"What was that?" Gordo asked, leaning back against the chair in
Lizzie's apartment.
"You remember Isabella right? From Rome?"
"Yeah." Gordo replied slowly.
"Well, she wants me to come to Rome and be a stunt double for her video."
Gordo nodded. "That's cool."
"Gordo!" Lizzie squealed.
"What?"
"I can't be a stunt double! I'll never know how I made it around that stage without falling on my face!"
Gordo walked over and looked over her shoulder at the numbers she'd written down, his eyes lingered upon the several digits. "Is that how much you'd be paid?"
Lizzie took a deep breath and nodded.
"Lizzie, that's enough to get your through college!"
"Yeah, I know." She leaned her head against her hand. "But last time I went to Rome."
"You had an amazing time, and you got confidence."
Lizzie stated at him. He had a point, but Gordo always had a point. As her best friend he was always straight forward with her and honest. "But through everything, I had you to fall back on. Would you go with me?"
Gordo laughed softly. "I can't afford a trip to Rome, Lizzie."
She shook her head. "Then I'm not going."
"Lizzie! You can't just not go cause I'm not! This is like something incredible that you can't just pass up."
"But Gordo, I can't do it alone, I have to have someone to talk to."
"Call me then!"
Lizzie playfully rolled her eyes. "For what you'll spend on a phone bill you might as well come with me."
"So you're going to do it?"
Lizzie paused and looked at the paper. Going back to Rome would mean thinking about Paolo again, something she hadn't done since she'd left. He'd pretended to be so nice, and kind, he really deserved an Oscar for the performance he'd given.
Lizzie shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn't be a stunt double, it was an accomplishment to make it through the day without falling twice. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.
"Ciao?"
"Isabella?"
"Sí?"
"This is Lizzie, Lizzie McGuire."
"Sí.have you decided that you will do it?"
"Isabella, I'm not really stunt double material, I-I mean, I trip and fall all the time," she paused and took a breath. Gordo shook his head and stared out the window.
"Lizzie, there will be a stunt coordinator there who will help you, train you. You will be perfect for this. If it is where you will stay, do not worry about that, I will see to it that you have the finest hotel in Rome."
"But, even then, Isabella-"
"Would you like to bring someone? A friend? We will get them a room also and pay for your air fare to and from Rome."
"But Isabella, I-"
"And, an extra week in Rome, we will pay for your hotel, and food."
Lizzie's jaw dropped at everything that would happen if she just quit arguing and got over her fears and said yes. "I'll do it," she stated softly.
"You will?" Isabella echoed.
"You will?" Gordo asked, shocked.
"Yes, I'll do it," she stated again, convincing herself.
"Wonderful! Grazie," Isabella replied. "If you will give me your address, my manager will work everything out with you."
After Lizzie hung up the phone, she turned around and looked at Gordo. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gordo shook his head and smiled. "I just can't believe that you, Lizzie McGuire are going to be a stunt double."
Lizzie laughed. "No, once again, it's me Isabella, doing something that Lizzie McGuire would never do." Her laughter died away and she titled her head, shaking her blonde locks away from her eyes. "Gordo, can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Will you come with me, if everything is paid for?"
"Well, sure, but Lizzie, everything isn't paid for, and I can't let you pay for me."
"I'm not going to. Isabella is. She was trying to convince me, and said I could bring a friend and after the video, we can have a week in Rome with the hotel paid for and food."
Gordo stared at her. "Really? Sure, I'll go. When do we leave?"
Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know her manager is supposed to get back with me."
Gordo glanced at his watch, then back up at Lizzie. "That's awesome, Lizzie. I've got to get going, but I'll call you okay?"
She nodded, watching him shut the door behind him. She was still in part shock about what she'd done. She wondered like she had before about Isabella. This girl who looked exactly like her, but no one knew anything about her.
She'd asked questions, was it possible they had been separated, were there some kind of weird family link? But everything had ended up the same way. Nothing linking them, just the freakish coincidence they looked the same.
Lizzie stood up, crossed her room, and stood in front of the mirror. Even now, three years after she'd learned the truth, it was still hard to imagine that her face was out there, in a completely different country.
She picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number.
"Hi, honey, what's up?"
"Mom, I'm going to Rome again."
"Again?! Why?"
"Isabella is filming a video, and she'd offering me a lot of money to come and be her stand in."
Jo was quiet for a few moments. "What kind of stunts?"
"Nothing that isn't going to be supervised by a stunt coordinator," Lizzie answered quickly. "It's all going to be safe."
"How long?" Jo asked, trying to hide the hurt of being separated from her only daughter.
"I'm not really sure yet, her manager is supposed to call me with all the information." Lizzie selected an apple and stood up. "I'm going to get off of here, but I'll let you know as soon as I find something out."
She fell back onto the bed wondering what she had gotten herself into.
***
"You remember Isabella right? From Rome?"
"Yeah." Gordo replied slowly.
"Well, she wants me to come to Rome and be a stunt double for her video."
Gordo nodded. "That's cool."
"Gordo!" Lizzie squealed.
"What?"
"I can't be a stunt double! I'll never know how I made it around that stage without falling on my face!"
Gordo walked over and looked over her shoulder at the numbers she'd written down, his eyes lingered upon the several digits. "Is that how much you'd be paid?"
Lizzie took a deep breath and nodded.
"Lizzie, that's enough to get your through college!"
"Yeah, I know." She leaned her head against her hand. "But last time I went to Rome."
"You had an amazing time, and you got confidence."
Lizzie stated at him. He had a point, but Gordo always had a point. As her best friend he was always straight forward with her and honest. "But through everything, I had you to fall back on. Would you go with me?"
Gordo laughed softly. "I can't afford a trip to Rome, Lizzie."
She shook her head. "Then I'm not going."
"Lizzie! You can't just not go cause I'm not! This is like something incredible that you can't just pass up."
"But Gordo, I can't do it alone, I have to have someone to talk to."
"Call me then!"
Lizzie playfully rolled her eyes. "For what you'll spend on a phone bill you might as well come with me."
"So you're going to do it?"
Lizzie paused and looked at the paper. Going back to Rome would mean thinking about Paolo again, something she hadn't done since she'd left. He'd pretended to be so nice, and kind, he really deserved an Oscar for the performance he'd given.
Lizzie shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn't be a stunt double, it was an accomplishment to make it through the day without falling twice. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.
"Ciao?"
"Isabella?"
"Sí?"
"This is Lizzie, Lizzie McGuire."
"Sí.have you decided that you will do it?"
"Isabella, I'm not really stunt double material, I-I mean, I trip and fall all the time," she paused and took a breath. Gordo shook his head and stared out the window.
"Lizzie, there will be a stunt coordinator there who will help you, train you. You will be perfect for this. If it is where you will stay, do not worry about that, I will see to it that you have the finest hotel in Rome."
"But, even then, Isabella-"
"Would you like to bring someone? A friend? We will get them a room also and pay for your air fare to and from Rome."
"But Isabella, I-"
"And, an extra week in Rome, we will pay for your hotel, and food."
Lizzie's jaw dropped at everything that would happen if she just quit arguing and got over her fears and said yes. "I'll do it," she stated softly.
"You will?" Isabella echoed.
"You will?" Gordo asked, shocked.
"Yes, I'll do it," she stated again, convincing herself.
"Wonderful! Grazie," Isabella replied. "If you will give me your address, my manager will work everything out with you."
After Lizzie hung up the phone, she turned around and looked at Gordo. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gordo shook his head and smiled. "I just can't believe that you, Lizzie McGuire are going to be a stunt double."
Lizzie laughed. "No, once again, it's me Isabella, doing something that Lizzie McGuire would never do." Her laughter died away and she titled her head, shaking her blonde locks away from her eyes. "Gordo, can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Will you come with me, if everything is paid for?"
"Well, sure, but Lizzie, everything isn't paid for, and I can't let you pay for me."
"I'm not going to. Isabella is. She was trying to convince me, and said I could bring a friend and after the video, we can have a week in Rome with the hotel paid for and food."
Gordo stared at her. "Really? Sure, I'll go. When do we leave?"
Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know her manager is supposed to get back with me."
Gordo glanced at his watch, then back up at Lizzie. "That's awesome, Lizzie. I've got to get going, but I'll call you okay?"
She nodded, watching him shut the door behind him. She was still in part shock about what she'd done. She wondered like she had before about Isabella. This girl who looked exactly like her, but no one knew anything about her.
She'd asked questions, was it possible they had been separated, were there some kind of weird family link? But everything had ended up the same way. Nothing linking them, just the freakish coincidence they looked the same.
Lizzie stood up, crossed her room, and stood in front of the mirror. Even now, three years after she'd learned the truth, it was still hard to imagine that her face was out there, in a completely different country.
She picked up the phone and dialed her mother's number.
"Hi, honey, what's up?"
"Mom, I'm going to Rome again."
"Again?! Why?"
"Isabella is filming a video, and she'd offering me a lot of money to come and be her stand in."
Jo was quiet for a few moments. "What kind of stunts?"
"Nothing that isn't going to be supervised by a stunt coordinator," Lizzie answered quickly. "It's all going to be safe."
"How long?" Jo asked, trying to hide the hurt of being separated from her only daughter.
"I'm not really sure yet, her manager is supposed to call me with all the information." Lizzie selected an apple and stood up. "I'm going to get off of here, but I'll let you know as soon as I find something out."
She fell back onto the bed wondering what she had gotten herself into.
***