Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not Suite Life, not The Killers and certainly not High School Musical.

Note: Thanks again to my always amazing readers and reviewers for putting up with me!

"That's not me no, that's my bad body double

I've got bad body double trouble"

-Imogen Heap

Somehow, she forgot about Cody.

And yes- she knew how completely awful that sounds. How it made her seem like she's this evil girlfriend going on adventures, like she doesn't have a perfectly lovely boyfriend waiting for her. And he was lovely, for the most part (bossy, arrogant, sarcastic, but lovely. And loyal. And smart. And not from Kettlecorn.)

But really?

How could he just…just slip from her mind like that? She loved him, and she's fairly sure you're not supposed to forget people you love. But she did.

…In her defense, it's been a long two days.

There's been…handcuffs and burgers and crazed psychologists and Zack and balloons and mysterious notes and Zack and fighting and seagulls and Zack.

She's been slightly preoccupied…it was normal right? These things happen.

But apparently Cody didn't forget about her…because he's wonderful and caring and smart and she is a really, really bad girlfriend.

"Hey guys." He was standing there, his blond bangs falling into his eyes, slightly hunched over, his white uniform tight across his chest. He looked like a sad puppy.

"Cody." The word felt heavy on her tongue. "Hey."

He nodded, staring at his feet. " Can we talk?"

Oh.

This can't be good…

Cody paused, raising his blue eyes to look at the boy currently handcuffed to his girlfriend. "Zack. Can we please talk like civilized people?"

Wait- he's not mad at her for being a terrible, forgetful girlfriend? That's…unexpected.

She felt a pull on her handcuff as Zack tried to get up from the table they were having lunch on. He was determinedly looking anywhere but at Cody, as if his younger brother was invisible. Seriously? After she learned that Zack Martin could act like a responsible(ish) adult, he's trying to pull the off the silent treatment?

Not on her haystack he's not!

"Zack would be happy to talk to you Cody." She placed a grin on her face. "Isn't that right Zack?" She pulled on her handcuff, still smiling, as a yep of pain came from the short twin. "Right Zack?"

Grumbling, Zack nodded …and if he sent a glare at her, well, if anyone asked she just didn't notice.

Now that she thought about it…the twin's hadn't talked at all since the hot tub fight the day before…a million years ago…Oh boy. Her smile grew nervous as she remembered how Cody had reacted to the whole Mr.-Blanket-handcuffed-them-for-two-days thing…

"Calm? Down? The love of my life is…is chained to my skirt-chasing promiscuous brother. E-Excuse me if I AM A LITTLE CONCERNED!" Cody exploded, eyes glittering with madness, hands thrown up in the air in exclamation.

"…what…did…you… just say?" Zack said, his voice a low whisper, his eyes turning a stormy deep green, his body quivering slightly.

He looked…dangerous.

Apparently, Cody thought so too, because he took a step back from his brother, still looking him in the eye.

Zack closed his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath in, and began to talk in that low deadly whisper again. "Cody. Are. You. Implying. That….that …. I…. would…." He paused, his eyes snapping open and she held back a gasp at the hurtragepain swirling in their green depths…" Are….you saying that…. I would try anything with…. with….YOUR GIRLFRIEND," he yelled, his face contorted in such rage she flinched.

"Do you really think that I would do something like that? What…what kind of person do you think I am? I… I would never do that to you… how could you even think that?" Zack asked desperately, his whole body shaking, he yelled," Do you KNOW ME AT ALL CODY?"

Oh, goodness. She squeezed her eyes shut, stopping the memory of that horrid fight. She had never even seen Zack truly angry until then- she hoped to never see him like that again.

Cody was still slightly hunched over, that sad expression haunting his eyes.

…she hated seeing him like this.

Something sharp and heavy twisted in her chest and she couldn't look Cody in the eye anymore.

Hmmm. This table was a very fine piece of lumber…looked like cider…it needed a new coat of paint, she should tell Mosby and- Ow! Rubbing her arm, she glared at Zack, who raised his eyebrows innocently, like he hadn't just pinched her.

"Put this on." Zack slid his iPod over the table to her. " I'd be nice to talk to my idiot brother without a jury listening."

Right… that made sense. She would hate it if someone heard a serious conversation between her and a family member. Placing the white earbuds into her ears, the guitar riffs of The Killers filled her head.

Still.

She kind of wanted to hear what they were saying…

…So she turned up the volume on "Mr. Brightside".

Because she didn't quite trust herself.

Man.

He really, really doesn't want to have this conversation. But if being handcuffed to a person had taught him one thing, it was that avoiding a problem just made things worse.

Eyeing his younger brother carefully, he took in a deep breath. In. Out. So. Here goes nothing-

"I didn't mean it-"

"I'm sorry-"

The words are out of his mouth, running together with the voice of his twin, who spoke at the same time.

Cody motions with his hands. "Let me go first, Zack. I need to get this out."

(Well. He does owe the guy…like a lot more than Cody could ever know.)

His little brother takes in a breath. "Look Zack. I was acting completely irrationally towards you and Bailey. I know that you wouldn't try anything with my girlfriend, I don't know why I even accused you of that, you and Bailey don't even like each other-"

(and wow, this really is harder than he thought it was going to be. Stupid conscious)

"- and I'm sorry for how I just starting yelling… you don't deserve that Zack. You're not the 'skirt-chasing brother' that I said you were…you're my twin. My stubborn, messy, lazy twin. But you're a good person. And I'm sorry."

Shit.

Cody's all sincere and humble and using those damned puppy eyes on him.

…and he can't do it.

He can't tell his brother the truth.

He could just picture it… 'Oh Cody, you actually weren't acting completely irrationally jealous because I really am in love with your girlfriend and I got mad at you because you suggested that I could try something with Bailey and she is actually the only girl I can't try anything with and it's slowly killing me inside.'

Yeah.

That will go over really well.

So he can't say anything. Not now. If the unlikely event of Cody and Bailey breaking up happens, when pigs fly and hell freezes over, he'll tell his twin the truth.

But that day is not today.

"Apology accepted little bro." Because really, what else can he say? "And I'm sorry too. For… you know."

Cody's face broke into a grin, the shadows leaving his eyes."Yeah. I know."

…and he can't help but smile back at his brother, because damn it, he loves that skinny egghead.

Still smiling, he nudges Bailey. "Hey. It's safe."

She turns to him, taking out the earbuds, a question in her eyes. "Everything's cool." He gave her a reassuring nod.

Cody gave her small smile. "Sorry you had to take a dip in the hot tub in order to cool the Martin family down."

She shrugged, a smile plastered onto her face. "It was no problem- if I can wrestle a hot blooded hog, I can handle two skinny twins."

(and what the hell's with that fake smile? That's not like her…)

Cody laughs, and then looks apologetically at them. "I'm also sorry I was not here to witness you two learning how to get along, as I see you're not trying to murder each other anymore."

Bailey raises her eyebrows innocently (since when did she do that, she looks like him) and tells Cody straight-faced, "Oh, we'll always keep trying to murder each other…or we wouldn't be us."

Later when they're alone, Cody leaving them to fumigate his room from Woody's weekly Burrito Brunch, he'll wonder when Zack Martin and Bailey Pickett became an "us."

But he's not going to worry about that now.

Now he's busy trying to explain to Bailey why the soundtrack to A High School Musical is on his iPod.

(She can't believe he was ever in a musical, but she's smiling for real now and that's all that matters…)

Only two more chapters to go! Reviewers recieve hugs and Frozen Lemonade!