Chapter 8 c: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite life.

Sorry for putting disclaimers in every chapter, but I don't want to have this story taken down.

At the top students meeting a week later

"And before we leave, let me just add that there is to be NO spiking of the beverages. If there is even one complaint or idea that someone has spiked the drinks, the party will be canceled, all future dances will be barred, and the people will be expelled, are we clear?" Ms. Tutweiller glared them all down.

After the meeting, Cody and Bailey walked out. They had barely spoken since Holden asked her to the dance. "I think she's worried about Zack spiking the drinks," she joked.

"Oh, I'm supposed to be able to control him?" he asked.

She shrugged. They walked slowly in silence. Bailey watched him. He had his hands deep in his pockets, and his head was down. She didn't know what to say to him. "So, you're talking to me now?" she asked.

Cody stopped walking and looked at her. "Of course I am."

She ignored how beautiful his eyes were. They weren't standing very close, but she could feel him. It hurt. "You haven't been. You've been angry with me."

"I have not," he shot.

"Oh, really, so, when you blew up at me the other night, I was actually dreaming?" Bailey could feel her heartbeat pick up. She did not want to fight with him.

"Sorry that I wasn't in the best of moods. Holden asked you to the party, and you said yes. You said yes, Bailey." Cody looked away and ran a hand through his hair.

She could already feel a mix of anger and regret boil inside of her. "It's just a dance, Cody. It's not as if we're getting married. Besides…no one else has asked me. I-I wouldn't have anyone else to go with."

Cody looked back to her and walked closer. "That's not true."

Bailey didn't know how to respond. Everything was always so intense between her and Cody. It always made her fall even harder for him. "Then who should I go with? Who would want to go with me?"

He opened his mouth several times and rubbed his neck. Eventually, he gave up with a sigh. "It's Holden, Bails. He hates me, and you said yes."

There was shakiness in his voice. Cody's deep blue eyes were so open, and his face was stern. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to apologize and explain but fear set in. She couldn't bring herself to say it. "Barbara hates me, but she's your girlfriend."

He shook his head. "She doesn't hate you. She's trying to be nicer."

"Don't give me that! Yes, to your face she's nice to me, but as soon as you leave the room she's a bitch like-"

"She is not a bitch," Cody interrupted.

She laughed harshly. "Oh, I'm so sorry that I offended her. Well, I guess I have a right to defend Holden. He doesn't hate you. He's just angry that you are on the team and he's not. Please, Cody, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know! What do you want me to do?" Cody shouted.

"I want you both to take this to your cabins before I give you both detentions," Mr. Moseby said from behind them.

Bailey wiped her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Moseby. Come on, Cody," she said quickly before Cody could reply. She took his hand and led them to an abandoned classroom. She closed the door behind them and leaned against it. Cody leaned against the desk next to the door.

"Look, I'm sorry that I shouted at you and about the other day," he said.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied. They were silent for a while.

"It's just this Christmas party is stressing me out…" he trailed off.

She gazed at him. He looked toward the window with the same distant look in his eyes that he had at the Easy Squeezy. "What other stress do you have?" she asked him.

Cody chuckled and started to walk around the room. "Well, there's school, basketball, Zack, my 'top student' duties, getting into Yale, and…other things."

"What other things?" Bailey asked. She walked over to him. He stopped pacing and stood in front of her. He shrugged. "Come on, Cody, you can tell me. If you have something to say, just say it."

He chewed on his lip and moved even closer to her. "You."

His voice was so quiet and delicate. It gave her chills. "What?!" she asked.

"You-you stress me out, Bailey." Cody's voice was just as quiet.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I stress you out? How do I do that?"

He didn't move his eyes from her. "I never know what you want."

Bailey's body heated. Her already rapid heartbeat increased. "I can say the same for you."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to," Cody whispered.

"Neither do I. I didn't know," she answered.

He nodded slowly. "Believe it or not but I don't enjoy us fighting. I don't mean to make you upset."

"It kills me, Cody. I hate it." Bailey couldn't understand why she was so emotional. She couldn't keep her feelings in no matter how hard she tried.

"I'm so sorry. You have no idea how badly I feel when I make you like this. Dammit, I'm sorry, Bailey." Cody reached out and took her hand. He held her wrist tightly and rubbed his thumb across her skin.

All her hairs stood up. She shivered. "I'm sorry, too. I don't like upsetting you either, Cody. I want you to be happy. I just…I…" she couldn't continue. The lump in her throat burned and swelled. She closed her eyes. She felt pressure on her arm and then something warm and firm against her cheek. She opened her eyes. Cody was holding her. He wrapped his arm around her waist. Bailey stood on her toes and put her arms under his arms. She closed her eyes again.

They didn't speak. Cody rested his cheek on her head and held her tighter. She gripped his back as best as she could. The lump in her throat slowly deflated. It felt so amazing feeling Cody's body. He smelled good, and he was gentle. It was little moments like this that made her the happiest.

"You're my best friend, Bailey," he said after a while.

"You're my best friend too, Cody," she replied. She let go of him. As much as she didn't want to, she did. "We should get back. Everyone is going to want to know about the final plans of the dance."

Cody smiled and looked away. "Yeah."

They didn't speak the entire way back to the Sky Deck, but it was okay. There were a million things going through her head but now she was okay with letting them go. When they got back, most of their friends were waiting for them but unfortunately, Holden was also there.

"It's about time!" London said.

Cody took a seat on the floor in front of Barbara's chair. There was an empty spot next to Holden on the love seat. He smirked at Bailey. "I won't bite." She tried her best to smile and sat next to him.

Barbara bent down and wrapped her arms around Cody's neck. "So, Cody bear, what happened?" She kissed the top of his head and tangled her fingers in his hair.

"Well, it's set for the weekend right before Christmas, from nine to twelve," he explained.

"That's not very long," Zack said.

"Are you serious? It's three hours," Cody said.

"Three hours of pranks? Not enough for Zack," Woody explained.

"I hate to break it to you Zack, but Ms. Tutweiller is very strict about trouble. If you wreck this, then there won't be any more parties," Bailey said.

"Yeah, and it will be me that gets blamed for it. I think she's holding me personally responsible if Zack causes trouble," Cody mumbled.

Barbara massaged his shoulders. "That's because she trusts you, love."

"And because she's punishing you for all the things I've did in the past," Zack said with a smile.

Cody closed his eyes and nodded. "Yup, that sounds about right."

Bailey watched as Barbara squeezed and dug into his shoulders. She had to do something. She touched Holden's knee. "We should go to shopping together. We need to pick up accessories."

"Oh! That sounds like fun! Cody bear, we need to do that too!" Barbara squealed in a high-pitched voice.

Cody winced. "Okay, Barbara."

Holden licked his lips slowly. "That sounds great, Bailey. We can get something to eat as well. Maybe even come back a bit early." He winked at her. Bailey blushed and felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want to go or come back anywhere with him.

"Oh, are you two dating?" Barbara asked excitedly.

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Zack shot.

Holden laughed arrogantly. "Calm down, Zack. It's just a question, right Bailey?" He once again smirked at her. She once again did not know what to say.

"Bailey…?" Cody asked nervously.

She turned to him. He was frowning at her. She opened her mouth to speak, but they heard someone coming. Bob came storming onto the Deck. He had a mad expression on his face. He marched straight up the stairs without a glance at them, and Maya came right after him. Her eyes were puffy and red. Zack automatically stood up.

"Maya, are you okay?" Zack asked. He balled his fists.

She quickly wiped her eyes. "I'm fine, I'm just going to go to bed."

Bailey watched as Zack looked toward the staircase. She knew that he wanted to go after Bob. "Hey, let's go for a walk." She got up and put a hand on Maya's shoulder.

"Okay," Maya said with a stuffy nose.

Bailey looked at Zack. She knew that he wanted to kick Bob's ass. "Everything will be fine, right Maya?"

She nodded frantically. "Yes, everything is okay."

Bailey led Maya off of the Sky Deck. Maya continued to sniff and wipe her nose on her sleeve as they walked. "Let's get you cleaned up," Bailey offered.

They went to the bathroom. Bailey brought her over to the sink and turned on the water. Maya splashed it on her face and rubbed some on her neck. She ran her hands through her thick, brown hair repeatedly. Bailey rubbed her back as Maya's tears mixed with the water droplets. Though they disagreed on issues and didn't have a lot in common, Bailey considered Maya a good friend and almost a sister. She handed her a towel.

"Thanks," Maya breathed. She turned off the water and scrubbed her face.

"What happened?" Bailey asked.

She leaned over the sink. "Bob and I had a horrible fight."

Bailey put a hand on hers. "Over what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. We were talking a walk around the castle. We were just talking about after graduation. We started talking about plans. He asked me if Zack would be visiting me. It became really bad after that. I don't think he trusts me."

"Zack's been to your house before," Bailey said.

"That's what I told him. It's not like he wants to go back to Boston." Maya closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Why is Bob just now getting upset about this? What is he thinking? Does he honestly believe that you'd cheat on him or something?" Bailey asked.

"I think he's more worried about Zack coming on to me. I reckon in Bob's mind I'm just a stupid fan girl. That stupid ass hole." Maya gripped the sink as if she wanted to pull it out of the wall.

It didn't occur to Bailey that there was real jealousy coming from Bob. "He's just worried, Maya. Can you blame him?"

She turned to her. "What, you think I still want Zack?"

"That's not what I'm saying," she said softly.

Maya laughed and tucked hair behind her ear. "So, what are you saying? Do you think that I'm going to sneak into Zack's cabin and fuck him? Are you on Bob's side?"

"Maya, you need to calm down. I'm not attacking you, so don't attack me. I'm just trying to understand what is going on. I'm on your side. I don't think that you would hurt Bob, okay?" Bailey smiled as warmly as she could.

Her lip trembled. "Dammit, I'm sorry, Bailey. You're right. I just get so freaking tired of it. Bob and I spend so much time arguing about Zack. I'm trying to get him out of my life, but he won't leave."

"Maybe he's not supposed to," Bailey said.

She turned away. "He is supposed to. I'm with Bob and Zack…well, he has Janice and you."

Bailey frowned. "What does that mean?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously he's with Janice or whatever and then you two..."

"Maya, I'm not sure what is going on between Zack and Janice, but there is certainly nothing between Zack and me. I promise you that." Irritation pricked her skin. Bailey could not understand why everyone in the universe thought that she liked Zack. He was her best friend and nothing more. She didn't have any romantic feelings for him, nor had she ever or will. She did not want him. She wanted his amazing twin brother. Bailey didn't understand where all the speculation came from. She couldn't imagine being with Zack when she could have Cody. It was how she felt since she was fourteen and met them. She couldn't think of one thing that would make people believe that she wanted Zack or that he wanted her.

"It doesn't matter, Bailey. All Cody and I know is-"

"You and Cody? You talk to Cody about Zack and I?" Bailey interrupted. She became angry. She really didn't want Cody to have the impression that she was into Zack.

Maya put a hand on her hip. "Yes, he is my friend. We do talk."

"There's nothing going on between me and Zack!" Bailey urged.

She waved a hand. "Whatever, that's not what this is even about remember?"

Bailey rubbed her forehead. "You're right, this about you and Bob."

"There may not be Bob and I much longer. I don't know how much more I can take." Maya rubbed her eyes.

"You're going to break up with him?" Bailey asked.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Bailey. I really care about Bob. He's a great guy, but we always fight now. It wasn't this bad until school started. We always fight about the same fucking thing." Maya turned the water back on and tried to collect it in her hand.

Bailey watched as the liquid glossed her pale, freckly fingers. "Maybe you should talk to Zack about it."

She snorted. "I think Zack already wants to punch him."

"No, you talk to Zack. You should talk to him about Bob. It could help," Bailey suggested.

"And say what to him? This has nothing to do with Zack and everything to do with him at the same time. He wouldn't care, anyway. He has Janice now. I'm sure they'll be going shopping to get matching accessories. Maybe you can double date," Maya spat.

"Don't be like this, Maya. I'm just trying to help. I know you're upset, but don't be this way." Bailey turned the water off and pulled on Maya's shoulder.

Maya sighed and looked at her. "I don't know what to do. I'm stressed out about all of this. I just can't get Zack out of my relationship."

Bailey smiled slightly. "Do you really want to get him out of your relationship?"

Maya chewed on her lip. It reminded her of Cody. "Honestly, I don't know. Zack and I…I don't know where we are."

"You don't fight with him," Bailey said.

"No, I don't." For the first time, she smiled. She gazed at the floor and smiled.

Bailey mentally patted herself on the back. "I'm going to head to bed. Will you be okay?"

Maya nodded and continued to look at the floor. "Yes, I'll be okay." Bailey gave her arm a squeeze before leaving. She wasn't sure what part of their conversation she would tell Zack. She thought about it as she made it back to the Sky Deck.

"Is what's-her-name better?"

Bailey looked up. Holden was standing in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest in the hallway. "Oh, um, yeah, she's fine and her name is Maya."

He nodded as though he couldn't care less. "So, you never answered Barbara's question."

"What are you talking about, Holden?" For some reason he made her feel a little uncomfortable.

He stepped closer to her. "About us dating."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "You know we're not dating. We're going to the party together, that's all."

"That doesn't have to be all. Don't you want it to be more?" he asked.

"Holden, I'm tired. If you really want me to explain to you why we aren't currently dating, then I will be happy to do it while we go shopping, okay?" she snapped.

He held his hands up. "You win, Bailey. I can back off for now."

She gave him a quick nod and walked just as quickly back to the Sky Deck. Surprisingly, Zack, Cody, and Barbara were up waiting for her. They were sitting on the lounge chairs. "How is she?" Zack asked.

Bailey sat on the couch in front of them. "She's okay. She just needed to wash her face."

"Is she breaking up with Bob?" Barbara asked.

She had to suppress an eye roll. "I don't think so."

"Can you give us a few minutes, Barbara?" Cody asked.

Barbara frowned. "What? I want to know what is going on, and if she's okay." Zack rubbed his eyes roughly. He was not good at hiding his annoyance.

"You heard Bailey, she's fine," Cody said.

"But-"

"Go, Barbara!" he interrupted before Barbara could start complaining.

Barbara's eyes widened. She nodded with a sigh and stood up. "Night," she mumbled before slumping away.

"Anyway, what happened?" Cody asked as if nothing had happened.

Bailey tried to hide her smile as best as she could. "She really is okay. They had a fight."

"It took all my willpower to not beat the shit out of Bob," Zack said with anger in his voice.

"What did they fight about?" Cody asked.

Bailey looked him in the eyes. She tried not to get lost in them. "I don't know. She's didn't say."

"I know what it is," Cody breathed. "It's Zack."

"What?" Zack asked.

Cody gave him a look. "Please, of course it's about you."

Zack shook his head. "I didn't do anything."

"You don't have to. I know that expression she had. It's not the first time that we've seen her upset. We know Maya. She still has feelings for you. They're fighting about you."

Zack looked to Bailey. She wasn't sure of what to say. The tone in Cody's voice was not of annoyance or gratification. It was of stress and exhaustion.

"I think they're going to be fine. When I left her, she seemed a bit better. Couples fight, you should know that by now Cody," Bailey said.

He raised an eyebrow. "This is different."

"Really, how is that?" Bailey asked.

He continued to look at her. "Holden was looking for you. Did you find him?"

"Cody, stop it," Zack snapped. Cody looked down at his hands and said nothing.

"I really don't know what else to say. She's not crying anymore. I'm sure they'll make up," Bailey said.

"If that's even the best thing for them," Zack said.

"What does that mean?" Cody asked.

"I don't know. If they always fight like this, then maybe they should give each other some space," he said.

"Do you really think that's the best thing for them? This is about them, Zack," Cody said.

Zack didn't look at him. "I'm going to bed." He didn't say another word as he slowly made his way down the hallway towards his cabin. Bailey watched him with guilt. She had good news for him but couldn't say it in front of Cody.

"So, did you find Holden?" Cody asked.

Bailey turned back to him. "Yes, I did, Cody. Is that a problem?"

He looked at the sky. The moon made his eyes glow and hair shine more golden than it was naturally. "No," he said flatly. He lay back on the floor and continued to look at the sky. She moved to the floor and sat by his head. She leaned against the chair and watched him as he watched the stars. Nothing warmed her up more than he did.

"Is Maya really okay?" Cody asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"They were fighting about Zack, weren't they?" He turned to her.

She was trapped in his gaze. His blue eyes brought the truth out of her. She couldn't lie to him. "Yes, they were."

Cody nodded and turned his gaze back to the stars. "Everyone is so stressed."

Bailey lay on her back too so they could lie side by side. They watched the stars in silence and eventually fell asleep with each other's company.

Aww c': This was a big chapter! Things are starting to pick up for Zaya now! Cailey is still going slow unfortunately :c Don't worry! This is going to be a VERY long story! Plenty more will happen! Please review! C: Thanks guys!