Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the reviews. I'm glad to see that
quite a few people out there can relate to this issue. I know the first few
chapters are a little slow-paced, and that this isn't one of my more
exciting stories, but I chose to write this story because it's something
that I find to be a real issue among teenagers (especially girls). After
this chapter things will really start moving, and I hope you enjoy what's
to come. BTW, I've written another Lizzie fic called A Case of You. It's
more about Miranda and Gordo and it's rated R. Check it out, I'd appreciate
it.
"Make yourself at home," Aunt Laura said cheerily. Lizzie slowly meandered through the house, getting a feel for it. It was decorated with all kinds of art, with shelves upon shelves of books in every room. She peeked inside one room, which contained canvas, buckets of paint, and various art untensils.
"My studio," Aunt Laura told her. "The room across the hall here is where you'll be staying. Lizzie left the studio and walked to her room. It, too, had paintings and books along the walls and a big bed with tye-dyed blankets.
"It looks nice," Lizzie said. She was feeling a little awkward, but the more Aunt Laura spoke the more comfortable Lizzie felt around her. She tossed her bags into the corner of the room and yawned. The flight had worn her out.
Aunt Laura yawned, too. "It's awfully late, isn't it?" Lizzie nodded. "It's too bad you had to take such a late flight. We didn't have much time to get acquainted, did we?" She sighed and walked over to Lizzie to give her a hug. "Well, I'm glad you're here, Lizzie. I hope this visit is fun for you. I'm going to finish cleaning up the studio, and then I'm off to bed. I'll leave you to get things set up here in your room.
"Okay," Lizzie mumbled. Aunt Laura left the room and she began unpacking her bags. She had made a point to pack only her most comfortable clothes. She left all of her high-fashion items at home, along with her enormous hair and cosmetics. She packed only the basics: hair brushes, a bit of eye make-up and lip gloss, and t-shirts and shorts. She wanted to make sure that her trip was a relaxing experience. She wasn't going to worry about how she looked, or spend any time thinking about Ethan or Kate or any of the other kids back home. She was beginning to think that she just might have a little fun, even if she was away from Miranda and Gordo. It didn't seem too bad. Aunt Laura was older than her mom, but she seemed much more youthful.
Once her things were put away, she put on her pajamas and got into bed.
* * * *
Lizzie slept in late the next day. When she woke up, she went straight to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. Aunt Laura was already awake and dressed. She was busy at the table mixing together various ingredients.
"Morning, Lizzie," she said with a smile. "There's some bacon on the counter; it's a little cold but you can warm it up in the microwave."
"Thanks, Aunt Laura," Lizzie said, stretching her arms and moving towards the bacon.
"Please, just call me Laura. I think you're old enough to drop the 'aunt'. I'm making some cookies. I hope you like chocolate chip." Lizzie nodded. "I love baking, but there's usually no one around for me to make cookies for. I don't have any kids of my own, so don't be surprised if I spoil you quite a bit this summer."
Lizzie laughed and put a few strips of bacon on a paper plate in the microwave. She was pretty sure that she could deal with being spoiled for a month or two. While she was waiting for the bacon to heat up, she picked a few chocolate chips out of the bag and munched them.
"I'm glad I came to stay with you, Laura," Lizzie said. The weight of all the stress she'd been facing seemed miles and miles away. Laura seemed so genuinely happy to have Lizzie with her, and Lizzie knew that she didn't care how good her hair looked, or how cute her swimsuit was, or whether or not she was girlfriend material.
"I'm glad, too. Why don't you hop in the shower and get dressed? By then the cookies will be finished, and then we can drive into town to do a little shopping in the sqaure. Sound good?"
"Sounds great."
"There's a pretty nice little community around here. It's smaller than the town you've come from, but it's very artsy and cozy. There's plenty of neat little shops downtown. And later in the summer I'm thinking we'll drive over to Denver and hit the malls for some school shopping. It's only about an hour away." Aunt Laura took the bag of chocolate chips from Lizzie and dumped them into the bowl. She sighed. "I think we're going to have a really nice time together."
Lizzie smiled. "So do I."
"Make yourself at home," Aunt Laura said cheerily. Lizzie slowly meandered through the house, getting a feel for it. It was decorated with all kinds of art, with shelves upon shelves of books in every room. She peeked inside one room, which contained canvas, buckets of paint, and various art untensils.
"My studio," Aunt Laura told her. "The room across the hall here is where you'll be staying. Lizzie left the studio and walked to her room. It, too, had paintings and books along the walls and a big bed with tye-dyed blankets.
"It looks nice," Lizzie said. She was feeling a little awkward, but the more Aunt Laura spoke the more comfortable Lizzie felt around her. She tossed her bags into the corner of the room and yawned. The flight had worn her out.
Aunt Laura yawned, too. "It's awfully late, isn't it?" Lizzie nodded. "It's too bad you had to take such a late flight. We didn't have much time to get acquainted, did we?" She sighed and walked over to Lizzie to give her a hug. "Well, I'm glad you're here, Lizzie. I hope this visit is fun for you. I'm going to finish cleaning up the studio, and then I'm off to bed. I'll leave you to get things set up here in your room.
"Okay," Lizzie mumbled. Aunt Laura left the room and she began unpacking her bags. She had made a point to pack only her most comfortable clothes. She left all of her high-fashion items at home, along with her enormous hair and cosmetics. She packed only the basics: hair brushes, a bit of eye make-up and lip gloss, and t-shirts and shorts. She wanted to make sure that her trip was a relaxing experience. She wasn't going to worry about how she looked, or spend any time thinking about Ethan or Kate or any of the other kids back home. She was beginning to think that she just might have a little fun, even if she was away from Miranda and Gordo. It didn't seem too bad. Aunt Laura was older than her mom, but she seemed much more youthful.
Once her things were put away, she put on her pajamas and got into bed.
* * * *
Lizzie slept in late the next day. When she woke up, she went straight to the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. Aunt Laura was already awake and dressed. She was busy at the table mixing together various ingredients.
"Morning, Lizzie," she said with a smile. "There's some bacon on the counter; it's a little cold but you can warm it up in the microwave."
"Thanks, Aunt Laura," Lizzie said, stretching her arms and moving towards the bacon.
"Please, just call me Laura. I think you're old enough to drop the 'aunt'. I'm making some cookies. I hope you like chocolate chip." Lizzie nodded. "I love baking, but there's usually no one around for me to make cookies for. I don't have any kids of my own, so don't be surprised if I spoil you quite a bit this summer."
Lizzie laughed and put a few strips of bacon on a paper plate in the microwave. She was pretty sure that she could deal with being spoiled for a month or two. While she was waiting for the bacon to heat up, she picked a few chocolate chips out of the bag and munched them.
"I'm glad I came to stay with you, Laura," Lizzie said. The weight of all the stress she'd been facing seemed miles and miles away. Laura seemed so genuinely happy to have Lizzie with her, and Lizzie knew that she didn't care how good her hair looked, or how cute her swimsuit was, or whether or not she was girlfriend material.
"I'm glad, too. Why don't you hop in the shower and get dressed? By then the cookies will be finished, and then we can drive into town to do a little shopping in the sqaure. Sound good?"
"Sounds great."
"There's a pretty nice little community around here. It's smaller than the town you've come from, but it's very artsy and cozy. There's plenty of neat little shops downtown. And later in the summer I'm thinking we'll drive over to Denver and hit the malls for some school shopping. It's only about an hour away." Aunt Laura took the bag of chocolate chips from Lizzie and dumped them into the bowl. She sighed. "I think we're going to have a really nice time together."
Lizzie smiled. "So do I."