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

The trip home was long, but Lizzie and Gordo managed to entertain themselves, without falling asleep this time.

"Hey, Gordo, you remember this song. I 'member when it came out. It was around when we finished grade school, and we thought we were so mature."

Gordo paused as he held the ear phone in his hand, "I was mature."

"You think wearing a tie constantly for two weeks made you mature? Gordo, it just made you a freak."

Gordo elbowed Lizzie, but joined in her giggling, "Hey! You told me I looked cool!"

"I was young, I didn't know any better. So, c'mon, d'you remember the song?"

"Oh…yeah. I remember getting sick of it being continuously overplayed and overrated."

Lizzie yanked back the ear piece, rolling her eyes.

A minute later, Lizzie waved the earpiece in his face, "Oo! Oo! What about this one! They've played this at, I think, every one of our school dances."

Gordo gave Lizzie a look, "How about I just keep this earphone over here with me."

"Good idea," Lizzie nodded and then scooted closer, "But stop moving your head away, it's yanking mine out."

Gordo bit down on a smiled as he leaned his shoulder and head right next to Lizzie's. "You know, speaking of school dances- won't it be good that for the next one, we can just go together…no fussing about who to take, and who would actually even take us."

Lizzie frowned as she said, "Yeah…"

Gordo tugged out his earphone, "What? What's the problem?"

Lizzie's brow furrowed as she thought intently, "I dunno. As stupid as it is, I never thought that being like this with you would mean that I wouldn't be going through the usual teenage girl dramas of who to ask to the dance."

"Oh…" Gordo went quiet, looking upset.

Lizzie felt bad, but- it was the truth. "Fifteen year olds aren't supposed to have serious relationships."

"So, what? You'd rather spend the next three years constantly mooning over and being rejected by Ethan Craft?" Gordo spat out bitterly.

"No! I- Gordo! I didn't mean-!" Lizzie stammered, completely stunned that she had done that.

"Okay kids, we should be home in an hour! Let's turn the radio up…real loud," Mrs McGuire spoke.

Lizzie watched in guilt as Gordo stared miserably out the window. She curled her hands around his arm, questioning timidly, "Gordo?"

He ignored her, so she tried again, "Gordo? Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it."

Gordo turned to her and gave her a sad smile, carefully prying her fingers away, "No, see, that's the thing. I think you did mean it. And I also think I understand."

Lizzie felt a tremble begin in her bottom lip, "But I-"

Gordo shook his head, and then suddenly asked a question, "When did you know that you liked me as more than a friend?"

Lizzie stuttered in shock, "Wh-I-Why…I don't know, I guess, after I found out about your feelings and asked you out. I dunno."

Gordo looked greatly disappointed by that answer, "Well, I knew for certain, the very second, hundredth of a second, when I saw you kissing Ronnie."

Lizzie's eyes went wide in surprise- wow, that was a long time. He must really, really like her. "…Oh."

The rest of the trip home was silent and awkward, as was their distant goodbye as Gordo was dropped off home.

Lizzie was sitting miserably in her room when she heard a familiar cheery voice, "Knock Knock!"

Lizzie whipped her head up and stared in astonishment. "Miranda!" She shrieked, jumping up.

They squealed and hugged each other, jumping up and down in excitement. It wasn't until Miranda pulled back and said, "Okay, enough about me, I know what you've been up to, but I need details!!!" when Lizzie got miserable again. She slumped over and sat on her bed.

"Actually, I said something crappy today…and I think we broke up."

Miranda came over to sit beside her, "Oh, no. Come on, you'd know for sure if you broke up. You guys have had little fights before, I'm sure you'll work it out. What did you say?"

"Well, I mentioned how strange it would be not being able to ask different guys to all the dances…And…when he asked me when I started liking him…I kinda wasn't sure."

Miranda gave her a look, "Girl, what is wrong with you!?"

"That's not helping Miranda!"

"Okay, sorry. Look…think about it, honestly, how many guys have you ever actually asked to a dance, and how many of them actually said yes."

Lizzie looked mildly surprised as she thought about it. So maybe the whole casual dating scene wasn't all that great. Then she felt really stupid. Since her comment regarding it had started the whole fight.

"And second, so what if you didn't know when you started liking him! You were slow, and in major denial."

Lizzie glared at Miranda, but then relented because it might just be the truth.

"See, problems solved! No fear, Miranda is here."

Lizzie shook her head, "Oh, I've really missed you! How was your trip?"

"Boring. But, no, I'm not finished with you yet. So…"

"What?"

"Details!?"

"Miranda!" Lizzie blushed.

Miranda looked mildly surprised, "Wow, there are some! Spill!"

Lizzie blushed terribly as she finally admitted, "We kissed."

"On the lips?"

"Yeah."

"Oh My God! How many times has he kissed you?!"

"Twice. But he didn't, I did."

"You kissed him? Twice?"

"Yeah," Lizzie murmured, ducking her pink face.

"Well, how was it!?" Miranda shrieked.

Lizzie shook her head, refusing to answer, and then burst out, "Incredible."

Miranda laughed, a mix between disbelief, disgust, being amused and glad. "Wow, I never thought I'd be sitting here gossiping about the way Gordo kisses."

Lizzie smiled, and it slowly turned sad, "…I think I really hurt him today. He looked so depressed. Maybe I should go talk to him, straighten this out."

"Lizzie, maybe you should give him time to recover from your last conversation. Let him calm down. Maybe he'll see himself that he overreacted a little."

"This is Gordo we're talking about."

Miranda thought on that, "…or you could bat your puppy dog eyes at him and pout, and he'll forgot all about it!"

Lizzie giggled, thinking that that might just work, "Nah, that's cheating."

"So, more about this kissing business…Gordo really hasn't initiated one little kiss!?"

Gordo had managed to avoid Lizzie for three days. He'd not taken any of her calls, refused to go to any of her suggested meet ups. He'd made an exception on finding out that Miranda was home, and talked to her on the phone. But every time she brought up Lizzie, he would refuse to comment. He agreed to meet Miranda at the Digital Bean on the premise that Lizzie not come along.

They were fine for ten minutes, and then Miranda said the forbidden name.

"Miranda!"

"No Gordo, listen to me! How are you going to feel when you lose Lizzie because of a few little things that she said? We both know she chokes on big moments. Can you really handle the fact that just because she isn't 100 percent sure about how she feels at every moment in the day…some other guy will get her. Someone other than you."

At that moment, Miranda followed Gordo's stare to find Lizzie talking to a guy from school, someone from the football team. "I didn't plan that, but wow, that is some good timing."

"What is she- doing here?" Gordo mumbled vaguely as he stared at her longingly. His frown deepened when the guy made Lizzie laugh brightly.

Then, to Miranda's surprise, Gordo stood up and started walking swiftly toward the couple.

Gordo felt an increased constriction in his chest, his heart racing with adrenaline. He couldn't watch this. He had to stop it. Those were the only thoughts in his head.

He vaguely noticed the guy saying hi to him, and Lizzie appearing surprised to see him, and especially surprised to see him walking toward her.

He couldn't stand the thought of his Lizzie with someone else. He didn't want anyone else making her smile and laugh.

He reached out, grasping her waist more firmly and confidently in his hands than he ever had before, or ever thought he would, and pulled her in against him. He leaned in the last few inches and planted a kiss on her stunned lips.

She gasped, but a second later, she was kissing him back. He kissed her again and again, tilting his head and pushing deeper. He smoothed a hand up her back and buried it in her hair at the base of her head so he could kiss her properly.

They parted a second to breathe, and then, their lips, now slick and wet, slid together again.

The kiss slowed down, and Gordo captured her top lip and then her bottom, and then their puckered lips met again gently, and softly.

They'd just seriously made out in the middle of the Digital Bean.

Lizzie was breathing nervous giggles, her cheeks bright red. Gordo smiled sheepishly and closed his eyes, pressing their foreheads together for a moment to gather his composure.

He lifted his head and met her eye. He gave her a fond smile. She was kind of a mess at the moment, a little like himself. Gordo untangled his hand from her hair and smoothed it down, tenderly tucking a blonde strand behind her ear.

He mouthed to her, 'I'm sorry'.

She mouthed back, 'Me too'.