Disclaimer: BAAAHH...GARY...MEOW...so sorry, it's a spongebob moment. I wish I owned Lizzie McGuire...so then I could meet Adam Lamberg...pitter patter.

A/N: ReVieW ReVieW ReVieW BaBy...tee hee hee...I am going to be starting a new story soon. I'm working on the first chapter. It's going to be a romantic comedy...I'm just cracking up thinking of it...yah, ok...just read. LoL

Starting Over

"Miranda, I think I did something kind of stupid," Gordo said, as the two best friends walked past the endless rows of CDs at Strawberry's Music. Miranda put down the Latin Dance Remix CD she was holding and looked at Gordo.

"What did you do?"

"Uh," Gordo looked around, then down at his feet. "I think Lizzie really hates me now," he said sadly.

"Why are you worrying about that? You're better off anyways..." Miranda said distantly. She picked another CD up, the newest hit music CD. She fumbled with it in her cold hands, as Gordo studied her every move. "I'm going to get this," Miranda said finally, pulling her wallet out of her purse. As she approached the counter, she saw a thin necklace, covered with small rhinestones. "Lizzie would love this- -" she said, catching herself. She lowered her hand from the necklace, and looked over at Gordo who nodded at her. She picked the necklace up, and put it on top of the CD and pushed it to the clerk. He rang the amount up, and Miranda and Gordo left and walked outside and found a bench to sit on.

"You miss her, don't you Gordo?" Miranda asked after a small pause. He looked up at her, not wanting to answer the question. But screaming on both their insides was 'yes'.

Gordo sighed, and looked at his hands. "Can you blame me? She was my best friend, for what, forever?" He said in a less than pleasant voice. But Miranda understood completely.

"I do too," Miranda said quietly, watching two children play with the small candy machines that the three used to use. "Remember when we were 9 and we came here and we used those things, Gordo?" Miranda said smiling.

"How can I forget...?"

Flashback- 9 years old

Three young children ran across the empty parking lot, the hot summer morning. The sun was making its way up past the trees, and was snaking its way through open branches. They ran over to the small candy machines and put their quarters in.

"I got cracker jacks!" the young Gordo exclaimed. He opened the box in a rush and started pulling out handfuls of the cameral popcorn. The two girls began giggling furiously. "What is it?" he asked, dumfounded.

Between giggles, Lizzie spoke; "You got it all over yourself, Gordo!" he looked down at himself and shrugged. Small morsels of food were clinging onto his white T-Shirt, and he had tiny crumbs around his mouth. He smiled warmly, and went to hug Miranda, but she ran away screaming. Taking the hint, he brushed the crumbs off his shirt, and took a small napkin from Lizzie and wiped his mouth off.

"All better?" he asked. The girls nodded. Lizzie continued fumbling with her container, which held a packet up gumdrops. She opened the lid, and popped a red one in her mouth. Miranda had M&M's held in her hand, and the color was staining her palm.

"Miranda, your hand is drawing a picture!" Lizzie said laughing. Miranda looked at her hand, and began licking the color off. "Ew," she said her smile dropping.

"Hey! There's something in here!" Gordo said excitedly. He forced his small hand into the even smaller box and pulled something out, clutched in his grubby fingers. Lizzie and Miranda scooted in a little closer to him.

"What is it, Gordo?" Miranda asked him curiously. He smiled back,

"Its something for only me and Lizzie to know," he said, plopping the small item into Lizzie's hidden hand. She turned away from Miranda and looked inside her hand and in the middle of her palm was a golden ring with a small diamond.

END Flashback

- - - - -

Lizzie sat in the kitchen, making herself a salad for lunch. Her mother was baking blueberry muffins, opposite of her.

"Hey mom, do you want a salad?" she asked. Her mother looked up from the batter and smiled.

"Thank you honey, that's very sweet of you," she said smiling. Lizzie looked back at her mom and gave her a genuine smile. She was so glad things were back to normal with her mom, she was finally off thin ice. Unfortunately, her mom knew most of the details of what had happened.

"Hey Lizzie!" Matt, Lizzie's 11-year-old brother yelled as he ran down the stairs. She looked up over her salad, and raised her eye brow at her brother.

"What is it, Matt?" she asked. Her and her brother had been acting more friendly towards each other, considering he was getting older.

"Uh, well, I found Sage in your room," Matt said, obviously leaving something out. Sage was their black lab puppy.

"What was he doing in there?" Lizzie asked, astonished that her puppy could even make it up the staircase, considering how small she was.

"He was about to chew on something, you see....." Matt broke off, not wanted to tell her. "You left your jewelry box open on your bed, and he got a ring. I got it from him, but he chipped the little diamond," Matt said finally. "I'm really sorry," he said, extending his hand out forward, dropping the small ring in her hand. She stared at the ring, longingly. It was the ring Gordo had given her, the year she turned 9. In the corner of the tiny ring, there was a small chip out of the fake diamond. It wasn't very noticeable, but to Lizzie, it ruined the significance of the ring itself. It no longer smelled like crackerjacks, just dog breath.

"Thanks Matt," Lizzie said very distantly. She was remembering the IM she had found once she was signed off. She wished she could have relied, told him she was sorry for what she had done at school. Lizzie's thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. Her little brother jumped off the stool he was on and reached the cordless phone and answered it.

"Lizzie, it's for you," he said, handing her the phone. She wished it were Gordo.

"Hello?" Lizzie asked, waiting to hear who's voice it was.

"Lizzie, hey, it's Will."

Her heart stopped at the mention of his name, the sound of his voice. "How did he get my number?" Lizzie asked herself, wondering if she had given it to him at all.

"Will, what's up?" she asked, trying to be casual. She was walking up the stairs, and she almost tripped from her nervousness. How had he gotten her number, and why in the world was he calling her...a freshman.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to know if you are going to the game tonight. It's at 6:00 and it's a home game," he said. He sounded to relaxed; Lizzie could drown herself in his voice. She got to the top of the stairs and went in her room.

"Sure, I can go. I'd love to," she said, taking herself aback at how calm she sounded.

"Great! Try to get there at 5 so we can talk and hang out, oh, and there is going to be an after party afterwards, so ask your mom if you can go, and I'll drive you home before 12."

"Ok, I'm sure she'll be fine with it."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few hours then," he said as he hung up. Lizzie turned her phone off and closed her door. She leaned back against it, and almost melted on her floor.

Lizzie crossed her room and opened her closet to scan her choices.

"This year, I am finally starting over."