Disclaimer – I still haven't been hired by Disney, so I have no connections with Lizzie M. Have no financial interest in Jack in the Box, but the curly fries are excellent. Don't own a thing except myself.
On to Chapter 4.
Chapter 4
Lizzie stopped half a block from Gordo's house. "Can't let him see I've been crying," she thought. As she was coming up his driveway, she glanced at the garage. "Oh, no!" It was open, and both his parents' cars were gone. Chances are, wherever they went, Gordo went along. They wouldn't leave him home alone on Christmas, or would they?
There was a small chance. Taking a deep breath, and putting on a smile, she walked up and knocked on the door. She waited, fifteen, twenty, thirty seconds, no answer. She knocked again, slightly louder, slightly longer. She knocked for a third, and a fourth time, still no response. "Ouch!" she thought. "Wish Gordo had a doorbell."
She was disappointed. One of her best friends had turned her away, the other wasn't home. Well, she'd just have to leave him a note.
She set down her drink and the fries on the porch. She pulled out all sorts of things out of her purse. She discarded most of the paper as unable to be written on. "Can't use tissues. Need this receipt. Need that. Not enough room to write on."
She was going to write on the back of the receipt from Jack in the Box, but she hadn't planned on leaving the fries. She had no idea when Gordo would return. Finally she found an old piece of paper, that only half had been used. She walked over to Gordo's mailbox, and leaned on it for support. She tore the paper neatly in half, and started to scribble a note...
With the note finished, she turned back to the porch. The bag of fries and her drink were gone! She stood there for a minute, stunned, then heard a slight noise, as if someone were trying to stifle a laugh. She glanced back in the direction of the garage, and there stood Gordo, happily munching the fries, and drinking her lemonade.
She walked over to him, and punched him on the arm. "Don't sneak up on me!"
"Sorry. Mmm, curly fries", he said as he finished the last fry and last sip of lemonade, and burped. "Uh, excuse me." His face flushed. "Thanks, I needed that."
She laughed, pleased to see Gordo in a good mood. "You're welcome. But next time could you chew a little?"
"Sorry." He apologized for the second time in as many minutes.
Lizzie didn't quite know what to say. "So, uh, Happy Hanukkah!", she exclaimed.
"Uh, Lizzie? Hanukkah's over. It's okay to say, Merry Christmas now!"
"Okay, Merry Christmas, guy!" Again, she punched him on the arm lightly.
He rubbed his arm, mainly for effect. "Is that what I get for Christmas? Pain?", he joked.
"No, well I thought maybe you would come back to my house with me and I'd give you your present then?"
"Uh, sure. I've got your present inside. Let me throw this bag and cup away. I'm sorry I finished your drink, can I get you something to replace it?"
"No, that's ok. I just refilled it to give to you, but to paraphase Forrest Gump, "I drank some." They both laughed.
"Wait here, I'll be back in a minute", he said as he took off for the house.
He told himself to relax. How many times had he said, "Sorry?" Three? He threw away the remains of his BIG lunch, and picked up Lizzie's present from Miranda, and then the one he was to give her, and went outside.
"Is, is that for me?" Lizzie's eyes opened wide. The box Gordo was carrying was big, but it didn't look heavy.
"Yes. It's all for you. This is from Miranda." He pointed to the small box he had balanced on the larger.
"Mir-miranda?", she said not believing him. "How did you get it?"
"I went to see Miranda about an hour ago, and she asked me to give it to you."
"Did she tell you what happened? That she threw me out?"
"Well, no", he lied. "She just said that you had given her present to her, but not the other way 'round, so she wanted me to bring it to you."
"Oh, Gordo", she started to cry. "She was just awful to me, and I don't know what I did!"
"Well, she wasn't exactly Miss Jolly Old Elf to me either, but that's okay." He had to find a way to change the subject. Miranda didn't want Lizzie to know much.
"Uh, Lizzie? Can we start for your house? These boxes aren't bricks, but they aren't feathers either." He made a show of exaggerating the weight, having to shift them a bit. He didn't know how convincing he was, but it didn't hurt to try.
"Uh, sure. Can I help? She reached for the small box, but Gordo wouldn't let her have it.
"No, no I can do it. You aren't opening either of these until I get my gift from you."
She couldn't understand. This was Gordo. He didn't have to put on a macho act for her. Still, if that's what he wanted, then so be it.
"So, how was your late night gift opening?" Gordo's question jolted Lizzie back from where she was, to the present.
"Uh, ok, I guess. Matt said he was going to stay up the longest, but then he was to go with Lanny and his dad, and Melina up to the mountains for the snow this morning, so he wimped out before midnight. Mom and Dad made it just past, but I stayed up longer than anyone."
"Great! I knew you could do it! That's my girl!" He stopped short. Had he said, "My" out loud? He hoped she wouldn't notice.
She smiled. "So, Gordo, what did you get besides clothes?"
"Uh, well, not much. My parents wanted to buy me a new computer, but I told them no."
"What???" She didn't think she''d heard right.
"Well, I told them what I had was ok. But they are going to get me a DVD ROM and a burner, and stuff next week."
"Well at least someone got something good. All I got was clothes. No money, no gift certificates. Just clothes." She looked upset about it.
"And where are these new threads? The fashion conscious Lizzie McGuire is wearing an outfit for the second time while new clothes are at home, unworn? I'm shocked!"
"Well, it's just my parents have such odd taste. I mean, they never get me what I like. I'll ask my mom if I can exchange some of it next week." She stopped and thought. "Oh yeah, I got this new watch. Whoopee."
They were just coming up on Lizzie's house. "Are you sure that's all you got?" she asked him.
"Well," he began. He had left out one item, he didn't know why he was keeping it a secret. "They got me a brand new tripod for my video camera."
She was about to ask why, because he rarely taped anything anymore. But here they were at her front door. She opened the door, and called out, "I'm home!"
A/N Not exactly where I wanted to leave off, but the chapter is getting long. Review if you like, or email or IM me JP5683 @ msn.com or webtv.net.
Next chapter should be up Thursday evening/Friday morning, I hope.
Thanks,
JP
March 5, 2003