.:11:.

Things were looking up...then came crashing down.

"So, which do you think is more lethal?" Cody asked, turning a piece of blackened toast over in his hands. He lifted his gaze to look at Zack, whose lips were pursed in apprehension. "Mom's cooking, dad's cooking, or Arwin's cooking?"

"I think it's a toss-up," Zack commented. He threw the piece of toast back onto his plate and made an 'x' with his fingers before picking up his fork and poking at it. "Mom's food just tastes disgusting, dad's food is at least edible though bland—he gets a pass because he lived off gas station food for years, Arwin's will probably actually kill us." He ran a hand through his hair. "I think this is the only time I haven't wanted to eat anything."

Cody was about to remind him it wasn't necessarily true, but kept himself from doing so. That would've been a terrible comment to make. Not just because it was soulless, but also because the speed at which it would've come out would've been as equally insulting. Not that insulting his brother wasn't fun for him sometimes, he could dish it as easily as Zack could, but having to remind himself that some things were off limits now was a little harder than he thought it'd be.

"Well, without wanting to throw it up afterwards," Zack added. "But this would definitely make me want to blow chunks."

Cody smiled to himself, relief slowly forming over him. As long as Zack could make a comment about it, he didn't have to feel so stiff about everything. And…he certainly did agree that Arwin's food was probably the one that was going to eventually kill them. And that was saying something compared to his mother's food.

"Why don't you make breakfast for us, anymore?" Zack asked after a minute.

"When would I have the time?" Cody shot back. "Between basketball, student government, homework, college applications, debate team, mathletes, honors classes—"

"—You could've just said, 'I'm too busy being a dork' and I would've gotten it," Zack interrupted.

"And besides, it all takes time. If I want to make my omelets as light and fluffy as possible, I need to find free range eggs that are as organic as possible, which isn't easy to find in Boston, and then I'd need to spend a good amount of time—"

Zack held his hands up, stopping Cody from speaking. "Stop. The more you talk about it, the hungrier I get and makes Arwin's food look good. And I don't think I want to die before graduation."

"Funny, that's what mother used to say," Arwin said, sitting at the table with Zack and Cody. He let out wistful sigh, pressing his hands to his cheeks.

Cody's eyebrows narrowed in confusion. The timeline of Arwin's words would not make any sense considering how old Arwin was and how old his mother was. He exchanged a look with Zack, whose face was scrunched up in confusion as well. Math wasn't his best subject, but even Zack could figure out it didn't make sense.

"When she graduated high school?" Cody asked slowly. "College?"

"Clown college?" Zack muttered then scowled when Cody kicked him in the shin. There was being rude and then there was being downright insolent. Especially when Arwin's mother's…appearance was a bit of a touch subject.

"No, weight watchers," Arwin commented. "For the third time. They got excited for her by that point. But mother's support group were so sad to see her go." He sucked in a breath and dropped his hands to his lap. "It only lasted a little while before she went on the Slim Fast diet and then everything changed."

"Wha—"

"Don't ask," Carey interrupted, sitting along with them. "I don't want to hear that story again. It takes too long." She brought a hand up to rub at her temples and Cody flashed her a small smile. His mother could sing in front of large crowds every night without any problems, but when she met the family of those she was dating, that's when she became nervous.

How many times had he seen her turn into a clumsy mess when things got to be a little too uncomfortable for her. Which, as she said, was nearly every day since he and Zack were born. But Cody didn't know for sure how true that was.

"Mom, are you trying to go on a diet again?" Zack asked. "Remember, the last time? You ended up being kicked out of the Paul Revere Mini Mart because they wouldn't let you have any more free samples."

"Those samples were tiny and they know it!" Carey shot back, lifting a finger. "It takes about fifty of them to be able to get to even one serving." She rubbed her neck. "And they didn't have to be so rough on me when they were kicking me out of the store."

"You know Wayne would've let you stay there, you didn't have to have security called," Cody pointed out.

His mother gave him a stern look. "Did you want Wayne to be around that much more?"

Cody bobbed his head back and forth. When she put it like that? Not. Wayne's infatuation with their mother was one of the more distressing things he'd ever had to witness. Not including seeing her get engaged to that rich guy when he was sure his parents would still get back together. Not including watching her and Esteban ballroom dance—though he would be the first to admit she was amazing at it. Not including watching her attempts at flirting. (Which, conclusively, weren't as great as Arwin's, but he still managed to get her in the end).

"I don't know, did that mean we'd get free food?" Zack asked. He held up his hands when their mother glared at him. "Okay, that's my cue to know I've gone too far. Thankfully, I've seen it enough where it doesn't throw me. C'mon, Cody." He nudged his brother on the arm and got up from the table. "We can get something to eat on the way."

Cody's nose wrinkled. "I'm not getting any fast food breakfast."

Zack pointed at him as he backed out of the door. "You don't know what you're missing."

"Food poisoning."

"Sausage and Egg McMuffina," Zack practically sang.

"Diptheria and dysentery," Cody sang back.

"You really need to get a life."

"And you really need to get a hobby."

They joked like that all the way to school. And Cody felt the most relaxed he'd ever had in a long time. Finally, finally, they were acting like brothers again. And Cody knew Zack felt the same way. If they two were compared outright, many would believe Cody was the one who would fall apart at the seams the moment something went on. All because Cody was more forthcoming with his emotions. But it was clearly Zack who was the more sensitive of the two, keeping it quiet so that it volcanoed when things became too much for him to bear. He tried to hide it with jokes and cynicism but was the first one to cuddle up to Cody when the time came. ("I'm just trying to protect you", Zack would say. Cody remembered hearing him say it a lot when the two would listen to their parents argue). The whole way to school they continued to joke, making it seem like nothing between them had changed.

Zack even allowed Cody to, gently, tutor him on some of the math things he needed to know for the test he was taking that day. One of the last ones before he could get focused on the work for that year. There wasn't a lot left he needed to catch up on and with graduation right around the corner, he needed to hunker down and focus. Cody didn't need to say he was proud of Zack, Zack already knew it. Cody could tell from the smile on his face and that mischievous twinkle in his eye that seemed to all but disappear when he struggled with his eating.

Things were looking up...then came crashing down.

The moment Cody stepped onto the school grounds, he broke away from Zack and headed towards the student government office. He didn't make it too far until he found the rest of the group already outside the room, talking urgently to each other. Cody came to a stop by Bailey and Sadie asking, "What's going on?"

"Mr. Forgess says if we don't make a decision about our fundraising opportunities now, then we won't have the senior trip," Bailey explained, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Like, cancel it entirely. And because we said it wouldn't be fair, he's threatening to cancel it for the rest of the school for as long as the school is open."

Cody frowned. "He can't do that. The senior trip has been a tradition since the school opened. And traditions are a fundamental part of experiences that are to bring our community together."

"And help develop our socio-economic futures," Bailey agreed, nodding earnestly. Cody felt a wave of relief wash through him. If there was anyone who would understand what he was trying to say, it was Bailey. "So what are we going to do?'

"We have a plan already," Sadie said, taking a step forward to address the group. She brushed her red hair behind her ears. "We're either going to be doing another homecoming dance or we're going to do a pageant. It won't take too long to get everything figure out."

"But it's not going to happen if we don't come up with two senior representatives to go along with it," Bailey pointed out.

Sadie put her hand up. "I'll do it."

"We need two representatives. And we have to take into consideration if we're even going to do the pageant. It may be an outdated, sexist idea, it'd have to be approved and I think you'd be a bit hard-pressed to find any of the teachers and parents want us to parade around in our bathing suits during a school function."

Sadie grinned. "I don't think many people will complain about that." She turned to Cody and placed her hands on her hips. "Isn't that, right? I mean, it's just free expression of yourself."

"It's not free expression of yourself it's free expression of your body. And Cody doesn't think it's a good idea, either." She folded her arms and met Cody's gaze expectantly. "Isn't that, right?"

Cody suddenly felt very hot under the collar. On one hand, he did agree with Bailey that if they were going to do a pageant, there were a lot of things they were going to need to figure out. Especially if it meant showing off anyone's body in a bathing suit. Teachers and parents wouldn't like that. But the students would get a kick out of it. On the other hand, Sadie was right that everyone could express themselves in any way they chose. And, as a male, he did have a healthy appreciation for the female body.

Not Sadie's specifically, but the female body. Scientifically and…physically. Cody felt his face starting to turn red and he wasn't sure if it was from the stares the girls were giving him, or from the thoughts that were suddenly starting to form in his head. And I thought Zack was bad, Cody thought before mentally scolding himself.

He held up his hands when Sadie and Bailey started to argue with each other and got them to fall silent, waiting eagerly for his response. "Look, I'll figure everything out and then talk to Mr. Forgess. If anything, I can keep him from making his decision for a little while longer." Zack knew how to get his way when it came to manipulating people and so did Cody. Though he felt a little bit of guilt at the idea of having to manipulate Mr. Forgess into doing things his way. But a little go stroking wasn't out of the picture.

"Thanks, Cody," Sadie said, brushing her fingers over his arm. "I can't wait for this."

Bailey frowned. "He didn't say this was going to go through."

"He didn't say it wasn't either," Sadie shot back.

Cody mentally agree with that as well. Because he already had an idea of how to figure things out and how everyone would be happy. It was a crazy idea, but it was something that was crazy enough to work. But…he felt nerves start to buffer him like a battering storm out at sea. There was always that one part that would make things harder.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Rhuben. Of course. That was the way she always greeted him when it looked like he was deep in thought. It was a special thing, he noticed, that she never asked anyone else the question. And certainly didn't manage to find a way to make it sound so innocent and so intimate at the same time. The way she managed to come out of nowhere and ask it quietly didn't help, but her presence did soothe him a little. Out of anyone, he knew she'd be on his side with his idea.

So he explained what was going on with the senior trip and felt his stomach rumble when an expression of disappointment covered her face and reached her eyes. "I reckon I was really looking forward to it," She explained when he asked about her worries. "It sounded like fun."

"I know a way we can still go," Cody said slowly. Almost as if his brain were keeping him from getting the words out. Once they were spoken into existence, it was going to be reality.

"Bribe Mr. Forgess into letting us go?" She grinned. "Maybe have him stay at the Tipton for a weekend and have you and Zack wait on his every hand and foot?"

"No," Cody said. He couldn't believe what he was about to say next, but he made the decision in a split second. "I'm going to enter the pageant."

For a moment, Rhuben looked confused. But then her features relaxed into a smile that made Cody believe he was making the right decision. Not just to help his class, but that was a good incentive, too.

"Fancy some help?" She asked.

"I'd love some," Cody replied.

Cody's Log

I need to learn how to keep my mouth shut.

-C.M.

A/N: I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. There's been a lot going on lately as well as working out a work schedule. Thank you all for being so patient. I do plan on having this updated more regularly and in the new year (2018) I will have some more Suite Life stuff posted to the site. Please keep on the look out.

Cheers,

-Riles