PROJECT CUPID"

PART SEVEN: PROJECT CUPID

"C'mon, Lizzie pick up the phone." Gordo was pacing. He hated pacing, but he was non the less. He groaned again as he picked up the McGuire's answering machine, yet again to leave another message.

"What is this? Like my sixtieth message today?" he thought to himself bitterly.

"Hello, Lizzie? This is Gordo again. Listen, please call me back. Please! I really need to talk to you. Okay, bye."

He hung up, waited for a minute, than began dialing again. He knew that someone was always home in that household. Someone just had to answer it and hopefully it was Lizzie.

By miracle, he heard someone picking up the phone. He let out a sigh of relief, and was about to speak when

"Stop calling her, you jerk!"

"Matt?" Gordo asked, thrown off by Lizzie's little brother's tone of voice. "Hey, Matt. Is Lizzie there?"

"Yes but I'm not going to let you talk to her."

"C'mon, Matt. Stop fooling around." Gordo feigned a small chuckle, wanting to get on his good side.

"Look who's talking! At least I'm not the one kissing other girls behind his girlfriend's back."

Gordo forced himself to restrain from yelling at the kid he was a kid after all doesn't know what he's talking about.

"You know, I used to think you were so cool but you're just a Grade-A slime ball. You're just lucky that I'm not even going to bother to track you down and kick your butt, Jet-Li style, for hurting my sister like you did."

"Matt!" Gordo barked, already at the end of his rope. "Give Lizzie the phone now!"

Much to his annoyance, Matt had hang up on him. Gordo was becoming more and more frustrated with this whole situation.

"This is not happening to me! I'm only thirteen years old, and yet I'm living all this drama like a seventeen year old! This is high school melodrama, not junior high!" Gordo fell back on his living room couch, groaning even louder. "I should be more worried about my hackey sack score than my love life!"

The door bell rang, interrupting Gordo's self-rant. He looked up at the wooden entrance, then sighed as he got up to answer it. "One could only guess that's fate knocking at my door!"

He swung the door open, then grimaced as he muttered, "Then again"

"Hey, Gordo!" Kate grinned, her voice as warm and happy as her exterior.

"Excuse me?" Gordo was baffled by her behavior. "Aren't you the same Kate Sanders who kicked me out the other night for turning you down?"

Kate walked past him, letting herself in. "Oh, why don't we let bygones be bygones, huh Gordo?"

"Sure and why don't you come right in and make yourself at home." Gordo replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Kate sat herself on his couch, "Thanks. You're a sweetheart."

"Uh-huh." He nodded, actually watching her make herself comfortable on his living room couch. Crossing his arms, "Look, Kate I'm not in the mood right now for any of your games. So if you could just please leave—"

"Take me to the dance, Gordo." She blurted out, interrupting him in mid-sentence.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "Are you nuts?! After all that's happened? Do you honestly think that I'd want to take you to the dance—"

Kate sighed out loud, a bit anxious for Gordo to finish his rant. Rolling her eyes, giving him this amused smile, "Look, Gordo. I'm not asking you to marry me—I'm asking you to take me to the End Of the Year Dance this Friday night. That's it. Call it your last official task as my slave if you want to!"

"Kate, I don't know if you know by now, but I already told Lizzie about my video confession. You have nothing left to hold over me. I even told her about our kiss, so you can't even hold that over me."

She stood up and walked up to him. Giving him this sincere smile, "Well, how about we just go as friends? I mean, we can be friends, can't we?"

Despite himself, Gordo found a small grin peeking its way through. Shrugging, "Yeah we are friends"

Perking herself right up, "Great! So, pick me up at six-thirty?" She quickly made her way towards the door, smiling happily at him. "Oh, and remember that blue shirt I got you? Y'know, the one I said that matched your eyes? Wear that. Okay? See ya, Gordo!"

And with that, before Gordo could get a word in edge wise, Kate made her quick exit. He just stood there, shaking his head in tired amusement. Chuckling to himself, "Well at least I have one friend in this world no matter how eccentric she can be."

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"I don't care. I don't." She stated as if she was convincing herself more than she was trying to convince Miranda. Lizzie threw her clothes all over the room, as if searching for something. In actuality, she was just keeping herself busy and preventing herself from slipping into thinking about Gordo.

"I mean, it's my fault, right? He told me that he was in love with me, I pushed him away and right into Kate Sander's reptilian waiting arms! I only have myself to blame for losing the love of my life! And personally, I'm tired and I just don't care anymore. I don't! I. Don't. Care!"

Miranda watched as one article of clothing after another take flight from Lizzie's drawers and closet. Nodding her head, adding just a pinch of sarcasm in her voice, "Uh-huh. Yeah, I know you don't I mean, after the hundred something time you said that, I believe you."

Lizzie glared at Miranda, only to cause her friend to let out a small laugh. Standing up, Miranda walked up to her best friend, placing a comforting arm around her. "C'mon, Lizzie! It's just one stupid dance! You can still get him back, y'know."

Stubbornness shining through, "Well, what makes you say that I actually want him back? For all I care, he and Miss Pom-Pom could just ride off into the Hollywood sunset together!"

Miranda groaned, throwing her hands up in weary frustration. "I give up! You are so stubborn, McGuire!"

"I think I got it from my mom's side" Lizzie joked, despite herself.

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Lizzie's bedroom door opened slowly, her mom peeking her head through. "Uh, Lizzie? Honey? There's a young man downstairs wanting to talk to you, dear."

Lizzie looked over at Miranda, confused. Miranda only shrugged, though trying desperately to hide her knowing smile. Lizzie glanced back at her mom, who only shared the same bafflement.

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