TitleThe Place Least Expected
Author: strangelittleswirl
Fandom:Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Chapter Rating: G
Summary:As Maddie starts the next chapter in her life, she finds that parts of it might not be what she thought they were.
It was warm and sunny and just the sort of day that Maddie was relieved to have off from work. School was over for the day, and that lovely three o'clock sun was fighting to make the Boston streets look cheery.
In her bag were several sheets of paper, and they meant so much more than the paper and ink they were made of. She had several identical pens with identical ink and some music to listen to. Several sheets of paper with identical essays printed on them were in a small plastic folder.
The café was a small, second story affair whose door was easy to miss if you were in a hurry. But Maddie was stopped by the rich smell of freshly roasted coffee and the fancy scrawl on the establishment's door, so she ducked in. Her parents assumed that she was scheduled to work, which meant no one would bother the young woman as she set about her very important task.
She ordered a small mocha and found a tiny booth where she wouldn't be disturbed. Then she spread her work out on the table.
They were each a potential ticket to freedom; Maddie had picked colleges that had excellent law programs-and were far enough away that her spend-thrift parents would find it too much money and time to visit her often. She worked diligently at each; perfectly rounded o's and t's crossed at ninety degree angles. Each line took forever to fill out since she would have to wait for the ink to dry. Being left-handed had its downsides.
There were six applications in front of her, and when four of them were done, she decided it was time for coffee. Peeking at her from below her second to last application was the top of a white torch on a blue square: NYU's crest. She was saving it for last. Maddie slipped out of the booth and walked back over to the counter.
"Ready for another?" asked the overly pierced but exceptionally nice barista, and Maddie nodded. "Same as before?"
"Do you really have to ask?" she replied with a grin. The girl gave her a nod and set to work. Maddie leaned against the counter and looked around.
She'd have to make note of this place for later disappearing acts. It was quiet and cozy and just removed enough from the street that she felt comfortable there. The checkerboard floor gleamed from its polish of frequent use and care, and the people sitting at their tables were all friendly. Several had laptops and were hunched over them. A pair of men in the corner laughed out loud at something one of them said.
Maddie looked over at them; instinctively trying to see what type of relationship the two of them had. Call it her version of Gay, Straight, or Taken.
They were talking animatedly. The one facing her was blonde, probably in his late twenties, and had a platinum band on his left ring finger. The dark haired man with his back to her had tan, bare hands. Something about those hands sparked a bit of recognition, but then the barista was letting her know her mocha was finished and did she want whip cream on it? Maddie shrugged. Why not? She might as well pamper herself.
"That looks pretty good. I'll have whatever she's having," said a voice from over her shoulder. Her knee-jerk reaction was to turn to whoever it was. The voice sounded familiar, but the accent wasn't. The two sentences were quickly spoken and with, if she heard correctly, a bit of an accent from a little south of where the were. New York-ish.
It was Esteban Ramirez grinning at the barista. His smile fell when he recognized her.
"Maddie," he said quietly, and she knew she wasn't imaging it.