Chapter 2: Matt To The Rescue
"Hey sis, want to go to the Digital Bean with me and Lanny and Melina?" Lizzie looked toward her doorway and saw Matt, her younger brother. She gave him a half-hearted smile, but shook her head.
"Thanks for the offer, Matt, but I'm not really up for it right now... maybe later?" she suggested.
Matt walked into her room and shut the door behind him before sitting down beside Lizzie on the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Lizzie and Matt had fought like cats and dogs when they were younger, but after Lizzie left for college, Matt had matured a lot, and not having his sister around had made him realize just how much he appreciated her.
"Miranda's mad at me... I told her I wasn't moving back here, and she just took off earlier... never said a word," Lizzie said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Matt put an arm around his sister's shoulder and hugged her. "She'll get over it, Liz... before you know it, she'll be calling you screaming in your ear that she's going on tour, and has four stops in Florida, and wants you to come to all of her shows while she's there," he said.
Lizzie sniffled, but smiled despite the tears that had trickled down her face. When had Matt actually become... civilized? She looked at her little brother and then hugged him tightly. "I missed you, Worm," she said.
"I missed you, too, Lizard Breath." Matt grinned at her.
"So, you still pass on a trip to the Digital Bean?" he asked, standing up a couple minutes later.
"Ah, what the heck. Count me in, I've missed all you runts," Lizzie said, attempting to ruffle Matt's hair. It wasn't exactly easy, since he'd grown like a weed while she was in college. He was at least two inches taller than she was now.
* * * * *
Lizzie laughed as Matt and Melina chattered away in the car, and Lanny just looked at her as if to simply say, "Crazies."
"Lanny said you guys are nuts," Lizzie spoke up. She caught herself after that one, and had to laugh again. When Matt and Lanny were young, Matt always spoke for Lanny, and now that Lizzie thought about it... she couldn't recall ever hearing any sound from Lanny, in her entire life. Sam, Jo, and Lizzie had always looked at Matt like he was crazy, when he would hold what appeared to be conversations, with his silent friend. Lanny's non- speaking persona had grown on them all over the years.
"We're here!" Matt exclaimed, cutting off the engine of his Mustang. Lizzie was still in awe of his car, she'd never thought that she'd come home to find her baby brother driving a Mustang, when she had a little Nissan Sentra sitting in the driveway back home. Home? She wasn't really sure if she should call it home or not.
Everyone got out of Matt's Mustang and headed into the Digital Bean. Lizzie looked around. It looked pretty much the same as it did when she hung out there with Miranda and Gordo as practically a daily ritual. She followed her brother and his friends up to the counter, and looked at the menu for a minute, before laughing to herself. She still knew it by heart.
"What can I get for you, miss?" She looked at the cashier and her eyes lit up in recognition.
"ETHAN?!"
"Hey! Lizzie McGuire?"
Lizzie grinned. "You know it! My God, how have you been?" she asked.
"Ah, pretty good I guess... still living with mom and dad, going to the community college here... next year is my last year, so hopefully I can actually get out of my parents' place," he said.
'He was never the brightest crayon in the box. But he was always nice!' Lizzie thought, then kicked herself mentally. That was a little rude!
"Well congratulations!"
"Thanks... what about you, Liz? Didn't you take off to New York with Gor- don?" Ugh, why did everyone always think Lizzie and Gordo belonged together? 'I miss Gordo!' she thought.
"No... I went to University of Florida... I live in Orlando now."
"Oh, you back home visiting?"
"Yeah, I guess. Listen, I don't want to hold up your line here... can I just get a strawberry banana smoothie?" She handed Ethan some money and he gave her the change and her smoothie. As Lizzie turned around to see where Matt, Lanny, and Melina were sitting, her eyes landed on someone else.
Or rather, the back of someone else's head. It was him! Lizzie would know that unruly hair anywhere. But who else was at the table? She tried to get a glimpse as she walked slowly over to Matt's table, and pretended to be looking at something outside the window as she walked, until she bumped into someone.
"Oh, excuse me, so sorry!" she said hurriedly, looking at the person.
Miranda just scowled at her. "Yeah."
Lizzie sighed and glanced over again to see who he was talking to. Curiosity got the best of her, so she took her smoothie to Matt's table, left it with him, and turned around to walk over there. As she got closer to the table, she was that he was talking to none other than Larry Tudgeman. Jeez, did all of their old friends still hang out here?
Larry looked up at her and before he could say anything, Lizzie put her finger to her lips in a motion for silence, and Larry looked quickly away.
"Guess who?" Lizzie went up behind Gordo and covered his eyes with her hands.
"Oh my God... it could only be..." Gordo reached up and grabbed her hands away from his face, then turned around. His eyes lit up.
"Lizzie!" He hugged her tightly, then kissed her cheek.
"It's so good to see you! Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?" Lizzie asked him, as she sat down in the booth across from Larry, and motioned for Gordo to sit down too.
"Oh, geez... Larry, I'm sorry! I got so excited about seeing Gordo, I didn't even say hello to you..." Lizzie frowned, but then smiled at him. "Anyway, it's good seeing you too!"
"Same here. You look very nice!" Larry complimented her, and she blushed.
"Um... well actually... I hate to cut this short, but I came up here with Matt and his friends, and I kind of abandoned them... so now I feel bad... but listen, Gordo... give me a call later on tonight, okay? We've got some catching up to do! And Tudgeman... it was good seeing you again!" Lizzie got up and hurried back over to the table where her brother was sitting.
"Liz... you didn't have to come sit with us if you didn't want to... why don't you go hang with Gordo and... um... Tudgeman? Is that Tudgeman over there?" Matt squinted. He wasn't wearing his contacts.
"Yeah," Lizzie replied.
"I know you don't really want to hang out with us, Liz... go sit with them," Matt told her.
"You sure you don't mind? I felt bad about abandoning you guys," Lizzie said, picking up her smoothie and sipping a bit.
"Go!" Matt said, laughing as her eyebrows shot up.
"Okay, okay. You know... If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to pawn me off on them," Lizzie joked. She hugged her brother quickly, then hurried back over to the table where Gordo and Larry were sitting.
"Hey sis, want to go to the Digital Bean with me and Lanny and Melina?" Lizzie looked toward her doorway and saw Matt, her younger brother. She gave him a half-hearted smile, but shook her head.
"Thanks for the offer, Matt, but I'm not really up for it right now... maybe later?" she suggested.
Matt walked into her room and shut the door behind him before sitting down beside Lizzie on the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Lizzie and Matt had fought like cats and dogs when they were younger, but after Lizzie left for college, Matt had matured a lot, and not having his sister around had made him realize just how much he appreciated her.
"Miranda's mad at me... I told her I wasn't moving back here, and she just took off earlier... never said a word," Lizzie said, her eyes welling up with tears.
Matt put an arm around his sister's shoulder and hugged her. "She'll get over it, Liz... before you know it, she'll be calling you screaming in your ear that she's going on tour, and has four stops in Florida, and wants you to come to all of her shows while she's there," he said.
Lizzie sniffled, but smiled despite the tears that had trickled down her face. When had Matt actually become... civilized? She looked at her little brother and then hugged him tightly. "I missed you, Worm," she said.
"I missed you, too, Lizard Breath." Matt grinned at her.
"So, you still pass on a trip to the Digital Bean?" he asked, standing up a couple minutes later.
"Ah, what the heck. Count me in, I've missed all you runts," Lizzie said, attempting to ruffle Matt's hair. It wasn't exactly easy, since he'd grown like a weed while she was in college. He was at least two inches taller than she was now.
* * * * *
Lizzie laughed as Matt and Melina chattered away in the car, and Lanny just looked at her as if to simply say, "Crazies."
"Lanny said you guys are nuts," Lizzie spoke up. She caught herself after that one, and had to laugh again. When Matt and Lanny were young, Matt always spoke for Lanny, and now that Lizzie thought about it... she couldn't recall ever hearing any sound from Lanny, in her entire life. Sam, Jo, and Lizzie had always looked at Matt like he was crazy, when he would hold what appeared to be conversations, with his silent friend. Lanny's non- speaking persona had grown on them all over the years.
"We're here!" Matt exclaimed, cutting off the engine of his Mustang. Lizzie was still in awe of his car, she'd never thought that she'd come home to find her baby brother driving a Mustang, when she had a little Nissan Sentra sitting in the driveway back home. Home? She wasn't really sure if she should call it home or not.
Everyone got out of Matt's Mustang and headed into the Digital Bean. Lizzie looked around. It looked pretty much the same as it did when she hung out there with Miranda and Gordo as practically a daily ritual. She followed her brother and his friends up to the counter, and looked at the menu for a minute, before laughing to herself. She still knew it by heart.
"What can I get for you, miss?" She looked at the cashier and her eyes lit up in recognition.
"ETHAN?!"
"Hey! Lizzie McGuire?"
Lizzie grinned. "You know it! My God, how have you been?" she asked.
"Ah, pretty good I guess... still living with mom and dad, going to the community college here... next year is my last year, so hopefully I can actually get out of my parents' place," he said.
'He was never the brightest crayon in the box. But he was always nice!' Lizzie thought, then kicked herself mentally. That was a little rude!
"Well congratulations!"
"Thanks... what about you, Liz? Didn't you take off to New York with Gor- don?" Ugh, why did everyone always think Lizzie and Gordo belonged together? 'I miss Gordo!' she thought.
"No... I went to University of Florida... I live in Orlando now."
"Oh, you back home visiting?"
"Yeah, I guess. Listen, I don't want to hold up your line here... can I just get a strawberry banana smoothie?" She handed Ethan some money and he gave her the change and her smoothie. As Lizzie turned around to see where Matt, Lanny, and Melina were sitting, her eyes landed on someone else.
Or rather, the back of someone else's head. It was him! Lizzie would know that unruly hair anywhere. But who else was at the table? She tried to get a glimpse as she walked slowly over to Matt's table, and pretended to be looking at something outside the window as she walked, until she bumped into someone.
"Oh, excuse me, so sorry!" she said hurriedly, looking at the person.
Miranda just scowled at her. "Yeah."
Lizzie sighed and glanced over again to see who he was talking to. Curiosity got the best of her, so she took her smoothie to Matt's table, left it with him, and turned around to walk over there. As she got closer to the table, she was that he was talking to none other than Larry Tudgeman. Jeez, did all of their old friends still hang out here?
Larry looked up at her and before he could say anything, Lizzie put her finger to her lips in a motion for silence, and Larry looked quickly away.
"Guess who?" Lizzie went up behind Gordo and covered his eyes with her hands.
"Oh my God... it could only be..." Gordo reached up and grabbed her hands away from his face, then turned around. His eyes lit up.
"Lizzie!" He hugged her tightly, then kissed her cheek.
"It's so good to see you! Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?" Lizzie asked him, as she sat down in the booth across from Larry, and motioned for Gordo to sit down too.
"Oh, geez... Larry, I'm sorry! I got so excited about seeing Gordo, I didn't even say hello to you..." Lizzie frowned, but then smiled at him. "Anyway, it's good seeing you too!"
"Same here. You look very nice!" Larry complimented her, and she blushed.
"Um... well actually... I hate to cut this short, but I came up here with Matt and his friends, and I kind of abandoned them... so now I feel bad... but listen, Gordo... give me a call later on tonight, okay? We've got some catching up to do! And Tudgeman... it was good seeing you again!" Lizzie got up and hurried back over to the table where her brother was sitting.
"Liz... you didn't have to come sit with us if you didn't want to... why don't you go hang with Gordo and... um... Tudgeman? Is that Tudgeman over there?" Matt squinted. He wasn't wearing his contacts.
"Yeah," Lizzie replied.
"I know you don't really want to hang out with us, Liz... go sit with them," Matt told her.
"You sure you don't mind? I felt bad about abandoning you guys," Lizzie said, picking up her smoothie and sipping a bit.
"Go!" Matt said, laughing as her eyebrows shot up.
"Okay, okay. You know... If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to pawn me off on them," Lizzie joked. She hugged her brother quickly, then hurried back over to the table where Gordo and Larry were sitting.