I DO NOT OWN LIZZIE MCGUIRE!
I'm so glad that people like this story so far. To answer a few people's questions and comments, here is this. Anything could happen between anybody so far…including Jake and Hailey. Also, Hailey is not a lesbian. What I meant by "Like Hailey, Gordo had also dated a few women," I meant that as a comment to their personalities and dating life. I could see how that could confuse one, though. I'll fix it later.
Chapter Two
A week passed since Lizzie and her crew moved in, and things were progressing. It was a slow process, but things seemed to be happening. Jake and Andrew had one week until school started. Jake got a car---a Jeep, and Andrew was registered for soccer. Hill Ridge seemed small to them compared to what they were used to, and it was---Hill Ridge may have been a small city of 100,000 or so, but that was nothing compared to Houston. Feeling guilty for taking away one of the few good things they left in Texas---the city life, Lizzie promised to take them into Los Angeles as soon as they were officially settled and she felt comfortable enough for her work.
That was another story. Lizzie was doing what she never imagined she would do. With no experience on her résumé other than her occasional work at the bar in Houston, Lizzie was working as an assistant at a law firm. This meant Lizzie would spend time running errands, filing papers, and getting the mail for the Law Offices of Tate, Dexter, and Trent. The only reason she managed to get the job was through---of all people---Larry Tudgeman. After Lizzie came home from three interviews and the start of her career looked very unlikely, Jo made a few calls, including one to Ida Tudgeman, who contacted her son, Larry. Larry, who was apparently a popular lawyer in Burbank, said he would see what he could do and that Friday, he called and said he's contacted a friend he went to law school with had an assistant that left recently to raise her young children and that he would give her a call the following Monday. (As confusing as it may sound, all of it's true.)
That following Monday afternoon, Larry's friend, Mark Trent called and conducted a short interview on the phone. Before Lizzie even knew exactly what she was getting into, she had the job. She would start the next morning, or today.
Between looking for a job, unpacking, and getting her boys ready for school, Lizzie also managed to find time to show the boys around the place. They didn't seem too enthusiastic about the size of Hill Ridge, as they were used to a place with a downtown, midtown, and uptown, that was filled with, what Andrew insisted on calling "substance."
"Oh," Lizzie said, as she drove them in her truck. The first thing she was going to do after the boys were in school was to trade in for a sedan of some type, "just because you are used to Starbucks on every corner and a McDonald's every half a mile with random stores and malls in between, doesn't mean this place lacks substance. In fact, the idea of having fewer places to shop and being a lot smaller in size and population, gives it 'personality.'" Of course, the boys had been there before to visit their grandparents and everything, but that was for only days at a time. Even then, Grammy and Granddaddy (Jo and Sam) would take them to museums and find things for them to do every day to keep them entertained. Now that they were living there, it seemed pointless for them to find something special to keep them entertained.
When the tour was over, Lizzie took them to Lizzie's favorite pastime, the Digital Bean, which seemed to be just as popular now as it was when she was younger. Once they got inside, Lizzie quickly realized that there were few people there that looked over twenty. They ordered drinks and Lizzie asked Jake what he thought.
Jake shrugged, "It's okay." Lizzie sighed. Was Jake ever going to be happy?
"Well, when I was younger, this was 'the place to be' after school and all of my friends and I would come here, do our homework, and, well, some of the most important discussions I ever had in my junior high and high school career took place here."
"Isn't this the place you had your first job?" Andrew asked.
"Yeah," Jake said, "and she was also fired, like, two weeks later."
"Hey!" Lizzie said, "It's not like you've ever had a job. Speaking of jobs, though, since money will be pretty tight for the next few months, you might want to start looking for something on the weekends or after school."
"Can't you just pay me for picking up Andrew and staying with him for a couple of hours every day or something?"
"Um, yeah…" Lizzie said, not impressed with his suggestion, "Somehow, once school starts and you make friends and become active in social activities and stuff, you'll wish you didn't have to be with your brother. Besides, I wouldn't pay you for that, anyway. Unlike your Uncle Matt, Andrew is a responsible and well- behaved twelve year old. Besides, at the rate I'm going with this job search, I might be home in the afternoons, anyway…and I work for FREE."
"So what do you suggest that I do?"
Lizzie shrugged, "You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I just thought you might want money for the weekend. Like, for instance, when I was an underclassman, my mom agreed to let our neighbor give me a ride to school everyday and she was paid twenty dollars a week. Maybe you could find some desperate freshman or sophomore who hates the bus so much that they are willing to pay you. You'd be surprised how many people hated the bus when I was around…and you can't look me right in the eye and say you never complained about the bus."
Jake shrugged, "Whatever. I'll check out my other options."
Lizzie sighed heavily as they picked up their drinks and headed outside, "I was only trying to help. Come on, Andrew, you're guitar lessons start in a half an hour and I need to get home and finish with the living room."
Andrew and Jake followed their mom. Things up to this point hadn't improved much, although Andrew seemed to have found some friends on the street and Jake spent most of his time in his room, talking to his old friends online and complaining about this Hell Hole in the middle of California that he was apparently supposed to call home.
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"Davie?" Hailey asked, as she walked into the living room, where Gordo, who was wearing his reading glassed, was reading the paper.
Gordo looked up from his newspaper and raised his eyebrows, "Hmm?"
"When's the next time you're going out of town?"
Gordo shrugged, "I don't know…probably sometime in October. Why?"
"Well," Hailey began, "Now that I'm fifteen and everything, I was thinking this week would be a great opportunity to get my permit. I've been studying and I think I'm ready."
Gordo put down his paper and took off his glasses, wiping them clean with his breath and shirt before he brought the part that went behind his ear to his lips, thoughtfully, "Have you talked to my parents about this?"
"No…they aren't MY parents. You're my legal guardian."
Gordo shrugged, "It's okay with me, but one of them will have to take you. I have to meet with an editor tomorrow and speak at a class in UCLA on Thursday. The weekend isn't good because I have to meet with some financial guy to talk about the budget of my next project and then Saturday…hey, what about Saturday? Is Saturday good for you?"
Hailey looked a little surprised, "really? Are you serious?"
"Um…why not?"
Hailey shrieked, "This is going to be so cool!"
Gordo shrugged, "If you say so."
Hailey rolled her eyes, "Well, the coolest part is that next year, I will be able to drive myself to school and all these places with my brand new Maserati Quattroporte that you are going to give me for my birthday next spring and it will be so cool."
"Um, sure, Hails. In fact, let me call my friend at the Maserati factory right now so he can go ahead and start making one custom made just for you…it should only be an extra hundred thousand or so…no big deal," Gordo said, with a hint of sarcasm.
"Hey! A girl can dream, can't she?"
"You can dream all you want, but don't expect it to come true. Besides, I've always told you that you're first car is going to be used. I had a…an acquaintance in high school that got in four accidents before she had her car for a year."
"Oh, Kelly's brother was in two accidents before he made it through the first week. As long as it's reasonably attractive and dependable, I'll survive."
"Keep up the good grades, and I think we might be able to handle that."
"Awesome," Hailey said, and Gordo expected she was finished with the conversation, but Hailey didn't move.
"Is there something else I could help you with or are you just standing there because you have nothing better to do?" Gordo asked.
"Um, well," she started, but she seemed to struggle slightly.
Gordo looked at his niece as if he knew something was up, "Spit it out."
"Well, the thing is, Davie, now that I'm fifteen and I'm going to be a sophomore and everything, I think I'm getting a little too old for the bus."
Gordo shrugged, "You've got two feet. You know the roads. You can walk."
"Actually, I was sort of thinking about asking someone who is, you know, older and excels in driving and is someone that you and I both trust, to drive me to school in the morning."
"You mean like a…teacher?"
"NO!" Hailey practically screamed, "God, no! Not in a million years!"
Gordo smiled, "I know what you mean…do you have anyone in mind?"
"No…" Hailey said, "but it shouldn't be too much trouble. You have no idea how many upperclassmen take underclassmen to school just for forty dollars to blow over the weekend."
"I don't know about this…"
"Oh, come on! Don't you remember being my age? Don't you remember how you felt when everyone else seemed to be driving to school and you were stuck on the bus? Please?"
Gordo thought about this for a minute. Sure, he remembered being her age, and he also remembered that this whole giving rides to underclassmen was also popular when he was in high school, but Hailey seemed too young. Then again, she wasn't all that young.
Gordo sighed, "I'll tell you what," he offered, "If you find someone within these next few days who is willing to drive you to school and you let me meet the person…I'll think about it."
Hailey smiled, barely managing to withhold another squeal. "Oh, thank you!" she hugged her awesome uncle, "You are the coolest person ever!"
Gordo grinned, "Well, I try."
After the hug, Hailey left Gordo to go up to her room so she could call people to see if they had any ideas for who might be able to take her to school. To her disappointment, no one was able to give her much help, so it looked like she was going to have to start working on finding someone on her own. Hailey was determined about finding someone, as the prospect of another year on the bus made her almost sick in the stomach and also, because, of course, no one else she knew was taking the bus this year.
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A/N: Are things starting to make more sense? Can you start to guess what is going to happen? I mean, I don't know what carpooling could possibly have to do with either of these two meeting…none at all…
Next chapter to be out SOON.