As Cody and Bailey headed back to the school, they talked about the past events that had occurred earlier in the evening. They knew better after dealing with a mess of misunderstandings and being stuck in a web of lies. At first they couldn't decide where they would head to but Cody made the decision to head back to the school. Bailey reminded Cody that Zack was still back there. Cody acknowledged the fact that his twin was still at the school but he made two good points on why they should have returned to the school. Cody's first reason to return to the school was that when they would be picked up or receive rides back home that it would easier to be located by being at the school. Cody's second reason for returning was that even though he didn't consider Zack as his brother that he still was twins with him and that he didn't want to deprive his mom of her two sons. Cody explained to Bailey that he was responsible that he had to bring Zack back to the Tipton if he had to. Bailey understood Cody's reasoning and didn't challenge him. She saw no reason to argue with him since he made good points. If she did find a way to argue with him, she wouldn't have done it for the fact that they both had rough nights and that she'd rather stay with Cody than to engage in a petty argument. Luckily for Bailey, she wouldn't have to worry about debating with Cody about his reasons to return to the school. She'd much rather the school because it was big, warm and familiar place. She considered the school as a safe zone as well.

Upon their entrance to Cheever's High School, Cody and Bailey walked through the hallways. Their footsteps echoed through the halls. Bailey took her head off of Cody's shoulder and just stayed close by his side while continuing to hold his hand. As they walked, Cody had remembered to check his watch. It was nine thirty. The time indicated that he and Bailey had an hour left if they wanted to enjoy the rest of their evening at the dance if they chose to do so. On their way back to the gym, a thought occurred to Bailey. She turned to Cody.

"Cody?"

"Yes, Bailey?"

"What happened to the recorder?"

"I left it behind. I should have picked it up but I guess I forgot about it. I was distracted with something more important."

"What would that be?"

"I was just wanted to make sure that I didn't lose you. I wasn't going to give you up so easily."

"Oh."

"Should we go back to get the recorder?"

"No. That's okay. I think someone would have picked it up."

"Well, I guess so as long as it didn't fall into the ocean."

"That would be bad if it."

"Actually, if I think about it more, I would say that I would have either left it behind or thrown it away because I don't want to keep something that almost tore us apart. I don't want a physical reminder to taunt me."

"I suppose that makes sense….What should we do about Zack?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to confront him?"

"No. I don't think that I'll have a clear mind if I attempt to confront him now. Maybe it would be best to wait a while before I decide to confront him."

"So, you're not going to talk with him tonight?"

"That's right. I want to cool off before I do anything with him."

"Are you going to just ignore him?"

"I wish but I can't. I'll only talk with him when it's necessary to do so. We do share a mom and we need to communicate for when she'll pick us up."

"Do you know what you'll want to say to Zack when you do talk to him?"

"I don't know exactly. All I know is that I intend to let him know how angry I am with him. I never thought that he would stoop down so low. Sometimes, I don't know what goes on in his brain. It's so frustrating to be around him sometimes."

"Well, maybe tonight don't worry what he does. There still is enough time to enjoy the rest of the dance."

"I guess we can try. I just hope that we don't have to worry about running into anymore problems."

"I hope so too."

All of the sound drop from Cody and Bailey's voices. It is followed by a silence. It's a comfortable and welcoming. It was calming and soothing. Cody and Bailey accepted it with open arms as they finished their journey back to the grave of their former selves that lacked confidence in their love. They came back to the scene of the crime that Zack committed but did not get away with. They approached the gym and opened the doors. They entered and blended in with the crowd of their peers.

During the time that Cody had rushed out of Cheever's High to go after Bailey to talk with her, Zack was thinking to himself. He was confused when Cody told him that he loved Bailey. Zack didn't have an inkling of how serious Cody was about bailey until Cody told him so. He didn't know until Cody slapped him the face with the truth of his feelings for Bailey and the reality that he left the school without a second glance back at him. Zack didn't know what he would do. He leaned back on the wall and slid down to the ground and sat. His mind was boggling. He didn't know what to think or what he should do. Just as he thought to himself for ten minutes, Bob had come out and retrieved him. Bob dragged Zack back in the gym. He got Zack to get back in the mood and do some dancing while the night was still young. Bob didn't know what had transpired but he had gotten back with Barbara and she told him to get Zack. Bob looked for Zack until he found him outside the gym. Afterwards, Bob had Zack join the living again and got him to dance. Things were just fine when Zack forgot about his troubles. But when Zack saw Cody and Bailey come through the gym doors, he was reminded of his confusion and pain. Things turned 180 on him when he saw them. They had been gone for about an hour. He wanted to go over to them and say something but he thought that it was best to leave them alone for the time being. However, Zack did notice something strange about Cody and Bailey when they had arrived. He was sure that they saw him and that they pretended not to notice him but that didn't bother him. He expected them to ignore him. What the thing that seemed so strange to Zack was that Cody and Bailey appeared to have been holding hands together. They appeared to be a….couple. Zack didn't get it. What was he really messing with? Did he just mess with a harmless crush and a friendship or did he really mess with a serious and newly formed relationship? How long had Cody and Bailey been waiting to come together and be an item? Zack had no idea. The idea baffled him. Zack thought to himself for a short while. He thought deeply and carefully. He weighed his options and came to a conclusion to not bother Cody and Bailey at any cause. He decided upon himself to give them space and to give himself time to think and air to breath. He would distance himself for his and Cody and Bailey's sake. He did it for all of their mental health. Zack also gave them space because he wanted to spear his life. He didn't want to end up in a nasty confrontation with Cody or Bailey.

Back with Cody and Bailey, they had returned to their table just where they had left it. To them, it was apparent that no one was very interested in taking their abandoned table. Cody and Bailey then realized that they hadn't totally abandoned the table because they had left the red rode behind. They concluded that none of their peers didn't take their table because had the lone rose on it. The red rose showed that people had occupied the table. They had marked their territory with a flower that represented love and romance. It was personal and it was in possession of two souls intertwining with each other. Cody and Bailey sat down at their table. Bailey had taken off Cody's jacket and gave it back to Cody. They talked for a while before they went back on the dance floor. For the rest of the night, they danced and were in each other's polite company. Cody was a gentleman and Bailey was a lady. They had fun. They danced close and shared soft, short kisses. They shared smiles and had punch and rested at their table together. Cody entangled his fingers in Bailey's silky flowing hair and ran the digits through the strands of hair. He played with her hair and kissed her cheeks. She giggled and flashed brilliant smiles at him. She giggled and smiled to show Cody that what he did pleased her and gave her much delight. He savored her happiness and harvested it as his own. They reaped benefits from each other's happiness. It was a partnership and they shared what they could as a new couple. They were still cautious and careful but they still found a way to relax. They could do so because they were in each other's presence. Cody and Bailey didn't have to worry about Zack. They wouldn't have to worry about his antics. They also didn't have to worry about being haunted by Barbara's shadow. Cody and Bailey simply enjoyed the little time left that they had at the dance.

When the time came for the dance to end, it came at ten thirty. Father Time struck on half past ten in the evening. The DJ Had packed up and left and faculty members were ushering students out of the gym and out of the school and out into the cold darkness. Students left in packs. Some got out of the gym in threes and twos. Others left the gym by fives and fours and two groups of six. The moment they were outside of the school, students wasted no time to call for rides back home. They called for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brother, sisters and many other legal guardians. Students waited and waited and went home. Cody waited for Zack to drag his sorry butt out of the school. Bailey waited with him as she held his hand. As they waited for the night terror named Zack, they found time to talk. Bailey started the conversation.

"Cody?"

"Yes, Bailey?"

Bailey had her rose with her and twirled it around in her free hand nervously.

"Did you have a nice time tonight?"

"Of course I did. What about you?"

"I had fun tonight."

"Hey, Bailey?"

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering if we could go on a date tomorrow. If it's not too late that is."

"I don't mind. What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that we could start off simple by playing some mini-golf."

"I thought it was costmary to go to the movies for the first date?"

"Well, it's a little different for us. Why? Do you want to go see a movie?"

"No. Mini-golf is fine."

"Okay then. Would you like to follow up mini-golf with a dinner or do you just want me to take you back home?"

"Dinner would be nice."

"Great. What time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

"We can meet at six thirty."

"Okay."

"Cody?"

"Yeah, Bailey?"

"I, uh…"

"Hold on, Bailey."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm a doofus. I forgot to lend you my jacket."

"Oh, no. That's okay Cody. I'll be fine. You already lent me your jacket before."

"Yeah, I know. But why stop after one time? Why not keep doing it?"

"No. It's okay, Cody."

"Are you sure, Bailey? You look cold."

"I'm fine. Really I am. I can lean against you."

"Well, could I at least wrap my arms around you to keep you warm?"

"Um, sure."

Cody lets go of Bailey's hand. He steps behind her and wraps his arms around her body. He rests his chin on her shoulder as he keeps her safe and warm. Bailey shifts her back so that it is against Cody's front side. They rock back and forth from side to side. They move from right to left and back. As they move, their bodies warm up. They share body heat as they wait in the cold. Cody is hit with a sudden thought. He is afraid of asking her but he asks her anyway.

"Bailey?"

"Yeah, Cody?"

"I know this must sound stupid since I asked you the same thing two weeks ago but do you have a ride home?"

"It's not a stupid question, Cody."

"Well, do you have a ride home?"

"No. I called my mom but she told me that she had to take care of my dad. He got injured and my mom had to take him to closest General Hospital. They won't be able to pick me up tonight."

"Would it be okay if you came with me and Zack with our mom?"

"I guess so. But I don't want to be any disposition."

"Don't worry, Bailey. I'll just let my mom know. I'm sure she'll be fine with it."

"Okay."

Cody removes his right arm from Bailey's body and pulls out his cell phone. He calls his mom and lets her know that they will have Bailey with them. Carey is fine with the arrangement and tells Cody that she'll be over in five minutes since she already was on her way as she happened to be at a red light when she talked with him on the phone. Cody hangs up on his mom and puts his cell phone away. He resumes keeping his arms around Bailey's body and rocks side to side with her. When they see Zack coming from afar, they break apart. Bailey feels warm enough and Cody doesn't want to risk Zack making fun of the two of them being together. He didn't want to deal with Zack more than he had to. Bailey is warm from not just Cody keeping his arms around but also because her blood boiled at the sight of Zack. She was mad at him. Her anger was stronger than a twister. Bailey was mad but she didn't want to complicate things so she stayed quiet for Cody's sake. Zack walked in the shadow of death as he approached Cody and Bailey. He acted as casual as he could.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Zack, Bailey will be joining us in the car. Her parents are busy right now and she needs a ride back home. Mom has agreed to let her ride with us. Be on your best behavior."

When Cody spoke it was like poison dripped from his tongue. His message to Zack was precise yet threatening. Zack felt that he was considered to be inauspicious in Cody's view. Zack gulped and played with the cuffs that were at the end of his sleeves of his jacket.

"Okay."

"By the way, mom will be here in a few minutes so be ready."

"Okay."

There was a deadly silence between the three teenagers. Zack kept his distance from Cody and Bailey. They stared at him for a while and then turned away from him so that they would be facing the curb. They wanted to be ready to get into the car when Carey would arrive. Zack watched Cody and Bailey's actions. He could tell that they were mad at him but he didn't how mad they were at him. He didn't the degree of anger that they harbored for him. Zack couldn't tell how angry they were. All he needed to know was that they harvested a new crop of animosity for him. He didn't know what it would turn out to be but he just needed to know that they didn't want to associate with him. Zack prepared himself for awkward moments and copious amounts of apathy aimed toward him. He shrugged his shoulders at once when Carey arrived to give them a ride home. The moment Carey parked the car and unlocked the passenger doors, Cody and Bailey slid right into the back seats. Zack shuffled his feet to the front with his mom. Carey made sure that the three teens had their seat belts on before she drove off. Carey remembered where Bailey lived so she didn't have to ask Bailey for navigation tips. When the car arrived at Bailey's home, Bailey got out of the car and Cody followed her up to the front door. Cody and Bailey said goodnight and shared a hug, Cody then walked away from Bailey but waited for her to get inside her home. She knocked on the door and Grammy Pickett opened it. Bailey went inside and Grammy Pickett closed the door after Bailey. Cody was satisfied that Bailey was safe and went back in the car. Carey waited until Cody had put his seatbelt back on and then started the engine again. Carey drove the rest of the way to the Tipton. There nothing much to say between Cody and Zack so Carey had to deal with a thick silence that was produced by the unknown tension between the two twin brothers. It certainly was a quiet and tense ride back home.

To Be Continued…