I think this chapter is better than the first one. Though I think Miranda is a little mean towards the beginning.
I hope you like it.
The next day, Lizzie wasn't at school. She had called Miranda after breakfast and told her that she was ill, and couldn't go to school. Miranda decided to take the opportunity to talk to Gordo. She sat down next to him on the bus, and he was immediately talking.
"Where's Lizzie? Did she miss the bus? Is she mad at us? Is she mad at me? Did I do something wrong? Did I say something that offended her?"
"Gordo! She's sick! "
"She's sick? Is she alright? Should stay home from school to make sure she's Ok? When will she be better? Is it something she ate?"
"Wow, Gordo! You seem to be asking a lot of questions about the girl you're not talking to! Remind me, why aren't you talking to her?"
"Wh-What do you mean? Of course I'm talking to her!"
"Yeah, you were talking to her A LOT yesterday, weren't you Gordo?"
"I guess I could have been more talkative. It's just…" he trailed off.
"It's just what, Gordo?"
"Well, after the kiss, we just haven't been able to talk properly any more. It's just too awkward." Gordo paled as he realized what he had revealed. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Miranda.
"Don't worry. I already knew. Lizzie told me."
"What did she say exactly? Did she say why she did it? Is our friendship ruined now?"
"If you stop asking questions about the girl you like, I'll tell you exactly how the conversation went."
"Wh-What do you mean: the girl I like? She's my best friend!"
"You know, that's what she said. Except she, unlike you, needs help to discover her true feelings."
Gordo opened his mouth to speak but, again, Miranda cut him off.
"Gordo. Don't you dare tell me you don't like Lizzie that way, because we both know you do."
"Fine. I admit it. You didn't…tell her, did you?"
"Relax Gordo! She already knew!"
"How? I was being so discreet! I was hiding it so well!"
"No, you weren't. Lizzie was the only person in the whole school who didn't know. She was just so oblivious she would never have worked it out by herself."
"So how did she work it out?"
"She didn't! Kate told her. Then you nearly asked her out and she realized it was true. Actually, I was meaning to say: well done! I never thought you'd ever get the courage to ask her out."
"And did she tell you why she kissed me?"
"No. She's somehow managed to convince herself that she doesn't like you that way. I just gave her a load of things that make it totally obvious that she does, and left."
"Do you think that's why she's missing school? Because she can't face me?"
"I don't think so. She's really bad at lying, and you know her parents. Even Matt can't fool them. Besides, she sounded pretty sick on the phone earlier on."
"Do you think I should go see her after school? I usually do, and it would be a good opportunity to talk to her about this."
"Well, you can go see her after school, but I'm coming with you; I don't think it's really fair to force her to talk about this when she's sick."
"But how do I talk to her then? I've tried calling her, but she never answers. I tried talking to her on the plane, but she pretended to be asleep. I even tried getting Matt to trick her into meeting me at the Digital Bean, but she was grounded."
"How about when she's better I call her and tell her we're all going to hang out at the Digital Bean, and then I don't turn up. Or I make up an excuse about needing to be home early."
"Thanks, but how about we make that plan B. I'd quite like her to talk to me voluntarily. Maybe Icould call her and tell her we need to talk alone, and that we should meet at the Digital Bean. And if she says no we can try your idea."
"That sounds good to me. You're right. It would be a bit heartless to force her into talking to you about this."
For a few minutes, neither of them talked. Miranda could tell by the look on Gordo's face that he was thinking about Lizzie, and chose not to disturb him. Instead, she thought about how cute they would be as a couple, and how she would feel as a third wheel. For a second, she considered not helping them so that they could stay the same, but she stopped herself. It would be mean and selfish to do that, and she knew that they would both end up hurt. She preferred being a third wheel to having her friends' pain on her conscience.
When they arrived at school, Miranda told Gordo that she would do everything in her power to get him and Lizzie together, and he thanked her. Then, Gordo spent the whole day talking about Lizzie. Miranda felt like strangling him, and had to remind herself of her good resolutions. She couldn't wait until Lizzie was better. Then she could really start…
So did you like it?
Just to be clear, at the end it might seem like Miranda isn't going to help them, but she is. I just couldn't think of a better way to end.