Chapter 2: More
"I still can't believe Miranda ran away like that!" Lizzie said. "I'm really worried about her! I mean, on the streets?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Lizzie." Gordo said.
"You think so?" Lizzie asked, biting her bottom lip.
"Yeah, I do. She'll be alright."
"I hope so." Lizzie said before the bell rang.
Mr. Dig walked into class. "Okay, take your seats please. I'm sure by now you've all heard about Miss Sanchez."
"I heard she was kidnapped." Claire Miller said.
"I bet she was abducted by aliens." Larry Tudgeman said. The entire class looked at him strangely.
"Abducted?" Gordo asked.
"It happens!" Larry said indignantly.
"Larry, the chances of Miranda being abducted by aliens are about as good as Mariah Carey winning an Oscar for Glitter." Gordo replied.
"Besides, you only hear of alien abductions happening in like....Texas." Lizzie said.
"When you really think about it, why would aliens want to take us anyway?" Gordo said.
"To do experiments! Where have you been Gordo?" Larry asked.
"I hate to break it to you Tudgeman, but, we're the Alabama of the universe." Gordo replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Larry asked.
"Nevermind." Gordo said with a roll of his eyes.
Lizzie watched Gordo carefully, her eyebrows furrowing. Shouldn't he be more worried about Miranda?
At lunch, Lizzie was silent, watching Gordo eat his lunch just as quietly. Finally he sighed and looked up. "Okay, what's up with you today? You've got the personality of a wet mop."
"I just think it's weird how you're not even worried about Miranda. Gordo, she's missing!"
"Lizzie, she's Miranda. She's a resilient girl. She'll be fine." Gordo said breezily.
Lizzie stared at him. "You know what? For you to be such a good friend, you sure don't care much about her!" she stood up. "I need to go find Ethan. Later."
Gordo sighed. So Lizzie was mad at him. Nothing new. He hated lying to her, but as he and Miranda both knew, if either one of them had any sort of scheme going on, telling Lizzie was the quickest way to get it discovered.
He chuckled as he thought back to all the stunts he and Miranda had pulled around each other, with one or the other quick to add "Don't tell Lizzie!" Sneaking into movies without paying. Miranda taking back a shirt she had spilled something on and claiming she had bought it that way and hadn't noticed the stain. And trying cigarettes for the first time. Gordo couldn't help but laugh aloud at that one. He and Miranda were 12, and Gordo had swiped them from his cousin's car. Just one. Not enough for him to notice. They thought they were being so slick. As it turned out, both of them could've done without it. Gordo still believed to this day that he had coughed up one of his lungs. His thoughts headed back to Lizzie and he frowned.
They had never included Lizzie in most of their schemes for one reason and one reason only: Lizzie couldn't lie. Miranda had found that out the hard way with the bra scheme in seventh grade, and Gordo had found that out through other various conspiracies they had tried to pull. One conundrum after another, that was what you got when you trusted Lizzie McGuire to keep her mouth shut about something they were trying to pull. So they had basically just learned that when things went wrong, it was best to keep Lizzie out of the loop, no matter how much it had upset her.
Gordo sighed. He would let Miranda crash at his place for one more night, maybe two. He made a mental note to talk to her about it when he got home from school. Her parents were probably freaking out, and if she was gone for much longer, they'd most likely call the cops. That was where Gordo would put his foot down. He was down for most of Miranda's crazy ideas, but lawbreaking wasn't one of them. Still, Miranda and he had been through a lot together over the past two years, and he'd do anything to help a friend. He knew she was going through hell right now. He just didn't know how to help her.
Gordo unlocked the front door and walked inside. Setting his bookbag down, he made his way up the steps. "Hey, Miranda, I'm..."
"Get out get out get out!!!!" Miranda screamed, pulling her shirt up to cover herself. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking???"
Gordo's mouth dropped open. "I...uh..."
"Get out!!" Miranda yelled, throwing a shoe at him.
"I'm sorry! Sorry sorry sorry!" Gordo said as he backed out of the room. He shut the door and leaned against it. "Oh boy." he said, finally giving himself permission to breathe. He thought about what he had just seen. He supposed Miranda had always had a nice body, he had just never really thought about it. But now? Oh boy. Just when had....those popped up? He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head.
Back in Gordo's bedroom, Miranda was silently freaking out.
Oh my god. How much did he see? What did he think? Oh god. I can never look at him in the eyes again! I can't stay in here forever, I mean I can't lock him out of his own room, she thought. She pulled her shirt over her head and finished zipping up her jeans. I guess I should go back out there.
She slowly opened the door. "Gordo?"
"Miranda, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Miranda cut him off. "It's fine. Just...do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" Gordo asked.
"Don't ever bring it up again?"
"Gladly." Gordo said with a sigh.
"So what did Lizzie have to say about me running away?" Miranda asked as she sat down on Gordo's bed.
"In typical Lizzie fashion, she was freaking out." Gordo said. "She's kinda pissed at me because I wasn't freaking out."
"Gordo you never freak out. I could actually BE missing and you probably still wouldn't freak out." Miranda said.
"Hey that's not true. I freak out sometimes...I'm just not as verbal about it as you and Lizzie are." Gordo replied as he flopped down onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He rolled over on his side and looked at her. "And I would freak out if you were missing."
"Really?" Miranda asked.
"Of course I would. You're my friend." Gordo said. "I mean, don't get me wrong and all, Lizzie's fun to hang around with and all, but..."
"But what?" Miranda asked.
"It's like the worst thing that could possibly happen to her is Kate Sanders telling her her shoes are out of fashion, or finding out Ethan Craft didn't like her." Gordo said.
"Gordo, what do you mean?"
"I just mean that Lizzie's never had to deal with anything BIG. You and me though? We've been through so much shit together, way too much shit if you ask me."
Miranda nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I dunno if I could deal without having you around to go through it all with me." Gordo said.
"Same." Miranda said. They were silent for a few minutes, then Gordo hopped off the bed.
"I'm starving, let's go raid the fridge." he said.
"Okay." Miranda said. She followed him down the steps.
He was such a sweetheart. So deep. So smart. So goodlooking. He was kind, mature, thought provoking, loyal to the end. And he had just told her he didn't know what he would do without her! She smiled, biting her bottom lip. Then she frowned. Gordo thought of her as a friend, nothing more.
Why couldn't it be more?
"I still can't believe Miranda ran away like that!" Lizzie said. "I'm really worried about her! I mean, on the streets?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine, Lizzie." Gordo said.
"You think so?" Lizzie asked, biting her bottom lip.
"Yeah, I do. She'll be alright."
"I hope so." Lizzie said before the bell rang.
Mr. Dig walked into class. "Okay, take your seats please. I'm sure by now you've all heard about Miss Sanchez."
"I heard she was kidnapped." Claire Miller said.
"I bet she was abducted by aliens." Larry Tudgeman said. The entire class looked at him strangely.
"Abducted?" Gordo asked.
"It happens!" Larry said indignantly.
"Larry, the chances of Miranda being abducted by aliens are about as good as Mariah Carey winning an Oscar for Glitter." Gordo replied.
"Besides, you only hear of alien abductions happening in like....Texas." Lizzie said.
"When you really think about it, why would aliens want to take us anyway?" Gordo said.
"To do experiments! Where have you been Gordo?" Larry asked.
"I hate to break it to you Tudgeman, but, we're the Alabama of the universe." Gordo replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Larry asked.
"Nevermind." Gordo said with a roll of his eyes.
Lizzie watched Gordo carefully, her eyebrows furrowing. Shouldn't he be more worried about Miranda?
At lunch, Lizzie was silent, watching Gordo eat his lunch just as quietly. Finally he sighed and looked up. "Okay, what's up with you today? You've got the personality of a wet mop."
"I just think it's weird how you're not even worried about Miranda. Gordo, she's missing!"
"Lizzie, she's Miranda. She's a resilient girl. She'll be fine." Gordo said breezily.
Lizzie stared at him. "You know what? For you to be such a good friend, you sure don't care much about her!" she stood up. "I need to go find Ethan. Later."
Gordo sighed. So Lizzie was mad at him. Nothing new. He hated lying to her, but as he and Miranda both knew, if either one of them had any sort of scheme going on, telling Lizzie was the quickest way to get it discovered.
He chuckled as he thought back to all the stunts he and Miranda had pulled around each other, with one or the other quick to add "Don't tell Lizzie!" Sneaking into movies without paying. Miranda taking back a shirt she had spilled something on and claiming she had bought it that way and hadn't noticed the stain. And trying cigarettes for the first time. Gordo couldn't help but laugh aloud at that one. He and Miranda were 12, and Gordo had swiped them from his cousin's car. Just one. Not enough for him to notice. They thought they were being so slick. As it turned out, both of them could've done without it. Gordo still believed to this day that he had coughed up one of his lungs. His thoughts headed back to Lizzie and he frowned.
They had never included Lizzie in most of their schemes for one reason and one reason only: Lizzie couldn't lie. Miranda had found that out the hard way with the bra scheme in seventh grade, and Gordo had found that out through other various conspiracies they had tried to pull. One conundrum after another, that was what you got when you trusted Lizzie McGuire to keep her mouth shut about something they were trying to pull. So they had basically just learned that when things went wrong, it was best to keep Lizzie out of the loop, no matter how much it had upset her.
Gordo sighed. He would let Miranda crash at his place for one more night, maybe two. He made a mental note to talk to her about it when he got home from school. Her parents were probably freaking out, and if she was gone for much longer, they'd most likely call the cops. That was where Gordo would put his foot down. He was down for most of Miranda's crazy ideas, but lawbreaking wasn't one of them. Still, Miranda and he had been through a lot together over the past two years, and he'd do anything to help a friend. He knew she was going through hell right now. He just didn't know how to help her.
Gordo unlocked the front door and walked inside. Setting his bookbag down, he made his way up the steps. "Hey, Miranda, I'm..."
"Get out get out get out!!!!" Miranda screamed, pulling her shirt up to cover herself. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking???"
Gordo's mouth dropped open. "I...uh..."
"Get out!!" Miranda yelled, throwing a shoe at him.
"I'm sorry! Sorry sorry sorry!" Gordo said as he backed out of the room. He shut the door and leaned against it. "Oh boy." he said, finally giving himself permission to breathe. He thought about what he had just seen. He supposed Miranda had always had a nice body, he had just never really thought about it. But now? Oh boy. Just when had....those popped up? He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, trying to shake the thoughts out of his head.
Back in Gordo's bedroom, Miranda was silently freaking out.
Oh my god. How much did he see? What did he think? Oh god. I can never look at him in the eyes again! I can't stay in here forever, I mean I can't lock him out of his own room, she thought. She pulled her shirt over her head and finished zipping up her jeans. I guess I should go back out there.
She slowly opened the door. "Gordo?"
"Miranda, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Miranda cut him off. "It's fine. Just...do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" Gordo asked.
"Don't ever bring it up again?"
"Gladly." Gordo said with a sigh.
"So what did Lizzie have to say about me running away?" Miranda asked as she sat down on Gordo's bed.
"In typical Lizzie fashion, she was freaking out." Gordo said. "She's kinda pissed at me because I wasn't freaking out."
"Gordo you never freak out. I could actually BE missing and you probably still wouldn't freak out." Miranda said.
"Hey that's not true. I freak out sometimes...I'm just not as verbal about it as you and Lizzie are." Gordo replied as he flopped down onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. He rolled over on his side and looked at her. "And I would freak out if you were missing."
"Really?" Miranda asked.
"Of course I would. You're my friend." Gordo said. "I mean, don't get me wrong and all, Lizzie's fun to hang around with and all, but..."
"But what?" Miranda asked.
"It's like the worst thing that could possibly happen to her is Kate Sanders telling her her shoes are out of fashion, or finding out Ethan Craft didn't like her." Gordo said.
"Gordo, what do you mean?"
"I just mean that Lizzie's never had to deal with anything BIG. You and me though? We've been through so much shit together, way too much shit if you ask me."
Miranda nodded. "I know what you mean."
"I dunno if I could deal without having you around to go through it all with me." Gordo said.
"Same." Miranda said. They were silent for a few minutes, then Gordo hopped off the bed.
"I'm starving, let's go raid the fridge." he said.
"Okay." Miranda said. She followed him down the steps.
He was such a sweetheart. So deep. So smart. So goodlooking. He was kind, mature, thought provoking, loyal to the end. And he had just told her he didn't know what he would do without her! She smiled, biting her bottom lip. Then she frowned. Gordo thought of her as a friend, nothing more.
Why couldn't it be more?