Disclaimer: I don't own Lizzie McGuire or the characters. Disney does.

Lizzie looked into the mirror for the hundredth time in an hour, considering changing her shirt again. "Why am I so nervous?" She asked her reflection.

Her reflection looked at her like she was stupid.

"Oh God, it's going to be awkward. How can it not be?" He surely must have realised that she'd known what he had been trying to say to her the night of the Murder Mystery Party. She had been giving him knowing and encouraging smiles for god sakes. Although, if he'd noticed them, surely he would have proceeded to ask her out.

Actually, she was glad he hadn't done it. If he had, things would have been ten times as awkward. This was just a sign that they should only ever be best friends.

"Just act normal," she told herself, and hurried out of her room. She was going to be late.

"Hey! Gordo! Buddy!"

Gordo looked at her strangely, "Um, hey…I am right here you know, no need to yell."

Lizzie laughed nervously, "Heh," she sat down at their usual table at the Digital Bean. "Right. Sorry."

Gordo cocked his head at her, "Are you alright Lizzie?"

"Me? Wh-Yeah, of course. I mean…I'm great. How are you? What have you been up to?"

"Nothing much, just some study. What about you?"

"Um…nothing at all…"

There was a short awkward silence. Although Gordo met her eye and smiled casually, so it must have just been in her head. "I got your usual smoothie."

"Oh! Thanks Gordo," Lizzie said, calming down as she realised that whatever strangeness was going on, this was still Gordo. Maybe they could snap straight back to normal.

"So, oh!" She slapped the table in excitement, "I talked to Miranda this morning. Her Mom finally let her use the phone."

"Wait-what do you mean? Why?"

Lizzie giggled, "Her parents caught her with this cute older Mexican guy that they'd forbid her to go out with!"

Gordo rolled his eyes, grumbled, "When I'm not there to keep an eye on either of you girls."

Lizzie chuckled, "Anyway, she says that she misses us like crazy, but she's having a pretty good time."

"With her relatives?" Gordo asked incredulously.

"Miranda can make anything fun. Although…I would guess that her relatives aren't exactly boring."

"So, when's she coming home?" Gordo asked eagerly.

Lizzie's smile dropped, "Not soon. Not even before graduation."

"What?!"

"Apart from having a good time, her grandma's sick. Family's pretty important to them."

"Hmm," Gordo slumped back, looking thoughtful.

"…what?" Lizzie questioned. She glanced up uncontrollably when a familiar tall, handsome, perfectly styled boy walked past. "Hi Ethan!"

"Lizzay!" Ethan crooned, stopping to lean against the table. "What's shakin'?"

"Oh, I'm just hanging out. How are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm awesome!...You know, I hope you had fun at my party. It was so cool that you had it at your house. Savin' us all from the bug gas. You're my little hero Lizzay."

Lizzie grinned, "So-um-what are you doing right now?"

"I'm meetin' up wit a lady friend," Ethan said, turning and walking backwards, "I can't keep a lady waiting. It was fine conversing with you."

"You too! Bye Ethan!" Lizzie called back excitedly, wincing when he backed into a table. She turned to Gordo grinning, "He called me his little hero, wow."

Gordo blinked at her, say sarcastically, "Oh, so…you did remember that I was sitting here with you."

Lizzie frowned, "Yeah."

Gordo rolled his eyes, muttering as he clipped up his bag, "You're so pathetic."

"Oh! I'm so pathetic?!" Lizzie started ranting.

Gordo's head whipped up at her, fear and disbelief etched across his face.

Lizzie froze, mouth open. "I-no-um-I…It just gets on my nerves how you always get on me about Ethan."

"Well, if you opened your eyes, you'd see that the guy can't keep a girlfriend for longer than a week, because they soon realise that he's as interesting as a block of concrete!"

"You think I don't know that?! But he's hot, damnit! Anyway, what would you know, you've only ever had one girlfriend and that lasted less than a week!" Lizzie yelled back.

Gordo looked like he'd been slapped. He stood, lifting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "Well, at least my girlfriend didn't dump me," he retorted as he left.

Lizzie gasped, staring at Gordo's retreating back in shock. She couldn't believe what he'd just said. Tears burned in her eyes.

So much for everything being normal.

"Pass the bread, freak."

Lizzie grabbed the bread basket and held it out to her brother distractedly. She hurried through her dinner, saying, "Can I leave the table please?"

"Lizzie, your mom, brother and I haven't-"

"No, sweetie, of course you can," her mom interrupted.

Lizzie thanked God for small miracles and hurried up to her room so she could finally get the privacy to think, and maybe to cry a little.

She threw herself onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and hugged Mr Snuggles to her side.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on her door as it opened and her mothers voice, "Lizzie? Can I come in?"

Lizzie brought a hand up and tried to inconspicuously wipe the tears from her cheeks. Even though she knew that it was pointless. The bed moved as a weight sat down, and a hand touched her back. "You okay sweetie?"

"What? Yeah, of course," Lizzie spoke into her pillow, trying hard to make it sound casual.

"I'm afraid I don't believe you…look at me."

"Why?"

"Lizzie," her mom warned gently.

Lizzie sighed and turned her head, revealing her red, puffy eyes.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"How'd you know?" Lizzie muttered, trying to delay the questioning.

"Your brother called you a freak and you didn't retaliate with 'worm' or 'dog-breath'. Oh, and you've been looking like you're best friend died all night."

Lizzie bit her lip, turning back into the pillow.

"Lizzie? Tell me. Did something happen- at school, with your friends…a boy?"

"I had a fight with Gordo," Lizzie finally muttered.

"Oh. Well, sweetie, you and Gordo never fight for long. Ever since you were kids, you couldn't stand for him to be angry at you for more than a few hours. He's the same. I'm sure an apology will fix everything."

Lizzie rolled over and sat up, deciding her mom might be useful. "I-we said- some mean things. I'm not sure that an apology will be enough."

"Nevertheless, you should apologise. You both might need some time, space and maybe a talk to get over it, but…Lizzie, Gordo is a good friend and…" She chuckled, "He does have a soft spot for you."

Lizzie's heart leapt to her throat," What-do you mean?"

"Well, for one- he'll fall for the sad eyes," she winked.

Lizzie sighed in misery and uncertainty.

"Okay, why don't you go over there now and apologise."

"Now?!" Lizzie exclaimed, shocked that her mother suggested that, and scared of the idea.

"Yes now. You're not going to be able to get to sleep until you two are right again, are you?"

"No," Lizzie admitted.

"So go. Don't tell your Dad I let you roam the streets at this late hour."

Lizzie pushed herself up, "Okay."

"Be back in 20 minutes or call."

"Okay," Lizzie repeated, but this time, the nerves came through.

Her mom propelled her out of her bedroom, "You'll be fine. Go!"

Lizzie was just out the front gate when she almost ran into a shadowy figure. Panic rose in her. Then, a familiar voice muttered, "Woah, sorry."

Lizzie blinked, squinting in the darkness. But she could tell that person anywhere, "…Gordo?"

"Lizzie! What are you doing?"

"What-Nothing. What are you doing?" Lizzie moved around til she could see his face in the street light.

"…Nothing."

"Okay…"

Gordo cleared his throat nervously, "I mean-no-I'm-I was…I was coming here. To talk to you."

"Yeah. Me too. I mean-I was going…to you," Lizzie trailed off.

Gordo looked at her properly, and frowned, "Have you been crying?"

Lizzie hastily rubbed at her eyes, mumbling something incoherent.

Gordo sighed, sounding troubled. "Look Lizzie. I'm sorry about today. What I said…it was- I didn't mean it."

"Me too," Lizzie mumbled.

Gordo nodded, looking around, looking highly uncomfortable.

"So…" Lizzie started, "how about we just forget about it, kay? Tomorrow can be a fresh start…back to normal."

"Normal…right…" Gordo murmured.

Lizzie cleared her throat, now she felt uncomfortable. "Okay. So…there's nothing else you want to say?"

Gordo's eyes widened momentarily. As did Lizzie's. She mentally kicked herself. Was she insane? Why would she say that?

"Okay," she hurried, giving him no time to answer, "Then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Gordo said, crossed between looking deep in thought and relieved.

After all day of worry and missing him, and the relief of this moment she felt like hugging him. But she thought that may be a bit much. She had been hugging him a lot lately. She didn't want to lead him on. But, they were so awkward, and she wanted to fix it.

"Um, friends?" She stuck out her hand…a compromise.

Gordo looked at her weirdly but slid his hand into hers and shook it. "You didn't want me to spit, did you?"

Lizzie giggled, "No! Gross Gordo!"

Gordo smiled broadly at her, an extra fondness obvious.

Lizzie blinked, a bit stunned at the sight. "Um…I better get back. Mom told me 20 minutes.

"Right. Okay. Bye."

"Um…Gordo?...You might need to let go of my hand."

Gordo blushed and dropped it quickly, starting to back away. He let out a laugh, "I sometimes forget you don't have portable hands."

Lizzie let out a small laugh that was for purely sympathetic reasons. That was a bad joke and cover up- even for Gordo.

"Bye Gordo," she called after his hunched figure disappearing quickly into the darkness.