When Lizzie and Gordo stepped into the McGuire house that afternoon, they heard the sounds of the construction crew. Gordo groaned under his breath. He never had to hear this sort of thing back at his old house.
Lizzie, wanting to help Gordo this time, offered to help him study for his next test. "No thanks." He said coldly. He'd been thinking about Lizzie sitting with Taylor at lunch that day. He didn't mind if Miranda sat with Ethan... but this was Lizzie!
"Okay..." Lizzie said, puzzled. I hope I didn't do something to make him mad. Maybe he's just having a bad day. She decided to leave him alone for the time being, and went up to her room to do her homework.
She was writing the last few sentences of her book report on White Fang, when she noticed someone standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and saw Sam standing there.
"Hi Lizzie. Can I come in?" He asked.
"Okay." Lizzie said, hoping he didn't plan on staying long. "What's up?"
"Well, the Gordon's are having a rougher time than we thought. Mr. Gordon got been laid off from his job today." He told her seriously.
"Ohmygosh, that's awful!" Lizzie exclaimed. She frowned. Poor Gordo! First his problem... whatever it was, then his house, now this! She thought sympathetically. "Does he know yet?"
"Gordo?"
"Yeah." Lizzie replied.
"His parents are downstairs talking to him right now. It might be a good idea to let him sort out his thoughts for a while before you go and talk with him." Sam told her.
Toon Lizzie: My dad has been given good advice at least a few times before... maybe I should do what he said.
Lizzie nodded. Sam patted her on the knee, and left her room. Lizzie leaned back in her chair, forgetting all about her book report. Maybe I'm the one who needs some time to sort out my thoughts!
She picked up the scrapbook, which had been lying on top of her desk. It still smelled faintly of smoke. She flipped through the few pages that had photos and drawings in them.
Her thoughts drifted off to the way Gordo had acted earlier. All these years we've been best friends. I hope he won't mind if I hang out with Taylor some, too. But Lizzie didn't know what just "hanging out" would turn into.
Later on that day, Lizzie finally came downstairs. She saw Gordo sitting sullenly on the couch, remote in hand, flipping through stations on the McGuire's TV. "Hi Gordo." Lizzie said to him. He barely even looked up. Boy, he must really be bummed out!
"I heard about your dad's job. I'm really sorry." She tried again. Gordo nodded, but said nothing. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" He exclaimed, and turned off the TV. He stared at the ceiling. I don't want to make Lizzie mad. But she's the one who's making me angry. Just when I think maybe, just maybe, she wants to be more than a friend, someone else comes along. I'm not going to put up with it anymore!
Lizzie looked own at the ground. "Did I do something wrong?" Lizzie asked. She was beginning to think that Mr. Gordon's job wasn't exactly why he was upset.
Gordo looked up into Lizzie's worried eyes. He wanted to tell her what he felt. He wanted everything to be okay. But Taylor's name raced through his mind. "Just forget it." He mumbled, and walked out of the room and out of the McGuire's home, feeling a heavy burden on his heart.
Lizzie didn't know what to do. Suddenly, she felt like to talking to Miranda.
Toon Lizzie: What are friends for? Unless... she's doing something with Ethan.
She raced up to her room, closed the door behind her with a loud "ka- bang", and rushed over to her phone. She took a deep breath, and punched in Miranda's phone number. The line was busy. "Ugh!" She complained, and tapped her fingers.
She decided to write what had been going on into her diary. Not that these things were something that she wanted to remember, but if she couldn't talk to Miranda, she needed something to sort out her thoughts to. She took a blue and green striped pen out from a desk drawer, and took out her diary from its secret spot.
Dear Diary:
Things have been going way out of control. Gordo seems upset with me, his house burnt down, and his dad lost his job! Him and his parents have been staying with us, and things haven't been going well for them at all.
Since they won't have much income until Mr. Gordon finds a new job, my guess is that they'll be staying with us longer since they probably won't be able to afford a new house any time soon!
Normally, I wouldn't mind, and would be having a great time with Gordo, doing fun stuff with him and just hanging out! But he's going through so much, and I think things are getting tense between us. I think he needs some time to cool off.
In the meantime, the nursery is almost done being built, so we can decorate it very soon! Mom is getting bigger and bigger. I know I should feel happy about two new siblings, but it's weird. It's like it feels that it's not even happening! Maybe it's because I've been so caught up with other things lately.
Maybe I should go and see if Mom needs help with anything. Things have got to be hard for her, too!
Lizzie put away her diary, put on some older clothes in case Jo needed her to do some work for her, and walked downstairs. She was deep in thought, and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. She didn't see Matt rushing up the stairs, until he bumped into her, and they both lost their balance.
They tumbled down the steps, yelling on the way down. Once on the floor, Lizzie groaned. She slowly got up, as Matt did the same. "Watch where you're going next time, huh?" He told her, brushing off his shirt.
"Well maybe you should too! Why were you in such a hurry in the first place?" She asked him.
"I told Lanny I'd call him this afternoon, and I forgot to. I hope he isn't mad!" Matt jogged up the steps, two at a time.
Toon Lizzie: Not like Lanny would say he was mad in the first place!
Lizzie walked into the kitchen looking for Jo. She was fixing dinner. "Mom, you should be resting! Let me do that."
"Oh Lizzie, it's okay, I can do this-"Jo tried to say.
"No Mom, I insist. You go straight up to your room and lay down!" She instructed.
"Okay, okay." Jo said, giving in. Having twins is a good way to get out of housework! She thought with a smile. "Make sure you follow the cookbook!" She added as she left the room.
Lizzie looked at the frying pan that Jo had on the stove. The cookbook near it was on a page titled, "Vegetable Lasagna that's Out of This World!" Lizzie turned on the stove, and put some oil in the pan to fry the vegetables in like the book instructed. She accidentally spilled some on the floor. "Oh shoot!" She exclaimed.
She grabbed a paper towel, and started wiping it up. She stood up, with the paper towel still in her hand, and one of her flops slipped on some oil she'd missed. "Oof!" She said, and she fell onto the floor.
The paper towel flew out of her hand, landed in the frying pan, and started a giant flame! At that instant, the memory of her inside Gordo's burning home all rushed back to her.
She jumped up, and yelled with all her might, "Fire!" That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.
Lizzie, wanting to help Gordo this time, offered to help him study for his next test. "No thanks." He said coldly. He'd been thinking about Lizzie sitting with Taylor at lunch that day. He didn't mind if Miranda sat with Ethan... but this was Lizzie!
"Okay..." Lizzie said, puzzled. I hope I didn't do something to make him mad. Maybe he's just having a bad day. She decided to leave him alone for the time being, and went up to her room to do her homework.
She was writing the last few sentences of her book report on White Fang, when she noticed someone standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head, and saw Sam standing there.
"Hi Lizzie. Can I come in?" He asked.
"Okay." Lizzie said, hoping he didn't plan on staying long. "What's up?"
"Well, the Gordon's are having a rougher time than we thought. Mr. Gordon got been laid off from his job today." He told her seriously.
"Ohmygosh, that's awful!" Lizzie exclaimed. She frowned. Poor Gordo! First his problem... whatever it was, then his house, now this! She thought sympathetically. "Does he know yet?"
"Gordo?"
"Yeah." Lizzie replied.
"His parents are downstairs talking to him right now. It might be a good idea to let him sort out his thoughts for a while before you go and talk with him." Sam told her.
Toon Lizzie: My dad has been given good advice at least a few times before... maybe I should do what he said.
Lizzie nodded. Sam patted her on the knee, and left her room. Lizzie leaned back in her chair, forgetting all about her book report. Maybe I'm the one who needs some time to sort out my thoughts!
She picked up the scrapbook, which had been lying on top of her desk. It still smelled faintly of smoke. She flipped through the few pages that had photos and drawings in them.
Her thoughts drifted off to the way Gordo had acted earlier. All these years we've been best friends. I hope he won't mind if I hang out with Taylor some, too. But Lizzie didn't know what just "hanging out" would turn into.
Later on that day, Lizzie finally came downstairs. She saw Gordo sitting sullenly on the couch, remote in hand, flipping through stations on the McGuire's TV. "Hi Gordo." Lizzie said to him. He barely even looked up. Boy, he must really be bummed out!
"I heard about your dad's job. I'm really sorry." She tried again. Gordo nodded, but said nothing. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" He exclaimed, and turned off the TV. He stared at the ceiling. I don't want to make Lizzie mad. But she's the one who's making me angry. Just when I think maybe, just maybe, she wants to be more than a friend, someone else comes along. I'm not going to put up with it anymore!
Lizzie looked own at the ground. "Did I do something wrong?" Lizzie asked. She was beginning to think that Mr. Gordon's job wasn't exactly why he was upset.
Gordo looked up into Lizzie's worried eyes. He wanted to tell her what he felt. He wanted everything to be okay. But Taylor's name raced through his mind. "Just forget it." He mumbled, and walked out of the room and out of the McGuire's home, feeling a heavy burden on his heart.
Lizzie didn't know what to do. Suddenly, she felt like to talking to Miranda.
Toon Lizzie: What are friends for? Unless... she's doing something with Ethan.
She raced up to her room, closed the door behind her with a loud "ka- bang", and rushed over to her phone. She took a deep breath, and punched in Miranda's phone number. The line was busy. "Ugh!" She complained, and tapped her fingers.
She decided to write what had been going on into her diary. Not that these things were something that she wanted to remember, but if she couldn't talk to Miranda, she needed something to sort out her thoughts to. She took a blue and green striped pen out from a desk drawer, and took out her diary from its secret spot.
Dear Diary:
Things have been going way out of control. Gordo seems upset with me, his house burnt down, and his dad lost his job! Him and his parents have been staying with us, and things haven't been going well for them at all.
Since they won't have much income until Mr. Gordon finds a new job, my guess is that they'll be staying with us longer since they probably won't be able to afford a new house any time soon!
Normally, I wouldn't mind, and would be having a great time with Gordo, doing fun stuff with him and just hanging out! But he's going through so much, and I think things are getting tense between us. I think he needs some time to cool off.
In the meantime, the nursery is almost done being built, so we can decorate it very soon! Mom is getting bigger and bigger. I know I should feel happy about two new siblings, but it's weird. It's like it feels that it's not even happening! Maybe it's because I've been so caught up with other things lately.
Maybe I should go and see if Mom needs help with anything. Things have got to be hard for her, too!
Lizzie put away her diary, put on some older clothes in case Jo needed her to do some work for her, and walked downstairs. She was deep in thought, and wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. She didn't see Matt rushing up the stairs, until he bumped into her, and they both lost their balance.
They tumbled down the steps, yelling on the way down. Once on the floor, Lizzie groaned. She slowly got up, as Matt did the same. "Watch where you're going next time, huh?" He told her, brushing off his shirt.
"Well maybe you should too! Why were you in such a hurry in the first place?" She asked him.
"I told Lanny I'd call him this afternoon, and I forgot to. I hope he isn't mad!" Matt jogged up the steps, two at a time.
Toon Lizzie: Not like Lanny would say he was mad in the first place!
Lizzie walked into the kitchen looking for Jo. She was fixing dinner. "Mom, you should be resting! Let me do that."
"Oh Lizzie, it's okay, I can do this-"Jo tried to say.
"No Mom, I insist. You go straight up to your room and lay down!" She instructed.
"Okay, okay." Jo said, giving in. Having twins is a good way to get out of housework! She thought with a smile. "Make sure you follow the cookbook!" She added as she left the room.
Lizzie looked at the frying pan that Jo had on the stove. The cookbook near it was on a page titled, "Vegetable Lasagna that's Out of This World!" Lizzie turned on the stove, and put some oil in the pan to fry the vegetables in like the book instructed. She accidentally spilled some on the floor. "Oh shoot!" She exclaimed.
She grabbed a paper towel, and started wiping it up. She stood up, with the paper towel still in her hand, and one of her flops slipped on some oil she'd missed. "Oof!" She said, and she fell onto the floor.
The paper towel flew out of her hand, landed in the frying pan, and started a giant flame! At that instant, the memory of her inside Gordo's burning home all rushed back to her.
She jumped up, and yelled with all her might, "Fire!" That was the last thing she remembered before she blacked out.