Part III of Gordo's Summer

Chapter One

The bell rang, shooting into Miranda, Gordo, and Lizzie's consciousnesses. The first day of school was here.

"Wow, the summer is officially over," Miranda sighed, hitching her backpack higher up onto her shoulders. "It's now time for a brand new year." Gordo and Lizzie stood on either side of Miranda. At mention of the summer, they shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other and looked at each other shyly with darting glances.

"Yeah, a brand new year," echoed Lizzie. She shot Gordo another glance. Gordo said nothing. He just nodded and mumbled something incoherent.

"Did you say something, Gordo?" Miranda inquired.

"What? No. Nothing," he responded. "Just, we should go find our lockers."

"Okay…. Yeah, let's go," Miranda agreed after a long pause. The three best friends set off into the school.

Things had been like this for weeks now and Miranda was having a hard time adjusting to the new dynamic among the three friends. Ever since Gordo had seen Lizzie and Ronnie at the movie theater, things had been uncomfortable and tense. After Lizzie and Gordo had talked at the Digital Bean, though, Miranda had hoped that things would get back to normal, or as normal as things ever got for them. But something big had shifted and their friendships had become harder and harder to maintain.

At first it had seemed like the things they had all been through during the summer would be forgotten. Miranda had even thought at first that Lizzie and Gordo might try their relationship again. But after that night at the Digital Bean, things had changed. Lizzie and Gordo had just started pretending that nothing had ever happened. They would smile faintly at each other's jokes and try to hang out like old times, but things just got more and more strained. Pretty soon, they started making excuses to Miranda not to go out when they knew the other person would be there. But they would never admit to Miranda that they were avoiding the other person.

Through all of this, they had denied that anything was wrong and that anything had happened. Miranda had a sneaking suspicion that they were not telling her something.

Now that school was starting again, though, they could not avoid each other for much longer. They would have to see each other in classes and in the halls.

Miranda sighed again as she passed through the doors of their school and thought, This is going to be a very long year…