I don't own it.

===Voices Carry===

Miranda cowered in her room, wishing fervently that she could lock her door and shut out the world. She loved the fact that Gordo and Lizzie were concerned, and she was eternally grateful for their love, but they would be better off if they just stayed away.

She'd spent the morning hiding out in various bathrooms throughout the school. The thought of facing anyone was both scary and exhausting. Her body was feeling that tired ache, and she just wasn't in the mood for socializing or learning...or really much of anything. Even keeping up her disappearing act was wearing her out, because she had to move every so often so as to avoid suspicion.

No one knew. No one was ever going to know. She could continue to avoid and evade, to hide and pretend. But no one would ever know.

There was a knock at the door. Miranda closed her eyes and leaned against her pillows, plopping one across her face, not sure who she should hope was at the other end. Her mom would just be filled with questions and accusations. Lizzie and Gordo would want to know everything that was wrong. And those were the better options...

"What is it," Miranda asked, her words muffled by the pillow.

"Miranda?" Unfortunately, the pillow was muffling the response, too. With a sigh she flung it off her face and sat up. "What do you want," she said tonelessly.

The door swung open, and her mother's head poked through the gap. "Phone for you."

"Is it Lizzie?"

Her mother nodded.

Miranda sighed. She hesitated for a few seconds, then reluctantly got up and accepted the receiver. Her mother closed the door and walked down the hall. Miranda flounced into a chair and took Lizzie off hold. "Hi."

"Hey."

"Hey," said Gordo's voice. Miranda rolled her eyes. Fantastic. Three-way. Normally she loved it, but not when it was going to turn into a 'Bug Miranda' fest.

"What's up?" she asked, not bothering to even fake brightness.

"Not much. Missed you after school," Lizzie said. "Gordo came over and ate all of my cookies."

"Sounds like Gordo."

"I resent that," Gordo said.

"You're supposed to," Lizzie pointed out.

Hmm. Maybe they'd gotten over that morning's nosiness and were just going to let things be.

"So Miranda, you totally missed it in class today!" Lizzie said. "Mrs. Wortman was going over last night's homework, right? And Tudgeman is relating one of the equations to Star Wars again, and the window's open, and this *bee* flies in outta nowhere, and starts buzzing around Ethan's head, and he *freaks* out and starts waving his hands all around, you know, like he does when he dances? And *Kate* starts to freak out, and then Ethan runs out of the room, swatting at his head, while Kate's just protecting her hair and screaming. It was the funniest thing ever."

Miranda smiled. "Sounds like it."

"And in science we were supposed to dissect frogs, remember?" Gordo said. "But Larry let them all loose during lunch."

"So what did you do?" Miranda asked.

"Played science bingo with a hall monitor while Mr. Pettus chased down the frogs."

Miranda laughed slightly. "Cool." She was surprised that she actually missed having not been there, and not because the classes sounded entertaining.

But she couldn't let them know.

There was another rap on the door, and without waiting for a response, it opened. He stuck his head in, and Miranda drew into herself instinctively.

"Miranda. Dinner."

He said it with such authoritativeness that she couldn't help the flush of defiance running through her body. "I'm on the phone," she said bitingly, then immediately regretted her lack of judgment. His eyes flashed coldly. "I said now."

She bowed her head to avert her eyes. "Yes, sir," she mumbled, then added to her friends, "I gotta go, guys."

"Already?" Lizzie said sadly.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Okay. Well, see you tomorrow..?"

He was still staring at her, she could feel it, and she said, "Uh huh. Bye."

"Bye," her friends chorused, and she clicked off the phone, her only lifeline. She followed him into the hall.