**Quick A/N: I know that in reality Matt is like 3 or 4 years younger than
Lizzie (from the episode in which she says he threw his teething ring at
her when she was five, making him like 1 or 2), but I'm making him only 2
years younger than her to go with my story. Therefore, Lizzie and Gordo
are 14 and freshmen, Riley is 15 and a sophomore, and Matt is 12 and going
into 7th grade. Also, the Lizzie McGuire Movie never happened in my story.
So no famous-in-Europe-Lizzie.**
"August 24, 2003 - 12:45 PM
I start junior high tomorrow. So this is my last day of freedom. Summer is going to be officially over. This sucks. And what's worse is that Melina and Lanny started dating. Three days ago, they both just show up at my house and announce it like it was so obvious that it was going to happen. So now I'm going to be into junior high without my two best friends. Unless we can still be friends. But I don't really know.
And I don't know how everyone is going to react to me no longer being the King of Pranks. The summer camp I went to completely changed my outlook on life. I finally realized how sick I was of being the prankster.
My cousin, Riley, is still a huge mystery. She doesn't really talk to anyone, and locks herself in her room, painting. I overheard Lizzie telling Mom that Riley's boyfriend broke up with her, so I don't really blame her for not wanting to talk to anyone. But still, I wonder what's going on in her head. She seems to be warming up to everyone but me. She'll stare at me forever, but refuses to talk to me. I don't get it. Anyways, I'm gonna go see how she's doing. Maybe she'll actually talk to me for once."
He saved his journal entry on his computer, signing out of the internet journal service, and closing down the internet. Walking across the room, he opened his bedroom door, strolling briskly out and down the stairs. He strode over to the stairs to the basement, and cautiously made his way down. Knocking lightly on the door at the base of the stairs, he slowly opened it after hearing her positive reply.
He watched her painting on the walls, swaying to the soft music coming from her stereo. "Hey Ri. Your paintings are amazing!"
She turned slowly, brush still in hand, "Thanks Matt." Smiling softly, she gestured towards the wall he was staring at. "That's the Boardwalk from back home. In the summer, we used to jump of it into the Canal. We called it 'bridge-jumping' and everyone from off-Cape that we told about it thought we were nuts."
"Your room is turning out so cool," Matt turned around in a slow circle, taking in all the murals, in awe not only of the paintings, but of the fact that Riley actually had spoken more than two words to him. Besides the paintings he had already seen of the starry night, the Moulin Rouge inspired wall, and the framed pictures, Riley had completed the seascape that bordered both the sitting area and sleeping area of the room, as well as a colorful abstract mural on the wall behind her couch. The sixth wall, the one she was working on and almost finished with, was a perspective piece, making the room look about ten times its actual size.
Riley smiled again, "Thanks." She turned back to the wall, painting small details, like highlights on doorknobs and windows, with a tiny brush. "Was there something you needed?"
Matt frowned, 'Why doesn't she want me anywhere near her?' His thoughts sung through his head, but his voice only resonated with a "Nope." He walked over to the sitting area of her room, plopping down on the couch. "I was just wondering how you were. And how the painting was going."
"I'm fine; the painting's fine." Riley's short answers and curt voice caught Matt off-guard. Sure she had refused to hold a real conversation with him, but she had never been openly rude.
Standing quickly, Matt stormed over to the ajar door. "Ya know, I'm only trying to be nice! Help you adjust to moving across the country. I know you lost your parents and your boyfriend and your whole damn life, but there is no need to treat me like crap! I didn't do ANYTHING to you!" He wrenched the door open all the way and raced up the stairs, slamming the door behind him.
As he ran through the ground level of his house towards the staircase, he slammed into his sister, knocking her to the ground. She rose angrily, "Watch it weasel! I'm figuring out how to avoid Kate-zilla tomorrow!"
"August 24, 2003 - 12:45 PM
I start junior high tomorrow. So this is my last day of freedom. Summer is going to be officially over. This sucks. And what's worse is that Melina and Lanny started dating. Three days ago, they both just show up at my house and announce it like it was so obvious that it was going to happen. So now I'm going to be into junior high without my two best friends. Unless we can still be friends. But I don't really know.
And I don't know how everyone is going to react to me no longer being the King of Pranks. The summer camp I went to completely changed my outlook on life. I finally realized how sick I was of being the prankster.
My cousin, Riley, is still a huge mystery. She doesn't really talk to anyone, and locks herself in her room, painting. I overheard Lizzie telling Mom that Riley's boyfriend broke up with her, so I don't really blame her for not wanting to talk to anyone. But still, I wonder what's going on in her head. She seems to be warming up to everyone but me. She'll stare at me forever, but refuses to talk to me. I don't get it. Anyways, I'm gonna go see how she's doing. Maybe she'll actually talk to me for once."
He saved his journal entry on his computer, signing out of the internet journal service, and closing down the internet. Walking across the room, he opened his bedroom door, strolling briskly out and down the stairs. He strode over to the stairs to the basement, and cautiously made his way down. Knocking lightly on the door at the base of the stairs, he slowly opened it after hearing her positive reply.
He watched her painting on the walls, swaying to the soft music coming from her stereo. "Hey Ri. Your paintings are amazing!"
She turned slowly, brush still in hand, "Thanks Matt." Smiling softly, she gestured towards the wall he was staring at. "That's the Boardwalk from back home. In the summer, we used to jump of it into the Canal. We called it 'bridge-jumping' and everyone from off-Cape that we told about it thought we were nuts."
"Your room is turning out so cool," Matt turned around in a slow circle, taking in all the murals, in awe not only of the paintings, but of the fact that Riley actually had spoken more than two words to him. Besides the paintings he had already seen of the starry night, the Moulin Rouge inspired wall, and the framed pictures, Riley had completed the seascape that bordered both the sitting area and sleeping area of the room, as well as a colorful abstract mural on the wall behind her couch. The sixth wall, the one she was working on and almost finished with, was a perspective piece, making the room look about ten times its actual size.
Riley smiled again, "Thanks." She turned back to the wall, painting small details, like highlights on doorknobs and windows, with a tiny brush. "Was there something you needed?"
Matt frowned, 'Why doesn't she want me anywhere near her?' His thoughts sung through his head, but his voice only resonated with a "Nope." He walked over to the sitting area of her room, plopping down on the couch. "I was just wondering how you were. And how the painting was going."
"I'm fine; the painting's fine." Riley's short answers and curt voice caught Matt off-guard. Sure she had refused to hold a real conversation with him, but she had never been openly rude.
Standing quickly, Matt stormed over to the ajar door. "Ya know, I'm only trying to be nice! Help you adjust to moving across the country. I know you lost your parents and your boyfriend and your whole damn life, but there is no need to treat me like crap! I didn't do ANYTHING to you!" He wrenched the door open all the way and raced up the stairs, slamming the door behind him.
As he ran through the ground level of his house towards the staircase, he slammed into his sister, knocking her to the ground. She rose angrily, "Watch it weasel! I'm figuring out how to avoid Kate-zilla tomorrow!"