Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Lizzie McGuire characters.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! And I enabled anonymous reviews too, so anybody review!

Previously:

Lizzie pulled back puzzled. She reached up and pressed her fingers along the side of his jaw.

Lizzie: "Gordo…….what's this lump?"

Chapter 2-Please Go

Gordo pulled away, his expression self-conscious.

Gordo: "It's just a swollen gland."

Lizzie: "Did your doctor see it?" she asked worried.

Gordo: "Lizzie, it's nothing. When someone gets the flu, glands swell."

Lizzie: "Is the one on the other side swollen too?" she asked as she frowned.

Gordo: "Lizzie, I don't want to talk about this right now. Now come on, it's our turn. Bet you a buck you can't make a strike."

Lizzie: "Your on!" she said as she leaped to her feet.

The rest of the night went great. By the time Gordo drove Lizzie home, Lizzie was feeling content. She hooked her arm through Gordo's once he stopped his car in fornt of her house. Then leaned against his broad shoulder.

Lizzie: "I had fun."

Gordo: "Me too. But then again, I always have fun when I'm with you."

Lizzie felt a tingling sensation along her skin. Gordo said romantic things without calculation. Which was one of the reasons she cared for him so much.

Lizzie: "I think you should sleep in tomorrow." she told him.

Gordo: "I am feeling pretty lousy. Maybe some extra sleep will help. I'll call you tomorrow as soon as I wake up." he said not arguing.

She raised her face and received his long, lingering kiss, then got out of the car.

Lizzie: "I can make it up the walk myself. Go home and go to bed. I love you."

Gordo: "Love you too Liz."

He smiled at her, but even in the faint glow of the lights from the dashboard, she thought he looked weary and pale. She squeezed his hand through the open passenger window and dashed up the sidewalk and into her house.

Jo: "Is that you Lizzie?" she heard her mother call.

Lizzie: "No, mom. It's a burglar." she said joking around.

Jo: "Cute. Come sit down and visit with me."

Lizzie: "I'm tired, can we talk tomorrow?"

Lizzie knew what her mom was going to say, and she wasn't in the mood to hear it. Especially after the good time she'd had with Gordo and her friends.

Jo: "You'll be too busy tomorrow. Come on, it won't take to long. Sit." she said patting the sofa cushion beside her.

Lizzie: "So what can't wait till tomorrow?" she asked sitting down.

Jo: "Lizzie, I'm concerned your not sending out your applications for college."

Lizzie: "Oh mom…..not this again." she groaned.

Jo: "I know what I'm talking about. The freshman classes for all the really top colleges fill up fast and your too bright, your grades are too good, for you not to get into any college you apply to. I've already talked to you school guidance counselor and she said kids in your junior class are sending forms right an left. You should be too."

Lizzie: "Mom, I've got a lot of time to think about college. I won't even take my SAT exam until next fall, and those scores are what colleges consider."

Jo: "Naturally the SAT's are important but you shouldn't have any trouble with them. You should start applying now to colleges you're truly interested in."

Lizzie was struggling to keep from losing her temper. She knew her mom ws trying ot be helpful. But she didn't want any.

Lizzie: "Can't I just enjoy high school? It's not even Christmas yet! I don't want to deal with college now….especially when I have over a year of high school left."

Jo: "It's because of Gordo, isn't it?" she said in a low voice.

Lizzie: "I don't know what you mean."

Jo: "Your so busy thinking about Gordo that you don't think of yourself. You spend more time with him than with anything else."

Lizzie clenched her teeth, hating that her mom was partly right, yet not wanting to admit it.

Lizzie: "Of course I like Gordo. But I do plenty of things with my friends. And I've never once let my grades drop, have I?" she said trying to prove a point.

Jo: "Lizzie, I'm not trying to be a nag. It's just that I want so much more for you."

Lizzie: "More of what? Why shouldn't I have a boyfriend and have fun with him? What have you got against Gordo?"

Jo: "I don't have anything against him. He's a nice boy, I mean I saw him grow up too. But I want to see you go to college, have a career and see the world.

Lizzie: "I am! And don't forget, Gordo's going to get a football scholarship and be out of here in two years. So, based on your logic, why would I want to even stay if he's gone?"

Jo: "I just want you to think about your future, Lizzie."

Lizzie: "And I am. I'll go to college mom. I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed. Night!" she said quickly running to her room.

Lizzie wasn't lying when she said that she wanted to go to college. But what she hadn't said was that she wasn't about to choose a college until she knew where Gordo was going to attend. Her father already said that college coaches were already lining up to offer Gordo athletic scholarships. Once Gordo, got down to serious negations with colleges, she would start to apply to those colleges too. She wasn't about to spend four years apart from Gordo. She loved Gordo with all her heart and she wasn't about to let him get away.

THE NEXT DAY:

Lizzie: "I think you have a fever, Gordo." she said as she pressed her hand on his cheek.

Automatically she moved her hand to the side of his neck, to where she'd first felt the swollen gland the night before.

Lizzie: "and your gland doesn't seem any smaller."

It was Sunday afternoon and he had come over to study wit her. Their books were spread across the dining room table, but Gordo had spent most of the past hour resting his head on the book in front of him.

Gordo: "I'm fine. You're not my mother, Liz. Get off my case."

Lizzie: "Well excuse me for being concerned." she said as she shoved her chair backward and stood up.

Gordo: "Wait a minute, I didn't mean to snap at you. I didn't sleep good last night, and today I've got a pounding headache."

Lizzie: "Why don't you go back to your doctor?" she said, she was instantly sorry for being cross with him.

Gordo: "I don't want to. What's he going to do? Give me another prescription for antibiotics? The last prescription didn't help." he said as he shrugged.

Lizzie: "Then that's all the more reason to go."

Gordo: "Office visits and prescriptions cost money. Things are tight with mom this month and she doesn't need any extra expense."

Lizzie knew it was hard for Gordo to talk to her about his poverty. Ever since his father's death, his mother had worked full-time and he had worked summer jobs, but there was still never seemed to be enough money to go around.

Lizzie: "Just tell my dad. He'll get you the doctor and it won't cost you a thing."

He shoved away from the table and stood up.

Gordo: "I don't need any charity, Lizzie. It's my flu, you know. And I don't want your dad to foot my bills!"

Lizzie: "That's the dumbest…."

She got no further. He had walked around her and headed out the door. She called for him to return, but all she heard was the door slamming of the front door behind him.

Her father sauntered into the dining room with the Sunday paper in his hand.

Sam: "What's all the noise about?"

Lizzie: "Nothing, we had a little disagreement and Gordo left."

Sam: "He'll come back when he's cooled off."

Lizzie: "Yeah, sure."

Sam: "Don't be hard on him, Liz. He's had a rough season. He doesn't need hassle from his girl."

Lizzie: "Well thank you, dad for your support. But did it occur to you that Gordo be the one wrong in this?"

Sam: "Hold on, now. I'm not about to get into some lover's spat. I was just wondering why the door slammed so hard." he said throwing his hands up.

Lizzie: "Next time Gordo leaves angry, I'll tell him not to slam the door."

He started to say something but the phone rang.

Sam: "Back in a minute. And we'll discuss what set Gordo off."

Lizzie didn't want to discuss anything with her father at that moment.

Twenty minutes later, her father was still on the phone when the doorbell rang. She opened the door and Gordo was standing on the porch, his hands behind his back.

Gordo: "Can I come in?"

Lizzie pushed open the door, and headed to the dining room with Gordo tagging after her.

Gordo: "Here. These are for you."

He held out a small bouquet of flowers. She recognized them, they conjured up memories of bouquets form the past he'd given her. It was his favorite means of communication.

Lizzie: "Do you think you can solve every problem with flowers?

She took them and buried her nose in petals of the yellow and red mums.

Gordo: "Can't I? "he asked innocently.

He looked cute and apologetic, she had a hard time not smiling.

Lizzie: "Yes. You know how I feel about flowers." she admitted.

Gordo: "And me? How do you feel about me? Am I forgiven?"

Lizzie: "I wasn't trying to tell you what to do. I'm worried that's all. You've been sick for weeks and you don't seem to be getting any better. I guess I can't understand why you can't go back to the doctor and demand he make you well. And money is no excuse."

He sat down in a dining room chair while she talked. His long, lanky body drooped, reminding her of a balloon that was losing air. She thought he looked thinner than usual, but she wasn't about to mention it to him.

Gordo: "I know your right. I've been putting it off because…….because I'm worried too."

Lizzie: "You are?"

Gordo: "Other glands are swollen-the ones under my arms. And at night I get these terrible sweats. I mean I wake up and the sheets are soaking wet. I've been changing them every morning so mom won't know."

Lizzie felt her stomach constrict.

Lizzie: "This doesn't sound right to me. Maybe it's more than a flu."

Gordo: "I guess I thought it would eventually go away."

Lizzie: "But it hasn't."

Gordo: "Look I'll go back to the doctor, but not until Christmas break."

Lizzie: "That's another 3 weeks!"

Gordo: "I'm drowning in schoolwork. What with the playoffs and all, I really fell behind."

Lizzie: "But…"

He placed his fingertips across her lips to silence her.

Gordo: "I've got to take my girl to the big formal dance. What if the doctor puts me on bed rest or something? How will I take her to the dance then?"

Lizzie: "I don't care if we miss the dance."

Lizzie said the words but she knew it wasn't true. She really did want to go to the dance. She'd already bought her dress.

Gordo: "Well I care. Anyway it gives me another excuse to bring you flowers."

She pulled back as they were hugging and looked up at his face-the face she'd grown to love so much.

Lizzie: "But the minute Christmas break starts, you'll go to the doctor?"

Gordo: "Yes. And your going to come with me. I really don't want to bother my mom with this."

Lizzie: "Good, because I'll be right by your side." she said smiling up at him.

He bent down and kissed her but pulled away when the coach walked in.

Sam: "I just got off the phone with the head of the school board. The funds are going to be enough to build that new football stadium after all." he said excitedly.

Gordo: "Alright!" he said as he gave Sam a high five.

Lizzie knew how much the stadium meant to her father and to Gordo.

Gordo: "A new stadium. When will it be finished?" he said as his eyes blue eyes gleamed.

Sam: "If everything goes the way I planned, you could start your senior season in it."

Gordo: "That's not even a year from now." he said surprised.

Sam: "It's a long shot but it's possible it could be ready by fall."

Gordo: "Even if I can't play on it, the next class will. I'm just glad we're getting it."

Sam: "I want you to play on it."

Lizzie looked back and forth at her father and her boyfriend. Everything was going perfectly. Nothing could go wrong, right?

A/N: Long chapter! Please review guys!