Disclaimer: Zoey 101 is not mine.

A/N: A few short chapters that span two months following the disasterous spring break at Logan's house, centering on Zoey and Chase's changing relationship (or, at least, how I wish the show would continue with that storyline).

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Middle of March, 2006

The credits rolled on the TV screen following the airing of the premiere episode of Gender Defenders, and Zoey couldn't help but smile as she saw her name scroll by, and as the other teens surrounding her congratulated she and her friends on how awesome they were, how lucky they were, how cool they were… everyone was grinning.

Well, almost everyone.

Zoey stared at Chase across the room, watching his every movement. She couldn't help it; they'd had such a weird talk earlier that it was all she could think about. Her thoughts were full of confusion and intrigue and text messages and potential things he could've said that would compel him to steal her TekMate to delete the message. He'd been so close to telling her just now; why couldn't their friends have waited just one more second? (Zoey didn't really know why she was obsessing over this, and she didn't want to consider why, either.)

The crowd thinned gradually and soon Zoey and Chase were face-to-face, all the others gone, most likely to enjoy their fifteen minutes of fame.

"So…," Zoey started, unsure, while sticking her hands in her pockets.

"So," Chase repeated, also looking uneasy. "That… uh, that was really cool," he said, motioning towards the large TV. "You know, that we were on TV and stuff."

"Yeah," Zoey nodded. "Everyone did a really great job. They… um, edited it well." Edited it well?,she thought to herself, wondering why she said that of all things.

"Yes, the editing was… perfect," Chase agreed, also looking like he was questioning why he just said that.

Zoey sighed. She never had a problem talking to Chase; he was her best guy friend. So why was it so different all of a sudden?

"Hey, uh, you don't have your TekMate," he pointed out, gesturing to her waist where the holder was.

Zoey looked down and noticed for the first time. "Oh," she said, surprised. "Wow, I didn't even notice. I must've lost it between the fountain and coming back here. Do you wanna help me look for it?" she asked.

"Sure." Chase turned (as if I could ever say 'no' to Zoey Brooks, he thought to himself) and they headed back outside and towards the fountain. Once there, the pair began searching. After a minute, Chase spotted it.

In the fountain. Underwater. With a blank screen.

"Uh, Zoe, I found it," Chase called, and Zoey stepped over to him and looked into the water.

"Aw man," she said, upset. She stuck her hand in and lifted the pink TekMate out. "I had it on vibrate; it must've buzzed off the side." Zoey tried pushing a few buttons. "I wonder who sent me a message in the first place to make it fall in?"

Chase cleared his throat uncomfortably and shrugged. "I, uh, I don't know."

"There goes the coolest, and probably most expensive, gadget I've ever owned," Zoey said, disappointed, as she turned the TekMate sideways and water spilled out of the crevices.

"Sorry, Zoey."

"It's okay. It's not like it's your fault." Sighing once more, Zoey turned back to Chase and looked up at him, letting her eyes meet his. "So before when we were here, you were going to tell me what it said…"

"What what said?" Chase asked, playing dumb.

Zoey shook her head, frustrated. "Chase, right before everyone ran over, you were gonna tell me what the text message you accidentally sent me said. What was it?"

"Oh! Oh, the text message, right, uh… it… it said nothing," he finally spluttered out.

"I don't believe that," Zoey said indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest, the broken TekMate still in her hand.

"Seriously, Zoe, forget about it," Chase assured, a little wistfully. She noticed his mood and he attempted to brush the whole thing off nervously: "It's really not important."

Zoey didn't want to admit it, but she felt like somewhere in the back of her mind she had an idea of what the message had said, something so important that her best friend had resorted to stealing her TekMate away from her just so he could delete it. But she was tired now, tired of skirting around this issue, so she finally let it drop. "Okay," she shrugged, and Chase looked relieved.

They stood in the most awkward silence Zoey had ever experienced in her life, until finally Chase broke it: "So I guess I'll get going…I've got some homework and stuff to do…"

"Okay…"

"See ya later, Zoey," Chase said as his parting words, and headed off into the group of students milling around. He was walking a little dejectedly, slumped forward, head down, with his hands in his pockets.

"Bye," Zoey whispered after he had already left. Being fifteen shouldn't be this difficult.

She decided then and there that next year, no matter how cool it could be and even if all of her friends were going, she was not going to go to Logan Reese's house again for vacation.

Stupid spring break.

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