Chapter 4:
The next day at Cheever High School, as classes let out, Jason Stenor found himself thrown against a wall of lockers, his face rammed into cool blue metal and the forearm of a very peeved Zack Martin holding him securely in place, an arm twisted behind his back.
"Come on, boys, we're all friends here!" Jason pleaded. He may have towered over the other boy, but Zack was definitely the stronger and, as if to prove that point, he pressed Jason's restrained arm up and in, drawing a croak of pain.
"You said we were just going to talk," Cody whined behind his brother, arms crossed and a disapproving scowl shadowing his face. He glanced nervously over his shoulder but, fortunately for the twins – mostly Zack – the halls were empty.
"We are talking," Zack snarled, leaning heavily on Jason and growling, "All friends, huh? If I remember correctly, your friend, Ricky, pulled a knife on my brother and me yesterday."
"I swear, I didn't know he had that thing on him," Jason cried, "I was just as surprised as you were when he pulled it out!"
"But you knew about the bet," Cody pointed out.
"If that's what this is about, I'll get you a cut of the wins."
"We don't want a cut," Zack hissed, grinding Jason's face into the hard surface, "And you didn't win it, you used us to cheat Max."
"By the way, did you know Max was a girl?" Cody threw in.
"A girl…? What? No! No, I didn't know," Jason stammered, and to his credit, he looked genuinely confused, "Look, we didn't cheat him – her. She was the one that came to us and made the bet in the first place!"
"Yeah, but you're the one who switched players," Cody snapped, "Did those two friends really cancel on you?"
"And your friend shoved her to the ground and stole all her money at knife point," Zack added.
"All her money? The bitch didn't even bring enough to cover the bet," Jason spat and, as something unreadable flashed before his eyes, Zack drove a fist into the taller boy's side causing him to double over.
"Zack, don't," Cody begged, scanning the hall again. Then putting his attention back on Jason, he hastily questioned, "Why would she come to you to make a bet?"
"Because she always does," Jason replied, breathing haggardly from the pain. He struggled a bit against Zack but the boy held firm, "She's always at the courts challenging guys for money. Everyone thinks 'little runt, easy dough', I guess. But she's good. I mean, you guys played her."
"And you knew about this?" Cody asked, "About her making bets like that?"
"No, Jermaine heard…" Jason trailed off, banging his head against the locker in frustration.
"I see. Jermaine heard there was a kid at the basketball courts that played for money. So you, Ricky, and Jermaine went down there with two bozos," Cody took over, "Threw some hoops until you caught Max's attention. Made the bet. Let me guess, you said your guys were tired that day but set a game date for Sunday."
"Maybe sweetened the pot a bit to make it more appealing," Zack suggested.
"Then you called in two guys from the school basketball team," Cody gestured to himself and Zack, "Figured she wouldn't know the difference. Classic bait and switch."
"Admit it, Jason, you cheated her and used us to do it."
"Fine, we cheated her," Jason relented, "What do you want me to do about it?"
"Give her the money back," Zack said simply.
"And apologize," Cody added.
"What? No way! The bitch could have called off the bet before we even played the game," Jason argued and Zack twisted his arm again, prompting a strangled moan.
"Fine," Zack hissed, "Then Cody and I will just have to go to coach and tell him about the little street game you set up and your gambling problem."
"You wouldn't! I'd get kicked off the team. You and Cody were there too, you'd get in trouble also."
"Yeah, but I'm sure our friend Max could tell coach who exactly she placed the bet with and how they cheated and roughed her up and stole her cash," Cody shrugged.
It wasn't the truth, of course, though not quite a lie. Neither twin knew if Max would be interested in tattling on Jason, especially after the way she departed from the basketball court. But Jason didn't know that.
"Fine, fine, alright! You don't have to tell coach anything," Jason whimpered, "I have my cut…in my wallet…back pocket. Jermaine and Ricky have the rest but they don't go to school here. I can tell you where they are but if you want to try blackmailing them into giving up their split I can tell you right now it won't work."
"Ricky was the one with the knife," Cody reminded his brother. Zack frowned, easing up his grip on Jason to allow the taller boy access to his pocket. He produced a wallet and handed over a couple twenties inside. The twins glared at him, eying the money that remained.
"Hey, that's all I got from the bet. This is my money," Jason complained.
"Maybe you could get it back from your friends," Cody jeered as Zack accepted the offered bills.
"I'll risk getting kicked off the team," Jason replied evenly, tucking his wallet away again. Zack moved forward threateningly but Cody restrained him.
"This is just going to have to be enough," Cody sighed as Jason took the chance to rush off down the hall, "Wait a minute, I still want an apology."
"Let it go, Cody," Zack muttered, shoving the money in his pocket, "I still think we should go see Jermaine and Ricky."
"No way," Cody argued, "I know you. You don't plan on talking with them; you're just going to go at them all angry and fists flying."
"After the way Jermaine treated Max and Ricky pulled a knife on us," Zack shot back, "Could you blame me?"
"Right. Ricky pulled a knife on us," Cody returned, stressing the words.
"Why are you so caught up on that?"
"Why are you not?"
"I am…it's just…what do we do? Just let them get away with it?"
"Yes," Cody frowned at the tiled hallway, "I don't like it anymore than you but we don't have any other option. Do you really want to risk getting stabbed?"
Before his brother could answer, Cody straightened suddenly and Zack turned around curiously. A young lady dressed in a pink mini skirt was walking towards them, a bright sardonic smile on her face. Cody shook his head at his twin knowingly.
"You forgot to call her again, didn't you?"
"I'll meet you in the parking lot," Zack sighed, then forcing a smile at the approaching girl as she exchanged a stiff nod of greeting with the passing Cody, "Hi, Abby."
"Hello, Zachary."
Cody visibly winced in unknowing unison with his brother as he disappeared down the hall.
One look at Abigail Descartes and it was easy to see why she was one of the most popular girls in the school. She was beautiful with silky black curls, full pouted lips, perfect round azure eyes, and just a sprinkle of freckles across her button nose. Her body was framed like a supermodel, voluptuous curves and long legs. She exuded confidence, walking with her shoulders back, chest puffed out, and nose slightly turned upward. She was a varsity cheerleader, the student body secretary, homecoming queen, and her family owned a high-end boutique – so she was rich to boot. Boys wanted her and girls wanted to be her.
"I waited Saturday. All day, I waited. And all night."
"I know I was supposed to call," Zack started apologetically, but Abby held up a silencing hand.
"I thought to call you. I was worried, you know," she went on, and, meekly, Zack lowered his eyes to study Abby's tan Prada boots, "But I said, this time, I'll give him a chance. And when your call never came, I thought, I could call him and yell. Or I could wait; give him the opportunity to redeem himself. I thought, perhaps he'll call Sunday. So I waited."
"Abby, I'm really sorry. I am. Something came up and…"
"I don't want to hear any of your excuses. This is the third time, Zachary. I can't keep doing all the work in this relationship."
"I know, Abby, and I really am sorry."
"It's alright. I'm going to forgive you."
Zack perked at that. "Really?"
"Yes. Because you're going to make it up to me."
Crestfallen again. "I am?"
"Yes. Guys and Dolls is playing at the theatre-house on Main and Third. We're going to see it this Friday with Victoria and Blaine," Abby explained, her voice cold and exacting, "You're going to wear that blue sweater I got you for Valentine's day with your nice dress pants – you know, the pair I like – and you're going to bring me a bouquet of flowers and a box of bonbons. Got it?"
"Uh…got it."
Abby placed her hand lightly upon Zack's arm and, on tiptoe, pressed a kiss to his lips. She smiled sweetly.
"Take Cody with you to pick out the flowers. He's better at those types of things."
"Oh…okay…"
"That's my man," Abby cooed, gently brushing the tip of Zack's nose with her index finger, and he grinned in return, "I'll see you later, hot stuff."
"Yeah, later," he agreed, returning the kiss.
Feeling very much like the receiving end of a hit and run, Zack watched as Abby spun on her heel and headed down the hall towards the school gym, most likely for cheerleading practice. After a moment to regain his bearings, Zack headed for the parking lot where his brother was waiting at their car.
"Why do you bother having a girlfriend if you're not going to bother remembering you have her?" Cody questioned, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Uh…duh? She's hot and she wants to make out with me all the time," Zack replied, ducking into the car passenger seat, his brother sliding next to him behind the wheel, turning the key in the ignition.
The truth was, Zack wasn't entirely sure why he held onto a relationship he struggled to maintain. He supposed after years of hitting on every girl he came across while watching his brother enter loving relationships with sweet girls that truly cared for him, Zack had finally decided he wanted what Cody had.
Part of Zack had always wanted what his brother had and reflecting on the long string of meaningless dates that surmised his love life; a better question would probably be what had held him back for so long from pursuing such a committed relationship.
Though it wasn't entirely certain to anyone, Zack included, if he really cared about Abigail. She was a great kisser and there was no better looking girl at school but that was really about how deep their relationship went.
"So how much trouble are you in?" Cody asked teasing, obviously avoiding the conversation Abby's entrance had interrupted.
"She let me off the hook."
Cody quirked a brow, skeptical. "Really? Why?"
"Because I'm so cute she can't stay mad at me," Zack scrunched his nose, "Hey...uh…completely unrelated…when would you be free to go flower shopping?"
Cody snickered, rolling his eyes and pulling the car out of the parking lot.
A/N: This chapter features the boys kind of OOC...well, mostly Zack. I know in the show, especially On Deck, he's more of a lover than a fighter, and while I don't see either of them really just standing idly by when someone is in trouble and needs help (as in the second chapter when Max got robbed...), it does step him a bit out of character for him to actively seek a fight. However, I did think that aggression fit the "bad boy" image they were really trying to push on him in the original series, and it might make the scene easier to swallow if you note that Jason is supposed to be something of a huge wuss; Jermaine and Ricky are the real thugs and he hangs out with them because he wants to be tougher, but he ain't. I really liked writing the scene though, because Cody and Zack were doing this unintentional good cop/bad cop routine that just sort of came out as I was trying to get into their heads.
Also, Abigail...not much to say about Abby, who is not to be mistaken with the Abby that Zack apparently pursued during some episode of the series. She's entirely OC; don't worry, she doesn't show up much in this story.
That's it. Thanks for reading!
