Hey, thank you for your love and support!!! : ) Everybody IMing me is awesome! Here's chapter 10!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, Matt McGuire, Lanny, David Gordon, or Miranda Sanchez. I do own Lily Wellington, Charlie Fetters, and Donald Langton. Please do not use them in any of your stories. However, I'd love for you to give me a review.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At seven that night Mrs. McGuire and Elizabeth were washing dishes in the kitchen. It had been Elizabeth's first dinner at home in six years, so Jo had made it a very special meal. It had taken her and Sam most of the day to prepare Elizabeth's favorite foods. A big juicy ham, stuffing, clam chowder, taco salad, curly fries, and a delicious cherry pie for dessert. It was an interesting combination, but nobody cared. Now Sam and Matt were starting a fire and popping popcorn while the girls washed the dishes. When they finished, everyone would sit in the living room to watch a movie, eat popcorn, and drink soda.

"You know, it's a shame Lily didn't come," Elizabeth told Matt as he passed through the kitchen holding a big bowl of buttery popcorn.

"Oh, she's out with some friends for dinner tonight." Matt shrugged and set the bowl on the island. "Besides, I like the fact it's just us, we won't be doing this much after the wedding." Matt popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth.

Jo turned from the sink, dried her hands on a towel, and gave Elizabeth a hug. "Aww…my babies are growing up." She said sadly.

"How terrible!" Matt made a face as he mocked her. Then he shoved a handful of popcorn in his face. The bowl was almost empty.

"Hey!" cried Elizabeth "Gimme some of that!" She pulled herself out of Jo's arms and chased Matt into the living room. Jo heard a crash, a yell, and the sound of breaking glass.

And maybe it's a good thing. Jo thought to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A half hour later, the glass pieces of Sam's gnome lamp and Jo's glass bowl in the living room had been picked up, and the family of four was settled in the living room. Elizabeth had finally changed out of her ripped-up shirt into some red dorm pants and a concert T-shirt. Jo was on the couch with Matt, Elizabeth was curled up in the La Z Boy, and Sam was looking for the DVD. Just a few hours ago, Elizabeth had been crying in Miranda's arms, but now things didn't seem so awful. In fact, being here with the family was a blast.

They are so great! They can always make me feel better. Why did I ever leave?

Sam had found the DVD and picked the remote up off the coffee table to turn the TV on. It was the news. The anchorwoman was one of those in her early forties who still thought she was twenty-five. The make-up was way overdone, and the clothes were way too tight. She smiled and said, "In entertainment news, Elizabeth McGuire's new CD 'California Girl' is flying up the charts. She is quickly becoming the most popular pop singer in the U.S."

Oh, yea. That's why.

"Wow. I keep forgetting what you do for a living!" Matt laughed. Elizabeth turned and smiled at him. So did she.

"So what's the movie?" asked Matt.

"Life Goes On." Said Sam as he tried to work the DVD "I thought it'd be cool to see something Gordo directed."

" Ahhhhhhh….No! Not Gordo, not now!" Elizabeth moaned as she turned over and buried her head in a pillow.

"Honey? What's wrong?" asked Jo in that concerned-mother tone. Sam turned off the TV and told her they didn't have to watch it, he just thought it would be fun.

Elizabeth sat up and tried to reclaim dignity. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and straightened out the pillows.

"I-It's fine," she stuttered "I-I-me and Gordo…umm…"

"What happened today, sweetie?" said Jo as she turned on the small light on the side table. "Did you have a fight?"

Elizabeth looked into her mother's worried eyes and couldn't help spilling everything. How she still loved him, how much she loathed Charlie, the shirt, the kiss, and Charlotte's fall. She was still angry, of course, but she felt so much better letting it out.

"You know," Said Matt "Gordo has been acting like a jerk, but maybe Miranda's right. Don't hold it against him. You two have a great friendship."

"Elizabeth, Matt's right. Maybe you are just meant to be friends. Nothing more." Said Sam slowly. He was still holding the DVD in his hands.

"Hon, just give it some time. Things will work out. They always do." Jo smiled at Elizabeth. It felt like she was talking to eighth grade Lizzie again.

I don't know if I'm ready to forgive and forget. I don't even know if we should just be friends. All I know is, I want to rip out Gordo's guts and step on them.