Chapter Twenty-Four/ Epilogue: Afterward

A/N: Okay, everyone, listen up!! I'm going to also be writing in the Harry Potter section off ff.net now, but using a different penname. I'm Padfoot's Soul there. I'm very shortly posting a one-shot called The Mirror. Read that if you're interested, and if you're not... then read anyway! I'm not going to get any reviews for it probably, so I'm counting on you guys!

Hey, did you know about htis QuickEdit thing? I sure didn't!!! It doesn't let you have asterisks, though. I'll use it again later!!

Over 300 reviews! God, I didn't think I'd make it, but I did! It's been about a year, right? Yeah... I think I started this when I was about to start sixth... now I'm a full-fledged seventh-grader! I know this chapter might not be too L/G, and sorry, but... I can't so anything else. I'm running out of love scenarios. And getting bored of this story. But I'll miss it.

This chapter is most definitely dedicated to Lindsay Kyle and her family. Thank you so much for letting me study the ten of you for this story! It was so much fun!

Camille's POV

"Oh, yeah, it was really... green." I said, scrunching up my nose. "Like not teal, but like lime-ish."

"Get off me!" Lorraine complained. "I have to start on my Greek project!"

"It's not due until next year, you know." Brad said smart-aleckly.

"Next year is next week!" Lorraine yelled, pushing on Cory's bottom. "Now get off!"

Brad's eyes lit up as he pushed his glasses onto his eyes. "Just hold on a little longer, Cor. Five more minutes until she screams."

"Brad, leave her alone!" Kaci scolded. "Don't egg him on!"

"Shut up." Brad frowned and pushed her. She landed on the carpet.

Kaci looked taken aback. "Those were new pants!" She gasped. "How dare you!"

Brad smiled with a superior look on his face. "That's what you get for bugging me."

"Get him off!" cried Lorraine, Cory now on her head and giggling uncontrollably.

"Lo-aine! Piggy bag! Piggy bag!"

I rolled my eyes. This was so stupid. I couldn't believe she couldn't get a two-year old off her back. And not any two-year-old, but Cory, the most wimpy-but-evil kid in the world. Lorraine was supposed to be a tough girl.

"Just give him his piggy-back!" I yelled over the commotion. "Brad, Kaci, shut up! I'm talking to Claire."

Lorraine pushed his butt off her back and he landed on the ground with a thud. "Oh, you're gonna get it now!" She screamed, and started chasing after a frightened-but-satisfied Cory.

Welcome to my family.

I'm Camille Gordon. I'm fourteen. I've got nine siblings, and two parents, and not to mention two dogs. I don't really get why my parents decided to have ten kids, because it really is no day at the mall. I guess it's because they're hopelessly in love with each other. It's really sweet and all... but they get really annoying sometimes.

Having nine brothers and sisters might not be fun, but it's definitely hectic. A nuisance, even. Like now, for instance. Cory was sitting on top of Lorraine-the-pain and Brad was annoying her and Kaci was trying to stop him. And that was just in the living room, where I was sitting. Who knows where the other five were?

I guess I'll introduce you to my family, since it'll get really confusing otherwise. Ethan is the oldest Gordon child. He's nineteen. He just recently started college at LAU (he's going to live here until he can afford a house) and loves it. He's very studious, smart and intellectual, but he has a temper the size of Texas. He's nice though, when he's not studying or in a bad mood. And his smartness level has taken him to very nice places. He's won a lot of contests and awards.

Next comes Percey, age sixteen. His real name is Dylan, but nobody really liked that name and his friends' names all start with the letter P (Perry, Phil, and Peter, and his girlfriend Penny), so they changed it when he was six. He's a jock. A real big jock. Mr. Quarterback. School is the last of his priorities. He's always out playing sports or with Penny, so we don't see him much, but when he is here, he's okay. He really cares about our family, and helps out whenever he can.

Then come me and Kyle. We're twins. Kyle is a weirdo, I have to admit. He changes girlfriends like every week and seems like a really tough guy. He spends a lot of time in the principal's office. We Gordons love him and all, but sometimes it feels like he doesn't really belong in our happy family, which is fine with him. He means well, and he'd never hurt anyone, but he's always in trouble at school and has a really bad reputation. But he's a little straightened out now, but still sort of creepy sometimes. We still have our twin vibe thing, though.

As for me, I'm a girly-girl. Shoes, boys, gossip, makeup, friends, whatever. My best guy friend Dustin says that I'm shallow, but I can't help it. My mom says that I'm a lot like her when she was fourteen. I highly doubt that. I can't imagine my mom feeling self-conscious and buying lipgloss. She's very motherly.

Next in line is Lorraine (twelve), who gets really mad if you call her Lori. She's a pest. Loud and daring and bold. Stubborn. But very sneaky. I think she's actually smarter than she let's on, but she uses her brains to trick my parents into saying yes about stuff they wanted to say no to and junk like that. She's a big tomboy.

After Lorraine is Brianna, whom which we call Brie.(She dots the 'I' with a little sun) She's a sweet little eleven year old who is so innocent (never gets in trouble), but very dreamy. Giggly. Curious. Simple. Always asking why and how. She's probably my favorite sister, because she considers me as her role model. It is so much fun to talk to her about boys and movies and stuff... Brie is great.

A year younger than Brie is Kacey, but she prefers Kaci. She's a bit dramatic for ten, and a primadonna. Very attention-seeking. Pretty annoying. She is popular, pretty, everything Sierra Williams (most popular girl in my school) was in fourth grade. She's in a whole bunch of clubs and groups and blah. She even won the Junior Miss Beauty Pageant! And she comes first in our family in the clothing department (can you believe I'm number two!). She's the most spoiled of us Gordons.

Brad is nine. He's the future nerd of the century. Not that he isn't nice, because he is, but I can tell he's going to have a hard time finding a social place in school. He's crazy for math, and he can already do algebra. And he's so little! A shrimp. But no one teases Brad, no way. He's really tough, and knows how to stand up for himself. I admire him for that.

Six-year-old Miranda is definitely the baby of the family. She loves to whine and scream and beg. You'd think she were three or something. But I guess she's used to being babied by everyone (except Cory), but honestly, she gets so annoying. My parents say that she was named after their best friend Miranda, but I know her very well (she comes over to our house a lot) and she is nothing like our Miranda. Miranda Gordon is a whiner.

Last, but not least, is Cory, age two. He is a little rambunctious for his age, but that's okay, because he never really bothers anyone unless they don't give him his piggy-back. He's really sweet most of the time, like plucking dandelions and presenting them to you with a hand behind his back and grinning, which makes up for his lack of strength.

Now it's time to meet the parents.

My father, David Gordon, is a movie director. A famous movie director. He doesn't act like it, though. He's usually home before dinner and never acts mean or bossy like you'd think a director would be. He's really funny and is always making time for everyone. But sometimes he gets a little sarcastic, which kind of is scary because that means he's mad. It's usually Kyle that gets him mad, but we all do it once in a while.

My mom is the most motherliest mother in the world. She's always carpooling or making cookies or chaperoning or chauffeuring. She yells at us for not cleaning our rooms or not doing our chores (yes, even kids of the rich and famous have to do chores), but it sooo nice. She'll buy us practically anything, and she's hardly ever in a bad mood. She loves to cook, and although cleaning isn't her thing (she makes us do it for her), her home- cooked meals are amazing, unless she makes Grandma Jo's chicken-noodle casserole. (Then I'd have takeout.) She's always giving advice, even if we don't want it, but usually, it's helpful. And she loves telling stories about her childhood or whatever.

My parents, as I started before, are in complete and total love with each other. They're always kissing and flirting and being so much "in love". They're obsessed. My mom says they've known each other since they were born. I can't imagine that, my mother and father playing together on the playground at age five, but they claim it's true. They even have pictures. But even despite that, there are always fights. You can sometimes hear them yelling from all the way downstairs, but that's the weird thing about them; they make up in about ten minutes. Neither of them can hold much of a grudge. (Well, maybe dad can, but I don't know).

So, anyway, I was talking on the phone with my best friend, Claire Adams, about our two-month stay in New York City. I wouldn't call it a 'vacation'. No, not when your parents are making out and your older brothers are fighting for the biggest room and you younger siblings are whining about the lack of cable in the hotel. We only went there because my dad had to shoot a movie, but that doesn't mean I didn't have fun.

"Lime? That sounds really weird. New Yorkers must be freaky, with lime lipstick."

"I dunno. They're kind of cool."

"So, how was the rest of your trip?" She asked.

"Get off the phone! I have to call Penny!" Percey announced, storming into the room.

"Hold on a sec, okay?" I asked Claire, and returned to Percey. "Use your own phone!"

"Ethan's on it!"

"Why is he on it? It's yours!" My mom, who was chopping vegetables, yelled from the kitchen over the sound of the TV and the blender.

"He's paying me!"

"Then get on the other line." I suggested.

"Brie's using it!"

"Then ask her!" Mom yelled back, exasperated.

"I can't! She'll start lecturing g me on the importance of communicating with others or whatever!"

"Then just go to Penny's house!"

He groaned. "Fine."

I rolled my eyes and picked up the receiver. "Okay, so anyway, NYC was cool and all, especially after meeting Clarisse Dowells."

"You met Clarisse Dowells!?"

"Hey, everyone, I'm home!" My father burst in through the front door and ran into the kitchen. "Guess what the new movie's called?"

I rolled my eyes. "'Be Quiet, I'm on the Phone'?" I asked.

He grinned and hugged my mom. "'Roman.'"

"Oh my god, Gordo!" Mom smiled. "Really!?"

I shook my head. I have no clue why my mom calls my dad 'Gordo'(it sounds nothing like David), but whenever she does, it means they're going to kiss. And this time was no exception. I watched in horror. But what was so great about "Roman"? It was just the same as "Californian" or "American".

I scoffed and left the room to get some privacy. I pounded up the stairs and into my room and closed the door.

Ahhh, silence.

"What happened? How'd you meet Clarisse?" Claire asked eagerly.

"She's in the movie, duh."

"God, you're so lucky!" Claire exclaimed. "What was she like?"

"Um—well..."

I heard a knock on the door.

Lorraine walked into the room. "Mom wants you downstairs."

I groaned. "I'll call you back. So sorry." I mumbled into the receiver and threw it on my bed.

"Camille!" My mother yelled.

I ran down the stairs. "What? It's not my night to do dishes, it's Brie's."

"You're babysitting tonight."

"But I have plans, mom!" My eyes bulged. "And what about Ethan?"

"He's going to the library to study."

"Then Percey!"

"He has a date with Penny."

"Kyle?"

"He's doing community service tonight." She squinted at me. "What are your plans?"

"I was going to hang out with Claire and Dustin."

"Have you arranged that yet?"

I bit my lip, knowing what was coming. "Well, no, but I wasgoing to!

"Well, you're babysitting then."

"Where are you guys going?"

"You're father and I are going on a celebration dinner." She said, looking wistfully at my dad.

I pouted. "Fine. Whatever."

I sat in my room, flipping through a magazine, wondering why I always ended up babysitting. 'Probably because my brothers are so busy with their lives,' I thought. 'Or maybe it's because dad makes so many movies that my parents are always going to celebration dinners.'

And honestly, I didn't get the point of celebrating the naming of a movie. He did that, like, four times a year. It was no big deal. But my parents had to go celebrate. And then they'd go when it was finished filming, and when it premiered at the special theater, and then when it premiered nationwide. Then they took all of us with them. Premiere parties were okay, meeting the stars and all, but the dinners afterward... big yawn.

Sigh. You would think a life like mine would be cooler. But no, that'll be your undoing. Having a famous father did not change the fact that I was still a normal kid. I went to a normal school (where new kids tried to get me to give them my father's, or someone else famous' autograph), I did normal things, and yet it didn't feel normal at all.

I heard someone knock. "Camille? Dustin's here."

I perked up. At least someone could keep me company. "Come in."

My best friend walked in and with my mom behind him. "Your father and I are leaving now. See you kids at ten-thirty!" She closed the door and left.

"Hey." Dustin said, sitting down on my bed. "Babysitting again?"

I made a face. "Yeah."

"Oh. You want me to help?" He asked, smiling. "I love your family."

I scoffed. "Yeah, you and you only."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's wrong with it? I've always thought that you had the most perfect family, and so does everyone else."

I shrugged. "Well, yeah, but you don't live this awkward life. It's like I'm in the middle of being a normal kid and a famous kid. It's not fun, especially with nine people bugging you and two nagging you all the time."

"I bet Ethan feels more pressured than you do, since he's the oldest." Dustin said softly, looking at the ground. "But then, you're the oldest girl."

I nodded. "And my brothers are so busy. It feels like I don't have time for myself anymore, with all the babysitting I do. I feel like I don't exist outside of this house." I sighed. "I need a life."

Dustin smiled. "You have one."

"Not outside my family."

"Uh, hello, look who you're talking to."

I smiled. "But you and Claire are different."

"How?"

"I don't know." I sighed again. "I need a boyfriend."

He rolled his eyes. "Uh..." He said, acting dumb. "Let me guess... Jordan Craft?"

I smiled. "The one and only."

"I don't know what you see in him." Dustin shook his head. "I feel sorry for his mom, though, to raise him on such a short salary."

"Well, she had to divorce his idiot father. It's not his fault." I scowled, and then smiled. "You know my mom knows his mom?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her name's Kate. She lets me call her that, because Mrs. Craft doesn't seem right." I laughed. "My mom loves it when people call her Mrs. Gordon."

"Yeah, I imagine she would." He chuckled. "So do you see her often, or more to the point, do you see Mr. High-and-Mighty often?"

"No, but his mom comes here, like, once a month. She and my mom are friends. She says that Jordan's dad was a creep. My mom knew him too. She says Jordan inherited his looks form him. Now, back to the subject of Jordan..." I started. "Look, I heard he doesn't have a date yet for the dance."

"So ask him."

"No!" I exclaimed. "I mean, I can't."

"Why?"

"Because, he'd never want to go out with me. I'm not pretty."

Dustin smiled. "Yes, you are."

"Well, I'm not popular."

"So?"

"I'm not smart."

"Look, Camille, I don't think Jordan wants a smart girl. I'm not saying that you're dumb, it's just that I don't think that he can actually understand smart girls."

(A/N: This is so cool! This is a lot like First Kiss!!!)

I laughed. "Don't say that!"

"He's stupid, you have to admit."

I said nothing. Dustin was right, as usual. After a long pause I spoke. "He'll never like me." I said, my eyes welling up in tears.

"Camille?" He asked, scooting closer to me. "Oh, come on, it's okay."

Hearing that hade the tears spill over. "No it's not!" I said through tears. "Jordan doesn't even know I'm alive!"

He put his arm around me and pulled me close to him, my tears dripping onto his hand. "You don't need him."

I was about to protest, but I just cried more. "Everyone hates me!" I sobbed. "This family hates me! Jordan hates me!..."

"I don't hate you." Dustin said soothingly, smoothing my hair.

"You don't?" I looked up at him, tears still streaming out.

He kissed my cheek. "No."

"Well, everyone else does!"

"No one hates you, Camille. You're perfect. Nobody can hate you." He looked into my eyes and smiled. "Okay?"

I stopped crying as a tear dripped off my chin and onto his hand, which I now noticed was holding mine. I stared at him. He had the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. They were green, a bright bluish green with small flecks of gold. And his hair, that golden brown hair, was so shiny, and so wavy. His smile... he had perfect teeth. He was a god... how come I didn't notice this before?

"Okay." I whispered, and before I knew anything was happening, I leaned forward and he leaned forward and we leaned and leaned until our lips touched. Kissing Dustin was just about the best thing I had done in fourteen years. I had never known he was so good at it. But my tear- streaked face against his... it felt like heaven.

The door swung open. "Camille! Brad just..." Lorraine stopped dead. "Oh, my god!"

Dustin and I broke apart immediately, and that's when I realized...

I had just kissed my best friend.

"Mom, we've got to talk." I demanded as my parents walked through the door at ten-thirteen. "Now."

Dustin and I had avoided each other entirely the entire evening, and he finally left at nine when the mess Brad made was cleaned up. I knew he didn't want to hang around the house after everyone was asleep... it was dangerous for us to be alone together. I had made Lorraine promise that she wouldn't tell anyone what happened, and sealed it with a ten-dollar-bill.

At first I had hesitated to telling my mom, because she'd probably make a big fuss about it, but I had to tell someone, and Claire went to sleep early on Mondays. And my mom was an expert at these kinds of disasters.

My mother took off her high heels and looked at me strangely. "What, you didn't break anything, did you?"

'Maybe my friendship with Dustin,' I thought, shaking. "No." I said hastily. "But we have to talk."

"Okay, then, I'll be upstairs." My dad smiled at me. "Don't want to get in the way."

"Thanks, dad." I smiled back weakly as he dashed up the stairs.

"Now what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" She said, plopping down on the couch. I sat down next to her.

"Mom..." I took a deep breath. "Have you ever done something you shouldn't be doing with someone?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Great. I'd have to be blunt.

"I kissed Dustin." I said quietly.

Her eyes widened. "Really?" She asked, half-smiling, half-disbelieving.

I nodded.

"Really!" She exclaimed, trying to hide her excitement. "Goodness, Camille, what possessed you to do that?"

Well, at least she wasn't mad. "Well, he was right there." I said pathetically. "And I was crying. And he... I..."

How had it happened, anyway?

"I get it." She smiled. "So, do you like him?"

"Um.. I'm not sure." I shrugged sadly. "But I can't believe I never noticed how cute he was before."

"Just cute, huh?"

"Maybe more..." I said, smiling and feeling a little better.

"This was bound to happen... I can't believe I didn't see it coming." She sighed. "You know, I kissed my best guy friend once."

"Really?" I said with disbelief. "How'd everything turn out?"

She smiled. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"I thought getting married to dad was."

"No." She said. "Kissing your dad was."

It took me a minute to understand what she was saying, but I finally got it. "You... you and dad... you mean I might end up marrying Dustin!?" I exclaimed incredulously.

"You never know."

"What happened after you kissed him?" I asked, curious now

"Well, we were in Rome, on a school field trip, and I had met this boy, Paolo, I think, and he was a famous singer. Your father suspected him to be a fraud right away (he was always really smart), but I didn't listen..."

THE END

A/N: And so it does end, right here, the legacy of Lizzie and Gordo, friends then lovers. My biggest and most hit story. I'll miss this story, I positively will, but we must move on, people, and here I'm moving onto Love and Life, which I hope is a big hit too. And of course, you can always find me on the Harry Potter section as Padfoot's Soul, remember to read there if you can! Long reviews are appreciated. Love you all and ciao!!

xoxo,

PersonY2K