Hi my friends! Chapter III is here! I hope you like it. Please R&R and let me know what you think about my story. I have to thank again to Christylee, (Christy, you're helping me a lot! You're amazing!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire, or the characters and places included in the Disney's series. I only own the plot.
Chapter III: Meddlesome people
After leaving Lizzie's house, he walked all around his neighborhood, up and down the streets, for about an hour. He needed time to think. Finally, he arrived to his house. He hardly greeted his parents and went straight to his room.
Gordo was confused. He lay on his bed and looked at the starry sky through the window. A perfect full moon was there. He thought about what happened a few hours ago. He felt an immense anger against Kate. But he thought: "I have to talk to her tomorrow. I can't let her make Lizzie's life miserable. And I have to talk to Lizzie too. I hope nothing will keep me from saying what I have to say."
He stayed in his room a little while longer. He heard the sound of the phone, and got up to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hi Gordo, how are you?"
It was Miranda.
"Definitely, I'm not fine."
"I knew it. I just talked to Lizzie and she told me what happened. Kate… She's so meddlesome…"
"We've got to do something to stop her from annoying Lizzie. What if we talk to her tomorrow?" Gordo suggested.
"She won't listen to us…"
"I know that, but at least she will be warned."
"I guess so…" Miranda said.
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm not feeling ok," Gordo said at last. "I had decided to tell her how I feel, but today, today exactly, this had to happen."
"Things don't go always as we plan," said Miranda. "You've told me that lots of times."
"Yeah, it's true."
There was another moment of silence.
"You're not in a talking mood, are you?" Miranda said.
"I think not."
"Ok then, I'll see you tomorrow. It's late, we've got to catch some sleep. Good night, Gordo."
"Good night, Miranda."
"Think a lot about what are you going to do."
"Thanks. Bye, Miranda."
-s-
Next day, Lizzie was putting her books in her locker. Gordo saw her from the end of the corridor. He walked straight towards her. When he reached her, Lizzie closed her locker. He stopped, time did too. They gazed at each other.
"Hi Lizzie."
"Hi Gordo. How are you? I guess we left our conversation incomplete yesterday …"
"Yeah, Lizzie. Look, what I wanted to tell you was…"
Unexpectedly, Ethan Craft appeared between them, and with his typical joviality, he hugged them, each one on each side of him, taking them to the classroom.
"Hey, Lizzie, Gordo, what's up?"
"Ethan Craft. He always appears at exactly the wrong moment", Gordo thought to himself, upset.
"I want you to excuse Kate for yesterday's incident," Ethan said. "I don't know what's wrong with her; lately her behavior is stranger than usual. I guess she finds it difficult to take control of her emotions… Do you understand?"
"Sure, Ethan," Lizzie said. "I was mean with her yesterday, but she didn't give me an alternative."
"Kate attacked Lizzie for no reason." Gordo said.
"Right, but I'm sure I won't happen again. I tried to get her to see that the way she treats people is wrong. Her behavior won't give her anything good."
"I hope she thinks about it…" Lizzie mumbled.
At that moment, Kate entered to the classroom, without greeting anyone, and sat down at her desk.
They were in their Literature Class. The teacher had the students sit in alphabetical order by last name, so Lizzie's, Gordo's and Miranda's desks were much separated. Everyone was in their respective places, when someone well known entered the room.
"Mr. Dig?" asked Lizzie, Gordo, Miranda, Ethan and Larry Tudgeman, all at the same time.
"Hey guys, how are you? Your regular teacher could not be here, so I will be his substitute today."
"I thought you were a substitute teacher only in Junior High School," Larry said.
"And I thought the last time I would see you would be on Junior High School..." He said in all seriousness. When he saw the shocked look in Larry's face, he said "Nah, I'm just joking, hehe. I'm very pleased to see you all again, guys. Let's get started."
The teacher was speaking and writing on the whiteboard, explaining to the class. Some students were not paying attention.
Gordo was thinking about Lizzie. He was looking at her as she was taking notes.
"People are so meddlesome… First Kate, then Ethan. Who's next? I'll talk to Lizzie when classes finish today. I'm sure Miranda will leave me alone with her to talk…"
A lot of doubts were spinning in Lizzie's mind.
"What does Gordo want to talk with me about? Why does it seem that everyone and everything is plotting together to keep us from talking to each other? Anyway, I HAVE to talk with him. We never talked about what happened in Rome. I guess we both thought it wasn't that important, that it was something caused by the emotion of the moment, but it is not that for me, I don't feel it like that… I've never had the courage to tell Gordo what I've been feeling for so very long... Ethan Craft was only an obsession, but Gordo is my real love…"
Kate was also thinking.
"I really don't want to behave in this way with Lizzie. But very time I make a plan it turns out badly. I must take her away from Gordo. Gordo must be only mine!"
Kate didn't understand when she started to feel this obsession about Gordo. She didn't understand why, but she wanted to separate him from Lizzie ever since she noticed he was in love with Lizzie. She knew she should say what felt as soon as she could. She felt caught.
Gordo continued thinking of Lizzie. In a sheet of his notebook he had drawn a scene from "Down With Love". Gordo had seen it on a night when Lizzie and Miranda picked what movie they were going to watch. In that scene, a couple found the favorable moment to be together, alone. Although it was a silly movie and he wouldn't have seen it on his own, he didn't understand why he felt like he was flying. Probably because that scene somehow looked like when he was in the rooftop of the hotel in Rome with Lizzie, and she kissed him… "What I am doing?" he thought to himself.
"Mr. Gordon."
"I've got to do it today."
"Mr. Gordon!"
"Uh? Sorry?"
Mr. Dig was looking at him, intrigued.
"What's happening with you, Mr. Gordon? I've called you three times and you haven't listened to me."
Gordo thought: "Three times? I only heard one!"
The teacher took Gordo's notebook and looked at the drawing. The expression on his face changed. With his sharp intuition he confirmed something he suspected for some years. He was not a common teacher. Besides teaching, he was also interested about the problems of his students. He closed the notebook and returned it to Gordo.
"I'll be waiting for you at the end of class in the Teachers Room to admonish you for your lack of attention. I won't take you out of class because you're a good student. Don't do it again."
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Dig. I won't," Gordo said, ashamed. It was the first time that a teacher had had to reprimand him, and the fact that the teacher realized the reason made that moment even more embarrassing.
"What's happening with Gordo?" Lizzie asked herself.
The clock continued running, until it was time to go home. As they always did, Gordo, Miranda and Lizzie walked out together at the end of class.
"Gordo, what's wrong with you? I'm surprised about what happened today. You weren't paying attention in class; Mr. Dig called you on it… Something is not going well, huh?" Miranda said, giggling.
"Stop it, Miranda, please" he said calmly. "I think there is a first time for everything. Now I have to go. Mr. Dig asked me to go to Teacher's Room now. I'll see you later. Bye."
"Bye" said the two girls, at the same time.
Once Gordo was gone, Miranda broke the "Cone of Silence" as she used to do.
"Don't you think it's weird what's happening with Gordo?" she asked, with a suspicious look.
Lizzie's face turned red.
"Well, I do…"
Miranda smiled. "When will you talk with him?"
"Talk about… what?"
"About what's happening between you two."
"What are you talking about?" Lizzie asked.
"Lizzie, I've realized something. I know you love Gordo. Please, find the opportunity to have a conversation with him and tell him once for all what you feel. He also loves you. Don't leave it for later!"
Lizzie was shocked.
"You're right," she said with determination. "It can't wait any longer."
-s-
Mr. Dig was waiting for Gordo in the Teacher's Room.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Dig." Gordo said when he got there.
"Hi Mr. Gordon. Sit down, please. Tell me what's happening with you."
"It's nothing, Mr. Dig. I was a bit distracted, that's all…"
"Mr. Gordon, I know it. I realized how you were looking at Lizzie; I saw the drawing on your notebook… I suspected it long time ago."
Gordo was quiet. Mr. Dig gave him a paternal look.
"You make no mistake when you say that…" Gordo confirmed.
"It's all right. Only listen to what I'm going to tell you. Never stop fighting for yourself, never stop fighting for what is important to you, and don't let yourself become discouraged, ok?
"Ok, Mr. Dig. Thanks…"
"Love can be a very powerful force to improve yourself. And about the sanction, don't worry. You're not going to get in trouble." Only try to not get distracted in class. See you later."
"Thanks. Bye, Mr. Dig."
Gordo walked through the lonely patio of his high school. "First Kate, then Ethan, now Mr. Dig. It looks like a joke."
He was so concentrated on his thoughts while he was walking towards his house, that he didn't realize that someone was following him.
