Best Friend's Little Brother

Chapter One

I just want to dedicate this story to my friend joduismyhero for getting me to write fan fiction and for getting my brain thinking of how cool it would be for Matt to play guitar and how romantic it would be if he sang a song for Miranda.

Also, I don't mean to sound whiney or whatever, but I don't think anyone is reading my other story anymore, so if you are please, please let me know with a review for the next chapter when I post it . The last three have got like a single review each and I really don't care, I just want to know if people are reading is all, thanks. Oh, and for that story, You, Me and the Smores, I am needing ideas if you could send them that way for that story or in your review for this one, either way. Thanks!

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Matt sat in his room playing through the set list for the next night's show, making sure all the songs flowed good, on his acoustic. He looked up to find Miranda standing in his doorway, staring at his hands while they played and he sang. He almost stopped where he was to ask if she needed anything, but was almost finished with the last song so decided to just play it through to the end.

"Wow, Lizzie said you had gotten really good, but I've never heard you before." Miranda said once he was finished and had put the guitar beside him on the bed. "You're playing tomorrow night somewhere aren't you, with your band?"

"Yeah." He wanted to say more but he was all of the sudden shy. Something that happened to him whenever Miranda was around and paying attention to him.

"I'm pretty sure Lizzie was wanting to go, so I'll have to make sure we're there. Do you sing and everything too?"

"Yeah, sing and play guitar." It was a start. He'd gotten out more than a simple yeah.

"Cool, well, I guess I'll see you later then."

"Okay, cool!" Matt bit his lip, hoping that hadn't sounded too eager or desperate to her. He waved back at her as she turned and went on to Lizzie's room. "Way to be cool, McGuire." He mumbled to himself, getting up to call Lanny and the other guys in the band and make sure everyone was good for a final practice later that night. He noticed that his phone wasn't on the charger and then remembered he'd left it downstairs earlier and decided to ask Lizzie's for hers rather than walk all the way downstairs.

He was about to knock on her door when he caught Miranda's voice and froze when he realized what she was saying. "Lizzie, he looked so cute just sitting there and his voice is so. . .I don't even know, it's just amazing. Why does he have to be your younger brother? There are plenty of guys in our grade, that are our age, for me to get a crush on, but no. . .I fall in love with your little brother!"

"Miranda, I wouldn't call it love. . .not yet anyway." Lizzie teased her friend. "Although, you do seem quite stuck on him. You haven't stopped talking about him since he hung out with us three weeks ago at the pool."

"And there's another thing about him, he's so cute in a swim suit. I mean, who else can make scrawny look so sexy?"

"Well, for one- Gordo does a pretty good job in my opinion and two- gross, this is still my little brother your talking about and he is many things, but sexy is not one of them." Lizzie pretended to gag on Miranda's words about Matt.

"Yeah, well if you get to talk about Gordo like that then I get to talk about Matt, laying in the sun without a shirt on. Ahh!" Miranda screamed as a pillow hit her in the face.

"Please, never fantasize out loud when I'm around. Especially when it's my little brother you are undressing and doing all sorts of things I don't even want to contemplate with in your mind."

"Lizzie, I was not undressing him in my mind. I save that for when I'm alone." She joked with her friend, both laughing now. "Is it cool if I go grab something to drink?"

"Has it ever been a problem before?"

"You make a point." Matt tried to move from where he was frozen with his hand raised about to knock, but was unable to do anything but stare straight ahead as the door opened and he watched Miranda walk backwards from the room and collide into him. They ended up on the floor in a tangled heap, neither moving for a few seconds while they registered everything that had just happened.

"Matt? What were doing outside my door?!" Lizzie yelled from her bed.

"I. . .I was just. . .um. . .just going to ask if I could. . .use your band and call my phone." Before Lizzie or Matt could say anything else Miranda stopped their line of questioning with one of her own.

"How long were you standing there listening?" She was turning red, mostly embarrassed at what he might have heard but also a little pissed that he would have been eavesdropping.

"Nothing! I swear, I didn't hear anything!" Matt defended himself, realizing too late that she hadn't asked if he'd heard anything, but how long he'd been standing there.

"Oh. My. God. You heard everything I said didn't you?!" Miranda pushed herself up using Matt's shoulders, and not being gentle about it at all. "How could you just stand there and listen to us?! What are you twelve? Aghh!"

"Miranda, no wait!" Matt called to her retreating back as she stormed back into Lizzie's room. "It's not like that, I prom. . .Ouch!" His pleas were cut short by the door slamming shut and hitting him in the face as he tried to follow her into the room. "Will you listen to me?"

"Why don't you just talk through the door. You seem able to listen just fine through it!" She said angrily from the other side.

"Okay, fine! I didn't mean to listen, I really didn't. I just was surprised when you were talking about me and I couldn't help it. I really was going to ask Lizzie for her phone, but accidentally heard you and froze. I didn't mean to listen, I'm sorry." Matt waited for a few minutes but got no reply. He could hear very quiet mumbling between Lizzie and Miranda, but took a few steps back just to be sure he wouldn't pick any of it up, no matter how much he wanted to. He was about to just give up and go find his phone and make his calls, when the door started to open slowly.

"I believe you, but if you ever do that again I will kill you."

"Thanks." He said relieved. "For the believing me part I mean. I'm not sure about the killing thing, but I guess it gives me all the more reason to make sure I don't listen when I'm not supposed to." They stood and stared at the floor, looking up every few seconds at each other, but quickly looking away when they made eye contact.

"So. . ." Miranda was completely lost as to where to go next. He obviously knew how she felt for him now, she just didn't know if he felt the same. "I guess my secrets out then."

"Yeah, I guess it is. . ." Matt replied nervously. "I'm sorry."

"I know. You said that already."

"Right." Matt was playing with his hands now, staring at his squirming feet for anything to say. "So, um. . .you guys are still coming tomorrow night right?" He looked up hopefully into her eyes, not looking away this time when they connected.

Miranda tried to hide her disappointment that he was trying to change the subject and just smiled. "Of course! I mean. . .everyone at school's been going on and on about you guys and we really should have heard you before now."

"Awesome! So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Matt wanted to say more, but this seemed so much easier and he took the out he was giving himself eagerly. He started backing towards the stairs, waiting for her reply.

"Yeah, definitely."

He smiled at her and turned before he ended up trying to walk backwards down the stairs. He all but flew down them to find his phone. There were a few changes they were going to have to make to the song line up, and they definitely had to practice tonight because now he knew he just had to do a specific song to end the show with. It was easier to sing a song about how he felt than to tell her and he decided that was his only option.