Disclaimer: I don't own any Miranda, Lizzie, Gordo, Ethan, Larry, Cody, or Kate.

I didn't like him. He was annoying, unattractive, and would bring down my social

status if I was seen with him. But that night at my party, I had felt something while we

danced. I couldn't like him. Larry Tudgeman?

I pushed my black hair out of my eyes and watched as Lizzie approached me at

the lunch table, flanked by Gordo, her personal shadow. Every since those two had

started going out, they were more inseparable than ever. I knew that once they sat down

at the table, the handholding would begin. I rolled her eyes, but was still happy for my

best friends. They had found each other, now when would Ethan find me? I laughed, my

eyes on Ethan as he crashed into the door of the cafeteria, and then chuckled more as I

watched Kate begin to yell at him.

"Hey, Miranda, how are you?" Lizzie's voice, high and sweet, rang through my

ears, disrupting the "connection" with Ethan

"I'm good. How are you two?" I winked at the couple, whose cheeks were beginning to redden.

"Miranda, have you seen the new movie playing?" Gordo asked me, ever the film

director. He then began to babble all about the special effects that were used, causing

Lizzie to swat him in the head with her brownie.

"Enough, guys, remember what happened at the last food fight? Lizzie, you got

stuck in detention with the Queen Of The World and her side-kick, Stink- Boy." I laughed

at my own joke, and Gordo stared at me quizzically. Lizzie smiled, but I think she knew

something was up. The Kate part they could stand, but after my party last weekend, I

think they wouldn't take my badgering of poor Larry. I hadn't really talked to Lizzie, but

had confided in Gordo, who promised he wouldn't tell. I don't even know what I told

him. Something about me maybe liking Larry. What would happen if we went on a date?

Would he change his shirt? Take a shower? Take me to a Star Flip convention with him?

"I'm unlucky in love," I told Lizzie and Gordo, who nodded sympathetically. "No,

seriously. I've had two crushes all year, Cody Pearson, who had nothing to say after the

first five minutes of our date and Ethan, who, as much as I like him, has the intelligence

of a hairbrush." Lizzie laughed, and commented on how brains were better than brawn

any day. Ask her that last year, she would've told you brawn was good, but Ethan was

better. Such a metamorphosis in the span of a few months.

Larry was walking to our table. Gordo kicked me under the table but didn't meet

my eyes. He was going to hold this over my head forever. Larry slid into the seat next to

me and grinned.

"Miranda, Gordo, Lizzie, how's it going?" He smiled widely and raked a hand

through his dark hair, but barely made it through the grease.

"Ever thought of taking a shower, loser?" Kate breezed by our table, followed by

Ethan who was staring at the ceiling.

"Kate, look, I saw an elephant?" She elbowed him in the ribs, and dragged him

out of the cafeteria. The smile had dropped from Larry's face and he was paying an

inordinate amount of attention to his plate.

"Larry?" I nudged him, wanting him to look up. "Larry, don't take what Kate says

personally." At that moment, Lizzie and Gordo grabbed their trays and whisked them

away, bidding Larry and I goodbye as they walked to class together. "She's a witch, and

you're worth a thousand of her. A million." That was the largest compliment I had paid to

anyone, and it was going to Larry? But he looked at me and beamed, and launched into

an explanation about Spock.

"You know, Miranda, I like you. Almost as much as Star Trek. Maybe more." As

much as I hated to admit it, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. And it

came from Larry?

"Larry, I'm a bad person. I didn't like you for the longest time because of your

looks. When you showed up to my party as Lawrence, I wanted to know more about you.

But when I found out you were Larry, I still felt the same way. I didn't want to tell

anyone, but it's something I can't get over. I can't get over you."

I had admitted it. It wasn't a dream or a nightmare, it was reality. Reality was

Larry and I, sitting together at the lunch table, being watched by all the popular people

and not even caring. I liked Larry? I liked Larry.