A Promise Kept

By Jeune Ecrivain

Rated PG

Genre: Romance/Humor (Zack/Maddie)

Summary: Five years after "A Prom Story," Maddie dances with Zack at his prom as she promised. As a result, the two friends soon discover that the difference between 17 and 20 doesn't mean as much as the difference between 12 and 15.

Part V

"Well, here we are," said Zack as he parked his PT Cruiser in the private parking lot of the Tipton, somewhat disappointed that the evening was coming to a close.

"Yeah," Maddie replied with a small smile on her face.

Zack turned off the engine and looked over at her with a slightly nervous smile, and she turned to meet his gaze. "Well, I had a good time," he said. "What about you?" He looked her in the eyes, anxious for her answer.

She nodded. "It was fun. It really was." A moment of silence passed between them as they each tried to wrap their heads around the fact that they'd just went on an actual date together. Then suddenly, Maddie started chuckling to herself.

"What!" asked Zack, amused at Maddie's outburst.

Maddie shook her head in awe. "It's just so funny!" she giggled. "'Call me in 10 years' I said! It's been about half that, and here I am! I've kissed you twice now and enjoyed every bit of it!" At this Zack grinned lopsidedly and blushed slightly, which only amused Maddie further. "I kissed a guy I used to baby-sit!" Her voice then began to grow softer and more serious. "I don't know, Zack. Maybe I'm crazy. I mean, you're three years younger than me. But somehow…" She raised her hand and touched his cheek. "…those three years just don't mean as much anymore. It's like…you make it not matter by just being…you."

Zack smiled brightly as she withdrew her hand gracefully. "So,…I guess this means you'd like to do it again sometime," he said.

Maddie returned his smile with a gentle one of her own and unbuckled her seat belt so she could lean towards him. "I'd love that, Zack. I really would," she replied almost at a whisper. To seal the deal, she kissed him softly on the lips. He responded immediately, and she parted her lips to deepen the kiss. She let the passion build to a certain point before withdrawing. Suddenly feeling quite playful, Maddie decided to try the leave-'im-hanging tactic. "Good night," she said as she opened the car door and climbed out. "See you tomorrow."

Zack watched in a daze as the beauty named Madeline walked away, throwing one last smile over her shoulder at him before entering the hotel to find her suite. Strangely enough, words he had read in his English class rang in his ears, perhaps for no other reason than sheer pertinence to his situation. They were the words of Romeo Montague. I am afear'd being in night, all this is but a dream. Too flattering sweet to be substantial.

----------ZMZMZMZMZMZMZMZM----------

In case you have particular trouble with Shakespearean English, here's what the quote basically says: "Since it's at night, I'm afraid this is all just a dream. It's just too good to be true."

----------SLZCSLZCSLZCSLZCSLZC----------

"Whoah!"

Zack landed with a thud on the floor of his bedroom, having toppled without any warning off the edge of his bed. Still a little groggy despite the rude awakening, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked up at a face identical to his own. He then glared at his twin brother, Cody. "Cody, what color are your eyes?"

Cody cocked an eyebrow, obviously perplexed. "Blue. Just like yours," he answered in a confused tone.

"If you ever do that again, I'll make them both black. Maybe then, it'll be easier for people to tell us apart."

Cody put his hands up. "Mom made me do it. It's ten o'clock, and she said if you slept in much later, you wouldn't go to bed at a decent time tonight."

Zack tossed off the blanket and stood up with a tired groan. "Don't you think we're a little old for bedtime regulation?"

"That's what I said. She said that until we hit eighteen, we're not too old for anything as far as she's concerned. And even then, we apparently owe her eleven instances of post-legal-age obedience. One for every hour she was in labor with us," explained Cody with a roll of his eyes. "Why were you sleeping in so late, anyway? Usually you're up just a few minutes after me."

Zack shrugged, not wanting to confess to having lain awake for an hour or two that night reliving the date in his mind. He remembered the gentle yet flirtatious smiles, the warm yet playful look in her eyes, the taste of her lips, and the touch of her hand. He was still a little hesitant to believe it all, lest he get his hopes up to high, but something in his gut told him it was real.

Smiling contentedly, he silently wondered how all his feelings for Maddie could've come rushing back after years of having supposedly moved on. Ironically, it seemed that during that dormant period his feelings for her had deepened. The persistent crush he had harbored for her years before had crept away to the back of his mind and heart until, secretly nourished by their growing friendship, it had re-emerged as a new, improved, and more meaningful creature.

Yet he had to conceal his joy. There was still an age difference to consider, and neither he nor Maddie were ready to tell anyone what had transpired between them. After all, they themselves had yet to see just where it would go. Despite the uncertainty, however, Zack couldn't help but feel optimistic, and somehow he knew that Maddie felt the same way.

Lost in his thoughts, Zack almost forgot to respond to his brother's question. Cody's quizzical look snapped him out of his reverie. He shrugged. "I'm probably just catching up on all the sleep I miss on school nights. I swear school starts way too early! It should be illegal!"

"No argument there," Cody agreed. "Anyway, Mom had an early performance today, and she's booked until late tonight. She just left. So, how about we follow standard procedure? You know, eat a half a box of cereal each and spend most of the day watching TV and playing video games. Then, maybe later we can raid the dinner buffet table."

Although Cody's plans sounded appealing, Zack was hoping to spend some time with Maddie and perhaps take her to a movie or something that evening. True, he had just gone out with her the previous night, but unless Maddie said otherwise, Zack didn't have the slightest problem with a taking her out again the very next day. Fumbling for an excuse to give Cody, he blurted, "Moseby says the buffet's only for customers."

His brother furrowed his brow, somewhat baffled. "Since when do you listen to Moseby?"

Zack opened his mouth to retort, but an idea suddenly struck him. "You're right," he said. "He can't stop natural-born buffet raiders!" he added with a smirk.

"Exactly," replied Cody. Satisfied with the day's plans, Cody turned to exit the bedroom. "Breakfast time!" he said eagerly as he disappeared on his way to the kitchen.

Zack smiled to himself and grabbed his cell phone from the nightstand next to his bed. He dialed the number of a mutual friend with whom Cody happened to be hopelessly in love. After a few more rings, a female voice answered, "Hello?"

"Max," Zack greeted, "it's me. Listen,…Cody's been studying a lot lately for this Mathlete thing, and I think he needs a break. He hasn't been out of the hotel in a long time, and I don't think that's good for him. How do you feel about taking him out on the town today?"