Chapter Six: You're a good friend... Elizabeth McGuire

"Good afternoon everybody! This is Samantha Bing, your student body president!"

The cheery sound of their school's one, and thankfully only, Samantha "Could she be anymore of an over achiever" Bing caused much of the student body to roll their eyes. One of the running jokes everyone in school was that Samantha could very well be the offspring of the Friend's characters Monica and Chandler Bing. For some odd reason, Larry and David found more enjoyment in this than others. Samantha was as much an obsessive compulsive perfectionist and competitor as Monica and the fact that she has the last name of Bing pretty much sealed her fate.

It was a slow Thursday and hearing someone like Samantha over the PA during the last period of the day wasn't something to look forward to.

Larry nudged David, who turned around and was equally ready to crack a joke concerning Samantha.

Lizzie glanced at Miranda right next to her, who only rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's eager face.

"They'll never grow up, will they, Liz?" Miranda groaned.

"I'm afraid not, Sanchez." Lizzie giggled.

"Just making an announcement concerning this year's Winter Formal! It's scheduled for the Friday night just before Winter Break and the theme this year is... are you all ready for this?" Her voice screamed of giddy teenybopper excitement. It amazed even David and Larry that she was supposed to be a mature Senior.

Unable to help himself, David spoke outloud, "Could we be anymore excited?" He clapped his hands in mock excitement, causing his classmates to laugh.

Miranda laughed along with everyone else. To Lizzie, "Well, at least that was your boy and not mine."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, though was still smiling. She glanced at her Gordo and saw that he had turned around to look at her. They met eyes and to her own utter relief, he winked and cast her a comfortable smile.

The Monday and Tuesday after that Sunday was extremely awkward for Lizzie. After what happened at the Digital Bean, Lizzie was sure that things will never be the same with her and her Gordo. So for those two days, she only spoke to him in greeting and departing, when necessary in class, and when prompted by either Miranda or Larry.

She knew that their avoidence was killing him as it was killing her, so he was the first to make amends. Wednesday morning, David arrived at school with a yellow rose and a pink rose in hand.

"Yellow means friendship," He gave her the yellow rose first, and a kiss on the cheek. "Red means passion, love, and white means innocence. Lizzie, you're both." And with that, he handed her the pink rose and a kiss on the other cheek.

Lizzie nearly cried. And she was about to break down when he continued. "Best friends?"

She numbly nodded, afraid to blink for fear of tears breaking loose. "Forever." She whispered as she hugged him tight.

Now, two weeks later, Lizzie knew ever since that she would never again take advantage of her friendship with David. It was too precious to let anything, including her attraction to Ethan, to destroy it.

"The theme this is year is Winter Wonderland! Song is 98 degree's This Gift, and ballots are now being taken for nominees for this year's Winter Royal Court. Each class is allowed to nominate a couple as their class' Winter Prince and Princess. And the Senior class must also nominate another couple as this year's Winter King and Queen. Final voting will take place the first week of December, which is three weeks from now. Which means..."

It was Larry's turn to crack a joke, "We have nearly a month to recover until her next announcement?

Lizzie giggled, then patted Miranda's head. "Looks like you spoke too soon."

She heard her best friend groan, while her other best friend laugh and high fived Larry.

"Which means you have less than a month and a half to get ready for the biggest Winter Formal ever!"

When the announcement was over, David leaned back, looking Lizzie in the eyes. With a cunning smile and attitude that earned him a crumpled paper ball in the face, he ended his Samantha roasting with a "Hey... how you doin'?" to his girl, Lizzie McGuire.

@ ~ ~ ~ @ ~ ~ ~ @

She sat hunched over her notes, preparing herself for an assignment that she couldn't wait to give two weeks from now. Lizzie knew that the book presentation wasn't due until the last week of school before winter break, but she couldn't help herself! Never had she been more excited to give an oral presentation!

Maybe for once she had found something that she could put her whole heart into and she didn't have to worry too much about grades because she didn't care about them!

During the passing time,when she wasn't working on her presentation, Lizzie spent most of her weeks with her Gordo. She hardly spent time with Miranda for a while for fear of strangling her! Christmas was a few weeks from now and Miranda was frantic, looking for the perfect gift for Larry.

David nearly died of strangulation via Sanchez fury when he cracked to Miranda that she should get a Princess Leia costume and dress up with a red ribbon and sit under Larry's tree. "Of course," David added as an afterthought, "You don't want to kill the boy with a heart attack."

Lizzie wasn't worried about Christmas presents for her friends and family. She already planned the perfect gifts and was going to shop for them this weekend. Well, after she did a favor for her weasel brother, who had casually mentioned to her that she agreed to drive him to certain spots in town. Lizzie never recalled agreeing to such a favor, but since he had decided to remind her in front of their parents...

So after she would take Matt, Malina, and Lanny to those various spots so that they can shoot their mini film, Lizzie was headed towards the mall! And who knows, maybe even shop for a dress for Winter Formal!

And since she had read The Godfather, David had her sit in on a total Mafia Movie Maraton. It was a sort-of triple date because he had invited Lexi and her boyfriend, Ben, and Larry and Miranda. So for one afternoon and evening, the six of them watched The Godfather Trilogy, Bella Mafia, Goodfellas, and Road to Perdition. Lizzie especially enjoyed Bella Mafia, a story about how the women avenged the deaths of all the males in their family.

Seeing those films with her favorite guy meant something to her. It helped her have a better understanding and appreciation of the book. Made her more excited to give this presentation.

So here she was, Lizzie McGuire, sitting in the far corner of the library and taking down notes for her oral report.

"Lizzie?"

She looked up and nearly jumped from her seat. "Ethan?"

"Hey..." He indicated to an empty chair next to her. "This seat taken?"

"Uh, no!" She pulled the seat out and began shuffling her note cards together. "Don't mind the mess..."

He chuckled, "I don't mind. I could probably take a lesson from you in note taking!"

"So, what's up?" She faced him, taking note of his thoughtful demeanor.

Ethan took a breath, then, "Kate's upset with me."

"Again?" She asked, thinking that she couldn't still be upset over seeing Lizzie and Ethan that Sunday afternoon.

Wincing, he replied, "Still yet... since that Sunday..."

Lizzie nodded, not wanting to comment at all. Did it mean anything to her if she hated hearing Ethan talk about Kate like that, like he lost his best friend?

She regarded Ethan and was stunned by the pain in his voice when he continued with, "She asked Austin O'Neil to the Winter Formal."

Austin was beyond a doubt one of the cutest Juniors. He could pass off for Lance of N Sync. He also starts for the basketball team and had a charming personality that any girl would fall for. At one time, Lizzie and Miranda were taken by him. The fact that Kate only now placed her grasp on him was a shock for Lizzie. Maybe Ethan meant more to Kate than she let on.

Tentively, Lizzie asked, "Is that a good thing... or bad?"

Ethan shrugged, as if it was too painful to answer honestly.

She bit her lip, took him in with her eyes... then decided to bite the bullet. For despite all the time she has been spending with David, she still thought of Ethan. And despite her growing attraction to both men, there was still something about Ethan that felt more... safe? Like she had less to lose...

"I like you, Ethan. For a long time. Even when you turned me down for that Sadie Hawkin's dance... I still liked you." She paused, then, "Would you go to Winter Formal with me?"

Ethan couldn't take his eyes off Lizzie, as if searching something in her. Finally, he looked away and allowed yet another painful silence to fall.

Lizzie decided then and now that she absolutely hated those awkward silences.

"I like you too..." He began, though his eyes were still turned from hers. But when he finally did look into her eyes, Lizzie's heart fell. "But only as a friend. And I can't stand hurting you if I took you up on that offer to the dance. It wouldn't be fair to me or to you..." Softly, yet with strong meaning, "Or to David and Kate."

"Oh..." She hung her head, forcing herself not to cry. She didn't allow herself to cry the first time he turned her down, she wasn't going to let herself cry this time either!

She felt a hand on her arm, "Lizzie... remember Sunday? Before Kate..." He trailed off, gulped, then, "Before they saw us? I was about to tell you about why I hang out with Kate some times."

Lizzie still refused to look at him, so she nodded and quietly replied, "Uh huh..."

"It's like you said. About you and David. You saw something in him that no one else can see. It's the same thing with me and Kate. I see something really special in her." He lowered his voice, "Can I tell you something that I never told anyone else?"

Figuring that she has really nothing else to lose or gain, she said, "Sure." Afterall, despite it all, he was still her friend.

"The beginning of school, the first time I had seen her since the summer... I felt something."

Lizzie felt this weird feeling. Like something that she really didn't want to hear, but knew she must just so that she could learn from it. "Felt something?" She asked slowly.

"Yeah! Like... I saw her and... and I wanted to be with her! To hang out with her! To get to know her! I wanted that so badly, Lizzie." He stopped, noticing her nonresponsiveness. "Crazy, huh?"

A bitter smile formed on her lips, "Nope. Sounds like the thunderbolt."

"Really?" He replied, somewhat excited. "Like The Godfather type thunderbolt?"

"Yep." She stated simply, finding herself getting upset over this recent development.

"Wow..." Ethan looked genuinely awestruck, which made Lizzie even more sick.

"Look, Ethan..." Lizzie began to gather up her things, avoiding to look him in the eye. "If you want Kate back, go to her. Tell her what you told me and how you feel. She'll no doubt melt into your arms."

Ethan's hand stopped Lizzie in her efforts to make an escape. "I'm sorry. I meant it when I said that if it wasn't for Kate and David..."

Still refusing to look at him, she nodded, "I know..."

"You're a great friend. One of the best girls I know..." He stopped, then added, "Elizabeth McGuire."

Ethan calling her Elizabeth really shook her up. For Lizzie, it meant something that she wasn't prepared to face... that he'll never see that something special in her that he saw in Kate.

With whatever courage she had left in him, with whatever self control not to yell at him in prideful anger, she faced him. "Good luck with Kate, Ethan."

As she made her way out, Lizzie couldn't help wondering if she meant it or not...