Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"What do you mean, all over Lizzie?" Matt said, laughing nervously.
"Really, now, Gordo, do you think I'm blind? You've only been in love with her since, like, seventh grade."
"You're delirious."
"Please. If you want me to keep it all hush-hush, I will, no problem, but I'm your *other* best friend, remember? You don't have to lie to me."
Struck by inspiration, Matt said slyly, "Only if you tell me how you *really* feel about Matt McGuire."
~~~~~
Gordo was going nuts with boredom. The two computers in the house were in Lizzie's room and the living room, respectively, and the thought of going out in the open as Matt was unnerving, even with the notion that it would be good practice for his unfortunate excursion to elementary school tomorrow (although he was still praying that he'd wake up in his own body). Plus, their connection didn't compare to his, and the only real reason he used the computer was for school (he'd finished his work before coming over this morning) and for his filmmaking. And of course all of his stuff was on his home computer.
Bored, with a few hours still to kill before Matt's bedtime, Gordo gave up the ghost and pounded on Lizzie's door for the second time. She opened it, exasperated and looking less than thrilled that Matt McGuire was standing there. "What do you want *now*, worm," she said irritably.
He shrugged. "I'm bored. Wanna play a board game or something?"
Lizzie cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"Don't you have things to burn or something? Can't you go call Lanny or Melina?"
Gordo swallowed a smile. Lizzie acted like she couldn't care less about her brother, but she knew the names of his best friends, and that said a lot. "They can't come over this late," he lied. Well, maybe it wasn't a lie. He really didn't know. But he didn't want to spend time with *Matt's* best friends, he wanted to spend time with *his* best friend. "Come on," he whined.
Lizzie huffed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. But you better not cheat, or do anything even remotely obnoxious, because if you do, I am going to kick your butt so hard you won't be able to get the taste of my shoes out of your mouth."
"It's bad enough that you already smell like feet," Gordo said, making a face. He was pleased at how quickly he was adapting to becoming Matt, but at the same time, it scared him. What if he *did* get stuck this way?
Lizzie scowled. "Do you wanna play, or not?"
"I do, I do," he said hastily, following her into her room.
~~~~~
Miranda laughed. "Me? And Matt?"
"I showed you mine, show me yours," Matt said. "C'mon, Miranda, no secrets between best friends, remember?"
She sighed. "Well, I dunno. I mean, the kid went completely overboard, but he was sweet, I guess. And it was kinda cool to be the one being chased, for once."
"So you meant what you said? I'm-- I mean, he's a great kid?" Matt asked, hopefulness leaking into his voice despite himself.
Miranda laughed again. "What are you, Gordo, Matt's matchmaker?"
"I just...I just think it's funny that we both have crushes on McGuires," Matt said.
"I do *not* have a crush on Matt McGuire!" Miranda said hotly.
"Sounds to me like you do," he teased, grinning widely. Miranda liked him. Miranda liked him!
Being Gordo was maybe the best thing that had ever happened to him.
~~~~~
"...Four, five, six, seven," Gordo counted out, moving the top hat across the board. "Score! Oriental Avenue. And that makes a full set for me."
Lizzie blew her bangs off of her forehead. "You're worse than Gordo. If I didn't know better, I'd say you *were* Gordo. I mean, he always picks the top hat...and aren't you usually the race car?"
Oh, crap. He'd made a serious blunder. Fortunately for him, Lizzie was only just now catching on, which meant his performance as Geek Boy was pretty convincing otherwise. He shrugged. "I felt like being the top hat. A little variety might do you some good, your Royal Heinous...aren't *you* always the Scotty dog?" He faked a yawn. "How tired."
Lizzie giggled. She actually giggled. "You know, I hate to say it, but you might be right. A little spice wouldn't kill me."
Gordo ventured a smile. Being around Lizzie like this was...it was good. He didn't have to worry about saying something by accident and having her read too much into it. He was just her obnoxious little brother. He didn't have to listen to her girl talk, and he didn't have to dispense advice at the drop of a hat. He just got to be around her, without expectations.
As Lizzie landed on Boardwalk, which Gordo owned in addition to Park Place, she groaned and began to shift through her small stack of Monopoly money. She stuck out her tongue and the colored slips of paper. "You know, I'm just not in the mood for this. I'm just going to go to bed."
"So I win?"
She smirked. "Yeah, sure. You win, you little weasel. And you didn't even have to cheat to do it."
"Cool."
Lizzie stood up, stretching her arms over her head, and exposing a strip of skin between her waistband and shirt hem. Gordo found himself staring, and caught himself just in time. Matt checking out his sister was definitely not normal behavior. He yawned dramatically. "Yeah, I'm beat, too. Ciao, Lizardbreath." On his way out, however, Gordo stopped in the doorframe and smiled at her. "Thanks for the game."
"Anytime," she answered, then shook her head, smiling slightly. "Well, maybe not *anytime*."
They both laughed at that, and Gordo closed the door behind him. He fell asleep, as usual, with Lizzie on the brain.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"What do you mean, all over Lizzie?" Matt said, laughing nervously.
"Really, now, Gordo, do you think I'm blind? You've only been in love with her since, like, seventh grade."
"You're delirious."
"Please. If you want me to keep it all hush-hush, I will, no problem, but I'm your *other* best friend, remember? You don't have to lie to me."
Struck by inspiration, Matt said slyly, "Only if you tell me how you *really* feel about Matt McGuire."
~~~~~
Gordo was going nuts with boredom. The two computers in the house were in Lizzie's room and the living room, respectively, and the thought of going out in the open as Matt was unnerving, even with the notion that it would be good practice for his unfortunate excursion to elementary school tomorrow (although he was still praying that he'd wake up in his own body). Plus, their connection didn't compare to his, and the only real reason he used the computer was for school (he'd finished his work before coming over this morning) and for his filmmaking. And of course all of his stuff was on his home computer.
Bored, with a few hours still to kill before Matt's bedtime, Gordo gave up the ghost and pounded on Lizzie's door for the second time. She opened it, exasperated and looking less than thrilled that Matt McGuire was standing there. "What do you want *now*, worm," she said irritably.
He shrugged. "I'm bored. Wanna play a board game or something?"
Lizzie cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"Don't you have things to burn or something? Can't you go call Lanny or Melina?"
Gordo swallowed a smile. Lizzie acted like she couldn't care less about her brother, but she knew the names of his best friends, and that said a lot. "They can't come over this late," he lied. Well, maybe it wasn't a lie. He really didn't know. But he didn't want to spend time with *Matt's* best friends, he wanted to spend time with *his* best friend. "Come on," he whined.
Lizzie huffed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, whatever. But you better not cheat, or do anything even remotely obnoxious, because if you do, I am going to kick your butt so hard you won't be able to get the taste of my shoes out of your mouth."
"It's bad enough that you already smell like feet," Gordo said, making a face. He was pleased at how quickly he was adapting to becoming Matt, but at the same time, it scared him. What if he *did* get stuck this way?
Lizzie scowled. "Do you wanna play, or not?"
"I do, I do," he said hastily, following her into her room.
~~~~~
Miranda laughed. "Me? And Matt?"
"I showed you mine, show me yours," Matt said. "C'mon, Miranda, no secrets between best friends, remember?"
She sighed. "Well, I dunno. I mean, the kid went completely overboard, but he was sweet, I guess. And it was kinda cool to be the one being chased, for once."
"So you meant what you said? I'm-- I mean, he's a great kid?" Matt asked, hopefulness leaking into his voice despite himself.
Miranda laughed again. "What are you, Gordo, Matt's matchmaker?"
"I just...I just think it's funny that we both have crushes on McGuires," Matt said.
"I do *not* have a crush on Matt McGuire!" Miranda said hotly.
"Sounds to me like you do," he teased, grinning widely. Miranda liked him. Miranda liked him!
Being Gordo was maybe the best thing that had ever happened to him.
~~~~~
"...Four, five, six, seven," Gordo counted out, moving the top hat across the board. "Score! Oriental Avenue. And that makes a full set for me."
Lizzie blew her bangs off of her forehead. "You're worse than Gordo. If I didn't know better, I'd say you *were* Gordo. I mean, he always picks the top hat...and aren't you usually the race car?"
Oh, crap. He'd made a serious blunder. Fortunately for him, Lizzie was only just now catching on, which meant his performance as Geek Boy was pretty convincing otherwise. He shrugged. "I felt like being the top hat. A little variety might do you some good, your Royal Heinous...aren't *you* always the Scotty dog?" He faked a yawn. "How tired."
Lizzie giggled. She actually giggled. "You know, I hate to say it, but you might be right. A little spice wouldn't kill me."
Gordo ventured a smile. Being around Lizzie like this was...it was good. He didn't have to worry about saying something by accident and having her read too much into it. He was just her obnoxious little brother. He didn't have to listen to her girl talk, and he didn't have to dispense advice at the drop of a hat. He just got to be around her, without expectations.
As Lizzie landed on Boardwalk, which Gordo owned in addition to Park Place, she groaned and began to shift through her small stack of Monopoly money. She stuck out her tongue and the colored slips of paper. "You know, I'm just not in the mood for this. I'm just going to go to bed."
"So I win?"
She smirked. "Yeah, sure. You win, you little weasel. And you didn't even have to cheat to do it."
"Cool."
Lizzie stood up, stretching her arms over her head, and exposing a strip of skin between her waistband and shirt hem. Gordo found himself staring, and caught himself just in time. Matt checking out his sister was definitely not normal behavior. He yawned dramatically. "Yeah, I'm beat, too. Ciao, Lizardbreath." On his way out, however, Gordo stopped in the doorframe and smiled at her. "Thanks for the game."
"Anytime," she answered, then shook her head, smiling slightly. "Well, maybe not *anytime*."
They both laughed at that, and Gordo closed the door behind him. He fell asleep, as usual, with Lizzie on the brain.
