Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"I wonder what Lizzie's doing right now," Gordo mumbled into his sandwich. Props to Mrs. McGuire, she made her kids lunch.
Melina rolled her eyes. "Are you, like, totally in love with her or something?"
Gordo looked up sharply. "Say what?"
"Please, that's about the thirty-seventh time you've mentioned her, is all. Listen, I bet she's really missing you right now."
"Yeah, right. Look, you two, Matt and me are the only ones who know about this whole switch thing." He sighed dramatically. "Not that Lizzie would care that it wasn't really me."
Lanny shook his head emphatically.
"Okay, maybe she would miss me a little," Gordo conceded. "But only because the alternative is Matt."
"Have a little faith in yourself, Gordo," Melina said almost gently. "Listen, Lizzie probably thinks more highly of you than you think she does, okay? Don't stress." She glanced across the cafeteria. "Ooh! Jody Hale has pudding. And I *believe* she owes me a favor..." Melina said suggestively. "I'll be right back.
Watching her walk away, watching the swinging blond hair, Gordo felt himself missing lunchtime with Lizzie. Amazing what you took for granted, and didn't fully appreciate until you were in someone else's body.
Gordo turned to look at Lanny. "I shouldn't like her," Gordo said, not quite believing that he was baring his soul to a person that he barely knew, that was a friend of a friend (who themselves was really more a friend's brother). Still, it was better than just constantly keeping this to himself, wasn't it? If he didn't say something to *someone*, he'd burst. "I mean, she's my best friend. It's just...I shouldn't like her."
Lanny cocked his head to one side, clearly asking 'why not?'
"Because she's my best friend," Gordo repeated, furrowing his brow, unable to come up with a better argument. He had tons of reasons in the 'con' column floating around his head, but he couldn't quite give them voice. With a sigh, he finally said, "Because she doesn't like me like that."
Lanny shook his head, and suggested with a shrug that that wasn't necessarily true.
"Because she asked me to dance in her backyard on Sadie Hawkins Day?" Gordo repeated the words that were never said. "Well, that was different, you know...she was just upset..."
Lanny raised one eyebrow, questioning the validity of that statement.
Gordo sighed. "It would just never work out between us," he said resolutely, biting into his sandwich. As Lanny shrugged and returned to his own lunch, Melina returned to her seat next to Gordo, triumphantly holding Jody Hale's pudding cup. The trio was so absorbed in their lunches that none of them noticed the smirk crossing Adam Barton's face.
~~~~~
"Ugggh, I hate pop quizzes," Lizzie complained, hugging her books to her chest as her own trio slunk out of the math room.
"Me too," Matt said with a groan, trying to readjust Gordo's uncomfortable messenger bag on his shoulder. Couldn't the guy use a backpack like everyone else?
"What're you talking about, Gordo? You love pop quizzes," Lizzie said.
"Lizzie, he's being normal for once. Don't try to revert him back to his former self," Miranda said. She put her arm around Matt's shoulders and shook him slightly. "My little Gordo's finally growing *down*," she said with mock pride, smiling at him. Matt smiled nervously back at her, secretly reveling in her touch, but she let him go.
"Well, he may be the new and improved Gordo, but I bet he still gets hungry like prototype Gordo," Lizzie said. "Lunch?"
"What're they serving in the caf?" Miranda asked.
"I think it's mystery meat day," Lizzie said as they stopped at her locker. "Thank God my mom packed me lunch."
Matt's stomach rumbled, and he thought of the lunch that Mrs. Gordon had ever-so-thoughtfully *not* prepared him. Mystery meat? Ugh.
Reaching the cafeteria, Miranda started off for the lunch line, Matt on her heels. But he was held back when Lizzie roughly grabbed the shoulder of his t-shirt and pulled him back. "Just *where* do you think you're going?"
"To get lunch?"
"Not right now you're not. This is our opportunity, while Miranda's gone."
Matt's eyes widened. Lizzie wasn't going to *kiss* him or anything, was she? Gross! "I, um, I, I, uh..." he stammered, eyes darting around frantically, looking for an exit.
Lizzie was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "What is *with* you, Gordo? We have to plan her party, hello?"
The party! Matt relaxed instantly. "Oh, that. Yeah. Okay."
"So, what do you think we should do?"
"Kidnap Brad Pitt?" Matt suggested, scanning the recesses of his mind for any little tidbits he knew about Miranda.
Lizzie rolled her eyes, not amused. "How about something slightly more doable," she said dryly.
"I dunno, just get all of her friends together at our --*your*-- house, cake, her favorite CDs, all that good stuff. It doesn't have to be spectacular, you know."
"But I want it to be spectacular," Lizzie said stubbornly.
"Do you really have the time or the money to pull of the party of the millennium?" Matt said, and her eyes clouded over as she pondered this. "No," he said without waiting for an answer. "Listen, I'll distract Miranda after school today while you go and invite everybody, okay?"
Lizzie grabbed him roughly and kissed his forehead. "You're brilliant sometimes, Gordo," she said.
"Try all of the time," Matt said, trying not to recoil from her touch. "Can I go get lunch now?"
"Go crazy," Lizzie said, taking her bag lunch to their usual table.
"I fully intend to," Matt called over his shoulder. "I'm starving."
As he surveyed the rather unappetizing display of gravy-laden mystery meat, he suddenly didn't feel so ravenous anymore.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
"I wonder what Lizzie's doing right now," Gordo mumbled into his sandwich. Props to Mrs. McGuire, she made her kids lunch.
Melina rolled her eyes. "Are you, like, totally in love with her or something?"
Gordo looked up sharply. "Say what?"
"Please, that's about the thirty-seventh time you've mentioned her, is all. Listen, I bet she's really missing you right now."
"Yeah, right. Look, you two, Matt and me are the only ones who know about this whole switch thing." He sighed dramatically. "Not that Lizzie would care that it wasn't really me."
Lanny shook his head emphatically.
"Okay, maybe she would miss me a little," Gordo conceded. "But only because the alternative is Matt."
"Have a little faith in yourself, Gordo," Melina said almost gently. "Listen, Lizzie probably thinks more highly of you than you think she does, okay? Don't stress." She glanced across the cafeteria. "Ooh! Jody Hale has pudding. And I *believe* she owes me a favor..." Melina said suggestively. "I'll be right back.
Watching her walk away, watching the swinging blond hair, Gordo felt himself missing lunchtime with Lizzie. Amazing what you took for granted, and didn't fully appreciate until you were in someone else's body.
Gordo turned to look at Lanny. "I shouldn't like her," Gordo said, not quite believing that he was baring his soul to a person that he barely knew, that was a friend of a friend (who themselves was really more a friend's brother). Still, it was better than just constantly keeping this to himself, wasn't it? If he didn't say something to *someone*, he'd burst. "I mean, she's my best friend. It's just...I shouldn't like her."
Lanny cocked his head to one side, clearly asking 'why not?'
"Because she's my best friend," Gordo repeated, furrowing his brow, unable to come up with a better argument. He had tons of reasons in the 'con' column floating around his head, but he couldn't quite give them voice. With a sigh, he finally said, "Because she doesn't like me like that."
Lanny shook his head, and suggested with a shrug that that wasn't necessarily true.
"Because she asked me to dance in her backyard on Sadie Hawkins Day?" Gordo repeated the words that were never said. "Well, that was different, you know...she was just upset..."
Lanny raised one eyebrow, questioning the validity of that statement.
Gordo sighed. "It would just never work out between us," he said resolutely, biting into his sandwich. As Lanny shrugged and returned to his own lunch, Melina returned to her seat next to Gordo, triumphantly holding Jody Hale's pudding cup. The trio was so absorbed in their lunches that none of them noticed the smirk crossing Adam Barton's face.
~~~~~
"Ugggh, I hate pop quizzes," Lizzie complained, hugging her books to her chest as her own trio slunk out of the math room.
"Me too," Matt said with a groan, trying to readjust Gordo's uncomfortable messenger bag on his shoulder. Couldn't the guy use a backpack like everyone else?
"What're you talking about, Gordo? You love pop quizzes," Lizzie said.
"Lizzie, he's being normal for once. Don't try to revert him back to his former self," Miranda said. She put her arm around Matt's shoulders and shook him slightly. "My little Gordo's finally growing *down*," she said with mock pride, smiling at him. Matt smiled nervously back at her, secretly reveling in her touch, but she let him go.
"Well, he may be the new and improved Gordo, but I bet he still gets hungry like prototype Gordo," Lizzie said. "Lunch?"
"What're they serving in the caf?" Miranda asked.
"I think it's mystery meat day," Lizzie said as they stopped at her locker. "Thank God my mom packed me lunch."
Matt's stomach rumbled, and he thought of the lunch that Mrs. Gordon had ever-so-thoughtfully *not* prepared him. Mystery meat? Ugh.
Reaching the cafeteria, Miranda started off for the lunch line, Matt on her heels. But he was held back when Lizzie roughly grabbed the shoulder of his t-shirt and pulled him back. "Just *where* do you think you're going?"
"To get lunch?"
"Not right now you're not. This is our opportunity, while Miranda's gone."
Matt's eyes widened. Lizzie wasn't going to *kiss* him or anything, was she? Gross! "I, um, I, I, uh..." he stammered, eyes darting around frantically, looking for an exit.
Lizzie was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "What is *with* you, Gordo? We have to plan her party, hello?"
The party! Matt relaxed instantly. "Oh, that. Yeah. Okay."
"So, what do you think we should do?"
"Kidnap Brad Pitt?" Matt suggested, scanning the recesses of his mind for any little tidbits he knew about Miranda.
Lizzie rolled her eyes, not amused. "How about something slightly more doable," she said dryly.
"I dunno, just get all of her friends together at our --*your*-- house, cake, her favorite CDs, all that good stuff. It doesn't have to be spectacular, you know."
"But I want it to be spectacular," Lizzie said stubbornly.
"Do you really have the time or the money to pull of the party of the millennium?" Matt said, and her eyes clouded over as she pondered this. "No," he said without waiting for an answer. "Listen, I'll distract Miranda after school today while you go and invite everybody, okay?"
Lizzie grabbed him roughly and kissed his forehead. "You're brilliant sometimes, Gordo," she said.
"Try all of the time," Matt said, trying not to recoil from her touch. "Can I go get lunch now?"
"Go crazy," Lizzie said, taking her bag lunch to their usual table.
"I fully intend to," Matt called over his shoulder. "I'm starving."
As he surveyed the rather unappetizing display of gravy-laden mystery meat, he suddenly didn't feel so ravenous anymore.
