–3–
She was woken by the warms rays of the sun caressing her face and her eyelids fluttered open. A gentle breeze blew in through the open window and beyond the blooming tree branch she could see a bright blue sky with puffs of white clouds scattered throughout. Sett of by the chirping birds and the scent of freshly cut grass, it was the epitome of a perfect summer morning.
Releasing a yawn, Lizzie stretched and turned on her back, relishing the feeling. She also had the perfect summer day planned out. First she would lounge around the house for a few hours; stay in bed until she pleased, make a big breakfast, and watch her favorite daytime television shows that she always missed the other ten months of the year. She and Miranda were supposed to meet up at around two o'clock and head over to the pool. Then it was probably a night of mini golf and burgers with Vanessa and Gordo. Yep, it was going to be absolutely perfect.
Then why did she have that nagging feeling of anxiety lurking in her chest, as if she was actually supposed to be angry and upset about something? It was as though her dream had pushed some kind of reality from her mind.
Lizzie smiled at that thought. Her dream.
She had been watching Ethan perform. The spotlight was locked firmly on him as he strummed the guitar and crooned out a tender ballad, all the while gazing directly at her. She smiled and he winked back, and she knew that he was singing to her. The song ended and the audience roared with approval. All the girls went crazy, trying to shove their way towards Ethan, screaming his name, but he had eyes only for her. Setting the guitar down, he jumped off the stage and headed straight for her, ignoring everyone else. The girls turned to stare in jealous shock as he swept Lizzie into his arms and caught her lips in a passionate kiss.
"You are so amazing up there. How do you do it?"
"I was thinking of you the entire time," he whispered in her ear.
It had sent shivers down her spine.
Unfortunately, it wasn't true. But it had felt so real; his embrace and his lips and his voice... For a split second she had almost believed it was actually a memory from last night. Yeah, right. It was her overactive imagination, as always. It never let up and sometimes it could be downright cruel.
And then a coldness gripped her from inside as she remembered. Ethan had a girlfriend. That's what the strange feeling was all about. She groaned and buried her face in her pillows, wanting desperately to retreat to her dreamworld. Maybe if she fell back asleep, her dream would just continue where it left off.
Just focus on kissing Ethan, focus on kissing Ethan, focus on kissing Ethan, Lizzie chanted to herself.
A knock on the door interrupted her mantra. She sat up with a disgruntled sigh. If that was Matt coming in to bother her, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't pitch him out the window. Could she not even enjoy a peaceful morning on her summer vacation?
"What?"
"Are you decent?"
Lizzie relaxed at the voice. "No, but come on in anyway."
The door opened and she laughed as Gordo peeked in warily.
"Ooh, your Powerpuff Girl pjs. I'll try to contain myself." A pillow sailed in his direction, aimed for his head, but he caught it easily and tossed it back to her. "Thanks for the warm welcome."
"What are you doing here?" Lizzie hadn't even heard the doorbell ring. Maybe she'd been too caught up in her Ethan fantasy.
With a shrug, he stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind him. "I was passing by on my way to work, decided to come bother you for a little while. Your dad let me in and told me to just come on up."
She smiled at him knowingly. "Gordo, you work all the way across town. What's really up?"
"Now I need a reason to come see my best friend? What's up with that?"
"Jeez, dramatic much?" Lizzie teased, then scooted over so he could sit down. She snuggled back under the sheets and looked up at him. "So you didn't get in trouble last night, did you?"
"Nah. My parents were both asleep when I got home, then they left before I woke up, so I guess not. They didn't even leave behind an essay on the basis of teenage rebellion and quest for independence or anything," he replied with a laugh. "How about you? Were they upset that you were late?"
"Well, it was only, like, twenty minutes. But of course Mom was waiting on the front porch when I pulled up. She was totally freaking out, too, I don't care how much she tries to deny it! I just told her that we had gone to the park for a little while and lost track of time, and then I had to drive everyone home."
"Nice. Sweet and simple, very believable."
"When did we get to be such good liars? Especially to our parents?" Lizzie mused aloud.
"I think it all started when we snuck out to go to the Aerosmith concert. Remember that in sophomore year?"
She couldn't help but burst out laughing at the memory. Lizzie remembered only too well. "Oh my gosh, of course I do! That was hysterical. Miranda and I used the whole sleep-over act, then you got all upset because obviously you couldn't do that..."
"Yeah, so you and Miranda thought up this big plan to tell my parents that I had to stay over Tudgeman's, of all people, since we had to do a project on the sleep cycle."
"Hey, excuse me, but both Miranda and I still think it was a genius idea on our parts."
Gordo shot her a dubious look. "But Larry? Come on! Were you trying to kill me?"
"Well I didn't know that he was going to want to come with us!" Lizzie protested. "I thought we'd just give him, like, twenty dollars. Or buy him a new snake. Or something."
"But you couldn't leave it alone there. Oh no. You just had to add in the part about writing a research paper. You know how my parents are about papers! They love them!"
"Oh yeah. Okay, but that was totally Miranda's idea! She just wanted to make it sound more authentic. Besides, they forgot about it, right?"
"Yeah."
Lizzie eyed him suspiciously. "You wrote it anyway, didn't you?"
"What? Come on. No! Of course not!" He sighed. "Yeah, alright, fine. It intrigued me! And... I was a total dork."
"Still are."
She shrieked as he playfully pinched her side and edged away from him.
"Sophomore year was the best," Lizzie said after a slight pause.
"You're just saying that 'cause you went to Homecoming with Ethan that year."
How could she deny that? "No... Not just that. But, yeah, that was probably the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me! Too bad it was pretty much a fluke."
"What makes you say that?"
"Come on, Gordo. You don't have to pity me and play dumb. Kate was practically begging him to go with her and I just happened to be standing there."
**FLASHBACK**
"Could you believe Fear Factor last night? Man, they had to eat monkey brains! That was foul!"
Lizzie laughed. "I know! And did you see that one girl?"
"You mean the one who was gagging? I thought her eyes were gonna pop out of her head," Ethan said enthusiastically.
"I felt bad for the guy who had to eat the hundred-year-old egg. But I just don't get where they got the egg from. How do they know it's really a hundred years old, and even if it is, who would hold on to that? That's gross!"
He frowned a bit, mulling that point over. Lizzie nearly melted at how adorable he looked at the moment, his lips pursed, eyebrows drawn together, concentrating hard. She had to restrain herself from jumping at him right then, and felt herself flush at the thought. Stopping at her locker, she was surprised to see Ethan stop, too, and just about squealed aloud when he leaned on the locker next to hers. Wait till she told Miranda! Thank God lunch was only a period away, she couldn't keep it in for very long.
Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, that's easy! The show must have stored the egg a hundred years ago. You know, like how they froze Austin Powers in that huge chamber."
"But–" Something in her brain told her to shut up. She smiled instead and nodded, spinning her combination . "Yeah, that's probably it."
"Ethan! Wait up!"
Both Lizzie and Ethan turned to see Kate barreling down the hallway towards them. She was pushing people out of her way left and right. Lizzie thought she heard Ethan groan under his breath and mutter something like, "Great," but she couldn't be sure.
"Ethan! There you are. I've been looking for you all day."
"It's only third period."
"Whatever. You will never guess what just happened!" She didn't bother to wait for a reply. "Paul Potter asked me to Homecoming."
Lizzie had busied herself with putting her books away, but she snuck a glance at Ethan then to see how he'd taken the news. He was grinning brightly.
"That's awesome, Kate. Paul's a cool guy."
Kate's face fell a bit. That was obviously not the reaction she had been expecting. She caught Lizzie's stare and glared at her. Lizzie rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her locker.
"Well, I didn't say yes. At least not yet. I was kind of hoping a certain someone else would ask me. Walk me to class! It'll give us a chance to catch up."
Lizzie swallowed back a laugh. Subtlety was definitely not Kate's strong suit. With the way Kate was looking at him, a mixture of expectation and desire, Lizzie felt bad for Ethan. She felt worse for herself, though. Was she actually going to have to witness her biggest crush ask out her worst enemy? Life was so unfair sometimes.
"I can't," Ethan said. "I'm, uh, gonna walk Lizzie to class."
"You are?" Kate snapped.
He was?
Lizzie closed her locker and looked at them curiously. What was going on?
"Yeah. We were just catching up, actually."
Kate's eyes narrowed dangerously and she crossed her arms, shooting a cold glance Lizzie's way.
Wow, if looks could kill, Lizzie thought with a slight shudder.
"Look, Ethan," Kate said evenly, "I've been beating around the bush for the past two days and I'm sick of it. Homecoming is next week. Were you maybe thinking of asking me?"
Ethan swallowed roughly. "Actually... I kind of already have a date."
Kate's face reddened. "You do?"
He did? Lizzie and Miranda hadn't heard of Ethan asking anyone. Then again, all the girls who had asked him were gently, but quickly, rebuffed. Maybe he was brining someone from outside the school.
"I'm sorry, Kate, I had no idea you wanted to go with me," he said with a helpless shrug.
"Who?" she demanded.
"I actually just asked..."
His gaze drifted over to her, and in that second she knew exactly what was coming. She was pretty sure her heart literally skipped a beat.
"Lizzie."
Kate was about to explode. Her eyes wide, slightly slack-jawed, fists clenched and shaking, she spun on her heels without another word and stalked off down the hallway. This time she didn't even have to push anyone; they took one look at her face and swiftly parted right down the center.
"Wow," was all Lizzie could mutter.
Ethan smiled at her, that smile that made her go all warm inside. "So? What do you say? Me, you, Homecoming?"
Was he serious? "Are you serious? I mean, I know you told Kate that, and I can definitely understand why, but... I mean, you can always say I got sick or something. I'm probably not gonna go anyway."
"Of course I'm serious! We'll have so much fun. It'll be so much better to go with a friend than a real date."
Lizzie's smile wavered. Of course. Well, a 'friendly' date was better than nothing! And who knew what could happen by the end of the night. "Yeah, that's true. Alright, sure, I'll go with you."
"Great!" They began to walk down the hallway. "So, anyway, what do you think that egg tasted like? It probably reeked!"
**END FLASHBACK**
"I really thought something was going to happen between us," Lizzie said softly.
"Yeah, me too. Everyone did."
Gordo. She'd almost forgotten he was there, she had been so wrapped up in the memory. "Really?"
"Yeah," he told her, and she knew it was the truth. She could always tell when Gordo was lying to her. "The way you guys were dancing, trust me, no one thought you two were there as 'just friends.'"
She smiled wistfully. "I wish." There was a moment's pause. "I kind of thought something was going to happen last night, too."
"I know."
"At first, I mean, when he invited us up to the VIP area. Then when he introduced us to her. God, I thought I was gonna burst into tears right there." Lizzie sighed, curling up into a ball. "Which is so stupid anyway! I mean, Ethan and I barely even talk anymore. I don't expect him to save himself for me."
"I know."
"It's just... I don't even know. I guess I just wanted a chance with him at least. I have this idea that this summer is going to change everything. That he'll see me in a totally different light than his 'sweet little buddy Lizzie.' I don't know why he should. It's not like I'm any different than I was in eighth grade. I'm still the biggest dork!"
"You're right, you haven't changed."
"Thanks a lot, Gordo. You always know exactly what to say."
"Hey," Gordo said, looking at her. "I didn't say that was a bad thing. And if Ethan can't realize that, then he hasn't changed either and is still the world's biggest moron."
Lizzie grinned meekly at him. "Wow. You really do know what to say."
"It's a gift."
She laughed and jabbed him gently. "Loser. Thanks for coming over, though. This is what you were after all along, isn't it?"
"In part, yeah. I knew you were upset, but I didn't wanna hassle you about it either. Miranda does that enough for the both of us."
"Very true," Lizzie agreed with a grin. "But she was off in her own little world last night, I doubt she even noticed."
"Oh, right. Malik...or something."
"Hey, what do you mean by 'in part'? Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" Lizzie asked.
Gordo hesitated. "Well, there was the Scott thing, but I really do have to get to work. I'm opening today," he said and stood.
Lizzie straightened up, too, staring at him oddly. "Wait a second. What 'Scott thing'? There is no Scott thing..." She was thoroughly confused.
But it seemed Gordo was in a tormenting kind of mood that day. He just shrugged innocently, smiled at her, and disappeared out the door with a wave. Lizzie pouted.
"Don't think Miranda and I won't be stopping by to bother you later!" she called after him. "This isn't over yet, David Zephyr Gordon!"
–*–
"Ow ow ow ow ow!"
"Miranda, quit being such a baby!"
"But it hurts!"
"Well then you should have worn sun block, genius!"
"Could you possibly make it any more painful?" Miranda winced as Lizzie slathered some more aloe vera lotion onto her badly burnt shoulders.
"Do you really wanna find out?"
The brunette laughed nervously. "I was just kidding, girl! You know I love you!"
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lizzie said with a smirk. She patted the last of the lotion on the back of Miranda's neck. "I think that should do for now."
"Thank God." She got up from Lizzie's bed and went over to the mirror, examining her skin. "Oh my God! I look like a lobster!"
"If you want my red bag to match..." Lizzie stifled laughter at the piercing look Miranda shot her reflection and began sifting through the jumbles of clothes on her bed. She picked out a pair of white terrycloth pants and pulled them on under her robe. "Come on, Sebastian, let's get ready and go to Michelangelo's. Gordo's shift is almost over, and I wanna talk to him before he has the chance to escape."
"Oh yeah. The big 'Scott thing' you're obsessing over."
Lizzie frowned. "I'm not obsessing over it! I'm just curious."
"Curious. Right. Yeah, okay." Miranda said in a way that showed she obviously was not convinced in the least.
"Okay, Miranda, spit it out. What are you trying to get at here?"
"Just that I think you have a thing for Scott. And I think he definitely has a thing for you."
"I do not have a thing for Scott! And he doesn't have a thing for me!"
"Oh yeah? Well if you don't have a thing for Scott and he doesn't have a thing for you, what thing do you think Gordo wanted to talk about when he mentioned it was a Scott thing, and why are you so concerned with the thing that Gordo was gonna tell you about the whole Scott thing?"
Lizzie opened her mouth to protest, then burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, how many times did you say 'thing' in that sentence?
Miranda laughed, too. "I thing five times at least."
"You said 'thing' instead of 'think'! And I don't even know what the question is anymore."
"Me either! And now the word 'thing' seems incredibly weird to me. I thing I thought about it for too long."
Lizzie was laughing even harder. "You just said it again!"
A knock on the door interrupted their giggle-fest.
"Yeah?" Lizzie managed to choke out.
Jo McGuire opened the door, an amused smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you two are having fun. Are you going out again tonight?"
"Yeah, we're probably gonna go to the golf course or a movie or something with Gordo and Vanessa," Lizzie replied, turning her attention to what top she should wear.
"And ice cream," Miranda added. "Don't forget the ice cream."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Of course. And ice cream."
"Sounds like a blast." Jo's eyes landed on Miranda. "Oh my God, Miranda, what happened?"
"What?" She had almost managed to forget about her crimson skin. "Oh, I got a little burned."
"So, Mom, what's up?" Lizzie jumped in before her mother could make some kind of unknowing remark and set off a Miranda breakdown.
"Well, I have some pretty cool news actually," Jo said. "Nana and Grandpa borrowed a beach house from their friends and they invited us up for a week."
Lizzie's eyes lit up. "Really? That's awesome! But who do Nana and Grandpa even know that owns a beach house?"
"You'd be surprised," Jo smirked. "Anyway, it's in Malibu, and they said that you and Matt can each bring along two friends. Should I count on Miranda and Gordo?"
"You'd better count on Miranda!" Miranda cried. "That is so cool!"
"I'll have to ask Gordo first, but I doubt he'll pass up this offer. Oh no! What about Vanessa, though? I'm gonna feel so bad leaving her behind."
"Sorry, Lizzie, but there's only so much room," Jo said regretfully. "I'm sure she'll understand."
"When do we leave?" Miranda asked, beaming from ear to ear.
With a laugh, Jo replied, "Not for another two weeks, sorry. But at least that'll give you girls a chance to get a head start on your packing. And maybe you'll even be ready on time then!"
"Haha, very funny, Mom."
"I thought so. Okay, so, Miranda, I'll call your parents and let them know the details, and once you get the okay from Gordo, Lizzie, let me know and I'll call the Gordons."
"Sure thing," Lizzie said, and waited for her mom to leave the room. Once Jo had gone, Lizzie and Miranda squealed and embraced.
"A week in Malibu? This really is going to be the best summer ever!"
Lizzie laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "Come on, get changed! I can't wait to tell Gordo."
"Gordo? You sure you don't wanna ask Scott?" Miranda teased.
"Don't even start with me about that."
"Lizzie and Scott...sitting in a tree...K-I-S-S-I-N– Ow!" she yelped as a pillow hit her on the side of the head. "Jeez, I didn't know you were so touchy."
Lizzie hurriedly pulled on a stretchy tanktop and slid her feet into flip flops before tossing Miranda's bag to her. "Will you just get ready and drop this? Before I drop you...right out the window!"
"I had no idea Scott brought out such a passionate side in you!" Miranda yelled, then ran from the room before Lizzie could follow through on her threat.
–*–
She was woken by the warms rays of the sun caressing her face and her eyelids fluttered open. A gentle breeze blew in through the open window and beyond the blooming tree branch she could see a bright blue sky with puffs of white clouds scattered throughout. Sett of by the chirping birds and the scent of freshly cut grass, it was the epitome of a perfect summer morning.
Releasing a yawn, Lizzie stretched and turned on her back, relishing the feeling. She also had the perfect summer day planned out. First she would lounge around the house for a few hours; stay in bed until she pleased, make a big breakfast, and watch her favorite daytime television shows that she always missed the other ten months of the year. She and Miranda were supposed to meet up at around two o'clock and head over to the pool. Then it was probably a night of mini golf and burgers with Vanessa and Gordo. Yep, it was going to be absolutely perfect.
Then why did she have that nagging feeling of anxiety lurking in her chest, as if she was actually supposed to be angry and upset about something? It was as though her dream had pushed some kind of reality from her mind.
Lizzie smiled at that thought. Her dream.
She had been watching Ethan perform. The spotlight was locked firmly on him as he strummed the guitar and crooned out a tender ballad, all the while gazing directly at her. She smiled and he winked back, and she knew that he was singing to her. The song ended and the audience roared with approval. All the girls went crazy, trying to shove their way towards Ethan, screaming his name, but he had eyes only for her. Setting the guitar down, he jumped off the stage and headed straight for her, ignoring everyone else. The girls turned to stare in jealous shock as he swept Lizzie into his arms and caught her lips in a passionate kiss.
"You are so amazing up there. How do you do it?"
"I was thinking of you the entire time," he whispered in her ear.
It had sent shivers down her spine.
Unfortunately, it wasn't true. But it had felt so real; his embrace and his lips and his voice... For a split second she had almost believed it was actually a memory from last night. Yeah, right. It was her overactive imagination, as always. It never let up and sometimes it could be downright cruel.
And then a coldness gripped her from inside as she remembered. Ethan had a girlfriend. That's what the strange feeling was all about. She groaned and buried her face in her pillows, wanting desperately to retreat to her dreamworld. Maybe if she fell back asleep, her dream would just continue where it left off.
Just focus on kissing Ethan, focus on kissing Ethan, focus on kissing Ethan, Lizzie chanted to herself.
A knock on the door interrupted her mantra. She sat up with a disgruntled sigh. If that was Matt coming in to bother her, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't pitch him out the window. Could she not even enjoy a peaceful morning on her summer vacation?
"What?"
"Are you decent?"
Lizzie relaxed at the voice. "No, but come on in anyway."
The door opened and she laughed as Gordo peeked in warily.
"Ooh, your Powerpuff Girl pjs. I'll try to contain myself." A pillow sailed in his direction, aimed for his head, but he caught it easily and tossed it back to her. "Thanks for the warm welcome."
"What are you doing here?" Lizzie hadn't even heard the doorbell ring. Maybe she'd been too caught up in her Ethan fantasy.
With a shrug, he stepped farther into the room and closed the door behind him. "I was passing by on my way to work, decided to come bother you for a little while. Your dad let me in and told me to just come on up."
She smiled at him knowingly. "Gordo, you work all the way across town. What's really up?"
"Now I need a reason to come see my best friend? What's up with that?"
"Jeez, dramatic much?" Lizzie teased, then scooted over so he could sit down. She snuggled back under the sheets and looked up at him. "So you didn't get in trouble last night, did you?"
"Nah. My parents were both asleep when I got home, then they left before I woke up, so I guess not. They didn't even leave behind an essay on the basis of teenage rebellion and quest for independence or anything," he replied with a laugh. "How about you? Were they upset that you were late?"
"Well, it was only, like, twenty minutes. But of course Mom was waiting on the front porch when I pulled up. She was totally freaking out, too, I don't care how much she tries to deny it! I just told her that we had gone to the park for a little while and lost track of time, and then I had to drive everyone home."
"Nice. Sweet and simple, very believable."
"When did we get to be such good liars? Especially to our parents?" Lizzie mused aloud.
"I think it all started when we snuck out to go to the Aerosmith concert. Remember that in sophomore year?"
She couldn't help but burst out laughing at the memory. Lizzie remembered only too well. "Oh my gosh, of course I do! That was hysterical. Miranda and I used the whole sleep-over act, then you got all upset because obviously you couldn't do that..."
"Yeah, so you and Miranda thought up this big plan to tell my parents that I had to stay over Tudgeman's, of all people, since we had to do a project on the sleep cycle."
"Hey, excuse me, but both Miranda and I still think it was a genius idea on our parts."
Gordo shot her a dubious look. "But Larry? Come on! Were you trying to kill me?"
"Well I didn't know that he was going to want to come with us!" Lizzie protested. "I thought we'd just give him, like, twenty dollars. Or buy him a new snake. Or something."
"But you couldn't leave it alone there. Oh no. You just had to add in the part about writing a research paper. You know how my parents are about papers! They love them!"
"Oh yeah. Okay, but that was totally Miranda's idea! She just wanted to make it sound more authentic. Besides, they forgot about it, right?"
"Yeah."
Lizzie eyed him suspiciously. "You wrote it anyway, didn't you?"
"What? Come on. No! Of course not!" He sighed. "Yeah, alright, fine. It intrigued me! And... I was a total dork."
"Still are."
She shrieked as he playfully pinched her side and edged away from him.
"Sophomore year was the best," Lizzie said after a slight pause.
"You're just saying that 'cause you went to Homecoming with Ethan that year."
How could she deny that? "No... Not just that. But, yeah, that was probably the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me! Too bad it was pretty much a fluke."
"What makes you say that?"
"Come on, Gordo. You don't have to pity me and play dumb. Kate was practically begging him to go with her and I just happened to be standing there."
**FLASHBACK**
"Could you believe Fear Factor last night? Man, they had to eat monkey brains! That was foul!"
Lizzie laughed. "I know! And did you see that one girl?"
"You mean the one who was gagging? I thought her eyes were gonna pop out of her head," Ethan said enthusiastically.
"I felt bad for the guy who had to eat the hundred-year-old egg. But I just don't get where they got the egg from. How do they know it's really a hundred years old, and even if it is, who would hold on to that? That's gross!"
He frowned a bit, mulling that point over. Lizzie nearly melted at how adorable he looked at the moment, his lips pursed, eyebrows drawn together, concentrating hard. She had to restrain herself from jumping at him right then, and felt herself flush at the thought. Stopping at her locker, she was surprised to see Ethan stop, too, and just about squealed aloud when he leaned on the locker next to hers. Wait till she told Miranda! Thank God lunch was only a period away, she couldn't keep it in for very long.
Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie, that's easy! The show must have stored the egg a hundred years ago. You know, like how they froze Austin Powers in that huge chamber."
"But–" Something in her brain told her to shut up. She smiled instead and nodded, spinning her combination . "Yeah, that's probably it."
"Ethan! Wait up!"
Both Lizzie and Ethan turned to see Kate barreling down the hallway towards them. She was pushing people out of her way left and right. Lizzie thought she heard Ethan groan under his breath and mutter something like, "Great," but she couldn't be sure.
"Ethan! There you are. I've been looking for you all day."
"It's only third period."
"Whatever. You will never guess what just happened!" She didn't bother to wait for a reply. "Paul Potter asked me to Homecoming."
Lizzie had busied herself with putting her books away, but she snuck a glance at Ethan then to see how he'd taken the news. He was grinning brightly.
"That's awesome, Kate. Paul's a cool guy."
Kate's face fell a bit. That was obviously not the reaction she had been expecting. She caught Lizzie's stare and glared at her. Lizzie rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her locker.
"Well, I didn't say yes. At least not yet. I was kind of hoping a certain someone else would ask me. Walk me to class! It'll give us a chance to catch up."
Lizzie swallowed back a laugh. Subtlety was definitely not Kate's strong suit. With the way Kate was looking at him, a mixture of expectation and desire, Lizzie felt bad for Ethan. She felt worse for herself, though. Was she actually going to have to witness her biggest crush ask out her worst enemy? Life was so unfair sometimes.
"I can't," Ethan said. "I'm, uh, gonna walk Lizzie to class."
"You are?" Kate snapped.
He was?
Lizzie closed her locker and looked at them curiously. What was going on?
"Yeah. We were just catching up, actually."
Kate's eyes narrowed dangerously and she crossed her arms, shooting a cold glance Lizzie's way.
Wow, if looks could kill, Lizzie thought with a slight shudder.
"Look, Ethan," Kate said evenly, "I've been beating around the bush for the past two days and I'm sick of it. Homecoming is next week. Were you maybe thinking of asking me?"
Ethan swallowed roughly. "Actually... I kind of already have a date."
Kate's face reddened. "You do?"
He did? Lizzie and Miranda hadn't heard of Ethan asking anyone. Then again, all the girls who had asked him were gently, but quickly, rebuffed. Maybe he was brining someone from outside the school.
"I'm sorry, Kate, I had no idea you wanted to go with me," he said with a helpless shrug.
"Who?" she demanded.
"I actually just asked..."
His gaze drifted over to her, and in that second she knew exactly what was coming. She was pretty sure her heart literally skipped a beat.
"Lizzie."
Kate was about to explode. Her eyes wide, slightly slack-jawed, fists clenched and shaking, she spun on her heels without another word and stalked off down the hallway. This time she didn't even have to push anyone; they took one look at her face and swiftly parted right down the center.
"Wow," was all Lizzie could mutter.
Ethan smiled at her, that smile that made her go all warm inside. "So? What do you say? Me, you, Homecoming?"
Was he serious? "Are you serious? I mean, I know you told Kate that, and I can definitely understand why, but... I mean, you can always say I got sick or something. I'm probably not gonna go anyway."
"Of course I'm serious! We'll have so much fun. It'll be so much better to go with a friend than a real date."
Lizzie's smile wavered. Of course. Well, a 'friendly' date was better than nothing! And who knew what could happen by the end of the night. "Yeah, that's true. Alright, sure, I'll go with you."
"Great!" They began to walk down the hallway. "So, anyway, what do you think that egg tasted like? It probably reeked!"
**END FLASHBACK**
"I really thought something was going to happen between us," Lizzie said softly.
"Yeah, me too. Everyone did."
Gordo. She'd almost forgotten he was there, she had been so wrapped up in the memory. "Really?"
"Yeah," he told her, and she knew it was the truth. She could always tell when Gordo was lying to her. "The way you guys were dancing, trust me, no one thought you two were there as 'just friends.'"
She smiled wistfully. "I wish." There was a moment's pause. "I kind of thought something was going to happen last night, too."
"I know."
"At first, I mean, when he invited us up to the VIP area. Then when he introduced us to her. God, I thought I was gonna burst into tears right there." Lizzie sighed, curling up into a ball. "Which is so stupid anyway! I mean, Ethan and I barely even talk anymore. I don't expect him to save himself for me."
"I know."
"It's just... I don't even know. I guess I just wanted a chance with him at least. I have this idea that this summer is going to change everything. That he'll see me in a totally different light than his 'sweet little buddy Lizzie.' I don't know why he should. It's not like I'm any different than I was in eighth grade. I'm still the biggest dork!"
"You're right, you haven't changed."
"Thanks a lot, Gordo. You always know exactly what to say."
"Hey," Gordo said, looking at her. "I didn't say that was a bad thing. And if Ethan can't realize that, then he hasn't changed either and is still the world's biggest moron."
Lizzie grinned meekly at him. "Wow. You really do know what to say."
"It's a gift."
She laughed and jabbed him gently. "Loser. Thanks for coming over, though. This is what you were after all along, isn't it?"
"In part, yeah. I knew you were upset, but I didn't wanna hassle you about it either. Miranda does that enough for the both of us."
"Very true," Lizzie agreed with a grin. "But she was off in her own little world last night, I doubt she even noticed."
"Oh, right. Malik...or something."
"Hey, what do you mean by 'in part'? Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" Lizzie asked.
Gordo hesitated. "Well, there was the Scott thing, but I really do have to get to work. I'm opening today," he said and stood.
Lizzie straightened up, too, staring at him oddly. "Wait a second. What 'Scott thing'? There is no Scott thing..." She was thoroughly confused.
But it seemed Gordo was in a tormenting kind of mood that day. He just shrugged innocently, smiled at her, and disappeared out the door with a wave. Lizzie pouted.
"Don't think Miranda and I won't be stopping by to bother you later!" she called after him. "This isn't over yet, David Zephyr Gordon!"
–*–
"Ow ow ow ow ow!"
"Miranda, quit being such a baby!"
"But it hurts!"
"Well then you should have worn sun block, genius!"
"Could you possibly make it any more painful?" Miranda winced as Lizzie slathered some more aloe vera lotion onto her badly burnt shoulders.
"Do you really wanna find out?"
The brunette laughed nervously. "I was just kidding, girl! You know I love you!"
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lizzie said with a smirk. She patted the last of the lotion on the back of Miranda's neck. "I think that should do for now."
"Thank God." She got up from Lizzie's bed and went over to the mirror, examining her skin. "Oh my God! I look like a lobster!"
"If you want my red bag to match..." Lizzie stifled laughter at the piercing look Miranda shot her reflection and began sifting through the jumbles of clothes on her bed. She picked out a pair of white terrycloth pants and pulled them on under her robe. "Come on, Sebastian, let's get ready and go to Michelangelo's. Gordo's shift is almost over, and I wanna talk to him before he has the chance to escape."
"Oh yeah. The big 'Scott thing' you're obsessing over."
Lizzie frowned. "I'm not obsessing over it! I'm just curious."
"Curious. Right. Yeah, okay." Miranda said in a way that showed she obviously was not convinced in the least.
"Okay, Miranda, spit it out. What are you trying to get at here?"
"Just that I think you have a thing for Scott. And I think he definitely has a thing for you."
"I do not have a thing for Scott! And he doesn't have a thing for me!"
"Oh yeah? Well if you don't have a thing for Scott and he doesn't have a thing for you, what thing do you think Gordo wanted to talk about when he mentioned it was a Scott thing, and why are you so concerned with the thing that Gordo was gonna tell you about the whole Scott thing?"
Lizzie opened her mouth to protest, then burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, how many times did you say 'thing' in that sentence?
Miranda laughed, too. "I thing five times at least."
"You said 'thing' instead of 'think'! And I don't even know what the question is anymore."
"Me either! And now the word 'thing' seems incredibly weird to me. I thing I thought about it for too long."
Lizzie was laughing even harder. "You just said it again!"
A knock on the door interrupted their giggle-fest.
"Yeah?" Lizzie managed to choke out.
Jo McGuire opened the door, an amused smile on her face. "I'm glad to see you two are having fun. Are you going out again tonight?"
"Yeah, we're probably gonna go to the golf course or a movie or something with Gordo and Vanessa," Lizzie replied, turning her attention to what top she should wear.
"And ice cream," Miranda added. "Don't forget the ice cream."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, but grinned. "Of course. And ice cream."
"Sounds like a blast." Jo's eyes landed on Miranda. "Oh my God, Miranda, what happened?"
"What?" She had almost managed to forget about her crimson skin. "Oh, I got a little burned."
"So, Mom, what's up?" Lizzie jumped in before her mother could make some kind of unknowing remark and set off a Miranda breakdown.
"Well, I have some pretty cool news actually," Jo said. "Nana and Grandpa borrowed a beach house from their friends and they invited us up for a week."
Lizzie's eyes lit up. "Really? That's awesome! But who do Nana and Grandpa even know that owns a beach house?"
"You'd be surprised," Jo smirked. "Anyway, it's in Malibu, and they said that you and Matt can each bring along two friends. Should I count on Miranda and Gordo?"
"You'd better count on Miranda!" Miranda cried. "That is so cool!"
"I'll have to ask Gordo first, but I doubt he'll pass up this offer. Oh no! What about Vanessa, though? I'm gonna feel so bad leaving her behind."
"Sorry, Lizzie, but there's only so much room," Jo said regretfully. "I'm sure she'll understand."
"When do we leave?" Miranda asked, beaming from ear to ear.
With a laugh, Jo replied, "Not for another two weeks, sorry. But at least that'll give you girls a chance to get a head start on your packing. And maybe you'll even be ready on time then!"
"Haha, very funny, Mom."
"I thought so. Okay, so, Miranda, I'll call your parents and let them know the details, and once you get the okay from Gordo, Lizzie, let me know and I'll call the Gordons."
"Sure thing," Lizzie said, and waited for her mom to leave the room. Once Jo had gone, Lizzie and Miranda squealed and embraced.
"A week in Malibu? This really is going to be the best summer ever!"
Lizzie laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "Come on, get changed! I can't wait to tell Gordo."
"Gordo? You sure you don't wanna ask Scott?" Miranda teased.
"Don't even start with me about that."
"Lizzie and Scott...sitting in a tree...K-I-S-S-I-N– Ow!" she yelped as a pillow hit her on the side of the head. "Jeez, I didn't know you were so touchy."
Lizzie hurriedly pulled on a stretchy tanktop and slid her feet into flip flops before tossing Miranda's bag to her. "Will you just get ready and drop this? Before I drop you...right out the window!"
"I had no idea Scott brought out such a passionate side in you!" Miranda yelled, then ran from the room before Lizzie could follow through on her threat.
–*–