Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or the characters. Disney does.
They walked and chatted. Gordo tried half heartedly to turn into his driveway, but Lizzie grabbed his arm and dragged him towards her house.
Like expected, there was no one home. There was a note reminding Lizzie where they were. Lizzie laughed and read out loud a part of the note that said, 'and tell Gordo that he can eat the rest of the potato chips- only if he doesn't get them all through the couch'.
Gordo felt somewhat embarrassed about the fact that it was so predictable that he would be here with Lizzie…and that Mrs McGuire had found his chip disaster.
"She's just kidding, we all eat on the couch anyway. Now, go pick a movie, I'm just gonna throw my stuff in my room, get changed and make you that sandwich."
"Alright," was all Gordo said, watching Lizzie bound up the stairs.
He looked up when he heard her reenter the room. "So, what did you pick?"
Gordo smiled as he took in Lizzie, wearing a pink tanktop with 'cutie' written across the chest, pink stripy pyjama bottoms, and her hair rid of curls and clips and pulled back into a casual ponytail. He shook himself out of the daze when Lizzie started frowning. "Oh-um…Psycho. I thought a classic scary movie would be fun."
"Yeah, okay, I've never seen it."
"Never?! What kind of American are you? Do you have a cinematic cultural bone in your body?!" Gordo started ranting.
Lizzie rolled her eyes and walked over to the fridge. Once he was finished with his rant and she could get a word in, Lizzie asked, "So you still want the sandwich the way you said?"
"Oh, you don't have to…" Gordo started, pressing pause on the movie and standing up.
"No, stay there. I, at least, stick with my promises. I'm going to make you a sandwich. And if I get one in the process, well that's just fine," she teased.
"I didn't make a promise," Gordo grumbled again, flopping back down on the couch.
Lizzie giggled and hummed to herself as she made the sandwiches.
When Lizzie placed two plates and two glasses of soda on the coffee table, Gordo smiled sincerely at her, "Thanks Liz."
"No problem, that's what friends are for."
"But still, thanks…" Gordo repeated, sounding utterly serious.
Lizzie glanced at him a bit hesitantly, "Um…I didn't stand in front of a bullet for you or anything."
"Right, I know," Gordo looked away, clearing his throat, "Sorry. I think I just got sentimental about our friendship. God, with Miranda gone, I'm turning into a girl."
Lizzie grinned delightedly and jabbed him in the ribs. "Oh, my little Gordy is getting soppy," she teased, as she ampted up the jabs to his side and stomach.
He slapped at her hands, and then finally gripped her wrists, pushing her away. He was breathless with laughter.
Lizzie met his gaze and smiled at him.
Gordo couldn't help the smile that grew enormously across his face. He gazed into Lizzie's soft brown eyes and the world around him disappeared.
She broke the stare to look down. She cleared her throat, "Um, Gordo?"
"Yeah?" he breathed.
"You- um…your-can I have my hands back?"
"Oh!" Gordo dropped her hands like they were hot coals, and he felt himself go bright red. He told himself to act casual, so he grabbed his plate onto his lap and took a bite. "Sorry, I think I-I um-my mind broke for a second and I zoned out. This sandwich is awesome. You ready to watch the movie?"
"…uh…sure…" Lizzie said slowly, uncertainly.
Gordo cleared his throat and flashed Lizzie a short, casual, reassuring smile. "Come on, eat up, or I'll get started on yours too."
The movie started and they both finished their snacks. Gordo leaned back, placing some cushions so that he was comfortable.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched Lizzie, waiting for how close she would settle, and if she would be all over him.
Girls seemed to do that at slumber parties- fling limbs over each other. And Miranda and Lizzie often forgot that he wasn't a girl, and he'd find a leg on his lap and an arm linked through his. Of course, Lizzie didn't touch him as much as she did Miranda- that seemed like a natural girl thing. Gordo was much more awkward about touching other people- he was a teenage boy after all.
And as much as it gave him a thrill, he kind of hoped that Lizzie wouldn't cuddle up to him. With only the two of them there, and his feelings the way they were, he could only imagine how self conscious he'd get.
It took until the third gruesome, bloody death for Lizzie's arm to link through his, for her to lean into him and whisper, "This is scary."
"It is a horror movie," he tried casually, even as his heart raced and his every sense went to where Lizzie was pressed to his arm, hugging it.
She didn't respond, eyes glued to the screen. The light from it flickered on her terrified face.
She jumped, causing him to, and then quickly look back at the TV to avoid being caught when he realised he was staring.
Eventually, she just started turning her face into his shoulder every time something scary was about to happen.
He would simply murmur that it was okay to look now.
There was a loud bang and Lizzie screamed, jolting violently, arms locking around his middle, as she tried to almost hide away inside him.
Gordo let out a short yell of surprise too, holding her protectively to him as he looked over to see what made the noise. He had to exhale a couple of times to rid himself of the rush of surprise and worry when he found that it was just the McGuires returning home.
"It's your parents," he spoke into Lizzie's hair, knowing from her breathing and shaking that she was still panicked. "It was just your family getting home."
After getting Matt upstairs, Mrs McGuire questioned, "What are you kids doing?" -sounding a bit concerned. Mr McGuire stood behind her, frowning.
Gordo pressed pause on the movie, "We were watching a horror movie. I guess it was a bad idea."
He pat her back awkwardly a few times, starting to feel uneasy in the position he was in, with Mr and Mrs McGuire staring at them.
"Oh honey," Mrs McGuire started, coming over to sit behind Lizzie.
Lizzie sat up, giving him a glance at her pale face, before turning and folding into her mothers comforting embrace.
"You surprised us- coming home," Gordo explained lamely.
"My fault- I kicked the door shut. Hey, you want some pie?" Mr McGuire asked, his head already in the fridge, having moved on from the incident already.
Gordo looked at Lizzie's back, risking a light hand to the middle of it. "Um…you want me to…stay?-on your floor? I can fight the bad guys off?" he asked, embarrassed, and bright red. But this was Lizzie. His Lizzie.
Lizzie nodded into her mothers neck. Mrs McGuire smiled up at Gordo, "I think that was a yes please. Thanks honey."
"Alright, I'll just call my parents and tell them I'm staying here."
"Um…sure, but you might want to ask them," Mrs McGuire said pointedly.
Gordo froze with the phone in his hands. He couldn't believe he'd just said that. He blushed, realising just how deep he was crushing on his best friend when his protectiveness got him being rude and disrespectful.