused with surprise. He wondered why she was mentioning this. Didn't she know? Hadn't she heard? Apparently, she hadn't. Which is why she had been acting so strange. It was all coming together for him, "I - I thought you knew that." "Well, actuallyno, I didn't. I didn't know until Kate told me a few days ago. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I didn't know about that, Gordo. I thought you two had re-cemented your relationship, not broken it off." "And when I came by with the flowers" Gordo said, continuing to piece the puzzle together. "It looked like you were trying to two-time me." He lightly laughed, "Ha. David Gordon dating two girls at once. Your imagination is certainly more fascinating than my personal life." With a small chuckle, Lizzie asked, "So, will you forgive me?" Gordo smiled and shrugged, "Only if you forgive me." "For what?" She wondered. "Well, for two things. One: For kissing you." Lizzie looked down and shook her head, "Gordo, you don't need to apologize for that. It's not like you were the only one doing the kissing" "And two: For not treating you like my best friend. I should have come to you first and told you about Parker." "Gordo, I can't expect you to come running to me every single time something happens." He shrugged, "I kind of expect you to do that. I guess I was just used to it."

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"Yeah, I did used to come to you for every problem." Gordo began to bounce on his heels, and they both noticed, but neither showed it, "I guess we both grew up. You learned to solve your problems without me." Lizzie nodded, "I guess so." Once again standing in silence, Lizzie and Gordo's awkwardness was thankfully broken by another song that they both knew well. I don't know where we stand anymore You've got one foot in my life And the other's out the door And I can't believe this is happening to me "Hey, I recognize this song," Gordo said, cheerfully. "Also the Spring Fling." Lizzie was happy to hear one of her most favorite songs playing at the party, "Well, I had to get one slow one in there, and Tim James is my absolute favorite." Lizzie unknowingly began to sway to the music, but Gordo noticed, much like she had noticed his bouncing, and he promptly held out his slightly shaking hand, "Would you like to dance?" She smiled, accepting the offer, "It would be my pleasure." Lizzie took his hand, and they made their way to the dance floor. Gordo placed his arms around Lizzie's waist, while she put hers on top of his shoulders. They began to dance. "I think this song came out when we were in, like, third grade," Lizzie commented, struggling to make conversation. "Who is this singing with him?" "Hoku." "...Oh yeah." Deep inside I've wanted to believe That somehow, maybe someday There'd be some one there for me And I hope I haven't lost my chance Lizzie chuckled at their somewhat strange conversation, "I feel like I'm in some kind of time warp. It's like the Spring Fling all over again." "You know, I never understood the name of that dance. You're supposed to go with your boyfriend or girlfriend, right?" Lizzie couldn't see what he didn't understand, "Generally, yes." "And yet, they call it a fling. So, am I supposed to bring my girlfriend or my

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mistress?" Gordo quipped. Lizzie laughed in response, "I never thought of it that way. So, I guess you should have gone with Kate, and I should have gone with Ethan." Gordo played along with her sarcastic remark, "So you did have a little side thing with him." "Oh, of course! You didn't think that I was a one-man kind of woman, did you?" "Aw, it's okay. I had my own side girls." "Well, I expected you to have some, but I'm sure you couldn't match the number of guys I cheated on you with." I don't want to wake up to reality Of you not being here with me There's so many possibilities That we let slip away And if you're heart could speak What would it say You're scared to say you love me, I'm Scared Will you always stay You don't have to run away Gordo chuckled to himself as he listened closely to the lyrics of the song that he and Lizzie were dancing to. He loved that the appropriate songs always seemed to play at the right moments. God is good. "What's so funny?" Lizzie asked. Gordo shook his head, "It's just this song." "Hey!" Lizzie slapped him playfully on the shoulder. "I love this song." "No, it's not that. It's a really good song, but for some reason life just seems to be full of little ironic moments." "What's ironic? You and me dancing together to this song after another big misunderstanding?" "That's not the ironic part, but we could write a book on misunderstandings, couldn't we?" Lizzie laughed, "It would be a 'How To' kind of book. How To: Create Misunderstandings." He laughed with her, "Exactly." "So, what's ironic, though?" Gordo wondered how he was going to get himself out of this one, "Oh, it's just that I, um, I - I just find this song ironic."

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"Okaythat still doesn't answer my question." "It's more like an inside joke," Gordo was grasping for straws. "You have an inside joke that I'm not privy to?" Luckily he thought of something, "It's an inside joke with myself. I mean, a joke that is - Wait, I can explain this. An inside joke on the inside of me. Really, this is the definition of an inside joke right here." "I get it, Gordo," Lizzie stopped him. Gordo was shocked. He wasn't even sure he got it himself, "You do?" "Yeah," she said, simply. "You're a psychopath." I wish I could believe in what I feel I've been fooled so many times before I don't know what is real Maybe I'm just fooling myself "I hate to brag," Lizzie bragged, "but we are really good at dancing together." Gordo nodded in agreement, "We really are." "You're the only guy who has never stepped on my toes before, you know." Gordo groaned with fright, "Well now you just jinxed me, McGuire! I'll probably end up stepping on your toes, and we'll have to take you to the emergency room. You'll miss this wonderful party, and you'll have to be wheeled around in a wheelchair for at least two months. We better stop dancing now before something happens and we set off that chain of events." Lizzie laughed, and if she had ever wondered what it was like to hear herself overreact over something insignificant, she had just received a dead-on impersonation, "I think I'll take my chances." "Are you sure?" Gordo asked. "Because you never know when I might slip." Lizzie smiled at him, "I have confidence in you." Lizzie and Gordo were both starting to feel more comfortable with each other. They had been speaking for the first time in months for less than ten minutes, and they were nearly back to their normal state. Lizzie leaned her head on Gordo's shoulder. Gordo tightened his arms around Lizzie. I've been running out of reasons to let go Tried opening up my feelings But your door is always closed

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And I find myself dreaming my life away Lizzie had been waiting forever to ask Gordo the question she was about to let herself say. But until that moment, she had never had to the courage to even toy with the idea of asking him. And yet, all it had taken was for her to walk over to him. Once she had done that, it was all downhill from there. With her head still on his shoulder, Lizzie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Gordo?" "Yeah?" He asked softly. "Do you think that, maybe we couldI don't know" Gordo paused, and Lizzie could feel him take a long breath of regret before he spoke, "Lizzie, we can't." Lizzie was sure that Gordo felt her heart break in her chest, and if he hadn't, he surely would see the tears that were soon to be on the shoulder of his tuxedo, "I thought we were on the same page, here. I'm at this place in my life where things could actually fit" "But how many other times have we thought we've been here? I think something is trying to tell us that we aren't meant to be together, Lizzie." Gordo sounded strong, but he was breaking down on the inside. Just barely managing to stay put, and not walk out of the room at that moment. Lizzie tried just as hard to keep her composure, "So there isn't even a sliver of a chance?" Gordo closed his eyes and whispered to her, "I'm sorry." Lizzie was starting to feel light-headed and she couldn't believe what was happening. Her heart was completely destroyed inside of her chest, and she couldn't bear to look Gordo in the eye. After all of the pushing from her friends, she had finally tried what they said would be so simple. They said that everything would work out fine in the end, and that she was a fool for not believing that it would. But they had all be wrong. She had tried, and she had failed. She tightened her grip on him so he wouldn't see the tears in her eyes, "I just - I still don't understand. You and me - it's the only thing that I have always known would be there, Gordo." Gordo could hear the sadness in Lizzie's voice, and he didn't blame her. Because he was feeling the exact same thing, "To tell you the truth, Lizzie, so did I. But it's just gotten too hard. I think it would be best for both of us if we justif we just walked away." Lizzie took a deep breath. Once Gordo had made up his mind, it was impossible to change it, and she knew that. "Yeah, I guess it just isn't fate in our case, right? I just wish things could be

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different, Gordo. I wish all of these stupid misunderstandings hadn't happened. Do you think we'd still be together?" "I'm not sure, Lizzie. But what I am sure of, is that as long as you have been my friend, I've known - " Lizzie finally loosened her grip on Gordo and looked him straight in the eye. With hope in her heart, she asked him, "What did you know?" ***** "There's my date! Ditching me for someone else already?" Miranda had impeccably bad timing. She appeared right next to Lizzie and Gordo the second after Lizzie had finally looked at Gordo, and the two dancing partners didn't speak for a good ten seconds. When they finally realized that there were things going on outside of their own little world, they turned towards Miranda and broke apart. "Hey, Miranda," Gordo said, as calm as possible. "And you, Lizzie. Trying to steal my date?" Lizzie sniffled and put her hands up in the air, "I confess." Miranda sighed and took a random moment to revel in the greatness of the night, "Tonight is amazingOh, anyway, Lizzie, your publicist told me to come get you. They want you to make a speech." All around the room, various cast and crewmembers began chanting Lizzie's name, urging her to make a speech. Gordo gave her a reassuring smile, and encouraged her to go up onto the stage, "Go on, Lizzie. Your public awaits. You deserve it." Lizzie shook her head and looked Gordo in the eye once again, serious as ever, "Not until you tell me what you knew, Gordo." Miranda had stepped off to the side, and now that she was out of the way, Gordo leaned in and gave Lizzie a kiss on the cheek. He whispered in her ear as his eyes filled with tears, "Goodbye, Lizzie." The crew pulled Lizzie up to the stage as Gordo walked over to a secluded corner of the room. "Hello, everyone," Lizzie began, her voice a bit shaky and her brain not completely there. "How are you guys doing?" Everyone in the room began to cheer, making Lizzie smile. Gordo was watching from the same secluded corner, with a drink in his hand. He couldn't have been more proud of Lizzie than he was at that very moment.

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"So," Lizzie continued, "I guess why I came up her was to thank all of you. The crew and the cast worked really hard to make this movie such as success, and I'm so unbelievably proud of the work we've all done. Let's just hope that the American public feels the same way too, and makes me some pocket change from this movie." The entire room laughed. With the exception of Gordo. He just watched as Lizzie went on, downing the last of his champagne, and setting his glass down on the table beside him. From the stage, Lizzie noticed Gordo move from his corner. She watched him walk up to Miranda, whisper in her ear, and hug her. Lizzie had stopped speaking all together. He took one last look at Lizzie, whispering to himself, "Goodbye, McG." Gordo turned around, and walked away. Lizzie was about to start bawling, and she had to get off of that stage. "Um - I - I just want to saylet's enjoy this party!" With tears in her eyes, she hurried down the stairs and over to Miranda, who was standing amongst many good-looking men. The men didn't faze Lizzie for one second, "Excuse me, can I steal my friend Miranda for a moment?" "Sorry guys," Miranda apologized, sad she had to cut the conversation short, "my friend duties await me, but I'll leave my phone number so you guys can give me a call." Before Miranda could do anything of the sort, she was dragged away by Lizzie to a private part of the room. "What did Gordo say to you?" "Oh, just that he was leaving, but that he wasn't going to take the limo, so I shouldn't be worried about getting a ride home." Lizzie waited for something more, but Miranda said nothing else, "That's it? Are you sure? Nothing else about me? Or about us?" Miranda shook her head, "I'm sorry, Lizzie." She began to cry, "You have nothing to be sorry about, Miranda." Miranda put her arm around Lizzie, "I just wish I had been here this whole time. None of these misunderstandings would have happened, and you and Gordo would still be together." Lizzie looked down at the floor and whispered, "He's right. It wasn't meant to be."

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Chapter 33

In the only way she knew how, Miranda consoled Lizzie by walking her over to an isolated table nearby, and they both sat down. "Lizzie, you can't keep hurting yourself like this. Gordo is just a guy, okay?" Lizzie wiped the tears from her face, "Yeah, but he's the only guy that I've ever felt this way for." "You'll like other guys, Lizzie. Trust me." Miranda had been trying her hardest to make Lizzie believe that everything was going to be all right, but both of them really knew that there was nothing anyone could say that would make their current situation any better. "Why does everyone keep saying this crap?" Lizzie exclaimed. Miranda was shocked, "Excuse me?" "Yeah, I said it, and I don't care. Quite frankly, I could say it all night long. I like saying it! Crap, crap, crap! CRAP!" Miranda, embarrassed, looked around her to make sure that there wasn't anyone staring. Despite Lizzie's outburst, no one was paying attention. She whispered, "Did you take an anti-Lizzie McGuire pill this morning?" Lizzie started to cry again as she shook her head and looked down at the tabletop, "I don't know, Miranda." "Yeah, well you seem to be harboring a lot of hostility right now, and rather than directing it towards little ol' innocent me, why don't you try sending it in Gordo's direction?" Lizzie sighed, "I'm sorry, Miranda. It's just that lately, things haven't been working out the way I want them to." "When do they ever?" Miranda wondered. "I mean, that's life, Lizzie. You know that.

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You've been through it before, and if you're just realizing now that things don't always go as planned, you're slower than Ethan. What about the time you wanted to be that one girl's role model, or when you fell for that jerk Paolo, or - " "I get it, I get it," Lizzie stopped her. "But Miranda, this isn't the same. This is Gordo." Miranda knew she was right, "I know, Lizzie. I'm sorry." Lizzie shook her head, wiping a few more tears away, which had never stopped falling since she sat down at the table, "How could he do this to me?" "Well, what did he say, exactly?" Lizzie sniffed, "He said that all we ever do is heart each other, and that he doesn't want to hurt me anymore." "That's kind of lame." She shrugged, "Maybe it doesn't hurt him as much to not be with me. Because it hurts me to not be with him." "Lizzie, you weren't with him all night. Trust me. I saw the way he was looking at you tonight. There is absolutely no way that he isn't hurting as much as you are, if not more than you. I can guarantee that he's just out, right now, moping. He doesn't have the limo, and he's probably out walking around Central Park, trying desperately to work things out in his head." Lizzie was pleasantly reassured, "You think?" Miranda smiled, "It's Gordo. Has he really changed that much?" "I guess not." Lizzie groaned, "Ugh! Things are so complicated. Why can't this just be like junior year of high school? My relationship with Gordo back then was nothing like it is now. It was great, it was beyond great, and all I had to do was go along with the programI hate growing up." "There are good things that come with growing up, too." "Yeah? Like what?" Lizzie challenged. "Like living on your own. Now you don't have to worry about hiding Gordo from your parents." Lizzie looked down, "If there were a Gordo to hide." Miranda said nothing for a moment, but then quietly commented, "Well, you get my point." "I just wish" Lizzie began to silently cry. "Me too, Lizzie," Miranda put her arm around her heart-broken friend, "Me too."

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When Miranda noticed that Lizzie had calmed down a bit, she continued, "Did you tell him all of this, Lizzie?" She shrugged, "Well, I told him that I wanted to be with him again." Miranda sighed, "Although I hate to admit this, Lizzie, Gordo is a guy." "Yeah," Lizzie said, confused, "That's one of the things I like most about him." "No, I mean, he's dense. You know, brick-like." Lizzie shook her head, "Miranda, I tried. Every single time I asked him why, he would just come up with another excuse. He knows how I feel about him and he obviously just doesn't feel the same way about me." Miranda didn't know how to respond, so she said the first thing that came to her mind, "Boys are stupid." Lizzie chuckled, "You are wise beyond your years." ***** The night before, both the director and the star of "Out of Reach" left the premiere party early. At the time, people had wondered why, but the excitement of the party overshadowed the confusion, and soon everyone had forgotten that Lizzie and Gordo were not in attendance. It was the next day, and Gordo, along with Kate, Larry, and Ethan, were packing up his things to move into his new apartment. Gordo, of course, was still in the same funk that he was in the night before when he had left the premiere to walk around Central Park, trying to sort things out in his head. He stood in the middle of his apartment, surrounded by boxes, as he spoke to his three friends, "Thanks for helping me out, guys." Kate was standing a few feet away in Gordo's kitchen, "You so owe me for all of this heavy lifting that I'm doing for you." She picked up a towel off of the counter and threw it into a box, turning once again to Gordo, "This could break a nail, you know." "Then I'll owe you a manicure." "You'll owe me ten by the time we're done with this, my friend." Kate picked a mug off of the counter and threw it into a box, causing the mug to break the second it landed. She laughed with no remorse, "Whoops." Gordo simply stood where he had been before, and shot Kate a look. Kate rolled her eyes, "Oh, fine. I'll pay you back the three cents that I'm sure you paid for that tacky cup, okay? Ethan, write Gordo a check for three cents."

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Meanwhile, as Gordo and Kate argued over the mug that had just been broken, Larry and Ethan were struggling to push Gordo's sofa out the door. So far, they had been unsuccessful. "Uh, honey?" Ethan's voice faltered as he gave a big shove to try and get the sofa out the door. "I'm a little busy right now." From outside, everyone inside the apartment could hear Larry's faint voice as he yelled out, "PIVOT! PIVOT!" No one responded. "Well then you remember to write the check! Ugh!" Kate flipped her hair over her shoulder and returned to whatever it was she had not been doing before. A few minutes later, after watching Ethan and Larry struggle with the couch, Kate asked Gordo, "Tell me why you didn't hire movers, again?" Gordo shrugged, "I don't like strangers touching my things." "Uh-huh. And yet, you let Larry touch your stuff. What is that about?" "Larry isn't a stranger." "But he's someone who doesn't exactly know the meaning of personal hygiene. And in my opinion, that's worse than being a stranger." Gordo rolled his eyes, "Kate, can you please be civilized today?" Kate groaned, "Yes, sir." As Kate continued to watch the two men get pummeled by a couch, Gordo took a quick glance over at the kitchen. Everything was still in its original place, and there were empty boxes lying all around. Sans, of course, the one containing the towel and the other one containing the broken mug. Gordo figured that perhaps the kitchen was not the best place for someone who didn't care much about whether or not your plates came out broken to be working. He quickly appointed Kate as supervisor before any more damage could be done. Kate grinned, "I am so good at supervising." "I know, and that's why I wanted to make you supervisor." "These are the times when I actually believe that you are a certified genius," Kate kicked back on the last remaining chair that was sitting right in front of the TV, and began channel surfing. She spoke over the randomly changing channels, "So, what are you going to do with your month off?" Gordo had taken over in the kitchen, and was packing some of his plates into a box, "Parker planned a little trip for me. I need to get away for a while."

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By then, Ethan and Larry had abandoned their ambitions to get the couch through the door, so they just left it wedged there, and went back into the apartment to help with the smaller things. Ethan looked up from his box, "Where are you going, bro?" Gordo was a bit apprehensive about letting everyone know where he was going to be, but he told anyway, "Italy, actually." Kate scoffed, "Italy? Well that's just stupid." Gordo shrugged, "Well, I didn't get a very good look at it the first time around. I was always worried about Ungermeyer catching Lizzie, so I never took the time to really enjoy it. And now that I actually have that time, I want to use it." Larry was propped up against a wall, wiping off his sweat with a towel and chugging down a bottle of water, "And there's no other reason why you're about to flee to the country where you and Lizzie happened to share your first kiss and where she essentially kicked off her career as a successful singer?" Gordo looked embarrassed when he finally divulged the second reason why he was heading off to Italy, "Well, gelato. I did have it while I was there the first time, and it sure beats ice cream, man." Larry laughed to himself, "You can get that in Little Italy." Kate shook her head, "It's not the same. I found that out when I used to actually eat carbs." Larry sighed and put the cap back onto his empty water bottle, "Man, I wish I would have gone with you guys. I always miss out on the good stuff." Kate wasn't sympathetic to Larry's story and looked to Gordo again, "When do you leave?" "Tomorrow. I'll get my stuff out of here early in the morning and then Parker is going to take care of my new place while I'm gone." Larry was still upset that he never got to go to Italy, "Hey, Gordo? Do you think you could possibly make that a trip for two?" "Larry," Kate sternly pointed out, "The whole idea of Gordo getting away from it all is so that he can get away from it ALL. And that includes you." Gordo wasn't nearly as harsh, "I just need to be by myself for a while, Larry, but I promise the next time I go you'll be the first person I call." Larry stood up from is seat on the floor and shuffled over to an empty box with a sad look on his face, "All right." Gordo walked over to Larry and put his hand on his shoulder, "Oh, come on. Who's the coolest manager around?"

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Larry shrugged and mumbled, "I am." Gordo shook his head, "I can't hear you." More enthused, Larry smiled as he yelled, "I am!" From across the room, Kate groaned in disgust, "You guys are sick. Anyway, while we're all here, and since we know that sofa isn't going to go anywhere any time soon, let's have a little chat." Gordo took his arm off of Larry's shoulder, "Chat?" "Yeah, let's have a little tte--tte, fellas. About what happened at the premiere." "Kate," Gordo pointed out, "you can't have a tte--tte between four people. The exact definition is 'private conversation between two persons.'" Kate glared at Gordo, and he shut up. Larry had pulled another water bottle out of Gordo's fridge and had just taken his second sip, "I knew you were going to bring this up, Kate. You just can't let things go, can you?" "Hey, I just want to give Gordo the chance to explain why he's given up on such a catch." "Well maybe you should just leave Gordo alone and mind your own business." "And maybe you should get some balls and ask him about it, instead of pretending to move a couch while Ethan does all the work." "Maybe you should let your man carry the balls." Kate's eyes widened as she jumped up from her chair, "Oh yeah?!" "YEAH!" Gordo darted in between them, breaking up the fight, "Will you two stop it?" Guilty looks befell the faces of Larry and Kate, and they both backed down, ashamed. Ethan, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea of the insults that were being thrown between the two, some of which were even aimed at him. He was too mesmerized by Gordo's lava lamp, which sat on a table at the side of the room. Unplugged. "Finally," Gordo said, relieved. "And don't think that I'm not insulted by the fact that you two are talking about me as if I'm not in the room. Because I am. Now, Kate, Larry is right. You need to mind your own business." "Hah!" Larry laughed triumphantly. Kate scowled.

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"And Larry, Kate's right. I don't want you guys to ignore my problems, but to ask me about them." "HAH!" Kate's scowl turned into a smirk. "Now, guys. I'm fine, okay? I ended the drama once and for all, and that's all I have to say about it. Yeah, it sucks, all right? I know that. I care about Lizzie like you wouldn't believe, but this is the way things are going to be. I'm out of her league, and she deserves someone a hell of a lot better than me. End of discussion." Kate protested, "But - " "Ah!" Gordo stopped her. "End of discussion. Not another word out of you, Kate." The three others were surprised to hear Ethan chime into the conversation, assuming he would be mesmerized by the nonworking lava lamp for much longer than he had been, "Man, this totally reminds me of that one song." "What song?" Kate asked. "You know, that *NSYNC song, 'That Girl Will Never Be Mine.'" After clearing his throat, Ethan proceeded to belt out a verse: How can I get next to her Now tell me how it's gonna be done Will I win or lose this one? (Don't care about the fact that) She's in a different league They say it's no use that I try That girl will never be mine Gordo and Kate simply stared in horror, as if their worst nightmare was coming alive before their very eyes. Gordo whimpered, "I'm glad he's not my boyfriend." "I'll pay you to take him from me," Kate begged. Excited, Larry stepped forward, "Guys! This song is awesome! I totally remember it." Larry and Ethan continued to sing the next verse together: Next thing, she's livin' in my TV That girl, stealin' every daydream Tough luck, she had to be a star when I'm just same old me But last night, I ran into her briefly Guess what, she really wanna see me They said that I was out of line Who's wrong, who's right this time? Once finished, Ethan turned to Gordo, "Dude, it totally represents your life! Lizzie is livin' in your TV. Wellnot really living in your TV. I mean, I don't think she is. Maybe

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she is" "What he's trying to say is that this song completely rocks!" Ethan nodded, "It does. And it totally represents the struggles you and Lizzie have. Rock out to it, man. Rock out!" Kate was thoroughly frightened, "Um, as supervisor, I advise you to stop singing and continue moving the sofa before we have to kill and eat Larry for dinner because that stupid thing is blocking our only way out." Gordo nodded, "I'm going to have to agree with Kate on this one. That song is justnot good." Larry rolled his eyes, "Whatever Pop Star Magazine Boy. And you, little Miss Left Behind in Kindergarten." "Don't diss on the song, dude. Feel the vibe. It says to try it out with the girl. That's all I'm saying." After speaking their peace, Ethan and Larry went back to their impossible task of getting the sofa out the door. Yet, ten minutes later, the sofa was miraculously removed from the doorway and was brought down the street and put into the moving van. Gordo was left to ponder Ethan's message as the two men were outside. Kate noticed Gordo's blank stare, "Gordo? Earth to Gordo? What do you want me to do with all this stuff?" Gordo looked over in the direction that Kate was pointing. All he could see was a bunch of junk from his closet, something he wouldn't even think Kate would have to ask about throwing away. He almost told her to trash the whole pile, when he noticed a large, familiar shoebox sitting under the pile of worthless junk. He whispered to himself, "The Lizzie box." "What?" Kate asked, not hearing. Gordo looked to Kate as he thought to himself for a moment. He had to make a quick decision. He couldn't just grab the shoebox and tell Kate to scrap the rest, surely she would ask what it was, and that would cause a bigger scene than Gordo wanted to deal with at the moment. But why would he grab the shoebox? He didn't want it, anyway. "Trash it. It's just junk. I don't need it." As Gordo walked over to the other side of the room, Kate began to throw away all of the stuff from Gordo's closet that lay on the floor. When she reached the bottom of the pile, she noticed that the shoebox sitting in front of her didn't seem as much like junk as the rest of the pile had. When Gordo's back was turned, she sneaked a small peek at what was inside. In the short window of time she had to look at what was inside, all she saw was a picture of Lizzie, and figured that it must have just been some of her old things.

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Already having had one confrontation with Gordo that day and not wanting to have another one, Kate decided to just take the box to Lizzie herself. ***** After a long hard day of moving, Gordo surveyed his completely barren apartment. Tomorrow, he would be living in a bigger place. He sighed, taking in all of the memories that he had of that apartment. All of the memories he had of that period of his life. And now, he was moving forward into a new stage in his life, when he would actually become an adult. Gordo walked into the bedroom and picked up his laptop, the only thing that was still left unpacked. He logged on and soon found himself downloading the *NSYNC song that Larry and Ethan had introduced him to earlier that day. "I can't believe I'm doing this," Gordo said to himself, ashamed of his actions. After listening to the song just once, Gordo deleted it off of his hard drive. "I don't think anything will ever beat 'Out of Reach.'" ***** "Rise and shine, big boy." It was the next morning, and Gordo awoke to the vision of Parker standing over him. He quickly shut his eyes. Parker gave him a few slaps in the face, "Time for the official move in." He groaned and turned over in his bed, "I'm all ready." Parker looked around the room, "It looks like we've got your computer and some sheets." Still on his side, Gordo spoke in a groggy voice, "That's about it. My bags are already packed over at my new place." "Well then come on!" Parker demanded. "Let's go!" Once he finally got up, Parker drove Gordo to his new place so that they could pick up his luggage for his trip. They immediately put his bags into the car and headed straight for the airport. On the way there, Gordo thought about the new stage in his life, "I can't believe that entire place is mine." "I can't believe that it's going to be my place for a while." "Hey," Gordo warned her, "no wild parties, Parker. I want a nice place to come back to."

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Parker rolled her eyes, "Were you this uptight when we were dating?" "Probably. I try to come off as mellow, but all in all, I'm pretty much uptight." "So, are you excited to get away from it all?" "I think so, yeah. This trip will really clear my head." Parker wasn't so sure, "You think? I mean, you're going to the place where you had your first kiss with Lizzie. Isn't everything you see there going to remind you of her?" Gordo looked out the window, "Maybe. But going there is as close as I can get to Lizzie right now. It's kind of like a practice run, so that I can see if I'll be able to handle the real her when I get back." Parker shook her head, "I still don't understand why you rejected her." "I didn't reject her. I wouldn't call it that." "Then what would you call it?" "I would just say that I'm doing the best thing for both of us. We all know that relationship wasn't healthy. We didn't trust each other enough, and we didn't want to fight for it anymore." "I don't know. It seemed to me like Lizzie was putting up a fight." Gordo scoffed, "Yeah, some fight. I convinced her in less than a minute that we weren't right for each other." Parker shook her head in disgust, "You know, I hate to say this Gordo, but you are acting like complete jerk." "What?" "You heard me. You're acting like a jerk! The only reason why you told Lizzie all of that crap about not being able to see her anymore because it might hurt her was so that you could test her. And obviously Lizzie failed." Gordo continued to stare out the window, "I don't know what you're talking about, Parker." "God, you're so smart you probably didn't even realize what you were doing. You told Lizzie all of that stuff about not being able to be together just to see how hard she would fight for you. And now, because she 'gave up so easily,' you get to see yourself as the victim in the situation." Gordo spun his head to look at Parker as he adamantly protested, "That was not my intention." "Yeah, I know it wasn't your intention, Gordo, but can you honestly tell me that the thought didn't go through your mind?"

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Gordo looked away. "I thought so. Well good for you, Gordo. Because your plan came around and bit you in the butt." "It wasn't a plan," Gordo said, quietly. "Well then your unintentional course of actions came around and bit you in the butt." After a few moments of staying quiet, Gordo spoke up again, "It just wasn't in the cards, okay Parker?" Parker scoffed, "Oh, right. It just 'wasn't meant to be?' Yeah, well besides the fact that you just fed me a total clich line, which I will make fun of you for later, I can't believe that I'm hearing David Gordon say this. You're so logical, Gordo. Next thing I know I'll be seeing Ethan discover a cure for cancer." "Just drop it, Parker. Let's spend our last few minutes before I leave in peace." "Yeah, what makes you think that I would ever agree to that?" "Does Kate just rub off on everyone? Jeez, all I'm asking is that you please just drop this. For me, Parker." Parker reluctantly conceded, "All right. I guess." "Oh, and one more thing. Don't tell anyone where I am, okay? And when I say anyone, I mean anyone." "Why not?" "You know Kate and the rest of them, Parker. They will end up calling non-stop so that they can check up on me." "And this rule, does it also apply to a certain blonde we know?" "Especially her." "Oh, come on! Why? We all know you want her to come after you." "No one, Parker. I just need some time to think, and if I end up talking to Lizziewell, who knows what might happen." "You might actually end up happy for once in your life?" Gordo stared at Parker, "I was happy with another girl, okay?" "Gordo, flattery does not get you out of this conversation, I hope you know." "Ah," Gordo said, pointing out the window, "but arriving at the airport does." As Parker pulled up to the curb, Gordo unbuckled his seatbelt and said his last goodbye to his friend, "I'll see you in a week. Thanks again for taking me to the

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airport. And I'm serious about those wild parties, Parker." Parker laughed, "Me? Throw a party?" "Parker, we started dating at Parkerpalooza '09." She put up a finger, "Hey, I was in college then. You buy a keg and have a live band and all of the sudden it becomes a palooza." "Well then no paloozas." "Yes, sir," she complied. "No paloozas. Now you better go before you miss your flight." "Bye Parker," Gordo said as he got out of the car. "See ya!" Parker watched Gordo pull his luggage from the trunk, walk towards the airport, and wave just as he went through the automatic doors. Once he was out of sight, Parker sped off as she laughed to herself, "He never said anything about a kegger!" ***** Lizzie had sunk back into her depression. Every spare moment she could find was spent locked in her room, furiously writing potential songs in her journal. Kate walked in that day and found Lizzie with her notebook in hand. She groaned, "Not this again." Still writing, Lizzie commented, "Kate, when are you going to get that I can write songs? I do that now." "Oh, you do? Then tell me one of them." "They aren't ready yet." "I'm not saying tell me all of them. Just tell me one." Lizzie looked up and smirked, "Okay, here's one." Lizzie began to sing: Kate thinks she's hot But she always gets caught With a pimple on her face Oh yeah, with a pimple on her face. Kate rolled her eyes at Lizzie's stupid song with the surprisingly catchy tune, "Thanks

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for taking me seriously, McGuire." "Oh, you didn't like your song? Well I have plenty more where that came from." "At least get out of that bathrobe." "I don't have to do what you say, Kate. You aren't my mother. In fact, you want to know something? Even my mom doesn't tell me what to do." Kate was taken aback by Lizzie's snippy attitude, "You know that this whole thing is your fault, right?" "What? How is it my fault?" Lizzie wondered. "Because you never go after the guy." "Hey, I asked him if he wanted to go out with me and he said no." "Did you even try to fight what he said?" "Wellno, but - " "No buts, Lizzie. You are the one who blew it. Gordo gave you an easy out and you took it." "Yeah, so what if I did?" Lizzie countered. "Fine, I'm the most horrible person in the world because I took the easy way out. Are you happy?" Kate sighed, "Lizzie, contrary to popular belief, your misery does not bring me any joy." Lizzie shook her head, "It's too late." "No," Kate disagreed, "it's never too late. Now, I have to go, and I'm meeting Ethan tomorrow, so enjoy your time off if I don't see you." "I will. And a lot of my time is going to be spent writing songs. Just to spite you." Kate glared at Lizzie, "One of these days you are going to push me too far." "Goodnight, Kate," Lizzie said, going back to her journal. Just before she left, Kate turned back around, "Oh, I almost forgot. I left a box out in the kitchen that has your name on it." Lizzie was intrigued, "What's in it?" Kate shrugged, "I don't know, it's just a box that I picked up at Gordo's." Lizzie put down her notebook, "Is it something from Gordo?" "I have no idea! It was just a box I found in his apartment that had your name on it. Now, I have to go. My replacements should be here soon."

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Lizzie followed Kate out of her room, but when Kate turned to leave, Lizzie kept walking to the kitchen. Just as Kate was walking out the door, Ellen and Anita made their way into the apartment. Kate was pleased with their punctuality, "Perfect timing." "We live to serve," Ellen commented. "Where is Miss Pathetic?" Anita asked. "Over in the kitchen," Kate directed them, and then left. In the kitchen, Lizzie saw the shoebox with her name on it. Wondering what was inside, she furrowed her brow and sat down on one of the stools at her counter. She carefully opened the box, and inside, found an incredible amount of photos and papers. Amazed, Lizzie dumped the box on the counter and sat there, digging through all of the contents. As she picked up the first photo, and the others that followed, she noticed that they were all pictures of her, either by herself or with others. She laughed at some of the sill photos from her childhood. Looking at a photo of Gordo, Miranda, and herself covered from head to toe in rice pudding, Lizzie noticed Ellen and Anita sit down on either side of her. "What is that all over you?" Ellen asked, slightly disgusted. Lizzie chuckled, "Rice pudding." "Rice pudding?" Anita groaned. "I would rather throw that at people than eat it, too." Still laughing, Lizzie added, "I ended up finding rice pudding on myself a week later." "Scandalous," Ellen commented. "So," Lizzie began, still looking through the photos, "Kate sent you two to baby-sit me?" Anita picked up a few pictures and looked through them, "Well, we can't have our leading lady committing suicide on us. How else would we do the sequel?" "Well, I'm glad you have concern for my well-being," Lizzie sarcastically remarked. "So what is all this stuff?" Ellen asked. "It looks like someone has a stalker." "It's a box that Kate found at Gordo's," Lizzie answered. Anita grinned, "Gordo as a stalker? I would love that. Can you imagine his cute little -" Anita stopped, noticing Ellen mimicking the motion of a slit throat as Lizzie stared at Anita. Lizzie saw Anita looking at Ellen, and turned around to see what she was staring at, only to catch the tail end of Ellen's threatening motions. Ellen tried desperately to wipe the guilty look off her face, but it was no use.

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Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Guys, I don't need you to censor your conversations. I'm fine. Really, I am. I have gotten over him before, and I will get over him again. Who knows? Maybe this time will be easier." They all knew that was a lie, and despite Lizzie's plea for the uncensored conversations, Anita and Ellen still did not want to venture into the topic about how Lizzie had never really gotten over Gordo, and how she never really would. Sifting through the photos, Ellen suddenly came to the bottom of the pile where she found something that caught her attention, "Hey, what's this?" Out from the mess of photos, Ellen pulled out a sealed envelope. Anita reached in front of Lizzie, "Gimme that, let me see." Anita grabbed the envelope out of Ellen's hands and inspected it, turning to Lizzie, "It's addressed to you, Lizzie. It's from Gordo." "Open it up!" Ellen demanded. Anita held out the envelope to Lizzie, and she accepted it, confused. Hesitantly, she opened the envelope, and looked at the letter that was inside. "Well?" Anita asked after a few seconds. "What is it?" "You can't just open up a private letter and not read it out loud," Ellen explained. "It's against some kind of code of privacy amongst friends." "And it really just slows down the inevitable gossip." Lizzie couldn't hear the statements being made by her friends. If you had asked her later that day, she wouldn't have even known that Anita and Ellen were talking. All she could do was read the words in the letter over and over again, trying to process what exactly it was that she held in front of her. Dear Lizzie, Even though we are thousands of miles apart, I have never felt closer to you than I do now. Everything seems to be going my way; classes are great, friends are great, but even with all of that, our weekly correspondence is the highlight of every week. You've probably heard that I'm casually seeing Parker. She is a nice girl, but I don't have the same feelings towards her that she has towards me. I find myself holding back. Not wanting to pursue the relationship any further because of you. Recently, when I was rummaging through a box filled with photos and memories of our past, I realized something. I realized that I have never gotten over you, Lizzie. You are the girl that I gave my pudding cup to in kindergarten, and you turned into the beautiful woman, inside and out, that I fell in love with. I know I have never told you that before, and that the first time I do shouldn't be

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in a letter, but I needed to let you know how I feel. You are my first love, Lizzie, and I want you to be my only love. Everything about you does something to me. I think about you constantly, and every time I do a smile comes to my face. It's just something that I can't seem to help. And I was kind of hoping, after all this time, that you felt the same way about me. I need to know how you feel about me, so I will know if I should move on or not. We fit together, Lizzie. I know we do. Because no God could be cruel enough to keep me apart from the perfect woman. And right now, with us not even living in the same country, this may seem ridiculousBut I would follow you anywhere. We have been best friends for as long as I can remember, and there is no person on this Earth that I am closer to or care more about. I love you, Lizzie McGuire, and regardless of how you feel about me, I will always love you. Always. Love, Gordo "He really did love me"

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Chapter 34

Anita's interest suddenly skyrocketed, "Who's in love with me - I mean you? Everyone loves me, I know that, but who loves you?" Ellen bounced up and down on her stool, "Is it Gordo? Is it Gordo?" "It is, isn't it? I knew it!" "You did not. I said it first!" "I thought it before you said it!" "You so did not! You just want to get the credit for knowing first even though we both know that I was the one who thought of it first." "Oh my God, Ellen! Stop putting words in my mouth! You always do this!" "How was that even remotely close to putting words in your mouth? Are you crazy?" "Stop it," Lizzie whispered. Anita and Ellen stopped their childish bickering. "You're both right. It's from Gordo." Anita and Ellen figured that Lizzie wasn't about to tear her eyes away from the letter any time soon, let alone give it to either of them to read. So they glanced at each other, jumped off of their seats, and looked over Lizzie's shoulders to read the letter for themselves. "Check the date on that thing," Ellen pointed out. "That letter isn't even from this year." They all looked at the date, but the only one it had any impact on was Lizzie. She knew that date. It had been a Friday. "This was THE letter," Lizzie said, shocked.

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Anita was confused, as usual, "What letter?" It took Lizzie a moment to get the words out, but she finally did, "Thisthis is the letter that I thought Gordo had missed. ButI guess he wrote it." "Oh!" Ellen remembered. "You mean that story you told me about how Gordo forgot to send you one of those letters that you guys were writing to each other each week?" "Yeah," Lizzie shook her head. "Can you believe this?" "Wait," Anita stopped them, still confused, "how do you know that this is that letter? Oh, never mind actually. I'm sure you had the date memorized. Continue." Lizzie folded the letter again and stood up from her seat, "I have to go talk to him." Ellen grinned, "Lizzie McGuire is taking initiative. I like it." Anita squealed, "You have that aura about you today. You go girl!" Lizzie cringed, "Anita, you were supposed to refrain from saying that ever again." As Lizzie headed towards the door, Anita bowed her head in shame. Clearly, Ellen was the only one seeing a problem with the picture being painted before them. She stopped Lizzie, "Whoa there. What do you think you're doing?" "I'm going to Gordo's. I thought you wanted me to be all gung ho." Anita looked up and started laughing, "Yeah, but not in your bathrobe and bunny slippers." Lizzie paused, her hand just inches from the door, and looked down at the smiling bunnies that covered her feet. She nodded, "I see your point." Ellen watched as Lizzie darted into her room to get changed into some more respectable clothes, "We raised her right." Anita sighed, "I always said she was going to be a little heartbreaker." "Yeah, but let's just hope that it isn't her heart that gets broken again." Anita was silent, and a look of sadness and disappointment came over her face. She was clearly distraught over the fact that Lizzie was about to steal Gordo away from her forever. Ellen noticed and rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, Anita! Even with Gordo's hair? Seriously?" "I think it's adorable." Ellen scoffed, "Yeah, if you like the Carrot-Top look."

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There was a pause between the two. Ellen spoke up again, "Speaking of carrots, are you hungry?" Anita was suddenly happy again, "Yeah!" Anita and Ellen jumped up from their stools, grabbed their coats, and headed for the door. Ellen was halfway out the door when she noticed Anita quickly turn around and run back to the counter. She grabbed a handful of photos of Lizzie and Gordo out of the shoebox and headed back towards the door. Ellen stopped her, "What the heck are you doing?" Anita looked at Ellen, wondering how she couldn't see what was so completely obvious, "I'm going to take the pictures, scan them into my computer, and Photoshop my head onto Lizzie's." Anita walked out of the apartment. Ellen shook her head and followed. ***** After changing, Lizzie rushed to Gordo's apartment as fast as she possibly could. When she arrived at his doorstep, out of breath, she knocked on his door without any hesitation. The impact from her knock caused the door to swing open. Lizzie wondered why Gordo would just leave his door opened like that, and she figured that he wouldn't mind if she poked her head in to see what was up. When she did, she didn't see much of anything. Opening the door further, Lizzie saw that the apartment was completely empty. She walked in. "Hello? Anybody home?" Out of what used to be Gordo's bedroom walked a woman in a business suit, "Hi, I'm Kathy. Are you here about the apartment?" "Ohum, no. I must have the wrong apartment, because my friend actually lives in this building, so" The realtor graciously offered her help, "What number are you looking for?" "11 C." Kathy nodded, "This is 11 C." Lizzie shook her head, "Butit can't be. He would never leave without at least saying goodbye to me." She shrugged, "I'm sorry, but he moved out this morning." Lizzie looked around the empty apartment, thanked the realtor, and left.

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***** Lizzie didn't know where she was going, but she was still in a hurry. She had to figure out where Gordo went so that she could talk to him, yet she had absolutely no leads as to where he might be. So she decided to get in contact with the best source she could think of, and pulled out her cell phone. Kate picked up the phone on the other end, "What's up, Lizzie?" Lizzie got straight to the point, not wasting any time, "Where is Gordo?" "I don't kn - Oh wait, umI think he's in Italy." "What?" "Italy." "What is he doing there?" "Taking a break. Trying not to think about you." "Well where in Italy is he exactly? Can you point me in the right direction?" It killed Kate that she couldn't help Lizzie now that she was finally taking initiative, "I don't know, Lizzie. I'm sorry." Lizzie wouldn't take no for an answer, "Can you tell me someone who would?" "Well," Kate thought, "I can think of someone who might know, but I don't think you'll go for the idea." "Try me." ***** Entering Gordo's production office, Lizzie ran up to the front desk, "Excuse me, I'm looking for Parker McKenzie." Lizzie noticed the nameplate of the secretary sitting behind the desk. She stared intently at Daphne waiting for a response. Daphne responded, "I'm sorry, Parker is on an important phone call right now, but she will be available in about an hour or so." "I can't wait an hour," Lizzie stormed past Daphne's desk, shaking her head. "Hey!" Daphne yelled, "You can't go in there!" Daphne tried to run after Lizzie, but her headset was still on, and as she headed towards the office door, the cord jerked her back and she fell to the ground. "Son of a mother," Daphne groaned. "I need a new job."

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Lizzie stormed her way into Parker's office to find her sitting in a large chair, talking on the phone, "No, Matt. How many times to I have to tell you? People won't drink from a keg unless there are plastic cups. Red ones to be exact. No, I'm not going to buy new glasses for the kegger. Uh huh. Yes. Okay, that sounds great." "Parker, I need to talk to you right now," Lizzie demanded. Parker spun around in her chair, surprised. She quickly ended the call with Matt by whispering into the receiver, "Yes, get the 25 foot wrestling ring. Okay. I'm going to have to call you back." Parker hung up the phone, "What's going on?" "Where is Gordo?" Parker shook her head and looked out the window, "Lizzie, I don't that's such a good idea - " A little louder than before, Lizzie slowly asked again, "Where is Gordo, Parker?" "Lizzie, do you really think that this is the best for both of you?" Typical Parker, Lizzie thought. Won't let me see Gordo and they're not even going out anymore, "Please, Parker. I need to see him. I need to talk to him. Please, just tell me where he is." "I think you two need to take a step back from each other." "We've done that before. I'm ready to take action now." Parker shrugged, not knowing what to do. She wanted to tell Lizzie, but Gordo made her promise not to, "He asked me not to tell anyone. Not Larry, not - " "I love him, Parker." Parker stopped talking, "What?" Lizzie smiled to herself. She had only ever said that once before to her mother all those years ago, and she had thought that since then, her love for him had gone away. But after she said those three words, she knew that she never stopped loving him, "I love him. And I know that sounds ridiculous after all of the times that I've hurt him, but he deserves to know." Parker simply smiled and nodded, pulling some papers out of a drawer in her desk. She handed them to Lizzie, "Here's his itinerary." Lizzie breathed a huge sigh of relief. Maybe Parker wasn't so bad, after all, "Thank you so much, Parker." Lizzie turned to leave, ready to find Gordo, when Parker stopped her, "Lizzie, if you somehow mess this up and don't tell him that you love him, you'll have to answer to me when you get back."

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"You have nothing to worry about, Parker." The two women smiled at one another, and for the first time in their entire lives, there was an understanding that passed between them. Whatever rivalry had ever existed between them was gone in those few seconds. "Good luck," Parker said. Lizzie nodded, and left the office. ***** Gordo had finally arrived in Italy late at night, and went straight to his hotel to settle in. He had been lucky, because Kate phoned in a favor to her friend Francesca, getting him an itinerary for what to do while he was there. With her plans, he would have ample time at every tourist spot. But Gordo was restless that night. He couldn't sleep, and he needed to go for a walk. Gordo set out to walk around Italy. He had been wandering for a good twenty minutes when he found himself in the one and only place that looked familiar to him in all of Rome. The Trevi Fountain. A rush of memories came back to Gordo the second the spectacular fountain entered his sight. He couldn't believe that it had been almost ten years since he had stepped into that spot, and despite how long ago he had last been there, the memories were still as vivid as ever. He could almost picture Lizzie standing next to him, throwing her coin into the fountain and making her wish for smooth sailing through high school. He still couldn't believe how much his life had changed since the last time he had visited the beautiful city. Gordo slowly walked towards the fountain as he fished through his pockets for a coin. Pulling out the one and only coin he could find, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and whispered to himself, "This time I'm going to make a wish." Gordo threw the coin into the fountain. He heard the faint plop of the coin falling into the water, yet he kept his yes closed while he continued to make his wish over and over again. "What did you wish for?" Gordo's eyes quickly opened. He slowly turned around. What he saw was Lizzie McGuire walking down the steps of the fountain towards him. He couldn't believe his eyes. Lizzie smiled slightly and asked again, "I said, what did you wish for?" Gordo's shock seemed to have claimed his voice, for all he could do was whisper,

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"Lizzie." Just a few feet in front of him, Lizzie smiled, "Hey, Gordo." She was unable to look him in the eye. She looked at her feet, at the fountain, and pretty much everything but Gordo, all in typical Lizzie fashion. Still looking away, she asked, "Um, so, how are you?" "Me? I'm - I'm fine. H - how are you?" "Great." There was a long pause. "Nice weather," Gordo commented. Lizzie shook her head, as she was finally able to look at him, "Gordo, this is stupid. Small talk isn't the reason why I came here." "Well then why are you here?" "I came here to see you." "You did?" Gordo asked, his voice high with excitement. He quickly cleared his voice, and answered again in a lower tone, "I mean - So you did." Lizzie chuckled, "I did." "But, how did you know I was here? The only person who knows is Par - never mind. I just answered my own question." "I know you asked her not to tell me, but I made quite a convincing argument as to why I needed to see you." Gordo wondered what sort of argument she could have made that would have caused Parker to tell. It must have been really good, and he wanted to know what it was, "And - um, why is that?" "I - " Lizzie looked down at her feet, "I just needed to see you." Gordo shook his head, "Lizzie, this is what I'm talking about. We are both so shy that we can't talk even when we try to have a simple conversation. Somehow it ends up just going in circles and nobody says what they really mean." Lizzie pulled the letter out of her pocket and held it up in front of Gordo's face, "I wanted to see you after I read this." "What is it?" Lizzie handed the letter to Gordo and the second he saw the front of the envelope he realized what it was. He didn't even have to open it up to know what was inside.

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He figured that if Lizzie was bold enough to show him the letter, then he would be bold enough to ask what was on his mind so that the truth could come out once and for all, "I don't understand, Lizzie. I wrote this letter to you years ago. Why are you bringing it up now? I think you made it pretty clear by not responding that you wanted nothing to do with me. That was the clearest message I have ever gotten from you, Lizzie. Now, is this some kind of joke or something? Because if it is, I don't think it's very - " "I never got the letter." Gordo stopped, "What?" She shrugged, "I never got the letter, Gordo." He shook his head, "What are you talking about? You just gave me the letter." Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, obviously I got the letter, but not until yesterday." "You mean, you never got the letter after I wrote it?" Gordo couldn't even begin to believe what he was hearing. "No. Look at it, Gordo. It isn't even postmarked." Gordo stared at the envelope, and sure enough, there was no postmark. "Kate gave me that shoebox you had, and this letter was inside." "She gave you the Lizzie box? I told her to throw it away." Lizzie laughed. "What?" She smiled, "You call it the Lizzie box." Gordo shrugged as he struggled to explain, "It was just a box that I had with all of our memories and stuff. What did you want me to call it? The Miranda box?" Lizzie chuckled, "Well I'm glad that Kate didn't throw away the Lizzie box." Gordo looked at Lizzie and smiled, "You are?" "Yeah" Lizzie took a deep, deep breath. It was now or never. "You see, I never knew that you felt that way about me, Gordo. When I didn't get your letter, I thought that you had stopped caring about me, and that was a huge disappointment. You are the one person that I have counted on the most throughout my whole life. You have always been there for me. I mean, you gave me your pudding snack, you pushed me to sing, you gave up your happiness for me, Gordo, and - I just"

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Lizzie began to trail off, as tears formed in her eyes. But Gordo wasn't about to let her stop. He was hoping to God that he knew what was coming, so he pushed her to finish, "What, Lizzie? You just what?" Lizzie looked away, and then looked Gordo straight in the eye, "I love you. Okay? Are you happy now? I am in love with you, Gordo." Even though Gordo had hoped those were the words that Lizzie would say, he didn't think that she would actually say them. He could not believe his ears, and he watched in disbelief as Lizzie became lost in her speech, pacing back and forth in front of him with her hands in the air. "And I know you probably don't feel that way about me anymore, but I just needed to tell you how I feel. You are the greatest man I will ever know, and I will always think of you as the perfect guy for me. I know I don't deserve you after all of the things that I have said and after how badly I've treated you, but I do love you, Gordo. That is how I have always felt and how I always will feel about you. Even when I thought you had lied to me, I was still in love with you. It's just something I will never be able to get rid of. "And I know that I missed my chance and that you don't want to be with me anymore, but I just want you to hear me out one last time. You said that you didn't think we should be together because we'd end up hurting each other, but not being with you, GordoIt hurts more than all of those instances combined. "I was kind of hoping that you felt the same way. I want to be with you, Gordo." Lizzie finally took a breath. "So? What do you think?" Gordo stood there in silent shock. Despite what Gordo was really thinking, Lizzie took his silence to mean that he didn't feel the same way. That he didn't want to be with her. Unsuccessfully holding back her tears, Lizzie looked down at her feet and began to back away, "I understand. You don't have to say anything." Lizzie began to walk away when Gordo suddenly came to his senses. He ran after her, "Lizzie, wait!" Before turning around, Lizzie wiped the tears from her cheeks. When she did turn to look at Gordo, she found him smiling, looking right into her eyes. In a moment that she will never forget, Gordo leaned over and kissed Lizzie, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. Lizzie's eyebrows slightly lifted in shock, but she quickly regained her composure. She put her arms around Gordo, deepening the kiss as a tear fell from her cheek. They both broke apart, and Gordo kissed the top of Lizzie's head. Cupping her face in

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his hands, and wiping the tear from her face, Gordo made sure that Lizzie's eyes were directly on his. "I love you so much, Lizzie." Lizzie had never been so happy in her entire life. She immediately jumped into Gordo's arms. Still hugging her, Gordo confessed, "Lizzie, I want you to know that I meant every single word that I wrote in that letter. I have always been in love with you." They pulled apart and Gordo leaned in to kiss her once more. But he suddenly pulled away, noticing a black wire lying across the fountain. He stared at it, confused. "What's wrong, Gordo?" Lizzie asked. Gordo shook his head, "Something isn't right here." ***** A few minutes earlier, in a gelato truck about a block away "This was a great plan, guys," Larry said in between licks of his gelato. He sat on the floor of the truck with four cones in his hands, each filled with a different flavor of gelato. "I can't decide which flavor I love the best," he said. "Don't even say that this is a great plan, because it's not," Kate complained. "And why not?" Melina was offended. "Uh, how about the fact that you only brought ONE HEADSET!" "That was Matt's job," Melina slapped Matt upside the head. "Hey!" Matt yelled. "I can't hear a word they're saying when you two are yapping." Receiving one hell of a death stare from both of the women, Matt suddenly realized that he shouldn't have said what he just did. "What I meant was," Matt tried to correct himself, "I can't hear unless you two are yapping." Melina ignored his innocent grin, "Matt. What did we learn today?" "I must think before I act" Melina turned to Kate, "Kate. Let's do it." Kate ripped the headphones from Matt's ears as Melina advanced towards him,

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causing him to huddle in fear in the corner of the truck. Larry was too involved with his gelato to notice anything gone on, "Gordo was right. Once you go gelato, you can never do without-o." "Right on, man!" Ethan spoke up. Ethan and Larry clinked their cones together, and continued to suck down their gelato, oblivious to the fact that Matt was getting his butt kicked only a few feet away. It was then that Ethan noticed the free headphones, hanging over the counter and swinging back and forth. "I would love to listen to some tunes," he said, getting up from his seat on the floor to move to the chair in front of the control center. He put the headphones on and proceeded to pump up the volume, but all he could hear were voices. "This is whack, yo," he complained to himself. Ethan listened closely, wondering what exactly he was listening to, and he soon realized that to him, the voices sounded a lot like Lizzie and Gordo. "Yo, guys. These dudes sound just like Lizzie and Gordo." Ethan paid attention once again to the voices, and listened in just in time to catch Lizzie and Gordo declare their love for one another. "The one that sounds like Lizzie just told the one that sounds like Gor-don that she's in love with him" Melina and Kate stopped beating up Matt. He shrank to the ground with a massive groan. The two women looked at each other and lunged towards Ethan, grabbing the headphones off of his head. "Gimme those!" Kate demanded. She took the headphones and caught the tail end of Gordo explaining to Lizzie that he had always loved her. A grin came across Kate's face as she yelled in triumph, "It worked! It actually worked! Lizzie and Gordo are back together!" Melina was ecstatic, "We did it!" They jumped up and down together, thrilled that they had finally, once and for all, resolved the great conflict between Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon. They suddenly stopped, realizing the silliness and immaturity of their behavior. "I'm going to go make fun of how people dress," Kate said. "I'm going to place a few prank calls," Melina agreed. The two women darted out of the gelato truck. With Matt still groaning in pain in the corner of the truck, Larry remained where he

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had been sitting the entire time, with four new cones of gelato in hand. He turned to Ethan, awe-struck, "What just happened?" Ethan sat next to him with a 5-gallon tub of gelato in his lap and a spoon in his hand, "You're asking me?" ***** Gordo slowly pulled away from Lizzie to further inspect the foreign object that was on the fountain, "Do you see that?" Lizzie saw what Gordo was looking at, but she didn't see what the big deal was, "It's probably something that makes the fountain run. Don't touch it." Gordo shook his head, "Lizzie, I remember every little detail about this place. It's part of my photographic memory. This wire was not here before." Gordo bent over next to the fountain and took the wire in his hands. As he followed the it, Lizzie sighed and walked behind him. They walked for about a block when they finally spotted the origin of the wire. Stopping, Gordo looked at the gelato truck in front of him and turned to Lizzie, "Didn't Matt once park an ice cream truck outside my house to spy on me?" Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, what's your point?" Gordo pointed to the truck as Lizzie suddenly caught on. The two slowly walked over to the gelato truck that was suspiciously parked on the side of the street. When they finally arrived at the truck, they looked at each other with a nod, and Gordo opened the doors. "Well, well, well. Surprise, surprise," he said, placing his hands on his hips. Inside the truck, Lizzie and Gordo found five suspicious looking characters in compromising positions. Larry and Ethan were both sitting on the floor of the truck, covered from head to toe in gelato, with empty 5-gallon tubs laying all around them. Matt was sitting in the far corner clutching his stomach and holding a frozen drumstick to his black eye. And finally, there were Kate and Melina, sitting at the control center desperately trying to hear through the one headset by each sharing one earphone. None of them said a word, but the guilty looks on all of their faces spoke volumes. "How do you guys want to explain this one to us?" Gordo asked. Melina instantly dropped the headphones and grabbed a cone of gelato, holding it up next to her face with a big grin, "Just enjoying some gelato." Gordo held the black wire up next to his face with a big grin and asked in a mocking tone, "Why does a gelato truck need all of this?" Melina responded matter-of-factly, "It's for security purposes."

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"Why would this truck need such over-the-top security?" Lizzie wondered. Kate threw her arms in the air, "Hello? It's gelato! Everyone would want to steal it!" Lizzie, still suspicious, walked into the truck and over to the bruised and battered Matt. She grabbed him by the ear as he yelped in pain, "Matt, you little idiot, you better tell me what is going on here before you have another black eye." Matt groaned and immediately gave in, "We just wanted to find out if you two would finally work out your problems and get back together already." Lizzie let go of Matt's ear, causing him to fall to the floor, "What? How did you guys even know we were here?" "Surely you didn't think I wouldn't look through that box before I gave it to you," Kate explained. Lizzie was surprisingly shocked, "You looked through the Lizzie box?" "Yeah, and let me tell you, it was hard to fit all of that stuff back in there. But after that, it was only a matter of wheeling and dealing the right people. I got a copy of Gordo's itinerary from the person that set it up." Gordo nodded, filling in the blanks, "Francesca." "But I still don't get it," Lizzie continued, "If you read the letter first, how was I able to tear the envelope open?" It was Melina's turn to explain, "Well, we all know that I can copy just about anyone's handwriting, so we just duplicated the envelope. Stamp and all." Lizzie shook her head, "You guys are good." "Almost too good," Gordo agreed. Larry stood up from the floor of the truck, "If we were really good, then we would have been able to get you guys back together in high school." Lizzie smiled, making her way out of the truck, "Well, it was a very sweet thing to do." Gordo lightly shook his head, "Yeah, it was sweet, but what I don't get is this whole letter thing. I mean, I know that Larry and Kate were still talking even when Lizzie and I weren't, so why didn't you guys just clear it up two years ago?" Larry and Kate looked at each other and proceeded to simultaneously slap their own foreheads. Kate was furious as she glared at Larry, "You wasted two whole years of my life, you half-wit!" As she began to go after him, Larry backed up and tried to explain, "Hey, this is just as much your fault for not telling me that she never got the letter!"

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But it was too late for explanation, and Larry was already out of the van when Kate went to chase after him. Gordo laughed, "So the tables have turned. Now it's Kate chasing Larry." Ethan hopped out of the truck to stand in front of Lizzie and Gordo, "So let me get this straight. You two are love birds again?" Gordo discreetly reached out for Lizzie's hand as he smiled, "Yeah." "Sweet! Gor-don and the Lizzi-nator back together again!" Ethan ran between the two and hugged them both at the same time, smashing Lizzie's face up against his body. She tried to yell for help, "Mmff! Mffggff!!" Ethan let go of them both. Gordo looked over at Lizzie, "What was that?" She coughed, "I couldn't breathe." Ethan shrugged, embarrassed, "Sorry, sometimes these muscles get out of control. Surely you understand, Gor-don. Orwellnever mind." As Ethan and Gordo continued to chat, Lizzie walked over and sat down next to her brother, "Are you okay?" He whimpered, "I just got my butt kicked by my friend, my girlfriend, and my sister. What do you think?" Lizzie laughed, "I think we roughed you up too hard. You just called Kate your friend." Matt let out a small chuckle, but even such a little laugh sent a shot of pain rushing throughout his body, "Ow." "Hey, Matt," Lizzie continued, "I just want to thank you for not giving up on Gordo and me. Without you, I don't think I would be as happy as I am now." "Aww, no. I made you happy? I'm losing my touch." Lizzie smiled, "You are. And I'm glad you are." Matt cringed as Lizzie gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Eww! Let's not get mushy here, all right? I'm still your brother. Jeez, I'm going to have to bathe in alcohol for ten hours just to get your cooties off of me." Back on the other end of the truck, Gordo was desperately trying to pay attention to Ethan who was rambling on about his muscles, but all he could seem to do was stare at Lizzie. Everything was finally working out the way it was supposed to. All it took

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was a few years and a couple of broken hearts to make everything right again. Lizzie looked over at Gordo and smiled. He smiled back. Gordo turned to Ethan, "Ethan, as fascinating as your muscles are, I think I'm going to take Lizzie out and celebrate. You understand." Ethan nodded, "Go, Gor-don. You da man." Ethan gave Gordo a big slap on the back, causing Gordo to cough a bit in pain. Lizzie bid Melina and her brother farewell, and took Gordo's hand as they both left the truck. ***** Lizzie had seen Ethan's unintentional beating of Gordo, so she sympathetically asked, "Are you okay?" Gordo chuckled, "Ethan is a lot stronger than he looks." "Yeah, now you know how I felt when he had me in that massive bear hug." "Aww," Gordo playfully mocked, "Poor pop star." "Hey," Lizzie countered, "Pop stars lead very difficult lives, you know." "I'm sure. So, what do you want to do, Miss Pop Star?" "Well, first of all" Lizzie reached over and pulled Francesca's plans out of Gordo's pocket, "I've taken Francesca's tour about a thousand times." She threw the papers in the trash, "It's not that great." "Well," Gordo threw his arms up in the air, "I'm up for just about anything." "I did live here for a few years, and I know quite a bit about this place." "Are you volunteering to be my tour guide?" Gordo shook his head. "I'd have to think about that one." "Not many guys get this kind of offer from pop stars turn actresses. You'll really be missing out if you don't accept." Gordo smiled and gave her a kiss, "I would be honored to have you as my tour guide." Lizzie nodded, "Okay, but there are a couple of rules." "Like?" "You have to stay with me at all times."

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Gordo grabbed Lizzie's hand, "Not a problem. Anything else?" "No Paolo jokes." Gordo shook his head, "I'm going to have a big problem with that one." "Gordo!" "Twenty Paolo jokes." "One." "Ten." "One." "Five." "One." "Lizzie," Gordo explained, "You have to realize that there is a Paolo joke for every occasion. At least one for every meal in the day." Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Fine. Three." Gordo smiled, "Deal. I never knew that being in love with you would hinder my use of Paolo jokes. I have some good ones saved up." Lizzie laughed, "You know, I have wanted to tell you that I loved you since high school." "Yeah? Try elementary school for me." "Did I say high school? Because I meant to say since the day we met." "Oh, did I say elementary school? Because I meant to say since I was in my mother's womb." Lizzie stopped walking, and looked uncomfortably at Gordo, then looked at him as if he was insane. He stopped and looked back at her, "I took it too far." "Yeah, I'd day you pretty much ruined the moment there." "I did." Lizzie began walking again, catching up to him. She stopped in front of Gordo and put her arms around him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I still love you. So, tell me what you were wishing for at the fountain." Gordo simply shook his head, "No."

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"And why not?" "Lizzie, don't you know that if you tell someone what you wished for, it doesn't come true?" Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on. That's just an old wives tale." "Lizzie, you told me that smooth sailing through high school wish. Was it exactly smooth sailing?" "That was a coincidence." "You have told me practically every single one of your birthday wishes since we were three, and have any of them come true?" "All coincidences! Like my parents were actually going to get me a pony, or like I was really going to be the princess of Candyland." Gordo pulled away from Lizzie and continued walking, "I don't want to take my chances. Now, how about taking me to get some gelato? That truck made me hungry." Lizzie caught up to him, "Come on, Gordo. Just tell me. I'll do anything you want." Gordo looked at Lizzie with an evil gleam in his eye, "Anything?" "Almost anything." "Well I wouldn't even tell you if you were going to do anything for me." Lizzie sighed, "Even if I - " "No." "Or - " "No." "Why do you have to be so mean to me?" He smiled, "Let's just drop it, Lizzie. I think that gelato shop that Ungermeyer took us to is near here." "Yeah," Lizzie said, pointing across the way, "It's right over there." The two walked a few more feet before Lizzie began to prod again, "Can you at least give me a hint?" Gordo looked at Lizzie and smiled, "It came true. Now, will you stop pressing?" She shook her head, "I can't promise that." "If you do, I'll take it down to one Paolo joke."

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Lizzie decided to take the one chance she would ever get at lowering Gordo's Paolo joke quota, "Deal." Gordo smiled to himself, thinking he had won the argument, and then slyly remarked, "I bet I know what you would wish for." "And what's that?" Lizzie wondered. "To be the identical twin of a famous Italian pop star so that you could sing with her handsome lip-syncing partner Paolo." Gordo paused, "Oh waitthat already happened!" Lizzie playfully hit Gordo on the shoulder, "I hope you realize that you just wasted your Paolo joke." Gordo gasped, "That was not a Paolo joke!" Lizzie ginned and nodded, "Yes it was! You said his name, and that was your one joke. You should have used it more wisely. Sucks to be you." "Oh, come on, Lizzie. You can't do this to me. That is cruel." Lizzie continued walking, trying to ignore Gordo's pleas for another Paolo joke, "Gordo, unless you tell me that wish, there is no way that you are going to get another Paolo joke in." Gordo laughed. He loved Lizzie's persistence, "You know what? I have a question for you." "What's that?" Gordo smiled to himself, "How many Paolo's does it take to screw in a light bulb?" Lizzie groaned and began to run away from Gordo, covering her ears, "I can't hear you!" He ran after her, "Come on, Lizzie! It's a good one! I got it from Kate. Come on, just let me tell it to you!" Lizzie ran into the gelato shop just as it was opening. The sky was lighting up as morning approached, and once Lizzie and Gordo had ordered their gelato, they sat at a table outside the shop, and watched the sun rise on city of Rome.

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Epilogue

Part I Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon were meant to be together. It was a statement that you would get from just about anyone who knew them, and you would receive it with a smile. The couple had the innate ability to fill everyone they met with happiness. You could see, just from the way they looked at each other, that they were truly in love. Even if you didn't know them. Granted, their relationship had not been such a great one throughout their entire lives. They had gone from best friends, to boyfriend and girlfriend, to worst enemies, to best friends, and back to boyfriend and girlfriend, all over the course of 25 years. But somehow, through all of the hardships, and grudges, and tears, and fights, they still found themselves longing for each other; sneaking glances and then looking away. They were meant to be together, and they both knew it. ***** It had been two years since Lizzie and Gordo finally, once and for all, made their feelings known for each other at the Trevi fountain in Rome, and they were both still busy as ever. Their movie, once it was released, was a huge success, far surpassing the predictions of both those working on the movie, and those critiquing it. Everyone had wondered whether or not it would be good, and whether or not the prodigy film director, David Gordon, could add some of his independent-film genius into the worldwide teen-hit. Showing that he really did have great talent, Gordo pulled it off, and since then has directed many movies, not one receiving a bad review. Lizzie continued to act in movies, but had yet to find herself cast in a role of a movie that Gordo was directing. She began to focus more on her music, releasing another multi-platinum CD, which included most of the songs she wrote during her days without Gordo. Much to Kate's surprise, all of them were good.

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According to Lizzie's count, Kate and Ethan were only on and off again two more times after the movie wrapped, and despite the bets placed by their various friends, their fights were never again solved by a last minute stop at Tiffany's, but instead by conversation. It was then that it was realized that their relationship would never go off again. Kate continued as Lizzie's personal assistant/best friend, and Ethan went on to become one of the biggest heartthrobs of all time, high up in ranks with Tom Cruise, Josh Hartnett, and Orlando Bloom. Larry remained as Gordo's best friend, but began working on projects of his own. He decided he needed to stray away from the "real-life" type movies, and needed to move in the direction of science fiction. Rumor has it that Larry's persistence finally paid off, and he will soon be working on a feature film with Stephen Spielberg. Last anyone heard of Matt and Melina's relationship, they had eloped in Las Vegas, yet no family or friends were allowed in the chapel due to safety precautions. To this day, no one is quite sure what exactly those safety precautions were. Sam and Jo were surprisingly calm when they found out of their son's secret marriage, most likely because Matt and Melina had been acting like an old married couple since the day they met. The mystery of the infamous love letter that, for some reason, was never delivered, was finally uncovered. Parker confessed to the whole thing, and makes it a point to apologize at least three times every time she sees Lizzie or Gordo. They both say that they forgive her, but they never fail to crack a joke here and there about what could've been if Parker had just dropped the letter in the mailbox like Gordo had asked. And despite Parker taking the blame for the entire ordeal, Larry and Kate still hold a grudge against each other for not talking about it in the first place. As for Ellen and Anita, they went off to live their own lives, away from the chaos that came with being friends of Lizzie and Gordo. Sure, Ellen kept working as Lizzie's dialogue coach, and Anita remained close friends with Lizzie, but they felt that the less time spent with the infamous group of friends from Hillridge, the better. The two women are still the best of friends, and they have been since their times on the set of "Out of Reach." However, there were those five whole minutes on January 24th when Anita and Ellen both showed up at Brad Pitt's home wearing the exact same outfit. Stupid Gap around every corner. Everyone's lives were going great, and they were all living happily. But don't think that this is the end of their storybecause it's only just begun. ***** Gordo rushed over to the arena so he could say goodbye to Lizzie one last time before he headed on an emergency trip to Hillridge. Lizzie was getting ready for her concert in San Diego, and Gordo was heading from his hotel room, where he had been working out some kinks in a top-secret project of his. He hadn't even told Lizzie about it. Gordo had been with Lizzie throughout her entire tour, riding with her on the tour bus and attending every single one of her concerts. She only had two left, one in San Diego and one in LA, but Gordo was going to have to miss the one in San Diego that night. He had a very important meeting that he needed to attend.

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He finally arrived, after getting stuck in some light traffic, and found his way to Lizzie's dressing room. Lizzie turned her head to the sound of the opening door and jumped up to greet Gordo, "Hey! How are you?" She gave him a hug and a kiss as her makeup artist breathed a sigh of relief. Lizzie had the bad habit of jumping up out of her chair without notice while she was getting her makeup done whenever Gordo would walk into the room. And he would walk into the room before every single concert, leaving Lizzie with a big streak of lipstick or eyeliner drawn across her face. Luckily, Lizzie's makeup artist had learned by now that the second she heard the door start to open, she had to pull the make up away, and fast. Gordo smiled at Lizzie's perfectly make-upped face, "I'm doing great. Just here to say goodbye before I head off." His happy smile turned to a sad one, an art that he had perfected after having to be separated from Lizzie so many times due to their jobs. The act of putting on a sad smile is not an easy task, but for Lizzie and Gordo, it was an imperative talent to learn. Lizzie put on the same smile, "I'm gonna miss you." "I'm gonna miss you, too." Lizzie quickly sat back down in her chair and looked up to the ceiling as she had her eyeliner put on, "So tell me what your plan is again for the next few days?" "Well," Gordo said, sitting down in a chair across from Lizzie, "my flight's at 3, so I'll have to leave in about an hour. Then when I get there, I'll go back to the house, settle in, and then tomorrow morning I have to get to this early meeting about this project I'm working on. I just need to get it approved." Gordo grinned, but Lizzie didn't notice. "Alright, and you're just gonna be there for today and tomorrow?" "Yep. I'll be back in LA at around 5. I'll probably get back to the arena at 6, right before your concert starts. I'll spend the night there, but then I have to catch an early flight the next morning back to New York." Lizzie commented on how Gordo was going to be making a lot of unnecessary flights in the next few days. She said that he didn't have to come to her last concert. But he disagreed. He wanted to be there. Lizzie and Gordo spent the next hour talking and spending time with each other, before Gordo had to take off. When their hour was up, Gordo stood up from his chair. "Well I better get going."

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Lizzie sighed, "OkayWell call me when you get to New York." Gordo smiled, "I will, don't worry." He gave her a kiss, "Bye, honey. Love you." "I love you, too." And he left the room. ***** As Gordo sprinted out to his car, he tried to decide whether or not he felt bad about just lying to his girlfriend. It wasn't too big of a lie, though. It was just the location of his trip that was a bit sketchy. He really was, after all, going to a big meeting about a secret project that he needed approval for. He pulled out of the parking lot in his car that contained only a change of clothes, some snacks for the road, and a few index cards with notes scribbled on them. He was ready, and after a two-hour drive - which to him felt like 5 minutes - he arrived in Hillridge, and it was like he had never left. Gordo looked out his windows every chance he could, taking in all of the familiar sights that had changed so much, yet somehow stayed exactly the same. There was the occasional tree or bush that was either missing, or added in a place that it shouldn't be, but other than that, everything was the same. He noticed some houses that had been painted different colors, and some that were for sale. But then he pulled up to the one house that had never changed throughout his entire life. The layout of the front yard had always stayed the same, except maybe for the rearrangement of a few gnomes, and the appearance of the house was never once altered, not including a few brief color changes of the front door. Gordo stopped his car in front of the McGuire residence. As he took the keys out of the ignition, Gordo noticed his hands shaking, and his heart beating faster. He slowly got out of the car, dropped the keys in his pocket, and headed towards the door. He had walked up to that doorbell millions of times, but this time was different. He couldn't tell if it was going to be easier or harder to push the button as he approached the front steps, but when he held out his shaking hand to acknowledge his presence at the door to those inside, he realized that it was going to be a lot harder. He wrapped his left hand around his right wrist to stop its shaking, his index finger still extended and ready to ring the doorbell. A flood of memories came rushing back to him. All good ones. All ones of him and Lizzie. Together. Gordo suddenly felt an overwhelming burst of confidence. As he let go of his wrist, the shaking stopped.

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He rang the doorbell. ***** Gordo started to realize, as he stood on the threshold of the McGuire home, that he was more excited than he was nervous. It would be the first time he had entered that house in the past eight years, and he was wondering what it would look like when he saw it. That house had been like a second home to him throughout his entire childhood, and there was no other place that made him feel more welcome. He had seen Mr. and Mrs. McGuire quite a few times since he and Lizzie had gotten back together, when they would visit Lizzie for the occasional event or family gathering, so it would seem that seeing them again wouldn't be such a big deal. But on that day, it was a big deal. Gordo lightly bounced on his heels as he waited for the door to be answered. He assumed that Mr. and Mrs. McGuire were home, and started to contemplate ringing the doorbell once more. He decided to wait a bit before he tried again. A few more seconds passed, and Gordo was getting anxious. Maybe I should knock, he thought to himself. He lifted his hand to knock, but it didn't get past his waist before he heard the sound of the door unlocking. He stopped bouncing. The door opened and Jo McGuire stood in front of him. "Gordo!" she exclaimed. "It's so great to see you!" She gave him a big hug. Gordo grinned, "Mrs. McGuire, you're looking as beautiful as ever." "Why, thank you," she smiled back as she took a quick glance all around him. "Is Lizzie with you?" "Nope," he said. "It's just me this time." Jo invited him into the house and shut the door behind him. She called to Sam as they both still stood in the front hallway, letting him know that Gordo was there. Sam seemed shocked, as he made sure he had heard her correctly. Gordo? Yes, Gordo. Jo asked Gordo if she could take his coat, and he politely declined, stating that he knew where it went. At least, he hoped he knew where it went. Just from the front entryway, Gordo could see that the inside of the house was almost exactly the same as the last time he had been there. He barely noticed a difference. He took off his coat and turned to his right, opening the closet by the front door. That was the same, too.

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Gordo realized as he slowly walked into the heart of the house, taking in every little detail, that Jo hadn't apologized for taking so long to answer the door. Perhaps he wasn't waiting for as long as it had seemed after all. He was pretty nervous, and he concluded that his mind was most likely playing tricks on him. He walked into the kitchen to find Sam sitting at the dinner table, painting a gnome. Gordo chuckled. Jo offered Gordo something to drink, but when he declined, she went back to whatever it was she had been cooking before Gordo had arrived. It smelled like stroganoff, and suddenly Gordo was glad that he wasn't staying for dinner. Sam stood up from his chair and approached Gordo, "Gordo! It's great to see you, how have you been?" Gordo shook his hand, "I've been great, how about you?" "We're doing well, we're doing well. So, what's the occasion?" Gordo's heart started to beat faster, but he took a deep breath and it began to slow down. "Well, I was hoping to talk to you guys about something. Could we take a seat in the living room?" Jo let her stroganoff simmer on the stove, and Sam made a quick stop at the table to put down his paintbrush. They all three went into the next room; Mr. And Mrs. McGuire sitting next to each other, and Gordo sitting on the couch across from them. "Now, what is it you needed to talk about?" Sam asked. Gordo cleared his throat and took a deep breath, thinking back to the notes he had gone over time and time again on the car ride up there. It's now or never, he thought to himself. "Mr. and Mrs. McGuire, I have known your daughter since the day she was born. As a kid, she was always the first one I ran to when I had a huge secret, or a funny story, or a problem. And every time I ran to her, she would always listen. And whenever she came to me with a secret, or story, or problem, I would always listen. She was my best friend in the entire world, and sometimes I wonder if I would have turned out the way I did if I hadn't known her. And when I think about that, I know that I wouldn't have. I can honestly say that I would not be the man I am today if it wasn't for her. She means everything to me." Gordo noticed as Jo brought her hands to her mouth in shock. She knows where this is going, he thought. He smiled at her and winked. Jo smiled back and began to cry. Sam looked at the both of them. He had no idea what was going on. Gordo continued. "And I know that over the past few years, we've had some rough spots. I'm sure that you have gotten quite a few phone calls about how much of a jerk I was, but I can assure you that none of that stuff actually happened. I never cheated on Lizzie. Not

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when we were in high school, not when we were in college, and not when we were filming our movie. I would never even dream of hurting her like that. Because I love Lizzie more than you could ever imagine. I love her more than anything in this world. She still is my best friend, and I still run to her when I have a secret or a problem. She is the one thing in my life that has always made sense, and I cannot imagine my life without her. "And that's why I'm here. I want to spend the rest of my life with Lizzie, Mr. and Mrs. McGuire. Which is why I am asking you for your daughter's hand in marriage." ***** A smile came across Sam's face. He looked over to his right at Jo, who was bawling uncontrollably, and then over to his left at a table that sat in the front hallway. Looking at the table, Sam could see that there were only two people, in all of the photos, whose last name wasn't originally McGuire. One: Melina. And two: Gordo. Mr. and Mrs. McGuire had always chosen the pictures of Lizzie that had Gordo in them, because they could see that she always looked just a little bit happier standing next to Gordo than she did in any other picture that he wasn't in. Sam wasn't about to say that they didn't get any phone calls from Lizzie about how much of a jerk Gordo was, but even after those phone calls, they never put those pictures of him away. Every one of those photos had stayed there since the day it was put up, including the ones of Gordo. Sam and Jo had known that no matter how much Lizzie and Gordo would fight, no matter how many rough patches they went through, that they would always work it out in the end. So Sam stood up from the couch, and Gordo jumped up after him. "Gordo," Sam began, "you have always been a member of this family, since the first time your parents carried you into this house when you were in diapers. Even through all of the bad times, you have been a part of this family. "So, what do you say we make it official, huh? I can't think of a better man to marry my daughter than you. You have my blessing." Gordo had never been happier in his entire life. He immediately gave Mr. McGuire a big hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much, sir." Sam broke the hug and held onto Gordo by his shoulders, laughing, "Sir? That's a little too formal. How aboutDad?" Gordo smiled, "Thank you, Dad." Jo stood up as well, tears still in her eyes, and embraced Gordo. The three then sat back down, and talked for the next hour. Gordo explained to them his entire plan for the proposal, and how that trip to

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Hillridge was a big part of it. He told them that Lizzie thinks he's in New York, having a big meeting about an upcoming movie. He'd be driving back to the LA venue to see her last concert, but he wouldn't be able to see her until 6:00 the next night if he wanted the plan to be believable. And then, once the concert was over, he'd head out on an early flight the next morning to New York, only a few hours before Lizzie would get on a flight to the same place. She would have interviews all that morning, so she wouldn't be able to make the flight with him. But Gordo wouldn't be going to New York, just like he hadn't gone to New York that afternoon. He would be flying out to Italy, and unbeknownst to Lizzie, she would be too. ***** Gordo politely declined Mr. and Mrs. McGuire's offer to stay for dinner, but not just because he knew that they would be having Jo McGuire's infamous beef stroganoff. He really did need to get back to the hotel in LA. He had to make numerous phone calls, including one to Lizzie, that were imperative if he wanted the plan to play out smoothly. He hugged the two, said goodbye, and they wished him luck. As Gordo headed back for his car with a huge grin on his face, practically skipping, he heard someone behind him. "Gordo?" Gordo slowly turned around. Walking towards him on the sidewalk was an attractive African-American man, probably around Matt's age. His hair was in dreadlocks, no lower than his ears. He was wearing a pinstriped suit, and his posture was impeccable. Gordo couldn't help but feel as if he knew this man from somewhere, and although he could recognize his face, Gordo couldn't recognize the man's voice. He wasn't good with phone voices, but approach and say hello to Gordo from behind, and he'll be able to tell you who you are. "David Gordon?" the stranger asked again. Gordo walked forward, "I'm sorry, do I know you?" The man smiled and held out his hand, "Lanny. Lanny Onasis." Gordo's jaw dropped and he forgot to return the handshake. He started to think that his mind was playing ticks on him again. Lanny Onasis? Talking? What the heck was going on? He finally came to his senses and shook Lanny's hand, "Oh, man. I haven't seen you in years! How have you been?" "I've been doing very well. I went through law school and I'm an attorney now." "An attorney? Doesn't that require a lot of"

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"Talking?" Lanny laughed. "Yes. But I spent my whole life listening to people and it got me to figuring them out. It's quite a helpful trait to have as a lawyer. You do not want to be up against me in a court room, trust me." Gordo laughed, "So when did you finally 'break the silence,' so to speak?" "Well, it's pretty difficult to maintain a girlfriend when you can never tell her she looks beautiful. And speaking of relationships, Matt tells me you and Lizzie have been going strong for a few years now? Finally." Gordo grinned, as he decided to take a different route to get to the same place in the conversation, "Well, let's just say that if all goes well, you can be expecting an invitation in the mail within the next few months. But I've got to get going." Gordo hopped off the curb as he waved goodbye to Lanny. Lanny followed to the passenger's side of the car as Gordo rolled down the window for him. He leaned in, "Hey, congratulations, man. It was nice talking to you." "You too, Lanny. It was nice talking to you, too." And he drove off.

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- 474 -

Epilogue

Part II Gordo had never experienced a time in which what was just four and a half hours felt like a lifetime. He arrived in LA after an excruciating two-hour drive, during which all he could think about was Lizzie. In his hotel room he sat in anticipation, but of what he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was of the phone call he would be making to her at around 9:30. Perhaps it was the flight he would soon be taking, or the flight she would soon be taking. But above all else, Gordo knew that it was the proposal he was anticipating most. Gordo paced back and forth in his hotel room. He called some friends and family just to say hi. He ordered room service, and went to a vending machine for some soda. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, finally turning it off again. He went outside for some fresh air, walking around in the dark city night. He came back to his room and looked at his clock. Miraculously, it read 9:37, and it was time for him to call Lizzie. It had never before been hard for Gordo to make a phone call. In his line of business, he made dozens of them every single day, but as he picked up that phone his fingers trembled with nervousness. He quickly put it back down. It took him a while to psych himself up before he could actually make the call. Gordo sat on his bed for nearly 15 minutes, just staring at his phone and wondering when he would get the courage to pick it up and make the call. Suddenly, with a sudden and overwhelming burst of confidence that in the back of his mind felt a tad bit familiar, he picked up the phone, dialed Lizzie's cell phone number, and listened to the rings through the receiver. After two, she picked up. Lizzie and Gordo talked for an hour and a half. Lizzie told him all about her show, and how it went, and Gordo tried his best to make up a story of something that happened on his nonexistent flight to New York. He told her that getting on the plane went smoothly enough, but once he sat down, a really talkative and downright annoying man came to sit next to him. He said that the only plus was that the guy

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didn't take the empty middle seat, and instead sat on the isle. Lizzie laughed and didn't think for a second that Gordo's story wasn't true. Lizzie finally ended their conversation stating that Gordo must be exhausted from his plane flight, not to mention the fact that it was 2:00 in the morning in New York. Gordo was disappointed, and wanted desperately to continue talking, since in reality, it was only 11:00 for him, just as it was for her. But he had to play along, and they said their goodbyes and their I love yous as Gordo hung up the phone with a pretend yawn. As he lay in bed, Gordo began to realize that if he thought those four and a half hours before his late-night phone call were bad, then he was in for a real beating tomorrow morning, when he would have to wait until 6:00 before he could see or talk to Lizzie again. And so Gordo waited for those seven hours in his hotel room until he arrived in LA to see Lizzie's very last show of her tour. Unfortunately, Gordo had gotten stuck in traffic, and didn't get the chance to see Lizzie before her show began. But he was in the very front row, and she winked to him from onstage when she spotted him in the crowd. He smiled back. Once the show was over, Lizzie rushed backstage to meet Gordo who was already waiting for her in the dressing room. She ran through the door and jumped into his arms as Gordo laughed and gave her a kiss. He placed her back down on her feet, and greeted her with a smile, "You were awesome out there. Definitely the best show of the tour." Lizzie was still beaming from the excitement of her last show, "Thank you, thank you." She sat down in a chair and wiped her forehead with a towel, "So how was your trip?" Gordo sat down next to her, shrugging, "It was all right. Pretty tiring, though." Lizzie gladly accepted the water bottle that Gordo offered to her, "I still feel bad that you had to make all of those flights. You really didn't have to come to this show. I would've understood." He shook his head, "No, I had to be here. Plus, it wasn't as bad as you might think." "Well, thank you," Lizzie said with sincerity. "As much as I say you didn't have to be here, it really did mean a lot to me." They kissed, and Lizzie gathered her things from the dressing room before the two headed back to their hotel. Gordo needed his sleep, because he would be getting on a flight early the next morning. Lizzie needed her sleep as well, because on top of the afternoon flight that she would be taking, she had to tackle some early interviews in the morning. The minute their heads hit the pillows, Lizzie and Gordo were asleep. ***** They both woke up at the same time to the sound of their alarm, and as Lizzie relaxed with a cup of coffee, Gordo raced around the room getting ready and packing

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his bags. He was as nervous as ever, because the next phase of his plan was the trickiest and most likely to go wrong. He told Lizzie that he would be heading back to their house in New York, but he would really be flying out to Italy. Lizzie thought that she would be heading out to their house in New York as well, once she finished her interviews, but she would also be flying out to Italy. It was a plan that was nearly impossible to pull off, but Gordo, being the genius that he is, somehow thought of a way. Lizzie noticed Gordo's nervousness, but had no idea of what might be causing it. So she took a sip of her coffee and asked, "What the heck is wrong with you this morning? You haven't even had any coffee and yet you're running off of some strange buzz that is kind of freaking me out." Gordo didn't stop his constant running back and forth during his packing, "I'm just a little stressed right now." "About what? You're just flying back to New York. You've flown millions of times, Gordo. Why are you so stressed about it?" "It's not that. It's thatit's that project I've been telling you about." Lizzie laughed, "You mean the one you haven't been telling me about? All I know is that it's some huge secret that not even I'm allowed to know about. Which I'm still offended by, just to let you know." Gordo took a deep breath and turned to Lizzie, "Look, I'm really sorry that I can't tell you, but you'll find out later, okay? Just don't worry about it for now." Lizzie rolled her eyes and took another sip of her coffee, pulling out a magazine and flipping through the pages. Gordo stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head back and forth, searching around the room. "Where is my cell phone?" he asked, frantically. She didn't even look up from her reading to reply, "Bedside table?" "Checked." "In the charger?" "Checked." "In your bag?" "Checked." Lizzie looked at Gordo's waist, "Clipped to your belt?" Gordo put his hand to his left side, "Oh." One he knew where his cell phone was, Gordo zipped up his bag and fell back onto the bed.

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"Don't get too comfortable," Lizzie said. "You have to leave in five minutes." Gordo groaned and turned over on his side. Closing her magazine and placing her coffee cup on the table in front of her, Lizzie stood up and walked over to the bed where Gordo lay. She held out her hands, "Up." Gordo sighed as Lizzie pulled him up from the bed, "Okay, I'm going." He picked his suitcase up off of the bed and pulled out the handle. He then grabbed his carryon and threw it over his shoulder, heading for the door. Lizzie followed him and when he stopped at the door, she gave him a kiss, "I love you. I'll see you a few hours after you get to the house, all right?" "Yeah." "Hey," Lizzie said sternly, "Don't be so stressed out. Just relax during your flight, okay? You can stress when you get to New York." Gordo smiled with a nod as he kissed Lizzie once again, "See you soon. I love you." "Love you, too." Lizzie closed the door behind Gordo as he walked out of the hotel room and headed off to the airport. ***** Gordo arrived at the airport and got through security about an hour before his flight would be taking off. During that time, he decided to make one final phone call to his biggest accomplice in his plan: Francesca. With her signature thick Italian accent, Francesca answered her cell phone in the hotel room that was just a few doors down from Lizzie's, "Hello?" "Hey, Francesca. It's Gordo." "Oh, hello Gordo. The plan is still going, yes?" "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay on your end." "Yes, it is good. The pilot knows we are going to Italy, and I should be able to get Lizzie to sleep through most of the flight." "Excellent," a small weight lifted off of Gordo's shoulders. "But how are you going to get her to sleep through the flight? You aren't going to slip her something, are you?" Francesca laughed, "No, no. You may know all about Lizzie, Gordo, but I spent so much time traveling with her during her first years in the music business, that I know all about how she sleeps on the plane. Trust me, Gordo, I will make it work." Gordo didn't know how the heck she was going to pull it off, but he did just as she asked, and trusted her, "All right. Well, I'll let you go. Talk to you soon, Francesca."

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"Okay. Goodbye, Gordo." Gordo hung up his phone, and sat back in his chair, thinking about the plan. ***** Being the big international pop star that she was, Lizzie McGuire owned her own private jet so that she could fly anywhere at any time without the hassles of an airport. So Francesca, who was still Lizzie's personal assistant, told the pilot of Lizzie's plane that instead of flying to New York, where Lizzie thought she would be heading to take some time off after her tour, they would be flying to Italy. But Lizzie was not to know. Once on the plane, Francesca would somehow need to get Lizzie to sleep during most of, if not all of the flight to Italy, making a 14-hour flight seem like just 7. Francesca had flown with Lizzie many times before, and she knew exactly what to do in order to get Lizzie to sleep on the plane. During the interviews, Francesca would wear Lizzie out by making her talk to tons of reporters in various different places. After all of the running around, all Lizzie would want to do would be sit back and relax on the flight. And after just a few hours of flying, Francesca would give Lizzie the one thing that was sure to knock her out: turkey. ***** Lizzie boarded her jet and sat down in her seat, letting out a sigh of relief to finally be able to relax after her one after another interviews earlier that morning. Francesca had taken her to Starbucks before they got on the plane, her logic being that with a little caffeine in her, Lizzie wouldn't fall asleep right away, and the effects of the turkey would be able to last until the very end of the flight if Lizzie didn't fall asleep the second she sat down. Francesca's logic was right, and for the first five hours of the flight, Lizzie sat in her seat, wide-awake, reading, writing, and watching movies. Near the five and a half hour mark, Lizzie made the offhand comment that she was kind of hungry. That was Francesca's cue. She immediately got up from her seat and went to the kitchen area of the jet, preparing a meal for Lizzie that consisted of turkey and some salad. But mostly turkey. Francesca brought the plate to Lizzie and set it down on the tray in front of her. Lizzie was slightly surprised, "Wow. Okay, I guess I'll have some food then. Thanks." Confused, but satisfied, Lizzie began to eat. Francesca sat back and watched as the plan unfolded right before her eyes. Lizzie finished her entire meal, including all of the turkey. Francesca got up and took the plate away from Lizzie, and when she returned, she could already see her starting to doze off. The caffeine was wearing off just as the turkey was kicking in, and six hours into the flight, as the jet approached New York City, Lizzie fell fast asleep. ***** Seven and a half hours later, Lizzie awoke. The sky was dark, just as it had been

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when she fell asleep, and she turned to Francesca, "Jeez, are we there yet?" When Lizzie had fallen asleep, she was just one hour away from landing in New York. Now, as she awoke, she was just one half hour from landing in Italy. Francesca looked up from her book and nonchalantly responded with a shrug, "You were only asleep for a half an hour, Lizzie. We will be there soon." Lizzie took a long pause, "Really?" Francesca nodded. "Huh. I feel really well rested for just a half an hour." Francesca shrugged. "Weird," Lizzie concluded, dismissing her confusion. Lizzie pulled out her book, and for the thirty minutes before the plane would be landing, in what she thought was New York but what was really Italy, she read. And exactly thirty minutes later, the voice of the pilot came over the loudspeaker as he announced that the plane would be landing in New York in just a few minutes. It was then that Lizzie looked out her window at the lights of the city below her. She turned away, but quickly did a double take as she looked back outside again. The plane was descending into the airport, and Lizzie turned to Francesca, "Francesca?" "Yes?" Francesca asked. Lizzie looked out the window once again as the plane came closer to the runway, "What's going on?" "What do you mean?" Francesca wondered. "This isn't" The plane touched down. "We aren't" It slowed on the runway. "Where" Lizzie turned to Francesca who had a huge grin on her face. "I wasn't really asleep for a half an hour, was I?" Francesca slightly shook her head, still smiling. "We're not in New York, are we?" Francesca shook her head once again.

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More scared than she had ever been, Lizzie looked out the window. Her personal assistant was kidnapping her, and no one would ever know where she was. She didn't even know where she was. It looked familiar to her, but she had been to so many places, she just couldn't put her finger on the location. But where she had landed was the least of her worries, she was being kidnapped by her personal assistant! The plane came to its final stop on the runway. The pilot exited the plane, as Lizzie remained seated and watched horror. She gulped as Francesca stood up from her seat, but instead of approaching Lizzie, she simply walked out of the plane, leaving the door open. Lizzie waited for a few minutes, but Francesca did not return. Hesitantly, Lizzie unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up. She slowly walked towards the door to the plane and looked out on the runway. Lizzie couldn't believe her eyes at what she saw. Standing on the runway, with his hands behind his back and dressed in a suit, was Gordo. Lizzie darted out of the plane and down the steps. She threw herself into Gordo's arms, and then hid behind him as she whispered in his ear, "Gordo. Francesca's kidnapped me. You have to get me out of here before she comes back." Gordo simply laughed. "Why are you laughing, Gordo? This is serious! She - shewait a minute." Lizzie straightened up and turned Gordo to face her, "What the heck are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New York." Gordo reached out and grabbed Lizzie's hand, "Come with me." He walked her over to a limo that was sitting on the side of the runway. There was a chauffer holding the door open for them, and Lizzie stepped inside, confused, but willing to go along with the situation. Gordo entered the limo as well, and the chauffer closed the door behind him. As the limo drove off, Gordo held out a single yellow rose for Lizzie. She smiled as she took the flower, "Thank you. It's beautiful. But Gordo, you have to tell me what's going on." "I willsoon enough. For now, just relax," As if he had just pulled it out of thin air, Gordo offered Lizzie a glass of champagne. With all of the madness that had just gone on, she gladly accepted. For twenty minutes, Lizzie and Gordo talked in the limo. Gordo had convinced Lizzie to not worry about what was going on until they arrived at their destination, but the curiosity of where Gordo was taking her took over her thoughts, and she had trouble concentrating on what Gordo was saying. Lizzie's interest perked, however, when the limo stopped moving. They heard the chauffer exit the limo. "We're here," Gordo said. "Where is 'here,' exactly?" Lizzie asked.

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Gordo chuckled and pulled something out of his pocket. Holding it up in front of her face, Lizzie could see that it was a blindfold. She shook her head, "You have got to be kidding me." Gordo shook his, "Nope. You gotta put it on." With a resentful sigh, Lizzie turned her back to Gordo so that he could tie the blindfold around her eyes. He opened the door and got out of the limo, leading Lizzie out as well. He held her hands and guided her off of the street and into a building. Through the building, he helped her up a few steps and around a few pillars, until they stopped in an elevator as the doors slid closed behind them. The elevator stopped at the very top floor, and Gordo held a door open for Lizzie as he led her through it. Lizzie felt the cool breeze on her face. Finally, Gordo took the blindfold off of Lizzie's eyes. When she opened them, the view took her breath away. She was standing on the roof of the hotel that she and Gordo had stayed in on their trip to Italy in the summer before their freshman year of high school. Lizzie brought her hand to her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. She turned to Gordo who was grinning from ear to ear. At the same time, he took her hands and a deep breath, "Funny how we got here, isn't it?" Lizzie scoffed, "You're telling me. I'm supposed to be in New York right now. So are you." Gordo looked down at his feet and laughed, "No. I mean us. How we got to this place in our lives. Through all of the fights and all of the problems and all of the misunderstandings, we still managed to end up together." "Yeah," Lizzie said. "It's pretty amazing. I guess it was just meant to be." Gordo nodded, "It was." Both Lizzie and Gordo looked out at the view again. Lizzie wiped the tears away that had formed in her eyes, and finally regained her composure. Gordo found it funny that he would be taking her composure away from her again in just a few seconds. He took her hands and began; "I remember back in, jeezit must've been eighth grade, when you asked me to make you a promise. You made me promise that we would always stay close to each other, even though high school. So I promised. ButI didn't keep that promise. You know, we had so many rough times in high school, and in college, and out of college that it hurts me to remember them all. But when we met up just a few miles from here, and you told me that you loved mesomething changed inside of me. I didn't feel empty anymore. Every time that we fought, that emptiness would show up and it would take over me. You fill that, Lizzie. You are everything to me, and without you, I don't know where I'd be." Lizzie smiled and Gordo continued.

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"Now, I don't know if you remember this or not," he chuckled, "but this is the exact spot where we shared our very first kiss. When you kissed me on this balcony, you made my dreams come true. You have no idea how long I had been waiting for that moment, and granted, we didn't really act upon it until a few years laterbut still." Lizzie laughed. "That was one of the best moments of my life. And down at the Trevi Fountain? Another one of the best moments of my life. So, I was thinking that we should keep the tradition going, and that's why I brought you here. I was hoping that you could make another one of my dreams come true, on the same balcony where you made my first dream come true so many years ago." Lizzie watched as Gordo reached into his coat pocket and got down on one knee. He pulled out a small black box, opened it, and held it out in front of Lizzie. With the confidence of a thousand lions, Gordo asked the question he had been waiting his entire life to ask. "Elizabeth Brooke McGuire, will you marry me?" Lizzie gasped as she heard the question she had been waiting her entire life to hear. She brought her hand to her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes once again. She began to smile as she pulled her hand from her mouth and brought it to her chest. "Yes. Yes!" she laughed as tears ran down her cheeks. "Yes, I'll marry you!" Gordo jumped up from his knee and slid the ring onto Lizzie's finger, "You just made me the happiest man on the planet." Lizzie laughed, "I know how you feel." This time, it was Gordo who kissed Lizzie atop the hotel in Rome. They held each other as they watched the sun rise, signaling the start of a new day, and the start of their life together. Throughout their entire lives, Lizzie and Gordo were always a few steps behind the other. Sometimes it was Lizzie, and other times it was Gordo, but during their entire relationship, in times both good and bad, they had never been traveling side by side. But on that early morning, as they stood in each other's arms watching the sunrise, Lizzie McGuire and David Gordon were finally in the same place, and they both knew it.

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