Blame It on the Door
Chapter One
A fourteen-year-old Lizzie McGuire was in her room on the phone with her best friend, Miranda Sanchez. It was the summer before their freshman year in high school and Miranda was back from her long trip to New Mexico. Up until a few days ago, Lizzie had been dating her other best friend, Gordo, but they had recently broken up.
Yep, that's right. Who would have thought Lizzie and Gordo would end up a couple? No one saw that coming after their kiss in Rome, right? Well, they actually seemed like a perfect couple to everyone around them and people thought they were cute, even if they were only going out for less than a month. No one saw the break up coming, but it happened, and because of the large rumor mill in the town of Hill Ridge, people wanted explanations, and that is something many people didn't understand.
Before Miranda called, Lizzie was in her room, lying on her bed, listening to everything from Beethoven to the Rolling Stones to the Backstreet Boys. . .anything to get her mind off of Gordo. It had been three days now, and what took thirty days to become only took three minutes to get rid of. Still, it was hard. She didn't know what would happen to her and Gordo now. . .would they loose their friendship? Would he move so she could never see him again? It was all possible.
Lizzie was so mad at Gordo that she refused to talk to him. He had tried to call her quite a few times at this point, but she blocked his calls. Lizzie didn't want to talk to anyone. But when Miranda called and she saw her name on the screen, Lizzie knew it would be okay because Miranda would let her blow off some steam or not talk about Gordo.
Miranda had done a good job of not mentioning Gordo or the whole break-up thing until about the middle of the conversation, "So, have you forgiven Gordo yet?" She said, somewhat out of the blue.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. She refused to cry about this because it wasn't worth the pity. She was still mad at Gordo, but crying for him at this point would just make her seem weak. She was, after all, the one who broke up with him in the first place. "No," she said, deciding that talking about it wouldn't hurt anyone, "and at this point, it's not going to happen, either."
"You mean. . . you don't think you and Gordo are going to be a couple ever again?"
Lizzie laughed at the thought, "Miranda, I KNOW we are never going to be a couple. We are history."
"What about your friendship? You've been friends all your life!"
"I don't know," Lizzie said, "I still haven't given that much thought."
Miranda sighed loudly and Lizzie could hear her.
"What?" Lizzie asked.
"Nothing," Miranda said.
"Miranda, is it ever nothing?"
Miranda sighed again, "Okay, fine. You got me. I was just wondering. . .was what Gordo did so terribly bad to begin with?"
"Miranda," Lizzie said, "Yes, it was. He should have called me to tell me he wasn't going to show up. Gordo should not have stood me up."
"Maybe there's a good explanation for all of this."
This time it was Lizzie's turn to sigh loudly, "Miranda, can we change the subject? I'm not changing my mind."
"Fine," Miranda said, "It's none of my business anyway."
"No, it really isn't," Lizzie said, and after a few seconds of silence, Lizzie said, "So, what are you doing this weekend?"
"Oh, well, my uncle and his family are coming in for a few days and I have to entertain my nieces and nephew for the weekend."
"That sucks," Lizzie said, "Do you think they'd give you a break for a few hours so we could go shopping or something?"
"I don't think so," Miranda said, apologetically, "I mean, I tried that last time and the babysitter who replaced me gave them all a cold, so they think I owe them one."
"Oh," Lizzie said, "Well, call me if that changes or if you have a few extra minutes."
"I will," Miranda said, "So, do you have any plans this weekend?"
"No, not really," Lizzie said, "I was going to go to the circus with Gordo but it looks like that's not going to happen. My parents and Matt are going to be away for the weekend, so I have the house all to myself. Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that, by the way. Oh well, I guess I can trust you not to come and rob my house, right?"
"Of course not," Miranda said, "Listen, I have to go, but I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Okay," Lizzie said, somewhat bummed that her friend had to leave her, but she understood.
"Bye."
"Bye."
Lizzie hung up the phone. She looked at her clock and decided maybe it was time to go eat something. She hadn't eaten anything all day and she was getting hungry. She opened her door and headed downstairs, where her mom was stocking toilet paper in the cabinets. She looked behind her and noticed her daughter, "Hey, honey," she said, smiling sympathetically, "How are you?"
"I'm okay," Lizzie said, "You need some help?"
"No," Jo said, holding up a roll of toilet paper, "This is my last one."
"Oh," Lizzie said.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come out of your room. I was going to bring you up some lunch after I finished with this, but I guess since you are down here, here's some lunch," she said, pushing a plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it sliced apples.
"Thanks," Lizzie said, "Hey, is there going to be enough food here this weekend for me or do I need to go to the store?"
"There is plenty of food here," she said, "I just went to the grocery store this morning, so you should be fine."
"Okay, thanks," Lizzie said, taking a bite of her sandwich.
Jo looked at her daughter sympathetically, "Honey, are you sure you don't want to come with us? It will be fun."
"I'm positive," Lizzie said.
"Okay," Jo said, "I trust you."
"Thanks," Lizzie said.
All of the sudden, there was a loud thud coming from upstairs. Jo ran upstairs to see what was going on, leaving Lizzie to be the only one in the kitchen. . .the only one downstairs.
Up until yesterday, Lizzie was supposed to go with the rest of the family for some sports conference thing, but after Sam and Jo talked, they decided, knowing that Lizzie didn't want to go in the first place, that it wouldn't hurt if they left her there for only a couple of nights. They didn't want to make life harder on her than it already was.
Lizzie was finishing up her sandwich and was about to go back upstairs when she heard the doorbell ring.
Realizing that she was the only one downstairs, Lizzie went to answer the door.
Chapter One
A fourteen-year-old Lizzie McGuire was in her room on the phone with her best friend, Miranda Sanchez. It was the summer before their freshman year in high school and Miranda was back from her long trip to New Mexico. Up until a few days ago, Lizzie had been dating her other best friend, Gordo, but they had recently broken up.
Yep, that's right. Who would have thought Lizzie and Gordo would end up a couple? No one saw that coming after their kiss in Rome, right? Well, they actually seemed like a perfect couple to everyone around them and people thought they were cute, even if they were only going out for less than a month. No one saw the break up coming, but it happened, and because of the large rumor mill in the town of Hill Ridge, people wanted explanations, and that is something many people didn't understand.
Before Miranda called, Lizzie was in her room, lying on her bed, listening to everything from Beethoven to the Rolling Stones to the Backstreet Boys. . .anything to get her mind off of Gordo. It had been three days now, and what took thirty days to become only took three minutes to get rid of. Still, it was hard. She didn't know what would happen to her and Gordo now. . .would they loose their friendship? Would he move so she could never see him again? It was all possible.
Lizzie was so mad at Gordo that she refused to talk to him. He had tried to call her quite a few times at this point, but she blocked his calls. Lizzie didn't want to talk to anyone. But when Miranda called and she saw her name on the screen, Lizzie knew it would be okay because Miranda would let her blow off some steam or not talk about Gordo.
Miranda had done a good job of not mentioning Gordo or the whole break-up thing until about the middle of the conversation, "So, have you forgiven Gordo yet?" She said, somewhat out of the blue.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. She refused to cry about this because it wasn't worth the pity. She was still mad at Gordo, but crying for him at this point would just make her seem weak. She was, after all, the one who broke up with him in the first place. "No," she said, deciding that talking about it wouldn't hurt anyone, "and at this point, it's not going to happen, either."
"You mean. . . you don't think you and Gordo are going to be a couple ever again?"
Lizzie laughed at the thought, "Miranda, I KNOW we are never going to be a couple. We are history."
"What about your friendship? You've been friends all your life!"
"I don't know," Lizzie said, "I still haven't given that much thought."
Miranda sighed loudly and Lizzie could hear her.
"What?" Lizzie asked.
"Nothing," Miranda said.
"Miranda, is it ever nothing?"
Miranda sighed again, "Okay, fine. You got me. I was just wondering. . .was what Gordo did so terribly bad to begin with?"
"Miranda," Lizzie said, "Yes, it was. He should have called me to tell me he wasn't going to show up. Gordo should not have stood me up."
"Maybe there's a good explanation for all of this."
This time it was Lizzie's turn to sigh loudly, "Miranda, can we change the subject? I'm not changing my mind."
"Fine," Miranda said, "It's none of my business anyway."
"No, it really isn't," Lizzie said, and after a few seconds of silence, Lizzie said, "So, what are you doing this weekend?"
"Oh, well, my uncle and his family are coming in for a few days and I have to entertain my nieces and nephew for the weekend."
"That sucks," Lizzie said, "Do you think they'd give you a break for a few hours so we could go shopping or something?"
"I don't think so," Miranda said, apologetically, "I mean, I tried that last time and the babysitter who replaced me gave them all a cold, so they think I owe them one."
"Oh," Lizzie said, "Well, call me if that changes or if you have a few extra minutes."
"I will," Miranda said, "So, do you have any plans this weekend?"
"No, not really," Lizzie said, "I was going to go to the circus with Gordo but it looks like that's not going to happen. My parents and Matt are going to be away for the weekend, so I have the house all to myself. Oh, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone that, by the way. Oh well, I guess I can trust you not to come and rob my house, right?"
"Of course not," Miranda said, "Listen, I have to go, but I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Okay," Lizzie said, somewhat bummed that her friend had to leave her, but she understood.
"Bye."
"Bye."
Lizzie hung up the phone. She looked at her clock and decided maybe it was time to go eat something. She hadn't eaten anything all day and she was getting hungry. She opened her door and headed downstairs, where her mom was stocking toilet paper in the cabinets. She looked behind her and noticed her daughter, "Hey, honey," she said, smiling sympathetically, "How are you?"
"I'm okay," Lizzie said, "You need some help?"
"No," Jo said, holding up a roll of toilet paper, "This is my last one."
"Oh," Lizzie said.
"I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come out of your room. I was going to bring you up some lunch after I finished with this, but I guess since you are down here, here's some lunch," she said, pushing a plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it sliced apples.
"Thanks," Lizzie said, "Hey, is there going to be enough food here this weekend for me or do I need to go to the store?"
"There is plenty of food here," she said, "I just went to the grocery store this morning, so you should be fine."
"Okay, thanks," Lizzie said, taking a bite of her sandwich.
Jo looked at her daughter sympathetically, "Honey, are you sure you don't want to come with us? It will be fun."
"I'm positive," Lizzie said.
"Okay," Jo said, "I trust you."
"Thanks," Lizzie said.
All of the sudden, there was a loud thud coming from upstairs. Jo ran upstairs to see what was going on, leaving Lizzie to be the only one in the kitchen. . .the only one downstairs.
Up until yesterday, Lizzie was supposed to go with the rest of the family for some sports conference thing, but after Sam and Jo talked, they decided, knowing that Lizzie didn't want to go in the first place, that it wouldn't hurt if they left her there for only a couple of nights. They didn't want to make life harder on her than it already was.
Lizzie was finishing up her sandwich and was about to go back upstairs when she heard the doorbell ring.
Realizing that she was the only one downstairs, Lizzie went to answer the door.
