Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or anything related to it. The song 'Sympathy' belongs to Goo Goo Dolls.

"Stranger than your sympathy"
He remembered her. Sweet, innocent, beautiful Lizzie. She had trusted him, unlike everybody else.

"This is my apology"
He still couldn't believe what had happened to them. She was fresh, a cute, kind and gentle rose. But she was delicate too.

"I'm killing myself from the inside out"
Everybody had told her to get away from him, he was dangerous. But she kept trying to find what was left from that guy who had been her friend once.

"And all my fears have pushed you out"
Instead of appreciating her, he had make her suffer. He could still remember the tears covering her beautiful face, her innocent eyes looking at him with hurt.

"I wish for things that I don't need"
But he was a human after all. He had fallen deeply in love for her, though he'd never shown it.

"All I wanted"
She kept coming back, unknowingly giving him a reason to wake up everyday and going to school instead of skipping it four or three times a week.

"And what I chase won't set me free"
Her radiant smile, shiny blonde hair, graceful face and curvy body made all the others guys to surround her, but he despised them for not knowing the real Lizzie like he did.

"All I wanted"
Slowly, he began to open up to her again. He started to raise his hand at class and his grades improved as well. He was, slowly, recovering his old self.

"And I get scared but I'm not crawling on my knees"
He started to feel scared too, when everybody started to stare and point. Of course, his parents had died a few months ago, so he wasn't able to be happy again.

"Oh yeah everything's all wrong yeah"
One day, Lizzie told him she was going out in a date. He was glad for her, but couldn't help to hate that guy.

"Everything's all wrong yeah"
After a few more dates, she started going out with somebody. Their time together began to reduce.

"Where the hell did I think I was"
He never told her anything, he just kept on with his life. But all the improve he had done began to disappear again. His world began to shatter.

"Stranger than your sympathy"
He didn't know it, but Lizzie often stared at him and worried for his sad glares and him frequently skipping school again.

"I take these things so I don't feel"
Without anyone but him noticing it, Lizzie began to appear to school looking tired and sadder than ever.

"I'm killing myself from the inside out"
It all kept like that for a few weeks, until he found her so called boyfriend punching her. He jumped in the middle and helped her to ran away.

"Now my head's been filled with doubt"
They never said anything about that, besides, it was near the end of senior year. They were both leaving soon.


"It's hard to lead the life you choose"
"So... I guess this is it," she had said on their graduation. He had nodded, his eyes filling with sadness. He didn't want her to leave.

"All I wanted"
"Good luck in NYU," he had muttered, before walking away. Her eyes followed him, but she stood where she was.

"When all your luck's run out on you"
He had went outside and sat in a cold bench. 'Why?' he asked himself. 'If I love her...'

"All I wanted"
Lizzie had went out after him. Her big eyes stared at him with curiosity. He was still looking down. "You did great this year. They would've been proud," she had said. He finally looked at her.

"You can't see when all your dreams are coming true"
"Maybe," he had replied. She sat closer to him, her deep eyes traveling through his face. She was opening her mouth to say something, then thought about it and shut it.

"I like you," she had said. He had stared at her. "More than just a friend..."

"Oh yeah it's easy to forget yeah"
He had shook his head. "I don't," he had lied. 'I can't'.

"You choke on the regrets yeah"
Her eyes had filled with tears. "I could see it coming," she had whispered. "I'll miss you" she hugged him and left running, crying.

"Who the hell did I think I was"
He had let out a loud moan. 'I can't let you in, I'm not ready yet...' he thought, while watching her dreamy figure running to the parking lot.


"Stranger than your sympathy"
Once she went to college, they lost contact with each other. They met for her brother's graduation (a year ago) and she was dating a guy from NYU.

"All these thoughts you stole from me"
She was still looking as beautiful as ever to his eyes. Her more mature version still had those eyes. They were what had never changed. What he thought of at night.

"I'm not sure where I belong"
After wandering around for a couple of months, he had gotten into UCLA. He had made great progress and his life seemed to be in a direction. He dropped out of it a few weeks later. That wasn't him anymore.

"Nowhere's home and I'm all wrong"
He returned to his old home a few weeks ago. It was still the same since the accident. He let himself cry on his parent's bed, thinking of what could have been if they hadn't gone to that diner that night.

"And I wasn't all the things"
All those thoughts came back to his mind one sunny morning when he was in New York and got a phone call from her. She wanted to meet with him.

"I tried to make believe I was"
"Hi," she said. She smiled at him, looking nervous, and he smiled back. "So, how's UCLA? You told me you really liked it in there" her voice sounded soft as ever, but the words were being spoken as forcefully. He shook his head.

"And I wouldn't be the one to kneel"
"I dropped out. That's not me," he said. She nodded, surprised. "And you? How's NYU? How's... Peter?" She smiled.

"That's Thomas, and we weren't even dating. He was just a friend I made," she said. "Anyway, I called you here because... I wanted to know about you"

"Before the dreams I wanted"
"What about me?" he said. "What you see is what you get. I'm not hiding anything... I wear my heart on my sleeve" she nodded.

"I can see your speaking again," she pointed, then covered her mouth with her hands. "Omigosh, that came out so wrong..." he shook his head.

"And all the talk and all the lies"
"I'm done with that. That's not what they would've wanted for me... once again, who's me? I don't know myself. It's like all those lies you come up with for your High School reunions and stuff" she smiled again. "Am I that funny?"

"Were all the empty things disguised as me"
"Nope... Kinda of. It's good to have you back," she said, her hand patting his. "And I also wanted to talk... about Graduation" he sighed. He knew it was coming. "It's kinda hard for both of us, but you said you wore your heart on your sleeve, so I'll take advantage of that" she leaned in a little. "What's the first thing you would come up with to tell me?"

"Yeah stranger than your sympathy stranger than your sympathy"
He looked at her. Her wavy blonde hair, her hazel eyes and perfect pouty lips. She stared back and he twirled one of her blonde locks around his finger.

"McGuire, there's just one thing I've been thinking of since that day," he said.

"And what is that?" she asked. He grabbed her hand, she looked at it and he kissed her. After a little while, they pulled apart.

"I love you, Elizabeth Brooke McGuire," he said, smiling his first true smile for a couple of years.

"I love you too, David Zephyr Gordon," she said, smiling back. She stared deeply into his eyes and they kissed again.

End of chapter.

AN: Another great song (It was on 'A Cinderella Story' soundtrack)
Not much comments about this one!