PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?
Miranda Sanchez rang the doorbell of her best friend Lizzie McGuire.
She had spent much of the summer and the last weeks of school visiting
relatives in Mexico with her family. Lizzie and their other best friend,
David Gordon, known to all but some adults as Gordo, had gone on Hillridge
Middle School's 8th grade class trip to Rome. The Three Amigos had been
back home for a while, and seen each other a few times, but they still had
a sense of trying to make up for lost time when they did. Lizzie and
Gordo's comings and goings were restricted because of events in Rome.
The door opened, almost before Miranda's finger came off the
doorbell. Lizzie had looked out the window and seen Miranda walk up to the
house.
"Hey Miranda!" The two shared a nice hello hug.
"Hey Lizzie! Is Gordo coming over, too?"
"No, he's at a Star Trek convention with Tudgeman," Lizzie said,
referring to Larry Tudgeman, another friend of theirs.
"Oh, right, I forgot about that," Miranda said.
Lizzie and Miranda, being attractive, style-conscious 14-year-olds,
had been known to take hours to fix themselves up for dances or parties.
Today, though, each was in casual Saturday hang-out-at-home mode. Miranda
wore gym shorts with the British Union Jack on them—she had other clothes
and jewelry with this flag pattern, including platform shoes—and a white
tank top with "The Beatles on Apple" and the Apple Records logo, a green
Granny Smith apple. Lizzie wore her favorite cutoff jeans, the denim faded
to light blue, and an orange tank top with "SOUTHEAST TRACK 84-7" on. She
was barefoot, as was her usual custom for hanging out at home.
"So it's just us today," said Lizzie. "I don't remember seeing you
wear flip-flops much. I thought you hated your feet."
"Yeah, well, it was so hot in Mexico that I alternated wearing two or
three pairs of these, and I haven't worn any other shoes since I got back."
"Cool. It'll make it easier if we wanna do our toenails," Lizzie
said, smiling.
In whatever combination, the three always found a lot to do when they
were together. They could also lie on their backs, looking up at the stars
in companionable silence. Today they raided the fridge, which pleased Jo
McGuire, who remembered the time Miranda had nearly passed out in her
living room from skipping meals and rehearsing dance steps for Gordo's
music video. They also went through the movies, CDs, and vinyl records in
the house. Gordo was a film buff and an aspiring director, and all three
loved a wide range of music. Miranda was one of the top singers in glee
club, and Lizzie had sung at the International Music Video Awards in Rome,
thanks in part to her resemblance to an Italian pop star.
Eventually the two took a breather on Lizzie's big bed.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
The sound of her best friend's voice shook Lizzie out of her daze.
"Oh! Sure, Miranda. I guess I was kind of quiet there, wasn't I?"
"It's OK. Good thoughts?" Miranda guessed, from the look on
Lizzie's face.
"Mmm-hmm," Lizzie said dreamily, the corners of her lips turning up
in the beginnings of a smile.
"Gordo?" Miranda was starting to smile herself.
"Oh yeah!" Lizzie's smile was now ear to ear and her eyes twinkled.
"I am so happy for you guys, finally getting together, I don't know
how to tell you."
"I've been hearing a lot of 'Congratulations' and 'About time,' even
from people I don't know all that well."
"Well, you two have had it bad for each other for a long time, if you
count your crush on him in 4th grade," Miranda said. "I guess you were too
close to see it."
"I guess. The whole thing blows my mind, though. I mean, Kate's the
one who put it into words for me."
"Kate Sanders? Our former friend who came back from camp with a
chest, became a cheerleader, and got mean, being nice?"
"It was at the murder mystery party while you were in Mexico. I've
told you about it. Gordo was acting all weird from the time we chose our
characters out of a hat. It probably didn't help that he picked Penelope
Featherstone first, then Aubrey Carstairs." Lizzie pronounced the
characters' names with a British accent. "He was saying things like 'I'll
be the low-key best friend that nobody notices.' My character, Penelope
Featherstone, was supposed to marry Ethan Craft's character, Clive
McGuffin, so I thought that was what it was about. But then at the party,
he and I were the only ones really trying to solve the mystery, and he kept
taking my clues. Kate finally asked me if I knew why he was behaving this
way, and I guessed, 'Because he wants people to notice him.' She said he
was human; he was probably tired of being a doormat. I didn't get it, but
then she said, 'He doesn't want just anybody to notice him. He wants you
to notice him!' She also said, 'Everybody at school can tell, Gordo has
had a crush on you for, like, ever!' I was totally discombobulated by
that. I said something about having to go reveal the killer person guy."
"'Killer person guy'?" Miranda asked with a chuckle.
"Or something equally garbled, yeah, that's what I said. But when I
went in to reveal the killer, Gordo looked so disappointed that I
deliberately name the wrong suspect. Before I did it, I wondered if I let
him win, would it mean I like Gordo. Well, he named the killer, and the
party started to break up. He and I went out on the front porch and talked
about it, how people noticed him."
Lizzie paused. "We must have been a sight, Miranda! I was in a
wedding dress—I'd taken off the veil earlier—and Gordo was in a tux."
Lizzie smiled at the memory.
"I bet he looked good. He usually does when he's dressed up,"
Miranda said.
"Oh, he did. Anyway, he was about to ask me something when Dad
interrupted and destroyed the mood. Gordo left a minute later, and I stood
there, wondering why I felt all flushed and light-headed."
"'Cause you liked him. Duh!" Miranda teased. "He was trying to ask
you out, wasn't he?"
"It sounded that way. I think I would—I hope I would have had the
good sense to say yes if he was."
"Well, you did eventually."
"Uh-huh, and now I don't know why it didn't happen earlier. Well, I
know, but ..."
"I know what you mean," Miranda said.
"It's just that whenever I think of a major event in my life, Gordo's
in there somewhere. You are too, Miranda."
"Thanks, Lizzie, but I missed some stuff while I was in Mexico."
"Yes, but you were there in spirit. I missed you and thought about
you all the time. I know Gordo did too."
Miranda's face brightened. "Thanks, Liz. I thought of you guys too.
But you were talking about major events and Gordo and—"
"Right, yeah. You got the school e-zine in Mexico, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I liked your 'Dear Lizzie' column."
"Well, do you remember Confused Guy? The last letter I answered?"
"Yeah, he thought he liked his best friend as more than a .... Wait a
minute! Was he ...?"
"Yep. Gordo." Lizzie smiled as if she'd told a secret. "He told me
just the other day."
"Aww, how sweet!"
"And when he first saw me after that issue came out, he told me I
gave good advice. It kind of seemed like he wanted to say something else
at the time, but I didn't think much about it until he told me he was
Confused Guy. I was walking Veruca to class, and maybe he wasn't sure he
could say it in front of her."
"'Follow your heart; it'll tell you what's right,' I think is what
you advised."
"I did give good advice, didn't I?" Lizzie said, a light-hearted
grin at her lips.
"Well, Confused Guy eventually got unconfused!"
"So did Dear Lizzie. When I read what he wrote in my yearbook, even
though he told me not to 'cause he wasn't finished with it, I just kind of
looked up and went, 'Oh my gosh!'"
"When was that group picture taken?" Miranda's eyes gleamed as she
asked.
"A few minutes later." Miranda had made her blush. "Gordo had no
idea I'd kiss him; I wasn't sure myself I was going to until I did it. But
we'd been going through the book together, remembering things as we turned
the pages. How many dances did we three go to?"
"Including the Spring Fling, which came to you?"
"With Gordo in the lead," Lizzie said, smiling and blushing. "He
even brought mini-doughnuts. And a back yard full of people! That really
meant a lot to me after I took the rap for the statue thing. I got all
weepy when I told my parents about not being allowed to go. I don't think
I ever explained Canada very well."
"And the Sadie Hawkins dance?" Miranda added.
"Oh, yeah, when I transformed myself into Ethan Craft's fantasy woman
and he still turned me down. Gordo thought that that mystery woman was
kinda grrrr!" Lizzie giggled at her imitation of Gordo.
"Is that why you asked him to dance in your back yard?" Miranda
asked, the memory making her smile. "I pulled Matt over to dance, looked
back to see you two together, and smiled. Even at the 'Lounging Around'
dance in 7th grade, you guys made good dancing partners."
"Oh, that was fun!" Lizzie laughed, remembering the Rat Pack-theme
dance that had been inspired by Gordo's fondness for Las Vegas lounge
culture circa 1960. "Gordo got upset that his hobby became a big fad
around school, but weren't the clothes fun? I can't believe I actually
wore a beehive, though. And Gordo danced with both of us at the same
time!"
"Anteater, on Lexington Street," Miranda remembered the store where
they'd bought their lounge clothes. "I'm glad he got over himself and
finally came to that dance. We were both miserable without him there.
Weren't we about to go home ...?"
"Right, and then he walked in ..."
"And in no time he was spinning us off each arm!" Miranda finished
the story, one of many that she and Lizzie had double-teamed on in their
years as best friends.
"Seventh grade. Wow. He found me that cool outfit for picture day,
and I totally got paint all over it."
"Because Kate got that guy Ed to throw green paint at my Delias
outfit because she had the same one and she wanted me to change."
"You worked hard to earn the money for that, you looked awesome in
it, and I couldn't just stand there and let it be ruined!" Lizzie said.
"You were a great friend that day, Lizzie. But whatever happened to
that top that got all the paint on it?"
"You know, I don't remember. It seems like a long time ago and like
just last week at the same time. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, it does," Miranda said. "I was just looking at my 7th and 8th
grade yearbooks the other day, side by side, and I couldn't believe how
young we all looked in 7th grade. Some of us more than others, sure, but
it's amazing how much difference a year can make."
"I remember on picture, I'd been looking for an outfit to borrow, and
Gordo led me to his locker and said, 'Take your pick.' He had four
outfits—well, tops—on hangers in his locker. They were from the drama
department. The girl in charge of costumes owed him a favor, I think."
"Wow. He goes out on a limb for you, then you go out on a limb for
me," Miranda said, her eyes getting big and her voice quiet.
"All in a day's work for the Three Amigos!"
"No—well, maybe. Well, no. Both you guys went beyond the call of
duty."
"And you'd do the same for either of us, in a heartbeat," Lizzie
declared.
"Oh, and there was that dance in 8th grade when Parker McKenzie
turned down Gordo because he was short," Miranda said, changing the subject
back to dances.
"I couldn't believe that she did that!" Lizzie remembered. "She
walked into the gym during our 2-on-2 basketball game with Ethan and was
all complimentary to Gordo afterwards. If I'd been Gordo, I'd have thought
she was interested in going out with me."
"Me too, and she did. She was practically coming on to him, then
when he asked her, she just said no and walked away, with no explanation.
When Gordo found out why, it really hurt him."
"It did. I could have done without his telling us we were part of
the problem, that we bought into the whole tall-guy thing. But he's the
one who's always had the answers for you and me. He's entitled to be the
one with the problem sometimes, too."
"How did you two end up coming to that dance together?" Miranda
asked. "When you tell me, I'll probably remember."
"I was just about ready to go when he came over. Mom brought him
upstairs, in fact. He apologized for saying we were part of the problem,
and I told him we liked him just the way he is. He asked me to go to the
dance with him, and I said yes. Well, I told him I didn't usually date
guys with blue eyes, but just this once .... Oh, and we had a nice, 'you're
forgiven' hug."
"Mmm. And when Parker came over to him—next to us—he didn't make it
easy for her."
"He was good, wasn't he?" Lizzie giggled. In her best Ricky Ricardo
voice, she said, "She had some 'splainin' to do, and he made her 'splain!"
"But he did dance with her when she asked. I was kind of honored
when he said he'd have to ask 'his dates.'"
"And then when you went to steal a dance with Ethan, I felt—oh, not
as happy as I thought I would. About Gordo and Parker, I mean. And I
didn't know why, not right then anyway."
"You liked him," Miranda said matter-of-factly. "And yet you didn't
ask him to Sadie Hawkins later on. Even after he brought that other dance
to your house with the min-doughnuts. And after he went to high school and
you missed him so much you met his bus the first day."
"I remember I said to you, 'I just wish I'd told him how I feel,' and
you said, 'How do you feel?'"
"And then he went through kind of the same thing when you and Ronny
Jacobs were an item, just before Valentine's Day. He told me he'd never
really thought about what it'd be like when you had a boyfriend. You're
the only person he's known his entire life other than his parents. So I
asked him, 'Wait a minute. Are you jealous?' He said no, he was 'trying
to identify another emotion.' I wasn't buying it."
"And then in the library, when I was falling apart because Ronny
broke up with me, Gordo let me cry on his shoulder and told me no one was
prettier or more fun to be with than me. Oh—I don't think I ever
apologized for blowing up at you," said Lizzie.
"What? When?"
"When I told you you were jealous because you didn't have a
boyfriend."
"Oh, that. Well, all three of us left the library together, didn't
we? I wouldn't have done that if I was that mad at you. It did hurt when
you said it, but when I saw you in the library crying, it didn't matter
anymore. You being hurt that much was more important than my being mad at
something you said and didn't mean."
"I'm sure I must have driven you crazy, jabbering on about Ronny. He
was my first real boyfriend kiss. Aaron Carter wasn't the same thing at
all. I mean, I never expected to see Aaron again, the way I did Ronny.
And Ronny'd bought me a ring, too, so it was a big deal. And for him to
break it off, I didn't know I could hurt like that. If I'd had to see him
at school every day, he'd have been harder to get over. He said I could
keep the ring, but I didn't want to. I guess he gave it to whoever it was
at Jefferson. I wish Gordo'd been my first kiss," Lizzie said.
"Didn't you kiss him when we were teasing him about Brooke Baker?"
"Oh, when I asked him how was the lip-lock?"
"Yeah. We were making kissing noises on each side of his head, and I
thought you leaned in and planted one on his cheek," Miranda said.
"We were not at our best in that situation. I definitely wasn't,"
Lizzie said, shaking her head. "I couldn't imagine Gordo as attractive to
any girl. Imagining Gordo as someone's boyfriend made us both go 'Eww.' I
thought—or convinced myself—that Brooke was using him. We overheard Claire
Miller talking about helping Brooke get ready for a hot date, and I said,
'"Hot date" and "Gordo" are never used in the same sentence.'"
"Claire was involved. That's never good news. Where was Kate while
all this was going on? She and Claire are practically joined at the pom-
pom."
Lizzie's eyes got big and her jaw dropped. "She wasn't around at
all, was she? I've never thought about it until you just said that."
"Our little stunt could have ruined our friendship with Gordo."
"Ouch! I hate to even think about that, Miranda! He had a right to
be angry with his best friends—us—over our not being supportive."
"Spying on them the way we did at the Holy Rigatoni was a disaster
waiting to happen. Me being disguised as a boy was something I'm not
looking forward to ever doing again. Not to mention actually going into
the men's room!" Miranda made a face. "And how much spaghetti did we
cause that poor waiter to spill?" Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her
head.
"Not enough for Gordo—and Brooke—not to recognize us. Actually, he'd
have recognized us if we'd been covered in spaghetti from head to toe. But
yeah, there was a lot of it. I've been afraid to go back there ever
since."
"I wasn't expecting him to speak to us at all the next day, never
mind sitting down with us on your back porch and saying he'd broken up with
her because she wanted too much of his time."
"If I hadn't been so possessive and made you spy on them with me, I
wonder how long they would have lasted?" Lizzie asked.
"Yeah, you were. And I don't know. He told us he liked the idea of
having a girlfriend more than actually having one."
"Well, maybe we had to go through all that stuff to figure out how to
be in dating relationships as well as other 'friend' relationships."
"You mean like when you read that book in Mr. Dig's class and started
hanging out with your mom?" Miranda prompted.
"I hadn't thought of it, but yeah," Lizzie said. "I liked doing
things with Mom, but I wasn't ready to hear details about stuff like
marital problems and tax problems. When I'm ready to handle those kinds of
discussions, I think Mom and I will be good friends. That'll take awhile,
though."
"Once you're married to Gordo and have 2.4 children?" Miranda said
playfully.
"Miranda! Let's get through high school at least!" Lizzie's face
registered surprise, embarrassment at the unvarnished talk of marriage and
children, and pleasure at the thought that that might happen with Gordo
someday—all at once. "Hopefully before that."
"Gosh, Lizzie! I didn't mean to embarrass you—not that much."
"I know you didn't. It's just—whenever I think things like that,
they don't seem like what little girls think about fairy tales. I mean, it
doesn't seem like it's way, way off in the future or in some magical
faraway place. It's thrilling and a little scary to think about, because
it could actually happen."
"Wow. And I thought having a boyfriend would be fun."
"It is, when it's the right guy. And when it is, it's kinda fun to
speculate on the future. I can't imagine Gordo not being in my life,
whatever happens in the future. I'm not gonna worry too much about what
might be happening ten years from now. I've got all I can do to deal with
what's going on now. Besides, right now is more interesting anyway."
"That it is," Miranda said. "This has been fun. A lot's happened to
all of us, and somehow I don't think we've seen anything yet."
"We ain't seen nothin' yet!" Lizzie sang. "Chung chung! B-b-baby
we just ain't seen n-n-nothin' yet!" Miranda joined her in singing the
1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive song, complete with imitation guitar sounds,
before they both dissolved into laughter. They'd known the song all their
lives; it was from their parents' teenage years and was on oldies radio and
jukeboxes all the time. It was playing at Kate's horrible birthday party
when Lizzie's mom broke it up.
"Where's Gordo? He knows all the words to that song, I bet," Lizzie
said.
"Yeah, we need his voice here," Miranda said.
Lizzie burst out laughing at that. Gordo wasn't known for singing,
although he joined in with gusto whenever "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"
broke out on the school bus. "You wish, Miranda!"
"No, that's Lalaine."
"Huh?"
"Lalaine is that girl who sings 'You Wish.' You know the song."
Miranda started to sing. "'You wake up one day and everything changes ...'"
"YES!" Lizzie shouted. "You know, you look a lot like her. If she
didn't have those reddish highlights, you guys could be twins. And you
sounded a lot like her just now."
"Wow. Thanks, Lizzie. Lalaine has an awesome voice, and I take it
as a compliment that you say I sound like her."
"I mean it as a compliment," Lizzie said, her pride in her best
friend's talent showing on her face. "You're a great singer. Remember
your first glee club concert when you sang 'Reflection' from that Disney
movie Mulan? I get chills up my spine thinking about it now, and that was
in 7th grade."
"Oh, right, a month after I showed the world I was a horrible
actress." Miranda winced as she spoke. "Being in glee club has helped a
lot with my getting around on a stage, though. The three of us totally
have to do drama in high school. Maybe Gordo can direct something
sometime."
"That would be so cool! I don't think he'd be allowed to direct a
big musical or anything, but maybe a one-act play. Don't they have
something where students direct one-act plays?"
"I'm sure they do. I'll have to check and make sure. That would be
so totally cool for Gordo. He wouldn't be in your room at five o'clock in
the morning with a video camera, would he?" Miranda had an evil grin on
her face when she finished talking.
"Miranda!" Lizzie turned beet red.
"Don't you remember? When you did rhythmic gymnastics and he was
videotaping a documentary of your training and competition?"
"Yeah," Lizzie said cautiously. She'd won first prize at a regional
meet, but hated the sport and gave it up, practically on the spot.
"Whatever happened to that documentary? I don't remember ever seeing it."
"We asked him about it at the time, and he said it didn't turn out
the way he wanted it to, or something. Anyway, one morning he taped you as
you woke up, which was five a.m. according to your alarm clock."
"Wow. I guess I've blocked a lot of stuff about rhythmic gymnastics
out of my mind. I'm surprised Mom and Dad let him do that. I'm surprised
he did do it. Gordo is so not a morning person. How do you remember
this?"
"I am Miranda, I know everything," Miranda said in a fake
Halloween/Vincent Price voice. "Seriously, though, he followed you around
with that camera almost from the first time Coach Kelly gave you that
ribbon thingy after Kate dropped the club on her foot in PE."
"He did, didn't he? I guess I was so used to seeing Gordo with a
camera that it didn't make that much of an impression on me. And while I
was in training I had too much on my mind to really notice cameras."
"Well, as long as he doesn't do that hidden camera stuff around
school again."
"He did change the voices and digitally disguise the faces," Lizzie
said, picking up on Miranda's memory of The Gordo Files, which Gordo had
videotaped around school for a Unified School District 41 Student Film
Competition in 7th grade.
"I was so glad he did, because I did not want to have my face and my
voice up there in front of everybody when I was spouting off about school
and the people in it. I was having a bad day and let off a lot of steam,
and it would not have been pretty if I'd been recognizable. I'd have been
toast!"
"Gordo would never risk you being hurt that way," Lizzie said.
"I know. If I'd known he'd be able to alter everyone's faces and
everything, I wouldn't have been so upset about it. But it worked out, and
nothing like that could happen with a play. I mean, 'you blew your lines'
is way different from 'how could you tape me with hidden camera saying
things like that?'"
"If one of you guys is in a play and I'm not, I'll review it for the
school paper."
"As long as it's honest." Miranda smiled as she remembered Lizzie's
review of her performance in 7th grade. "It's the least you can do for
Rhonda Doppapopoulos," Miranda went on, naming her character in Mr.
Escobar's play Greasier, in which she'd been terrible. Gordo had given her
a videotape of her performance, and Lizzie's review had been accurate.
"And as long as it isn't financed by a credit card."
"Uh, I must have been in Mexico for this one."
"It was after I was 'Dear Lizzie' and before the murder mystery
party, so you were. Gordo got a credit card in the mail one day. Ethan
and I convinced him to keep it, but then he wanted to finance a sci-fi film
with it, I got worried and he got mad at me. Larry was technical advisor,
and Kate and Ethan were in it. Claire was Kate's personal stylist." She
rolled her eyes. "The whole thing fell apart when a pizza delivery guy cut
the card in half because he'd exceeded the limit. He came over to
apologize, and I wondered if I should have been the one apologizing. At
one point he told me he wished you were around to talk about girl stuff
with me," said Lizzie.
"I missed doing that with you. Does Gordo still get weird body
language when you mention 'school supplies'?"
"Yeah, sometimes." Lizzie joined Miranda in giggling. "I have to
give it a certain inflection. He's not as easy as he used to be."
"Uh, did you just hear yourself?"
"Miranda!"
"Sorry. It's just so easy to make you blush!"
"Yes, I did! I meant that it's not as easy as it used to be to make
Gordo squirm by saying 'school supplies'!"
"Well, that was in 7th grade. But yeah, for quite awhile after we
used it as a euphemism for bras when we got our first ones, neither one of
us could say those two words together without Gordo rolling his eyes and
trying to hide his head. Now that you guys re a couple, he might think you
asking him to help you shop for school supplies would sound sexy."
"Hmm. School is starting soon enough ...." Lizzie trailed off as a
grin spread across her face.
Miranda Sanchez rang the doorbell of her best friend Lizzie McGuire.
She had spent much of the summer and the last weeks of school visiting
relatives in Mexico with her family. Lizzie and their other best friend,
David Gordon, known to all but some adults as Gordo, had gone on Hillridge
Middle School's 8th grade class trip to Rome. The Three Amigos had been
back home for a while, and seen each other a few times, but they still had
a sense of trying to make up for lost time when they did. Lizzie and
Gordo's comings and goings were restricted because of events in Rome.
The door opened, almost before Miranda's finger came off the
doorbell. Lizzie had looked out the window and seen Miranda walk up to the
house.
"Hey Miranda!" The two shared a nice hello hug.
"Hey Lizzie! Is Gordo coming over, too?"
"No, he's at a Star Trek convention with Tudgeman," Lizzie said,
referring to Larry Tudgeman, another friend of theirs.
"Oh, right, I forgot about that," Miranda said.
Lizzie and Miranda, being attractive, style-conscious 14-year-olds,
had been known to take hours to fix themselves up for dances or parties.
Today, though, each was in casual Saturday hang-out-at-home mode. Miranda
wore gym shorts with the British Union Jack on them—she had other clothes
and jewelry with this flag pattern, including platform shoes—and a white
tank top with "The Beatles on Apple" and the Apple Records logo, a green
Granny Smith apple. Lizzie wore her favorite cutoff jeans, the denim faded
to light blue, and an orange tank top with "SOUTHEAST TRACK 84-7" on. She
was barefoot, as was her usual custom for hanging out at home.
"So it's just us today," said Lizzie. "I don't remember seeing you
wear flip-flops much. I thought you hated your feet."
"Yeah, well, it was so hot in Mexico that I alternated wearing two or
three pairs of these, and I haven't worn any other shoes since I got back."
"Cool. It'll make it easier if we wanna do our toenails," Lizzie
said, smiling.
In whatever combination, the three always found a lot to do when they
were together. They could also lie on their backs, looking up at the stars
in companionable silence. Today they raided the fridge, which pleased Jo
McGuire, who remembered the time Miranda had nearly passed out in her
living room from skipping meals and rehearsing dance steps for Gordo's
music video. They also went through the movies, CDs, and vinyl records in
the house. Gordo was a film buff and an aspiring director, and all three
loved a wide range of music. Miranda was one of the top singers in glee
club, and Lizzie had sung at the International Music Video Awards in Rome,
thanks in part to her resemblance to an Italian pop star.
Eventually the two took a breather on Lizzie's big bed.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
The sound of her best friend's voice shook Lizzie out of her daze.
"Oh! Sure, Miranda. I guess I was kind of quiet there, wasn't I?"
"It's OK. Good thoughts?" Miranda guessed, from the look on
Lizzie's face.
"Mmm-hmm," Lizzie said dreamily, the corners of her lips turning up
in the beginnings of a smile.
"Gordo?" Miranda was starting to smile herself.
"Oh yeah!" Lizzie's smile was now ear to ear and her eyes twinkled.
"I am so happy for you guys, finally getting together, I don't know
how to tell you."
"I've been hearing a lot of 'Congratulations' and 'About time,' even
from people I don't know all that well."
"Well, you two have had it bad for each other for a long time, if you
count your crush on him in 4th grade," Miranda said. "I guess you were too
close to see it."
"I guess. The whole thing blows my mind, though. I mean, Kate's the
one who put it into words for me."
"Kate Sanders? Our former friend who came back from camp with a
chest, became a cheerleader, and got mean, being nice?"
"It was at the murder mystery party while you were in Mexico. I've
told you about it. Gordo was acting all weird from the time we chose our
characters out of a hat. It probably didn't help that he picked Penelope
Featherstone first, then Aubrey Carstairs." Lizzie pronounced the
characters' names with a British accent. "He was saying things like 'I'll
be the low-key best friend that nobody notices.' My character, Penelope
Featherstone, was supposed to marry Ethan Craft's character, Clive
McGuffin, so I thought that was what it was about. But then at the party,
he and I were the only ones really trying to solve the mystery, and he kept
taking my clues. Kate finally asked me if I knew why he was behaving this
way, and I guessed, 'Because he wants people to notice him.' She said he
was human; he was probably tired of being a doormat. I didn't get it, but
then she said, 'He doesn't want just anybody to notice him. He wants you
to notice him!' She also said, 'Everybody at school can tell, Gordo has
had a crush on you for, like, ever!' I was totally discombobulated by
that. I said something about having to go reveal the killer person guy."
"'Killer person guy'?" Miranda asked with a chuckle.
"Or something equally garbled, yeah, that's what I said. But when I
went in to reveal the killer, Gordo looked so disappointed that I
deliberately name the wrong suspect. Before I did it, I wondered if I let
him win, would it mean I like Gordo. Well, he named the killer, and the
party started to break up. He and I went out on the front porch and talked
about it, how people noticed him."
Lizzie paused. "We must have been a sight, Miranda! I was in a
wedding dress—I'd taken off the veil earlier—and Gordo was in a tux."
Lizzie smiled at the memory.
"I bet he looked good. He usually does when he's dressed up,"
Miranda said.
"Oh, he did. Anyway, he was about to ask me something when Dad
interrupted and destroyed the mood. Gordo left a minute later, and I stood
there, wondering why I felt all flushed and light-headed."
"'Cause you liked him. Duh!" Miranda teased. "He was trying to ask
you out, wasn't he?"
"It sounded that way. I think I would—I hope I would have had the
good sense to say yes if he was."
"Well, you did eventually."
"Uh-huh, and now I don't know why it didn't happen earlier. Well, I
know, but ..."
"I know what you mean," Miranda said.
"It's just that whenever I think of a major event in my life, Gordo's
in there somewhere. You are too, Miranda."
"Thanks, Lizzie, but I missed some stuff while I was in Mexico."
"Yes, but you were there in spirit. I missed you and thought about
you all the time. I know Gordo did too."
Miranda's face brightened. "Thanks, Liz. I thought of you guys too.
But you were talking about major events and Gordo and—"
"Right, yeah. You got the school e-zine in Mexico, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I liked your 'Dear Lizzie' column."
"Well, do you remember Confused Guy? The last letter I answered?"
"Yeah, he thought he liked his best friend as more than a .... Wait a
minute! Was he ...?"
"Yep. Gordo." Lizzie smiled as if she'd told a secret. "He told me
just the other day."
"Aww, how sweet!"
"And when he first saw me after that issue came out, he told me I
gave good advice. It kind of seemed like he wanted to say something else
at the time, but I didn't think much about it until he told me he was
Confused Guy. I was walking Veruca to class, and maybe he wasn't sure he
could say it in front of her."
"'Follow your heart; it'll tell you what's right,' I think is what
you advised."
"I did give good advice, didn't I?" Lizzie said, a light-hearted
grin at her lips.
"Well, Confused Guy eventually got unconfused!"
"So did Dear Lizzie. When I read what he wrote in my yearbook, even
though he told me not to 'cause he wasn't finished with it, I just kind of
looked up and went, 'Oh my gosh!'"
"When was that group picture taken?" Miranda's eyes gleamed as she
asked.
"A few minutes later." Miranda had made her blush. "Gordo had no
idea I'd kiss him; I wasn't sure myself I was going to until I did it. But
we'd been going through the book together, remembering things as we turned
the pages. How many dances did we three go to?"
"Including the Spring Fling, which came to you?"
"With Gordo in the lead," Lizzie said, smiling and blushing. "He
even brought mini-doughnuts. And a back yard full of people! That really
meant a lot to me after I took the rap for the statue thing. I got all
weepy when I told my parents about not being allowed to go. I don't think
I ever explained Canada very well."
"And the Sadie Hawkins dance?" Miranda added.
"Oh, yeah, when I transformed myself into Ethan Craft's fantasy woman
and he still turned me down. Gordo thought that that mystery woman was
kinda grrrr!" Lizzie giggled at her imitation of Gordo.
"Is that why you asked him to dance in your back yard?" Miranda
asked, the memory making her smile. "I pulled Matt over to dance, looked
back to see you two together, and smiled. Even at the 'Lounging Around'
dance in 7th grade, you guys made good dancing partners."
"Oh, that was fun!" Lizzie laughed, remembering the Rat Pack-theme
dance that had been inspired by Gordo's fondness for Las Vegas lounge
culture circa 1960. "Gordo got upset that his hobby became a big fad
around school, but weren't the clothes fun? I can't believe I actually
wore a beehive, though. And Gordo danced with both of us at the same
time!"
"Anteater, on Lexington Street," Miranda remembered the store where
they'd bought their lounge clothes. "I'm glad he got over himself and
finally came to that dance. We were both miserable without him there.
Weren't we about to go home ...?"
"Right, and then he walked in ..."
"And in no time he was spinning us off each arm!" Miranda finished
the story, one of many that she and Lizzie had double-teamed on in their
years as best friends.
"Seventh grade. Wow. He found me that cool outfit for picture day,
and I totally got paint all over it."
"Because Kate got that guy Ed to throw green paint at my Delias
outfit because she had the same one and she wanted me to change."
"You worked hard to earn the money for that, you looked awesome in
it, and I couldn't just stand there and let it be ruined!" Lizzie said.
"You were a great friend that day, Lizzie. But whatever happened to
that top that got all the paint on it?"
"You know, I don't remember. It seems like a long time ago and like
just last week at the same time. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah, it does," Miranda said. "I was just looking at my 7th and 8th
grade yearbooks the other day, side by side, and I couldn't believe how
young we all looked in 7th grade. Some of us more than others, sure, but
it's amazing how much difference a year can make."
"I remember on picture, I'd been looking for an outfit to borrow, and
Gordo led me to his locker and said, 'Take your pick.' He had four
outfits—well, tops—on hangers in his locker. They were from the drama
department. The girl in charge of costumes owed him a favor, I think."
"Wow. He goes out on a limb for you, then you go out on a limb for
me," Miranda said, her eyes getting big and her voice quiet.
"All in a day's work for the Three Amigos!"
"No—well, maybe. Well, no. Both you guys went beyond the call of
duty."
"And you'd do the same for either of us, in a heartbeat," Lizzie
declared.
"Oh, and there was that dance in 8th grade when Parker McKenzie
turned down Gordo because he was short," Miranda said, changing the subject
back to dances.
"I couldn't believe that she did that!" Lizzie remembered. "She
walked into the gym during our 2-on-2 basketball game with Ethan and was
all complimentary to Gordo afterwards. If I'd been Gordo, I'd have thought
she was interested in going out with me."
"Me too, and she did. She was practically coming on to him, then
when he asked her, she just said no and walked away, with no explanation.
When Gordo found out why, it really hurt him."
"It did. I could have done without his telling us we were part of
the problem, that we bought into the whole tall-guy thing. But he's the
one who's always had the answers for you and me. He's entitled to be the
one with the problem sometimes, too."
"How did you two end up coming to that dance together?" Miranda
asked. "When you tell me, I'll probably remember."
"I was just about ready to go when he came over. Mom brought him
upstairs, in fact. He apologized for saying we were part of the problem,
and I told him we liked him just the way he is. He asked me to go to the
dance with him, and I said yes. Well, I told him I didn't usually date
guys with blue eyes, but just this once .... Oh, and we had a nice, 'you're
forgiven' hug."
"Mmm. And when Parker came over to him—next to us—he didn't make it
easy for her."
"He was good, wasn't he?" Lizzie giggled. In her best Ricky Ricardo
voice, she said, "She had some 'splainin' to do, and he made her 'splain!"
"But he did dance with her when she asked. I was kind of honored
when he said he'd have to ask 'his dates.'"
"And then when you went to steal a dance with Ethan, I felt—oh, not
as happy as I thought I would. About Gordo and Parker, I mean. And I
didn't know why, not right then anyway."
"You liked him," Miranda said matter-of-factly. "And yet you didn't
ask him to Sadie Hawkins later on. Even after he brought that other dance
to your house with the min-doughnuts. And after he went to high school and
you missed him so much you met his bus the first day."
"I remember I said to you, 'I just wish I'd told him how I feel,' and
you said, 'How do you feel?'"
"And then he went through kind of the same thing when you and Ronny
Jacobs were an item, just before Valentine's Day. He told me he'd never
really thought about what it'd be like when you had a boyfriend. You're
the only person he's known his entire life other than his parents. So I
asked him, 'Wait a minute. Are you jealous?' He said no, he was 'trying
to identify another emotion.' I wasn't buying it."
"And then in the library, when I was falling apart because Ronny
broke up with me, Gordo let me cry on his shoulder and told me no one was
prettier or more fun to be with than me. Oh—I don't think I ever
apologized for blowing up at you," said Lizzie.
"What? When?"
"When I told you you were jealous because you didn't have a
boyfriend."
"Oh, that. Well, all three of us left the library together, didn't
we? I wouldn't have done that if I was that mad at you. It did hurt when
you said it, but when I saw you in the library crying, it didn't matter
anymore. You being hurt that much was more important than my being mad at
something you said and didn't mean."
"I'm sure I must have driven you crazy, jabbering on about Ronny. He
was my first real boyfriend kiss. Aaron Carter wasn't the same thing at
all. I mean, I never expected to see Aaron again, the way I did Ronny.
And Ronny'd bought me a ring, too, so it was a big deal. And for him to
break it off, I didn't know I could hurt like that. If I'd had to see him
at school every day, he'd have been harder to get over. He said I could
keep the ring, but I didn't want to. I guess he gave it to whoever it was
at Jefferson. I wish Gordo'd been my first kiss," Lizzie said.
"Didn't you kiss him when we were teasing him about Brooke Baker?"
"Oh, when I asked him how was the lip-lock?"
"Yeah. We were making kissing noises on each side of his head, and I
thought you leaned in and planted one on his cheek," Miranda said.
"We were not at our best in that situation. I definitely wasn't,"
Lizzie said, shaking her head. "I couldn't imagine Gordo as attractive to
any girl. Imagining Gordo as someone's boyfriend made us both go 'Eww.' I
thought—or convinced myself—that Brooke was using him. We overheard Claire
Miller talking about helping Brooke get ready for a hot date, and I said,
'"Hot date" and "Gordo" are never used in the same sentence.'"
"Claire was involved. That's never good news. Where was Kate while
all this was going on? She and Claire are practically joined at the pom-
pom."
Lizzie's eyes got big and her jaw dropped. "She wasn't around at
all, was she? I've never thought about it until you just said that."
"Our little stunt could have ruined our friendship with Gordo."
"Ouch! I hate to even think about that, Miranda! He had a right to
be angry with his best friends—us—over our not being supportive."
"Spying on them the way we did at the Holy Rigatoni was a disaster
waiting to happen. Me being disguised as a boy was something I'm not
looking forward to ever doing again. Not to mention actually going into
the men's room!" Miranda made a face. "And how much spaghetti did we
cause that poor waiter to spill?" Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her
head.
"Not enough for Gordo—and Brooke—not to recognize us. Actually, he'd
have recognized us if we'd been covered in spaghetti from head to toe. But
yeah, there was a lot of it. I've been afraid to go back there ever
since."
"I wasn't expecting him to speak to us at all the next day, never
mind sitting down with us on your back porch and saying he'd broken up with
her because she wanted too much of his time."
"If I hadn't been so possessive and made you spy on them with me, I
wonder how long they would have lasted?" Lizzie asked.
"Yeah, you were. And I don't know. He told us he liked the idea of
having a girlfriend more than actually having one."
"Well, maybe we had to go through all that stuff to figure out how to
be in dating relationships as well as other 'friend' relationships."
"You mean like when you read that book in Mr. Dig's class and started
hanging out with your mom?" Miranda prompted.
"I hadn't thought of it, but yeah," Lizzie said. "I liked doing
things with Mom, but I wasn't ready to hear details about stuff like
marital problems and tax problems. When I'm ready to handle those kinds of
discussions, I think Mom and I will be good friends. That'll take awhile,
though."
"Once you're married to Gordo and have 2.4 children?" Miranda said
playfully.
"Miranda! Let's get through high school at least!" Lizzie's face
registered surprise, embarrassment at the unvarnished talk of marriage and
children, and pleasure at the thought that that might happen with Gordo
someday—all at once. "Hopefully before that."
"Gosh, Lizzie! I didn't mean to embarrass you—not that much."
"I know you didn't. It's just—whenever I think things like that,
they don't seem like what little girls think about fairy tales. I mean, it
doesn't seem like it's way, way off in the future or in some magical
faraway place. It's thrilling and a little scary to think about, because
it could actually happen."
"Wow. And I thought having a boyfriend would be fun."
"It is, when it's the right guy. And when it is, it's kinda fun to
speculate on the future. I can't imagine Gordo not being in my life,
whatever happens in the future. I'm not gonna worry too much about what
might be happening ten years from now. I've got all I can do to deal with
what's going on now. Besides, right now is more interesting anyway."
"That it is," Miranda said. "This has been fun. A lot's happened to
all of us, and somehow I don't think we've seen anything yet."
"We ain't seen nothin' yet!" Lizzie sang. "Chung chung! B-b-baby
we just ain't seen n-n-nothin' yet!" Miranda joined her in singing the
1974 Bachman-Turner Overdrive song, complete with imitation guitar sounds,
before they both dissolved into laughter. They'd known the song all their
lives; it was from their parents' teenage years and was on oldies radio and
jukeboxes all the time. It was playing at Kate's horrible birthday party
when Lizzie's mom broke it up.
"Where's Gordo? He knows all the words to that song, I bet," Lizzie
said.
"Yeah, we need his voice here," Miranda said.
Lizzie burst out laughing at that. Gordo wasn't known for singing,
although he joined in with gusto whenever "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall"
broke out on the school bus. "You wish, Miranda!"
"No, that's Lalaine."
"Huh?"
"Lalaine is that girl who sings 'You Wish.' You know the song."
Miranda started to sing. "'You wake up one day and everything changes ...'"
"YES!" Lizzie shouted. "You know, you look a lot like her. If she
didn't have those reddish highlights, you guys could be twins. And you
sounded a lot like her just now."
"Wow. Thanks, Lizzie. Lalaine has an awesome voice, and I take it
as a compliment that you say I sound like her."
"I mean it as a compliment," Lizzie said, her pride in her best
friend's talent showing on her face. "You're a great singer. Remember
your first glee club concert when you sang 'Reflection' from that Disney
movie Mulan? I get chills up my spine thinking about it now, and that was
in 7th grade."
"Oh, right, a month after I showed the world I was a horrible
actress." Miranda winced as she spoke. "Being in glee club has helped a
lot with my getting around on a stage, though. The three of us totally
have to do drama in high school. Maybe Gordo can direct something
sometime."
"That would be so cool! I don't think he'd be allowed to direct a
big musical or anything, but maybe a one-act play. Don't they have
something where students direct one-act plays?"
"I'm sure they do. I'll have to check and make sure. That would be
so totally cool for Gordo. He wouldn't be in your room at five o'clock in
the morning with a video camera, would he?" Miranda had an evil grin on
her face when she finished talking.
"Miranda!" Lizzie turned beet red.
"Don't you remember? When you did rhythmic gymnastics and he was
videotaping a documentary of your training and competition?"
"Yeah," Lizzie said cautiously. She'd won first prize at a regional
meet, but hated the sport and gave it up, practically on the spot.
"Whatever happened to that documentary? I don't remember ever seeing it."
"We asked him about it at the time, and he said it didn't turn out
the way he wanted it to, or something. Anyway, one morning he taped you as
you woke up, which was five a.m. according to your alarm clock."
"Wow. I guess I've blocked a lot of stuff about rhythmic gymnastics
out of my mind. I'm surprised Mom and Dad let him do that. I'm surprised
he did do it. Gordo is so not a morning person. How do you remember
this?"
"I am Miranda, I know everything," Miranda said in a fake
Halloween/Vincent Price voice. "Seriously, though, he followed you around
with that camera almost from the first time Coach Kelly gave you that
ribbon thingy after Kate dropped the club on her foot in PE."
"He did, didn't he? I guess I was so used to seeing Gordo with a
camera that it didn't make that much of an impression on me. And while I
was in training I had too much on my mind to really notice cameras."
"Well, as long as he doesn't do that hidden camera stuff around
school again."
"He did change the voices and digitally disguise the faces," Lizzie
said, picking up on Miranda's memory of The Gordo Files, which Gordo had
videotaped around school for a Unified School District 41 Student Film
Competition in 7th grade.
"I was so glad he did, because I did not want to have my face and my
voice up there in front of everybody when I was spouting off about school
and the people in it. I was having a bad day and let off a lot of steam,
and it would not have been pretty if I'd been recognizable. I'd have been
toast!"
"Gordo would never risk you being hurt that way," Lizzie said.
"I know. If I'd known he'd be able to alter everyone's faces and
everything, I wouldn't have been so upset about it. But it worked out, and
nothing like that could happen with a play. I mean, 'you blew your lines'
is way different from 'how could you tape me with hidden camera saying
things like that?'"
"If one of you guys is in a play and I'm not, I'll review it for the
school paper."
"As long as it's honest." Miranda smiled as she remembered Lizzie's
review of her performance in 7th grade. "It's the least you can do for
Rhonda Doppapopoulos," Miranda went on, naming her character in Mr.
Escobar's play Greasier, in which she'd been terrible. Gordo had given her
a videotape of her performance, and Lizzie's review had been accurate.
"And as long as it isn't financed by a credit card."
"Uh, I must have been in Mexico for this one."
"It was after I was 'Dear Lizzie' and before the murder mystery
party, so you were. Gordo got a credit card in the mail one day. Ethan
and I convinced him to keep it, but then he wanted to finance a sci-fi film
with it, I got worried and he got mad at me. Larry was technical advisor,
and Kate and Ethan were in it. Claire was Kate's personal stylist." She
rolled her eyes. "The whole thing fell apart when a pizza delivery guy cut
the card in half because he'd exceeded the limit. He came over to
apologize, and I wondered if I should have been the one apologizing. At
one point he told me he wished you were around to talk about girl stuff
with me," said Lizzie.
"I missed doing that with you. Does Gordo still get weird body
language when you mention 'school supplies'?"
"Yeah, sometimes." Lizzie joined Miranda in giggling. "I have to
give it a certain inflection. He's not as easy as he used to be."
"Uh, did you just hear yourself?"
"Miranda!"
"Sorry. It's just so easy to make you blush!"
"Yes, I did! I meant that it's not as easy as it used to be to make
Gordo squirm by saying 'school supplies'!"
"Well, that was in 7th grade. But yeah, for quite awhile after we
used it as a euphemism for bras when we got our first ones, neither one of
us could say those two words together without Gordo rolling his eyes and
trying to hide his head. Now that you guys re a couple, he might think you
asking him to help you shop for school supplies would sound sexy."
"Hmm. School is starting soon enough ...." Lizzie trailed off as a
grin spread across her face.