"Lizzie!" shouted Mrs. McGuire as she ran over to her daughter. She was
seeing her for the first time in took her up in her arms and gave her a
good squeeze. "I've missed you, so much, sweetie!"
"I missed you to, Mom," Lizzie said as she freed herself of her mother's powerful grip.
"So how was your trip?" she asked as she walked over to get Lizzie's bags.
"It was great. Laura was so nice, and the other day we went to this huge mall in Denver, and she bought me, like, a whole bunch of great new outfits."
"You better be sure to write her a thank you letter as soon as you get home."
"Sure thing, Mom."
* * * *
Half an hour later, Lizzie and her mom reached the McGuire residence. Lizzie smiled when she saw it. Aunt Laura's had been a blast, but it was nice to be home again. She opened the door, with her bag slung over her shoulder, and the first person she saw was her little brother.
"Matt!" she squealed. He turned and stared at her. Lizzie, too, was suddenly shocked by her own enthusiasm. She shook her head and changed her tone. "Uh, hey," she said briskly.
"Right..." said Matt. He looked her over for a minute and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" she said. Just then, Mrs. McGuire walked through the door behind Lizzie, carrying the rest of her bags.
Seeing his mother, Matt held his tongue. He kept laughing and walked upstairs to his room.
Lizzie rolled her eyes and proceeded to the kitchen. Mr. McGuire, Gordo, and Miranda were waiting for her there.
"Surprise!" they yelled, rushing over to her to exchange hugs.
"Hey guys!" Lizzie said. She had missed her friends terribly over the summer and was glad to see them.
"Check it out," said Miranda, pointing to the kitchen counter. Lizzie looked over and saw a round, chocolate-frosted cake that said, "Welcome Back Lizzie" in red letters. She grinned and hugged everyone again. Mr. McGuire brought over a knife and starting cutting a slice for each of them.
* * * *
"I'm so glad you're home, sweetie," said Mrs. Mcguire later that night. She was throwing in a load of laundry from Lizzie's trip.
"Me too," Lizzie replied as she dumped out the contents of her dirty clothes bag. "But it was a good experience to spend some time away from it all."
"Away from it all?" Mrs. McGuire gave her a curious look. "Yes, I suppose your teenage life must be SO stressful."
"Mom," Lizzie scoffed playfully. "Don't joke. It can be rough, you know."
"I know. I'm just teasing."
Lizzie smiled and shook her head at her often out-of-touch mother. When her bag was emptied, she left the laundry room and went into the kitchen. There was one last slice of her welcome back cake still on the counter. She helped herself to it, along with a large glass of milk, and went into the living room to relax.
At the beginning of the summer, everything had seemed to be going horribly wrong. Lizzie felt like she didn't even know who she was anymore. However, the time she spent at Aunt Laura's had given her back a bit of her self- confidence. Laura hadn't been lying when she said she would pamper Lizzie; the entire summer consisted of baked goods, art museums, shopping, and leisurely days and evenings spent lounging around. Whenever they went into town, Lizzie never worried about how she looked or who she saw, because nobody knew her. It was a summer of complete freedom.
School would start in a few days. Lizzie knew getting back to the grind and facing everyone again would be rough, but she was ready. She had had plenty of time to think and to feel comfortable with herself. Junior High was behind her, High School lie before her. She knew she could walk into school on Monday with a confident stride.
Matt entered the living room a few moments after Lizzie, picking up the remote off the couch and changing the channel as he sat down.
"Hey!" said Lizzie. "I was watching that!"
Matt shrugged, oblivious to her distress. Lizzie sighed and took another bite of her cake. She was too tired from the long flight home to argue with him. Matt turned his head and watched as Lizzie ate, snickering to himself.
"Is there something wrong?" Lizzie snapped, giving him the evil big-sister eye.
"Don't you think you should take it easy on the sweets there, Jill?"
Lizzie growled at the Jill Stokes reference. "I beg your pardon?" She spoke each word with acid attitude.
"Oh, please. You mean you haven't noticed the extra poundage you've accumulated this summer?" He poked her belly in a Pilsbury Dough Boy manner and laughed.
Lizzie smacked him hard in the arm. "Shut up, dorkface!"
"Sure," Matt sniggered. "But just because I stop talking doesn't mean you're going to stop being fat!" He started laughing wildly at his own joke.
Lizzie growled and left the living room. At that point she knew for sure she was home. It hadn't taken but a few hours for Matt to be a total jerk as was routine. She went upstairs to her room, shutting the door mildly hard. She paused, looking at herself in the mirror.
"I'm not fat," she said firmly. She turned from side to side, inspecting the different parts of her body. The more she looked, the less sure of her statement she became. Matt couldn't be right. Could he? Lizzie shook her head fiercely and walked away from the mirror.
However, she found herself constantly moving in the direction of the mirror, sizing herself up.
"I missed you to, Mom," Lizzie said as she freed herself of her mother's powerful grip.
"So how was your trip?" she asked as she walked over to get Lizzie's bags.
"It was great. Laura was so nice, and the other day we went to this huge mall in Denver, and she bought me, like, a whole bunch of great new outfits."
"You better be sure to write her a thank you letter as soon as you get home."
"Sure thing, Mom."
* * * *
Half an hour later, Lizzie and her mom reached the McGuire residence. Lizzie smiled when she saw it. Aunt Laura's had been a blast, but it was nice to be home again. She opened the door, with her bag slung over her shoulder, and the first person she saw was her little brother.
"Matt!" she squealed. He turned and stared at her. Lizzie, too, was suddenly shocked by her own enthusiasm. She shook her head and changed her tone. "Uh, hey," she said briskly.
"Right..." said Matt. He looked her over for a minute and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" she said. Just then, Mrs. McGuire walked through the door behind Lizzie, carrying the rest of her bags.
Seeing his mother, Matt held his tongue. He kept laughing and walked upstairs to his room.
Lizzie rolled her eyes and proceeded to the kitchen. Mr. McGuire, Gordo, and Miranda were waiting for her there.
"Surprise!" they yelled, rushing over to her to exchange hugs.
"Hey guys!" Lizzie said. She had missed her friends terribly over the summer and was glad to see them.
"Check it out," said Miranda, pointing to the kitchen counter. Lizzie looked over and saw a round, chocolate-frosted cake that said, "Welcome Back Lizzie" in red letters. She grinned and hugged everyone again. Mr. McGuire brought over a knife and starting cutting a slice for each of them.
* * * *
"I'm so glad you're home, sweetie," said Mrs. Mcguire later that night. She was throwing in a load of laundry from Lizzie's trip.
"Me too," Lizzie replied as she dumped out the contents of her dirty clothes bag. "But it was a good experience to spend some time away from it all."
"Away from it all?" Mrs. McGuire gave her a curious look. "Yes, I suppose your teenage life must be SO stressful."
"Mom," Lizzie scoffed playfully. "Don't joke. It can be rough, you know."
"I know. I'm just teasing."
Lizzie smiled and shook her head at her often out-of-touch mother. When her bag was emptied, she left the laundry room and went into the kitchen. There was one last slice of her welcome back cake still on the counter. She helped herself to it, along with a large glass of milk, and went into the living room to relax.
At the beginning of the summer, everything had seemed to be going horribly wrong. Lizzie felt like she didn't even know who she was anymore. However, the time she spent at Aunt Laura's had given her back a bit of her self- confidence. Laura hadn't been lying when she said she would pamper Lizzie; the entire summer consisted of baked goods, art museums, shopping, and leisurely days and evenings spent lounging around. Whenever they went into town, Lizzie never worried about how she looked or who she saw, because nobody knew her. It was a summer of complete freedom.
School would start in a few days. Lizzie knew getting back to the grind and facing everyone again would be rough, but she was ready. She had had plenty of time to think and to feel comfortable with herself. Junior High was behind her, High School lie before her. She knew she could walk into school on Monday with a confident stride.
Matt entered the living room a few moments after Lizzie, picking up the remote off the couch and changing the channel as he sat down.
"Hey!" said Lizzie. "I was watching that!"
Matt shrugged, oblivious to her distress. Lizzie sighed and took another bite of her cake. She was too tired from the long flight home to argue with him. Matt turned his head and watched as Lizzie ate, snickering to himself.
"Is there something wrong?" Lizzie snapped, giving him the evil big-sister eye.
"Don't you think you should take it easy on the sweets there, Jill?"
Lizzie growled at the Jill Stokes reference. "I beg your pardon?" She spoke each word with acid attitude.
"Oh, please. You mean you haven't noticed the extra poundage you've accumulated this summer?" He poked her belly in a Pilsbury Dough Boy manner and laughed.
Lizzie smacked him hard in the arm. "Shut up, dorkface!"
"Sure," Matt sniggered. "But just because I stop talking doesn't mean you're going to stop being fat!" He started laughing wildly at his own joke.
Lizzie growled and left the living room. At that point she knew for sure she was home. It hadn't taken but a few hours for Matt to be a total jerk as was routine. She went upstairs to her room, shutting the door mildly hard. She paused, looking at herself in the mirror.
"I'm not fat," she said firmly. She turned from side to side, inspecting the different parts of her body. The more she looked, the less sure of her statement she became. Matt couldn't be right. Could he? Lizzie shook her head fiercely and walked away from the mirror.
However, she found herself constantly moving in the direction of the mirror, sizing herself up.