Thank you all so much for the reviews! ^.^ They make me happy! Keep 'em coming!
Here's chapter 4! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life.
"Bailey, I'm going to ask you again, what the hell happened in there?" Zack asked annoyed.
Bailey shook her head. "Nothing happened, Zack. How many times do I have to tell you?!"
"Bullshit, I walked in on something," he snapped.
She looked at him. Zack actually believed her for a moment. She seemed just as confused as he did. She sighed. "I don't know. I got up to leave because of something Cody said and he grabbed my arm and asked me to stay. We just kind of…stared at each other in silence for a while. It was so amazing." A smile suddenly formed on her face. She held her forearm and rubbed it slowly. She then realized she was blushing.
"Oh yeah, I see that nothing went on," Zack teased, smiling.
Her smile faded. "Oh no, it's not like we made out or anything. It was just a moment, but trust me it meant NOTHING to him. He hasn't brought it up since it happened. Has he said anything to you?"
"No, he really hasn't said anything to me all day. He was gone by the time I got up," he explained. He felt so bitter. Last night had been a disaster and Maya didn't give a shit.
"Well, enough of this for now. We need to work on the Janice idea," Bailey whispered.
Zack shook his head. "Don't bother. I quit."
"You quit what?" Bailey asked.
He didn't turn to her. "This plan. I don't want to do it anymore. It doesn't matter."
She looked at him astounded. "Of course it matters, Zack! If you want Maya, then it definitely matters," she said.
He finally turned to her. "I doesn't matter if I want her. She doesn't want me."
"Oh, Zack that's not-"
"Will you just stop it? She doesn't want me okay? It's not like with you and Cody. Maya and I don't have moments. Bob isn't a dumbass like Lavender is. You haven't hurt Cody the way I've hurt Maya." He stopped and shook his head in frustration. "She's happy with him. I'm just her friend. God, I now know how she felt. There's like this constant pain I have and it won't go away. She loved me once, and I made her stop because I was too scared and too stuck up to admit that I needed her too." He tried ignoring the sadness in his chest.
He learned years ago to toughen up. He was always known as the strong twin. He learned how to be strong and how to swallow emotion in order to get the job done. He had to do it to survive, but now it was all coming undone. Maya always managed to break through his wall. He promised himself that no one would ever find his most vulnerable points; not even Cody, but Zack would gladly show Maya every single one. He trusted her with his weakness. Maya Bennett was the only person he trusted enough to.
"Oh, Zack, I'm so sorry," Bailey whispered. She pulled him into a hug. Zack held her back and let himself feel for a moment. "Last night I left because I made him laugh, and I wanted to know what I said that was so funny to him. He actually told me that I reminded him of Barbara," she whispered sadly.
Zack pulled away and looked at her surprised. "Really?"
She nodded before looking off toward the sea. "Yep, and it felt like I was being slapped in face."
He could relate. "It's a constant punch in the stomach for me. I mean last night it was as if Maya didn't even give a shit about me. It's like everything she used to feel about me is gone, like she forgot about it."
"She hasn't, Zack. Maya's a tough girl. You said, she's tough because she grew up in New York City. She's not the type to just let her emotions run everywhere. She's like you in that way, but she cares. When she used to talk to me about you, there was this excitement and passion behind her words and eyes. She loved you then, and she loves you now. I promise you that." Bailey took his hand and squeezed it.
Zack smiled. "Thanks, Bailey." Somehow she always knew how to get him back on track. He stood up and stretched. "I think I'm going to go find Woody, are you coming?"
"Actually, I'm going to stay here. I brought my book," Bailey explained, adjusting against the chair.
The next day.
It was nice and quiet on the Sky Deck. Almost everyone else was in class but Bailey had a free period. However, at the moment there was nothing really free about it. She had a load of work to do from social studies.
"Can I join you?"
Bailey looked up from her work. Maya was smiling at her. "Shouldn't you be in class?" Bailey asked.
Maya chuckled and sat in the lounge chair next to her. "I have a free period." Bailey gave her a look. Maya rolled her eyes and held up her hands. "Okay, okay, I'm skipping science."
Hermione frowned. "Maya, you shouldn't do that."
"Oh, it's just one class. It's not like I'm missing anything important." Maya snatched one of Bailey's books and flipped through it. She crinkled her nose and raised an eyebrow. "What is this?"
Bailey laughed rather loudly. The gesture made her think of Cody. "It's too complicated to explain. Maya, why are you spending your free time here?"
Maya shrugged, "I don't know. I just wanted to talk to you. We haven't spent a lot of time together this year."
"We've both been busy. You've been really busy with Bob," Bailey teased.
Maya slowly smiled. "Yeah, Bob."
She watched as Maya flipped through pages absentmindedly. "So, um, you're happy with him?
Maya looked to her. "Yes, he's great. We have a lot of fun."
"Is it more fun than you have with Zack?" she asked.
Maya's smiled faded. "Zack and I don't really hang out anymore."
"I guess you're too busy for us," Bailey mumbled, looking away.
"What are you babbling about, Bailey?" Maya asked.
Bailey looked at her. "Nothing at all. So, when did Bob become your entire existence?"
"He's not. He's my boyfriend, and I really care about him. He's a great guy," Maya snapped.
"I know you do, and I know that he is. This isn't even really about him," she said.
"Then what is this about…Zack!? Is this about Zack? Are you angry that I'm not throwing myself at him anymore? Is he angry that I don't react the way I used to when I see him?" Maya's face was quickly turning bright red.
Bailey looked around nervously. "Let's go somewhere else."
Maya shot up of the seat and headed for their cabin, and Bailey ran to keep up with her. Maya didn't really slow down for her. She paced down the hall with her hands balled into fists. "If he's mad at me, then you can tell him to get over himself. It's not my fault-"
Bailey grabbed Maya's arm to stop her. Maya looked at her. Her cheeks were rosy and she was even a bit out of breath. "Wow, Maya, slow down a minute. I'm sorry for whatever I said to piss you off. That's not what I meant. Zack is not angry with you."
Maya caught her breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry, Bailey. Damn it, I don't know what's gotten into me."
She let her arm go and gave her a look. "I think you do. Now tell me, what's wrong?" Maya shook her head and shrugged. "Maya, last time I checked we were friends. You can talk to me."
Maya sighed. "Okay fine, it's Bob. He's feeling a little insecure. He thinks that Zack hates him."
"Zack does not hate Bob. They're good friends," Bailey said.
"Bailey, it's not that simple anymore. Bob knows how I feel…I mean how I used to feel about Zack and apparently he's been rude to Bob lately," she said.
"Maya, I think you should talk to Zack about this. From what I know Zack doesn't have a problem with Bob," Hermione said.
Maya nodded. "Even if he does it doesn't matter. It's not like it isn't Bob's fault."
Bailey frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if he's jealous or whatever then he needs to get over it. He had his chance and he lost it." Maya practically spat her words and didn't look at her.
She folded her arms. "Maya, what are you talking about? You aren't with Bob just to get revenge on Zack, are you?"
"Of course I'm not, Bailey. I really care about Bob. He loves me," Maya explained.
"Do you love him?" Bailey asked.
Maya tucked hair behind her ear. Her brown eyes didn't move. "I think so. We…started having sex."
Bailey's jaw dropped. "You're sleeping with him?"
"You say it like it's a bad thing, Bailey. Bob and I care about each other, and we're both ready. I want to and so does he," Maya explained.
She didn't know what to do. There was no way that she could tell Zack. She just couldn't. It would break him. "I guess that's all that matters."
Maya frowned. "You don't like me with Bob, do you?"
"Maya, if he makes you happy, then I'm happy. I was the one who told you to get out there in the first place remember?" Bailey said.
Maya smiled. "Yeah, you did. Thanks again, Bailey." Bailey wasn't sure if she wanted to be thanked for that. She tried her best to smile. Maya chuckled. "I wish you would have given Cody that advice before he started dating that whore."
Bailey laughed. "Maya, that's mean."
She rolled her eyes. "What? You know it's true. Cody's great, but he's acting like the world's biggest ass right now. All Barbara has is her body. She's dumber than London and that's saying something."
Even though she felt bad about what was going on with her about Bob, she was happy to hear that Maya didn't approve of Cody's girlfriend either. "Oh, I don't think she's that bad," Bailey muttered.
Maya grinned at her. "I know you're lying. You don't like her either. I see the way you look at her. You don't want her anywhere near Cody. The jealousy is always written all over your face."
Bailey raised an eyebrow. "If Cody wants to date her, then I can't stop him but you're right, she's not my favorite person."
Maya tapped her chin. "Gee, I wonder why that is?"
She was about to answer, but the expression on Maya's face let her know that she wasn't really asking her. "Maya, Barbara and I have never been really close friends."
"I know that, and I also know that you and Cody have always been good friends. In fact, you two are really close good friends, probably even best friends." Maya's brown eyes were bright. She had the biggest smile on her face.
Bailey rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're best friends and only best friends. Anyway…the only reason why I wanted to know if you were happy with Bob was because I was going to help Zack out with Janice," She tried her best to seem subtle, but Bailey could see the bit of curiosity and annoyance in Maya's expression and she wanted to laugh.
"Why would you need to ask me?" she asked.
Bailey shrugged innocently. "I guess for the same reason that you came to me about Bob. I just want to make sure that it's okay to move on. She's really into him, and I'm pretty sure that Zack likes her still."
Maya pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes a bit. "That's great for them. Go ahead…I don't care." Maya turned away. "We should head off to lunch." They didn't say another word as they walked to get their food. Maya kept her head titled up a bit and crossed her arms. Bailey had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She felt pleased that it seemed Maya was bothered about what she said.
"I wish you'd tell me why you have a black eye, Marcus," Bailey said at the table.
Marcus, who was sitting across from her, shrugged. "I slipped in the shower."
"I bet that's not what happened," Barbara said.
Bailey turned to Zack. He shrugged. "It's just a bruise. It will heal."
"Besides, Marcus is a big boy. He'll live," Cody said.
"Oh, that's so sensitive of you, Cody Bear," Barbara flirted. She kissed his ear and laid her head on his shoulder staring up at him. Cody sighed and picked at his food. He didn't tell her to move, but Bailey knew that he didn't want Barbara on him. Since the night in his cabin, they hadn't really talked, and even if they were, they didn't talk alone. Cody always ran off, and Bailey was never sure what to say anyway.
Maya chuckled. "I'm sure he was drunk, weren't you Marcus?"
Marcus rolled his eyes. "No way. I am not going to talk about that here. I'll get expelled."
"You guys better leave him alone. It's been a long day," Bob said. He patted Marcus on the back and made a pouty face.
"Aww, I love it when you do that. You look so cute," Maya said softly to him. Bob winked at her and bit his lip.
Bailey took a glance at Zack. He was staring at the sky. "So, um, Zack, when is basketball practice?"
He looked at her. "In a couple of days. Why?"
She had to think about her words. It would be the first official action. "Well, I was thinking about having you and Janice help me with an assignment Ms. Tutweiller gave us. It's over some basketball regulations, and since you two are both captains, I thought it would be best if you two could help me out."
It only took a second. Zack hopped on her thought train and grinned broadly. "Okay, sure, that sounds great. We can work on it tomorrow after school."
"Oh, you and Janice, Zack?" Barbara teased.
"It's not what you're thinking," Zack said.
"I think it's you who needs to stop, Zack," Woody teased.
"I figured you'd like that, Zack," Bailey said with a wink.
"Yeah, anything for Tutweiller," Zack said with smirk. Bailey flicked her eyes to Maya. She was poking at her sandwich with a distant expression.
The rest of the day Bailey was all smiles. She had successfully made a move in helping Zack with Maya. Finally, at the end of the day she was able to talk to him alone. They went to his cabin. "Just so we're clear, I don't really have to help you with regulations, right?" Zack asked.
"No, I just thought it would be a believable story," she said.
Zack bounced on the heels of his feet. "What about Maya? Did she seem to care?" he asked anxiously.
"She seemed down. I ran into her before lunch. I asked her if it was okay for me to help you hook up with Janice-"
"What did she say?" Zack interrupted.
"Well, she said it was fine but of course she would say that. She's not going to just tell me straight up no, I mean she is still with Bob," Bailey explained. Zack didn't seem convinced. "Trust me, she wasn't thrilled about giving me permission."
Zack exhaled deeply. "She is so confusing. She always seems happy with Bob and never gives a shit about what's going on with me. Maybe she really is in love with him."
Bailey's heart dropped a little for Zack. She thought about her conversation with Maya. All day she had been thinking the same thing. "Zack, I promise you that she still loves you, but there's no way that she's going to show it right now. She's too proud…just like you used to be."
Zack made a face as if he had been struck in the stomach. He leaned against the wall. "I try to tell myself that every day."
She patted his back. "Well, keep saying it. It's going to work out. This was a good move."
Zack seemed a bit more excited. "Yeah, you're amazing. I can't believe how clever you're being. I haven't really said anything to Cody yet. I should really get a move on."
"I need to give you the letters. Let's go get them now." As Bailey and Zack made their way out of the cabin and down the hall, they ran into Cody and Barbara.
"Hey, I was just looking for you two," Cody said. He seemed nervous.
"We were just talking about the regulations assignment, Cody," Zack reassured gently. He gave Cody a look that Bailey didn't understand.
Cody nodded slightly and turned to her. "I didn't hear about this assignment."
"That's because it was assigned specifically for me," Bailey answered.
"But why would she give it to you and not me? We're both equally as smart and I play basketball, too. I mean...I'm on the team for starters," he snapped.
"Don't freak out at me, Cody. Ask her if you want to know," she said.
Cody crossed his arms and frowned just like Maya had done earlier. "Whatever, Bailey."
"Why are you so upset?" Zack asked.
"If he's angry, then he has every right to be!" Barbara shot.
"Oh, shut up!" Bailey snapped before she could stop herself.
Barbara gawked and took a step towards her, but Cody put a hand on her stomach. "Babe, can you give us a minute?"
"Codles, I want to stay here with you just in case you need someone on your side," she whined.
"We are always on his side," Zack said.
"Right now you're not. Right now you're just making him angry," Barbara snapped.
"Shut the fuck up, Barbara!" Zack yelled.
"Everything can't be bracelets and lip gloss, Barbara," Bailey said furiously.
"Just stop it, okay!" Cody yelled. He ran a hand through his golden hair and looked at Barbara. "Babe, please, I'm fine. I just have some things that I need to talk to them about. I'll meet you on the Sky Deck, okay?"
Barbara gazed at him longingly. She rubbed his cheek. "Okay, love." She learned forward and kissed him tenderly. When she pulled away, there seemed to be stars in her eyes. Bailey felt the jealousy boil inside of her again. She dreamed to have those same stars. She couldn't imagine the bliss that Barbara must have felt. She hated it. Barbara didn't look or say another word to them before walking off.
Cody turned to them. "What's really going on?"
Zack opened his mouth to answer but Bailey cut in. "I'm trying to give Zack and Janice some free time alone."
Cody rubbed his neck. "What? Why?"
"W-well, if you haven't noticed Janice likes Zack, and he's never really given up on her," Bailey explained. She looked to Zack.
He nodded. "Sorry I didn't tell you, Cody. I just…I felt embarrassed."
Cody shifted his eyes from her to Zack. "Zack, so what if you like Janice? That's great, I guess. Why the hell would that bother me?" Zack looked down. He shrugged and shook his head. "And Bailey, when did you start playing matchmaker?"
She put her hands on her hips. "Believe it or not, Cody, but I do want my friends to be happy. It's good to have someone you care about and someone you want," she said hoping that he would catch on.
She stopped talking and gazed at him. Cody stared right back at her. Once again she was lost in his beautiful blue eyes. She felt the pulse between them again. "I guess you're right," he whispered. There was silence. Bailey looked into his eyes. She searched him for any sign of hope. He didn't give her one. He looked away. Her heart sank.
"Yeah, Bailey would know all about that and so would Moose, right?" Zack asked.
Bailey shot her head to Zack. He was smirking. She was about to ask him what he was talking about but then she remembered. "Shut up, Zack."
He held up his hands. "What? I'm just saying that you teach what you know, and you seem to know a lot."
Bailey tried her best to smile. She slowly turned back to Cody. He was frowning at the floor. "Well, enough about me, Zack. Cody, are you okay with this? There's no assignment," she asked him.
He looked back up to her. His face was blank. He shrugged. "Fine, good luck with it." He turned away from them and headed down the hallway. However, he turned around and said rather coldly, "I'd appreciate it if you two didn't give Barbara such a hard time. She makes me happy and since you two are such firm believers in happiness, I wish that you'd respect my happiness with her." He turned back around and disappeared down the hall. Bailey's felt her heart drop again.
Bailey groaned. "Well, that was a disaster."
"No, that was Cody being jealous. Trust me; he's always an ass when he's jealous. This is good news. I'm glad that I added that," Zack said with glee.
"How can you be so sure?" she asked uncertainly.
Zack smiled. "I may not have a clue about Maya, but I know an awful lot about my own twin brother."
She tried to find comfort in his words. "He seemed so angry with us about the stupid Barbara thing."
He rolled his eyes. "He needed to get us with something. He does that a lot. We had him with Moose, so he threw in Barbara. Why did you bring up Janice, though?"
"Well, it's not enough that we know. It's so much more effective if Cody thinks you like Janice, and Maya thinks I like Moose," Bailey explained.
He nodded in agreement. "That won't be too hard. As soon as Cody sees the letters, he'll go off and probably demand details for Maya and me."
"Let's start by getting those letters," she said.
"Yes, let's. I don't think we'll need too many of them however," he said while smiling.
Bailey blinked several times in confusion. "What are you saying?"
Zack gave an exaggerated shrug and smirked. "Don't know, just know that you should have a bit more faith in Cody." He started walking down the hall and Bailey followed at his heels.
All the way to dinner he wouldn't tell her what he meant, but she had some faith that it meant what she was hoping it did.
So I did find time! Yay! :D Please keep reviewing! I love getting them! Please do it! It only takes like 30 seconds! Please, please, please!
Chapter 5 will be up tomorrow hopefully! Stay tuned!