5th Avenue candy bars are the BEST things in the world. Everyone should try them at least one in their lives.

Shameless self-promotion plug: In a fit of Disney frenzy, I have written another story, about High School Musical, which features Troy and Sharpay. I don't care if you're not a Troypay fan, you should go check it out. It's called "Episodes," and it's delicious.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Cody's favorite at the moment is 5th Avenue. For those deprived enough not to know what a 5th Avenue is, he will be happy to tell them that it's "a creamy crunchy peanut butter filling surrounded by a decadent layer of chocolate."

"Hey Maddie, two 5th, one plain, two gummie worms, and three bags of M&M's." Maddie smirks.

"You guys are still my best customers."

"Anything for you, sweet thang," Zack says.

Maddie points behind her. "Now, I know this candy is older than you." But she smiles this time. "Eight bucks."

"What!" Cody digs more cash from his pockets.

"Inflation. It kills all of us." He comes up a dollar short. "Zack?" he asks. The older twin searches his body.

"Nope. Nope. Wait! No, that's gum. Nope. Okay. Here ya go." Maddie picks up the crumpled bill.

"Do I want to know what this is?" she asks, pointing to the yellow-brown stain on George's forehead. Cody does the condescending head shake that says, rather succinctly, "No, you don't, cos I know, and it's not good at all, trust me, it's not anything that should be on a dollar bill." She fishes out the goods.

"That's disgusting," she says, as she passes a 5th Avenue to Cody.

"What?"

"That candy bar."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand. It's a creamy crunchy peanut butter filling—"

"Surrounding by a decadent layer of chocolate," Zack and Maddie finish for him. "I swear," Zack continues, "we're not related."

"Man, I never get to say the whole thing anymore."

Zack and Cody are lounging on their beds. One is playing a Gameboy. Lots of clanging and banging and machine gun sounds emit from the system, and he's stuffing Skittles into his mouth. The other is chewing thoughtfully on a 5th Avenue and reading The Great Gatsby. Take a guess.

"Hey, Zack?"

"What," the twin says distractedly.

"How come. How come you never let me have the girl?" Gatsby never gets the girl. If he was rich, better looking, and lived in the 20's, Cody thinks he's exactly like the man of West Egg.

"I don't not let you have the girl, you make yourself lose the girl," Zack replies quickly. He's focused on the game.

"I do not," he says half-heartedly. Gatsby ends up dead. Cody, however, does not want to end up dead. "The end of freshman year is coming up soon," he says, suddenly changing tracks. Zack grunts in acknowledgement. "There's a. A dance."

"Mmhmm. I've already asked Anna."

"I wasn't. Going to ask Anna." Taking Anna would be like Gatsby taking Jordan. Very nice, but not what he wants.

"Then why are you talking about it? I'm trying to beat this game."

"I want to bring someone else."

"Who!" Impatience creeps into Zack's voice.

"M—nobody. Never mind." He hears the anguished cry of a dying hero.

"Damn! Cody, you made me lose! And that candy bar smells!"

"Sorry, Zack."

"And you're not even taking anyone to the dance!"

"Well..."

"Shut up, I think I have another life."

"So," Cody says, quietly.

"So," Maddie says back, equally hushed.

"How is Lydia training coming along?...I'll take a 5th. Just one." He changes tracks when her face clouds over at the mention of her candy-counter-girl-in-training.

"I feel like popping her head off like a Barbie's," is the vicious answer."Anyway, just one?" she asks in mock surprise. "This is the first day of summer, my last summer, and you're only buying one?"

"Well, two. You can have one."

"Which I won't take, because I think they're disgusting, and you know that. So generous of you, Cody. Keep acting like that, and every girl in the world will end up in love with you."

"Yeah," he sighs. She frowns, and steps around the counter. He follows her to a less frequented area of the lobby. Moseby glares at her, and she does the little pantomime that means "I'm on my break, you man the counter." She turns back to Cody.

"Where's Zack?"

"He's upstairs. He doesn't understand why you can't go to Harvard."

"But Cody..." a whine starts in her throat. "I don't want to go to Harvard. I didn't even get in."

"Yeah, I told him that. But. You know. He likes you a lot, Maddie."

"Would you want me to go to Harvard?"

"No, of course not, Maddie," he says too quickly.

"The truth." He quickly unwraps a bar and bites off half. "Clever. And very nasty." He chews slowly. "Faster, pretty boy, faster," she growls. He offers the other half to her. "Eww..."

"I'm not saying that I want you to give up your dream, and I'm not saying that you should pursue my line of interest, and I am not saying that I fancy you in any way but I am saying that I..." (Fancy? What the Hell? When was the last time he used British slang?) He grinds his teeth a little in order to get the peanut butter off his molars.

"You..."

"I'dlikeforyoutostayherewithme. I mean us." He shoves the rest into his mouth before she asked another question.

"With you." He mimes confusion. "The both of you, you mean." He nods vigorously. "Not just you. Zack, too." He affirms with more nodding. "Zack's still dating Anna, right?" Cody once again mimes confusion, the well-chewed chocolate bulging as he swallowed.

"Yeah, why?"

"So...he'll get over it, right? I don't want him to be all sad because..."

"Well, he's liked you for an...a long time, but maybe—gn" His words are cut off as she finally crushes her mouth against his. It's not slow, it's not tender, it's not loving, it's a raw, passionate kiss that leaves none of the taste of creamy crunchy peanut butter surrounded by a decadent layer of chocolate to the imagination, and goddamn, it tastes good.

She releases him slowly. "Because I'm gonna miss you, Cody. I'm gonna miss you a lot. I'm. I'm gonna miss both of you a lot." He swallows and licks his lips, once.

"Don't go to Columbia," his words rushing out. She starts to say something, but he overrides her. "I was being stupid. I mean. We both want you here in Boston. You're needed here! You can. You can go to Boston College and Mr. Moseby will probably let you stay here, and you can see us, I mean Zack,everyday..." He trails off as she smiles gently, a small, disappointed smile.

"Cody," she says, a little laugh bubbling up her throat. "Cody, I don't want to be a candy girl for the rest of my life. I want. I want to go somewhere. See places. London's in LA. Trevor's going to Chicago." His face screws up at the mention of her ex, and she laughs. "I'm. I'm going to New York. I really want to, Cody. I mean, I love you...guys, but I need to do this. I have to do this. Please understand."

"Yeah. Yeah, I understand," he says, without understanding at all.

I have no idea if fancy is just British slang, or if America is the only country that doesn't use it. But, because these are kids, it's okay for them to make bad generalizations.

Hmmm...each chapter seems to get longer...you know what that means.

The last chapter will exceed all expectations!

But anyway...I realize that I may lose some of you now. But just stick around! For the last chapter! Come on!

Maddie/Cody all the way! For those of you that are confused, I elected to forgo the eyes meeting across a room, sudden realization, inner turmoil, why am I thinking about him/her that way, etc. I just wanted the impromptu thing.

Review.