Disclaimers/Warnings: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, and I make no profit.
This story is rated PG-13 for language, non-explicit sexual situations, and
minor incidents of slash.
Author's Notes: This is expected to be a fairly short fic, and I hope to complete it in six or seven chapters. Just fun, angsty romance with various pairings and all the confusion in between. People who are bored with typical L/G will probably dig this.
"I finally did it. I finally told Lizzie how I feel. We were sitting in her living room, watching TV. Or, rather, Lizzie was watching TV. I was watching Lizzie. Watching the way the light filtered through the curtains behind the couch and lit up her face. She noticed I was watching her, and she turned to me. 'Gordo, why do keep doing that?' she asked. Strands of her blonde hair fell against her soft skin. She was like a picture. I couldn't keep it in anymore. I had to let her know, before it burned a whole right through my heart. I leaned forward and kissed her, and to my surprise, she kissed back. It was the most amazing moment of my life. When we broke apart, we just sat there, watching other. There was nothing we could say. Finally, I found my words. And I told her how much she meant to me... I told her how she makes my world, and how she's been the center of my thoughts for the past two years. So now Lizzie is my girlfriend. It still sounds so awesome to me. Lizzie is my girlfriend. I don't think I've ever been so happy my entire life. July 7, 2003."
Parker McKenzie finished reading the journal entry in her mocking, romantic voice. She sat Indian-style on the floor of Gordo's bedroom in only her blue cotton underwear and a white wifebeater. She laughed as she turned the page to the next entry.
Gordo was sprawled across his bed in boxers and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, blushing. "No more," he begged. "I can't take it. You've tortured me enough, don't you think?"
The half-naked brunette grinned playfully at him. "Oh, but it's just sooooo romantic," she teased. "Really, what a remarkable love story." She closed the dark green notebook and tossed it to him.
Gordo rolled his eyes as he quickly slid the notebook under his mattress. "Yeah, well... I was a child at the time. My head was in the clouds."
Parker laughed again as she reclined on Gordo's red carpet. She looked up at the ceiling, which was covered with white stars placed in their correct constellations. "It was only a year ago, Gordo."
Gordo sighed, feeling his mood go from wonderful to solemn. "It feels like so much longer..." He thought back on the year that had gone by; his relationship with Lizzie, and later, his relationship with Parker. "So much has happened since then. And it's like, I still love Lizzie, but the only problem is, I can't stand her. I don't know. For some reason, I thought she would suddenly not be shallow once we started dating. I thought the hardest hurdle to overcome would be just getting together with her. It just hurts my brain to think about it. And you know what else? Lately she's just been..." He stopped speaking upon feeling soft lips kissing his neck. He hadn't noticed Parker crawl onto his bed while he was talking.
"You know what," she said. "I really don't want to hear about Lizzie, Gordo."
Gordo grinned. "I see. And what would you like to talk about?"
She moved in to kiss him, causing him to lay on his back as her tongue massaged the inside of his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands beneath her shirt, feeling the soft flesh of her back.
"I love you, Parker," he said softly as she moved to kiss his neck again.
"Don't say that," she said in between kisses. "You know you don't mean it."
"But--"
Parker put her finger to Gordo's lips to silence him. "Just don't, okay? We've had this conversation before... this isn't love, Gordo. It's just... us. If you try to make it more than it is, it will just ruin it. Don't try to make us into something we're not."
He sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." As the two lovers continued to kiss in their warm embrace, there was a knock at the door.
"Gordo?" called someone from the other side. "Are you awake? You're parents said I could come on back." It was Lizzie.
"Crap," said Gordo, as he and Parker pulled away. "Uh, just a minute, Lizzie. I'm not dressed yet."
Parker searched frantically around the floor for her clothes that she hadn't thought about since the night before. She sloppily slid them over her undewear and pushed open the window in the back of Gordo's room. She was always grateful that his bedroom was on the first floor.
"I'll call you later," he told her, giving her a final peck on the cheek as she climbed through the window.
Gordo picked up a pair of jeans from the floor and quickly put them on as he crossed the room to unlock the door. "Hey," he said as the door swung open, revealing Lizzie.
She greeted him with a soft kiss on the cheek. "Hey!" she said. She cocked an eyebrow. "Did you just wake up? It's almost one in the afternoon." Gordo yawned as he nodded in response. Lizzie giggled and touseled his unbrushed curls. "Well, I thought we'd go to the mall today and do some shopping for the new year." Gordo hesitated, but Lizzie stopped him from responding. "I know you're not really into the whole shopping business, but you have to admit, you could use some new threads..." she motioned towards the hole in his faded t-shirt.
"I happen to like my torn-up threads," he said.
"Well, I guess you don't have to go if you don't want to, except..." She pretended to pout.
"Except what?"
"If you came with me, I was thinking of stopping somewhere for some pancakes."
Gordo's demeanor changed. "Pancakes? Well, since you put it that way... I guess I could use a few new shirts." The couple laughed as they walked out of Gordo's room, arms linked.
They went to High Street, Gordo's favorite diner because it sold pancakes twenty-four hours a day. It wasn't a big place. It held only the small kitchen, the bar, and seven or eight red booths. They sat down at their usual booth and ordered. Gordo put a few quarters in the jukebox while they waited for their food. He and Lizzie discussed what their sophmore year would bring, while Patsy Cline, Charles Mingus, and Red Hot Chili Peppers played in the background. Gordo's short stack with strawberries and whipped cream was placed before him just as the bell rang at the door.
"Miranda!" squealed Lizzie, looking at the girl who had just walked in the diner.
Miranda smiled softly, tucking her short, streaked brown hair behind her ear as she approached her two friends. She plopped down next to Lizzie and reached across the table to scoop away some of Gordo's whipped cream with her finger. "Hey guys," she said, leaning back comfortably in her seat. "What's up?"
"Just fueling up for some shopping," Lizzie replied. Gordo nodded vaguely in agreement, but was too focused on his pancakes to engage in conversation. "You wanna come with?"
Miranda shook her head. "Can't. My shift starts in, like, ten minutes." She held out her rolled-up red apron that read "High Street" across it.
"Oh. Too bad." Lizzie took a gulp of her iced tea and stood up. "I'll be right back, guys." Miranda slid out of the booth to let Lizzie out. She sat back down and reached for another dallop of whipped cream as Lizzie walked towards the bathroom.
This time, Gordo pulled his plate out of her reach. "Back off, man," he said, mouth full of pancake. "This isn't ordinary food, all right? These are pancakes."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She smiled coyly and changed the subject. "So... I saw Parker crawling out of your window this morning."
Gordo swallowed and looked up at her. "Really?"
Miranda nodded. "I was chilling on my roof, having a smoke, and all of the sudden I see someone moving around in your backyard. Then I notice it's Parker, still buttoning up her pants." She laughed. "You are totally going to get caught one of these days, Gordo. Let's face it: you're just not suave enough to handle two girls at once."
"Oh, and you are, of course?"
Miranda shrugged with a smug grin. "I do have skills, you know."
Gordo shook his head and returned to his pancakes. "I'm not really worried. Parker's not one I have to 'handle'. It's different with her... our relationship is mutually beneficial, and neither of us have to make sacrafices. It's just for fun."
"Just for fun, huh? Then how come Parker's been coming over so often lately? It seems like you spend more time with her than you do with Lizzie."
Gordo set down his fork and sighed. He rested his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his hair. Miranda was right. Lately, he and Parker had been growing closer and closer. She was becoming more like a girlfriend and less like a side fling. He looked up at Miranda, his eyes desperate. "Miranda, I don't know what to do any more. I know the right thing to do would be to tell Lizzie, but I just can't."
Miranda gave him a sympathetic look and softly pet his hair. "I think the right thing to do would be to choose between them. You and Parker are obviously getting serious... it's more than just a one-time thing at this point. I mean, how long has this been going on? Three, four months?"
"Four months." There was a slight pause, as the length of it really sunk in. He hadn't realized before how long he and Parker had been seeing each other. "Ever since spring break."
"Well, there you go. I'd say that officially qualifies as a legit relationship. You've got to choose, one or the other. Both of those girls love you so much, Gordo. It would be wrong to cheat either one of them out."
"I wouldn't be so sure about Parker." He paused, trying to determine if he wanted to divulge any more details to Miranda. "You know what I did today? Parker and I were kissing, and... And I told her I loved her." Miranda's eyes grew wide with shock. "I know, I know. It came out of nowhere. She brought me back to reality, though. She's so cool about the whole thing; she acts like its nothing, even though the fact of the matter is, I'm cheating on my long time girlfriend to be with her."
"That's just why you have to choose. End it now, before it blows up in your face."
"I know!" He sighed, tossing his fork down on his plate. "I know, Miranda. It's just not that simple. Lizzie's the one for me. We have the perfect relationship. Sometimes I even think about us getting married. Lizzie and I are perfect for each other, whereas me and Parker are all wrong for each other. But, somehow... I just..."
"You don't want to let Parker go?"
Gordo nodded.
Miranda stood up and started wrapping her apron around herself. "I've got to go clock in now. Take some time today and think things through." She reached out and gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry, Gordo. It will all turn out okay."
"What?" said Lizzie, sliding back into the booth. "What's wrong?"
Miranda looked casually over at Lizzie, always a great liar. "Just giving Gordo some pointers for his inevitable indigestion. Right, Gordo?"
"Yeah. Right." Gordo looked down sadly at his hlaf-eaten pancakes, his mind flooded with thoughts. He knew he would have to make a decision, and he would have to make it soon. But how could he do that, when his heart was pulling him in two different directions?
Author's Notes: This is expected to be a fairly short fic, and I hope to complete it in six or seven chapters. Just fun, angsty romance with various pairings and all the confusion in between. People who are bored with typical L/G will probably dig this.
"I finally did it. I finally told Lizzie how I feel. We were sitting in her living room, watching TV. Or, rather, Lizzie was watching TV. I was watching Lizzie. Watching the way the light filtered through the curtains behind the couch and lit up her face. She noticed I was watching her, and she turned to me. 'Gordo, why do keep doing that?' she asked. Strands of her blonde hair fell against her soft skin. She was like a picture. I couldn't keep it in anymore. I had to let her know, before it burned a whole right through my heart. I leaned forward and kissed her, and to my surprise, she kissed back. It was the most amazing moment of my life. When we broke apart, we just sat there, watching other. There was nothing we could say. Finally, I found my words. And I told her how much she meant to me... I told her how she makes my world, and how she's been the center of my thoughts for the past two years. So now Lizzie is my girlfriend. It still sounds so awesome to me. Lizzie is my girlfriend. I don't think I've ever been so happy my entire life. July 7, 2003."
Parker McKenzie finished reading the journal entry in her mocking, romantic voice. She sat Indian-style on the floor of Gordo's bedroom in only her blue cotton underwear and a white wifebeater. She laughed as she turned the page to the next entry.
Gordo was sprawled across his bed in boxers and a Led Zeppelin t-shirt, blushing. "No more," he begged. "I can't take it. You've tortured me enough, don't you think?"
The half-naked brunette grinned playfully at him. "Oh, but it's just sooooo romantic," she teased. "Really, what a remarkable love story." She closed the dark green notebook and tossed it to him.
Gordo rolled his eyes as he quickly slid the notebook under his mattress. "Yeah, well... I was a child at the time. My head was in the clouds."
Parker laughed again as she reclined on Gordo's red carpet. She looked up at the ceiling, which was covered with white stars placed in their correct constellations. "It was only a year ago, Gordo."
Gordo sighed, feeling his mood go from wonderful to solemn. "It feels like so much longer..." He thought back on the year that had gone by; his relationship with Lizzie, and later, his relationship with Parker. "So much has happened since then. And it's like, I still love Lizzie, but the only problem is, I can't stand her. I don't know. For some reason, I thought she would suddenly not be shallow once we started dating. I thought the hardest hurdle to overcome would be just getting together with her. It just hurts my brain to think about it. And you know what else? Lately she's just been..." He stopped speaking upon feeling soft lips kissing his neck. He hadn't noticed Parker crawl onto his bed while he was talking.
"You know what," she said. "I really don't want to hear about Lizzie, Gordo."
Gordo grinned. "I see. And what would you like to talk about?"
She moved in to kiss him, causing him to lay on his back as her tongue massaged the inside of his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and slid his hands beneath her shirt, feeling the soft flesh of her back.
"I love you, Parker," he said softly as she moved to kiss his neck again.
"Don't say that," she said in between kisses. "You know you don't mean it."
"But--"
Parker put her finger to Gordo's lips to silence him. "Just don't, okay? We've had this conversation before... this isn't love, Gordo. It's just... us. If you try to make it more than it is, it will just ruin it. Don't try to make us into something we're not."
He sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." As the two lovers continued to kiss in their warm embrace, there was a knock at the door.
"Gordo?" called someone from the other side. "Are you awake? You're parents said I could come on back." It was Lizzie.
"Crap," said Gordo, as he and Parker pulled away. "Uh, just a minute, Lizzie. I'm not dressed yet."
Parker searched frantically around the floor for her clothes that she hadn't thought about since the night before. She sloppily slid them over her undewear and pushed open the window in the back of Gordo's room. She was always grateful that his bedroom was on the first floor.
"I'll call you later," he told her, giving her a final peck on the cheek as she climbed through the window.
Gordo picked up a pair of jeans from the floor and quickly put them on as he crossed the room to unlock the door. "Hey," he said as the door swung open, revealing Lizzie.
She greeted him with a soft kiss on the cheek. "Hey!" she said. She cocked an eyebrow. "Did you just wake up? It's almost one in the afternoon." Gordo yawned as he nodded in response. Lizzie giggled and touseled his unbrushed curls. "Well, I thought we'd go to the mall today and do some shopping for the new year." Gordo hesitated, but Lizzie stopped him from responding. "I know you're not really into the whole shopping business, but you have to admit, you could use some new threads..." she motioned towards the hole in his faded t-shirt.
"I happen to like my torn-up threads," he said.
"Well, I guess you don't have to go if you don't want to, except..." She pretended to pout.
"Except what?"
"If you came with me, I was thinking of stopping somewhere for some pancakes."
Gordo's demeanor changed. "Pancakes? Well, since you put it that way... I guess I could use a few new shirts." The couple laughed as they walked out of Gordo's room, arms linked.
They went to High Street, Gordo's favorite diner because it sold pancakes twenty-four hours a day. It wasn't a big place. It held only the small kitchen, the bar, and seven or eight red booths. They sat down at their usual booth and ordered. Gordo put a few quarters in the jukebox while they waited for their food. He and Lizzie discussed what their sophmore year would bring, while Patsy Cline, Charles Mingus, and Red Hot Chili Peppers played in the background. Gordo's short stack with strawberries and whipped cream was placed before him just as the bell rang at the door.
"Miranda!" squealed Lizzie, looking at the girl who had just walked in the diner.
Miranda smiled softly, tucking her short, streaked brown hair behind her ear as she approached her two friends. She plopped down next to Lizzie and reached across the table to scoop away some of Gordo's whipped cream with her finger. "Hey guys," she said, leaning back comfortably in her seat. "What's up?"
"Just fueling up for some shopping," Lizzie replied. Gordo nodded vaguely in agreement, but was too focused on his pancakes to engage in conversation. "You wanna come with?"
Miranda shook her head. "Can't. My shift starts in, like, ten minutes." She held out her rolled-up red apron that read "High Street" across it.
"Oh. Too bad." Lizzie took a gulp of her iced tea and stood up. "I'll be right back, guys." Miranda slid out of the booth to let Lizzie out. She sat back down and reached for another dallop of whipped cream as Lizzie walked towards the bathroom.
This time, Gordo pulled his plate out of her reach. "Back off, man," he said, mouth full of pancake. "This isn't ordinary food, all right? These are pancakes."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She smiled coyly and changed the subject. "So... I saw Parker crawling out of your window this morning."
Gordo swallowed and looked up at her. "Really?"
Miranda nodded. "I was chilling on my roof, having a smoke, and all of the sudden I see someone moving around in your backyard. Then I notice it's Parker, still buttoning up her pants." She laughed. "You are totally going to get caught one of these days, Gordo. Let's face it: you're just not suave enough to handle two girls at once."
"Oh, and you are, of course?"
Miranda shrugged with a smug grin. "I do have skills, you know."
Gordo shook his head and returned to his pancakes. "I'm not really worried. Parker's not one I have to 'handle'. It's different with her... our relationship is mutually beneficial, and neither of us have to make sacrafices. It's just for fun."
"Just for fun, huh? Then how come Parker's been coming over so often lately? It seems like you spend more time with her than you do with Lizzie."
Gordo set down his fork and sighed. He rested his elbows on the table and ran his fingers through his hair. Miranda was right. Lately, he and Parker had been growing closer and closer. She was becoming more like a girlfriend and less like a side fling. He looked up at Miranda, his eyes desperate. "Miranda, I don't know what to do any more. I know the right thing to do would be to tell Lizzie, but I just can't."
Miranda gave him a sympathetic look and softly pet his hair. "I think the right thing to do would be to choose between them. You and Parker are obviously getting serious... it's more than just a one-time thing at this point. I mean, how long has this been going on? Three, four months?"
"Four months." There was a slight pause, as the length of it really sunk in. He hadn't realized before how long he and Parker had been seeing each other. "Ever since spring break."
"Well, there you go. I'd say that officially qualifies as a legit relationship. You've got to choose, one or the other. Both of those girls love you so much, Gordo. It would be wrong to cheat either one of them out."
"I wouldn't be so sure about Parker." He paused, trying to determine if he wanted to divulge any more details to Miranda. "You know what I did today? Parker and I were kissing, and... And I told her I loved her." Miranda's eyes grew wide with shock. "I know, I know. It came out of nowhere. She brought me back to reality, though. She's so cool about the whole thing; she acts like its nothing, even though the fact of the matter is, I'm cheating on my long time girlfriend to be with her."
"That's just why you have to choose. End it now, before it blows up in your face."
"I know!" He sighed, tossing his fork down on his plate. "I know, Miranda. It's just not that simple. Lizzie's the one for me. We have the perfect relationship. Sometimes I even think about us getting married. Lizzie and I are perfect for each other, whereas me and Parker are all wrong for each other. But, somehow... I just..."
"You don't want to let Parker go?"
Gordo nodded.
Miranda stood up and started wrapping her apron around herself. "I've got to go clock in now. Take some time today and think things through." She reached out and gave him a reassuring pat on the head. "Don't worry, Gordo. It will all turn out okay."
"What?" said Lizzie, sliding back into the booth. "What's wrong?"
Miranda looked casually over at Lizzie, always a great liar. "Just giving Gordo some pointers for his inevitable indigestion. Right, Gordo?"
"Yeah. Right." Gordo looked down sadly at his hlaf-eaten pancakes, his mind flooded with thoughts. He knew he would have to make a decision, and he would have to make it soon. But how could he do that, when his heart was pulling him in two different directions?