Author Note- I do not claim ownership of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, any of it's characters or anything else related. And for those of you who know me from my M/E stories, don't despair! I haven't abandoned Maddie and Esteban, I am simply branching out to cover my other favorite characters. The chemistry of this pairing may seem non-existent...pretty much because it is non-existent on the show and I'm making up stories to back up what is just simply what I find to be a cute couple that will probably never happen seeing as they aren't main characters. Also, sorry for the lack of catchy chapter titles at this moment.
Chapter 1
Mary-Margaret was a girl of virtue. Despite her sassiness and headstrong attitude, she had a conviction that couldn't be missed. And that's why she still didn't have a date for the upcoming senior prom. Mary-Margaret didn't want to just "settle" for some guy as a date. And it wasn't likely that her hopes for LeBron James would ever be fulfilled.
"I need to find a man who can support me, respect me, and treat me like the strong and talented woman I am," she said at the lunch table one day when she, Maddie, London, and Corrie were discussing the prom.
"Please. If you can find a man like that, every other girl in Boston would be clawing your eyes out for him," Maddie joked.
"That is true," Corrie added more seriously.
"Besides," I can't be the only one who doesn't have a date yet," she stared down her friends until they finally cracked.
"Okay, so I don't exactly have a date," Maddie confessed. "But I do have a few guys in mind. I just haven't decided yet," the truth was that the real person she wanted to ask was currently out of the question.
"I'm still waiting for an answer from Ryan Evans. He doesn't know if he can make it back out here," Corrie sighed, but her voice was its ever-peppy self. "I can't believe it's been almost 4 years since him and his sister Sharpay moved."
"8th grade," Maddie nodded her head. "Oh well. I miss Ryan, but Sharpay and I never really got along. She was a lot like you London."
"Rich?"
"No, stuck on herself."
"I'm not stuck to anything," London said confused.
"At least Sharpay was smarter," Mary-Margaret said sarcastically. "So what about your date, London? Who is he?"
"Promise not to tell?" they all shook their heads "yes". "I'm going with Todd St. Mark."
Maddie was the only one who gasped. The other two just traded blank glances between one another. "How did you manage that?" Maddie asked. "I thought he was in Zurich. And how'd you 2 get your fathers' permission?"
"That's why it's a secret. Our fathers don't know."
"Uh, hi! Would anyone like to fill us in?" Mary-Margaret didn't like being out of the loop.
"It's kind of like a Romeo and Juliet thing. Todd's the son of the rival hotel owner across the street from the Tipton," Maddie explained.
"And our fathers forbid us from seeing each other. That's why they can't know about this."
"Good luck with that," Maddie really did mean it.
"So, you see. I'm not the only one having date troubles," Mary-Margaret was glad to have made a point because now they couldn't harass her. Although, she couldn't help but realize the crucial difference between her and her friends: they all had guys in mind, while she had no one.
"Prom is a month away. Some of you here may think that this is more than plenty of time. But not if we're reaching for the best senior prom ever. There are still too many loose ends for me to feel comfortable," Mary-Margaret was chairman of the prom committee, but acted more like a dictator when it came to details.
"I have some good news," Maddie, who was the committee's treasurer, said. "Because London is using her influential social status to get us a great place for free, that gives us more money to splurge on another area of the budget."
"Well, my older cousin owns a party shop, and he's agreed to give us all the decorations we need for a discount," Corrie spoke up. "So we don't really need any extra money for that."
"So really that just leaves music and catering," someone said.
"Let's take a vote," Mary-Margaret proposed. "All in favor of adding the money to the music budget raise your hands." She counted the hands that went up. "Okay, now all in favor of adding it to the catering budget," everyone else raised their hands. "And my vote is for the catering too, so now we're at a deadlock."
"Wait, I was sure your vote would be for the music," Maddie stared at her strangely.
"Not again," Mary-Margaret answered. "I've given up trying to get just the right band for the prom. Ever since the Maroon5 incident, we've just never had any luck." She stared at London, who hung her head a little. "First, Maroon5 our freshman year. B5 our sophomore year. And then Click5 last year. They just never show."
"It's not my fault," London protested. "Groups that end with 5 are just hard to work with."
"More like in high demand. That's why this year, I just want a local group who's jammin' enough to rock the house without any problems or last minute cancellations," Mary-Margaret insisted.
"That's a good point. I think I'll change my vote to catering," Maddie said. Suddenly a thought occurred to her as she watched Lance, the lifeguard, enter the Tipton. "I think I know a band! And you won't have to worry about any 5's," Maddie smiled.
