Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
Author's note: you guys are so good to me. Seriously, I love you all! Watch out, here comes a rare reviewer shout-out...
Alastar - I'm your favorite author? ::big puppy dog eyes:: AWWW! That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! ::hugggggg::
...and now back to your regularly scheduled author's note.
Unexpected
Chapter Seven: Outside Perspective
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
Monday morning came, and found Lizzie at her locker, surrounded by Gordo, Miranda, Larry, and Kate. Only Lizzie and Kate were nervous. Larry looked hungry, Miranda looked bored, and Gordo looked nonchalant. "You guys were great," he told them, "especially you Lizzie," he added with a special smile directed at her, which made her cheeks heat up. "You guys made the squad for certain."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Lizzie put on a brave smile, and led the small posse to the girls' locker room. A small group of girls, several of them Lizzie recognized from Friday, were clustered around the door. "I'll go in," she told Kate, who was oddly silent and subdued. Not anything like the old Kate. And not even anything like the *old* old Kate, Lizzie's elementary compadre, who was one of those shiny happy people that R.E.M. had warned Lizzie about. But now...it was weird. Lizzie wondered if Kate would resort back into old Kate, Katezilla, if she made the squad.
"Excuse me...excuse me...ooh! Sorry," Lizzie said, stepping on someone's foot as she shouldered her way into the pack of eager teenage girls. There was a tall brunette directly in front of her, blocking the view of the sign up sheet. Lizzie counted to three silently, and luckily, the brunette moved. Lizzie peered at the list; Kate's name was the first one on it. "Kate, you made it!" she squealed over the murmurs of the crowd, and somewhere behind her, she heard Kate shriek with joy. Lizzie smiled, and turned back to the list, but someone bumped into her from behind. She stumbled, and bumped into someone else, who pushed her back in. It was like a mosh pit.
Lizzie got her footing again, and looked at the list.
**Please let me make it. Please, please, please.**
4 Lizzie McGuire
She'd made it. She'd made it! She was on the list. Lizzie, completely overcome, let out a joyous scream.
"That's not good," she thought she heard Gordo say.
"Prepare for damage control," Miranda said with a sigh.
Lizzie pushed her way through the crowd and rejoined her friends, too elated to even care that Miranda was clutching at Gordo's arm like he was some kind of life preserver. "I made the squad!"
"We made it! We made it!" Kate said, and she and Lizzie hugged, jumping up and down. Once Kate released her, she found herself wrapped in Gordo's arms, a place she hadn't been in awhile, and one she didn't particularly want to leave. Ever. Mm.
She and Larry exchanged a high-five, and Miranda smiled half-heartedly at her.
**For someone who's my best friend, you'd think she'd be a little more enthusiastic.**
"Congratulations," Tudgeman said.
"Yeah, congratulations, you two," Gordo echoed. He waited, then looked at Miranda expectantly. "Well?"
"What?" Miranda said.
"Aren't you going to congratulate them?"
"Why should I?" Miranda said sourly. "Lizzie's going to leave us now to hang out with more *popular* people, and we all know what *Kate's* really like."
"Miranda, that is totally not true," Lizzie said, hurt that her best friend could say something like that about her -- and mean it. "And don't attack Kate," she added, although she couldn't help but agree that Kate could turn into Katezilla with any provocation.
"You know what, whatever," Miranda said. "I've got to get to class." She stormed off without so much as a goodbye, and Gordo shook his head. "I'm sorry, guys," he said. "She's being a real bitch."
Lizzie couldn't hide her surprise. Gordo never swore, and he'd never said anything bad about either her or Miranda...and with Miranda as his girlfriend made the whole situation even stranger. She found herself staring at Gordo, suddenly filled with the disgusting hope that maybe this was the end of Miranda's and Gordo's relationship.
**I shouldn't be so happy about their misery.**
Gordo sighed. "I'll go talk to her. See you in class, Lizzie. Bye, guys."
"I better go too," Larry said. "Mr. Oldfield hates it when you're late to class. See you at lunch. And congratulations."
Lizzie smiled, and her friends walked off. She was left alone with Kate, and felt compelled to say, "You know, Kate, Miranda has a point."
"About me turning into a she-devil?" Kate said.
**Way to hit the nail on the head.**
"Something like that," Lizzie said uncomfortably.
"I know, I know, I'm a total bitch, and I deserve for you guys to still hate me."
"Why haven't you been hanging out with Claire and everyone?" Lizzie blurted.
Kate laughed shortly, and shook her head. "About a million reasons. Like, they're mean and snotty and I was sick of always having to be like that, just so I could be popular. It was stupid and a waste of time."
"So you're not going to start thinking you're better than anyone just because you're a cheerleader?" Lizzie asked.
"I'm gonna try not to," Kate offered.
"You want to start hanging out with us at lunch and stuff?"
"If you'll let me."
"Of course." The girls smiled at each other, and Lizzie hoped that this would keep up.
They started walking to class, and Kate said, "This probably isn't any of my business, but what's the deal with you and Gordo?"
Lizzie sighed. "The deal with me and Gordo is that there's no deal with me and Gordo."
"Way to be cryptic. C'mon, McGuire, he was all over you at the Digital Bean Friday."
"All over me? Please. He barely looked at me all night."
"He was looking. You just didn't see."
"You're delusional, Sanders. Gordo's going out with Miranda, remember?"
"He's going out with Miranda, so he must not like you. Reminds me of 'we're just friends', so he must not like you. What it seems like is a case of you wanting something, but at the same time being in complete denial about it. So what's the deal, are you into Gordo now?"
"You saw the class picture," Lizzie said. "What do you think?"
"Well if you're into him, and he's into you, then why is he with Miranda?"
Lizzie sighed again --she did that a lot lately-- and told Kate the story.
"What we need to do is break them up," Kate said.
"You sound like my brother," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. "Devious and stupid. They're my best friends. I can't do that to them."
"If he's with her, he can't ever be with you," Kate pointed out.
"You think I don't know that? If I somehow break them up, eventually Gordo will find out, and he'll hate me, I mean really hate me. That's the *last* thing I want."
"I can imagine. So you really do love him, don't you?"
"Let's just put it this way: every day is like slow torture."
"How romantic."
"So..." Lizzie said slowly, inflated with hope, "you really think he likes me still?"
"I know he does," Kate said confidently.
"Hmm," was all Lizzie could say.
Author's note: you guys are so good to me. Seriously, I love you all! Watch out, here comes a rare reviewer shout-out...
Alastar - I'm your favorite author? ::big puppy dog eyes:: AWWW! That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me! ::hugggggg::
...and now back to your regularly scheduled author's note.
Unexpected
Chapter Seven: Outside Perspective
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
Monday morning came, and found Lizzie at her locker, surrounded by Gordo, Miranda, Larry, and Kate. Only Lizzie and Kate were nervous. Larry looked hungry, Miranda looked bored, and Gordo looked nonchalant. "You guys were great," he told them, "especially you Lizzie," he added with a special smile directed at her, which made her cheeks heat up. "You guys made the squad for certain."
"Well, there's only one way to find out." Lizzie put on a brave smile, and led the small posse to the girls' locker room. A small group of girls, several of them Lizzie recognized from Friday, were clustered around the door. "I'll go in," she told Kate, who was oddly silent and subdued. Not anything like the old Kate. And not even anything like the *old* old Kate, Lizzie's elementary compadre, who was one of those shiny happy people that R.E.M. had warned Lizzie about. But now...it was weird. Lizzie wondered if Kate would resort back into old Kate, Katezilla, if she made the squad.
"Excuse me...excuse me...ooh! Sorry," Lizzie said, stepping on someone's foot as she shouldered her way into the pack of eager teenage girls. There was a tall brunette directly in front of her, blocking the view of the sign up sheet. Lizzie counted to three silently, and luckily, the brunette moved. Lizzie peered at the list; Kate's name was the first one on it. "Kate, you made it!" she squealed over the murmurs of the crowd, and somewhere behind her, she heard Kate shriek with joy. Lizzie smiled, and turned back to the list, but someone bumped into her from behind. She stumbled, and bumped into someone else, who pushed her back in. It was like a mosh pit.
Lizzie got her footing again, and looked at the list.
**Please let me make it. Please, please, please.**
4 Lizzie McGuire
She'd made it. She'd made it! She was on the list. Lizzie, completely overcome, let out a joyous scream.
"That's not good," she thought she heard Gordo say.
"Prepare for damage control," Miranda said with a sigh.
Lizzie pushed her way through the crowd and rejoined her friends, too elated to even care that Miranda was clutching at Gordo's arm like he was some kind of life preserver. "I made the squad!"
"We made it! We made it!" Kate said, and she and Lizzie hugged, jumping up and down. Once Kate released her, she found herself wrapped in Gordo's arms, a place she hadn't been in awhile, and one she didn't particularly want to leave. Ever. Mm.
She and Larry exchanged a high-five, and Miranda smiled half-heartedly at her.
**For someone who's my best friend, you'd think she'd be a little more enthusiastic.**
"Congratulations," Tudgeman said.
"Yeah, congratulations, you two," Gordo echoed. He waited, then looked at Miranda expectantly. "Well?"
"What?" Miranda said.
"Aren't you going to congratulate them?"
"Why should I?" Miranda said sourly. "Lizzie's going to leave us now to hang out with more *popular* people, and we all know what *Kate's* really like."
"Miranda, that is totally not true," Lizzie said, hurt that her best friend could say something like that about her -- and mean it. "And don't attack Kate," she added, although she couldn't help but agree that Kate could turn into Katezilla with any provocation.
"You know what, whatever," Miranda said. "I've got to get to class." She stormed off without so much as a goodbye, and Gordo shook his head. "I'm sorry, guys," he said. "She's being a real bitch."
Lizzie couldn't hide her surprise. Gordo never swore, and he'd never said anything bad about either her or Miranda...and with Miranda as his girlfriend made the whole situation even stranger. She found herself staring at Gordo, suddenly filled with the disgusting hope that maybe this was the end of Miranda's and Gordo's relationship.
**I shouldn't be so happy about their misery.**
Gordo sighed. "I'll go talk to her. See you in class, Lizzie. Bye, guys."
"I better go too," Larry said. "Mr. Oldfield hates it when you're late to class. See you at lunch. And congratulations."
Lizzie smiled, and her friends walked off. She was left alone with Kate, and felt compelled to say, "You know, Kate, Miranda has a point."
"About me turning into a she-devil?" Kate said.
**Way to hit the nail on the head.**
"Something like that," Lizzie said uncomfortably.
"I know, I know, I'm a total bitch, and I deserve for you guys to still hate me."
"Why haven't you been hanging out with Claire and everyone?" Lizzie blurted.
Kate laughed shortly, and shook her head. "About a million reasons. Like, they're mean and snotty and I was sick of always having to be like that, just so I could be popular. It was stupid and a waste of time."
"So you're not going to start thinking you're better than anyone just because you're a cheerleader?" Lizzie asked.
"I'm gonna try not to," Kate offered.
"You want to start hanging out with us at lunch and stuff?"
"If you'll let me."
"Of course." The girls smiled at each other, and Lizzie hoped that this would keep up.
They started walking to class, and Kate said, "This probably isn't any of my business, but what's the deal with you and Gordo?"
Lizzie sighed. "The deal with me and Gordo is that there's no deal with me and Gordo."
"Way to be cryptic. C'mon, McGuire, he was all over you at the Digital Bean Friday."
"All over me? Please. He barely looked at me all night."
"He was looking. You just didn't see."
"You're delusional, Sanders. Gordo's going out with Miranda, remember?"
"He's going out with Miranda, so he must not like you. Reminds me of 'we're just friends', so he must not like you. What it seems like is a case of you wanting something, but at the same time being in complete denial about it. So what's the deal, are you into Gordo now?"
"You saw the class picture," Lizzie said. "What do you think?"
"Well if you're into him, and he's into you, then why is he with Miranda?"
Lizzie sighed again --she did that a lot lately-- and told Kate the story.
"What we need to do is break them up," Kate said.
"You sound like my brother," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. "Devious and stupid. They're my best friends. I can't do that to them."
"If he's with her, he can't ever be with you," Kate pointed out.
"You think I don't know that? If I somehow break them up, eventually Gordo will find out, and he'll hate me, I mean really hate me. That's the *last* thing I want."
"I can imagine. So you really do love him, don't you?"
"Let's just put it this way: every day is like slow torture."
"How romantic."
"So..." Lizzie said slowly, inflated with hope, "you really think he likes me still?"
"I know he does," Kate said confidently.
"Hmm," was all Lizzie could say.