Disclaimer: I don't own SLOZC. Wish I could own Dylan or Cole Sprouse for a day…but just watching them on Disney is enough.

College Years

Chapter 5

Will his World Come Crashing Down?

Cody stared at his cell phone, wondering whether he actually heard what he thought he'd heard. He wasn't sure whether to accept the invite or not. Zack and Maddie went out that first night, and look at them! They couldn't be happier. I want that for myself…but I don't want to get hurt…what if Rebecca's intentions are to just remain friends? I like her a lot…but what if she doesn't like me anymore? That would be terrible. I can't take heartbreak right now…but what if she really is sincere? What if she does like me, and by not going, she thinks I don't like her…or I lose the chance to spend time with her and find out. College is a new chapter in my life…so I should be doing new things, right?

"Uh, Cody? Are you still there?"

"What? Oh, right. Yeah, I'm here."

"Well, do you want to hang out tonight or what?"

"Yeah, sure. Where?"

"I was thinking of going to this club, Dance Off, with a bunch of people. You can meet some of the friends I've met up here!"

"Cool! What time?"

"We're meeting there at 8:30. So, I'll see you there, right?"

"I have no clue how to get there, Rebecca."

"Ok, well, come to my dorm at about 8:15 and we can go over together. It'll give us more time to get to know each other."

"Yeah, okay. Cool. I'll see you then."

"Bye, Cody!"

"Bye, Rebecca."

He hit the off button on his phone and sighed…I'm going out with Rebecca tonight…wow.

An hour passed, and Cody was sitting outside his dorm room, trying to study, and staring at his phone, still amazed that she had called him so soon after meeting him and so soon after just seeing him. He was sitting on the floor, waiting for Maddie and Zack to finish their "bonding." He looked down the hall and saw a girl walking down the hall towards him. She passed him and looked at him, smiling. That's…uh…Sarah…yeah that's it. She's in the dorm next door. He smiled back and she blushed. She's pretty…She had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She was the same height as Cody, and had perfectly tanned skin. Her style was unique. She wears what she feels. If she's happy, she wears bright colors, but if she's feeling a little down, she wears darker colors. She and Cody had said hi to each other a few times, but nothing more.

The door of the dorm room finally opened and Maddie stepped out, smiling. She saw Cody and gasped and said, "Wow, Cody. I thought you were Zack at first. You scared me." Cody smiled and went into his room to find Zack sprawled out on his bed, a smile plastered on his face.

"You look happy."

"Shouldn't I be?"

"No."

"And why not? I've got a wonderful girlfriend who is helping me with all of this schoolwork, I live in a fantastic dorm and life couldn't be better for me. Why shouldn't I look happy? I'm on top of the world!"

"Because I'm having a terrible time in college. This sucks."

"Aw, come on, man! College is great! What's not to love?"

"I've made no new friends, I don't have a girlfriend, and I am sick and tired of watching you coast by on school while I work my ass off!"

"I am not just coasting by! I'm practically failing everything! I can't get away with my good looks and charm on these professors, it doesn't work! That's why Maddie's helping me raise my grades. And you've made some friends…what about Maddie, huh? You're friends with her! And there are all these people we live around, make friends with them! It's your fault you haven't made friends. As for a girlfriend…well, you'll get there soon! Just stop worrying so much about school and concentrate on the ladies."

"I can't do that. I'm not you. I don't make friends easily and girls just don't like me. School is the only thing I know how to do!"

Zack rolled his eyes and said, "Whatever, dude. I think that you have a chance with this Rebecca girl, so go for it. Don't do anything wimpy or dorky and you should be fine."

Cody took a deep breath and thought about Rebecca. A few hours later, Zack got up from his bed and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

"Out with Maddie."

"I need you though, Zack! Rebecca called after I left and asked me to go to this club tonight with some of her friends…I need you to help me."

"What do you need me for?"

"I…I…I can't dance."

"Sure you can."

"No, I really can't."

"I need to go meet Maddie…"

"You just saw her a few hours ago! Come on, Zack…I helped you with your first date with Maddie."

Zack thought it over and said, "Okay, fine."

He called Maddie on his own cell phone and told her he'd be there in an hour or so. He put on a new hip-hop CD and started dancing, encouraging Cody to dance with him. Zack showed him lots of moves, and by the time the hour was up, Cody felt much better about going to Dance Off. Zack left for Maddie's and Cody went to get dressed for his "date."

7:30. Cody couldn't have felt more nervous. His stomach was in knots, his words were jumbled, and he couldn't think straight. He called Rebecca three times to cancel out of nervousness, but hung up when he heard her voice say, "Hello?" By the third time, she started to sound a little aggravated at whoever kept calling her and then hanging up. Cody took a deep breath and checked his watch. It was 7:32. This is going to be a long night…

7:35. Cody picked up the phone for the fourth time. Rebecca answered the phone, "Alright, now whoever this is, you better stop calling here!" Cody, nervous and embarrassed, hung up the phone with a sigh. What if tonight is awful? What if she hates me? What if she doesn't want to go out with me? What if this is just a friendly outing to her? What if I mean nothing to her? What if I forget how to dance? Cody sighed again, sinking into a nervous depression. He took a deep breath and picked up the phone again. She answered with a yell, "Stop calling me!" She slammed down the phone and Cody sighed again, hoping she didn't know it was him.

7:39. Could time go any slower? Cody's stomach felt like it was going to burst from nerves and anxiety. What if she kisses me again? What if she does want what I want? What if she's been dreaming of the day we met for the last 6 years like I have? What if she's been dying to see me again since we departed? What if she loves me? Cody smiled, unable to control his excitement. He was anxious to see Rebecca's sweet, loving, warm brown eyes, and run his fingers through her soft, brown curls. He longed to kiss her, as he had been too young to understand what a wonderful thing a kiss could be when he was 12. He didn't understand the power one kiss could hold.

7:43. Depression settled in the pit of Cody's stomach again. What if asking me to go somewhere was just some way of being polite? What if the last 6 years of her life have been great, and meeting me brought them all down? What if she hates me? What if I hurt her feelings all those years ago? What if that kiss was nothing more than a friendly goodbye kiss to her? What if the kiss meant nothing like it had for me? Cody put his head in his hands and ran his fingers through his perfect hair. He was identical to Zack in that his hair was the same dirty blonde and the same length. His eyes were the same shade of blue-green and they sparkled when the light hit them just right. He was wearing a pair of baggy jeans, skater shoes, and a green shirt with a black jacket. He'd never been to a club, but it seemed like something cool to wear. He changed his outfit three times before he settled on this one.

7:46. Cody paced around the room. He sat on the couch, stood up again, and then sat on his bed. He couldn't sit still. Time just couldn't go any faster for him. He took out his phone, dialed the first 5 digits of Rebecca's phone number, then remembering the last time he had called and didn't say anything, he hung up his phone. He sat back down on the couch and put his head back in his hands, nervous as anything, but excited as well. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was. He couldn't stop thinking about her voice, her laugh, her smile. He couldn't contain his happiness. He smiled larger than he ever had before, anxious for the next 30 minutes to pass by quickly. He got up and paced again.

7:53. Cody went as long as he could without looking at the clock, and then a little more. He was disappointed to find that only 7 minutes had passed since he had last looked. He switched on the T.V and went up through the channels, not finding anything worth watching. He looked out the window at the moon and thought about how Zack and Maddie were so happy. I bet they're sharing a kiss under the moon and stars right now. I want what they have! I want to have someone I can share my thoughts with. I want someone I can hold in my arms and make them feel protected. I want someone to say, "I love you" to. I want someone to talk to when I'm lonely. I want Rebecca. She probably doesn't like me. Why would she? What have I got to offer her? She can do much better than me. He reached towards his phone and then stopped, taking a deep breath and deciding against canceling his plans with Rebecca.

7:59. Only 6 minutes? I can do better than that. I won't look at the clock for at least 10 minutes! He looked at the blinking T.V and then turned it off. He got up and went over to the window, closing the blinds. I don't want to look at the moon and think about what could be happing with Zack and Maddie. I need to stay happy for this date with Rebecca. Is this a date? Does she consider this a date? Is this a date…or is this just a friendly outing? She said, "Do you want to hang out?" Doesn't that mean this isn't a date? Cody shook his head, trying to get these depressing thoughts out of his head. He went to the mirror in the bathroom and checked his appearance. His hair was ruffled from the many times he had run his fingers through it. He picked up a brush and ran it through his hair. He picked up his toothbrush and brushed his teeth. He left the bathroom and went to his bedside table. He put a box of Tic Tacs in his pocket and took a glance at his watch, hoping it was time to go.

8:10. Yes! Cody went to the door, locked it, and ran down the hall towards the other dormitory building. He slowed down, not wanting to seem sweaty or anxious at seeing Rebecca again. He got to the parking lot and was met with a blast of cool air. He walked to the other dorm building and went inside, met with heat. His arms shivered from the rapid change of temperature. He got to Rebecca's door and knocked. She opened the door and Cody was breathless at the sight of her. She was wearing a jean mini skirt, a blue tank top, a jean cropped jacket, and black strapped heels. Cody widened his eyes and said, "Wow. You look great!"

"Thanks, so do you."

Cody blushed and she said, "Shall we go then? We don't want to be late. It opens at 9. I hope we won't be waiting in line for long!"

"Yeah, let's go. Your car, or mine?"

"I saw your Mustang! My car isn't even close to being that nice. Let's go in yours. It is much cooler than my dinky old station wagon. You ready?"

Cody, amazed by her rapid speech, extended his arm, and she grabbed a purse, closed her door, locked it, and linked arms with him. She smiled and they set off for Cody's car.

Cody opened the car door for Rebecca, and she thanked him, smiling. He got in the driver's side and started the car. It started up perfectly. Rebecca directed him out of the parking lot. Cody felt much more at ease then he had 10 minutes ago. He felt like Rebecca liked him now, and he felt good about that. Rebecca talked a mile a minute. Cody nodded his head at what he had hoped was the right time, unable to keep up with her fast words. He made little conversation, but she didn't seem to notice. She talked enough for the both of them, so Cody didn't feel bad for not speaking much. He was too nervous to out two words together. Rebecca directed him down a side street and then he stopped at a stoplight. Rebecca turned to him and smiled. Cody smiled back, staring into her deep brown eyes. They were full of warmth, caring, and wisdom. He felt like he was looking into her soul. He took a chance to look her over. Her soft curls hung loose and looked beautiful in the night sky. A car beeped behind him and Cody looked at the light, which had turned green. He blushed, embarrassed.

Cody turned down another street and was met with a crowd of people. He widened his eyes and said, "What are all these people doing in the street?"

"They're waiting for Dance Off to open. It opens and 9, but people get here to stand in line at like, 7."

"Wow."

"I hope we can get in."

Cody nodded and waited for the people to part so he could pass. Rebecca, impatient reached over and blasted the horn. The people immediately parted, like the sea parting for Moses. Cody drove through and Rebecca directed him where to park. He hopped out and opened the door for Rebecca. She thanked him again and they walked back to where the crowd of people were gathered. Rebecca scanned the crowd by the door and then waved, grabbing Cody by the hand and dragging him through the mass of people. They reached a group of 6 or 7. Rebecca immediately started introducing the people in front of her.

"This is Matti." One of the blonde boys outstretched his hand and Cody shook it. "This is Anna." A pretty brunette hugged him. Cody hugged her back, surprised. "This is Hannah." A blonde girl with curly hair shook Cody's hand. "This is Jim." A Japanese boy with black hair waved. "This is Laurie." A redhead girl shook his hand. "And this is Melanie." Another blonde girl waved from the back of the group. "Everyone, this is Cody Martin." They all said, "Hi, Cody!" Cody laughed and joined in a conversation with Rebecca and Jim about cars.

Half an hour later, the group of 8 went into Dance Off. They were instantly met by loud hip-hop music. He followed Rebecca through the crowded room and across the dance floor. People were doing dances Cody had never even seen before. I hope I can keep up…They reached the back of the place and went to a table with a handsome man with brown hair and tanned skin. Rebecca went up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek saying, "Hey, Lenny! How ya doing?" He smiled and answered, "Fine, baby." Rebecca smiled and then remembered Cody. She said to him, "Oh, I almost forgot! Cody, this is Lenny. He's my boyfriend."

A/N-

Note #1- First off, I'd like to say that I am so proud of this fic! It is my most successful fic, and I was so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed my last chapter! Thank you to my reviewers! I wish I could thank all of you, but I can't! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Note #2- I am very happy with this chapter because it is 7 pages long, the longest chapter I've ever written for this fic! I wasn't expecting it to be this long, especially since I wrote it today!

Note #3- I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment to you. A lot of people wanted Rebecca to be "the one" but I didn't see it going that way. Don't worry about Cody; he's going to be fine. I already have someone to comfort him. I hope you like it!

Note #4- Please review, because I love reading my reviews! Criticism is welcomed! If any information is wrong or confusing, please just let me know in a review! Thanks again to all of you and I hope you review and keep reading!

Hope to hear from ya soon,

Love,

Dangerous Combonation