**Sorry it took so long to post. I just started band camp (This one time, at band camp…) Go band geeks, woo! Hehe, well, enjoy!**
Shelley just stared at the picture. She didn't know what to think of it. There was nothing weird about the actual picture of Gordo; in fact, it was a pretty good one. The strange part was the fact that the picture was drawn on. In a pink gel pen was a heart drawn around Gordo's face. She recognized the pen as one that she'd found inside of the purse. She flipped the picture over to read the writing. It simply said: To: Lizzie From: Gordo, 2001. She flipped the picture back over continued staring at it. She finally realized that the thing she had been speculating all day was really true. Lizzie had feelings for Gordo.
**Meanwhile**
"Gordo?" Lizzie asked. "What makes you think I like Gordo?"
"How come you never told me!" Miranda exclaimed. "I should have noticed sooner."
"Wait, I never said that I like Gordo."
"You didn't have to say it, I can tell. We have to tell him!" Miranda was beginning to get very excited at the thought of her two best friends going out.
"I don't like him!" Lizzie snapped at Miranda
"Sure you don't" Miranda said skeptically.
Lizzie stopped walking and grabbed Miranda's arm so she was facing her. "Miranda, I do not like Gordo. I promise you. You know how bad I am at lying, so you know I'm telling you the truth."
Miranda cocked her head slightly to the side and looked at Lizzie. "Really?" She asked. She wanted to believe Lizzie, she just didn't know if she could.
"I swear to you that I only like Gordo as a friend, nothing more."
Miranda was finally satisfied with Lizzie's answer. "I believe you," She said as the two began walking toward the Digital Bean again. "But why did you get all defensive when you found out that Shelley and Gordo might have something going?"
"You know what I think of Shelley, I just don't want my best friend to get involved with her."
"Well don't worry, if anything does happen between them, I won't let Shelley hurt him either." Silently in her own mind, Lizzie was relived that she had been so convincing. It was lucky for her that she'd practiced lying about her true feelings for Gordo alone in her room. Without that practice she might not have been able to lie to Miranda so well. She did feel guilty for not being truthful to her best friend, but she just couldn't let her find out.
**Meanwhile**
Gordo ran down the street that Lizzie lived on. He decided this would be the best place to start his search for the girls. He ran up the McGuire's walkway and knocked quickly on the door. Mrs. McGuire opened it.
"Why hello Gordo," she said pleasantly.
"Lizzie…Miranda…here?" He panted in response.
"Actually, they're not home yet. They probably decided to spend the afternoon at Miranda's, but you can feel free to come in and wait if you'd like." Gordo just shook his head and ran off again, leaving a confused Mrs. McGuire standing in the doorway.
He ran to the next street over which was Miranda's street. He soon arrived at her house and knocked. This time there was no answer. He decided that the girls weren't there. He leaned on the wall of the entryway to the house, panting. He didn't know what else to do. He had to find Lizzie before she jumped to conclusions. It was true that if she hadn't walked into the room, Shelley and him may have indulged in a small kiss, but he would have never wanted Lizzie to know about it. Now that he knew what she really thought of Shelley, he felt awful for feeling they way he did for her. For both of them. He knew that eventually he would have to decide between the two, but right now seemed a bit too soon for that. Sure, the easy thing to do would be to pick Lizzie, he did know her better and they had shared so much, but Shelley was still there. From the moment he had seen her he knew there was something special about her. It was almost like love at first sight, although he knew that fourteen was far too young to really know what love feels like. As he stood and weighed his options, his heart began to slow and his breathing became regular again. He decided that the only thing he could do now was take a walk to sort out his thoughts. As he walked through the residential area toward no specific destination, he found himself heading for the Digital Bean. He decided he would go in and get himself a smoothie while he thought things over.
**Meanwhile**
Shelley was outside of the school now; carrying the purse that she now knew was Lizzie's. After seeing the picture she had realized why Lizzie had such a problem with her. She obviously liked Gordo, and seeing him spend time with another girl had probably hurt her. She didn't want to seem stuck up or anything like that, but even she had noticed some sparks between Gordo and herself. She could only imagine how it would look to someone who also had feelings for him. 'Lizzie shouldn't worry' she thought to herself. 'I'll never be able to have what I really want with Gordo, my dad would never let me.' She shrugged off the disappointment and continued to walk. Since she was new to the city, she had no idea exactly where she was going. She looked around. While lost in her thoughts, Shelley's feet had carried her to somewhere she'd never actually seen before. 'Great,' she thought. 'Now I'm lost.' She looked around for an inviting building that she thought might be able to help her. "The Digital Bean" she said out loud to nobody but herself. "It's worth a try."