3:20 P.M.
Well, this was a first. Lizzie found herself sitting on the bus ride home alone. Miranda's mom had picked her up from school early that afternoon for a dentist appointment. And once again, Gordo had ditched her and was nowhere to be found. Except…that wasn't entirely true. Lizzie knew exactly where he was – sitting several rows ahead of her at the front of the bus with Brooke, Claire and a few of the other popular kids.
Lizzie shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she watched them from a distance. The bus was pretty noisy as usual, so she couldn't make out what they were saying. But every so often, she would see Brooke break into a fit of laughter at something Gordo had said and his face lighting up in return. Lizzie wanted to be a supportive best friend. She really did. But it was hard to be supportive of Gordo when he wasn't exactly being honest with her. She still couldn't believe how easily he had lied right to her face during science class that morning about his night of "bonding with his dad". And then again at lunch when he had bailed on her and Miranda to go "help a friend". It just wasn't like Gordo to lie about something this major, and especially not to her.
What in the world was happening? Other than her parents, Gordo was the one person she had seen virtually every single day of her life since she was in diapers. And now that he was spending more and more time with Brooke and less and less time with her, everything had just started to feel… off. She was used to sitting next to him on the bus ride to school and back. She was used to eating lunch with him in the cafeteria and complaining to each other about the mystery meat of the day. She was used to him calling her in the evenings after school and sometimes in the mornings before school.
She was used to his familiar voice on the other end, talking with her and Miranda for hours on the phone about anything and everything until her mom, or more likely Matt, kicked her off. She was used to him coming over and watching mindless TV with her and getting smoothies at the Digital Bean together with Miranda on the weekends. She was just so used to him always being there that she had never really thought about what it would be like when he suddenly… wasn't. And it was kind of disorienting, really.
"Ugh, why am I still thinking about this?" she muttered under her breath. It was bound to happen at some point, right? The reality that girls might become interested in Gordo and that he might be interested back. She couldn't reasonably expect to have him all to herself forever, could she? It wasn't like she owned him or anything. So why was she feeling so put off by Brooke's sudden interest in him? He was a boy, after all. And while Lizzie may not have been able to see why he would go for someone like Brooke Baker, there was no shortage of reasons in her mind why a girl might go for him when she really thought about it.
Gordo was incredibly smart and could run circles around just about anyone on any subject at any time. He was really talented and passionate about his interests, even if they didn't make him popular with his peers. He had a unique sense of humor and was constantly making her laugh, sometimes until her sides would hurt. He was thoughtful and always gave rock solid advice, even when she wasn't asking for it or didn't realize she needed it.
He was genuine, sweet and maybe a little offbeat, but that's what Lizzie liked about him. And he had this way of putting her at ease whenever she was feeling nervous or upset, even when they were little kids. She knew she could turn to him for support and a reassuring smile when she needed one. And she loved that smile too, with his cute little dimple… and those clear blue eyes that could read her like a book when something was wrong or she wasn't being herself. It was almost as if he could see straight through to her soul or something…
Wait, what? Lizzie shook herself back to reality and was suddenly aware of how clammy her palms had become. Gordo's smile? Gordo's eyes? Since when did she even notice any of those things? This was Gordo we were talking about, not Ethan Craft. Best friends don't notice that kind of stuff about each other. Or at least, they weren't supposed to. Right? Regardless, she could feel her cheeks burning.
At that moment, the bus lurched to a stop. Lizzie hastily wiped her palms off on her jeans and tucked her hair back in an effort to recompose herself. Glancing back to the front of the bus, she spotted Brooke starting to get up and realized that this must be Brooke's stop. For the first time on this bus ride, Lizzie smiled to herself. Maybe now that Brooke was getting off, she and Gordo could finally have some time alone to just talk like they always used to on the bus ride home. Maybe he would explain why he ditched her with a dead octopus during science that morning. Or maybe he would mention why he really bailed on her and Miranda at lunch.
As Gordo grabbed his bag and started to get up, Lizzie shuffled her backpack off the empty seat beside her to make room for him. Except… he wasn't making his way toward her row at all. Instead of them saying their 'goodbyes' and parting ways, Brooke was grabbing his hand as he followed close behind her.
"But this isn't his stop…" Lizzie thought to herself, confused. She should know because Gordo lived within walking distance of her, and she and Gordo always got off at the same stop. Wait a minute, was Gordo… going to Brooke's house? Lizzie looked on incredulously.
Just as he was heading down the steps behind Brooke, Gordo turned to give Lizzie a smile and a brief wave goodbye. She played it cool, putting on a smile and waving right back. But as soon as the bus doors closed behind him, she deflated like a popped balloon. Gordo had just gotten off the bus with Brooke Baker… Gordo was going to Brooke's house! Thoughts of what he might be doing over there ran rampant in her mind. Was he going to watch mindless TV with her? Was he going to hang out with her in her room? Was he going to show her how to hacky-sack? And what if he was staying for dinner? Those were all things he used to do at Lizzie's house. This just felt all kinds of wrong. Because didn't he know that Brooke was wrong for him?
Brooke hung out exclusively with Claire Miller, Kate Saunders and the rest of the 7th grade elites - a.k.a. the same exact girls who were always ragging on Lizzie and her friends for being "dorks", "losers", "dweebs", "babies" and whatever other insults Claire and her posse could come up with in the moment. Seeing as Gordo had never exactly been popular with these girls, Lizzie was becoming increasingly concerned about what Brooke's intentions were with him. There was no way that anyone who could be friends with Claire could be trusted. And the last thing Lizzie wanted to see was Gordo getting his heart broken.
She slumped into her seat as the bus continued on its route towards her stop. Gordo looked so happy, and she knew she should be happy for him. But deep down, she honestly wasn't. There were a lot of things about this whole situation that just made her feel uneasy, and it wasn't always immediately clear to her why. But one thing was for certain: she knew she needed to call Miranda for an emergency session at the Digital Bean as soon as she got home.