Part Eight:
Miranda couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Lizzie. Even though it had only been about dresses, it had felt like old times.
Maybe I should tell her and Gordo the truth, she thought. After all, they used to tell each other everything.
But things have changed, another part of her thought. We're not best friends anymore. Thinking the words sent a pain through her. We're not even really friends anymore...
Brenda and Miranda had decided to go out to dinner with their dates, double up. Luckily for the girls, the boys spent the whole time talking about some dumb video game, so they managed to talk and have a good time.
But at the dance, that changed.
After the couples had their pictures taken, Brenda and Miranda decided to get theirs done. But the photographer told them, "Couples only!" But we are a couple! Miranda thought sadly. If they only knew...
When the slow dances began, Brenda danced with Tudgeman. Miranda, reluctantly, danced the first couple of songs with Cody, but when the third came on, she said she had to go to the bathroom and bolted.
In the bathroom, who did she find once again but Lizzie.
"Oh!" Lizzie said in surprise as Miranda burst in. She was reapplying her eyeliner. "Hey, Miranda! Having a good time?"
"Um...yeah," she lied, standing next to her to look in the mirror. "Great."
"Poor Gordo, he's not exactly the best dancer in the school," Lizzie sighed. "But then again, nobody's perfect."
"Hey, remember the time that he took us to the lounge dance?" Miranda couldn't help spitting out. "He wasn't so bad of a dancer then."
"Yeah, but that was to his own music. He just know how to handle the current stuff, you know?" Miranda nodded in agreement, and pretended to be very interested in a "zit" above her left eyebrow.
Lizzie didn't want to leave quite yet, so she put her eyeliner away and grabbed out her lipliner. "So...what's the deal with Brenda going with Tudgeman?"
"Um, well, you know...she kinda felt bad for him, so when he asked her, she accepted." Miranda wanted to tell the truth, so bad, but she couldn't.
Lizzie nodded thoughtfully. "That's so nice of her."
"Yeah. She's one of the few people that doesn't treat Tudgeman like a freak."
"Remember that party?" Lizzie asked suddenly. "He wasn't so bad then."
Miranda sighed at the memory. Tudgeman had looked really cute...but she hadn't been attracted to him. I hope he doesn't think that's his fault, she thought. I am a lesbian, after all...
She looked into Lizzie's eyes. I have to tell her, she decided. I have to have my friends back.
"Hey, Lizzie?"
"Um...yeah?"
"Could you go find Gordo? And meet me in five minutes by the gym storage room?" Lizzie frowned, curious. "There's something I have to tell you guys."
"Um...sure. Five minutes." Lizzie left right away, wondering what Miranda could want.
Miranda, meanwhile, went to go find Brenda. She found her at the refreshment table, searching through the cooler for a Diet Coke. "Hey, Mira!" she exclaimed at the sight of her girlfriend. "Man, is this dance fun or what?"
"Yeah," Miranda agreed. "Listen, Brenda...I have to tell them."
"Tell who? What?" Then Brenda realized. She frowned. "You wanna tell Gordo and Lizzie about...us?"
Miranda nodded. "I miss them, Brenda. They've been my friends for...as long as I can remember, you know? And they wouldn't reject us, I'm sure of it! And if they did," Miranda added, praying they wouldn't, "at least I would know who my real friends are."
Brenda, to Miranda's surprise, nodded. "Okay."
"Come on. I told them to meet us by the gym storage room. Let's go." Brenda hadn't counted on being there for the confession, but she went along.
Miranda and Brenda found Lizzie and Gordo, waiting. Miranda burst out, "You guys, I've missed you so much. I know that you guys, especially Lizzie," she couldn't help added, "have felt threatened by Brenda..."
"I-"
"No, Lizzie, just let me finish," Miranda said quickly. She took a deep breath and slowed down. "But you guys don't have to worry. Brenda is not my new best friend..." She took a deep breath.
"She's my girlfriend."
Lizzie actually gasped, and Gordo's eyes got huge. "G-girlfriend?" Lizzie sputtered. "Like...like, going out? Lesbians?" Miranda nodded grimly.
"Wow," Gordo said. "I mean, I never would've thought..."
Brenda didn't seem to know what to do. She wouldn't look at anyone, just at the floor.
"Do you...do you guys hate me?" Miranda asked after a minute of silence.
Lizzie burst into tears and hugged her best friend. "No! I could never hate you!" She turned to hug Brenda, too, and Gordo hugged Miranda. "Brenda, I thought you were trying to steal my best friend from me..."
Brenda shook her head. "I don't know how I could, you guys are so close."
Lizzie laughed through her tears. "So...I feel so much better now."
"You do?" Gordo asked, shocked. All the girls turned to him, surprised. He explained, "If anything, I feel more akward then ever..."
"Ignore him, the boy ain't right," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Miranda. "It'll take some getting used to...but if it makes you happy, Miranda..."
Miranda grinned. "It does, Lizzie. It really does." She hugged her girlfriend. "Brenda, you make me so happy. And now I have my friends back..." Hugs all around.
Lizzie no longer felt like an outsider around Brenda, and Brenda was now a part of their group. The best of times had arrived...
Too bad they never last.
Miranda couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Lizzie. Even though it had only been about dresses, it had felt like old times.
Maybe I should tell her and Gordo the truth, she thought. After all, they used to tell each other everything.
But things have changed, another part of her thought. We're not best friends anymore. Thinking the words sent a pain through her. We're not even really friends anymore...
Brenda and Miranda had decided to go out to dinner with their dates, double up. Luckily for the girls, the boys spent the whole time talking about some dumb video game, so they managed to talk and have a good time.
But at the dance, that changed.
After the couples had their pictures taken, Brenda and Miranda decided to get theirs done. But the photographer told them, "Couples only!" But we are a couple! Miranda thought sadly. If they only knew...
When the slow dances began, Brenda danced with Tudgeman. Miranda, reluctantly, danced the first couple of songs with Cody, but when the third came on, she said she had to go to the bathroom and bolted.
In the bathroom, who did she find once again but Lizzie.
"Oh!" Lizzie said in surprise as Miranda burst in. She was reapplying her eyeliner. "Hey, Miranda! Having a good time?"
"Um...yeah," she lied, standing next to her to look in the mirror. "Great."
"Poor Gordo, he's not exactly the best dancer in the school," Lizzie sighed. "But then again, nobody's perfect."
"Hey, remember the time that he took us to the lounge dance?" Miranda couldn't help spitting out. "He wasn't so bad of a dancer then."
"Yeah, but that was to his own music. He just know how to handle the current stuff, you know?" Miranda nodded in agreement, and pretended to be very interested in a "zit" above her left eyebrow.
Lizzie didn't want to leave quite yet, so she put her eyeliner away and grabbed out her lipliner. "So...what's the deal with Brenda going with Tudgeman?"
"Um, well, you know...she kinda felt bad for him, so when he asked her, she accepted." Miranda wanted to tell the truth, so bad, but she couldn't.
Lizzie nodded thoughtfully. "That's so nice of her."
"Yeah. She's one of the few people that doesn't treat Tudgeman like a freak."
"Remember that party?" Lizzie asked suddenly. "He wasn't so bad then."
Miranda sighed at the memory. Tudgeman had looked really cute...but she hadn't been attracted to him. I hope he doesn't think that's his fault, she thought. I am a lesbian, after all...
She looked into Lizzie's eyes. I have to tell her, she decided. I have to have my friends back.
"Hey, Lizzie?"
"Um...yeah?"
"Could you go find Gordo? And meet me in five minutes by the gym storage room?" Lizzie frowned, curious. "There's something I have to tell you guys."
"Um...sure. Five minutes." Lizzie left right away, wondering what Miranda could want.
Miranda, meanwhile, went to go find Brenda. She found her at the refreshment table, searching through the cooler for a Diet Coke. "Hey, Mira!" she exclaimed at the sight of her girlfriend. "Man, is this dance fun or what?"
"Yeah," Miranda agreed. "Listen, Brenda...I have to tell them."
"Tell who? What?" Then Brenda realized. She frowned. "You wanna tell Gordo and Lizzie about...us?"
Miranda nodded. "I miss them, Brenda. They've been my friends for...as long as I can remember, you know? And they wouldn't reject us, I'm sure of it! And if they did," Miranda added, praying they wouldn't, "at least I would know who my real friends are."
Brenda, to Miranda's surprise, nodded. "Okay."
"Come on. I told them to meet us by the gym storage room. Let's go." Brenda hadn't counted on being there for the confession, but she went along.
Miranda and Brenda found Lizzie and Gordo, waiting. Miranda burst out, "You guys, I've missed you so much. I know that you guys, especially Lizzie," she couldn't help added, "have felt threatened by Brenda..."
"I-"
"No, Lizzie, just let me finish," Miranda said quickly. She took a deep breath and slowed down. "But you guys don't have to worry. Brenda is not my new best friend..." She took a deep breath.
"She's my girlfriend."
Lizzie actually gasped, and Gordo's eyes got huge. "G-girlfriend?" Lizzie sputtered. "Like...like, going out? Lesbians?" Miranda nodded grimly.
"Wow," Gordo said. "I mean, I never would've thought..."
Brenda didn't seem to know what to do. She wouldn't look at anyone, just at the floor.
"Do you...do you guys hate me?" Miranda asked after a minute of silence.
Lizzie burst into tears and hugged her best friend. "No! I could never hate you!" She turned to hug Brenda, too, and Gordo hugged Miranda. "Brenda, I thought you were trying to steal my best friend from me..."
Brenda shook her head. "I don't know how I could, you guys are so close."
Lizzie laughed through her tears. "So...I feel so much better now."
"You do?" Gordo asked, shocked. All the girls turned to him, surprised. He explained, "If anything, I feel more akward then ever..."
"Ignore him, the boy ain't right," Lizzie said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Miranda. "It'll take some getting used to...but if it makes you happy, Miranda..."
Miranda grinned. "It does, Lizzie. It really does." She hugged her girlfriend. "Brenda, you make me so happy. And now I have my friends back..." Hugs all around.
Lizzie no longer felt like an outsider around Brenda, and Brenda was now a part of their group. The best of times had arrived...
Too bad they never last.
