Save Me From Myself
By: Riley
Summary – Zack Martin never thought that he'd be the kind of guy that would get so threatened over a game. But being overshadowed by his brother, when he was used to being the star of the basketball team, makes him go to the extreme to get back on top. Then his new opponent is himself.
.:Prologue:.
"Great shot, dude!"
"Great pass, dude!"
"What can I say? We're great!"
Zack Martin slowly dribbled an orange basketball at his side. He looked around the gym, slowly walking towards the basket. The stands were empty, littered with popcorn buckets, candy wrappers, napkins, drinks, straws, and whatever else you could find at a concession stand. There was a rhythmic clattering sound as the janitors walked up and down the steps, placing the trash in the large, plastic bags that were tied to their waists. The game was long over, but he could still hear the remnants of the screaming fans as he had made the game winning shot.
"Just three seconds left and we're down by one. Just one more basket and we're in the finals!"
Zack grinned to himself. He lined the basketball up in his hands, eyeing the basket warily. He looked at the ground; back up at the basket, then at the ground. Spinning the ball in his hands, he bounced it on the court twice, and then lined up with the basket once more. Bending his knees slightly, he extended them in an upwards leap, allowing the ball to leave his hands. It arced through the air and landed in the basket, nothing but net. Zack jogged after the ball, picking it up again. He moved back to his space in front of the basket.
"One bucket and we have the championship, dude."
"Let's do it, dude."
It was so strange to see that so much had changed since the basketball games back then. He had been so naïve at that moment in time, not knowing what it was like to actually have a girl like you, he was too used to being turned down or having nothing coming from it. But then a girl that he felt was only one of the guys liked him back and e didn't know what to do. It really made his game suffer and they went back to being friends. So much had changed. He would admit that he had matured since then, Cody, his mother, and his friends would say otherwise. He focused his mischievous actions into playing basketball and it paid off.
Did that mean that Zack Martin stayed out of trouble? Of course not. He wouldn't be Zack if he gave up messing with Mr. Moseby or playing some sort of prank that would give him a few chuckles. Sure it would land him in detention sometimes, but it was always worth it.
"Zack, aren't you ready to go yet?"
Zack faltered. His shot hit the rim and bounced to the floor. He jogged over to the ball and placed his foot on top of it, rolling it up to his knees, and bounced it up to his hands. He turned around, facing the voice, and spotted Max Montgomery walking his way. She had a sports bag slung over her shoulder and was holding onto his in her right hand. Her brown tresses hung over her face in dark, stringy strands, still damp from a shower.
"Cody, Tape, and I are ready to go to dinner," Max said. She stopped a few inches away from him, holding out his bag. He took it with a grateful smile.
"Just getting some more practice in." Zack knelt down and placed his basketball in his bag, making sure it was secure before standing up and slinging his bag over his own shoulders.
Max smiled knowingly. "You mean reliving your glory," she accused.
Zack smiled back, not bothering to deny it. "What can I say? I'm great." Max rolled her eyes, though she was used to her boyfriend's egotistical comments by that point. Zack reached out and took Max's hand in his before stepping forward and giving her a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her. "But I couldn't have done it without you, of course."
"Well, you know what they say…" Max's eyes shined with mischief. "Behind every great man is an even greater woman."
Zack laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Remind me of that the next time you help me study."
"Sure."
The two walked out of the gym and to their waiting friends.
A/N: So we had gotten a PM from a author here on FFN asking about an older story that Rhu, a friend of ours, and I had collaborated on together way back in, like, '07 or '08, wondering if it was deleted. I felt bad when I said that it was and also felt bad because as soon as we had deleted all of our old suite life stories, we were aware of how much people like them. (Though we thought they sucked). And while I'm not sure if we'll ever re-write them (I had been asked to re-do the HOME series) I loved the idea of this Zack-fic and thought that I'd start it up again.
So, here you go. Oh and, yeah, Rhu's and my characters as well as Crystal Manning's characters are in this story, but it focuses more on Zack. It's a slight AU because Bailey is in the story, even though they're not on the ship and are in Boston. That being said, I haven't decided out of Crystal, Rhuben, or Bailey who Cody is going to end up with, I know I'll have to choose one eventually, but so far, I don't know.
I hope you guys continue to stick with me for this story. I had wanted to do one without elements that focused on teenage problems for a while and I'm glad that I can do it now. I'm really excited for this story because I can now show everyone's different friendships with each other that I couldn't really show during an element one, since those are more plot driven to answer questions and its adventure based.
I'll update again soon.
Cheers,
-Riles