Author's Note: I really spent a lot of time on this chapter. Right here is where it all comes together, and this explains why conflict between characters will arise in later chapters. My guess is that this chapter will end up being the most important one of the story; everything gets explained better than in the previous chapters, and I hope this one's easier to follow than the last one. Enjoy and be sure to review! Bye the way, I changed my name, just so you all know it's still me! Here's the new one: xsTatAZeAtx (don't ask) LoL.
Chapter Three
Unexpected Sorrow
About twenty minutes later, Maddie and Amber stood inside a Maddie's bedroom in her little apartment. She had agreed to help Amber pick out her costume for the party, as well as help with the big plan that Amber still wouldn't reveal to her just yet.
Amber sat at the vanity across the room from Maddie, glancing at herself in the mirror. "Maddie. Look at me! I've turned into my cousin! This isn't who I really am," She complained.
Maddie stepped up behind the girl and shot her a smile in the mirror. "Then who are you?"
"I'm Amber!"
"Then be the Amber you always knew you were. You could never go wrong there," Maddie declared. She removed Amber's glasses, and set them down, then reached for the brush on the vanity. Maddie undid the tight knots in her brown hair, and worked the brush through it. "You know, Amber, you are really a pretty girl. I'm sure once Zack and Cody see the real you, they'll be speechless.
"Thanks, Maddie," Amber grinned.
Maddie returned her smile, and then put aside the hairbrush. She lifted Amber's chin, in order to see her face better. "Lookin' good!"
Amber's face fell. "What about that stupid mole?"
Maddie inspected it carefully. "That's really your mole?" She asked.
The sad girl nodded, and turned away from the mirror. She clearly couldn't bear to look at herself anymore.
The candy counter girl was determined to make a change for Amber. She felt so bad that here she was living a great life with an organized family, while Amber, being the daughter that she was, had to sacrifice everything for her dad. Maddie told herself right from the get-go that she was going to make Amber's stay, however long it ended up being, the best experience of her life. Maddie touched the tip of the mole lightly with her finger, trying not to hurt the girl, but to her surprise, it popped right off Amber's face, and into Maddie's hand. They both looked shocked, and terrified at the same time. She jumped back, shrieking and dropped the disgusting mole onto the floor. "Omigosh, Amber! I'm soo sorry, did I hurt you?"
All of a sudden, Amber smiled, and then broke out into a fit of laughter. There was a small red open sore no bigger than the mole itself near her chin. "Oh, Maddie, you didn't hurt me! I actually didn't feel a thing! But, thanks, you solved my problem! Maybe it wasn't a mole after all!"
They both shuddered at that thought, and then giggled about the whole thing.
"Moseby!" London called as she jogged across the lobby in her red pumps, something rarely seen, considering what a fashion freak she was.
"London!" Moseby looked up from his desk. "Did you finish your 'homework'?" He asked adding air quotes like London usually did around the word, 'homework.'
London looked revolted. "Okay, first of all, don't ever do that again." Then she grinned. "Second, yes I did my homework, and I picked out the perfect theme for the party." London pulled out a magazine from her bag, and flipped it open to a marked page. "It's a Vegas casino theme!"
She ran over to the couches and chairs, leaving Mr. Moseby at his desk, inspecting the page she'd opened to. "This can be the lounge." She gestured all around her at the various pieces of furniture. After that, she went over to the candy counter, and motioned again. "And we'll set this up as a bar."
Mr. Moseby's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"
"Oh, chill Moseby, it'll be just soda and stuff. But it has to look like a bar to go with the theme," London told him.
Once again, she changed her position, and hurried over to the revolving doors, pointing to the walls on either side of them. "We can move the slots right here."
Mr. Moseby's eyes went wide, and he hurried over to London. "I don't believe your Vegas idea is such a great one," He admitted, sadly.
"But, Moseby – why?" London asked, frowning.
"It's just not a very good idea to encourage kids to gamble. Whether or not the machines are real."
London's face fell. "I was really looking forward to making this be the best party the Tipton's ever held. And, I felt real bad about leaving Maddie do all the work earlier, so I figured that taking care of the rest of it would be the way to pay her back."
"I know, London," Moseby replied with a smile. He touched her arm gently, but she shrugged him off.
"Well, I better go break the news to Maddie," London said. "She's gonna be furious!"
Moseby could just imagine Maddie flipping out once she heard that they had to pick a different theme. The two were so far behind in the planning, that at this rate, there couldn't be any screw-ups. He sighed, and turned to London. "Okay, you can keep your theme," Moseby gave in.
London threw her arms around him. "Oh, thanks, Moseby!"
He ended the hug early, and looked her straight in the eye. "But make sure there isn't any real drinking or gambling at this party, do you understand me? It's your responsibility to make sure these rules are followed."
London gave him the thumbs up sign. "Got it!" Then she hurried away once again.
Moseby turned back to his desk with a smile, but then he just frowned at a new thought that had appeared. "Who am I kidding? London, responsible?"
Back at Maddie's apartment, Amber was busy trying on different costumes, using Maddie's closet as a dressing room. She emerged from deep inside, and posed in the pink, satin Asian dress. Amber was not smiling, and that signaled to Maddie that she didn't like the outfit.
Amber planted her hand on her hip, and looked at Maddie. "I don't like it at all."
"Go try something else on," Maddie urged, tugging at the sleeves of the dress.
When she reappeared, this time Amber looked a bit happier, but not all that much. She was dressed in a short, lime green, vinyl mini dress, and tall white boots with a hat of the same color.
"Well, look at you disco girl!" Maddie said, reassuringly. She forced a smile, even though the outfit was really old fashioned and tacky. "How do you feel, Amber?"
Amber looked at Maddie with one of those I-can't-believe-you-just-asked-that looks, and scowled. "Cheap," She replied.
Maddie rolled her eyes, and ushered her back inside her closet. Two minutes passed and she glanced at her watch on her wrist. Another few minutes went by, and Maddie checked the time again, impatiently. She groaned and banged on the closet door a few times. "Amber! C'mon out and let me see!" Maddie called to her through the door.
"Nothing you do will make me come out of this closet," Amber replied, her voice muffled from the other side of the door, clearly feeling embarrassed already.
Maddie groaned and gripped the doorknob. She tugged on it gently, and it slid open, revealing a very lonely looking clown in a polka dot jumpsuit and a big red nose. Maddie tried to cover her mouth to avoid letting Amber see that she had a huge grin on her face. She choked back a laugh, but it broke its way free anyhow.
"Stop laughing at me!" Amber scolded. She turned and slammed the closet door shut.
Maddie regretted laughing in front of her, but what more could she do right then?
When Amber reappeared once again, she was dressed in a pink cowgirl outfit, and a big look of disgust to top it off. "I don't think so," She said simply, and started to tear her clothes off. "Maddie," She groaned. "What am I supposed to do? Costumes are for little kids. What will I wear? I wanna make a good impression on everyone there," Amber revealed.
Maddie smiled, innocently. "Any one person in particular?" She asked, remembering how Amber had previously mentioned that she liked Zack.
Amber grinned up at her, sheepishly. "Okay, fine. Yes, there is someone in particular. It's Zack," She answered.
"I knew it," Maddie said. "But does he?"
Amber turned her gaze to her feet. "Not yet."
Maddie sighed. "Are you gonna tell him?"
"Of course not, Maddie! I can't tell him, don't you know that?" Amber shrieked.
Maddie was stunned. She took a step back and tossed her hands up. "Whoa there, Amber! Calm down! But why won't you tell him?"
"I'm still supposed to be Katja, remember?" Amber told her. "I can't reveal me as myself until the night of the party."
Maddie nodded. "Oh, I see. So what you're saying is that Zack can't know who you really are until then?"
"Yeah. And besides, it's not like he would ever like me as Katja," Amber mumbled.
"You don't know that. But, anyway, wouldn't you rather have him know you as Amber?" Maddie queried.
"Y – Yeah. I guess so," Amber agreed.
Suddenly, Maddie's eyes lit up. "Omigosh, I have the perfect thing!" She pushed past Amber, and headed into her closet.
"Maddie? What are you talking about?" Amber demanded, bewildered.
Maddie came back out of her closet only seconds later, carrying a colorful dress wrapped in plastic. "Here, try this on. London ordered it a few months ago, but they sent her the wrong size by mistake. So, she just tossed it at me, and told me I could have it. It's too small for me, but it might fit you," She explained, and handed her the dress.
Amber smiled. "Oh, thank you soo much, Maddie! You're the best!" She gave Maddie a quick hug, and then rushed into the closet to try the dress on.
It was gorgeous. Amber came out of the closet in the Ginger & Java pink and orange collage print halter dress with a medium cut neckline. It fit her petite body perfectly, and the short length of it showed off her amazing legs.
"Amber," Maddie whispered in awe. "You look awesome."
She smiled. "Oh thanks, Maddie! I feel so amazing, it's just – this time I actually might make a few friends here more easily than I thought, just by wearing this little attention-getter," Amber giggled. She hugged Maddie again.
Maddie turned Amber's body to face the mirror on her wall. Amber smiled again, and spoke another thank-you to Maddie.
"I can't wait 'til Zack sees me in this! I hate to get cocky here, but I'm really workin' this dress!" Amber gave a gentle sway of her hips, causing the flowing skirt of the dress to flare out.
The two giggled. "Much better than London ever could," Maddie commented in almost a whisper.
"Really?" Amber said.
"Kidding! But you do look awesome in that dress!"
They laughed all over again, and this time, Amber sat at Maddie's vanity, while the candy counter girl worked on new hairstyles for the Halloween party.
Back at the Martin suite later that evening, Zack was seated at the kitchen table doing his homework (yes, he really was doing his homework!), while Cody was across the room from him, sprawled out on the living room couch, almost no energy left inside him.
Zack looked over at him, and frowned. "Cody, I can't believe you actually looked all through town for that Swedish girl," He said.
Cody struggled to sit up, with a groan. "I can't believe you're actually doing homework," He muttered. He half walked, half crawled over to the table where Zack was seated.
"I'm not," Zack replied, holding up a notebook for Cody to see. "I'm copying yours."
Cody was way too wearied to speak. He simply collapsed into the chair next to Zack, his head slumping down on the table.
Zack just looked at the top of Cody's blonde head, feeling a wave of sympathy for his brother. Cody either liked that girl a lot, or he was merely taking his responsibility seriously.
"You know, Cody, Moseby didn't ask you to baby-sit her. He just wanted her to have someone to help her around once she started school with us," Zack assured him.
Cody didn't respond. Instead, he tried to pick up his head, and rested it in his hands. "I know that," He murmured. "But she brought over me to the Saint Mark's so we could get to know each other better. Don't you think it's kinda weird that she disappeared right when you arrived?"
Zack tapped his chin with his pencil, and shrugged. "Not really. I guess she was just starting to realize how unbelievably dull it is just talking to you."
Cody rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's what she thought," He said, sarcastically.
Zack turned back to his work on the table in front of him. "Wouldn't be the first time."
In Cody's eyes, Zack's comment wasn't even worth wasting energy over, so he let it go, and allowed his eyelids to close.
Just then, the front door to the suite flew open, and in sauntered Maddie, acting like she barged right into their suite all the time like that.
"Hey, guys!" She greeted, cheerfully.
Zack's head flew up. "Maddie! What are you doing here?"
She had just reached the table, and was glancing down at the mountain of homework in front of him. "Zack, I think the question is, what are you doing with homework?" She demanded.
He ignored her, and went right along with copying the Math assignment from Cody's notebook.
Maddie's gaze shifted directly over to Cody, who was dozing off in the chair, his head propped up by his two hands. "Zack, is Cody okay?" She asked, in a concerned tone.
Zack nodded. "Just a little exhausted from searching all over Boston for some new girl that he was supposed to be showing around tomorrow."
"Oh, yeah, about that, she told me apologize to you two for her for running off like that. You see, I met her earlier at the Tipton candy counter. She asked me for a favor, and I took care of it as soon as possible. She had to leave and go with her aunt this evening, but don't worry about it, she'll meet you guys downstairs in the lobby before school starts tomorrow," Maddie justified.
Zack nodded in reply, not looking up from his work.
Just then, Cody let out a low moan, and slowly raised his head up. "Why did Katja leave us at the Saint Mark's?" He asked.
"She wanted me to do her a favor," Maddie responded.
"Alright."
"Actually, that's kinda what I came all the way up here to talk to you two about," Maddie said. "I really want you to be nice to that girl. She's the nicest little thing, and I think she could really use a few friends, okay? Just get to know her better. We talked for a real long time, and she seems to like you two. She mentioned how friendly yet sensitive Cody is, but doesn't know much about you Zack, other than what Cody told her."
He looked up and glanced over at his brother. "What did you tell her?"
Cody returned his glance. "Nothing, really."
Zack let that one slide. Obviously, Cody hadn't said anything embarrassing about him, or else he would have been so eager to talk about it.
Maddie sighed. "So, how do you feel about her?" She questioned the boys.
Zack spoke first. "She's alright. I never really got the chance to talk to her, yet, but she seems nice, and I know Cody has the hots for her."
Cody shot him an angry look, one in which he did not miss.
Maddie smiled. "You like her, Cody?"
"No. Well, at least I – I don't think I do." Cody's eyes fell to the table. "I think what Zack was trying to say, is –."
"You like her, you like her!" Zack chanted, suddenly completely uninterested in his homework.
"C'mon, Cody, you can admit it. Do you like this girl? Tell the truth, it's just us," Maddie urged. She slid into the seat across from Cody, and silently begged for him to reveal the answer.
Cody frowned. "No, I – I don't. Just as a friend. I spent a lot of time talking to her over at the Saint Mark's, and she seems really cool. You know, shy, but once you get her talking, she won't stop -." He gazed off into space as if in a daze. "I like listening to her talk," Cody said, stupidly with a big goofy grin spreading across his face.
Maddie and Zack leaned in, and looked at his expression more closely. She turned her head to face him. "What do you think, Zack," She asked, quietly.
"Strangely, I think he's in love. But, I didn't think he even knew what love was, before now." Zack retorted.
Maddie chuckled to herself. "You still don't, so I wouldn't be talking, Zack." She had meant that comment to be taken as a joke, but Zack took it literally, and flipped out.
"Well, obviously not, since I fell for you!" He fired back.
Her jaw dropped in amazement. She stared into Zack's eyes for the longest while, almost as if looking to see if all of him was there. It just wasn't like him to be so rude to anybody, like that, especially to a girl, unless it was sarcasm.
Cody snapped out of his confused state, and then looked into the faces of Maddie and his brother Zack. "That's not fair! I don't like her!" He shouted.
Zack and Maddie both moved inches away from him. "Whoa, no need to get all mad, Cody, we're just playing around," Zack declared.
"Well at least I was just kidding," Maddie said, standing up, all the while, her eyes fixed on Zack. She finally turned to the other twin and said, "I hope you feel better, Cody." Then, with that, turned and ran from the room, the front door banging shut behind her.
Zack stood up, and he and Cody exchanged glances, almost as if they could just read each other's minds. If the whole twin telepathy thing really worked between them, Cody guessed that Zack was thinking he'd made a horrible mistake by insulting the girl he loved. Zack was trying, at the same time, to read Cody's thoughts, but all he got was a busy signal, and Cody stood up from the chair and left the room, putting Zack on hold.
Maddie trudged home after visiting the Martin twins, tears streaming down her face.
How could Zack have been so – so ignorant? She asked herself. He's such a charming little boy, and I really hadn't thought of him to be so – rude. Sure, it was a part of who he was to be ironic, but back at the suite that evening, it was clear that he wasn't joking around with her like he usually did.
She began to see her apartment building coming clearer into focus up ahead of her, somewhat illuminated by the dim yellow streetlamps. Maddie almost couldn't wait to get inside the warmth of it, and immediately jump inside the shower, where she could relax her muscles, and try to wash away all her other memories of Zack Martin from her mind. She wanted to forget the first time she had baby-sat for the twins, when Zack had spent the whole night flirting with her. She wished to erase all the times he had called her "sweet thang," but one memory Maddie just couldn't forget, ever, since she was so fond of it, was the night of her Junior prom not too long ago, when she had been turned down by the guy she truly loved, but Zack had still been there to dance with her. His smooth moves had blown her away, and she promised him that she'd dance with him again at his prom. Clearly, now, that was not going to happen.
Maddie began to cry all over again, wiping tears as she ambled along the sidewalk. She had been so sure that night that she really loved Zack Martin. He was such a little "sweet thang" himself, in her eyes, and he was so cute and funny, that Maddie was sure he would be the perfect guy for her, despite their age difference. She had before always known that he would be there for her when she needed him – Cody, too. But Zack's appealing personality had been the one to steal Maddie's heart first.
How could I be so stupid to actually believe that a younger man would treat me well? Zack Martin is no enchanter. I will never again fall for his adorable blonde hair, and striking blue-green eyes. But just then, an image of Zack popped up in her head, and she felt her heart melting deep inside her chest. He was such a wonderful thirteen-year-old, and it pained Maddie to think of him treating her in that way ever again.
She quickly swiped away the last few of her salty tears, and headed up the walk to her apartment building. But, Maddie didn't make it very far before she collapsed down to the sidewalk, her back up against the wall of the building, burying her face in her hands. It wasn't long before she felt a gentle hand touching her shoulder, then heard a voice whisper, "Maddie – are you okay?"
Maddie let her hands drop down to her sides, and she opened her eyes, to find London bent over her, a look of concern in her eyes.
"London! What are you doing here?" Maddie demanded.
London Tipton's hand flew back immediately, almost as if Maddie's shoulder had suddenly turned burning hot. "I – I followed you," She responded.
Maddie wiped at her damp cheeks with her already soaked palms, and eyed London carefully. "No way, London! You actually walked all these blocks in your heels?" She asked, looking down at London's feet.
London looked down, too. "No, I took the limo down a few blocks, but then hopped out and followed you the rest of the way on foot."
Both girls were aware of the slight smile that was crossing over Maddie's face, as she realized the truth: London Tipton did care about her a lot. And the longer her mind lingered on that thought, the stronger the urge became to spring up and throw her arms around London. But she fought it with all her inner strength.
"Thanks, London. That was really nice of you. But I'll be okay," Maddie assured her. She stood up, slowly, and pulled London into a little hug.
When the hug was over, London frowned, and gazed deeply into Maddie's eyes. "What happened?" She asked sympathetically.
Maddie's head hung. She shifted her gaze to her feet, before answering. "Oh, London, it's horrible! Zack – h – he was so cruel this evening! It wasn't like him to treat me like that at all! London – I love him! He's such a great kid, and I really care about him and his brother. They've always been so sweet to me! How could he do this?" She found the words spilling out of her so quickly, she didn't even have the opportunity to prevent it.
London forced a smile, trying to cheer Maddie up, but it didn't work, so instead, she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, and spoke softly. "Maddie – don't worry. Everything will work out perfectly, okay? I know how much you love the Martin boys, but maybe if you give the situation some time, things will sort themselves out on their own," She promised.
That was when Maddie could hold in the sudden desire any longer. She threw her arms around her friend, and smiled to herself. "Oh, thank you, London! You're the best! I feel so much better, now!"
To Maddie it seemed like the hug was too short. This was supposed to be an emotional moment, but obviously, it lasted longer than Maddie thought, because after a while, London broke free, and stared back up at her friend.
"Are you gonna be okay?" She asked, calmly.
Maddie grinned. "Yes, I think so. Thanks again, London."
London nodded, now choosing to avoid her eyes.
"Do you wanna come in for a moment?" Maddie offered, kindly.
London shook her head.
"Don't worry, I don't think the news crew followed you here, London. Nobody will have to know you entered an apartment," Maddie cracked, trying to enlighten the moment.
But, surprisingly, London only gave a small smile, before her expression stiffened. That was extremely strange. Usually, Maddie's joked could make her friend laugh all the time, so there was no reason that it wasn't working this time.
"Do you have a ride back home?" Maddie asked.
"Don't need one." London shook her head. "I'll just walk."
"Well, okay, bye, London. Thanks for, uh – following me home. I really needed that encouragement." Maddie thanked her once again, but London only offered a small "you're welcome" before turning on her heel, and heading away, leaving Maddie all alone with her dozens of thoughts in the night.
The next morning, Cody stood downstairs in the Tipton lobby, waiting for his brother and Katja, so they could all head to the bus stop together. He kicked at the carpet of the lobby, pacing back and forth, making a little rhythm: step, kick, kick, step, kick, step, step, kick…and so on it went.
About five minutes or so later, one of the elevators across the room from him opened, and out stepped Zack, his backpack slung over one shoulder. As he neared his brother, Zack repeatedly kept rubbing at his eyes and yawning.
Cody could tell that he had slept in that morning, due to the fact that his clothes didn't match correctly, his long blonde hair was disheveled, and he wasn't wearing any socks. He could also distinguish that Zack hadn't gotten much sleep because he had slept in so late, he wore heavy dark circles beneath his eyes, that were glazed over.
"How late did you stay up, Zack?" Cody asked once Zack had joined him in front of the revolving doors.
Zack rubbed at his eyes one more time, and sighed. "I think the question is, how early did I stay up 'till." He replied, groggily. "And the answer to that would be, about four-thirty AM."
Cody frowned. He didn't like to see his poor brother like this, but then again, Zack rather deserved it, for the way he had treated Maddie the previous night in the suite. Even though Cody had been the weary one at that time, he definitely hadn't missed that whole conversation between the two. Zack had acted totally unlike himself for some reason, and Cody really had wanted to apologize to Maddie for his brother's rude behavior, but hadn't really received the chance just yet. Clearly, Zack had no intentions of saying sorry just yet.
But that there was just what confused Cody the most. His brother had stayed up all night, thinking about Maddie, and realizing his horrible mistake, but chose no to make an effort whatsoever to make everything all better.
"Zack, you know you should apologize to Maddie," Cody told him. It was more of a request than a suggestion.
The look on Zack's face signaled that he had been prepared for the bombing of comments about Maddie and the night before. "I – I know, Cody. But, I just can't yet! You understand why, don't you?"
Cody shook his head. "Not at all," He replied. "It would be the right thing to do."
Suddenly, the sound of the doors revolving behind them silenced the twins, as they watched Maddie enter in her navy blue and plaid school uniform, obviously searching for London, so they could hurry to school, as well. But, London was nowhere to be found.
As she passed the boys, Maddie smiled. "Hi, Cody!" She said cheerfully, keeping her eyes on him the whole time. She was clearly avoiding Zack's gaze. But that was only partially true, for just as she turned her back on them, she shot a quick expressionless look at Zack.
He stared at her all the while as she went across the lobby, before breaking the connection with his eyes and the back of her head. He looked down at his Converse shoes, frowning.
"I told you." Cody said. "Avoiding confrontation is only gonna make the matter worse."
Zack smiled at him ironically. "Since when did you become my personal psychiatrist?" He shot back. Cody's words of wisdom never really had cheered him all that much, especially when he felt so depressed.
Cody frowned, stung by Zack's rude comment. But he didn't say anything until the doors opened again, and in wandered Katja. That made his face light up. "Katja! Over here!" He called.
She immediately spotted the twins and rushed over. "Hi, guys!"
Zack forced a little half-smile keeping his eyes away from hers, but the look of disgust had never really disappeared altogether.
"Hey, Katja. Are you ready to leave." Cody was fidgeting uncomfortably, while straightening his clothes in front of her, and gazing over in her direction every once in awhile. There was something different about her face, but Cody couldn't quite place it.
Suddenly, it struck him. "What happened to your mole?" He wondered out loud, a little too loudly. Cody clamped his hand over his mouth. He could not believe he had just said that to her face, and with all the people hurrying around them in the Tipton lobby.
Cody was relieved to know that she hadn't cared. Katja just grinned at him sweetly, and replied, "I had zat taken care of last night."
Zack had turned to face her this time, and was slightly smiling, and using their twin telepathy, he decided that Zack had found his comment funny, and the fact that she hadn't reacted to it the way they'd expected her too, even funnier.
"Oh." Cody said, softly. He felt his cheeks turn red, and was feeling very guilty for possibly embarrassing her in front of everyone. But as the people around them bustled about, each doing their own thing, Cody understood that nobody was really paying much attention.
"So, let's go!" Katja suggested, keeping her eyes fixed on Zack, though speaking to Cody.
The three arrived at school twelve minutes before the bell. Cody started out the school day by showing Katja each and every classroom she would be in during that semester, and once she had seen all the rooms, he led her towards his usual meeting spot with his friends across the hall from the water fountain.
They arrived, only to find Zack chatting with Bob, and Agnes. "Hey, everybody!" Cody greeted them. He pointed to Elsa's niece beside him. "This is Katja. She's all the way from Sweden. Today's her first day."
"Sup," Zack said, with a laugh, although the two had already met.
"Hello!" Bob greeted, a little too enthusiastically.
Agnes stepped forward, and tried to focus clearly through her glasses at Katja. Then she smiled. "Hi, Katja! Nice glasses!" She complimented, noticing the fact that the two pairs were exactly the same.
Katja let out a soft giggle. "Thanks."
"Bye the way, I'm Agnes, and this is Bob and Zack," Agnes introduced them all.
"Nice to meet you guys," Katja said softly.
Cody was already noticing how shy she was around their friends.
Suddenly, Agnes stepped closer to Katja, forcing her back up against a wall. "Who do you have for homeroom?" She asked.
"Miller," Cody answered for her. He was already starting to memorize her schedule before she did.
"Awesome, me too!" Agnes exclaimed. "Let's head over there right now!" She started to walk away, assuming Katja would follow her, only she didn't right away.
Katja hung back for a moment and whispered to Zack, Cody, and Bob, "She scares me a little."
"Don't worry, that's natural for people who first meet Agnes," Cody convinced. "You'll get used to her ways."
"Eventually," Bob put in.
"Hopefully," Katja added.
Zack shifted his position. "Now, I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I'm still not used to it!" He pronounced.
"Then, I guess that's normal, too," Bob offered.
"For Zack it is," Cody chimed in. "He still wakes up with nightmares about the last time she had a crush on him.
Zack glared at him, and through clenched teeth said, "I warned you not to bring that up ever again."
Bob laughed causing Zack to shoot a fake punch at him in the arm, though neither one discovered that Katja had disappeared.
And it seemed that of the three, Cody was the only one that seemed to care, as he glanced down the hallway, sadly, assuming she had took off in the same direction as Agnes.
Note: I hope you guys all like that one! I spent a long time on this chapter, and if anyone has any suggestions for my next chapters, questions or comments are appreciated! If you haven't already, please take some time to review! And another thanks a lot to all that reviewed already!