Thanks so much for the awesome reviews, everyone you deserve a great big
round of Jingle Bells! Everybody now! Jingle bells, jingle bells, okay, I
won't put you through that, but you're all great! Hope you like this
chapter too! Read and review!
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Lizzie held her side, gasping as she stopped laughing. She took long breaths to calm herself down and glanced out the window, she saw the familiar blue Honda, smiled at Miranda and ran over to the door.
Shivering against the cold, she waved to catch Gordo's attention. He slowly started to climb out of the car when he saw her. "Hurry up it's cold!" she declared, pushing her blonde hair behind her shoulders. She waited for him by the doorway, staring at her reflection in the mirror across from her. Her cheeks had a slightly rosy color from their brief encounter with the wind outside, her hair also had a tousled look from all the boxes she'd drug out of closest, but she liked the overall effect. "What were you doing?" she laughed, pulling the door shut behind Gordo.
He smiled faintly and shrugged. "Thinking," he stated, hanging his coat up on its peg then going into the living room.
Lizzie briefly realized as she stood in the doorway of the living room that her mother was going to throw a fit when she saw this complete and total mess. Boxes of Christmas decorations were scattered about the living room. Nearest to the tree were the boxes holding the ornaments, in front of Miranda, who was on the couch, were the stockings which were overflowing onto the floor.
"He's thinking about how many people he can corner under the mistletoe," Miranda joked, tossing a stocking back into a box.
"That's not a bad idea," he laughed, sitting in a chair.
"Gordo!" Miranda exclaimed.
"You were the one who suggested it," he replied.
"You put the lights on first, right?" Lizzie asked, walking over to a box full of lights and pulling out a tangled string, and completely changing the subject.
"Yeah," Miranda answered, biting into a candy cane.
"I thought it was a big family thing to decorate the tree," Gordo stated, slowly rubbing his head.
"Mom and Dad are 'grocery shopping,' which the evil child that they tell me is my brother and I have brilliantly figured out is code for Christmas shopping, because we're never allowed to go with them," Lizzie laughed. "So, I volunteered to get everything out, and ready, so when they get home, and evil boy Matt comes home from Melina's, we can decorate."
"And after she started, she remembered the McGuires have a lot of decorations, so who does she call?" Miranda joked. "Miranda and Gordo to the rescue!"
"No one twisted your arm," Lizzie protested.
"No, but you used cookies against me, and that's just wicked no matter how you look at it," Miranda argued.
Lizzie laughed and looked at Gordo, still rubbing his head. "You okay, Gordo?" she asked, her brow wrinkling in concern.
"Yeah," he smiled, nodding.
Miranda picked up the plate of cookies and bit into one. "Want one of the cookies she used as bribery?" she asked, offering him one. Gordo attempted to take the plate, but she quickly pulled it away. "Mine!" she declared over a mouthful of cookie.
"When will your parents be back?" Gordo asked, slowly nibbling the Christmas treat.
"I don't know," Lizzie replied, struggling with the lights.
"Party at Lizzie's," Miranda declared, doing an odd type of dance.
"Don't think so," she answered, laughing.
"I'm going to go get some hot cocoa, okay?" Gordo asked, standing up.
"Help yourself," Lizzie smiled.
"Anyone else want some?" he asked.
The girls shook their heads and watched as he went in.
Lizzie groaned in frustration and pushed the lights away from her. "I wonder why he was late?"
Miranda shrugged. "I don't know."
"Weird," Lizzie noted, picking up the lights again. "He's always punctual."
A loud crash erupted from the kitchen. Lizzie dropped the lights and ran in, followed closely by Miranda.
Gordo stood near the stove, his face looked very pale, the shattered remains of a mug lay in a puddle of hot chocolate at his feet. "I-I'm sorry, it just slid out of my hand."
"Its fine," Lizzie replied quickly. "Is the mug all that fell? We heard a crash in the living room."
"Yeah, that was all," he stated, picking up the pieces and throwing them away.
Lizzie mopped up the spill then turned to Gordo who looked badly shaken. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to get home," he replied softly, walking out the door.
"Gordo wait!" Lizzie called, but he was already gone. "What was that?" she asked, concern etched across her face.
Miranda went into the living room and watched him pull away. "I don't know."
"I guess he freaked out because of the mug," Lizzie tried to reason, sitting down by the tree.
Miranda picked up stockings and began to hang them along the mantelpiece. "I guess so."
Lizzie sat down in front of the lights. The trio had been friends so long that Gordo had accidentally broken something more valuable than a mug before, why had this cause him to freak out and leave? Sighing, she gave up trying to figure him out, it was a task she had been trying to do for the past several weeks, every since she'd got the first shocking realization.
Outside, she heard a car door shut. "Guess who's home," she smiled at Miranda. At least now, her mind wouldn't be free to think about things she wasn't ready to think about.
Lizzie held her side, gasping as she stopped laughing. She took long breaths to calm herself down and glanced out the window, she saw the familiar blue Honda, smiled at Miranda and ran over to the door.
Shivering against the cold, she waved to catch Gordo's attention. He slowly started to climb out of the car when he saw her. "Hurry up it's cold!" she declared, pushing her blonde hair behind her shoulders. She waited for him by the doorway, staring at her reflection in the mirror across from her. Her cheeks had a slightly rosy color from their brief encounter with the wind outside, her hair also had a tousled look from all the boxes she'd drug out of closest, but she liked the overall effect. "What were you doing?" she laughed, pulling the door shut behind Gordo.
He smiled faintly and shrugged. "Thinking," he stated, hanging his coat up on its peg then going into the living room.
Lizzie briefly realized as she stood in the doorway of the living room that her mother was going to throw a fit when she saw this complete and total mess. Boxes of Christmas decorations were scattered about the living room. Nearest to the tree were the boxes holding the ornaments, in front of Miranda, who was on the couch, were the stockings which were overflowing onto the floor.
"He's thinking about how many people he can corner under the mistletoe," Miranda joked, tossing a stocking back into a box.
"That's not a bad idea," he laughed, sitting in a chair.
"Gordo!" Miranda exclaimed.
"You were the one who suggested it," he replied.
"You put the lights on first, right?" Lizzie asked, walking over to a box full of lights and pulling out a tangled string, and completely changing the subject.
"Yeah," Miranda answered, biting into a candy cane.
"I thought it was a big family thing to decorate the tree," Gordo stated, slowly rubbing his head.
"Mom and Dad are 'grocery shopping,' which the evil child that they tell me is my brother and I have brilliantly figured out is code for Christmas shopping, because we're never allowed to go with them," Lizzie laughed. "So, I volunteered to get everything out, and ready, so when they get home, and evil boy Matt comes home from Melina's, we can decorate."
"And after she started, she remembered the McGuires have a lot of decorations, so who does she call?" Miranda joked. "Miranda and Gordo to the rescue!"
"No one twisted your arm," Lizzie protested.
"No, but you used cookies against me, and that's just wicked no matter how you look at it," Miranda argued.
Lizzie laughed and looked at Gordo, still rubbing his head. "You okay, Gordo?" she asked, her brow wrinkling in concern.
"Yeah," he smiled, nodding.
Miranda picked up the plate of cookies and bit into one. "Want one of the cookies she used as bribery?" she asked, offering him one. Gordo attempted to take the plate, but she quickly pulled it away. "Mine!" she declared over a mouthful of cookie.
"When will your parents be back?" Gordo asked, slowly nibbling the Christmas treat.
"I don't know," Lizzie replied, struggling with the lights.
"Party at Lizzie's," Miranda declared, doing an odd type of dance.
"Don't think so," she answered, laughing.
"I'm going to go get some hot cocoa, okay?" Gordo asked, standing up.
"Help yourself," Lizzie smiled.
"Anyone else want some?" he asked.
The girls shook their heads and watched as he went in.
Lizzie groaned in frustration and pushed the lights away from her. "I wonder why he was late?"
Miranda shrugged. "I don't know."
"Weird," Lizzie noted, picking up the lights again. "He's always punctual."
A loud crash erupted from the kitchen. Lizzie dropped the lights and ran in, followed closely by Miranda.
Gordo stood near the stove, his face looked very pale, the shattered remains of a mug lay in a puddle of hot chocolate at his feet. "I-I'm sorry, it just slid out of my hand."
"Its fine," Lizzie replied quickly. "Is the mug all that fell? We heard a crash in the living room."
"Yeah, that was all," he stated, picking up the pieces and throwing them away.
Lizzie mopped up the spill then turned to Gordo who looked badly shaken. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to get home," he replied softly, walking out the door.
"Gordo wait!" Lizzie called, but he was already gone. "What was that?" she asked, concern etched across her face.
Miranda went into the living room and watched him pull away. "I don't know."
"I guess he freaked out because of the mug," Lizzie tried to reason, sitting down by the tree.
Miranda picked up stockings and began to hang them along the mantelpiece. "I guess so."
Lizzie sat down in front of the lights. The trio had been friends so long that Gordo had accidentally broken something more valuable than a mug before, why had this cause him to freak out and leave? Sighing, she gave up trying to figure him out, it was a task she had been trying to do for the past several weeks, every since she'd got the first shocking realization.
Outside, she heard a car door shut. "Guess who's home," she smiled at Miranda. At least now, her mind wouldn't be free to think about things she wasn't ready to think about.