Hey Everyone! I'm back! It's been about a year and a half since I put my pen down with the finish of my first Lizzie/Gordo fan fiction, You Already Take Me There. Some of you might have read it and loved it (thanks for all of the reviews!) but when I went back to read it again a week ago, I thought it was a great story but thought it could use some major overhauling. So, basically I have re-written this story and made it so, so much better. Because the bulk of it is already written and I will just be adding scenes, making it longer, and adding a TON more description, I will update this story fairly frequently, probably every few days. So don't fear that I won't finish the story, because it's already done! Leave a review (because I will be sending shout outs at the beginning of each chapter to people who give me reviews), and most importantly, enjoy!
Chapter 1 Always
Buzz…Buzz…
Buzz…Buzz…
A small hand with blue and green nail polish adorning the fingernails darted out from beneath a blue flowered comforter to grab the cell phone that was currently vibrating on the nightstand. Eyes squinting beneath long blonde bangs, a young teenager was trying unsuccessfully to figure out which button to press on her newly acquired cell phone to stop the buzzing. She tried 3 different buttons before finally hitting the correct one. Still half awake, she let her eyes focus on the time on the display: 1:45 am. Perfect.
Her stomach clenched with anxiety and excitement as she pulled the comforter away, letting the cool air from the room rush over her body. She slipped out of bed and shivered as her feet touched the bare wooden floor. Quickly heading over to the dresser, she pulled off her favorite blue pajama bottoms and grabbed a pair of jeans and sweater to throw on. Stopping first to slip on her tennis shoes, she checked her reflection in the vanity with the little light of the moon that was flowing through her window. She pulled a brush through her long blonde hair was slightly wavy from the sleep as she scanned her room.
I'm forgetting something… she stood there thinking for a moment before realizing what it was. She grabbed her bright pink pillows from a chair in the corner and stuffed them underneath the covers in case the parental units decided to stop in. After pushing them into a convincing position she stood back to admire her work.
Now this was the tricky part. She walked softly across her room and pulled the purple curtain of her window open wide. Slowly she slipped her leg through the window that she had purposely left wide open before falling asleep. Luckily, the window on the left side of her room opened to the roof above her garage. Perfect for sneaking out, she thought to herself.
After getting out of the window successfully she turned around and tried not to look down. Focusing on the street light at the end of her driveway she got down on her hands and knees and crawled along the slanted roof. Her stomach still fluttering with excitement, she slowly made it to the corner. Once there she sat back and swung her legs around and over the edge. She didn't have to feel her foot around long before a firm hands took hold of both of her feet. She let a bit of her weight shift down to her feet and then felt herself being eased down. For the first time she let herself look down and felt a wave of exhilaration pass through her body as she glimpsed a head of brown curls from down below. Letting go of the roof, his arms wrapped themselves around her legs tightly, letting her know he wouldn't let her fall as he shifted his hands, one at a time, to her hips. Another wave of excitement coursed through her body as she was slowly placed onto her feet in front of him.
Arms still wrapped around her waist, he smiled anxiously at her as she mouthed a simple, Thanks. He smiled wide, showing his teeth as he held his hand out for her to grab and they both quietly ran down the driveway. His hand felt warm in hers and slightly sweaty. It was a beautiful cool summer night that felt eerily quiet. Halfway down the street, she realized that it was probably okay to continue talking at this point, but it was much more fun to be sneaky this way.
At the end of the street his hand pulled her left and up a well trod path that the pair knew well. They were still running and Lizzie McGuire smiled wider as she realized that her best friend's curls were bouncing with each step they took. His hand pulled her right up a fork in the path and it was another 100 yards or so until they arrived at the playground. Lizzie's hand suddenly felt cold as Gordo let go of her own to open the messenger bag he hand thrown over his shoulder. He proceeded to pull out a blanket and his own small telescope.
Lizzie remembered almost 4 years ago when he got it for his 10th birthday from his parents. He spent the entire first week that he got the telescope not sleeping at night so he could explore the sky as much as he could. Gordo, no matter the subject, was always seeking as much knowledge as he could. She smiled, remembering how it had rained the night that he was going to take her and Miranda to see all of the constellations he had found. Instead, he had set up a sheet, a light, and a disco ball and created his own night sky in her room. She, Gordo and Miranda stayed up half of the night, talking and laughing until her mother came in to complain about the noise.
Lizzie spread out the blanket as he expertly set up his telescope, which after 4 years, was well worn and loved. Gordo settled down on the blanket, lying down on his back to look up at the sky. Lizzie took a moment to stare down at him and take him in. He was wearing his beloved bowling shirt with the one green pocket and a pair of khaki pants with his black chucks with the red laces. She stood there staring at him before climbing down on the blanket herself.
"They're beautiful tonight" she whispered, afraid to ruin the tranquility of the moment. It was the kind of starry sky that reaches across and almost blends into the landscape. She turned her head to the right to glance over at him. He seemed to sense her gaze and turned his head to smile at her before glancing back up at the stars above. Lizzie always marveled at how Gordo could communicate so well just through a look. She on the other hand, always seemed to chatter on for hours about nothing at all. She stole another sideways glance at his profile on the blanket, I wonder if he'll ask me out before the end of the summer.
"I can't believe we are starting high school in less than 2 weeks." She thought out loud, still whispering.
"I know…" he whispered back, "So much has happened this summer, yet it has flown by so quickly." He was right. An image of Paolo and her onstage flooded into her mind, quickly replaced by an image of her and Gordo on the roof of the hotel. She smiled at that memory, a small flush heating up her cheeks. The rest of the summer was spent pleading with her parents to allow Gordo to come over as she was grounded for the first month and a half after the trip. Miranda had finally gotten home from Mexico two weeks ago and they had spent the entire time trying to convince her that the story about Paolo and Italy wasn't a joke that that she had actually performed onstage in front of thousands of people.
"It's so scary, I mean, what if everyone there hates me? What if I fail all my classes? What if I can't find my way around?" she chattered on anxiously, still staring up into the sky. She had this innate ability to talk herself into a corner when she was worried about something.
"Lizzie, stop" he interrupted her, rolling to his side and pulling her face towards his own. Her cheek tingled at the contact that his hand made. "Think of everything you've done this summer… High school will be nothing compared to that."
She pulled the rest of her body on its side to face him. "I don't know Gordo… I mean you've even been to high school yourself and you said it was scary." She shuddered, remembering the awful few day period that Gordo had been transferred up two grades and had gone one to high school without her.
"Lizzie, we've gone over this before…" he was smiling at her softly, "Miranda and I will be there for you, you won't be alone like I was" he said, pulling her hand into his.
"But-" she started.
"Lizzie, do you trust me?" he locked eyes with her. His clear blue eyes seemed to drive all other thoughts and worries from her mind.
"Always" she breathed.
"Then believe me when I say that you will be great" he whispered, tentatively pulling his hand up her arm to rest on the crook where her shoulder and neck met. She shivered, even though his hand was warm. Realizing just how close they were lying together on the blanket, she bit her bottom lip. Did we start out sitting so close together? she thought wildly. Her heart began thumping wildly as she felt a dizzy and light headed, almost like she was standing very close to the edge of a cliff. Gordo seemed to sense the moment and took a sharp breath. So quickly that Lizzie thought she might have imagined it, he stole a glance down at her lips.
Time seemed to stand still as she stared into his clear blue eyes nervously, willing him to kiss her.
Instead, he pulled his hand away from her quickly as he rolled over back onto his back and checked his watch. "Where is Miranda? She's late." Lizzie felt her heart, which had been fluttering up in vicinity of her throat, drop down a few feet. Tears flooded her eyes as the cold feeling of rejection spread through her body. She rolled over onto her back and tried to compose herself quickly.
"I don't know" she managed to choke out after a moment.
What's wrong with me? she thought desperately. After Rome, she had decided that she would not be the one to make the next move. She wasn't sure if it was because she was trying to see if he really liked her or not, or if she was just too scared to make another move. She waited all summer, and he had yet to do anything. They had plenty of opportunities since they had gotten back, even with Lizzie being grounded. And it wasn't as if Gordo couldn't tell she was crazy about him. She had kissed him in Rome after all… She suddenly felt her stomach drop another few inches as a terrifying thought occurred to her, Does this mean he doesn't feel the same way anymore?
"Hey guys" she heard a familiar voice a few feet away where she was lying. They both sat up to find the tear streaked face of Miranda staring back at them.
Lizzie got up from the blanket and enveloped her friend in a hug. "Miranda? What's wrong?" she asked as Miranda shoulders began heaving in silent sobs.
Miranda pulled back and attempted an answer but fat tears started leaking from the corner of her eyes again. Lizzie pulled her into another hug and began patting her back. She nervously looked over Miranda's shoulder into Gordo's worried eyes. "Shh… It'll be okay Miranda. We're here for you" Lizzie whispered. After that she seemed to calm down a little, her sobs subsiding as she pulled back and took a tissue that Gordo offered. He always seemed to be ready with little things like that.
Miranda pulled herself together a bit and headed unsteadily over to a nearby bench. She sat down on it, pulling her knees up to her chin. Lizzie sat down close to her and pulled Miranda's hand into her own. Gordo squatted on the ground opposite of them. Miranda took a deep breath, almost like she was gathering courage to say what she needed to. "Guys," her voice was shaking slightly, "tonight my parents told me that I won't be going back to school with you guys next week…"
"What? What does that mean?" Lizzie asked in a panic. Is she being home schooled now or something? Is someone sick? Is Miranda sick? A cold feeling of dread spread through her body.
"It means… that we are going to be moving to Mexico with my mom's family…" Lizzie squinted at her, confused. "Permanently" she added. There was a long silence after this. Miranda's eyes were darting back and forth between Lizzie and Gordo. It seemed like time had stopped and Lizzie could only focus on the words that were just said. Moving? To Mexico?
"Miranda, I'm so sorry" Gordo sat down on the opposite side of her on the bench and wrapped his arm around her back. Miranda began to cry some more on his shoulder. Lizzie just sat there in shock, her hand still clutching on to Miranda's.
As the reality of it was finally sinking in, Lizzie's eyes began to well up with tears and a sob escaped from her own throat. Gordo shifted Miranda a little to the left and his arm pulled Lizzie in close with both of them. The three of them sat on the bench for a while clutching each other, both girls crying softly.
After a few moments Lizzie's crying subsided a little. "Why?" she choked out, her voice still thick with tears. She pulled her head away to get a better view of Miranda.
Miranda pulled back as well as she cleared her own throat. "My mom isn't happy here anymore… and her and my father have… well they've been fighting a lot recently. But when we went down to Mexico to visit my mom's family, she was happier than I've seen her in such a long time." She took a deep breath, "I think she misses her family."
There was another silence after this. Lizzie was staring at a tree across the clearing, watching as its leaves began to sway with the wind.
Gordo's words came back to her, "Miranda and I will be there for you…"
"But, what…" she faltered, "What about high school?" they both looked at her with sad eyes. "What about all of our plans?" Lizzie choked out. "We were supposed to have lockers next to each other."
"And get our licenses together" Miranda continued, not looking at either of them.
"And go for that road trip after we graduate…" Lizzie trailed off, letting the full gravity of the situation hit her slowly. She looked at Miranda's eyes, which were slowly filling with fresh tears. "Oh Miranda, I'm so sorry" Lizzie sighed, wrapping her arms around her friend.
Another soft breeze surrounded them and Lizzie shivered, pulling herself closer into Miranda's embrace. The silence seemed to stretch across the three of them.
"I have an idea" Gordo said thoughtfully after a few moments, his voice slightly strained. "What if we still do that?"
Miranda pulled away for a moment, "Huh?" she asked, her tear stained face contorted.
Gordo's mind seemed to be working a mile a minute. "What do you say" he paused, as if he were formulating it in his mind as he was speaking, "that we make a pact." He paused, smiling reassuringly at both of them, "That no matter where we are when we graduate, even if we haven't spoken to each other if four years" he paused again, "that we go for the road trip to end all road trips?" His eyes lit up as he smiled, as if he had already made up his mind on the subject.
There was another silence, but this silence didn't feel as empty as the ones before. Miranda's faced curved into a smile to match Gordo's, even though her eyes were still filled with tears. "I'm in" Miranda said simply.
"Me too" Lizzie felt her own face curve into a smile.
"Promise?" Miranda asked, biting her lip a bit.
"Promise" both Lizzie and Gordo said in unison, catching each other's eyes as they said it.
"Well let me stand up and give you two a proper hug." Miranda said with a small giggle. They all stood up together and the three of them hugged each other tightly.
"I love you guys" Miranda whispered, her voice choked up in happiness.
Lizzie McGuire sat up in her bed with a gasp. She looked around her room and was confused to find it still dark. Disoriented, she grabbed her cell off her nightstand, quickly turning on the display to read the time: 2:15 am. She breathed out slowly and adjusted herself so she was leaning up against the wall behind her bed. Letting her heart slow down to normal, she realized she was sweating. Pulling the comforter away from her she fanned herself, wishing her father would turn on the air conditioning already.
She quietly turned the lamp on her bedside table and slowly got out bed. That was the third dream I've had about them this week, she thought, sitting down in a chair next to her window. Curling her feet beneath her, Lizzie tried desperately to rid her mind of the images that were still in her mind.
It was four years ago Lizzie, get a grip already. Still trying to shake her head of the images seemed to be stuck there, Lizzie let her gaze travel around her room. She spotted her prom dress hanging in its plastic cover off her closet door. It was a long dress that was a halter top style that was creamy white with sparkled detail up the front. She remembered just two days ago when she had come down the stairs in it to greet her date, Michael Kramer, at the door. Trying to forget this image as well, she got up out of the chair, passing her white graduation cap and gown pressed and ready for the ceremony the next day, and pulled out the bottom drawer of her desk.
Pulling out several binders and sheets of music, she finally made it to the bottom. She settled down Indian style on the floor and fingered the cover of the pink and blue photo album she had pulled out of her drawer. She cleaned a little bit of the dust and grime off of the top of it and gathered up her courage to open it. Closing her eyes, she opened the album up to the very last page.
She sat there for a moment, breathing heavily while slowly opening her eyes. A picture of herself, Miranda, and Gordo stared back at her. They were standing in front of Miranda's old house, with a SOLD sign in the front of it. Miranda was standing in the middle and both Lizzie and Gordo had wrapped their arms around her. Miranda's eyes had looked happy, but still with a trace of sadness in them. It was the day Miranda had left to go to Mexico. That was the last time I saw her, she thought.
Lizzie swallowed hard and shut the album quickly, hearing the thud of the pages hitting together. It doesn't matter anyway. It's not like you speak to either of them anymore. She shoved the album roughly into the bottom of her drawer, piling all of the papers and binders back on top of it. She pushed the drawer shut and quickly got up off the floor.
Switching the light off of her bedside table off, Lizzie jumped back into bed, pulling the covers around her. She shivered slightly, even though the room was still warm. She tried to clear her mind as she let her sleepiness take over.
As she slipped out of consciousness she could still hear Miranda's words echoing in her head, "I love you guys".