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Title: Just The Two Of Us

Summary: ONE-SHOT! It's the trio's Leaver's Ball at Junior High and after events from the summer, Gordo and Miranda find themselves denying feelings until they both speak to an unlikely Agony Uncle. Will they admit to their feelings by the last dance?

Disclaimer: I don't own the Lizzie McGuire TV show or any of the characters involved, I only own the storyline.

A/N: I'm back with a one-shot. I've had a great time writing it and hope you like it, MG all the way! And if Black Knight 03 is out there reading I hope you don't think I nicked the Miranda and Gordo at a prom idea from you 'cuz I started writing this ages ago and I think you're a great writer and would never nick your stuff! So keep r&ring and enjoy!!!


Flicking the ends of my long nails nervously I breathed deeply and prepared myself for the worst. Being judged is never fun, but by your peers, who can make every day of your school life living hell if they want to, is about as enjoyable as going to the dentist. I checked my reflection in the car window and waved my mom goodbye. I was showing up without a partner, which always gave the predators of the food chain something to talk about, and I made a quick prayer that Gordo was already there, even if he was with his 'date'.

I gave my name to the kid at the door, who grinned and rolled his eyes up and down my petite body. Failing to keep a straight face I smiled back and stepped into the cafeteria. Looking round it was hard to take everything in, the chairs and tables had been put away, and I had to give my compliments to Kate, the whole place was decorated so well it was hard to recognise the dirty yellow walls and grotty canteen that held so many memories. As I scanned through the crowds, my stomach sank; there were so many faces, so many friends. This could be the last time I see them all. I sighed at the big banner that read,

"Goodbye and Good Luck Junior High Leavers 2004"

A weight suddenly leapt on my back and shoulders and I struggled to keep upright. I turned my head round to find a beaming Gordo with his arms firmly clasped around my neck, he kissed me on the cheek and we untangled ourselves. I hugged him intimately and we exchanged opinions on each other's choice of outfits. I blushed as he said how stunning I looked and blushed even more when I stuttered, trying not to let it slip how gorgeous I really thought he looked.

"Where's your date?" he asked. I shook my head with embarrassment as I admitted I didn't have one. "Miranda Sanchez? Without a date? You are kidding right?" I smiled but continued shaking my head. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone with you. I just assumed that you were going with someone 'cuz I mean look at you...... I thought the guys would be lining up!"

"Well you assumed wrong. Most guys don't look at me twice.... even once for that matter! Plus I knew you had a date before I even started looking, I didn't want to muck that up for you."

"How could you muck it up? I would've ditched Parker like a shot to go with you. I mean, you're my best friend and definitely the most attractive person here...." Gordo's eyes flickered away from my face and past my shoulder. His mouth open and eyebrows raised, his words faltered. "Oh my gosh!" he whispered. I looked over at his gaze and found it rested on none other than Lizzie McGuire. I bubbled with rage and jealousy, after everything they'd been through; he continued to drool over her. I drew back my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Eyes brimming with pain, he turned his attention back to me and jumped into a light smile. "Thanks!"

After Rome, Gordo and Lizzie had begun to date. I returned from Mexico City with the tragic experience of my aunt passing away. I was finding life hard and was constantly desperate for the shoulders of my friends. Lizzie was always too busy with her new celebrity life, and wherever she went Gordo followed. But before long Lizzie had broken Gordo's heart. She had travelled back to Rome without him and on the day of arrival, front pages of papers all over Italy and America showed full blown pictures of the reinstated "Lizzie and Paolo" sharing a passionate and fiery make out session against a wall behind their recording studio.

Gordo, singled out, alone and miserable turned to me for help. I, however, was not up for helping him. We argued and rowed for hours, I asked why I should help him get over Liz when he didn't even bother to ask how I was when he knew what hell I'd been through. Though after the tears from both sides, and emotional spills from the heart, we both promised that we would be there for each other, no matter what.

Without Gordo I don't know how I would have gotten over my aunt's death. He held me when I cried and listened when I endlessly reminisced my memories of her. In return I started work on getting him over his first love, from seeing things that reminded him of her, to the phone call from Rome that let him know from Lizzie's own mouth that it was over.

We had made a strong bond, never being apart for longer than a day. Gordo became my best friend and I became his. Neither of us spoke to Lizzie when she came back, tanned and flashing around her million dollar contract with her and Paolo's new record company. It wasn't until Gordo's feelings became noticeably present again on Lizzie's return, that I felt my first pang of jealously, which soon turned into uncontrollable sensations of lust and passion as I came to terms with the fact that I was falling for my best friend.

Now he was stood opposite me at our Leaver's Ball with the surroundings of the school we had grown up in, and was grinning in an apologetic way. I rolled my tearful eyes at him, hoping that they would go unnoticed in the dark, and murmured that I needed to go outside for some fresh air.

I walked fast, careful not to break into a run, out of the cafeteria doors and onto the outside ground. There were a few picnic benches dotted around and I sat down on one that had scratched into it, "Liz, Randa Gordo – 3 amigos 4eva!" Tears now splashing down my cheeks my eyes wondered over the wall with our handprints imprinted alongside each other and into the cafeteria where Gordo and Parker were now sharing an intimate slow dance.

"That should be me." I breathed out loud, biting my lip.

"I know," a voice replied from next to me. I jumped as I spun round to see Larry Tudgeman next to me, "Boy trouble?" he asked. Since my boy-girl party I was a lot less grossed out by Larry and we had gotten quite close. He had often questioned me about my feelings about Gordo, but not willing to admit it to myself, I denied everything. But now it would be hard to cover up. I nodded and buried my face into his shoulder and started to cry. Larry didn't force me to speak but his gentle strokes of my hair and occasional grip tightens around my waist brought my sobs to a close.

"I....I'm just so screwed up." I stammered, "I don't know what to... what to think anymore. I mean he's my...my best friend." Larry smiled.

"Since when is there a law against dating your best friend? Him and Lizzie went out."

"Yeah and looked what happened to them!" I snapped back, "I don't want to get hurt Larry, I've been through enough heart break recently as it is."

"Okay so bad example but you two.... you and Gordo are right together, you're like soul mates."

"If we were soul mates something would have, you know, 'happened' between us already. There have been plenty of opportunities for us to pass that 'just friends' stage but we never took them."

"Maybe you've just been denying it all this time. Trust me Randa you should tell him how you feel!"

"Tell him?" I laughed, "No way! Think of how much I could lose doing that! Plus no matter what I try, he is still completely in love with Lizzie."

"Jesus Miranda, get your facts right!" I raised an eyebrow at him, "Lizzie is a hard person to get over, I know from experience. But the way Gordo looks at her isn't in a way of love or lust, it's pain and probably slightly hatred."

"But his jaw dropped when Lizzie walked into the prom this evening!" I stated.

"Not as much as it did when you walked in." My heart skipped a bit and I replayed Larry's words in my head. "C'mon Rand does he usually greet you with that much enthusiasm and that many compliments?"

"Well....no...but... it's not the way he looks at her Larry, it's the way he talks about her and thinks about her."

"Okay if you are so convinced that there is a chance that Gordo may still like Lizzie, even if it's the tiniest of crushes, then you need to finish what you started. Get him over her."

"But how?"

"You can interpret this how you wish because it's only my advice. You need to get him to start seeing, possibly dating, someone else."

"I can't do that!"

"You said yourself you're never going to be more than friends. And as his best friend I think you should do what's best for him. You need to set him up with someone he's already friendly with, who he can see a new side to." Larry glanced through the school window. I followed him.

"Parker?"

"If that's the right thing to do."

"But Larry, there's got to be another way. Isn't there some one else he likes? You know, you're a guy."

"There is another way," he leant towards me, his voice tuning down to a whisper, "You tell him you like him, not as a friend, as a member of the opposite sex."

"How will that solve anything? Then I'll have to watch him dating some one else and have the humiliation of being rejected!"

"Wow Miranda you really aren't as intelligent as you look."

"Thanks Larry, way to cheer me up when I'm down." I snarled.

"I'm serious, everyone else sees it, how can you not? Do I need to spell it out for you?" he gazed at my blank expression and smiled as he did just that, "Okay..... Gordo needs to date someone to get over Lizzie, someone he really likes already, someone who can show him that Lizzie is in the past, someone who likes him....." I still didn't respond, a gut feeling prayed that Larry was talking about me but I was too scared to admit it in case I was wrong, but then he spoke the words I had been so desperate to hear, "Gordo likes you Miranda, I mean he really likes you."

A grin erupted on my face and I stuttered for words, for breath. Catching this grin, that widened by the second, Larry continues to explain, "When Gordo first liked Lizzie, I promised he could talk to me about anything, and recently he has been taking that offer up. He has liked you for a while, he has gotten over Liz because he likes you. The only reason he talks about other girls and gives the occasional eye to Lizzie is because he's scared that you'll figure out that he does like you."

Finally finding my voice I spoke up, "But why didn't you tell me before?"

"Because initially I wanted you to work it out for yourself, I didn't think you'd believe it from 'Larry Tudgeman – Überdork' But seeing as when the pieced were right in front of you and you still couldn't fit the together, I thought it was about time you were told the truth."

"Are you sure he likes me? Not just as a friend?"

"I've never been so positive about anything, well possibly when I was on the last lever of Dungeons and Dragons and...."

"I get the picture Tudge! So I guess this is it. I've gotta go face up to my feelings and tell him." Just describing it brought a lump to my throat.

"You go girl," Larry paused, "Nope it's never appropriate for a guy to say that! So go Randa, just go tell him!"

"But I've been crying I look a mess!"

"You look beautiful Miranda, but go prepare yourself if you're gonna feel more comfortable!"

I inhaled a large breath of air, my smile never leaving my face, "I'm doing it, and I'm going. Thank you so much Larry you're an amazing guy and an amazing friend." I leapt forwards and pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing him gently on the cheek, and ran off to the cafeteria leaving him blushing on the bench.

I caught Gordo and Parker out of the corner of my eye, still clung together in a romantic dance, but Gordo looked up at me and I quickly dodged his view, escaping into the restrooms. Dashing inside I came face to face with Lizzie and Kate.

"Oh look who it is," Kate snarled glaring at my tear stained cheeks, "Aw what's wrong, have you and Gordork had an argument?"

I chose not to reply but this time Lizzie spoke up.

"You know you're better than him Randa? I mean Gordo is such a bad boyfriend, trust me, I know. You need someone like Paolo, he really makes you feel like a woman if you get what I mean?! Gordo, however, wouldn't know what intimacy was if it danced around naked in front of him. And don't get me started on his kissing techniques, man it makes me want to hurl just talking about it, it's just so..." I cut her off short and slapped her as hard as I could across the face, throwing all my anger into my hand as I hit her again before she could return it. "How dare you?" she screamed, one side of her face much redder than the other. Raising her hand to hit me back, Kate caught it.

"Let's see what she has to say first before we make her life hell."

My brain fell blank and I panicked over what to say, but as soon as I started all of my emotions and feelings came flooding out.

"Don't ever speak about Gordo like that again, he really loved you Liz and you broke his heart, and I had to help him pick up the pieces. Calling him a bad boyfriend is the biggest lie I have ever heard, you were so happy with him, but no, you wanted the glitz and glamour of the celebrity life and you didn't give a shit about who you hurt along the way.
You were meant to be my best friend but you avoided me and refused to talk to me when my aunt died, do you know how much that hurt? I was depressed and didn't even have my best friend to back me up, I really hope you find yourself in that situation in the future just so me and Gordo can watch your pain, just like you did to us.
I can't believe you've sided with Kate, after 5 years of hating her and calling her every name under the sun, you've gone crawling back, hoping to get to the top of the food chain. Well I'll tell you something, it failed, you're not as popular as you think, everybody thinks you're a dirty slut for what you did to Gordo and that includes me!
So I hope you're happy with Paolo and Kate because from now on they're all you've got because no matter what you do, me and Gordo will never have anything to do with you every again."

I finished, my throat raw from screaming and my eyes stinging with tears, not wanting to face their reaction I hurried out into the cafeteria dance hall where I ran straight into Gordo who had obviously heard every word. Pulling me to the side of the dance and sitting me down on a chair I dissolved into tears.

"This isn't how I wanted it all to happen Gordo." I choked.

"Do you want to go?" Gordo whispered, holding my close, I could feel his panicky breaths against my neck.

"No, I...I really need to talk to you." I began to pulse with nerves and Gordo looked at me slightly puzzled, there was no turning back. The DJ began to play Robbie William's 'Angels' and Gordo offered out his hand.

"Can you talk whilst dancing?"

I smiled and took his hand, fingers laced together we walked up onto the dance floor. Very awkwardly Gordo placed his hands on my waist and I gently hooked mine around his neck.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked, pulling one of his hands away to wipe the tears from my face, but before I could reply he added with a smile, "How do you still manage to look so beautiful when you've been crying?" I blushed, "Sorry carry on!" He looked at me intensely and we were unable to unlock our eyes.

"Okay Gordo, I just kinda spoke to Larry about something," he shook his head laughing 'Tudge' in the cute way he always did on hearing Larry's name. "And I... I really don't know how to deal with it, but I want to. If that makes any sense."

"Absolutely none." Gordo grinned, but as if receiving some bad news, his eyes widened and his eyebrows shot upwards, his mouth forming a soft 'O'. "Okay, I think it's starting to make sense. And Randa I'm sorry, I never should have said anything," his voice sounded panicky and he started to step backwards, the gap between us growing larger; "Now things are going to be uncomfortable between us and. ... man I can't believe I screwed this up, Larry promised he wouldn't tell you."

"But he had to Gordo." I stated, pulling his back closer to me. Still swaying to the music I rested my forehead on his, our bodies were touching and I could feel his heart racing next to mine.

"What are you saying?" Gordo asked, I watched a small, sexy smile dance across his lips.

Overcome by the heat of the moment I felt like a different person as I whispered back, "I'm not saying anything." Gordo frowned and I moved closer to him, making sure there were no gaps between us I buried my head into his neck. He kissed the top of my head and I kissed his neck, I could feel him freeze beneath me, he had kissed me in a friendly way many times before but I had never returned it.

"Miranda?" He lifted my head up so that it was directly in line with his, only centimetres apart. I flashed him a flirty smile before I leant forwards and kissed him again, first on the forehead, then his cheek, and both breathing deeply I moved to his lips. An electric current shot through my body and as I pulled away I faced a slightly puzzled Gordo. He hadn't kissed me back and I started to worry that I had done the wrong thing, maybe Larry had misunderstood. I looked deep into his eyes and his frown turned into a soft smile. He hands run up my body from my waist and rested on either side of my mouth, Gordo pulled me forwards and kissed me. The world around us fell into pause and it was just the two of us, connected with a kiss. Gordo let out a small laugh, "I guess you like me back then?" I hit him playfully and kissed him again, more passionately than before and felt my knees buckle as he kissed me back, his hands caressing my back, both of us excited that we had finished denying it and scrapped that label of 'Miranda and Gordo: Just Friends'.


Hope you liked it, check out my other Lizzie McGuire FFs if you're a fan of MGs, and if you like the one-shot prospect of it, check out my Harry Potter Ron/Hermione FF: In The Darkness!

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Cheers!!