"Arithmetic, Ms. Wesler. English, Mr. Kibler. Biology, Mrs. Krammer. Health, Mrs. Mahoney. And History, Ms. Pasquarello." P.S. said.

Yes! Only one class different! Gordo thought excitedly. He was thinking so much about Lizzie, that he'd forgot completely about poor Miranda.

When P.S. called out her name and her classes, she wasn't in the same Arithmetic, History, or Health class as Lizzie and Gordo.

Miranda looked crushed.

"I'm so sorry." Lizzie said, not knowing what else to say.

Toon Lizzie: This is so not fair! Doesn't this school have any respect for best friends?! (Puts hands on hips)

Gordo on the other hand, was a little relieved. He liked Miranda as a best friend and all. But without her in all the same classes as him and Lizzie, Lizzie wouldn't be as distracted. Therefore, helping her pay more attention to him!

He started getting more excited, and Miranda gave him a strange look. "Why are you smiling?" She demanded.

"Uh... I, um..." He started to say. Suddenly, he came up with an excuse. "I just remembered that I got the world's high score on Hackysack 3,000!"

Lizzie also gave him a strange look. With high-raised eyebrows she asked him, "What, in the world, is Hackysack 3,000?"

"Oh! You see... it's this thing...on the Internet! Yeah! Good old internet." Gordo tried, with a smile that looked much too corny.

Toon Lizzie: Okay, if there was an award for the most fake-sounding lie ever, Gordo's would win!

Lizzie tried to smile, but it came out corny, too. Something was bothering Gordo, and she wanted to know what it was!

I know what I'll do! I'll just talk it over with him. We could go to the Digital Bean after school! Well... after homework. Gordo told us there was a lot of that here! Lizzie thought to herself. Best friends always try to help each other, right?

The rest of the school day went pretty well, although Gordo was still acting a little of weird, in Lizzie's opinion.

Gordo had looked at Miranda's scrapbook during lunch, and had really liked it. Him, Lizzie, and Miranda all wrote their signatures on the last page, and Lizzie taped a picture on it that Miranda taken of all three of them at their new school.

Lizzie called Gordo about two hours after they'd gotten home from school, when she was done with her homework.

"Hello?" Lizzie heard Gordo's now-a-bit-deeper voice ask into his phone.

"Hi. This is Lizzie. I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to the Digital Bean this afternoon." Lizzie told him. "You know, maybe study together for that History quiz Mrs. Pasquarello mentioned?"

"Sure! I mean... yeah, I guess I could do it." Gordo said, wanting to hit himself for sounding so lame. "So uh... is Miranda coming?"

"I didn't ask. I, uh, kind of wanted to talk to you about something. I'll meet you there, okay?"

"Okay, bye." Gordo told her, secretly glad that him and her could go there together alone. I wonder what she wants to talk to me about. He thought, and started daydreaming again.

A little later, Jo drove Lizzie to the D.B., and dropped her off.

Lizzie looked around, and saw Gordo sitting at a table. He was looking at himself in a dark blue pocket mirror, fixing his hair.

Toon Lizzie: Since when does he try to make himself look nice for me?

"Hi!" Lizzie said walking up to him.

Gordo quickly looked up, and stuffed his mirror into a pocket on his cargo pants. "Oh, Hi! I... ordered some smoothies for us. Strawberry, your favorite!"

Lizzie smiled and thanked him. Sitting down, she tried to gather up the courage to talk to Gordo. "Remember how I said I wanted to talk to you about something?"

"Yeah." Gordo said, not knowing really what else to say.

"Well... you've been acting a little strange lately and-" Lizzie started, but was interrupted when all the lights went out! "What happened?"

All Lizzie heard was a muffled "Hey!" and the sound of someone running away. "Gordo, what's going on?" Lizzie exclaimed. Her heart skipped a beat when she didn't hear him respond. "Gordo?"

Silence.

"Someone, please help me! My friend is gone!" Lizzie called out. She heard people all around her talking, wondering what was happening. She heard footsteps. "Gordo?" She asked, hopefully.

"This is the manager of Digital Bean. Someone turned off the power in he building and ran out of here. We'll have it back on in a minute." The manager said in a loud voice so everyone there could hear her.

"But my friend is gone! I don't know what happened to him!" Lizzie told her. Lizzie could just make out her shape in the darkness.

"He probably just went to use the restroom, dear." "But he was right with me before the lights went out!" Lizzie told her, worried.

Just then, the power came back on, and Lizzie looked frantically around.

Toon Lizzie: Why am I so worried all of a sudden? Maybe he got up while the power was out, and I just didn't know it!

"I'll have one of the employees look for him if he doesn't turn up in a few minutes, okay hon'?" The manager told her.

Lizzie nodded, and a waitress brought her the smoothies that Gordo had ordered. She thanked her, and tried to drink it. But her stomach felt like it was twisted in a knot. For some reason, she just didn't think that Gordo was in the building.

She paid for the smoothies at the counter, and scurried outside. "Gordo!" She called. "Gordo?!"

No one answered her, but a few people looked at her with a strange look. One girl rolled her eyes and continued her jogging.

Toon Lizzie: Boy, what helpful people live in my town! (crosses arms)