Lizzie adjusted her olive green top so that it covered her belt. She pulled
her khaki skirt up higher so that it came just above her knee. He smiled to
herself in the mirror, looking satisfied at her outfit. She wanted to make
a good impression on Mark. Even though she already had a boyfriend, she
didn't want to look bad. "Anyway", she thought, "he is a good-looking guy,
so he'll find somebody soon, I'm sure. There are probably hundreds of girls
who would want to hook up with him," Lizzie thought. She moved her hair
back behind her ears, and blew a kiss to herself before walking out of her
room. She walked into the bathroom, and put a little perfume on her neck.
She checked her teeth in the mirror again. Seemed alright. She walked out
of the bathroom, and down the stairs to the living room where her now 15-
year-old brother, Matt, was laid across the couch watching a basketball
game.
************
I hate to interrupt but.. Wait, no I don't.. I love to interrupt! Oh well, yes, it is I, the Middleman. Here once again to enlighten you with some of the Ivy League caliber knowledge that I posses so graciously. First of all, some of you might just ask about Matt. Well, I'm all about giving the people what they want. Just like Lizzie, Matt has also developed into quite the teenage heartthrob. He was taller than as his father, and one of the stars of his Junior High basketball team. His hair is about the same as it was when he was nine. Still, there was some major emotional changes dealt after his non-talkative friend, Lanny, suffered a broken neck due to a near- fatal car accident two summers ago. Lanny survived and recovered, but not without many months of intense physical therapy. After the accident, Matt had a small bout of depression at the fact that his best friend almost died. Although there's much more maturing he'll need to do before he's an official adult, Matt became very worldly during this experience. It even affected his family life, as he became more understanding and even got along with his sister. After about a year and a half, Lanny was normal again, and Matt vowed that he would always be there for his friend, should the need arise.
Now, what does this have to do with the story? You need background information, pal! This stuff is useful for further parts of this story. Anyway, the other thing that you might be wondering is Lizzie's apparent concern for her appearance. Well, this is just a rule of thumb. It's a given! Girls will always stress over the way they look. They did hundreds of years ago, they do it now, and they'll do it long after I'm gone. Don't get me started about how they decided to ask us guys about how they look! It's just a sticky situation if you ask me. But moreover, Lizzie already has Gordo, but like a woman, she's going to look good for everybody, including Mark. Does this mean there won't be chemistry between the two? I can't say. Does this mean that neither is concerned about what might be? I can't say. Does this mean that women are incredibly complicated creatures to figure out? The answer is YES! But I'm just rambling.. Back to the story!
************
Lizzie picked up an apple off the kitchen counter before walking straight into the living room area, where Matt was vegging. She looked to her brother, then to the television, then back to her brother. "You don't get enough of this at school?" Lizzie questioned ludicrously. Matt turned his head to acknowledge Lizzie's presence, stared, and went back to watching the game without as much as a word. Lizzie rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her apple and walked to the back door. She could already see her mother doing yard work in the back, as it was a particularly nice day outside. She opened the sliding door, and quietly walked down the stairs, trying to avoid a pep talk from her mother. But of course..
"SO.. I heard you're going to take Mark out today.." said Jo McGuire, as she turned to face her daughter with an almost satanic grin. "Mom, it's nothing big. I'm just taking him out with Gordo, and Miranda, and everybody else so he can get to know some people before school starts." Jo just raised her eyebrows, with the same semi-evil smile on her face. "I was just going to say have a good time.", Jo said slyly before she turned back around to her yardwork, whistling while she worked. Lizzie thought that this was weirder than usual for her mom, but shrugged it off, and walked around the house to The Johnson's new front door.
She looked around the front porch, never realizing how big it was for the entire time she had lived no more than twenty feet away. She rang the doorbell as she threw her hair back over her shoulders, and the door was answered by a skinny man with very shaggy hair, just slightly taller than Lizzie. "Oh hey, what's up?", the man asked politely. "Oh, hi! My name is Lizzie McGuire. I live.." "Oh, right, right. The girl Mark was talking about. You live next door right?" Lizzie nodded, and wondered if Mark had a brother that he didn't know about. "Cool, I'm Amalio, Mark's pop", he said with his hand extended. Lizzie smiled and shook his hand, as Amalio let her inside the house. "You'll have to excuse the appearance of this joint. It's a tad messy, I say." he said a little quieter. "Oh, I understand. I mean, you just got here yesterday. It ain't expected to look like the Vatican" Lizzie said, thinking that Mark's accent was rubbing off on her already. Amalio smiled. "Hey", he said with a grin, "I like you. You seem like a good kid. If you want to get Mark up, his room is last on the right upstairs."
Lizzie wasn't used to parents this loose with authority, so she almost thought it was a joke. But she quickly realized Mr. Johnson was totally serious, as he walked back to the kitchen and let Lizzie at the foot of the staircase. She walked up the stairs, and looked around the rooms as she climbed. It seemed a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Even with the boxes and such all around, it looked pretty nice. Lizzie reached the top of the stairs, and quietly walked to Mark's door. She very softly rapped on the wooden door. No answer. She knocked, again, softly. She felt awkward, just going into his house and waking him up with the fact that they had known each other for less than twelve hours. She knocked again, as the door behind her opened. She quickly turned to see a good-looking woman who seemed to be just a few years older than Lizzie. "Hey, Hun. I'm guessing you're Liz, eh?" she asked. Lizzie nodded silently. "What's up? Let me tell ya, you're never gonna get him up if you knock like that. It would be easier just to go inside and poke him with a stick. Just go ahead", she finished, motioning to Mark's room. "Oh, no I really couldn't.." Lizzie stammered. "Sure ya cooould.. Go.. Go ahead", the woman said with a smile, motioning again to his room. "Well, okay..", Lizzie replied quietly, as she turned the doorknob. The woman smiled again, and walked down the hall, and went down the staircase.
Lizzie just thought that this was weird. Now she was thinking Mark had a sister that he wasn't telling her about. She slowly opened the door, and peered into the room. The sunlight shone directly into his room, just like Lizzie's. She saw that just about everything he had moved with was already unpacked. It had looked as if he had been living there for quite some time, with clothes already piling in his hamper, posters everywhere, and his computer monitor with little action figures sitting on top. Mark's room was actually very big, almost the size of two of her room. The room had an open clearing of about eight feet in the middle, where the carpet was missing, because there was linoleum tile put down. But surrounding the eight feet was a burgundy carpet that covered the rest of the room. She walked around the tile, and towards Mark's bed. He was still wearing the black undershirt from last night and a pair of basketball shorts, but had his huge blanket covering his head and shoulders. He was still fast asleep.
She sat down on his computer swivel chair and thought about waiting until he woke up. She waited, and waited, until after about ten minutes it became obvious that she could be waiting here all day. She thought of an easy way to wake him up without being too rude about it. Suddenly, she realized that she was staring at his feet! She got an idea and rolled the chair over to the other side of the bed. He had some big feet, so she had a lot to work with. She just barely ran her semi-long nails along the bottoms of his feet. For about ten seconds nothing happened, but soon enough. Mark started shaking, and suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter, pulling his feet up to his chest and throwing the blanket over him. "Stop! Stop! No no.. No tickle today.. Who dat?" he said chuckling. "It's me, Lizzie." she said quietly. "Liz? Whatcha doin' here at like seven A.M.?" Mark said, sounding slightly annoyed, with a yawn. "Hey pal", she started, "it's about two o' clock! We gots to get a move on. We should've been there by now. Or should I go alone?" Mark sat up with a huge grin. "Oh, it's you. I thought you was my mom playing jokes on me. What's up? Do we gotta go now?"
Lizzie thought to herself. "No, not right this second," she said, "but in about half an hour we should get going." "Okay," he replied. Mark got up and ran his hand through his hair, and it folded back to what it looked like last night. Lizzie looked at him as he looked at her, and shoot her a warm smile. Lizzie felt her heart leap like it did back in Junior High every time Ethan Craft did as much as drop a pencil. She thought about it as she waited in Mark's room while he took his change of clothes to the bathroom. However she quickly dismissed it as nothing more than physical attraction, and reminded herself that she was just about a married woman. She could always look, though.
Mark returned no more than 5 minutes later, dressed in some baggy tan cargo sweatpants and a Misfits T-Shirt and a loose button-down blue shirt over it. He smiled again and said, "How do I look?" She wanted to tell him what she really thought, but decided that she'd play coy for now. "Looking good. Sexy, sexy." Lizzie giggled. Mark rubbed away an imaginary tear and replied before laughing, "Don't toy with my emotions like that, Liz." He motioned for her to come downstairs, and she walked slowly out of the room, giving it one last glance before he closed the door.
"Oh, by the way, Mark, your dad's very cool. And I thought you didn't have any brothers or sisters." Lizzie said quietly. "I don't", he said with a shrug. "How are you gonna tell me that? Who was the girl I saw coming out the room right across from yours?" Lizzie said, with some annoyance in her tone. "Um... that was my mom." Mark said with a confused grin. "No! Really? I mean.. wow. No!" Lizzie said surprisingly. "Uh, er, ep, dursh, yes." Mark said, teasing her. She slapped him playfully on his arm, and wondered how young, or how old, his parents were.
The two walked down the stairs and Mark grabbed his keys, and yelled in the direction of the kitchen, "Alo, parents with the Greatest Living Specimen of Masculinity for a son?" Lizzie laughed at this statement, but Mark explained it was a goofy nickname his friends in Brooklyn came up with. "Whaddaya want, jabroni?" his father said back, as he walked out of the kitchen. "Daddu, I'ma goin' outta right now", he said making fun of his father's lineage. "Okay, ya jobber, and let's make it an early night today, okay? Some time before about two, we've got some stuff to do before tomorrow." "Oakely Doakely," Mark replied with a salute. Amalio smiled again to Lizzie and waved goodbye. She waved back, but didn't believe what she just heard.
"You have a unique relationship with your parents, don't you?" she said as the front door closed. "Yeah, I guess so. They ain't like most parents, that's fo' sho'. So, where we headed?" he asked as he opened the passenger side door of his '89 Firebird for Lizzie. She smiled, as she wasn't used to getting her door opened for her. She sat down and said with another grin, "Where ever these wheels take us.."
************
I hate to interrupt but.. Wait, no I don't.. I love to interrupt! Oh well, yes, it is I, the Middleman. Here once again to enlighten you with some of the Ivy League caliber knowledge that I posses so graciously. First of all, some of you might just ask about Matt. Well, I'm all about giving the people what they want. Just like Lizzie, Matt has also developed into quite the teenage heartthrob. He was taller than as his father, and one of the stars of his Junior High basketball team. His hair is about the same as it was when he was nine. Still, there was some major emotional changes dealt after his non-talkative friend, Lanny, suffered a broken neck due to a near- fatal car accident two summers ago. Lanny survived and recovered, but not without many months of intense physical therapy. After the accident, Matt had a small bout of depression at the fact that his best friend almost died. Although there's much more maturing he'll need to do before he's an official adult, Matt became very worldly during this experience. It even affected his family life, as he became more understanding and even got along with his sister. After about a year and a half, Lanny was normal again, and Matt vowed that he would always be there for his friend, should the need arise.
Now, what does this have to do with the story? You need background information, pal! This stuff is useful for further parts of this story. Anyway, the other thing that you might be wondering is Lizzie's apparent concern for her appearance. Well, this is just a rule of thumb. It's a given! Girls will always stress over the way they look. They did hundreds of years ago, they do it now, and they'll do it long after I'm gone. Don't get me started about how they decided to ask us guys about how they look! It's just a sticky situation if you ask me. But moreover, Lizzie already has Gordo, but like a woman, she's going to look good for everybody, including Mark. Does this mean there won't be chemistry between the two? I can't say. Does this mean that neither is concerned about what might be? I can't say. Does this mean that women are incredibly complicated creatures to figure out? The answer is YES! But I'm just rambling.. Back to the story!
************
Lizzie picked up an apple off the kitchen counter before walking straight into the living room area, where Matt was vegging. She looked to her brother, then to the television, then back to her brother. "You don't get enough of this at school?" Lizzie questioned ludicrously. Matt turned his head to acknowledge Lizzie's presence, stared, and went back to watching the game without as much as a word. Lizzie rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her apple and walked to the back door. She could already see her mother doing yard work in the back, as it was a particularly nice day outside. She opened the sliding door, and quietly walked down the stairs, trying to avoid a pep talk from her mother. But of course..
"SO.. I heard you're going to take Mark out today.." said Jo McGuire, as she turned to face her daughter with an almost satanic grin. "Mom, it's nothing big. I'm just taking him out with Gordo, and Miranda, and everybody else so he can get to know some people before school starts." Jo just raised her eyebrows, with the same semi-evil smile on her face. "I was just going to say have a good time.", Jo said slyly before she turned back around to her yardwork, whistling while she worked. Lizzie thought that this was weirder than usual for her mom, but shrugged it off, and walked around the house to The Johnson's new front door.
She looked around the front porch, never realizing how big it was for the entire time she had lived no more than twenty feet away. She rang the doorbell as she threw her hair back over her shoulders, and the door was answered by a skinny man with very shaggy hair, just slightly taller than Lizzie. "Oh hey, what's up?", the man asked politely. "Oh, hi! My name is Lizzie McGuire. I live.." "Oh, right, right. The girl Mark was talking about. You live next door right?" Lizzie nodded, and wondered if Mark had a brother that he didn't know about. "Cool, I'm Amalio, Mark's pop", he said with his hand extended. Lizzie smiled and shook his hand, as Amalio let her inside the house. "You'll have to excuse the appearance of this joint. It's a tad messy, I say." he said a little quieter. "Oh, I understand. I mean, you just got here yesterday. It ain't expected to look like the Vatican" Lizzie said, thinking that Mark's accent was rubbing off on her already. Amalio smiled. "Hey", he said with a grin, "I like you. You seem like a good kid. If you want to get Mark up, his room is last on the right upstairs."
Lizzie wasn't used to parents this loose with authority, so she almost thought it was a joke. But she quickly realized Mr. Johnson was totally serious, as he walked back to the kitchen and let Lizzie at the foot of the staircase. She walked up the stairs, and looked around the rooms as she climbed. It seemed a lot bigger than it looked from the outside. Even with the boxes and such all around, it looked pretty nice. Lizzie reached the top of the stairs, and quietly walked to Mark's door. She very softly rapped on the wooden door. No answer. She knocked, again, softly. She felt awkward, just going into his house and waking him up with the fact that they had known each other for less than twelve hours. She knocked again, as the door behind her opened. She quickly turned to see a good-looking woman who seemed to be just a few years older than Lizzie. "Hey, Hun. I'm guessing you're Liz, eh?" she asked. Lizzie nodded silently. "What's up? Let me tell ya, you're never gonna get him up if you knock like that. It would be easier just to go inside and poke him with a stick. Just go ahead", she finished, motioning to Mark's room. "Oh, no I really couldn't.." Lizzie stammered. "Sure ya cooould.. Go.. Go ahead", the woman said with a smile, motioning again to his room. "Well, okay..", Lizzie replied quietly, as she turned the doorknob. The woman smiled again, and walked down the hall, and went down the staircase.
Lizzie just thought that this was weird. Now she was thinking Mark had a sister that he wasn't telling her about. She slowly opened the door, and peered into the room. The sunlight shone directly into his room, just like Lizzie's. She saw that just about everything he had moved with was already unpacked. It had looked as if he had been living there for quite some time, with clothes already piling in his hamper, posters everywhere, and his computer monitor with little action figures sitting on top. Mark's room was actually very big, almost the size of two of her room. The room had an open clearing of about eight feet in the middle, where the carpet was missing, because there was linoleum tile put down. But surrounding the eight feet was a burgundy carpet that covered the rest of the room. She walked around the tile, and towards Mark's bed. He was still wearing the black undershirt from last night and a pair of basketball shorts, but had his huge blanket covering his head and shoulders. He was still fast asleep.
She sat down on his computer swivel chair and thought about waiting until he woke up. She waited, and waited, until after about ten minutes it became obvious that she could be waiting here all day. She thought of an easy way to wake him up without being too rude about it. Suddenly, she realized that she was staring at his feet! She got an idea and rolled the chair over to the other side of the bed. He had some big feet, so she had a lot to work with. She just barely ran her semi-long nails along the bottoms of his feet. For about ten seconds nothing happened, but soon enough. Mark started shaking, and suddenly burst out in a fit of laughter, pulling his feet up to his chest and throwing the blanket over him. "Stop! Stop! No no.. No tickle today.. Who dat?" he said chuckling. "It's me, Lizzie." she said quietly. "Liz? Whatcha doin' here at like seven A.M.?" Mark said, sounding slightly annoyed, with a yawn. "Hey pal", she started, "it's about two o' clock! We gots to get a move on. We should've been there by now. Or should I go alone?" Mark sat up with a huge grin. "Oh, it's you. I thought you was my mom playing jokes on me. What's up? Do we gotta go now?"
Lizzie thought to herself. "No, not right this second," she said, "but in about half an hour we should get going." "Okay," he replied. Mark got up and ran his hand through his hair, and it folded back to what it looked like last night. Lizzie looked at him as he looked at her, and shoot her a warm smile. Lizzie felt her heart leap like it did back in Junior High every time Ethan Craft did as much as drop a pencil. She thought about it as she waited in Mark's room while he took his change of clothes to the bathroom. However she quickly dismissed it as nothing more than physical attraction, and reminded herself that she was just about a married woman. She could always look, though.
Mark returned no more than 5 minutes later, dressed in some baggy tan cargo sweatpants and a Misfits T-Shirt and a loose button-down blue shirt over it. He smiled again and said, "How do I look?" She wanted to tell him what she really thought, but decided that she'd play coy for now. "Looking good. Sexy, sexy." Lizzie giggled. Mark rubbed away an imaginary tear and replied before laughing, "Don't toy with my emotions like that, Liz." He motioned for her to come downstairs, and she walked slowly out of the room, giving it one last glance before he closed the door.
"Oh, by the way, Mark, your dad's very cool. And I thought you didn't have any brothers or sisters." Lizzie said quietly. "I don't", he said with a shrug. "How are you gonna tell me that? Who was the girl I saw coming out the room right across from yours?" Lizzie said, with some annoyance in her tone. "Um... that was my mom." Mark said with a confused grin. "No! Really? I mean.. wow. No!" Lizzie said surprisingly. "Uh, er, ep, dursh, yes." Mark said, teasing her. She slapped him playfully on his arm, and wondered how young, or how old, his parents were.
The two walked down the stairs and Mark grabbed his keys, and yelled in the direction of the kitchen, "Alo, parents with the Greatest Living Specimen of Masculinity for a son?" Lizzie laughed at this statement, but Mark explained it was a goofy nickname his friends in Brooklyn came up with. "Whaddaya want, jabroni?" his father said back, as he walked out of the kitchen. "Daddu, I'ma goin' outta right now", he said making fun of his father's lineage. "Okay, ya jobber, and let's make it an early night today, okay? Some time before about two, we've got some stuff to do before tomorrow." "Oakely Doakely," Mark replied with a salute. Amalio smiled again to Lizzie and waved goodbye. She waved back, but didn't believe what she just heard.
"You have a unique relationship with your parents, don't you?" she said as the front door closed. "Yeah, I guess so. They ain't like most parents, that's fo' sho'. So, where we headed?" he asked as he opened the passenger side door of his '89 Firebird for Lizzie. She smiled, as she wasn't used to getting her door opened for her. She sat down and said with another grin, "Where ever these wheels take us.."