[Personal Notes:
The Real Xenocide: Heh, heh, heh. Chapter 5 was an amusing chapter for me to write. Because I figured most people would think it was one of the people that entered that chapter. But nope. A clue: You need to know "Lizzie McGuire" pretty well to know him. That's all I'm gonna say! If you stopped mid-sentence in Chapter 11, that would beargh! Some people overuse cliffhangers. I'm so hypocritical. But sometimes I like to stop at a sad moment. Because sad moments are, in a sense, cliffhangers. Except you're not wondering what will happen. You're wondering how the person will react. I will take a second to applaud those who make cliffhangers, because without them, the story would be pretty horrible. But what can I say? Patience is a virtue. A virtue I do not possess.
To All Who Want To Know Who The Mystery Guy Is: Check back in a couple months. Ha, no, I'm just kidding. But honestly, his name probably won't be revealed until the very end of the story. Which, considering I'm on Chapter 6, will take a while.]
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Lizzie turned around in her chair. She looked up, with sleepy eyes, at the person staring down at her.
"Miranda?!" she said, cowering back into her seat. Oh God, I really don't want to cause a scene here.
Miranda took the seat next to Lizzie. There were a few awkward seconds before Miranda shattered the silence.
"So how have you been?" she asked of her friend. She had asked Lizzie this question at least a thousand times in their lifetimes, but this time, she could say she honestly wanted to know the answer.
Lizzie still refused to make eye contact with her old best friend. She half-smiled when she said, "I've been great. How about you?"
Miranda tried to look cheerful, but she was disappointed. That's not the Lizzie I know. The Lizzie I know always has something on her mind. The Lizzie I know is never just "great". Were things between the two that bad, that they couldn't even tell the truth to one another?
"Miranda? You still there?" Lizzie waved her hand in front of her friend's face. Miranda was so lost in her own whirlwind of thoughts that she'd forgotten to respond.
"Oh, I um" she wanted to blurt out everything: about her band, her fiancé, even the crush from high school that she was still getting over. "I'm fantastic," she said, trying her best to sound enthusiastic. The truth will come outeventually.
Lizzie smiled weakly. She saw right through Miranda.
These girls were like sisters, and knew each other like the backs of their hands, but neither of them were brave enough to call the other's bluff.
More awkward seconds. Maybe I should just go, Miranda thought.
The feeling in the pit of Lizzie's stomach was eating her up inside. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Miranda" Her friend looked up. "I" Miranda wore hope all over her face. That's when Lizzie knew: things would be okay with them. "I've missed you so much."
Miranda beamed, and threw her arms around her best friend. "I've missed you more than you know."
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Back at the gym, tension was building up. The "nerds" had showed up.
It wasn't until their senior year in high school that Larry broke away from his usual "clique". He thought he could make it without them, but in truth, he was even more of a nothing than when he was with them. But he had betrayed them, could they let him back in? Well, yes. But they never fully forgave him. And when they all decided to stay at home and live with their parents for the four years after high school, Larry applied to Harvard, and got in. And he had just finished his last year at Harvard Business School. He hadn't even seen his old friends in 6 years.
And they still weren't ready to forgive him.
In one corner of the gym, there was a brawl of words between Larry and his former friends.
"You broke the fellowship, Larry," one boy, who seemed to be the new leader of the pack since Larry left, proclaimed, and stomped away.
Larry was left with a guilty conscience.
At the same moment, a catfight broke out in the other corner of the gym.
Kate smiled evilly. "So what's the baby's name, Claire?"
Claire scoffed. "What are you talking about?"
"Larry Tudgeman, Jr. It hasn't a certain ring to it, doesn't it?"
"Whatever."
"So, just how long have you loooved him, Claire Miller?"
"I knew you were stupid, but I didn't realize you were that dense." Kate squinted in confusion. Claire rolled her eyes. "Larry Tudgeman is going to be a billionaire one day. Think about it, freak."
It took her a second, but Kate realized. "Ugh. An all-time low. I'm so proud, Claire." Kate turned around to go tell Larry.
Claire laughed. "Do whatever you want. He thinks I'm so in love with him that he refuses to think otherwise. Face it, Kate: You can't bring me down."
"Who do you think you are, Claire? God?! I hate you! No one likes you! You are such a" Kate screamed.
"Oops," Claire giggled.
Kate was bawling. "This was a new blouse, too!" Claire had "accidentally" poured the whole bowl full of punch over Kate's head.
"Aww, poor baby," Claire laughed.
Kate ran to the bathroom once again, holding back her tears.
Ethan called after her. "Kate!"
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[A/N: ::Laughs an evil laugh:: Yes, the joys of anticipation. My new thing: if the cliffhanger in the last chapter wasn't much of a cliffhanger, the chapter will come quicker than if it were an extremely annoying cliffhanger. Does that make sense? Oh, if you could be so kind, please point out any of my annoying writing habits, especially when I overuse a word. I try to use my thesaurus, but sometimes there's only one word htat really works. Please tell me what you think! Thank youu.]
