Juan Pablo- Thanks for your continued praise about my story! I'm actually so surprised I've gotten such a huge response so far! Hope you like this chapter just as much (even though there aren't any bubble explosions just yet).

Andy- Thank you so much for your comments about my story- I read and re-read the story several times, so it means a lot that you notice the writing in particular. As far as this site, I usually don't read most stories on it (I read a lot of HP stories on other sites). However, I haven't been able to find any sites online that have any Lizzie McGuire stories, so this is what I use to post. Please let me know if you know of any! By the way, you wouldn't happen to be from the UK would you? I just noticed with how you wrote your comment there :o)

Fanfiction06- I know what you mean about getting hooked on a story! I try not to read works in progress sometimes (your story is an exception) because I get so into the characters that it is hard for me not to have the story be finished! Not to worry in this case though (the ending is already written!).

JenJen5885- Thanks for your praise! I really appreciate getting any kind of feedback, good or bad, so keep letting me know what you think!

Mitchel-musso-lver- I'm so glad you think the story is sweet- because that is what I think Lizzie and Gordo's relationship is all about, baggage or not!

Siv- I'm so glad you didn't miss your bus! Thanks for all the continued reviews and praise on the story!

Dario- thanks, I love the ending to that chapter too! I love when Lizzie is so klutzy in the show and I wanted to make sure to put that in the story as well.

Neithan- Oh wow! Thanks for all your praise about my picture of Lizzie! I really try hard to make sure everything she does and that Gordo does is for a reason- it bothers me when, like you said, Lizzie goes the cheerleading route when in the show I could never see her doing something like that for no reason. So, thanks for your comments!

KittyDoggyLover- I'm glad that last chapter cleared things up, I was hoping it would fill in all of the gaps about their past so we can look to the future now ;o)

Lauren Mcg- I'm glad you feel that way about their tension- ever since I saw that episode with Lizzie and Gordo standing on the front porch together after the murder mystery party I knew that it was one of their strengths!

RoxyAnne- Thanks so much! The last version of this story had way fewer flashbacks and I really like all of the additions and am glad you do too!

Jake- Thanks for your comments- I love to re-read stories and I re-read this one a lot, it's good the see the whole picture rather than chapter by chapter.

Sydmoonlight- I'm so sorry I didn't respond to your review in my last chapter! I think that you must have reviewed it just as I was posting my next chapter, so I must have just missed you. Either way, thanks so much for your comments and I hope you liked finding out what happened (even it wasn't a happy thing) between Lizzie and Gordo a month after that phone call.

Note to everyone: I must admit- I stole the idea for the end of this chapter from the movie, 'Chasing Liberty' starring Mandy Moore. Either way, enjoy!

Chapter 7- Don't Give Up

"I always hate leaving hotel rooms…" Lizzie said, crouching on her hands and knees to look under the bed, "It feels like you always leave something behind…" She saw something and grabbed at it, only to pull out 3 random socks. "Uh, Gordo, are these yours?" she said, eyeing them suspiciously. It seemed like they were a mix of white and dark green in color.

Gordo looked up from packing his bag and said, "No…and I wouldn't touch those, they look kind of moldy to me." Lizzie dropped them like they were burning a hole through her hand.

"Oh gross!" she cried, running into the bathroom to go disinfect her hand.

He smiled and finished packing up, grabbing both her and his own bag to take out the door. "Lizzie, it's just fungus, calm down" he called through the door. The sound of running water intensified. Gordo laughed and grabbed her bag to carry on his way out of the door.

"Okay, first you are going to want to practice, without the car on, how to switch back and forth between the clutch and gas" Gordo explained, pointing down at her feet to where the clutch and gas were located. They were sitting in Gordo's car in an empty parking lot in the back of their motel.

"I put one foot on each?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes" he nodded, "Now what's going to happen is you are going to be holding down the clutch when you are not in gear, but to switch into a gear you need to let up slowly on the clutch as you press down slowly on the gas. It's kind of a delicate balance." Gordo said, as Lizzie tried it a few times. "Now, to give you a precursor- I didn't get this the first time, so don't worry if you don't get it" he explained.

"Wow," Lizzie smiled, "If Gordo didn't get it the first time then it must be hard." Lizzie teased him. Did I just flirt with Gordo? Her eyes widened in shock at her statement and she clamped her mouth shut.

He just smiled and said, "Now I am going to teach you how to turn on the car."

"Already?" Lizzie said quickly, panicked.

He smiled at her reaction but continued on, "Now, you make sure the parking brake is up, which it already is. Now you push down on the clutch and turn the key." She did this, his truck revving up. "Now don't let go of the clutch yet, and move the gearshift into the neutral position in the middle."

"Okay" Lizzie said, doing what he said. "This is so easy."

He laughed, "That was the easy part. You could let go of the clutch now if you wanted, but we are going to go straight into getting into first gear. This part is the hardest." Lizzie's face fell. "Okay, keeping the clutch pedal down, put the car into first gear by moving the gearshift to the top-left position." He indicated it with his hands and she fiddled with the gearshift for a second, unable to get it into place this time. He placed his warm hand overtop of her own, guiding it into its spot.

"It's a little tricky at first." He smiled as he explained it to her, as butterflies were erupting in her stomach. She suddenly realized how small his truck was as she tried to keep her mind on the task at hand. "Now, hold down the foot brake with your right foot to release the parking brake." Lizzie did this, biting her lip in concentration. "You are going to do what you did before and let go of the clutch slowly as you push down of the gas pedal. Remember it's a delicate balance and you might stall the first time, so don't be worried."

She let go of the brake first before letting go of the clutch and made some noise as the car rolled forward a few inches without anything to keep stop it, "It's okay, keep going, we've got room" he reassured her. She made a little squeal in nervousness as she quickly put her right foot down on the gas and let go of the clutch at the same time. The car made a gasping sound before falling dead.

Gordo said quickly, "Put your foot on the brake" which she did, "and pull up the emergency brake."

She looked around wildly, "Where is it?"

"Right here" he said, leaning across her in the drivers seat to pull out the emergency brake located next to her left leg. His arm brushed across her knee as he pulled it out. In response, Lizzie leaned back quickly in her seat as she felt jolts of electricity coming up her leg. Feeling as if the cab of his truck had shrunk in size by at least a half she took a deep breath in and suddenly felt another jolt in her stomach when she realized how good he smelled.

Her mind was suddenly transported back to growing up, to those times they would star watch and she would purposely sit as close as she could (without being too close) so she could breathe him in. How she would always hold on for that extra second while they hugged. Gordo always had a specific smell about him. She wasn't sure if it was his soap or his detergent or just him in general but she always felt intoxicated by it. When he was close enough, it was all she could think about. It was a mix of fresh, almost woodsy, mixed with a sort of spice she could never describe if her life depended on it.

He leaned back to his own seat and Lizzie's heart dropped. "Sorry" she said, letting out a long breath.

"It's okay," he said, "Everyone messes up at first. It's all apart of the 'learning how to drive manual' process. This time you are going to want to release the clutch pedal slowly; when you hear or feel the engine begin to slow down, slowly press down on the gas pedal as you continue to release the clutch."

She tried a second and third time, and again and again the car stalled. "I don't know if I can do this Gordo." She was frustrated now and stared down at the steering wheel, her long blonde hair falling into her face.

"Lizzie" he placed his hand on her own, "Don't give up, I know you can do this." She looked down at his hand first before looking over at him as he smiled reassuringly.

"Okay" Lizzie said, her eyes narrowing in determination. She started the car again and shifted into first gear. She took a deep breath and pressed lightly on the gas pedal, letting up slowly off of the clutch. The car moved forward a bit and Lizzie's eyes widened and she cried out in surprise as she realized she had finally gotten it. "What do I do now?" she cried out in a high voice, as Gordo laughed at her reaction.

Gordo showed her how to stop, which was considerably easier than getting into 1st gear. "I did it!" Lizzie cried, throwing her arms around Gordo in the passenger seat. He laughed and they both sat there for a second, hugging each other. Lizzie took a deep breath, letting her nostrils fill with his scent.

"I knew you could" Gordo pulled back and smiled at her. Lizzie, caught up in the moment sat there for a second before realizing that they were entirely too close and pulled back hastily. "Want to try getting to 2nd gear?" he asked.

Lizzie and Gordo spent the next half an hour practicing it over and over again, and after a few stalls but several successful attempts, Lizzie felt pretty confident in her skills. "Thanks" Lizzie said, pulling the emergency brake and sitting back in her seat.

"Hey you did all the work here." He gave her a small grin.

"No I mean…" she was kind of embarrassed and looked away, "Thanks for teaching me."

He didn't say anything for a second and seemed to hesitate, "Hey no biggie, plus now we don't have to take as many breaks on the road now." There was a long silence as Lizzie couldn't think of anything to say. He broke the silence for them, "Now, the only way to practice from here on out is to actually get out there on the road." Gordo said, "However, we are still on the outskirts of Phoenix so do you want to wait until we get to the more rural areas to practice?"

"Definitely" Lizzie said immediately. "How long of a drive till we get to Miranda's?" she asked after they switched seats and got onto the highway.

"I'm not exactly sure but we are pretty ahead of schedule, and if you help out with the driving we could make it by dinner tonight."

"Oh wow, that soon?" she asked, surprised.

"She doesn't live that far past the border" Gordo said, "I guess it wouldn't have been that far for either of us to visit her."

Lizzie didn't know how to respond to this and looked away, slightly embarrassed. Was he trying to blame her for that fact or was he blaming himself as well? It did bring up another question that had been lurking in her mind, What am I going to say to Miranda?

She knew that it hadn't been completely her fault that their friendship had fallen by the wayside, but she couldn't help but feel like the blame truly did lay with her. She glanced over at Gordo who was staring at the road, yet she could tell he had things on his mind as well. Is he thinking about me? What actually happened last night? She felt her cheeks redden. Did he want something to happen? Did… I want something to happen?

She remembered her mother's words that morning. She was right, she did miss Gordo's friendship, but something… something was holding her back.

The road, which was becoming more congested as they drove on, suddenly was filled with the red brake lights of cars that seemed to go on for miles. "Shoot" Gordo sighed as he slowed his truck down, "Traffic…" he muttered. There was a silence as they both stared out, trying to gauge how long of a wait it would be. At the moment they were at a standstill. Gordo looked thoughtful for a moment and suddenly said, "I think I could figure out a short cut around this traffic if I can take a look at the map." Lizzie shrugged and he pulled the car into park.

He pulled a map out of the side pocket of his door and looked at it for a few minutes. "I think I got it" he said, glancing over at an exit that was about 100 yards away. He pulled the car right and, after driving on the shoulder for a moment, made it to the exit that curved around and onto a deserted road.

"Are you sure about this Gordo?" Lizzie questioned, "We don't have time to get lost if we want to make it to Miranda's tonight."

"Positive." He said surely.

"Gordo, we need to stop and ask for directions." Lizzie said fervently for the 5th time.

"I'm positive I have it this time" he said, making his 3rd u-turn.

Lizzie rolled her eyes and leaned her head back in the seat. "That's what you said the last two times Gordo, be a little more creative," she said, thoroughly annoyed with him.

They drove over a huge bridge that crossed over a large canyon. There were some people standing in the middle of the bridge on the side of the road and Lizzie suddenly sat up, "Slow down, we can ask these guys here."

Gordo drew out a long breath and muttered something Lizzie couldn't quite hear under his breath. She narrowed her eyes in his direction but then turned her attention out the window as Gordo slowed down.

There was a small crowd of people all gathered around the side of the bridge with a bunch of equipment and ropes. They seemed to be in the middle of setting something up while one guy was being strapped into some harnesses around his ankles.

"Uh, excuse me?" Lizzie called out timidly.

A man with a pony tail that landed halfway down his back turned around and smiled at them. "What can I do ya for?" he said, his southern accent apparent. His shirt, which was tie-dyed several different shades of blue, seemed to have several holes as well.

"Um, we are a little lost, we are looking for I-10?" she said as he walked up to their window.

"Uh, yeah, sure thing, Do ya'll have a map? Cause it'd be easier for me to show you" he explained, he leaned in close to her through the window, causing Lizzie to lean back a bit in response.

Before she could answer however, another man with an even longer ponytail called out, "Hey Mark, We need you over here to finish the set-up!"

Mark pulled away from Lizzie somewhat regretfully and said, "Hey, I gotta finish this real quick but I can help ya'll out in a few minutes after the jump."

"What jump?" Gordo questioned from beside her.

"Bungee jump" his eyes dancing excitedly, "Wanna watch?"

"Of course!" Gordo said, before Lizzie had a chance to tell him they didn't have time.

Lizzie whipped her head over to Gordo to give him a look of death but he didn't seem to even notice her, making her even more annoyed. "We'll just go park up there and be right back" he called out as Mark went back to rejoin the group.

"Gordo!" Lizzie snapped as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Lizzie!" he said right back, mocking her.

"Gordo, we don't have time for this if we want to make it to Miranda's tonight" she said.

"We have plenty of time" he said, pulling the car into park, "plus, you need to loosen up and have some fun McGuire." With that he hopped out of the car and closed the door.

Lizzie, shocked, quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and ran after him down the bridge, "I do too know how to have fun!"

"Sure" he said, walking briskly down to the group in the middle. Lizzie wanted to smack him.

"I'm just worried about these guys, especially that guy Mark. Who knows if they are murderers or something waiting for innocent kids to show up?" she explained, short of breath from the speed at which Gordo was walking. Since when does he have such long strides?

"Well I'm sure that if they are murderers they will go after you first, and that will give me ample time to run back to my truck" he smiled and Lizzie huffed, still breathing hard.

They reached the middle of the bridge just as a guy hooked into a few different harnesses with a big cord attached to his ankles stood up on a makeshift platform. They walked over to the side of the bridge where Mark was standing, looking excited.

"When you fall, you go from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds" he looked over at them, causing Gordo to nod in appreciation and Lizzie to drop her jaw. As they stood there waiting for the finishing checks to be done he asked them, "So are ya'll from around here?" He walked and stood next to Lizzie on the bridge, winking at her.

"Nope, we are from Southern California, passing through on a road trip." Gordo explained. Lizzie tried to take a step away from Mark without looking too obvious.

"A road trip huh?" Mark nodded, "The first road trip I ever went on was when I bungee jumped off of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco."

"Are you allowed to do that?" Lizzie asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh yeah…" he nodded and looked at them curiously, his eyes lingering on Lizzie for a second, "Hey, do you guys wanna take a shot at it?"

"Sure-"

"No-" Gordo and Lizzie answered at the same time.

"Gordo are you nuts? Why would you want to jump off a bridge?" Lizzie exclaimed, she turned her back on Mark to face him.

"Hey, It's an adventure!" he exclaimed, "When you do you get a chance to do something like this?"

Suddenly one of the guys on the side of the platform began yelling a countdown down from five.

"I'll give you two a sec to decide" Mark said, walking down to the edge closer to the platform. Lizzie and Gordo stared over the side, looking at the huge canyon down below. There was a meandering river cutting through the rocks.

"Three!" the man continued yelling out, "Two!" Lizzie whipped her head over to the platform where the man was standing, her heart beating hard in anticipation for what was about to happen.

"One!" There was a pause in which the entire bridge was completely silent except for the echo of his count reverberating through the canyon.

Suddenly the man leaped out of the bridge, taking a swan dive, with his arms outstretched. He let out a whoop of excitement as he did this and Lizzie was forced to look down as he plummeted towards the river down at the bottom.

She gasped outloud. He looks so…free…

Just when she thought he was going to hit the water the bungee cord caught and he was pulled back up towards the bridge. She was worried he might hit the bridge but before she could say anything the man lost speed and seemed to float midair for a moment before falling back down towards the ground.

This continued for a few more times before he stopped enough for them to send down a rope which he grabbed and hooked his feet onto. As they lifted him up Lizzie and Gordo just stood there, their mouths open. Mark walked casually up to them, his mouth curved into a smile.

"So are ya'll up for it or what?" He said, leaning up against a post.

Still mesmerized by what just happened, Lizzie said in a half whisper, "I'll do it"