Hello, all! I've finally finished this chapter up, and I want to get as much done as I can while school hasn't started yet. Grade 9's gonna be a doozy. Anyways, I'd like to point out that if anyone is finding any hints of MaddiexCody here, knuckle your eyeballs and try and understand that that's the LAST pairing I'd like to write. And obviously, Maddie's not interested in him as I've written it here. Hope you enjoy this. R&R, people.
"Yes we will!"
"No we can't!"
Two small blonde figures stormed down the front lobby stairs, arguing frantically. Luckily, the crowd from before had completely died down otherwise their bickering would've only greatened the chaos.
Moseby frowned, glaring at the twins between squinted eyes. He organized the last file of papers under the desk and walked forwards, raising both brows.
"What is the matter, can't you see that everything was fine until you both came blabbering into my tranquil lobby?" Moseby seethed, "We already sorted out a huge mess, and I don't need another one from you two."
"You'd have thought that after so long, you'd get used to it," Cody mused in reply.
"But what is there to bicker about for so long? Why can't you just get along?" Moseby complained. The two twins looked at each other as if they were seconds from bursting in laughter from the ridiculous idea of 'getting along'.
"Says the guy who got beat up by his midget brother," Zack pointed out, "But this time our argument actually counts for something. Esteban's entering his dance school in another competition, and I suggested that the Codester and I pick up come new chicks. But he thinks we should stick with Bulldozer and Noodle-Arms."
"Their names are Janice and Jessica," Cody interrupted, articulating the names carefully, "We don't want to hurt their feelings!"
"You mean you don't want to hurt their feelings. I'm the better looking one, so it only makes sense that I spread like peanut butter for all the girls to have a little taste of Zack," he boasted, placing his hands on his hips dramatically, "There's always a lot of me to pass around."
"You spread more like a deadly disease than anything else," Cody argued, "The classes are starting tomorrow, and if you don't apologize to the girls, I'm going to tell mom."
"Sure, go ahead," Zack scoffed. As if his mom scared him anymore.
"I mean it!"
"Okay then."
"I'm gonna tell her!"
"Sure."
"BOYS!"
Moseby's sudden outburst had both the twins step back slightly. He continued, remaining calm as some guests started to give him suspicious looks, "You're embarrassing me, and most of all, damaging the pride of this hotel! Take this argument elsewhere."
"But—"
Moseby squeaked out a few sounds and wagged his forefinger to silence them. The twins sighed, giving up and turning around to head to the elevator, while Moseby stood back at his place behind the front desk. Zack suddenly stopped, stepping up to the candy counter, checking his breath twice and gazed over at Maddie, who was silently reading a magazine.
"Hey there, sweet thang," he said casually, leaning against the counter.
"Zack!" Cody growled, grabbing at his brother's hoodie sleeve.
"In a minute! Can't you see I'm working at my 'Peanut Butter' theory?" Zack muttered through the corner of his lips. Maddie looked up from the page she was reading briefly, her face twisting in confusion for a moment.
"Peanut butter theory?" she asked, ridiculing the name.
"Zack thinks he deserves to be spread around for girls to love and admire him," Cody explained, rolling his eyes.
"In that case, I'm allergic to peanuts," Maddie concluded, "And how many times have I told you, you're too young for me?"
"The same number of times you danced with me at a prom. So I think I still have a shot," Zack smirked, leaning closer to her on the counter. In reply, she shoved a hand and pushed his head away.
"Tough luck, they were pity dances and you know it," Maddie laughed, flipping a page in her magazine. The real pity was that Esteban was too old to have proms and invite her… the way she wanted him too.
"Playing hard to get. This proves she really wants me," Zack said confidently, looking at his brother, "And I have an idea. How about you try and get a girl for the dance lessons (Good luck with that) and I'll go with…"
"Me?" Maddie groaned, "Zack, seriously. I already… I already have someone in mind."
"Like who? Who would you want more than me?" Zack boasted, offended. Maddie bit her tongue, stopping herself from giving a sarcastic reply. Her eyes drifted around the hotel lobby, happy that Esteban wasn't there to see her scarlet red face.
"Can't say," she denied him, "But he's older than me." The hint wasn't much of a hint—almost every guy she knew was older than her. But only she knew her heart was yearning for only Esteban. Wait… no. Putting her friendship with Esteban on the line like that wasn't worth it. She didn't want them to go into an intimate relationship… right? "Now, weren't you two in the middle of an argument when you came in? 'Cause it'd help if you just let me continue my job over here."
"What, you mean reading 'Teen Trend Magazine'?" Cody asked, "I wouldn't mind getting paid for reading."
"Can it!' Zack snapped, "You're embarrassing me. Let's go to the apartment, y'nerd." He dragged Cody away by the ear and the two of them stomped over to the elevator, Cody's loud 'Ouch!'es being audible until the doors closed.
Maddie smiled at the thought of swaying around a dance floor in Esteban's arms, and subconsciously her eyelids drooped down halfway and she was smiling so awkwardly that a lot of the staff began to stare at her. Moseby's face wrinkled itself together in distaste, and he trotted over to Maddie with a very questioning tone, "Are you daydreaming on the job?"
Maddie's fixed eyes soon jumped back to reality, fixed on Moseby.
"No," she laughed, flushing red, "Why would you say that?"
"Because there's drool on the counter," he replied, smirking. He enjoyed watching her squirm for a moment, cleaning up a small pool of saliva off the table with her tie. "Care to explain?"
"Well," Maddie started, her voice wavering, "I guess it's because… I have a problem kind of like Zack and Cody's." There was a bit of an uncomfortable pause, "You might think this is a pretty dumb problem, but I need a dance partner for Esteban's classes."
"Ah!" Moseby said loudly, attracting even more attention from the other people in the room, "I see you've cared to join the classes. No doubt you had the best dancer in the class in mind, moi." Moseby sounded so cocky that Maddie let out a small snort, but covered her mouth the second he realized she was laughing at him.
"…Well, uh, yeah," she lied quietly.
"Sorry to disappoint you but this dance genius already has a partner," he said with a hint of authority.
"Too bad," she added quickly, relieved, "But I did have a back-up in mind… but I'm just so scared that I'm not good enough."
"Pish posh, you can't be any worse than the twins! It's really the adults that carry the team," he continued, obviously still referring to himself, "So who's this second option?"
"It's, well…" she stuttered. Dare she say it? Maybe it was a good idea to come clean and act natural, so it didn't seem like she was nervous about it, "Esteban. Yeah."
"Esteban?" Moseby asked, but his tone was straight and blunt, "Of course you two are good friends but he's the teacher, Madeline, he's way off everybody's league."
"Well, yeah, I knew that, but I also know a thing or two about dancing," she said smiling. She made more lies today than she could ever allow herself to before. To her relief, Moseby accepted her lies cluelessly.
"Well, good luck with that," he said casually, his interest now fixed on the customer arriving through the front door, "Welcome to the Tipton!"
Only an hour later, Maddie was sitting on the couch, enjoying the few moments she had with her shift over. London was sitting beside her, going on and on about a new article in the newspaper dedicated to her. Naturally, Maddie had blanked out the whole way through. London never did notice though, she had always been so dense.
"…and that's what he said. Of course, I couldn't read the paper myself so I had someone else read it for me," London dragged on, "But you got to admit, I'm really what's hot in the newspapers, magazines and TV. Yay me!" She clapped quickly, and Maddie's thoughts snapped back to reality.
'And I was just enjoying myself until now, too,' Maddie thought. She planted a fake smile and her head turned to London, pretending she was the least bit interested.
"Wow, that's great London. Real great," she said, containing an eye-roll.
"Yeah, I know. But what can I say? I am great!" London clapped again, but stopped suddenly, as a loud ring came from her phone. It rang only once, and she pulled it out. Obviously, it had been studded with jewels. She took a short pause and read what seemed to be a text message, then stuffed away the phone.
"Who was that?" Maddie asked curiously.
"Just room service telling me that I've having a banquet with my favourite chef's caviar," she said airily, tossing her hair back, "By the way, have you asked Esteban to be your dance partner yet?"
"No, I haven…" Maddie cut herself off, "Wait, I just said that I was going to join the classes, I didn't say anything about being his partner."
"Don't bother keeping it from me, sister," London said with her own eye-roll, "I dragged it out of Moseby to tell me."
"Right. Well, not that there's anything to hide," Maddie clarified, "Because I'm going to ask him the second I see him."
"Well, why don't you tell him right now?"
"What? Why?"
"Duh. Because he's standing right there at the door."
Yeah, that was the best ending I could think of. And it took me up 'till now to think of what Maddie's reaction will be. I'll update soon... -Death Noter
