Disclaimer: Nope, I still own nothing. But given the opportunity I would be willing to purchase Larry and Gordo.
A/N: Ha! I don't care what any of you think. I'm going to update anyway! So there! And, also, if you have problems with my story, TELL me. It stresses me out, knowing I'm writing badly, and also knowing that I can't change it since I don't know what's wrong. So please, open up, guys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We were strangers
Starting out on a journey,
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through.
Now here we are,
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you."
-Anastasia, At the Beginning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Zelda*
I am not an early riser. Let me say this once more, just for effect. I am NOT an early riser. So when the doorbell rang at 8:00 a.m. on that Saturday morning, I was not a happy camper.
"Can someone get that," I yelled pathetically from my bed. No one would, of course. Both of my parents were at Home Depot, buying flowers. They had told me the day before that they wouldn't be home all day.
Suddenly the incessant ringing of the doorbell halted and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever they were, they had most pleasingly departed. Almost automatically, I began drifting back to sleep.
"Zelda," a familiar voice shouted from below my window. I moaned and hid beneath the covers.
"Zelda," he called again.
I could hear a gentle tap, tap against my window. He was throwing pebbles in an attempt to rise me.
Knowing Larry, he'd shatter the glass.
Growling, I leapt out of bed, threw open the window, and stared down at my friend from my second floor bedroom.
"Go away," I snapped.
"Good to see you're up," he returned.
"It's too early, Larry, something that you, as my best friend, should know." With that, I began closing the window.
"If you go back inside, I'll just keep throwing obscure objects at your window until you get up or strangle me. Or," he added, grinning mischievously, "I could use my knowledge of where the spare key is hidden and come up there and get you."
I sighed, frustrated and defeated. There would be no getting out of this. "I hate you," I yelled for good measure.
He laughed. "I've no doubt of that. Now hurry up and get dressed-the day is beginning and we have things to do."
An hour later I had showered, dressed, and stepped into the living room to find Larry sitting on the couch, enjoying the big screen T.V.
"You have entirely too many channels," he informed me, switching it off and getting to his feet. "And by the way, you clean up nicely."
I glanced down at my outfit, hoping to hide the flush rising in my cheeks. The simple jeans and plain blue tank top was hardly noteworthy. And yet, at the compliment, my heart rate had increased slightly.
"Thanks," I muttered. I glanced at his button down white shirt and khakis. "You too."
He blinked, as though more surprised at my laudation than I had been at his. "Well, thank you."
"You know," I began, "you kept me up until 1 THIS MORNING talking about this plan of yours and you decide to wake me up at 8? Could you please explain this illogical behavior?"
"We have places to go, people to see, things to do," he answered.
I stifled a yawn and stretched. "Like…?"
"Well, I need to go to Best Buy to pick up the second of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and I knew that you wanted to look at some speakers-"
I interrupted. "Yes, I do. At, like, 2 this afternoon. Not now."
He laughed. "It's a good thing I am around to keep you on your toes or else you'd sleep all day long."
"And what a shame that would be."
"I concur. So, let's go then?"
"How'd you get here anyway," I asked, stepping outside into the warm June air. I locked the door behind me and opened the door to my family's PT Cruiser. Luckily, my parents had taken the van.
"My mom dropped me out," he replied, dropping into the passenger seat.
I popped in a CD that I knew he wouldn't object to. Although country was more my own style, I couldn't bare to listen to his whining abut my lack of taste this early.
Broadway's "My Fair Lady" began playing softly through the speakers.
"Good choice," he commented.
'Wouldn't it be lovely?
All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Oh wouldn't it be lovely?"
Three songs later I pulled into the Best Buy parking lot.
"You have a very pretty voice," he informed me, stepping out of the car.
I locked the doors and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure."
"I'm not joking."
Rolling my eyes, we stepped into the store.
Which is when my life began it's downward spiral into the world of deception.
"Hey, Lizzie," Larry greeted a blond girl, inspecting a DVD.
She raised her eyes to meet his and smiled. "Oh hey. What are you doing here?"
"Looking at speakers," I answered for my friend, "In couple of weeks I might be able to afford some new ones."
Sure, we were looking for Lord of the Rings, too, but this way I could take a jab at my friend who had woken me up at an insane hour.
Instead of looking offended, he simply grinned. "Well, Lizzie, this is my friend Zelda Carmichael. And Zelda, this is Lizzie."
"Nice to meet you," she said and a slow dawning of realization slid into my mind.
"Lizzie…McGuire?"
She glanced at Larry and then answered, "Yeah. Do I know you?"
"No no no," I quickly assured her. "It's just…. My friend has told me so much about you." I chuckled to myself. Any chance I had to embarrass Larry, I told myself, I would take it.
Changing the subject, she asked, "Do you live here in Hillridge."
I told her I did, that I had lived here all my life, and explained about my friendship with Larry.
She nodded as though understanding, but I wasn't sure she did. Ahh well. I mentally shrugged.
"That's a good movie," I said, having just caught sight of the one she was holding. 'You've Got Mail.' One of my favorite memories. Larry's parents had come over to have dinner and afterwards, the four adults had retired to the porch. Larry, drugged up on Nyquil, had agreed to watch whatever I desired. Then, once he was healed enough to realize just what, exactly, he had agreed to, I had popped in 'You've Got Mail' and spent the rest of the evening laughing as he dissected the movie.
"One of my favorites." She returned it to the shelf. "But my allowance doesn't cover the cost."
"Be careful," I warned, "money shortages can make you do strange things." I slid a sideways glance at my best friend. "Right, Larry?"
She cocked an eyebrow at that. Apparently my friend wasn't referred to by his regular name.
He forced a tight smile. "That is correct." And, placing his hands on my shoulders, began to bid goodbye to Lizzie and drag me away.
"What was that," he snapped when we were out of earshot.
I laughed. "Am I wrong?"
"That's not the point. You could have given us-" Just like that, he froze as his eyes caught of something behind me.
"Well, who'd have guessed," he muttered, his eyes still staring beyond my shoulder.
I turned to get a look at what was so fascinating. I had no idea. After all, the only thing I saw was a short, dark, curly haired boy with bright blue eyes, pouring over computer speakers.
A/N: Ha! I don't care what any of you think. I'm going to update anyway! So there! And, also, if you have problems with my story, TELL me. It stresses me out, knowing I'm writing badly, and also knowing that I can't change it since I don't know what's wrong. So please, open up, guys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"We were strangers
Starting out on a journey,
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through.
Now here we are,
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you."
-Anastasia, At the Beginning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Zelda*
I am not an early riser. Let me say this once more, just for effect. I am NOT an early riser. So when the doorbell rang at 8:00 a.m. on that Saturday morning, I was not a happy camper.
"Can someone get that," I yelled pathetically from my bed. No one would, of course. Both of my parents were at Home Depot, buying flowers. They had told me the day before that they wouldn't be home all day.
Suddenly the incessant ringing of the doorbell halted and I breathed a sigh of relief. Whoever they were, they had most pleasingly departed. Almost automatically, I began drifting back to sleep.
"Zelda," a familiar voice shouted from below my window. I moaned and hid beneath the covers.
"Zelda," he called again.
I could hear a gentle tap, tap against my window. He was throwing pebbles in an attempt to rise me.
Knowing Larry, he'd shatter the glass.
Growling, I leapt out of bed, threw open the window, and stared down at my friend from my second floor bedroom.
"Go away," I snapped.
"Good to see you're up," he returned.
"It's too early, Larry, something that you, as my best friend, should know." With that, I began closing the window.
"If you go back inside, I'll just keep throwing obscure objects at your window until you get up or strangle me. Or," he added, grinning mischievously, "I could use my knowledge of where the spare key is hidden and come up there and get you."
I sighed, frustrated and defeated. There would be no getting out of this. "I hate you," I yelled for good measure.
He laughed. "I've no doubt of that. Now hurry up and get dressed-the day is beginning and we have things to do."
An hour later I had showered, dressed, and stepped into the living room to find Larry sitting on the couch, enjoying the big screen T.V.
"You have entirely too many channels," he informed me, switching it off and getting to his feet. "And by the way, you clean up nicely."
I glanced down at my outfit, hoping to hide the flush rising in my cheeks. The simple jeans and plain blue tank top was hardly noteworthy. And yet, at the compliment, my heart rate had increased slightly.
"Thanks," I muttered. I glanced at his button down white shirt and khakis. "You too."
He blinked, as though more surprised at my laudation than I had been at his. "Well, thank you."
"You know," I began, "you kept me up until 1 THIS MORNING talking about this plan of yours and you decide to wake me up at 8? Could you please explain this illogical behavior?"
"We have places to go, people to see, things to do," he answered.
I stifled a yawn and stretched. "Like…?"
"Well, I need to go to Best Buy to pick up the second of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and I knew that you wanted to look at some speakers-"
I interrupted. "Yes, I do. At, like, 2 this afternoon. Not now."
He laughed. "It's a good thing I am around to keep you on your toes or else you'd sleep all day long."
"And what a shame that would be."
"I concur. So, let's go then?"
"How'd you get here anyway," I asked, stepping outside into the warm June air. I locked the door behind me and opened the door to my family's PT Cruiser. Luckily, my parents had taken the van.
"My mom dropped me out," he replied, dropping into the passenger seat.
I popped in a CD that I knew he wouldn't object to. Although country was more my own style, I couldn't bare to listen to his whining abut my lack of taste this early.
Broadway's "My Fair Lady" began playing softly through the speakers.
"Good choice," he commented.
'Wouldn't it be lovely?
All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Oh wouldn't it be lovely?"
Three songs later I pulled into the Best Buy parking lot.
"You have a very pretty voice," he informed me, stepping out of the car.
I locked the doors and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure."
"I'm not joking."
Rolling my eyes, we stepped into the store.
Which is when my life began it's downward spiral into the world of deception.
"Hey, Lizzie," Larry greeted a blond girl, inspecting a DVD.
She raised her eyes to meet his and smiled. "Oh hey. What are you doing here?"
"Looking at speakers," I answered for my friend, "In couple of weeks I might be able to afford some new ones."
Sure, we were looking for Lord of the Rings, too, but this way I could take a jab at my friend who had woken me up at an insane hour.
Instead of looking offended, he simply grinned. "Well, Lizzie, this is my friend Zelda Carmichael. And Zelda, this is Lizzie."
"Nice to meet you," she said and a slow dawning of realization slid into my mind.
"Lizzie…McGuire?"
She glanced at Larry and then answered, "Yeah. Do I know you?"
"No no no," I quickly assured her. "It's just…. My friend has told me so much about you." I chuckled to myself. Any chance I had to embarrass Larry, I told myself, I would take it.
Changing the subject, she asked, "Do you live here in Hillridge."
I told her I did, that I had lived here all my life, and explained about my friendship with Larry.
She nodded as though understanding, but I wasn't sure she did. Ahh well. I mentally shrugged.
"That's a good movie," I said, having just caught sight of the one she was holding. 'You've Got Mail.' One of my favorite memories. Larry's parents had come over to have dinner and afterwards, the four adults had retired to the porch. Larry, drugged up on Nyquil, had agreed to watch whatever I desired. Then, once he was healed enough to realize just what, exactly, he had agreed to, I had popped in 'You've Got Mail' and spent the rest of the evening laughing as he dissected the movie.
"One of my favorites." She returned it to the shelf. "But my allowance doesn't cover the cost."
"Be careful," I warned, "money shortages can make you do strange things." I slid a sideways glance at my best friend. "Right, Larry?"
She cocked an eyebrow at that. Apparently my friend wasn't referred to by his regular name.
He forced a tight smile. "That is correct." And, placing his hands on my shoulders, began to bid goodbye to Lizzie and drag me away.
"What was that," he snapped when we were out of earshot.
I laughed. "Am I wrong?"
"That's not the point. You could have given us-" Just like that, he froze as his eyes caught of something behind me.
"Well, who'd have guessed," he muttered, his eyes still staring beyond my shoulder.
I turned to get a look at what was so fascinating. I had no idea. After all, the only thing I saw was a short, dark, curly haired boy with bright blue eyes, pouring over computer speakers.