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Still Unexpected
Chapter Six: Life Lessons, Sanchez Style
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Miranda sighed deeply, clearly searching for words. "Lizzie, in your world, everything is black and white. In mine, everything is just shades of gray, you know? This isn't easy for me to say, and you're probably going to think it all sounds stupid."
"I promise I won't," Lizzie said fervently.
The brunette shook her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep. I was jealous, to put it in layman's terms. The more complicated explanation is that you..." she paused, struggled. "You're perfect, Lizzie. You don't realize it, but you are. You have everything you want. A stable --albeit slightly wacky-- home life. A guy who worships the ground you walk on, and always has. A slew of people who would do anything for you, and that included me for awhile."
Miranda frowned. "And...I was jealous. I never had that, I never had anything even remotely like that, and you were so lost in your miniscule little worries about how Kate hated you and what could you do to make Ethan like you, that you never once realized how good you've got it. And I wanted to take something away from you, to realize that there are worse things than having a bad hair day."
Miranda's words hurt, but Lizzie knew there was some truth in them. She'd never suspected that Miranda had felt this way -- usually *she* was worrying about good hair days, too.
"So I did the only thing I could think of. I took Gordo from you. Partly because I knew that Gordo would go out with me easily, and that meant I wouldn't have to worry about finding a boyfriend, which is stupid, I know. And partly because I wanted you to hurt, and this was the only way I knew how." She looked at her shoes. "I'm sorry. I really honestly am."
"Don't be sorry," Lizzie said.
Miranda looked up, clearly confused.
"I mean, you have no reason to be sorry. You're right. I'm an airhead. I deserved everything I got."
"You didn't deserve any of that, though, that's the thing," Miranda insisted. "You're a good person, Lizzie, a great person, and you just plain don't *deserve* the things I dished out on you."
"Well, some good did come of this, didn't it?" Lizzie said. "I mean, Gordo and I *did* finally get together."
"No thanks to me. I just slowed the entire process down. You two are meant to be together, and I messed up the whole equation. I'm a big, stupid catalyst."
"I think you might have your science metaphors mixed up, there," Lizzie said with a smile.
Miranda smiled back, and the light tone to the conversation cemented the change in their relationship from distant to a tentative frienship. "How would I know? I didn't do so hot in chemistry."
Lizzie shook her head. "You should've enlisted Gordo as a study buddy. I aced the class."
"Lizzie McGuire, acing a class?" Miranda said, arching an eyebrow. "Do my ears deceive me?"
"Well, not *aced*, exactly," Lizzie amended. "But I definitely got a better grade than I would have without his help."
"This is a life lesson," Miranda said sagely. "Don't ever go out with your best friend to spite your other best friend, and then abandon the both of them. Otherwise you'll never pass chemistry."
Lizzie giggled, and threw an arm around Miranda's shoulders. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
Still Unexpected
Chapter Six: Life Lessons, Sanchez Style
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
Miranda sighed deeply, clearly searching for words. "Lizzie, in your world, everything is black and white. In mine, everything is just shades of gray, you know? This isn't easy for me to say, and you're probably going to think it all sounds stupid."
"I promise I won't," Lizzie said fervently.
The brunette shook her head. "Don't make promises you can't keep. I was jealous, to put it in layman's terms. The more complicated explanation is that you..." she paused, struggled. "You're perfect, Lizzie. You don't realize it, but you are. You have everything you want. A stable --albeit slightly wacky-- home life. A guy who worships the ground you walk on, and always has. A slew of people who would do anything for you, and that included me for awhile."
Miranda frowned. "And...I was jealous. I never had that, I never had anything even remotely like that, and you were so lost in your miniscule little worries about how Kate hated you and what could you do to make Ethan like you, that you never once realized how good you've got it. And I wanted to take something away from you, to realize that there are worse things than having a bad hair day."
Miranda's words hurt, but Lizzie knew there was some truth in them. She'd never suspected that Miranda had felt this way -- usually *she* was worrying about good hair days, too.
"So I did the only thing I could think of. I took Gordo from you. Partly because I knew that Gordo would go out with me easily, and that meant I wouldn't have to worry about finding a boyfriend, which is stupid, I know. And partly because I wanted you to hurt, and this was the only way I knew how." She looked at her shoes. "I'm sorry. I really honestly am."
"Don't be sorry," Lizzie said.
Miranda looked up, clearly confused.
"I mean, you have no reason to be sorry. You're right. I'm an airhead. I deserved everything I got."
"You didn't deserve any of that, though, that's the thing," Miranda insisted. "You're a good person, Lizzie, a great person, and you just plain don't *deserve* the things I dished out on you."
"Well, some good did come of this, didn't it?" Lizzie said. "I mean, Gordo and I *did* finally get together."
"No thanks to me. I just slowed the entire process down. You two are meant to be together, and I messed up the whole equation. I'm a big, stupid catalyst."
"I think you might have your science metaphors mixed up, there," Lizzie said with a smile.
Miranda smiled back, and the light tone to the conversation cemented the change in their relationship from distant to a tentative frienship. "How would I know? I didn't do so hot in chemistry."
Lizzie shook her head. "You should've enlisted Gordo as a study buddy. I aced the class."
"Lizzie McGuire, acing a class?" Miranda said, arching an eyebrow. "Do my ears deceive me?"
"Well, not *aced*, exactly," Lizzie amended. "But I definitely got a better grade than I would have without his help."
"This is a life lesson," Miranda said sagely. "Don't ever go out with your best friend to spite your other best friend, and then abandon the both of them. Otherwise you'll never pass chemistry."
Lizzie giggled, and threw an arm around Miranda's shoulders. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too."