Episode 3

"Something's Different"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

Kettlecorn

At the end of July, Cody finally accompanied Bailey back to Kettlecorn for her birthday weekend. And all the Picketts teased him and gave him a hard time for not suddenly not showing up the previous month. But they did understand his Dad just showing up like that, and they were all glad to see that Cody's wrist was healed up and completely back to normal too. In fact, the only part of the long weekend that could have been considered a downer is when the family went out to eat after church on Sunday. They were seated in Kettlecorn's lone small restaurant, and Cody and Bailey couldn't help but notice Moose and his family seated across the dining room. And all throughout their meal, they did their best to ignore him, but it was obvious to everyone that he was staring daggers at them. As they waited on the birthday cake to be brought to Bailey, Cody excused himself to go to the bathroom.

Grammy Pickett had noticed Moose's behavior and turned to Bailey and whispered. "Seems like someone is still holding a grudge..."

Bailey nodded and whispered back. "I think you're right, but what am I supposed to do, Grammy? I tried to be nice about it, but that didn't work. And when I was honest with him, he acted like was the antichrist."

"Bailey, there are sometimes and some people you just can't win with no matter what you do. But if I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're happy with your life and have you a fine young man in Cody. Moose just needs to grow up and stop acting like someone took away his favorite toy. I hate to say it, but its probably good that after tomorrow, you won't be back here until Christmas time."

"I know, Grammy. I just wish I knew of a way to get it through his thick skull that he needs to move on with his life. Its not healthy to hold a grudge like this."

Grammy smiled. "I know. Especially when you didn't do anything wrong."

Bailey sighed. "Its not me I'm worried about. I can take care of myself. I'm worried about Cody. The last time, Moose attacked him from behind, and Cody had no chance. What if Moose got stupid and did something like that again, but this time had a weapon or something." She shook her head. "And Grammy, I love him to death, but Cody isn't the most physically intimidating person in the world..."

Unfortunately for Bailey, as she said that last part, someone overheard her – Cody. And as much as what she said was true, it still stung him badly. But since it was her birthday, he decided to just try to forget about it.

Boston

Once the calendar turned to August, Zack was in the homestretch of his summer class. And on one such afternoon, he had another encounter with Maya again where she simply had just said hello to him before walking off towards her dorm. This caused him to be even more confused as to her behavior, and when he got home, he just slumped back into the couch. A few minutes later, Cody got home from work and slouched down next to him onto the other side of the couch.

"What's your problem?"

Cody sighed. "Its nothing. I went to pick up a box of vaccines today, and Bailey wouldn't let me do it by myself. She said it looked like a two person job..."

"So?"

"Well, that's on top of her telling her grandmother while we were in Kettlecorn that I'm not the most physically intimidating person in the world..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Again, so?"

"It stings..."

"Codester. You've never been physically strong! Do I have to remind you of the trouble you had pulling in that sardine in Antarctica?"

"I know, but..."

"But what? You've always had the arm strength of a gerbil."

"Explain me lifting that heavy case in Greece then..."

"Fluke?"

Cody sighed. "It doesn't matter. But maybe I want to be more physically intimidating, though. I want her to be proud of me."

Zack laughed. "She already loves you and has pretty much already agreed to marry you. I think by now its safe to say your physical stature or lack of one is not a big deal to her."

Cody sighed again. "Still..."

"Look, if you want to do something about it, then do it. Didn't you tell me that your new dorm has a really nice gym in it?"

"Well, yeah..."

Zack smirked. "I know you're the smart one, but to build muscle, you have to work out and lift weights regularly. That's the only way. This isn't the Nutty Professor. There will be no chemistry experiments you can use to get around it."

Cody nodded as he pondered that. "You know, Zack...I think you're right. Maybe I will give it a shot." He paused. "Okay, what's got you down?"

It was Zack's turn to sigh this time. "Maya..."

"Why? What's she doing? I know you said she's on BU's campus taking summer classes too. Is she constantly hounding you and not giving you any space?"

Zack shook his head. "Actually, its the exact opposite. She's giving me too much space. She'll say hello to me and then just walk away."

Cody just looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. And its totally blowing my mind. I figured by now she'd ask me to see a movie or something like that. But nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero."

Both just shook their heads and sighed. "Women..." Zack groaned. "Can't live with them..."

Cody groaned too. "And can't live without them..."

As August continued to roll on, it was getting closer and closer to the time that Cody and Bailey were due to head back to New Haven and begin their sophomore years at Yale. The dorms were scheduled to open on Wednesday the 22nd before classes started back a week later on the 29th. But since the dining halls wouldn't be open until the weekend in between, they figured it made sense to wait until Saturday to move in. Plus, freshmen were due to move in on Friday and would be busy with orientation on Saturday. With them off, they figured it would make things less crowded and easier on them to move in. And calls to Tapeworm and Gertie confirmed that they were agreeable to that date as well. So, they decided that the 22nd would be their final day working, and that would give them two days to get everything packed up and ready to head out.

And while they were preparing to go back to school, Zack would be finishing up his summer school session. His final class of the semester was the 20th and his final was on the following Friday. As he walked out of his final, he felt good knowing he had no more school until September the 4th. That would be a week and a half break for him not to have to open a book once. He would worry about the fall semester when it started...though one of his classes would be a field experience class that he would get school credit for doing his job. That thought actually did bring a smile to his face.

As he was walking across campus towards the subway stop, he once again heard his name being shouted out. But by this time, he recognized who the voice belonged to. Turning around, he saw Maya running up to him smiling.

"Hey! Just get out of your final too?"

Zack nodded. "Yeah. Not more than fifteen minutes ago. I was just on my way to go take a nap."

Maya laughed. "Same here. Not having taken a final in over a year, it was a little weird at first. But I think I did pretty good. I guess I'm going to have to get used to school and tests again."

Zack smiled. "Been there. Last fall, it took me a little while to get back into the swing of things. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it again."

"Well, I'm glad to have some time to do nothing now." She paused and decided it was time to go for it. "Since we're both done, how about we do something this weekend to celebrate our new found freedom?"

And even though it shouldn't have, Maya finally asking him to do something caught Zack completely off guard. He didn't know what to do or to say. "Do something to celebrate? Ummm...I can't. You see..." He racked his brain trying to think of anything to get him out of it. And that's when he said the first thing that came to mind. "...Cody and Bailey are moving back to New Haven in the morning. I'm helping them pack up tonight and then driving down with them in the morning to help them move in their things. I won't be back until late. Sorry."

Maya was undeterred though. She knew she had spent over a month not pushing things, but with school starting again in a few weeks, it was time to be a presence in his life again. She wanted to be on his mind before the rest of the co-eds returned back to campus. "I can understand that. You want some company? I could ride down with you and help out. That way, you wouldn't have to drive all the way back by yourself."

Zack just looked at her in surprise at her offer. But before he knew what had happened, he had spoken. "Sure. Sounds good. Be at the Tipton tomorrow morning by 8:00 AM."

Maya just smiled. "I'll be there!"

Thirty minutes and a subway ride later, Zack was walking back into his suite at the Tipton still kicking mentally kicking himself. And he saw Cody and Bailey organizing their things preparing for their move the next day. So, he just spoke up.

"Hey guys. Can I ask you two a favor..."

Both looked up at Zack as he explained that he needed to help them move in the next day and why.

Cody laughed. "Let me get this straight. You told Maya you were helping us move in, and she believed you?"

Zack sighed. "Yeah, I did...So, you don't have to cram everything into your car in the morning."

Cody just grinned. "But there's plenty of space for all of our stuff. We appreciate the offer Zack, but its not necessary."

"Come on, Codester. I'm begging you here. This has to look believable."

"Why? Why not call her back and say we don't need your help after all?"

Zack sighed again. "Because if I do, she'll want to do something this weekend. And after I agreed to her offer of help earlier, I don't trust myself with what I'll say. This way, I'll least have you guys as a buffer. Come on, guys...please?"

Cody kept grinning and turned to Bailey. "Maybe there is something that we could do that would make having your car necessary. We did talk to Tapeworm and Gertie about buying bookshelves and futons when we got to New Haven, but if its that important to you, I guess we can call them to see if they minded us buying them tonight..."

Zack sighed in relief. "I would be grateful to all four of you..."

Bailey grinned this time. "So are we, Zack. It means so much to us that you are willing to pay for a third of each one of them. We're touched."

Zack's eyes went wide. "But...but...but I did no such thing! That's...that's...that's blackmail!"

Cody laughed. "Maybe, maybe not. But that's the only way your car will be necessary. And once this is done, you can consider us even for you trying to blackmail me back on the ship while we were in Thailand."

Bailey shook her head and glared at Zack. "Yeah, I'm still not happy about you doing that." She paused. "Though, Cody's potty training video was adorable..."

Cody groaned. "Okay, do this, and we're even for you doing that too."

Zack sighed and realized he was between a rock and a hard place. "Fine..."

So after a quick call to Tapeworm and Gertie, Bailey, Cody and Zack went shopping. And even though Zack was relieved they didn't go to a high end store, he was still grumbling that he had to pay close to three hundred dollars of his own money because he hadn't come up with a better answer to Maya. And even worse was listening to Cody and Bailey talk about what they had bought nonstop on the way home. He could have cared less that Cody had chosen a navy black mattress or that Bailey had chosen a blue one. All he knew was that the one Cody chose better be comfortable when he slept on it when he came to visit.

The next morning, Zack was awake by 7:00 AM, but he wasn't surprised to see Cody and Bailey already up, dressed, and loading up luggage carts they hall pulled into the suite. He just shook his head and headed for the bathroom. By the time Maya arrived, both cars were filled to the brim. And it was a good thing Zack's car had a fold down backseat and was a convertible as the futons and bookshelves needed all of available space. And by 8:15, Cody and Bailey had said their goodbyes to Carey and were ready to get out on the road.

The drive to New Haven couldn't have been any more different in the two cars. For Cody and Bailey, it was filled with talk of excitement about the upcoming semester. For, Zack and Maya, well, it was a little bit awkward. Fortunately for Zack, with them having to have the top down, the wind created a lot of noise and made it difficult to talk. So, he was thankful to just turn up the radio and listen to it as they drove.

New Haven

About 11:00 AM, both cars pulled up along side Berkeley North and were fortunate to find a couple of temporary parking spaces close to it to make moving things in easier. While Cody and Bailey headed inside to get their keys, Zack decided to be proactive and begin unloading Cody's car. When they returned, the four of them began the process of taking all of their bags up to their respective rooms.

When Maya looked around Bailey's room, she could only shake her head in amazement. "You two are actually living in a castle. This place is amazing!"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, it is. We really lucked out in getting the rooms we did for this year."

"I imagine so. My dorm room is nothing like this. Its designed more like a prison cell."

Bailey nodded as she wondered whether to actually ask the question that had been on her mind all morning. She decided to just go for it. "Maya, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Are you really serious about this? About getting Zack back?"

Without missing a beat, Maya nodded. "Yeah, I am. I know I made a mistake before, and I'm trying to make up for it. All I want is a second chance to be with the guy I love. You of all people should know what that's like, right?"

Bailey paused. "Yeah, I do. And I feel so lucky that I have Cody again, so I can completely understand where you're coming from. But at the same time, Zack is my future brother-in-law. I saw firsthand how miserable he was last summer. And over the past year, I've seen him gradually pull himself out of the funk he was in and begin to move on with his life. So, one hand, I want everyone to know the same kind of happiness that I have with Cody. But, on the other, as he will one day be family, I don't want to see him hurt all over again. I hope you can understand that."

Maya nodded again. "I can completely understand that. I also understand I have a long road to go before I convince everyone that I am serious in my intentions. More importantly, I have a long way to go to prove that to Zack. But I'm in this for the long haul."

"Well, if you are sincere, I wish you the best of luck then."

"Thank you. I hope someday he and I can have our relationship be as serious as yours and Cody's."

Meanwhile, one floor below in Cody's room, Zack and Cody were hauling up Cody's things into his room.

Zack panted. "Okay, this room is much nicer than your old one. Which side is yours?"

Cody was breathing hard too. "I don't know yet. Tapeworm is the reason we have this room, so he gets first pick of bedrooms. Lets just unload everything in the common room for the time being."

"I say we go start carrying up the futons while we still have energy. Not only do you not have an elevator, but its about 95 degrees outside and you just turned on the AC when we walked in."

Cody nodded. "Good call. Lets get Bailey's first. I'll show her that I'm strong enough by carrying hers up to her room for her."

Zack shook his head. "Great. I'll get to destroy my back so you can try to impress your girlfriend who doesn't care in the first place. Should be fun."

"Quit complaining. By the way, how was the ride up here with just you and Maya in the car."

Zack shrugged. "With the top down, it made things difficult to talk over. So, that helped."

"Yeah, but on the way back, it won't be down. Try talking to her. Trust me, Zack. I don't think she bites."

Fifteen minutes later, Zack and Cody were carrying up the futon box with the mattress laying on top of it still in its wrapping. And the whole way, Zack complained asking why they couldn't have done that in two trips. And when they got to Bailey's room, she and Maya were surprised to see them carrying everything in.

"Cody! Why didn't you come and get us to help?"

He just smiled. "No need to. We've got this taken care of."

The girls insisted on helping on the next trip. So, while Zack and Cody once again carried in a futon box and mattress, Maya and Bailey stacked up the bookshelf boxes and carried them up. And since those weren't as heavy, they were moving a little faster than the guys. They dropped Cody's off in his room before carrying her's upstairs. And with that all done, the cars were now empty, and all that was left to do was to start assembling things. Trying to put off the drive back to Boston a little while, Zack volunteered to help.

"Its not a problem guys. I want to help. Besides, if I come back for Halloween again this year, I want to make sure the futon doesn't collapse on me in the middle of the night."

Cody smiled and shook his head. "I think we can handle it, Zack. I'm sure you'd rather get back to Boston before its late. Besides, if you do have a repeat of Halloween again this year, I don't think you'd notice if it collapsed on you."

Bailey had to laugh at that. "Anyways, how about we all go out for lunch on us? And you can follow us to the parking garage for us to drop of the car and drop us off back here."

Maya nodded her agreement, and Zack nodded too in resignation. But just then, his temporary reprieve opened the door and walked in.

"Tapeworm!"

Tapeworm stopped dead in his tracks with bags in both of his hands. "Zack? What are you doing here?"

Zack laughed nervously. "I'm here to help Cody and Bailey move in of course. Why don't we help you get the rest of your things too while we're here?"

"Ummm...okay." He noticed Maya standing there. "Is this Amanda?"

Zack, Cody, and Bailey all winced as Maya fought to keep her composure. "No, actually, I'm Maya."

"Maya?" And that caused Tapeworm to have a lightbulb moment. "THE MAYA?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I take it you've heard of me."

Zack spoke up. "Yeah. Maya, this is Tapeworm. He's an old buddy of mine and Cody's from back in the day." When no one else said anything, he spoke up again. "So, lets go get your stuff, Man..."

Tapeworm just paused looking back and forth between everyone in the room. "Okay..."

So, that's what they did. And once Tapeworm's stuff was all moved in, he joined them for lunch in town before beginning to unpack. Zack kept trying to stretch out lunch, but Bailey, Cody and Tapeworm all said they had to be getting back to unpack. Realizing he was out of options and that it was time to head home and actually be alone with Maya again, Zack nodded in defeat. After picking up everyone at the parking garage and dropping them back off at Berkeley North, it was time to head home.

Cody and Tapeworm's Room

The three of them figured they would start with the things in Cody and Tapeworm's room. They started with the futon and opened the box the frame was in. They spread everything out, and remembering the frustrations Moseby once had, they made sure they had all the necessary parts. And once they were sure they did, they began putting it together. After fifteen minutes, they were all huddle around the instructions trying to figure them out.

Cody sighed. "You would think that three Yale students should be able to figure this out..."

Bailey just smiled at him. "Think of it this way. Once we get it right the first time, the second time will be a breeze."

A half hour later, they finally had everything figured out, and the futon was up and functioning. The three of them stepped back to admire their handy work. Cody just nodded. "All we have to do is Scotchguard it, and it will be done."

While it was drying, Tapeworm chose which room he wanted, and he began moving his stuff into there. Bailey and Cody moved his things in to his before beginning project #2 – his bookshelf. Fortunately, it was a whole lot easier to assemble as its instructions actually made sense. Once that was done, Cody began unpacking his bags while Bailey went up to her room to do the same thing. After both of the guys were settled in, they stopped to mount the flatscreen television again on the wall in the common room. Then, they put up posters and other things to add to the room's ambiance.

Tapeworm just nodded and smiled. "Cody...I think we have ourselves a real man cave in here now. Well, we will once we pick up our fridge."

Cody checked his watch. "They're open for another hour. Might as well go ahead and get that taken care of."

He called Bailey to let her know what their plan was, and she said she would go to get the one for her and Gertie's room. Fortunately, the pickup was only two blocks away as it was a humorous site seeing the three of them struggling to carry the two mini fridges back to their dorm. It was even more frustrating for Cody as carrying in the futon boxes had left his muscles sore. So, he had to watch as Tapeworm carried one as he and Bailey jointly carried the other one.

Zack's Car

As they drove along the interstate back towards Boston, it was initially quiet in the car. But after a while, Maya finally spoke up.

"Zack? Is everything okay?"

He kept his eyes focused on the road. "What do you mean?"

She paused. "Well, all day, it seems like you've tried to avoid having to be alone with me and talk to me. I was just wondering why."

He glanced over and just gave her a look. "You're wondering why?"

Maya nodded. "Yeah, I am. It just seems like you are reluctant to be around me..."

Zack couldn't help himself and began laughing. "Are you serious? You're asking me if I'm reluctant to be around you?"

"Yeah, I am. Besides the obvious, have I done something else to make you uncomfortable with me?"

He paused to collect himself. "I can't win here. Everytime I've run into you on campus, you've always been brief with me before running off. You've been reluctant to spend time with me, but you dare ask me if I'm doing the same to you?"

Maya sighed. "Okay, you've got me there. I just figured if I was constantly in your face, it would be counter productive to what I was trying to accomplish. I figured I'd show you I was keeping my word but that I wasn't trying to push you."

Zack paused to consider that. "Okay, I guess I can kind of see that, but at the same time, it was sending me mixed messages. I was reluctant to be alone with you because I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I was surprised you wanted to come with me today with how much you were avoiding me."

She nodded. "And I guess I can see that. But I knew with school starting back in a couple of weeks, I had to do something. I decided it was time to try to become a more substantial part of your life..."

He shook his head. "Maya, these games back and forth are getting us nowhere. But you're right about something. Its like I was last summer - stuck in neutral. But this time, its both of us that are getting nowhere..."

"You're right. So, what should we do about it?"

Bailey's room

The three of them quickly put together Bailey's bookshelf before tackling the second futon. As they were putting it together, Cody smiled over at Bailey and winked.

"You were right. It is so much easier the second time. We know what mistakes to avoid this time around..."

She smiled back. "I don't think wiser words have ever been spoken..."

Tapeworm shook his head. "And to think...I actually missed the banter between the two of you over the summer. What was I thinking?"

Cody laughed. "Don't worry, Man. This year, we're going to find you a girlfriend. Then, it will be your turn to nauseate us..."

And no more than a few seconds after he had said that, the door burst open, and there stood Gertie holding her bags smiling at them. "Hey guys! I'm back!"

But everyone was speechless. Standing before them was not the same Gertie they remembered. Her hair now looked expertly styled. Her think glasses were gone, and her green eyes were now actually noticeable. Tapeworm wasn't sure, but for some reason, those eyes looked familiar to him. And she was dressed in a much more stylish outfit. Finally Bailey spoke up.

"Gertie? Is that you? You look amazing!"

To be Continued...