CHAPTER TWO "So, all you guys talked about was school and movies?" Miranda asked in disbelief. We were at the Digital Bean for lunch and smoothies the next afternoon while I told her all about my fabulous phone call with Gordo the night before. "You don't talk to the guy for a year and all you talk about is SCHOOl and MOVIES?" "It wasn't a year," I protested. Miranda was being so unfair. She had no idea what she was talking about! "It was eleven months and 25 days. Besides, that wasn't ALL we talked about. We also discussed... the time difference." "Oh. Excuse me." Miranda rolled her eyes. "I forgot about the time difference. That's changed the situation completely in my mind." "Shut up, Miranda," I said, taking a sip of my strawberry banana smoothie. "If you were actually listening to me, you would know that I haven't told you the best part yet." "Okay," Miranda said as the waitress came and took our empty plates. "Tell me the best part then." "Okay," I replied, taking a deep breath. "Right before we hung up, I was like, 'Love you,' and he was like, 'Love you, too'!" We had our girly squeal and then paid the bill and started walking home. "I wonder if he's gonna come visit during the summer?" Miranda contemplated aloud as we stepped outside into the warm sunshine. "I never really thought about it," I replied. "You think his parents would be up to that sort of thing? They never struck me as the... traveling type." "Well, you never know," Miranda said. "Maybe when he calls tonight you should bring up the subject. You know, ask him what he's doing this summer and then just work it in." "All right. I'll try," I answered. "How cool would that be? I mean, if you really think about it, it would be kind of weird, too." "Yeah, it would," Miranda agreed thoughtfully. "Like, not hanging out with him for almost a year, and then hanging out with him all the time for a week or two?" We walked inside my house. "Or, like, what if he's different?" I added. "Like, he didn't sound different on the phone, but what if when we see him in real life, he looks and acts totally different? What if he let New York City get to his head and thinks he's better than us just because he's from a big city?" We walked into my room and sat down on my bed. "Gordo's not like that," Miranda said. "Besides, I don't think he'd change. It's only been a year." "A year is a long time," I reminded her. "Have we changed?" Miranda questioned. I thought about it for a second. "No," I replied. "At least, I don't think so. Do you think I've changed?" "No," she answered. "Have I?" "No." The phone rang. Miranda grabbed it first and answered it. "Hello?" What was she doing answering my phone? She didn't even live here. She couldn't do that... could she? "Hey," she was saying warmly to the person on the other end of the line. "How are you? What's up? I thought you weren't calling til tonight... That's what Lizzie said." Oh, it was Gordo. "You wanna talk to Miss Paranoia?" Miranda was asking. Definitely talking about me. "Okay. Here she is." She removed the phone from her ear and handed it to me. I took the phone from Miranda. "Hey, Gordo," I said. "What's up?" "Why'd Miranda call you Miss Paranoia?" he wanted to know. "Oh, it's nothing," I replied. "Just something we were talking about earlier. So what's up? I thought you were calling tonight or something." "Well, I kinda have something to tell you," he said, "and I didn't wanna wait til tonight." My heartbeat quickened its pace. Was this it? Was Gordo finally gonna confess his undying love for me once and for all? Were we finally going to get to live happily ever after forever and ever? "Yeah?" "I was talking to my mom and dad this morning," he began,"and they said that it would be okay if you wanted to come up for a week or two this summer." My jaw dropped. Not exactly what I was expecting, but still very good. "That would be awesome!" I exclaimed. Miranda looked at me, wanting to know what exactly was so awesome. "Oh my gosh! I'm totally gonna ask my parents the second they get home!" "Great. Well, I gotta go. Talk to you tomorrow?" "Yeah." "K. It's your turn to call me, remember?" I smiled. "I remember." Then, I took a deep breath, and in a very brave moment, added, "Love you." The problem was, Gordo said it at the same time I did. We both laughed, and then we hung up. I turned to Miranda. "He invited me to stay with him in New York this summer for a week or two!" I announced to her excitedly. "And he didn't invite me?" Miranda pretended to be upset. "You're going to be in Mexico City this weekend," I reminded her. "Could you imagine me in New York City? All the fabulous shopping... they have a Manolo Blahnik store there!" "Well, you better not buy any expensive French or Italian or whatever-they-are shoes without getting me a pair, too!" Miranda warned. "You are gonna have such an awesome time. I'm so jealous." "Don't worry, because I'm not sure there's anything for you to be jealous of yet," I reminded her. "I have to get my parents to let me go first, and I highly doubt that they will. I mean, going on a plane all the way to the biggest, busiest city in the country by myself does not sound like something my parents would let me do. You know them." "Yeah, but last summer, they let you go to Rome by yourself. And that was out of the country." Miranda brought up a good point, but not good enough. "I wasn't as alone going to Rome as I will be going to New York," I replied. "I had someone on the plane with me, an adult someone, and I was surrounded by people I knew... and going to New York would be totally different." Miranda looked thoughtful for a minute. "What if I had a plan that would make your parents okay with sending you to New York without an adult on the plane with you?" This was interesting. "Okay..." "Well, you know how I'm going on a plane by myself on Saturday ahead of my parents?" she asked. I sighed. "Miranda, you know my parents don't go for that kind of stuff. Just because your parents are letting you go to Mexico City by yourself doesn't mean that it will make my parents want to let me go to New York City by myself." Now Miranda sighed. "I'm not finished yet. Anyway, if you left on Saturday with me, we could take the same plane to Atlanta and then you could take your plane to New York City and I can take my plane to Mexico City. That way, you'll only be alone for, like, two hours." That could work. "You know what? That might be the absolute best idea you've had your entire life." Miranda smiled. "I always knew I was a genius." I couldn't help rolling my eyes. "Let's not go that far yet," I told her. "We both know that this is a good idea. But how are we gonna get my parents to think that it's a good idea, too?" Miranda shrugged. "Your parents trust you," she said. "And hopefully, they trust me. They've known Gordo as long as they've known you, and they've known his parents longer. I'm pretty sure that there's no way they can say no. Our plan is flawless. It was my idea, after all." I heard the front door open, which meant that Mom and Dad were home from shopping for a new refrigerator. Time to face the music and get this over with. I turned to Miranda. She nodded, knowing exactly what I was thinking. "Let's go," she said.