Michelle-Note: Yay for my reviewers! If you haven't noticed...I have some kind of issue with Miranda. In fact, I hate her. I have no exact reason to explain my dislike. She's just one of those people that I can't stand, and I tend to portray her in a not so good light when I write her because of it. It's personal bias. I apologize to Miranda fans. Keep reviewing, and I will keep updating. Mmmmhmmm. I had a dream about Paris Hilton last night. She took me shopping. Everyone ponder that. I think it has a deep meaning...

Chapter 18: The Beach, Part Three

Lizzie: The Beach, Sacramento: 11:46am: 15 June

Tawny was bothered, but I wasn't sure exactly why. She was playing it off well. I don't think anyone else noticed, other than me. If they did, they didn't say anything. I didn't say anything, so it was possible that they just didn't say anything either. We had played volleyball for a while, then she suggested we go and get some drinks. Miranda said she wanted to swim, so the three of us started back toward Ren.

As we approached, I saw that there was someone new with them that looked abnormally like Kate. I poked Tawny, "Do you know who that girl is?"

"It actually looks like a girl I met at the mall…the first victim of the bet. Her name was Kate…"

That was weird. I did see Kate in the mall that day, and it was definitely my Kate. Not my Kate, per se because I didn't own the girl, but my Kate, as in the Kate I knew. Nothing else. I'm not possessive of her. Not at all.

"I saw Ethan in the mall that day, and I swear I saw a guy that looked like him down the beach playing Frisbee." Miranda stated.

Shit. It was definitely Kate.

A second later, Miranda noticed too, and she said very loudly, "Oh my God, no. You have to be kidding me." Everyone looked toward her, "I knew I saw Ethan, and I figured she had be somewhere close!"

"Kate?" Tawny said to her, wondering what she was doing here.

"Kate?" I said right after, wondering the exact same thing.

She said nothing at all, she just stared at me. No one else. She was looking straight at me. Ruby had been holding her wrist for some reason, and she let go. Monique sat up, and looked at all of us, angrily.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Miranda snapped, and stepped out in front of the rest of us.

"I…" Kate was lacking words. Why didn't she just whip out some insult, or yell at as condescendingly?

"I invited her." Ren said quickly, covering for her very obviously, "I had no idea you knew each other…I mean…what are the chances. It's really kind of neat that the Kate you know happens to be a Kate I met, and invited to my party." She smiled, and hoped Miranda would calm down.

She didn't. "No, it isn't neat at all."

"Miranda, chill out." I begged. Kate really wasn't that bad. Gordo would agree if he weren't off with the guys playing volleyball still.

"No." She glared at me.

"I'm…um…going to go over with Claire…" Kate said, finally, "Get out of my way, McGuire." She pushed her way by me, and looked at the ground. She didn't use her normal tone.

"Claire is here too?!" Miranda spat out.

"I-" Ren started to say.

"Alright. Miranda." Ruby said calmly, and approached her, "Kate seems really nice, and I don't know what the deal is with you two, but you need to chill because this is Ren's birthday party, and we really don't need this drama."

She groaned, "Kate is-"

"No, Miranda. I know her too…" Tawny put her hand on her shoulder.

She shook it off, "You don't know the real her!"

It was Miranda that didn't know the real her, but I couldn't say anything. I didn't want to evoke her wrath, right now.

Ruby sighed, "Come with me." She hooked her elbow with my best friend's, and they walked toward the water, "We need to have a little talk."

"She seems nice…a little withdrawn, if you ask me, but nice, nonetheless…" Monique commented, and proceeded to lay back down on her stomach.

Suddenly Tawny latched onto me, and whispered, "Is that the friend of yours from home that I remind you of?"

"Yeah…"

She put her hands on my shoulders, and stared at me for a long time, biting her bottom lip, thoughtfully.

Ren broke the silence, and the awkwardness that had developed, "What's going on?"

Tawny had completely figured me out was what was going on. She knew Kate was my person. My mysterious person that I referred to with only neutral pronouns, but she also seemed to know something else, and she was trying to decide if she should tell me. She was giving me that look. The confused look you give people when you don't know if what you have to tell them will hurt them or not, and you're completely torn about telling them.

"This is really a weird situation you have created, Ren." Tawny said.

"I am aware of this." She said, crossing her arms.

"Well…we came for drinks, so let's grab some, then go back and play. The boys are waiting…and you know how I hate to keep boys waiting." Tawny had magically cheered up again, and was back to her normal sarcastic self.

"I…think I want to go talk to Kate…" I said quietly.

"Could you explain to me what exactly is going on with your people and Kate?" Ren shook her head, not understanding anything at all. "Her and Claire really seem ok."

I sighed, "Claire won't seem ok, once she knows I'm here."

"Why?"

I shrugged.

"She did see you at the mall the day I invited them, and kinda acted weird…"

I shrugged again, "I'll be back to play volleyball in a little while."

"See if you can get Kate to come." Ren called after me, as I started walking down the beach toward her. I saw her sitting by Claire a little way farther down the beach from where we were playing volleyball. I hoped Claire would get up before I got there because it was impossible to talk to Kate when she was around. I walked slow allowing time for my silly little wish to come true, and I hung back at the volleyball net. This was a stupid idea.

"Ethan's here." Gordo said, coming up to me.

"Kate and Claire too. Ren invited them, not knowing we all knew each other. How weird is that?"

"Insane. I thought I saw people that looked like them."

"Tawny knows Kate too, and didn't know we knew her, or that Ren knew her."

"Crazy coincidence, right there."

I nodded.

"Or fate." Matt said, brushing sand off of himself and coming up to us.

I twitched at the thought of the universe bringing Kate here at the same time I was here. Fate was not involved. I glared at my little brother, who had no idea what he was talking about, or what we were even talking about.

"You and Ethan. You know you love him." He stuck out his tongue.

"You don't still like Ethan, do you?" Gordo asked, seeming a little disturbed.

I shook my head, and smiled. If only they knew. Why else would I keep randomly helping Kate out and still be nice to her, even though she treated me like something completely below her ninety percent of the time? Why would I keep taking the girl back, and defending her? Did no one pick up on the fact that I had some kind of a creepy lesbian crush on my archenemy? Of course not because I had boys, and never mentioned anything of the sort until recently with Tawny. She made bisexuality out to be great fun, then told me that it blew to like girls, and made me completely confused. I knew that she knew I liked a girl, but now I knew that she knew it was Kate.

"I'm going to go try and talk to Kate." I said to them.

"Look, Claire got up." Matt pointed out, "It's fate."

I winced, and started toward her, hoping Claire would remain distracted by Ren's friend Larry for a while. I walked a little faster while she was a good distance away and her back was turned. I had to get Kate before she turned around. " Hey, Kate."

She looked toward me, and snapped, "What?"

"Come talk to me for a minute." I motioned for her to get up, and kept my distance.

She looked from Claire to me, and back to Claire, then grabbed her bag, and stood up.

"Come on." I grabbed her hand, and tried to get her as far away from her best friend as possible.

Jerking her arm away from me, she said, "Don't touch me."

"Sorry…" I mumbled.

"What do you want? Just say it." She said, and stopped walking.

The thought ran though my head to just blurt out that I liked her, but I didn't, "Ren told me to come get you to play volleyball."

"Whatever. Get away from me, McGuire." She told me coldly.

"No, I-"

"Who is that, Kate?" Claire yelled, and shielded the sun from her eyes to try and see me.

"Get away from me, Lizzie…" She pleaded, thought her teeth, and actually used my first name, "Just go, and don't try to talk to me anymore, ever."

"Ok." I rolled my eyes, and walked away. I didn't understand her.

"Kate? Who is that? It looks like Lizzie McGuire." Claire screamed at her.

"It's some friend of Ren's." She said back.

I really didn't understand her. Why wouldn't she just tell Claire it was me? It was only a matter of time before she realized me, Miranda, and Gordo were at the same party as her, and flipped out.