A/N: Hello all! This being the first fanfiction I ever started, I chanced upon it once again while cleaning out my desktop, and smiled inwardly at the poor grammar, the lack of detail, and the childish writing I had two years ago. I can't seem to delete it, because it's my first story, so I've decided to completely rewrite and reupload it. After I've revamped the first two chapters, I can get set writing up the rest of the story.

As always, leave a review!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, or any of the characters

Wedding is a Four Letter Word

Maddie's Getting What!?

"I'm back!" cried Cody from the door, key, wallet, groceries and mail in hand. He was a veritable balancing act. Cold December winds blew into the Back Bay apartment building, threatening to blow down both Cody and his heavy accessories. He sighed, slammed the door with his foot, and glanced at his twin brother. "Uh... Zack... A little help would be nice."

Zack grunted and looked up nonchalantly from the couch, where he held a bowl of buttered popcorn and the TV remote. "Oh yeah? Well so would an ice cold can of Coca Cola, but you don't see me complaining for one," he quipped, his eyebrow cocked in a defiant look. Zack's eyes rested again on the TV screen.

Cody sighed and rolled his eyes. Nineteen years living with him, and he still could never get used to how unnerving he could be. After getting all the groceries into the fridge, Cody sat at the table and sorted through the mail.

"Junk... junk... junk... bill... ju - oh! Hey, this is for you and I, Zack." said Cody, tossing the beige envelope on the table. Scrawled in neat cursive handwriting were their two names, with an elegant stamp of a dove returned to its perch.

"Huh?" asked Zack.

"Yeah, see for yourself."

He rose from the comfort of the couch and headed over to the table. Scrunching his face into a curious expression, he picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a single piece of cream paper, with the same neat scrawl as the envelope.

You are formally invited to the celebration of the eternal union of Madeline and Benjamin.
The ceremony will take place on Saturday, the fourteenth of February two thousand and fourteen at 3 o' clock in the afternoon.
Saint Paul Church
Boston, Massachusetts

Maddie was getting married. Zack stared at the paper in dismay, scanning the words again and again.

She had moved to New York four years ago. She'd had her fill of Boston, she said, and she wanted to explore a big city like, well, Manhattan. At first, she and Zack had entertained a healthy correspondence, writing every week. It became a habit, a ritual for Zack to hear of her news. Every Saturday, he filtered through the junk and bills and useless catalogues to reach the perk of his week. Her letters were melancholy at first, and he spent his time reassuring her that everything would be alright. He never forgot to remind her how smart, wonderful, and talented she was. Then, after she found a good steady job, she started writing less and less. Later hours and more time spent enriching her life made the letters fewer and farther apart. And Zack remained happy for her – he knew she'd found herself a niche.

Then the letters simply stopped arriving. He waited patiently every Saturday for the post man – he was a nice guy, and Zack had made his acquaintance over the years writing to Maddie – but he brought with him no sign of the girl he loved.

He had picked up the phone so many times, wanting to call. And sometimes, he had gone through with it, only to hang up when he finally heard Maddie's sweet voice on the other end, his palms sweaty and his heart racing furiously. He had visited New York twice since she'd moved there, only to wander around, wondering if he would see her perchance.

It was painful, and he had willed himself to move on. He had somehow managed to do it. Or so he had thought. He had gone out with many beautiful girls, some even that he argued might rival the love he had for Maddie. He had matured from a shallow boy to a deeper man. Looks were great and all, but he'd grown tired of seeing past the enticing appeal of beauty and finding nothing but air. Over the years, having trained a much finer appreciation of women, he'd imagined himself to be well off without his childhood crush.

Now, holding the singular piece of paper in his hand, he knew it to be a lie. He imagined her smile, her laugh, everything beautiful and brilliant about her that lit any room she entered. His heart clenched, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. His heart painfully remembered with startling clarity just how much he loved her, and awakened to the wrenching truth that he would never have her.

He would never be able to tell her how much she meant to him, or get over how much it hurt when he finally admitted to himself that she was never going to notice him, or express how much joy she brought into his life. No one, even his own twin brother, had fathomed his love for her, had been able to gauge exactly how much he adored her. She was his everything, and she had found someone else.

These thoughts raced into his mind, like a million paper birds fluttering in all directions. He collapsed on the floor.

"Hey Zack? You alright there?" asked Cody, peering over the edge of the table. Silently, he handed him the invitation. Silence filled the room for what seemed like many long moments.

"Wow. She found someone." was all Cody could say, dumbfounded. Zack simply looked away, deep in thought.

"Are you going to be alright Zack?" asked Cody, looking at his brother. He knew just what it meant to him. Over the years, he had known that Zack had tried earnestly to forget about Maddie and move on with his life, but he knew it was all in vain. He'd somehow always known that he'd never gotten over her, not really.

"I think I'll go out for a walk" said Zack finally, his voice cracking slightly.

He got up and walked out the door. Cody stared at the closed door for a while and shook his head. Somehow, he knew that Zack would never really get over her.

Zack put his hands casually in his pockets. He walked slowly through the Boston Commons and observed. Children played in the park, maybe around twelve or thirteen years of age. He smiled to himself and remembered what it was like for him to be so young. He was filled of memories of him and Maddie. The candy counter girl. The reason why he wanted the end-of-school bell to ring, so he could rush over to the hotel and just get a glimpse of the girl of his dreams. The girl who never noticed him no matter how hard he'd tried. The girl who left the Tipton, and a hole in Zack's life. The girl who was getting married, without ever knowing how he really felt. The girl he would never have. He sighed deeply, and shook these thoughts away, pulling his chin deeper into the recesses of his coat. The cold winds gained in strength, and his unruly honey hair billowed in the wind. His eyes wandered once more.

They rested on a young couple. They seemed around twenty years of age. He watched as their fingers intertwined, and the man wrapped his arm around her lithe waist. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck. He heard her giggle and was reminded of Maddie. Even her soft blonde hair bounced in the same fashion as hers did. Actually, come to think of it...

"Maddie?" realized Zack. The woman turned around and their eyes met. She cocked her head playfully

"Yes?"

"It's... it's Zack."

Author's Notes: Ta-dah! And there is the first chapter! Review please, this is of a completely different style than I usually write, so comments and criticism are always accepted. As for the second chapter, please read the old version (still up) and tell me what you think should be changed. Thanks a lot, don't forget to review!!!