A/N – "Thoughts"

Chapter 3 – Never Know What Could Happen

The following Wednesday afternoon, after school, was the auction, and then Friday would be the dance. By the time Wednesday came around, the Student Council had gotten about forty guys to go through with it.

A few minutes before the auction was to begin, people were milling around and Miranda slipped backstage. As she walked around, she smirked as she saw Gordo leaning up against a wall wearing a pair of tan khakis and a blue dress shirt. "Well at least you put on a clean shirt," she teased, "Ready to be the future Mr. McKenzie."

"Shut up Sanchez," he said with a smirk. For a brief moment, his eyes wondered up and down her. She was wearing a long red and black plaid skirt with a few chains around her waist, a white tank top underneath an unbuttoned black shirt, and black boots.

"She looks cute," he thought. It wasn't unusual for him to look at his best friends; they were two very pretty girls. But what was different was he was starting to notice the small things too; they way she wore her hair or how her eyes would reflect her emotions.

Miranda laughed softly to herself at her joke, "I hear she's ready to pay a couple hundred to get her hands on you." Gordo glared at her and while she kept the smirk on her face, she started feeling butterflies in her stomach. It was a strange feeling that she had been having lately when she was around her best friend. She didn't know what was causing it but did know that the feeling was happening more often and increasing in magnitude. Trying her best to ignore it, "She's gonna expect a lot for how much money she puts down."

"And who exactly are you bidding on?" Gordo asked her with a sarcastic grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she shot back.

"Alright we're ready to start," a voice yelled out, interrupting them.

"I'll make sure to get Parker a front row seat," Miranda said with grin as she started to walk away.

"I will get even," he said to her retreating back with a smirk. She glanced back at him with a small smile and Gordo found his smirk softening into a little grin as he watched her walk out.

As Kate sat with Claire and the other cheerleaders, she had to bite her tongue as she listened to them talk about the various guys who came out. "How the hell can I stand their constant chatter about nothing?"

A bunch of the guys had already been auctioned off; Claire had won Ethan for about forty-five dollars and Anna, another cheerleader, had won Danny for about forty dollars.

When the mc announced Larry was the next guy, Kate smirked a little as she saw how nervous he was. He had on a pair of black slacks, a white dress shirt, and a black jacket. As he came out his hands were stuffed in his pants pockets as he slowly walked out on stage.

As the bidding started, a girl in the back bid five dollars. "I can't believe someone actually bid on him," Claire said with a superior smirk.

"I can't believe someone would actually want to go with him?" another cheerleader said from behind them. Kate tried her best to sit there and ignore them but she could feel her temper start to rise.

"What a dork," Claire said with a cruel laugh.

Kate had had enough, "Will you two shut up?" she snarled.

"What?" Claire asked surprised at her outburst.

"You wanna know who would want to go with him?" she asked all of them suddenly. She then stood up, "Twenty dollars." Up on stage, Larry stood shocked and slightly amused that Kate would bid on him.

"Kate what are you doing?" Alix asked horrified that she actually bided on Larry Tudgeman.

"What does it look like?" she said turning to face them. "I'm tired of listening to you guys act like we're all superior to everyone. Well guess what, we're not. Larry's a nice guy but I guess you guys would never know that."

"Sold for twenty dollars to Kate Sanders," the mc's voice said, interrupting her little tirade. Kate grabbed her handbag and left her stunned friends to go pay for her date.

Larry met her at the money table. "So what was your little tirade about?" he asked her.

Kate shrugged, "I'm finally seeing how sheltered my so-called friends really are. Something's changing, I don't if its them or if its me but we're growing apart. They're so image conscious and I really don't care."

Larry smirked, "Since when?" he asked sarcastically.

"Ok, maybe a little. But they were bad mouthing you and I just got sick of listening to them."

"So you bid on me to prove a point?" he asked, this time seriously.

Kate looked at him, "Kinda. I think that was what motivated me to make the bid but after I did it, I was ready to go higher." They started walking towards the back of the auditorium. "As I was standing there ranting like a lunatic, I started thinking that I wanted to go with you. Ever since that day, it's like my little bubble world as shattered and I'm seeing things for real for the first time. And they don't seem that scary when I'm with you."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were falling for me?" he joked.

Kate smirked at him as they sat down in two empty seats, "Don't push it." They both snickered and got ready to watch the rest of auction.

A little while after Kate won the bidding on Larry, Miranda and Lizzie were sitting closer towards the stage, waiting to make fun of Gordo. A little earlier, Lizzie had gotten a date with Mark Bolin, her latest crush, for twenty-five dollars.

Lizzie smirked, as she looked a few aisles behind them. "Parker is practically drooling," Lizzie whispered sarcastically to Miranda.

Miranda snickered but stayed quiet. Lizzie looked over at her and gave her a questioning glance. "What?" Miranda asked her.

Lizzie shrugged, "Nothin."

"The next bachelor is David Gordon," the mc announced.

Lizzie snickered as she saw Gordo walk out, she could tell he was embarrassed, he hated the spotlight. His arms were at his sides and he was looking around not really focusing on anything, and she could see him bounce slightly on his feet.

She expected to hear some kind of joke from Miranda but when nothing came, she glanced over at her. Miranda was just sitting there watching Gordo, like she was in deep thought about something.

"Are you alright?" Lizzie asked her.

Miranda shook her head a little, "What?"

"You're spacing out. Usually you'd crack jokes about Gordo parading around or something about Parker stalking him."

"I just got a lot on my mind," Miranda told her as she looked back up at the stage. Hearing Parker bid, she looked back at her and for some reason felt an urge to punch her. As she heard Parker outbid anyone who would challenge her, Miranda's temper started to boil.

"Thirty," Parker said as she outbid another challenger.

Miranda saw the nervous look on Gordo's face, and then glancing back at Parker and seeing her smug grin, something clicked. Acting on impulse, Miranda stood up, "Forty!"

Lizzie jolted in her seat and sat up, "What are you doing?"

"I have no idea," she said as she tried to keep the look of horror off of her face.

Lizzie looked up at stage and seeing Gordo's surprised expression, she grinned a little. "I knew they were bickering way too much lately. I should have seen this coming."

"Forty five," Parker said and glared at Miranda.

Lizzie laughed as she saw Miranda's eyes narrow at the other girl and her nostrils flare. Miranda's competitive streak was well known, she hated to lose at anything. Combine that with her pride and there was no way Miranda was going to back down now. "This outta be good."

"Sixty," Miranda said directly at Parker.

"Seventy!" Parker answered with a scowl.

Lizzie caught Gordo's eyes and he gave her a questioning look, as if to ask what was going on. All Lizzie could do was shrug. She didn't know what caused her to bid; all she knew was Miranda wasn't going to stop till she was out of money.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out all of her money and doing a quick count, "Ninety five."

Parker scowled and sat down hard in her seat, defeated. She glared at Miranda and Miranda glared back.

"Sold to the brunette," the mc's voice boomed and Miranda's head whipped towards the stage in surprise.

Suddenly what she just did, came into perspective and noticed everyone was looking at her. Giving a weak smile, before going to pay, "What the hell did I just do?" she whispered to Lizzie.

Lizzie just smirked at her and shrugged. "You just paid ninety five dollars to go on a date with Gordo." she told her as she tried not to laugh in her face. Groaning, Miranda walked over to the table to pay.

Gordo met her at the table. After she paid, they looked at each other, neither sure what to say. "I don't know whether to thank you or ask what were you thinking?"

"You sweet talk all your dates like this?" she said, using their sarcastic banter to hide behind.

"Only the ones who pay almost a hundred bucks to go out with me." he responded, doing the same.

Walking back to where Lizzie was sitting, both were quiet, busy with their own thoughts. As they sat down, Lizzie grinned at them, "So how's the happy couple?" she teased. Miranda and Gordo glared at her and it caused Lizzie to snicker. Glancing back at Kate and Larry for a moment and then back at her best friends, "Oh yea, this dance is gonna be interesting."