Note: I started this over two years ago and recently found finished chapters 9 & 10 in the deep recesses of my computer. I read over the story and thought, hey this is pretty good. It's mostly dialogue, but I guess that's because I'm writing a fanfic for a television show, which obviously consists mostly of dialogue. Anyway here they are...I'll probably continue it past chapter 10 so it's not sitting here unfinished for all enternity.

Lizzie was in no mood for free swim the next afternoon, but she really had no other choice. There was no way she was staying in the dark musty cabin alone. Miranda hadn't spoken a word to her since yesterday and had already left for the beach with Charlotte, Crystal, Jenna, and Jessie. Lizzie grabbed her towel and some sunscreen and started for the beach. As she walked along in her flip-flops she contemplated hiding out among the trees and not going at all, but she decided she would just look like a coward to Miranda.

Lizzie managed to walk on to the beach with her head held high. She plopped her towel down by the water and gazed out onto the lake. The glare made her squint, but she saw a bunch of people she recognized in the water, including Charlotte and Gordo. Lizzie noticed Miranda sitting close by. Who are those girls she's with? Lizzie wondered to herself. She realized they were Jessie and Jenna and her jaw dropped. Jessie and Jenna? Since when were they friends? With a sigh, Lizzie sat down. Everyone around her was laughing and having a great time, and suddenly staying alone in the cabin seemed much more appealing. But she knew she couldn't leave now. She sprawled out on her towel and strained to hear everyone's conversations around her.

"My mom sent me this suntan lotion from the Bahamas," Jessie said, "It has an SPF of 4, which means you'll get an excellent tan, and it has coconut oil extracts!"

Lizzie looked over at her own SPF 30 sunscreen with a big smiling sun on it. She slid it under her towel so that no one could see.

"SPF 4? Isn't that like, unhealthy?" Miranda asked stunned.

"4? No. SPF 2, maybe," Jenna said simply.

Lizzie chuckled to herself, but tried to pretend she wasn't listening.

"Well, anyway, my mom's actually in the Bahamas right now. She said the humidity is really bad this time of year! She's used to the country club scene you know, and it's just too hot to play golf down there…" Jessie started.

At that Lizzie sat up and looked out onto the water. She didn't want to hear about her superficial life anymore. She saw Gordo with Charlotte and Crystal doing cannonballs off the floating dock. How badly she wanted to go out there, but for some reason she couldn't make her self do it. She gritted her teeth at the sight of Charlotte and the pretentious manner she adopted when she was around Gordo. She wanted to go out there and tell Charlotte exactly what she thought of her. Gordo was her friend, not Charlotte's! But Lizzie knew if she went out there the moment she was ready to zing, there would be no zinging. Instead she'd end up saying something nice about the weather.

She swallowed her fear and stood up preparing to step into the lake, but she physically couldn't. She looked out at Gordo and Charlotte in the water. At that moment she realized she was completely and totally jealous of Charlotte. Rachel was right. However, the reason WHY she was jealous still hadn't crept into her mind.

"Gordo! Hey Gordo!" Lizzie shouted to her friend as she walked into the water.

Gordo turned around. "Lizzie! Hey!" He swam over to her. "Hey, where have you been? I've been waiting around for you," he said.

"Really? Oh, I, uh, just got here a second ago," she lied.

"Oh, okay, so are you coming in?" Gordo asked, splashing her a little.

"Nah, that's ok, I'll just stay here," she said fakely.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?"

"No, I'm fine, I just want to lay out in the sun anyway," Lizzie told him.

"Ok, see ya at dinner, then?"

"Yep, see you," she said as she sat down.

At dinner Miranda avoided Lizzie like the plague. Lizzie was sitting with Gordo and Ian and some of their cabin mates, while Miranda sat on the other side of the mess hall with Jenna and Jessie.

"What's with her?" Gordo asked referring to Miranda.

"I don't know," Lizzie said, "Maybe she just wants to make some new friends."

"With them? Yeah right. You're not talking are you?"

"Wow, you're good," Lizzie said amazed. "No, we kinda had this fight. You know, it wasn't as much of a fight as it was a squabble."

"You know what I always do when I'm in a fight with a friend?" Ian interrupted, "I make them a mix tape."

"A mix tape? She's not my boyfriend! And this isn't some WB drama! Besides, we're at camp, how am I going to make one here?"

"Oh yeah, good thinking, McGuire," Ian said tapping his head.

"You know you remind me of someone," Gordo blurted out, "Do you happen to know a guy by the name of Ethan Craft?"

"Ethan Craft! He's my cousin, Gord-on! Aw man, he's the best," Ian said.

"Your cousin?" Lizzie asked astonished. "Well that explains a lot!" Lizzie exclaimed thinking about how gorgeous yet moronic both of them are.

Just then Miranda came by with an empty tray. "Hey Gordo, tell Lizzie that I'm going somewhere tonight, just so she doesn't worry about me okay?"

"Hey Miranda, Lizzie's right here," Ian said as Miranda walked away.

"Why does she think I'd worry about her?" Lizzie asked.

"I dunno, maybe, she knows deep down you guys are still friends," Gordo said.

Lizzie just gave him a look and went back to her macaroni and cheese.

Miranda pretended to go to the girls bathroom, but instead slipped out a screen door. She made sure no one saw her as she walked toward the water. It was getting dark. The air was chilly and the bugs were starting to come out. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light as she walked toward the beach. She reached the pier, and just as she thought, Larry Tudgeman was sitting at the end of it with his legs dangling off.

"I thought you'd be here," Miranda said as she got closer.

"Well this is my favorite spot in the entire camp," Larry said plainly without turning around.

Miranda sat down next to him with her legs dangling off like Larry's.

"Nutty Buddy?" Larry offered.

"Thanks," she said, taking the ice cream and peeling off the wrapper.

"This is really beautiful," Miranda said eating her ice cream, "Do you come here every day?"

"At sunset."

Miranda nodded and listened to the gentle waves lap up on shore for a moment.

"That's when I can best see the planet Zarcon and communicate with the Zarconiains."

Miranda shot him a look.

"Kidding. Kidding. You know, I'm not always all that sci-fi space age weirdo stuff."

Miranda just sat there for a moment trying to build up some courage. "Listen Larry, I'm so sorry about anything I said. I really didn't mean it, honestly. I don't even know why I said it."

"So is insulting me just an impulse to you?" Larry asked.

"No, no it's not like that. I just have so many insecurities about everyone here. None of those girls understands me. Except for Lizzie of course, but now she's not even my friend. Anyway, you actually get me, you know? And that's scary, because I never thought you would."

"It's okay, Miranda, I forgive you," he said touching her hand slightly. "Some night you'll have to come out here when the stars are out. I can point out the stars to you."

"Okay, sure," Miranda said. "Hey Tudge, I'm glad everything is okay between us."

"Yeah me too."

"It's getting dark, we should really get going," Miranda said, standing up.

"No, you go. I'm gonna stay awhile."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't want you to get cold. Besides, I need to look at the planet alignment and see if conditions are favorable for a Nebutron shift."