Miranda's Journal [Lizzie McGuire] ✔️

Chapter Three

October 14th, 2002

I'm sorry I haven't written in four days. I don't have the motivation and I don't even know why I have this stupid journal. It's not like I want to ever remember this time of my life. Looking down the road, I hope I burn this journal. I'm only writing in here because I have nowhere else to get my feelings out.

Gordo read that entry when he got home from the mall in the living room of his apartment. He lay his back on the couch, wondering why that time of Miranda's life wasn't good for her. He remembered her usually happy all the time. You know, except for when she had issues with her body, but besides that she always had a smile and she laughed a lot. When Gordo was around her she seemed free-spirited and joyful. When he hung out with her alone, he'd see a glow in her eyes. That couldn't of been all an act? Could she have been hiding true emotions behind that?

"I'm so confused," Gordo complained, wanting to lightly toss the book on the coffee table, but instead ended up chucking it and knocking his video camera to the ground. Gordo jumped off the couch and rushed to see if it survived the fall. He picked it up and pressed the on button, but all that showed was black.

"Oh man, I need this camera for my summer assignment," Gordo whined. He slapped his forehead hard. "Now it won't turn on. I don't have money to buy a new one, so I've gotta get this fixed."

Gordo growled as he took his car keys off the rack again. He brought his camera and Miranda's journal on his way into town to the camera shop. His knuckles turned white when he gripped the steering wheel through his frustration caused by the camera breaking and the Miranda stuff. The last thing he felt like doing was asking the shop if they could fix the camera and then waiting thirty minutes just for an answer. But he chose to study film in college and he needed a video camera for a summer project, so he had no choice. Maybe to pass the time he could read the journal.

When Gordo got into town, he pulled his car up to the camera shop but no parking spots were available near by, so he turned around and parked a long distance away. He had to walk down the side walk, passing a bunch of stores. He toyed with his video camera, making sure it really was broken, but looking at the screen caused Gordo to lose his pace. His feet tripped on a crack and he flew forward, colliding into the pedestrian in front of him.

"Can you watch where you're going?" the women snapped. Gordo stepped back to catch a glimpse of a women wearing a hood with light brown, red tinted hair peaking out.

"Sorry," he apologized, speed walking past her. Gordo closed his eyes, a little shaken up from the collision. He looked behind him, taking another glance at the women to see if she was okay. She seemed around his age, wearing a college hoodie, but nobody he'd seen before. He hoped the incident didn't ruin the rest of her day, because she sounded sour.

When Gordo walked into the camera shop, he got a worker to looks at his video camera. While he waited, he sat on a bench out side of the shop. Once again, in his hands he held Miranda's journal. He opened it to the page he marked with a sticky note.

"Here we go," Gordo whispered. "Again."

October 18th, 2002

Lizzie got a job as a "busboy" at the Digital Bean so we don't see her as much. Gordo's been teasing me about Matt's sudden crush on me, but I don't mind because we've been spending time together. Just us. I know it might sound like I don't like hanging out with Lizzie, but that's not the case. TRUST ME. It's just, when it's all three of us, it's Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. What does Lizzie think? What does Lizzie want? How's Lizzie? Where's Lizzie? Those are questions Gordo asks all the time. Lizzie is like my sister, I'd never hate her, but sometimes I feel, left out? That's probably the right word. But anyway, today I had the best day with Gordo. We hung at his house and he taught me how to hacky sack. I'm very bad at it, but I don't mind. I just sat on the couch and watched him do it. He's so skilled. He never fails to impress me. After that, we got bored. He sat next to me in the couch and we ended up talking for an hour or two. It was the best conversation I've had with him in a while. Well up until he mentioned Lizzie again.

Gordo looked up and stared straight ahead. His mind remembered that day. Them at his house with nothing to do while Lizzie worked at the Digital Bean. Gordo finished teaching Miranda how to hacky sack and now they were on the couch together. Gordo lay his head on an arm rest with his legs stretched out while Miranda lay on the opposite arm rest with her legs curled up. Gordo fiddled around with his hacky sack, tossing it from one hand to another.

"Hey Miranda, do you think it's strange not having Lizzie around?"

"I love when all three of us hangout, but isn't it nice when it's just us for a change?"

"I'll admit, change is good." Gordo tossed his hacky sack up and down. "You're my good friend too Miranda, so of course I like hanging with you." He threw the sack to her and she caught it with one hand.

"Say that again please."

"Why?"

"Never mind. Let's talk about something else." Miranda tossed the hacky sack back.

"Okay what should we talk about?"

Miranda rolled her eyes around, thinking. "What's your favorite thing about your best friends?" she asked.

"Hm, let me start with Lizzie," Gordo said. "She's a kind person and can make a room light up."

"Those are great reasons. So what about-"

"And she cares so much about her friends, she'd do anything for them."

"Yeah, Lizzie's totally that person," Miranda said. She stared at Gordo. "So what about me?"

"You? Oh that's easy. You make me laugh. Especially now that Matt has that crush on you." Gordo chuckled, thinking about Lizzie's little brother trying to win Miranda's attention.

"Is that all?"

"I'm sure there's more, but that's my favorite thing about you."

Gordo snapped out of the memory and slapped his forehead over and over. After calming down, he remembered everything he had read so far in Miranda's journal. Here were the things Gordo got from the three and a half pages he had read: He should have gone to the Sadie Hawkins dance with Miranda. He should have said more things that he liked about her, because now he had millions of reasons and finally, a big take away from the entries so far? Miranda wrote about him a lot and every page mentioned him, but still, none of that gave Gordo answers to why she left.

Gordo closed her journal, tucking it back in his pocket. He sighed and hung his head as he went back inside the shop to check on his video camera. The women there said she could fix it, but he'd have to wait three days. Gordo agreed, but he left the store kicking his foot on the cement. He clenched his fists as he walked to his car. Tension built up in his body, but it wasn't the fact that he'd be without his camera for three days. Lizzie spoke the truth; the Miranda stuff had been hitting him four years too late. Everyone around him moved forward, but Gordo, he was just beginning to search for answers.

Gordo cooled down when he decided to grab a drink at the Digital Bean that he'd take home to his apartment. Going back there gave him a rush of excitement because the Digital Bean was one of his favorite places on earth. He had to make up for all the years he missed going there.

Gordo arrived at the Digital Bean feeling refreshed. He looked at the building, grinning as he got out of his car. When he got closer to the door, he saw the young women he'd accidentally bumped into. He saw her going to the Digital Bean also, so Gordo ran up to her before she could go inside. Then he grabbed one of the door handles and pulled it open, but when the women got closer, their eyes met and she scurried into the Digital Bean. Gordo froze while still holding the door open. Having had a closer look at the women because her hood was off, he recognized her. The reason he didn't when they encountered each other earlier was because she sported new hair.

When Gordo could get movement back in his legs, he let go of the door and went inside. He stood at the entrance when he saw the women frantically trying to order. Gordo just barely heard her ask for a mango-pineapple smoothie and then it really hit him. Gordo's heart stopped. His legs didn't know how to work again. It was her. How in the world could it be her?

"Miranda?" Gordo spoke when his breath wasn't caught in his throat.