Disclaimer: Man, I'm tired of doin' this! *hehe* Absolutely nothing.
A/N: This is our new story 'No one knows'. Our (us) being Amanda (SuNsHiNe BeLLe) and Lauren (tic-tac) two popular authors here. We decided to collaborate together to make a joint account and stories (mostly lm ones) together since we are such good friends! Anyways we'll each do one chapter after another (lauren, then amanda, then lauren, then amanda etc) Anyways we hope you like it and please remember to review! We plan to make this a light happy sweet story with plenty of fun and excitement. We don't really have any specific plans, we just came up with the idea (Believe us, it took a long while) We're not sure how long it'll be. All we know is that it's going to be fun and hopefully good! Also check out our own stories. 'Remember me', 'Unexpected Love', (both by Amanda) and 'Feelings', and 'Two Hearts: One Beat' (both by Lauren) Check those out and remember to read and reply! Thank you and enjoy the story!
No One KnowsChapter 1: Do you Dare?
"So… what are we going to do this summer?" 16-year-old Lizzie McGuire asked, stretching out her legs and tilting her head back. She pushed the sunglasses over her eyes and clasped her hands over her stomach. David 'Gordo' Gordon looked up from his camera and sighed.
"What is this?" he asked; "the tenth time you've asked me?" Lizzie sat up and pulled off her shades, staring with a raised eyebrow at Gordo. She held up her hands defensively.
"Well, if you'd just respond the first time…" she started, glaring playfully at her best friend. Gordo ignored her again and picked up a screwdriver from the toolbox lying next to him. Lizzie rolled her eyes.
"Exactly what I mean!" she cried, waving her hands around pointedly. Gordo still didn't talk to her; he continued to work furiously on prying the batteries out of his beloved camera. Lizzie tried to go back to her tanning – it didn't work. She jumped off of her lawn chair and stomped her foot.
"David Gordon, talk to me!" she exploded. From his place on the lawn, Gordo cracked a small smile. Seeing her get mad just made his day more interesting. Lizzie moved towards him threateningly. Suddenly she stopped short, snapping her fingers.
"Oh! I know!" she exclaimed, grabbing Gordo's arm in an attempt to yank him off the grass. Gordo took one look at her determined face, and complied, getting up off of the lawn to stand next to her. Lizzie looked up at him and smiled warmly.
"Let's go to the mall!" she cried, giggling. Gordo rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly.
"If I had a nickel for every time you said that…" he started, snorting in laughter. Lizzie pouted reproachfully, and Gordo placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"C'mon Liz. We went to the mall yesterday. How about we go to the park instead?"
"Why the park?" Lizzie asked skeptically. Gordo turned his face away and grabbed her hand, leading her towards his car. She laughed and tugged her hand free, only to grasp his hand again, loosely intertwining her fingers with his.
"There. That's better." She chuckled and swung their hands forward in a childish fashion. Gordo smiled, enjoying every second of it.
When they reached his car, Gordo got in and sat in the driver's seat next to Lizzie, who promptly plopped herself in the passenger's spot. She reached into her purse and brought out a cell-phone, brandishing it in front of Gordo.
"Don't want the mom-patrol looking for me," she explained, dialing her mom's cell-phone number. Gordo nodded in agreement.
While Lizzie talked on the phone, Gordo leaned back in the front seat, folding his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes in deep thought.
Why, oh why, did he have to open his big mouth? It was bad enough that Miranda was gone for the summer, off visiting relatives in Mexico. Why couldn't they have just gone to the mall? There were people there – distractions. He could take his mind off Lizzie. Why did he have to choose of the most romantic places he could think of? It was almost as bad as asking her to go to the movies with him. Of course, he knew she'd say yes to that too, but she wouldn't think of as more. She wouldn't think of it as a 'date', like he desperately wanted it to be.
Gordo sighed. It was horrible. He could barely speak to Lizzie without blushing or shaking. He knew that he should do something, but he stayed back in the shadows, watching the other guys take the initiative, walking up to Lizzie and smiling invitingly. It took every ounce of his strength to control himself – to try to ignore those other guys. Sometimes though, he felt ready to jump up and fight.
But, where would that get him? Right back to the beginning – where he was now.
"Okay; ready Gordo," Lizzie announced, buckling her seat belt across her lap. She looked up to see Gordo watching her, and she smiled, pushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Gordo abruptly shook his head, breaking out of his stupor. He blinked his eyes several times and took out his keys, thrusting them into the ignition. As he shifted into gear, he realized something; he felt a streak of pride. Here he was - David Gordon. Typical, everyday David Gordon, driving a beautiful girl to a park. He almost laughed. It sounded to dumb to him. Why should he care that he was driving Lizzie somewhere? Nobody's going to care except him.
But, deep down, Gordo knew. He knew it was crazy and absurd, but, in the back of his mind, he wanted people to notice him – he wanted them to think of Lizzie and him as a couple. He wanted them to feel the jealousy that he himself dealt with all these years.
"Gordo?" Lizzie asked, looking at him in concern; "you're stalling. Are you okay?"
"Yep, just fine," Gordo replied quickly, starting to back out of the driveway. Lizzie looked thoughtful for a second, and lapsed into silence. She rested her head in her hand, and looked out of the window, watching the trees flash by. Sighing, she rolled down the window, closing her eyes. It felt good to feel the warm summer wind upon her face.
Summer… finally.
"I wonder what Miranda's doing now," Lizzie pondered aloud, tracing her finger along the top of the car window. She turned her head to look at Gordo.
"Dunno," he said, clearly not listening to her. He kept his eyes on the road, squinting in concentration. Lizzie laughed at him.
"Lighten up, David!" she said teasingly, knowing full well he would have to listen to her now; no one got away with calling him David and lived to tell the tale. Lizzie saw Gordo's face scrunch up at his proper name, but he still watched the road carefully, switching on his signal to turn. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
"Still not going to talk to me, eh?" she cried out in frustration, emitting a little '#####' and settling deeper into the front seat of her friend's car. Gordo cracked a small smile, loving the attention he was receiving. He began to hum quietly, unable to hide his grin.
"You were listening!" Lizzie exclaimed, hitting him in the head with the palm of her hand. Gordo held up a warning hand, raising his eyebrows.
"Don't touch the driver please, miss," he recited, beginning to hum again. Lizzie furrowed her eyebrows and turned up the radio loudly, startling Gordo. He jumped, but still kept his eyes on the road.
"Kiss 106.1 – stay tuned for more songs by –,"
Gordo turned the station, cringing in disgust.
"Cheer up, sleepy Jean… oh what can it mean –,"
Lizzie pursed her lips, accepting the challenge.
"Savage Garden and Michelle Branch. Their hits have raised –,"
Gordo casually went back to his station.
"… To a, daydream believer and a – homecoming queen…"
Lizzie switched it back.
"Charts -,"
Gordo took his hand off the wheel for a moment and switched to his station. He covered the tuning knob with his hand so that Lizzie couldn't reach it.
"… So, just curl up on the couch and enjoy this fine summer afternoon! Remember your feel-good radio station – 97.3, KBSG! Great oldies for the weekend – back-to-back-to-back!"
Lizzie rolled her eyes, but Gordo held his hand fast on the knob. Soon, they were listening to the songs, enjoying the breeze on their faces. Only Gordo sang along with the radio station, while Lizzie laughed.
"I didn't know you liked oldies, Gordo!" she cried between giggles. He shrugged and began to hum to a song by Simon and Garfunkel. Lizzie watched him, thunderstruck. She shook her head, blinking her eyes. Then, embarrassed, she looked out of the window as Gordo began to sing the song softly.
"Cecilia, you're breaking my heart… you're shaking my confidence daily…"
Lizzie turned her head slightly.
"Oh Cecilia, I'm down on my knees… I'm begging you please… to come home…"
Gordo took a breath, watching the road intently with eyes that seemed to penetrate through steel.
"Making love in the afternoon… with Cecilia up in my bedroom… I got up to wash my face and when I come back… someone's taken my place…" Gordo finished, sighing. Lizzie stared at her friend as he began to drive down a side road.
"Yeah. I like oldies," Gordo finally replied. He drove through the small forest, looking flustered. He fell silent, and an awkward hush followed. Finally, the wood opened into a small parking lot, and Gordo parked his car quickly. He got out and helped his friend out too, blushing slightly. Lizzie, however, did not notice as she stared toward the sky, twisting slightly to look through the trees at different angles.
"Wow," she whispered, enjoying the peaceful sunlight shining on her hair and warming her body. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt the presence of Gordo standing close to her. He put a hand on her shoulder, and looked up at the tall, looming trees. She turned her head around and smiled at him.
"Okay, let's go have some fun!"
"Depends on what you classify as 'fun'," Gordo said, removing his hand from her shoulder. "If you are a thrill-seeking freak with an obsession for unhealthy risks, then this is not the place for you. But, if you're a tree hugging, oldie-lover like me, then I think you will find it a pleasant excursion. Tea, anyone?"
Lizzie laughed and rolled her eyes. "Gordo, you're a moron."
"In a good way?" asked Gordo, acting innocent. Lizzie sighed.
"Yes, sweetie, in a good way."
They both laughed and began to walk towards the entrance of the park. Unexpectedly, Lizzie jumped up and down, giggling.
"Oh! Look Gordo!" she squealed, pointing at a billboard as they passed by. She turned to him with shining eyes, and for a fleeting moment, Gordo totally melted.
"They have piglets! Piglets!" she smiled happily. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a large, wood barn. "I think they're in here!"
Lizzie and Gordo walked into the hay-strewn barn, and Lizzie immediately jumped towards a stall, leaning over the railing in expressed excitement. Eleven small, pink piglets were trotting around, sniffing, squealing, and tumbling in pleasure. Every once and a while, one of them would stare up at Lizzie for a moment, squeak, and run to its mother, who was calmly lying on the floor of the stall, covered in bedding. The small piglet then snuggled close to its mother, nursing. As it regained its courage, it looked up at Lizzie again with curiosity reflecting in its diminutive, watery eyes. Lizzie shook with the effort to suppress a squeal just like the small piglet underneath her. Gordo laughed at his friend and the small animal.
"Oh… you'd be such a cute couple!" Gordo exclaimed in a fake-girly voice, raising his tone an octave or two. Lizzie laughed, startling the small creature into denial. It stepped away from its mother and pranced around, appearing to show off. Gordo laughed, and pulled Lizzie away from railing.
"C'mon Liz… let's go look at something else," he coaxed, holding her arm. She followed him reluctantly, and they walked out of the barn together.
Over the next hour, they walked, ran, and jogged throughout the park. Actually, it was usually that Lizzie saw an animal she adored, and ran towards it – Gordo following. If they had been eight years younger, they would not have acted any differently. Lizzie was squealing at every cute animal, and Gordo was right beside her, making jokes.
It was only when they sat down, exhausted, that they enjoyed the park's scenery. It was very beautiful. A thin, trickling stream was weaving throughout the park, and the assortment of trees gave the park an exotic appearance to the untrained eye. The sun was beginning to go down when they finally decided that they would have to go: Lizzie didn't want her mom to be worried, and Gordo forgot his jacket – his arms were covered in goose bumps.
They were about to go when a female voice hailed them.
"Excuse me?" A girl their age walked up to them, holding out some pamphlets. She had long black hair – which was tied up in a ponytail – and dark, deep eyes. She strutted up to them, and Lizzie immediately detected an air of arrogance hovering around her. The girl glanced at Lizzie skeptically, and then smiled warmly at Gordo.
"Would you two like to be counselors for our summer program? We need three, and, well, since I'm one of them, I was in charge of finding two extras," she waved this aside with a flick of her wrist. "Anyways, you would be in charge of taking care of children during a camp – namely kids from six to twelve. We need responsible, good-natured teens," she smiled at Gordo; "and I was watching you both. You seem perfect."
Lizzie looked at Gordo, but he was staring intently at the girl, seeming deep in thought. She glowered inwardly, crossing her arms. The girl continued.
"You would be in charge of getting them their meals, making sure they behave, etcetera. The camp lasts a week, and it's located right here at Ferrell McWhirter. You two are sixteen, right?" she asked quickly, glancing Gordo's way. Lizzie pursed her lips, not liking the way she was looking at him.
"Yeah," she answered. The girl smiled joyfully, clapping her hands together enthusiastically.
"That's great!" she exclaimed, looking at the pamphlets. "So, are you and your boyfriend going to join?"
Lizzie and Gordo both blushed. Gordo looked at Lizzie quickly, embarrassed that someone would think that, but pleased at the same time.
"We're… we're not boyfriend and girlfriend," Gordo said hastily, "we're just friends."
"Oh!" the girl cried, giggling, "sorry!"
Lizzie again got the feeling that she didn't like this girl. Suddenly, the girl hit her forehead with the palm of her hand.
"Stupid me!" she cried, laughing, "imagine, not even introducing myself properly!" she extended a smooth, tanned hand. "My name is Allison. Yours?"
"David; but you can call me Gordo. Everyone else does." Gordo shook her hand, and she smiled brightly. Lizzie shook her hand.
"The name's Lizzie," she said, narrowing her eyes in displeasure. Allison stared at her for a second with a stony face, and turned back to Gordo, beaming warmly.
"Well, here you go." She handed them some registration forms, "fill these out and bring them with you on Wednesday. That is, if you're going to do it."
"Sure," Gordo replied instantly. Allison smiled, and looked at Lizzie, as if daring her to join too.
"I'm in," she stated firmly.