Disclaimer: no one mentioned belongs to me, I guarantee it.
Author's note: I got a little carried away with this one, I apologize in advance for endless drivel.
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
While You Were Out
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The hardest part about this break from her best friends was the incredible expense that came with calling them. And since all of Lizzie and Gordo's money had been spent on Rome, and Miranda didn't have any money to begin with, they had zero communication.
Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. Sure, she missed Lizzie and Gordo like hell. They were her best friends, and she hadn't seen them in months, and now she wasn't even able to call or email them, which sucked.
But on the other hand, they would've thought she was totally crazy, based on the company she was keeping.
Tudgeman, Veruca, Claire? It was insane. It was like something out of a total horror movie. Or one of those annoying teen flicks, where everyone was totally these-are-our-last-moments-together-let's-break-down-the-barriers. Where cheerleaders befriended geeks and nerds, and...well, Miranda didn't know what clique she'd be categorized into. She was just Miranda Sanchez. She wasn't a cheerleader, a jock, a preppy, a punk, a geek, a nerd...she, Lizzie, and Gordo were their own clique. They belonged to each other.
It was so weird, but so cool that the four of them were hanging out. Today, day five of the would-be vacation from hell, found them lounging in the pool in Veruca's backyard, just floating around on rafts and chatting about nothing in particular.
"I think we should see a movie tonight," Tudgeman said, attempting to roll onto his stomach on the Pepsi raft without rolling into the water. It went without saying, although no one could really explain why, that they would be hanging out together that night. They'd hung out together every afternoon and evening since the first day Miranda had returned to Hillridge.
"Mm, that new sci-fi flick came out last weekend," Veruca said sleepily.
Claire snorted. "Sci-fi movies and I don't agree."
"It's starring Josh Hartnett," Veruca answered.
Claire hesitated a half second. "Okay, I'm in. 'Randa?"
Normally Miranda *hated* being called 'Randa'. She'd practically castrated Gordo the last time he'd called her that, even teasingly. But she wasn't exactly herself these days, was she? And with her new crowd, a new nickname seemed all too appropriate.
"Hmm," Miranda drawled, adjusting her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose. "I dunno."
"C'mon, you gotta come," Tudgeman wheedled, having accomplished his task, albeit slowly and somewhat clumsily.
"I dunno," Miranda repeated. "Gordo and Lizzie and I were supposed to see that."
"So, Gordo and Lizzie can go on their own," Veruca said. "It's not like they'll really *mind*."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Miranda said, even though she knew full well what it was supposed to mean. She knew better than anyone.
"Exactly what it sounds like. They're, like, a *thing*, aren't they?"
"Don't lie to us, Miranda," Claire said. "I know you're their best friend, and you want to protect them or whatever, but *please*, it's only so obvious. Gordo totally has a crush on McGuire."
"It's not exactly one-sided, either," Tudgeman pointed out. "Didja see them at the dance, when Gordo was dancing with Parker, and Lizzie was just *staring* at them?"
On the one hand, Miranda felt uncomfortable discussing her two best friends when they weren't there to defend themselves. On the other hand, it wasn't like it was anything particularly derogatory, and besides, she'd been dying to talk about the whole Lizzie-Gordo situation, which she obviously couldn't do with either Lizzie or Gordo, because they didn't know about each other and they didn't know that *she* knew. It was complicated as hell.
"You should've been there when he transferred to high school for a day," she found herself saying. "Lizzie went totally insane. She talked about him constantly and how much she missed him, and he was only gone for a day."
"She's so oblivious of his crush, though," Veruca pointed out. "I mean, I was there at the E-zine office one day because Lizzie was supposed to walk me to class, and Gordo was going to tell her the truth, but he totally chickened out at the last second."
"'Confused Guy,'" Claire said sagely.
"Say what?" Miranda said.
"Oh, Lizzie probably told you how she was advice columnist for the E-zine for a little while, right?" Tudgeman said.
Miranda nodded. "She mentioned that, yeah."
"Well, in her last column, there was this one letter in there that said something to the effect of 'Dear Lizzie, I think I like my best friend as more than a friend. What should I do? Confused Guy.'"
Miranda clapped a hand over her mouth. "He. Did. *Not*!"
"He absolutely did," Veruca confirmed. "Everyone knew it was Gordo. Except Lizzie, of course."
"Well, you know what it is, don't you?" Claire said, twirling her foot in the water and sending her raft into a lazy tailspin. "Lizzie knows it, subconsciously, she just doesn't want to admit it to herself so she's blocking it out completely."
If they were surprised at Claire's psychoanalysis, and they certainly were, to a small degree, they didn't show it.
"Sounds like Lizzie," Miranda said. "Naivety to the extreme."
"It's one of her finer points," Tudgeman said.
"It's also one of her weaker traits," Miranda added. "It's gonna kick her in the butt someday."
"How long do you think Gordo will wait for her?" Claire asked.
"I don't know...you guys don't know as well as I do how obsessive Gordo can get about things..." Miranda said slowly. "But if Lizzie keeps treating him like a doormat, he may just give up."
"Well, with any luck the atmosphere of Rome will help them figure things out," Claire said.
The four of them mulled over this for a second, then Tudgeman asked, "So, Miranda, are you in for tonight?"
"You know, you're totally right. Lizzie and Gordo could use the time alone, and who knows, maybe if things go well in Rome they'll appreciate me not tagging along. So I'm in."
"Cool," Tudgeman said with a grin, and Miranda paddled herself over to the side of the pool. "I gotta go home; I promised my mom I would wash the dishes. I'll see you guys at the theater around, say, seven?"
"Yeah," "See you later," they said.
Veruca, too, quickly paddled to the side and climbed out of the pool. "I'll walk you out," she said, and Miranda nodded.
Inside Veruca's house, blissfully air-conditioned, they stopped in the foyer for Miranda to throw a loose t-shirt over her bathing suit and towel for the walk home. "Um, I don't know if I'm out of line for saying this," Veruca said nervously. "I mean...well, I'll just say it, I guess. You know Larry likes you, right?"
Miranda wasn't sure what to say. "Oh. I'm sorry."
Veruca looked confused. "Huh?"
"Well, I mean, aren't you two...you know...a thing?"
"Me? And Larry?" Veruca said, raising an eyebrow. "No. We thought about it, we were interested, but we weren't really compatible as a couple, we decided. We're just friends. You know, like you and Gordo. And like I said, he likes you."
"Oh. I...well, uh..."
"Look, maybe I never should've brought it up. I dunno. I was just thinking, you're single, and...well, he's a good guy. He's weird, yeah, but he's a good guy. And we've been getting along so well these past couple of days, all of us. Maybe it's crazy to think things will stay like this when everyone gets back from the trips, but just...think about it, okay?"
"O--okay," Miranda said, tightening her towel around her waist, and forcing a smile at Veruca. "See you tonight."
As she walked home, she thought over what Veruca had said. Would this little alliance of theirs really last past two weeks? She was having a lot more fun than she thought possible considering the company she was keeping. And to her surprise, Tudgeman really *was* good company. She remembered dancing with him at her party earlier that year, and how she'd actually been attracted to him...then hanging out with him, Lizzie, and Gordo later, and having lots of fun. Tudgeman really wasn't all that bad...
Author's note: I got a little carried away with this one, I apologize in advance for endless drivel.
*Karasuma*Firestorm*
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
While You Were Out
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
The hardest part about this break from her best friends was the incredible expense that came with calling them. And since all of Lizzie and Gordo's money had been spent on Rome, and Miranda didn't have any money to begin with, they had zero communication.
Not that it was necessarily a bad thing. Sure, she missed Lizzie and Gordo like hell. They were her best friends, and she hadn't seen them in months, and now she wasn't even able to call or email them, which sucked.
But on the other hand, they would've thought she was totally crazy, based on the company she was keeping.
Tudgeman, Veruca, Claire? It was insane. It was like something out of a total horror movie. Or one of those annoying teen flicks, where everyone was totally these-are-our-last-moments-together-let's-break-down-the-barriers. Where cheerleaders befriended geeks and nerds, and...well, Miranda didn't know what clique she'd be categorized into. She was just Miranda Sanchez. She wasn't a cheerleader, a jock, a preppy, a punk, a geek, a nerd...she, Lizzie, and Gordo were their own clique. They belonged to each other.
It was so weird, but so cool that the four of them were hanging out. Today, day five of the would-be vacation from hell, found them lounging in the pool in Veruca's backyard, just floating around on rafts and chatting about nothing in particular.
"I think we should see a movie tonight," Tudgeman said, attempting to roll onto his stomach on the Pepsi raft without rolling into the water. It went without saying, although no one could really explain why, that they would be hanging out together that night. They'd hung out together every afternoon and evening since the first day Miranda had returned to Hillridge.
"Mm, that new sci-fi flick came out last weekend," Veruca said sleepily.
Claire snorted. "Sci-fi movies and I don't agree."
"It's starring Josh Hartnett," Veruca answered.
Claire hesitated a half second. "Okay, I'm in. 'Randa?"
Normally Miranda *hated* being called 'Randa'. She'd practically castrated Gordo the last time he'd called her that, even teasingly. But she wasn't exactly herself these days, was she? And with her new crowd, a new nickname seemed all too appropriate.
"Hmm," Miranda drawled, adjusting her sunglasses on the bridge of her nose. "I dunno."
"C'mon, you gotta come," Tudgeman wheedled, having accomplished his task, albeit slowly and somewhat clumsily.
"I dunno," Miranda repeated. "Gordo and Lizzie and I were supposed to see that."
"So, Gordo and Lizzie can go on their own," Veruca said. "It's not like they'll really *mind*."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Miranda said, even though she knew full well what it was supposed to mean. She knew better than anyone.
"Exactly what it sounds like. They're, like, a *thing*, aren't they?"
"Don't lie to us, Miranda," Claire said. "I know you're their best friend, and you want to protect them or whatever, but *please*, it's only so obvious. Gordo totally has a crush on McGuire."
"It's not exactly one-sided, either," Tudgeman pointed out. "Didja see them at the dance, when Gordo was dancing with Parker, and Lizzie was just *staring* at them?"
On the one hand, Miranda felt uncomfortable discussing her two best friends when they weren't there to defend themselves. On the other hand, it wasn't like it was anything particularly derogatory, and besides, she'd been dying to talk about the whole Lizzie-Gordo situation, which she obviously couldn't do with either Lizzie or Gordo, because they didn't know about each other and they didn't know that *she* knew. It was complicated as hell.
"You should've been there when he transferred to high school for a day," she found herself saying. "Lizzie went totally insane. She talked about him constantly and how much she missed him, and he was only gone for a day."
"She's so oblivious of his crush, though," Veruca pointed out. "I mean, I was there at the E-zine office one day because Lizzie was supposed to walk me to class, and Gordo was going to tell her the truth, but he totally chickened out at the last second."
"'Confused Guy,'" Claire said sagely.
"Say what?" Miranda said.
"Oh, Lizzie probably told you how she was advice columnist for the E-zine for a little while, right?" Tudgeman said.
Miranda nodded. "She mentioned that, yeah."
"Well, in her last column, there was this one letter in there that said something to the effect of 'Dear Lizzie, I think I like my best friend as more than a friend. What should I do? Confused Guy.'"
Miranda clapped a hand over her mouth. "He. Did. *Not*!"
"He absolutely did," Veruca confirmed. "Everyone knew it was Gordo. Except Lizzie, of course."
"Well, you know what it is, don't you?" Claire said, twirling her foot in the water and sending her raft into a lazy tailspin. "Lizzie knows it, subconsciously, she just doesn't want to admit it to herself so she's blocking it out completely."
If they were surprised at Claire's psychoanalysis, and they certainly were, to a small degree, they didn't show it.
"Sounds like Lizzie," Miranda said. "Naivety to the extreme."
"It's one of her finer points," Tudgeman said.
"It's also one of her weaker traits," Miranda added. "It's gonna kick her in the butt someday."
"How long do you think Gordo will wait for her?" Claire asked.
"I don't know...you guys don't know as well as I do how obsessive Gordo can get about things..." Miranda said slowly. "But if Lizzie keeps treating him like a doormat, he may just give up."
"Well, with any luck the atmosphere of Rome will help them figure things out," Claire said.
The four of them mulled over this for a second, then Tudgeman asked, "So, Miranda, are you in for tonight?"
"You know, you're totally right. Lizzie and Gordo could use the time alone, and who knows, maybe if things go well in Rome they'll appreciate me not tagging along. So I'm in."
"Cool," Tudgeman said with a grin, and Miranda paddled herself over to the side of the pool. "I gotta go home; I promised my mom I would wash the dishes. I'll see you guys at the theater around, say, seven?"
"Yeah," "See you later," they said.
Veruca, too, quickly paddled to the side and climbed out of the pool. "I'll walk you out," she said, and Miranda nodded.
Inside Veruca's house, blissfully air-conditioned, they stopped in the foyer for Miranda to throw a loose t-shirt over her bathing suit and towel for the walk home. "Um, I don't know if I'm out of line for saying this," Veruca said nervously. "I mean...well, I'll just say it, I guess. You know Larry likes you, right?"
Miranda wasn't sure what to say. "Oh. I'm sorry."
Veruca looked confused. "Huh?"
"Well, I mean, aren't you two...you know...a thing?"
"Me? And Larry?" Veruca said, raising an eyebrow. "No. We thought about it, we were interested, but we weren't really compatible as a couple, we decided. We're just friends. You know, like you and Gordo. And like I said, he likes you."
"Oh. I...well, uh..."
"Look, maybe I never should've brought it up. I dunno. I was just thinking, you're single, and...well, he's a good guy. He's weird, yeah, but he's a good guy. And we've been getting along so well these past couple of days, all of us. Maybe it's crazy to think things will stay like this when everyone gets back from the trips, but just...think about it, okay?"
"O--okay," Miranda said, tightening her towel around her waist, and forcing a smile at Veruca. "See you tonight."
As she walked home, she thought over what Veruca had said. Would this little alliance of theirs really last past two weeks? She was having a lot more fun than she thought possible considering the company she was keeping. And to her surprise, Tudgeman really *was* good company. She remembered dancing with him at her party earlier that year, and how she'd actually been attracted to him...then hanging out with him, Lizzie, and Gordo later, and having lots of fun. Tudgeman really wasn't all that bad...