Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
Still Unexpected
Chapter Five: The Prodigal Daughter
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The school year was moving forward annoyingly quickly as far as Lizzie was concerned. It would figure that the year she'd been waiting her entire school career for, where she ruled the school, had grades that in middle school she could only have dreamed of, had the perfect boyfriend and the best friends a girl could ask for, was captain of the cheerleading squad, and was generally living the perfect life...of course *that* would be the year that totally flew by. One particularly sunny day, Lizzie's crew had abandoned their usual table and opted to sit in the newly constructed courtyard. Parker had become a permanent fixture of the group, and occasionally they were joined by Veruca Snow or Jenny Woods or both, who were in several of Larry's classes, and whom he admitted to being torn between.
Today both of Larry's crushes were with them, and the seven of them were chatting pleasantly about weekend plans, when a small shadow fell over Lizzie's lunch. She turned her head and blinked into the sunlight to check it out.
"Ah...mind if I join you?" Miranda Sanchez said.
No one was quite sure how to react. The four core members of the group were all simultaneously thinking of the fateful day when Miranda had snubbed them publicly, dumping nine years of friendship down the tubes. Afterwards, she'd associated herself with the drama crowd, getting small roles in the school plays but staying mostly behind the scenes.
Now she was here, without her usual posse of melodramatic theater types, looking nervous and small, even though she was looming over them.
The question was directed at Lizzie. Miranda owed nothing to Tudgeman, and had hated Kate since seventh grade. Even though she'd broken up with Gordo, it hadn't been the rift in their friendship; that had happened when they'd first started dating. Besides, there had been no complaints from Gordo, seeing as how he was finally free to be with Lizzie, which was what he'd always wanted. The only one who'd been severely affected by the snub was Lizzie herself, so the question was directed at her.
Was it an apology? Lizzie didn't know. She wasn't sure what to say, exactly. She was still hurting from Miranda's betrayal. She'd known that Lizzie had liked Gordo, and had still asked him out, when Lizzie was powerless to stop it. She'd acted with blatant disregard for Lizzie's feelings, and Lizzie had forgiven, but she hadn't forgotten. Not talking for three years had helped the healing process, but with Miranda suddenly there, Lizzie felt herself resorting back into her frightened-child persona of ninth grade.
But she'd forgiven Kate, hadn't she? For two years of torment and anti-friendship. And Miranda had opted for the silent treatment route, which was easier than being enemies. It sort of paralleled the situation with Kate, actually.
Miranda, Kate, Kate, Miranda...Lizzie didn't know what to do. She valued her friendships with the both of them, regardless of whether or not she was involved in those friendships at the time.
They were all waiting; Gordo, Kate, Tudgeman, Parker, Veruca, Jenny, and Miranda all staring at her. Lizzie smiled tentatively. "Sure, sit down."
The mood of the group shifted noticably from relaxed, friendly banter to something tentative, guarded.
"So..." Gordo coughed, taking his cue from Lizzie's charitability. If she could be the bigger man, he could too. "Um. How're...how're things?"
"Things are...good," Miranda said, taking the plastic wrap off of her sandwich and biting into it.
"Play going okay?" Kate said.
"Yeah, good."
"What're you putting on this year?"
"Hamlet, actually. It's a huge undertaking, but we're really looking forward to it."
"Do you have a role, or are you just doing behind the scenes work?" Tudgeman asked.
Parker smiled apologetically. "We don't really follow these things."
Miranda nodded. "I'm helping with costume and set design like always, but I'm actually going to be playing Queen Gertrude."
"Oh, that's so cool," Veruca and Jenny enthused.
Lizzie looked around the circle, taking in the forced conversation and the weak smiles. She knew they were all thinking the same thing, and she decided to voice it.
"Miranda, why exactly are you here?"
Normally Lizzie wouldn't be so blunt about it, or she wouldn't do it in public, she'd just nod and smile and go with the flow, but she was genuinely confused and didn't want to beat around the bush.
Her friends stared at her, agape. Miranda had the decency to look embarrassed. "I just...well..." She looked around pointedly, and Veruca and Jenny coughed. "Well well well, look at the time," Jenny said. "Gotta go get ready for class."
"Yeah, we'll be seeing you later," Veruca said as the girls got up. "Ciao, Larry."
A few seconds were wasted as Larry watched them go, and as Parker discreetly kissed Kate's cheek and left, as well. Soon only Miranda, Kate, Larry, Gordo, and Lizzie were left.
"You know, I think that maybe Lizzie and Miranda should hash this out on their own first," Gordo said after a pause.
"Good idea," Larry seconded.
The three of them got up, shooting Lizzie supportive glances. Gordo leaned over to kiss Lizzie's cheek. "I'll see you next period," he whispered.
"I was thinking," Miranda said uncertainly, watching them go, and when they provided no more distraction, she stared at her tray. "I was thinking, and I hate myself for what I did to you guys. I was a bitch, and none of you deserved it. And I know it probably doesn't mean much now, but I'm really sorry. We had something so good going on, and I pretty much ruined that."
Lizzie looked at the ground.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me," Miranda continued. "If I were you, I wouldn't forgive me, either. I just wanted to say I was sorry and I was wrong. And I'm sorry it took me so long to say I'm sorry." Lizzie didn't say anything, and Miranda crumpled her sandwich wrapper and threw it on her tray. "I should get going."
"No, Miranda, don't go," Lizzie said. "I'd forgiven you a long time ago."
"I don't deserve that," Miranda said, shaking her head resolutely.
"Miranda, you didn't mean to hurt us," Lizzie said, although she wasn't entirely certain she believed that.
"No, I didn't mean to, but I did. I dated the guy that you loved, then I dumped him, snubbed you, and was rude to the people that you were friends with. It was unnecessary."
Lizzie frowned.
"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry."
"Why did you change, Miranda? Why did you turn your back on us?"
Still Unexpected
Chapter Five: The Prodigal Daughter
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The school year was moving forward annoyingly quickly as far as Lizzie was concerned. It would figure that the year she'd been waiting her entire school career for, where she ruled the school, had grades that in middle school she could only have dreamed of, had the perfect boyfriend and the best friends a girl could ask for, was captain of the cheerleading squad, and was generally living the perfect life...of course *that* would be the year that totally flew by. One particularly sunny day, Lizzie's crew had abandoned their usual table and opted to sit in the newly constructed courtyard. Parker had become a permanent fixture of the group, and occasionally they were joined by Veruca Snow or Jenny Woods or both, who were in several of Larry's classes, and whom he admitted to being torn between.
Today both of Larry's crushes were with them, and the seven of them were chatting pleasantly about weekend plans, when a small shadow fell over Lizzie's lunch. She turned her head and blinked into the sunlight to check it out.
"Ah...mind if I join you?" Miranda Sanchez said.
No one was quite sure how to react. The four core members of the group were all simultaneously thinking of the fateful day when Miranda had snubbed them publicly, dumping nine years of friendship down the tubes. Afterwards, she'd associated herself with the drama crowd, getting small roles in the school plays but staying mostly behind the scenes.
Now she was here, without her usual posse of melodramatic theater types, looking nervous and small, even though she was looming over them.
The question was directed at Lizzie. Miranda owed nothing to Tudgeman, and had hated Kate since seventh grade. Even though she'd broken up with Gordo, it hadn't been the rift in their friendship; that had happened when they'd first started dating. Besides, there had been no complaints from Gordo, seeing as how he was finally free to be with Lizzie, which was what he'd always wanted. The only one who'd been severely affected by the snub was Lizzie herself, so the question was directed at her.
Was it an apology? Lizzie didn't know. She wasn't sure what to say, exactly. She was still hurting from Miranda's betrayal. She'd known that Lizzie had liked Gordo, and had still asked him out, when Lizzie was powerless to stop it. She'd acted with blatant disregard for Lizzie's feelings, and Lizzie had forgiven, but she hadn't forgotten. Not talking for three years had helped the healing process, but with Miranda suddenly there, Lizzie felt herself resorting back into her frightened-child persona of ninth grade.
But she'd forgiven Kate, hadn't she? For two years of torment and anti-friendship. And Miranda had opted for the silent treatment route, which was easier than being enemies. It sort of paralleled the situation with Kate, actually.
Miranda, Kate, Kate, Miranda...Lizzie didn't know what to do. She valued her friendships with the both of them, regardless of whether or not she was involved in those friendships at the time.
They were all waiting; Gordo, Kate, Tudgeman, Parker, Veruca, Jenny, and Miranda all staring at her. Lizzie smiled tentatively. "Sure, sit down."
The mood of the group shifted noticably from relaxed, friendly banter to something tentative, guarded.
"So..." Gordo coughed, taking his cue from Lizzie's charitability. If she could be the bigger man, he could too. "Um. How're...how're things?"
"Things are...good," Miranda said, taking the plastic wrap off of her sandwich and biting into it.
"Play going okay?" Kate said.
"Yeah, good."
"What're you putting on this year?"
"Hamlet, actually. It's a huge undertaking, but we're really looking forward to it."
"Do you have a role, or are you just doing behind the scenes work?" Tudgeman asked.
Parker smiled apologetically. "We don't really follow these things."
Miranda nodded. "I'm helping with costume and set design like always, but I'm actually going to be playing Queen Gertrude."
"Oh, that's so cool," Veruca and Jenny enthused.
Lizzie looked around the circle, taking in the forced conversation and the weak smiles. She knew they were all thinking the same thing, and she decided to voice it.
"Miranda, why exactly are you here?"
Normally Lizzie wouldn't be so blunt about it, or she wouldn't do it in public, she'd just nod and smile and go with the flow, but she was genuinely confused and didn't want to beat around the bush.
Her friends stared at her, agape. Miranda had the decency to look embarrassed. "I just...well..." She looked around pointedly, and Veruca and Jenny coughed. "Well well well, look at the time," Jenny said. "Gotta go get ready for class."
"Yeah, we'll be seeing you later," Veruca said as the girls got up. "Ciao, Larry."
A few seconds were wasted as Larry watched them go, and as Parker discreetly kissed Kate's cheek and left, as well. Soon only Miranda, Kate, Larry, Gordo, and Lizzie were left.
"You know, I think that maybe Lizzie and Miranda should hash this out on their own first," Gordo said after a pause.
"Good idea," Larry seconded.
The three of them got up, shooting Lizzie supportive glances. Gordo leaned over to kiss Lizzie's cheek. "I'll see you next period," he whispered.
"I was thinking," Miranda said uncertainly, watching them go, and when they provided no more distraction, she stared at her tray. "I was thinking, and I hate myself for what I did to you guys. I was a bitch, and none of you deserved it. And I know it probably doesn't mean much now, but I'm really sorry. We had something so good going on, and I pretty much ruined that."
Lizzie looked at the ground.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me," Miranda continued. "If I were you, I wouldn't forgive me, either. I just wanted to say I was sorry and I was wrong. And I'm sorry it took me so long to say I'm sorry." Lizzie didn't say anything, and Miranda crumpled her sandwich wrapper and threw it on her tray. "I should get going."
"No, Miranda, don't go," Lizzie said. "I'd forgiven you a long time ago."
"I don't deserve that," Miranda said, shaking her head resolutely.
"Miranda, you didn't mean to hurt us," Lizzie said, although she wasn't entirely certain she believed that.
"No, I didn't mean to, but I did. I dated the guy that you loved, then I dumped him, snubbed you, and was rude to the people that you were friends with. It was unnecessary."
Lizzie frowned.
"I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry."
"Why did you change, Miranda? Why did you turn your back on us?"