Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and I am not affiliated in any way, shape or form with anyone who does.
Cody hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself appear smaller. He wasn't sure why he was doing it, but if he had to guess he would choose that it was for protection or because he was ashamed of himself.
He heard the gaggle of children laughing at another of Zack's jokes from a couple of tables away and his stomach muscles clenched. It was defiantly because he was ashamed of himself. He was ashamed that he cared so much about homework and getting good grades and for worrying about the future. Ashamed that it was so hard to talk to new people when Zack found it so sickeningly easy.
There was a laugh again and he thought how it would feel if they were laughing at Zack instead of with him. A smile crept across his face at the thought that Zack would be the one sitting on a table by himself, would be the one who pretending not to cry at night when he was the one left alone whilst everybody else was having fun.
But he knew that it would never happen; Zack would always be the popular one because he didn't care about the future. He was capable to live in the moment, something that Cody just couldn't manage to do and, for that, he was ashamed of himself.