Chapter One
"Another fourteen hours and we'll finally be home," I said as I settled into the plane seat next to my best friend, Gordo. And now, he was kinda my boyfriend. "I miss my room, and my- oh my gosh! Miranda's coming home tomorrow! I totally forgot!"
"It's been almost two months since the last time we saw her," Gordo replied, looking out his window at the incredible view of Rome in the morning. Then, he looked at me. "What do you think she'll say?"
"What, about me and you?" I questioned, even though I knew that was exactly what he was talking about. "She'll be happy. I think she knew this was going to happen."
*Toon Lizzie- At least, I hope that's what she'll think.*
"Lizzie, you didn't even know this was going to happen," Gordo said quizically, even though he wasn't asking a question. He has a way of doing that, and sometimes, it can get annoying. "What if we just don't tell her?"
"She's our-" I began to argue, but the distressed cries of my annoying little brother, Matt, interrupted me.
"No! Don't ground me!" he was begging my to my parents from the seat behind us in his pathetic, whiney voice. "It was just a stupid joke!"
"Matt!" I exclaimed, angrily turning around in my seat. "We are trying to have a conversation over here. What did you do now?"
"It was only a bug in a plastic ice cube," he whined to my parents, ignoring my question.
"Sorry, Lizzie," Mom said. "Your brother will be silent for the next fourteen hours or he will be grounded twice as long when we get home." She looked Matt in the eye and he instantly shut up.
"Thank you," I said as I turned back around to face Gordo. "Now. She's our best friend. We can't just lie to her like that, Gordo! Besides, she'll have to figure it out sooner or later."
"Yeah," Gordo sighed, looking out his window again. Knowing him, he was probably expecting a skywriter to fly by with the answer or something. "She doesn't know about your little quote unquote pop star episode, either."
"Gordo! How could she not?" I asked with a laugh. "It was only on the International Music Video Awards. International."
*Toon Lizzie- Duh! Why was he the one they wanted to start high school early?*
"Yeah, but we didn't even get the IMVAs at home," he reasoned logically. "If the United States didn't get it, chances are Mexico City didn't either."
*Toon Lizzie- Oh. That's why.*
"What am I going to tell her?" I asked rhetorically to no one in particular, resting my head on the back of the plane seat and closing my eyes.
When we got home, it was 4:30- in the morning. After dropping Gordo off at his house, we all went home and crashed. I slept until 1:30 in the afternoon, and I would have slept longer if my sleep wasn't interrupted.
"Lizzie!" a familiar voice called, waking me from a deep sleep. "Would you wake up already?"
"What do you want, Miranda?" I grumbed angrily, only caring about sleeping longer.
*Toon Lizzie- Miranda!*
When I realized who was waking me up, I jumped out of bed to hug my best friend. She looked taller, tanner, and had on the cutest red and orange peasant top- definitely borrowable. "Miranda!" I cried joyfully. "What are doing here?"
"We got back an hour ago," she replied, "and my parents dropped me off. I missed you so much!"
"I missed you, too!" I exclaimed, so happy to see her again. "How was Mexico City? That top is so cute!"
"Thanks," she said. "It was great. I got to see all my family again, but... I really wish I could have gone with you guys! By the way, I saw you on the IMVAs!"
*Toon Lizzie- Ha! See, I was right. In your face, Gordo!*
"Oh my gosh!" I gasped, sitting down in my butterfly chair. "What did you think?"
"You were great," she complimented as she sat down on the edge of my bed. "That dress was awesome. Wasn't it the same color as the dress you wore to the spring formal? You know, the one that Danny Kessler thought you- "
"Exactly," I answered quickly. "That's what I said!"
"So, how's Gordo?" Miranda asked casually. So casually that I was sure she knew. How did she know?"
"G-gordo," I repeated, my heart beginning to pound as I spoke. "W- what about Gordo?"
"Yeah," Miranda said, looking at me like I was out of my mind. Which, by this point, I probably was. "Was he, like, videotaping everything he saw?"
I sighed in relief. "Oh!" I exclaimed, smiling. "Yeah, kinda. We weren't really together that much. Gosh, Miranda, you really scared me. I thought you meant-" I stopped myself before I could say too much. "I thought you meant that... that you wanted to know what he thought of the performance. You know, on the IMVAs."
"Um, Lizzie," Miranda said in a very unsettling way. "I have known you since before kindergarten and from experience I know you are the world's worst liar. Is there something you need to tell me?"
"Why would you think that?" I asked, trying to sound all innocent and concerned. My heart was pounding again. I laughed nervously a little. "C- come on, Miranda. If you know me so well, what am I talking about?"
"I don't know," she said coyly, looking around my bedroom, probably for a clue or something. "Yet. But I am going to find out." Before I could stop her, Miranda hit the speakerphone button on my phone and speed dial 2- Gordo's number, right after her own.
"What?" we could hear Gordo ask groggily. I could tell she had just woken up. He has caller ID in his room, so he knew it was us.
*Toon Lizzie- Beside, who else calls Gordo? It's Gordo.*
"Gordo, it's me!" I yelled into the phone, so he'd be sure to hear me. "Don't listen to anything Miranda says! Don't answer any of her questions!"
Just as Miranda started to talk, I panicked. She could not find out this way! "This is what dreams are made of!" I began to sing as loudly as I could, but I was very off key. "Have you ever seen such a beau-" Miranda stuffed a pillow in my mouth to muffle the sound.
*Toon Lizzie- Mmrph.*
"Sorry, Miranda," I heard Gordo say, so I could tell he was now fully awake and understood the situation. "You're not getting anything out of me. No. This is up to Lizzie. For once, this is up to Lizzie."
Miranda whirled around to face me. "So it is something!" She pressed the button on the phone that hung it up.
I have never been a big fan of confrontation. I slowly backed up to try to get out of the room, but on my way out I bumped into Matt as he walked into my room.
"Watch it, slimeball," he said as I turned around, standing steadily again. He handed me the cordless phone from downstairs. "Phone for you. It's your bo-oy friend." As he ran off so I couldn't hurt him, he was singing at the top of his lungs, "Lizzie and Gordo, sitting in a tree. K-I- S-S-I-N-G."
"What?" Miranda asked, sounding shocked and a little hurt at the same time.
I clicked the cordless phone off and tossed it on my bed, forgetting that Gordo was on the other end.
*Toon Lizzie- Why won't the floor just open up and swallow me whole?*
"Another fourteen hours and we'll finally be home," I said as I settled into the plane seat next to my best friend, Gordo. And now, he was kinda my boyfriend. "I miss my room, and my- oh my gosh! Miranda's coming home tomorrow! I totally forgot!"
"It's been almost two months since the last time we saw her," Gordo replied, looking out his window at the incredible view of Rome in the morning. Then, he looked at me. "What do you think she'll say?"
"What, about me and you?" I questioned, even though I knew that was exactly what he was talking about. "She'll be happy. I think she knew this was going to happen."
*Toon Lizzie- At least, I hope that's what she'll think.*
"Lizzie, you didn't even know this was going to happen," Gordo said quizically, even though he wasn't asking a question. He has a way of doing that, and sometimes, it can get annoying. "What if we just don't tell her?"
"She's our-" I began to argue, but the distressed cries of my annoying little brother, Matt, interrupted me.
"No! Don't ground me!" he was begging my to my parents from the seat behind us in his pathetic, whiney voice. "It was just a stupid joke!"
"Matt!" I exclaimed, angrily turning around in my seat. "We are trying to have a conversation over here. What did you do now?"
"It was only a bug in a plastic ice cube," he whined to my parents, ignoring my question.
"Sorry, Lizzie," Mom said. "Your brother will be silent for the next fourteen hours or he will be grounded twice as long when we get home." She looked Matt in the eye and he instantly shut up.
"Thank you," I said as I turned back around to face Gordo. "Now. She's our best friend. We can't just lie to her like that, Gordo! Besides, she'll have to figure it out sooner or later."
"Yeah," Gordo sighed, looking out his window again. Knowing him, he was probably expecting a skywriter to fly by with the answer or something. "She doesn't know about your little quote unquote pop star episode, either."
"Gordo! How could she not?" I asked with a laugh. "It was only on the International Music Video Awards. International."
*Toon Lizzie- Duh! Why was he the one they wanted to start high school early?*
"Yeah, but we didn't even get the IMVAs at home," he reasoned logically. "If the United States didn't get it, chances are Mexico City didn't either."
*Toon Lizzie- Oh. That's why.*
"What am I going to tell her?" I asked rhetorically to no one in particular, resting my head on the back of the plane seat and closing my eyes.
When we got home, it was 4:30- in the morning. After dropping Gordo off at his house, we all went home and crashed. I slept until 1:30 in the afternoon, and I would have slept longer if my sleep wasn't interrupted.
"Lizzie!" a familiar voice called, waking me from a deep sleep. "Would you wake up already?"
"What do you want, Miranda?" I grumbed angrily, only caring about sleeping longer.
*Toon Lizzie- Miranda!*
When I realized who was waking me up, I jumped out of bed to hug my best friend. She looked taller, tanner, and had on the cutest red and orange peasant top- definitely borrowable. "Miranda!" I cried joyfully. "What are doing here?"
"We got back an hour ago," she replied, "and my parents dropped me off. I missed you so much!"
"I missed you, too!" I exclaimed, so happy to see her again. "How was Mexico City? That top is so cute!"
"Thanks," she said. "It was great. I got to see all my family again, but... I really wish I could have gone with you guys! By the way, I saw you on the IMVAs!"
*Toon Lizzie- Ha! See, I was right. In your face, Gordo!*
"Oh my gosh!" I gasped, sitting down in my butterfly chair. "What did you think?"
"You were great," she complimented as she sat down on the edge of my bed. "That dress was awesome. Wasn't it the same color as the dress you wore to the spring formal? You know, the one that Danny Kessler thought you- "
"Exactly," I answered quickly. "That's what I said!"
"So, how's Gordo?" Miranda asked casually. So casually that I was sure she knew. How did she know?"
"G-gordo," I repeated, my heart beginning to pound as I spoke. "W- what about Gordo?"
"Yeah," Miranda said, looking at me like I was out of my mind. Which, by this point, I probably was. "Was he, like, videotaping everything he saw?"
I sighed in relief. "Oh!" I exclaimed, smiling. "Yeah, kinda. We weren't really together that much. Gosh, Miranda, you really scared me. I thought you meant-" I stopped myself before I could say too much. "I thought you meant that... that you wanted to know what he thought of the performance. You know, on the IMVAs."
"Um, Lizzie," Miranda said in a very unsettling way. "I have known you since before kindergarten and from experience I know you are the world's worst liar. Is there something you need to tell me?"
"Why would you think that?" I asked, trying to sound all innocent and concerned. My heart was pounding again. I laughed nervously a little. "C- come on, Miranda. If you know me so well, what am I talking about?"
"I don't know," she said coyly, looking around my bedroom, probably for a clue or something. "Yet. But I am going to find out." Before I could stop her, Miranda hit the speakerphone button on my phone and speed dial 2- Gordo's number, right after her own.
"What?" we could hear Gordo ask groggily. I could tell she had just woken up. He has caller ID in his room, so he knew it was us.
*Toon Lizzie- Beside, who else calls Gordo? It's Gordo.*
"Gordo, it's me!" I yelled into the phone, so he'd be sure to hear me. "Don't listen to anything Miranda says! Don't answer any of her questions!"
Just as Miranda started to talk, I panicked. She could not find out this way! "This is what dreams are made of!" I began to sing as loudly as I could, but I was very off key. "Have you ever seen such a beau-" Miranda stuffed a pillow in my mouth to muffle the sound.
*Toon Lizzie- Mmrph.*
"Sorry, Miranda," I heard Gordo say, so I could tell he was now fully awake and understood the situation. "You're not getting anything out of me. No. This is up to Lizzie. For once, this is up to Lizzie."
Miranda whirled around to face me. "So it is something!" She pressed the button on the phone that hung it up.
I have never been a big fan of confrontation. I slowly backed up to try to get out of the room, but on my way out I bumped into Matt as he walked into my room.
"Watch it, slimeball," he said as I turned around, standing steadily again. He handed me the cordless phone from downstairs. "Phone for you. It's your bo-oy friend." As he ran off so I couldn't hurt him, he was singing at the top of his lungs, "Lizzie and Gordo, sitting in a tree. K-I- S-S-I-N-G."
"What?" Miranda asked, sounding shocked and a little hurt at the same time.
I clicked the cordless phone off and tossed it on my bed, forgetting that Gordo was on the other end.
*Toon Lizzie- Why won't the floor just open up and swallow me whole?*