There's no backing out of it now, Gordo. You have to tell her. Just say it! Gordo thought with sweaty palms.

"Okay." Lizzie said. Gordo looked pretty serious, so she sat down on the front steps. He did the same, and took a deep breath. "Is something wrong?" Lizzie asked him, concerned.

"Well... no." He replied, looking into her anxious face. But something will be if you say what I think you'll say. He thought. Why am I telling her all this in the first place? She will never like me how I like her!

Lizzie nodded, trying to get him to continue.

"Um..." This is going nowhere! Just make an excuse, rush home, and act like you were never going to say anything in the first place! "It's nothing." He said, and started to get up.

"Gordo, it has to be something." Lizzie exclaimed.

Toon Lizzie: Why else would he be all jittery like he was before? I thought he'd started acting normal again!

"I don't think you'd understand." Gordo told her, wanting more than anything just to leave right then.

"Of course I will! Since when have we kept things from each other?" Lizzie insisted.
Well... I know I have for like, a really long time! Gordo thought miserably. This is all going the wrong way. If I tell her now, she'll think it's stupid and lame.

"C'mon Gordo. You can tell me. I'll totally understand." She tried again.

"You won't laugh or think I'm stupid?" Gordo asked.

"Why would I? I'm always here for you, no matter what's on your mind. Maybe I can even help you with your problem." Is it your parents?"

"No."

"Is it School?"

"No."

"Miranda?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"You." He replied, looking down at the cement, and crossing his fingers when Lizzie wasn't looking.

"Oh my gosh. Did I say something that offended you? Because if I did, I'm totally sorry. I didn't mean it-"

"No!" He almost shouted. "I'm sorry." He apologized, now feeling really dumb. "Maybe it was a bad idea to bring it up in the first place. I should get going."

Toon Lizzie: This is going nowhere! Why can't he just tell me?

"Well... if you decide you want to talk, just give me a call." Lizzie told him. He nodded and left. Lizzie felt lonely. We've always been able to talk about our problems, so what's the big deal all of a sudden? I wonder if this has anything to do with what Kate told me. Maybe it really is true.

"Lizzie, if you don't eat your supper I will!" Lizzie heard Matt call to her from inside. Lizzie quickly went in, trying not to think about Gordo for a while. She sat down at the table, and saw that everyone else was waiting for her.

"Did you have a good time at Gordo's, Lizzie?" Jo asked her.

Matt made kissy faces, and Lizzie kicked him under the table. "We didn't stay there for long. We went ice skating. It was a blast." She told her mom, hoping she wouldn't think it was a date.

"Sounds like fun. I'm glad you had a good time." Jo replied, eating a mouthful of spaghetti. Lizzie smiled, and ate hers, too. But she couldn't concentrate on her meal. Her thoughts kept going back to Gordo.

After supper, Lizzie retreated to her room, where she sat by her phone. Please ring, please ring! She thought hopefully.

As if on cue, it did. Lizzie excitedly picked it up. "Thanks for calling, Gordo. I knew you would!"

"Uh, Lizzie, it's Miranda." Miranda replied, with a pizza cookie in her hand. It turned out to be a cookie with pepperoni, mushrooms, and sausage pieces on it.

"Oh. Hi." Lizzie said, embarrassed.

"I'm just came back from Ethan's. I had the time of my life!" She squealed, and kissed the cookie. She put it up on a shelf. She didn't actually like the taste of it, but Ethan had made it for her, so she wanted to keep it.

"I'm so happy for you! And I can't believe Kate would let you have him. I mean, Ethan or Tudgemen. Not that hard of a choice!" Lizzie explained. She opened her closet door, looking for an outfit to wear to school the next day.

"I'm telling you, Tudgemen is cute now!" Miranda protested.

"How do you know all of this? He doesn't go to the same school as us." Lizzie replied, picking out a red tank top.

"Kate showed me pictures of him that she carries around in her purse." Miranda said, giggling.

Lizzie giggled too. "Sounds like she's gone head over heels!"

Miranda giggled. "Kate and Tudgemen... I never thought I'd love to see the day when that happened! Speaking of couples... you and Gordo seem to be getting pretty close."

"No way, Miranda. We're just friends! That's the way it's always been." Lizzie told Miranda, picking out a khaki skirt to go with the tank top.

"Yeah, but will it stay that way?" Miranda started giggling loudly. She could imagine Lizzie rolling her eyes at the moment when she didn't say anything. "I think he likes you, and I think you like him."

She took a pair of sandals with red Hawaiian flowers on it to complete the outfit. "Like Gordo? No way!" Lizzie exclaimed. "I already told you I don't when he was dating Brooke."

Toon Lizzie: At least, I think I don't.

"Right... well, I've got to get going. Bye Lizzie."

"Bye." Lizzie hund up and frowned. She need to sort her thoughts out. She took her diary out from it hiding spot, and wrote about her and Gordo.

Dear Diary,

I really don't think I like Gordo, but why else would I stop liking Ethan? I told Gordo it's not because Miranda's going with him now, and it's not. I also said that I think he's not right for me. But was I trying to say that I thought Gordo is right for me?

Why can't I just make up my mind? Either a person likes someone or they don't! Why is this so hard for me? I have more questions that I do answers.

I think was Kate told me was right. Gordo acts like he likes me, and I bet that's what he was trying to tell me today.

But if he told me, what would I have said? Would I have offended him? Would I say I like him, too? What am I supposed to say if I don't know!

Lizzie put her purple fuzzy pen down, tired from thinking so much. She sighed, and got changed into her pajamas. Tomorrow she was determined to find out the truth.