Chapter 21:
Rebecca sits in her suite the next morning. Her foot taps impatiently. "Where are they?" She thinks, "We're gunna be late!" She gets up and stomps down the hall to the Martin suite. She bangs hard on the door.
Sounds of someone walking towards the door and then Cody's there, looking solemn faced.
"What's going on over here? We're gunna be late! Raine called me three…" She stops short, having noticed the look on Cody's face.
"What's going on?" She asks nervously, leaning around him to see into the suite.
"It's Zack."
"Is he ok?" She asks, horrified. He doesn't answer her. Instead he simply turns and walks to their room. Rebecca follows.
Carey sits on Zack's bed beside him, stroking his head. You can clearly hear Zack sobbing.
"Zack, honey, c'mon. It's ok." She says soothingly. But Zack just sobs harder. Rebecca and Cody stand in the doorway, both knowing they need to leave…but neither moving a muscle.
"You guys should get to school. You're late enough as it is." Carey tells them after an awkward pause.
"But…" Cody starts to protest.
"He'll be fine, Cody. Just go." They hesitate, but reluctantly leave.
They walk slowly to Raine's building, since there's no point in going any faster. Raine hops to her feet as soon as she sees them coming. Unlike Rebecca, though, she notices their upset expressions at once.
"What's wrong?" She asks, completely ignoring the fact that they're already thirty minutes late. Cody shakes his head and Rebecca wipes away a stray tear. It doesn't take words to tell Raine something's up with Zack. She takes her friends' hands and they walk, not stopping at school or anywhere else. They walk until their feet can't walk another step.