Juan Pablo- Thanks for your praise again- however- the LG thing was there in the previous chapters, just bubbling underneath the surface and in the last chapter it just exploded :o)

Siv- I hope you made it to your bus in time and weren't late for work! However, I am late for work all the time, so no worries :o) Thanks for your comments and I'm glad you did well on your chem. Final!

Dario- It's totally fine you haven't reviewed until now- I've been guilty of the same thing before myself. It's just nice to hear from the people who might not review as often because I know you all are out there :o) Hope to keep hearing your comments!

KittyDoggyLover- When Gordo pulled Lizzie in the pool- that was my favorite moment as well! You'd think it would be when they were IN the pool- but I just loved that picture of them falling sideways into the pool together.

Andy- I know what you mean, sometimes I just want to smack Gordo myself!

Emerald Flame- Thanks so much for your praise:o)

Roxy Anne- I'm glad you are realizing just how much baggage is coming along with Gordo, last time I wrote this story everyone seemed to think it was all Lizzie's fault! Know that Lizzie has some big bags of her own though:o)

A note for everyone! I promise you all, this will be the last emo/angsty chapter for a while- for the next few chapters after this it will be much smoother sailing!

Chapter 6- How It Happened

She remembered that day like it was yesterday, has poured over every word was said, every tone that was used, and every detail that could possibly be remembered. The day that it happened… the last day that her and Gordo were friends.

It happened outside… but it really began much earlier than this specific day. In reality you could say that it had been happening ever since that previous summer… the summer that Miranda left. The summer that I kissed him on that rooftop in Italy… the summer that everything changed.

He was distant ever since we got back from Italy… every time I tried to move forward in our relationship, he pushed me even farther away. Sometimes I was so positive that he felt the same way… I could see it in his eyes… when he looked at me. That's part of the reason I loved to be around him… just one look at me and his whole face would change. I knew I was special when Gordo looked at me. And that's all that mattered. Lately though, as soon as that look was there it was replaced by an emotion I couldn't read, an emotion that after 14 years of friendship I couldn't understand… It was as if he… he didn't want me anymore.

So when Jay approached me during the end of my freshman year… I was ready to do what he asked me. Part of me wondered if it was the right thing. I had fun in Italy but me being on stage wasn't about the fact that I loved to sing so much as it was a chance for me to show people who I really was… for me to break out of my shell. And I did that… but singing as my life ambition? I wasn't sure what I pictured for my life (I almost liked not knowing) but I knew that I wanted Gordo to be apart of it, no matter if he was my boyfriend or not.

But apparently that wasn't in the cards anymore. So I found myself begging my father to let me take this chance. Or in Jay's words, "A chance of a lifetime." I thought that this might make Gordo stop pushing me away, a chance for him to be proud of me.

But he wasn't. "Lizzie, are you sure about this?" he questioned me as soon as I told him my parents accepted Jay's offer and signed the contract. Not the response I had been looking for.

"Aren't… Aren't you happy for me?" I asked, trying not to sound too crushed.

"I guess... just as long as you're sure that's what you want" was all he said.

"Of course I'm sure Gordo, jeez…" I looked away, hoping I wouldn't start crying.

And that's how it was. I would try and let him know when I was doing exciting things, like meeting the record executives and how my singing classes were going… but he didn't seem to care. In fact, the more I told him about my singing aspirations, the more he pushed me away. Granted, we still talked and hung out, but there was still that tension that I just couldn't figure out.

So I retaliated. I pushed myself into my singing even more and if he ever asked if I wanted to hang out after school I always told him I just didn't have the time. I even pushed Miranda away. I told her and Gordo I had rehearsals on Wednesday's and just couldn't make it to our weekly phone conversations anymore. I found new friends at school, friends I knew Gordo wouldn't like. Whenever I hung around him, which wasn't very often, I would make sure he knew that I didn't need him anymore. After all… he didn't want me anymore right? Why should he care?

So here we are, in the middle of my freshman year of high school. I was feeling particularly hurtful one day and actually told him I'd meet him at the digital bean after school. Only I never showed up.

I remember that singing practice was particularly brutal that day. Jay was trying to stretch my range and for some reason I just couldn't hit a high C if my life depended on it. Those first few weeks of singing practice were pretty grueling (not saying that my rehearsals after that were a piece of cake either). My mother drove me home from practice around 6 and as we pulled up my street I saw him… sitting on my curb waiting for me.

My mother caught eyes with me and seemed to understand that something had happened. "Dinner's at 7" she said simply, understanding we were going to need to talk. So we both got out of her car, her going inside and me walking down to the end of my drive way. We didn't say anything for a moment. He continued to stare out in the street and I just stared at him.

"So you knew you had rehearsal today?" he asked, still not looking at me.

"Listen Gordo… I don't have time for this!" I suddenly exploded, mostly in defense because I knew what I had done was wrong and unlike me. He looked at me with wide eyes, just as shocked as I was by my outburst.

"Don't have time right now or don't have time to be my friend?" he looked away again, "Because lately I haven't been able to tell the difference Lizzie!"

"Listen you need to understand that I'm busy and that I have a lot of things to do with singing!" I shot back. He stood up in front of me.

"That's another thing Lizzie, I know you! I know this isn't what you want! It would be completely different if you actually loved what you did but you don't!" He had squeezed both of his fists together in frustration.

"How do you know that!" I was right out yelling now. His face suddenly softened.

"Because I know you Lizzie… this is what Jay wants, not you…" I blinked, "You aren't as passionate about it as you pretend to be. Ever since you started doing this… you lost a part of yourself…" He looked at me deeply.

And that's when I said it. The statement that would forever change things. "You're just jealous because I would rather be there singing than with you." I spat out.

Whoever said that words could never hurt you lied.

Lizzie woke up with a gasp. The room was half filled with light and the sun was coming up. Rolling over, she checked the time and found out that it was only 5:45. Knowing that she would never be able to fall back asleep she pulled herself out of bed and glanced over at Gordo. She smiled when she saw that he was sprawled across the entire queen bed, his feet hanging off the end and his head almost off the side. She stared at him for a moment, feeling a mix of emotion. Her mind was still running from her dream but at the same time her face was slightly warm as she remembered the night before.

After the incident in the pool (an incident that Lizzie still couldn't decide on as to what actually happened in the first place) she quickly went to bed, crawling under the covers and had already turned out the lights by the time Gordo showed up. She hoped that he took that as a sign that she didn't want to talk about what happened (ifsomething did happen…).

Quietly, she grabbed her cell phone off the table and walked out onto the porch that was overlooking the courtyard. Sitting down on the plastic furniture on the balcony overlooking the pool, she glanced out at the sun that was rising in the distance over the mountains. She took a deep breath of the cool morning air and gave a small smile. She turned her phone on and dialed in her mother's cell number so she didn't wake up the rest of her family. Her mother always liked getting up well before the family did to take some "mental health time" or so she called it. It only rang once before she picked it up.

"Lizzie" she breathed into the phone, obviously relieved.

"Hey Mom." Lizzie was almost as relieved to hear her mother's voice. How is it that I miss her after only a day?

"Oh Honey… what's wrong?" Her mother had this amazing instinct to tell that something was wrong after just hearing the tone of your voice.

"It's just so hard to be here Mom…."

"I know sweetie…" and her mom was the closest one to really understanding… but at the same time… she had no idea.

Lizzie was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry for not telling Jay that I came."

"Lizzie… I understand." Her mother said simply.

"You do?" she was surprised.

"Yes…I do…" her mother let out a long breath, "Lizzie I need to tell you something important…"

"Yeah?" Lizzie could tell that this was something her mother had been thinking about for a while.

"You know that your father and I will be proud of you no matter what… no matter if you are a singer or if you end up going to college or if you are flipping burgers at Al's Diner… as long as you are following your dreams and nobody else's…" Lizzie was quiet, taking in what her mother was telling her, "Your father and I love you very… very much and no matter what, even if you don't continue singing, will that ever change." Her voice began to get a little choked up.

Lizzie was finding it very hard to swallow all of a sudden.

"Thanks Mom" she finally choked out, "I love you too."

They were both quiet for a moment, knowing that they both needed the silence to digest everything. The cool morning wind was blowing softly through the courtyard, leaving gentle ripples across the pool. Her mother finally asked, "Where are you guys?"

"Just outside of Phoenix… We should have another full day of driving before we get to Miranda's." A day that hopefully shouldn't be as awful as yesterday… she thought.

"How are things with Gordo?" her mother asked.

Lizzie looked away from the pool, images flooding into her mind from the night before. "Confusing" she answered truthfully.

"Lizzie… You've known Gordo for your entire life- 18 years… and only 3 of those years you have not been friends." Her mother explained this carefully, pausing for a moment before adding, "I know that you both still care for each other… no matter how much you deny it."

"Mom… I don't… I… I mean…" she stuttered, Lizzie blinked and images from her childhood unexpectedly began popping up into her mind.

She was a princess trapped in a tower looking out the window. But she was scared, danger was lurking below her. She could hear the dragon underneath her perch, which was high up in the tree. All of a sudden, Gordo, dressed in shining metal armor, popped out from behind a bush with his sword drawn. He began battling the huge fire breathing dragon that was guarding her tower. Scared for him, she called his name out. He glanced up and gave her a look of reassurance before driving his sword through the dragon's heart.

Now she was waiting… waiting for his bus to show up. She couldn't concentrate all day. All she could think about was Gordo and how his first day at High School was. She would walk to her locker, expecting him to be there like he always was… but he never showed up. It was like a piece of her was missing. Now he was standing in front of her, confused as to why she was there, waiting for him. Why was he confused? Didn't he understand how much she missed him?

She was crying. Ripping up this notebook was all she could focus on, letting the 'I heart Ronnie' notes she had written be torn to pieces just as her heart felt at that exact moment. But unexpectedly he was there and she was smiling as he told her she was pretty and that Ronnie was an idiot… Ronnie who?

Suddenly she was on a plane home from Rome, watching Gordo fall asleep on her shoulder. She could feel his breathing and did not resist the urge to wipe some of the brown curls away from his tranquil face. He unconsciously leaned into her touch and she leaned her own head against his own. She knew that it couldn't get any better than at exactly that moment.

"I do care for him…" Lizzie finally let escape from her mouth, surprised to see the porch of their hotel room in her vision once again.

"Then that's all you need Lizzie…" her mother said.

"But what if it's too late?" Lizzie bit her lip, the guilt of the past 3 years overwhelming her.

"What if it's not?"

A lone tear escaped from the corner of her right eye.

"You just need to let go Lizzie, just let go of everything that is holding you back" her mother whispered gently.

After a moment of silence however, Lizzie wiped the tear away and quickly said, "I don't know… I'll think about it…"

Knowing her daughter's defense mechanisms well Mrs. McGuire knew it was time to drop the subject. "Well, you both probably should get on the road if you want to make it to Miranda's before it gets too late… Please call me when you get there."

"I will Mom… I love you…"

"I love you too sweetie." Lizzie clicked the phone shut and continued to stare out at the orange sun that was now halfway into the sky.

After a moment she stepped into the room and saw that it was a little after 6. She took advantage of the empty bathroom and took her time showering and preparing for the day. It wasn't until around 7:15 that she decided she better wake up Gordo.

Unable to get the images from the night before out of her mind, she cautiously inched her way over to his bed, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Why I am so nervous? she thought, staring at his sleeping form on the bed. She stopped, took a deep breath and realized how ridiculous she was being. It's just Gordo for goodness sakes!

With that she boldly took a large step in front of her towards his bed, but did not account for the bottom sheets that were strewn between the beds, leaving a virtual trap for her to trip across. Her heart jolted into her throat as she realized she was flying forward, not towards the floor, but instead towards Gordo's bed. And not just Gordo's bed, but Gordo himself.

She landed face down so that her chest was square up against his, her head landing just to the left of his own. He exclaimed an unrecognizable grunt due to being woken up so suddenly while she shrieked, surprised at her unexpected fall. His hands unconsciously grabbed her hips and he opened his eyes, surprised to see Lizzie's horrorstruck face inches from his own.

"I'm so sorry" she gasped, "I tripped over the sheets… and… and I…" her face was becoming more red by the second. She tried not to focus on the feeling of his body beneath her own.

He blinked, still trying to wake up, and finally said, "Well I knew you were still kind of mad about me tickling you last night in the pool and all but… trying to beat me to death while I'm asleep is a new low, even for you McGuire." He smiled, his sleepy eyes crinkling at the sides.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and, realizing just how close they were, rolled over to the left and ended up falling 3 feet off the bed on her back on the floor. "Ooof!" she exclaimed as her breath was knocked out of her on impact.

She laid there for a moment, her face burning as she realized what she had just done. He poked his head over the side of the bed, his eyes dancing. His curly hair was flying in every direction.

She gave him a look of death, "Don't… say… anything…."

He busted out into laughter and walked into the bathroom. She crossed her arms and, face still burning, rolled her eyes… but gave a small smile when he finally closed the door.