Here's chapter 9! C: Thanks again for all the reviews! Please keep them coming!
Zack quietly changed into his clothes and grabbed his ball. He was tired and cranky but a morning practice in the gym seemed like a pretty good idea. It wasn't likely that he was going to be able to go back to sleep. The questions he had from the previous night were not answered and a terrible mixture of anticipation and anxiety were in the pit of his stomach right now. He needed to talk to Bailey and find out what happened with Bob and Maya.
When he quickly padded across the room and opened the door, he had to bite his lip to keep from screaming. Barbara was on the other side with her hand raised as if she was about to knock.
"Barbara, what are you doing?" Zack asked at once.
She smiled sweetly and showed her white, perfect teeth. "Didn't mean to scare you. I need to speak to Cody." He nearly fell over. This was one of the only times he ever heard her call Cody by his actual name and not by one of the nick names she gave him.
"He's asleep," he answered.
Barbara flipped her hair. "Well, can you wake him? It's important."
"No, I can't wake him. You know that he doesn't like to be awake when he doesn't have to be. You can talk to him at breakfast." Zack noticed the slight eye roll she gave him.
"I think I know my Cody bear. Listen, it won't take long. I just want to know how things went last night," she said calmly.
It was Zack's turn to roll his eyes. Barbara was one of the nosiest people he had ever met. His parents would not welcome her into the family with open arms. "Well, you can ask him at breakfast. I'm sorry, but I'm not waking him up." Zack was sure that Cody was dead asleep. Though he hadn't stayed up to wait for him, Zack never heard him come into the room so he assumed that he stayed up talking to Bailey. It thought made him even more nervous.
Barbara flipped her hair. "Fine, I guess I can wait a bit." Zack nodded and walked out of the room. He closed the door behind them, and the two made their way down the hallway. "You don't think he's mad at me, do you?" she asked out of nowhere.
He sighed. "I don't think so, but you're better off talking to him about it."
"Don't you think I want to? It's just…he's always around Bailey, so I never get the chance," Barbara whined. Zack frowned. He thought it was a bit exaggerated of her to say that Cody spent all his time with Bailey. Barbara was usually stuck to Cody's mouth 90% of the day.
When they reached the Sky Deck, Barbara gasped loudly.
"Barbara, it's not that bad. I'm sure Cody…" Zack trailed off when he looked up and saw Barbara's face. He followed her eyes. Lying on the floor were Cody and Bailey with their heads facing each other. They seemed to be asleep.
"CODLES!" Barbara screamed. She raced over to him and shook him. "Get up! Get up!"
"Hmm?" Cody groaned. He stretched and slowly opened his eyes. They quickly focused, and he sat up. "Barbara?!"
"Don't you 'Barbara' me! What do you think you're doing?" Barbara cried.
Bailey opened her eyes and sat up as well. She blushed. "W-we fell asleep."
"Thank you for that careful analysis, farm girl!" Barbara spat.
Bailey gave her a look like she wanted to say something but she simply stood up. "I'm going to take a shower." She hurried off of the deck. Zack noticed Cody look after her.
"Oh, you better take a shower. Wash all of the traces of my Cody bear off you, right?" Barbara called after her.
"Barbara, please, calm down," Cody said, standing up and rubbing his neck.
Barbara wiped the tears off her cheeks. "How can you ask me to calm down? I caught you sleeping with Bailey!"
Cody blushed fiercely. "You know it's not like that. We fell asleep talking. That's all, I promise. I'm sorry."
Barbara didn't seem convinced. She turned to Zack. "And I guess you were covering for him back there?"
Zack gawked at her. "What? I didn't know anything. Don't bring me into this."
"Barbara, Zack didn't cover for me. There's nothing to cover. People fall asleep. It happens." Cody's tone wasn't soothing or soft. He seemed irritated and bored.
"Well, usually when people fall asleep together, they do so with a girlfriend or boyfriend. You fell asleep with HER! How dare you, Cody!" Barbara's tears got bigger and fatter the longer she cried.
Cody's annoyance seemed to disappear. "Please, don't cry, okay. I'm really sorry. Nothing happened we just fell asleep. I'm really sorry." He took her hands.
Barbara immediately stopped crying. "Really?"
Zack wanted to knock himself out with his ball. He couldn't stand seeing his own twin brother being manipulated by Barbara in such a way. He wanted it to end. He wanted to talk to him, but he knew it was useless. Cody would get defensive and call him a bad brother. He didn't want that. As much as Zack didn't want Cody with Barbara, his relationship with his own brother meant the world to him, and he didn't want to ruin it.
"Really, okay. I'm sorry. Let's just talk, okay? I'm sorry, Barbara. I'm sorry," Cody repeated. Barbara smiled and jumped into his arms. Cody put his arms around her and looked at Zack. His face was blank and his eyes were dark. Harry couldn't take it anymore. He firmed his grip on his ball and stormed off of the deck.
His head wasn't quite in the game today. More and more seemed to fill his head and his heart. Things with Maya were so fucked up. He couldn't keep his plans in order, and Cody was suffering. He knew he was. Cody was probably in as much pain as he or Bailey was. He didn't stay in the gym too much longer. His chest hurt. When he got to the locker room, Bailey was sitting on a bench.
"What are you doing in here?" Zack asked.
"I brought you some breakfast. I'm sure that you didn't get any on your way out," she answered.
Zack smiled and joined her on the bench. He took the bacon sandwich and muffin from her. "Thanks." She smiled and nodded, but there was something to it that made Zack uneasy. "What's wrong?"
"Barbara was really upset," Bailey said.
Zack finally let out his laughter that he held in from earlier. "She was pissed."
She didn't seem amused. "Did she cry?"
He stopped laughing. "Yeah, of course she did."
"I was afraid of that," Bailey said softly.
Zack gave her a look. "Why? Did something happen?"
She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. Neither of them were at breakfast. I assume Cody is in the room trying to calm her down and prove that he cares more about her than me."
Her brown eyes were glossy. Zack hoped that she wouldn't start crying. "He wouldn't do that, Bailey. Cody's not like that."
Bailey looked away. "Maybe…maybe not."
"Bailey, what happened yesterday, with everything?" he asked.
She took a breath. "I'm not sure. We talked after the meeting. He says that I'm stressing him out because I'm not clear about what I want. He's worried about Maya and Bob, which I guess he has every right to be. Maya said they're fighting a lot, and it's about you. Cody knows it."
There was so much for him to process at once. "Maya and Bob are arguing about m-me?"
She looked back up to him. "Bob's worried that something might happen over holiday. Maya's getting sick of it."
Zack gripped the bench. He wasn't hungry anymore. "Is she sick of me?"
"I'm not sure, Zack. I don't think so. I think she's more upset about Bob not trusting her. I think she's upset about a lot of things. We all are," she explained. "We didn't do anything, Cody and I. We were talking and fell asleep."
"I know that, Bailey. You don't have to explain it to me," Zack said. They were silent for a while.
"Zack," Bailey finally said after some time, "do you think we're doing the right thing?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean with the plans. You and I are making all these arrangements; do you think it's wrong or if it's even worth it?" Bailey gazed at him so intently. She was always the smart one, she always had the answers for every problem, but for once she was looking to him for support and reassurance. He wanted to give it to her, but he didn't want to lie.
"I…I don't know. At first everything seemed so clear but not so much now. Sometimes, I think we should just tell them the truth, and sometimes I think we should just give up. I feel really bad, Bailey," he said honestly.
Her bottom lip trembled, "I do, too."
"You know what? I think Cody does, too. When he was apologizing to Barbara, there was this hole in him that I hated looking at. He's not like that with you. That night I walked in on you two, he was different. He was Cody." Zack smiled, hoping it would help. He didn't want them to be so upset all the time.
It seemed to work. Bailey grinned. "Maya hardly ever really smiles anymore, but when she does, it usually because of you, Zack. I don't think her feelings have gone away one bit. In fact, I think they've grown."
"Cody loves you, Bailey. I don't know what he has with Barbara, but it's not real. I think you should tell him how you feel," he said.
"And I think you should tell Maya how you feel. You missed the chance once; I don't think you should do it again," she answered.
"The Christmas party is in just a few days. I think it will be the best time to tell them. It will give us time to figure out what to," he explained. It was like a light was finally being turned on in his brain. It seemed so easy. He didn't know why they hadn't decided to do it from the beginning.
"Okay, Zack, that sounds like a great idea. We can…wait what about Janice and Holden?" Bailey quickly asked.
He had forgotten that he was going to the dance with Janice and that they were going shopping the next day to pick up accessories. "Oh, uh, well, I guess we'll have to still go with them. Cody and Maya are still going with Barbara and Bob. Besides, I don't want to stand Janice up."
Bailey rolled her eyes. "You care an awful lot more about your date than I do about mine."
"Hey, you're the one who said yes," Zack teased.
"Don't remind me. Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare. I just hope that he'll be able to keep his hands to himself," she said with a shiver.
He laughed and the two of them continued to talk about their new plan. It didn't involve schemes or tricky ideas. It was them simply deciding the best way to tell their love interests how they felt and for the first time, Zack was sure about it.
The next day, the boat was colder and gloomier than he had imagined it would be. The wind was piercing and his ears felt like they would fall off, but somehow, he was having a good time. He and Janice had already purchased their things for the dance and were sipping smoothies.
"So, my parents were a bit upset when I told them that I'm probably going to go into basketball professionally."
Zack took another sip of his drink. The cool liquid soothed his body and warmed his spirits. "They'll eat their words once they see you play. You're awesome, and I honestly couldn't think of anything else for you."
Janice smiled. Her cheeks were a bit red. "Thank you, I feel the same way. What about you? I can see you out there playing."
"I don't know yet honestly," he said.
"You could always come back to the boat and teach," she suggested.
Zack laughed. "Teach what?"
Janice shrugged. "Basketball or woodshop. You know everything in the books already from experience."
He didn't know what to say. "I'm not sure about that. I couldn't imagine teaching kids like us things like that."
She frowned. "Why not, you were the teacher's favorite student in 8th grade. You were great. I learned a lot from you. I learned things that I never would have, if you didn't help me." Her voice was soft, and her dark eyes were staring right at him.
He wasn't sure what she was trying to say. All day Janice had been eying him. "No problem. You didn't really need my help, though, just a few suggestions," he said awkwardly.
Janice continued to look at him and smile. "I guess so." They were quiet. Zack continued to sip his drink and look at the counter. Minutes passed without a word. "Well, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to head out. There are some other shops that I want to check out," she said suddenly.
"Oh, okay, that's fine," Zack rushed. He got out of his chair.
Janice picked up her bag and walked over to him. "Thanks for today. I had a lot of fun."
Zack smiled. "Yeah, so did I."
Janice squeezed his hand before slowly walking off of the deck. She gave him one more smile before getting lost in the crowd of people. Zack took his seat back at the table and stared at her cup. He had a really good time with Janice. However, her looks made him a bit uncomfortable. He couldn't tell what she was feeling or what she wanted. That had always been his problem with her. Nothing was straight forward. It seemed more and more that it was a common theme with him and Maya. He didn't want his relationship with Maya to turn out how it did with Janice. He wanted things to be different. He grabbed his wallet and left the money on the table.
He walked around the boat alone and in silence. He watched his classmates and visitors talk and laugh with each other. There was no sign of Bailey. Last time he saw her was at 'One of a kind' with Holden. He hoped things were going well with her. He knew things were going well for Cody and Barbara. Before going to the Easy Squeezy, he and Janice had spotted them kissing in the Aqua Lounge. While Janice thought it was funny, Zack had scowled. Cody's relationship with Barbara was more of a nightmare each day.
Zack bumped into someone. "Sorry," he hastily said.
"It's okay, Zack," Bob said.
Zack was frozen. Bob's eyes were red and swollen. He looked so lost. "Are you okay?"
Bob walked over to the railing and leaned over it as if he wanted to jump. "Not like you care, right?"
For a split second Zack considered walking away, but Bob seemed to be in real pain, and outside of the drama with Maya, he and Bob had been good friends since 7th grade. No matter how much Zack wanted to hit him sometimes, he didn't actually enjoy seeing Bob in so much pain. He walked over to him. "Bob, come on, what's wrong?"
Bob stared at his hands. "Maya stormed off with Woody and Addison. She's pissed off at me."
Zack wasn't happy to hear the news. Bob's voice was low. "What happened?"
"I don't know. We started fighting as always. It's the same shit. I keep making her upset, but I don't mean to. I keep telling her that I'm sorry, and I keep fucking up," he explained.
He patted his back. "I'm sorry, Bob. I really am. Maybe you should just give her some time. When she's angry, it's best to let her be angry. I learned that years ago."
Bob moved away from him. "I bet you did. You must know a lot about her. You're around her all the time and spend every Christmas with her."
"Don't do this. I've known her for years, and I get invited to go spend Christmas in New York with her. You can't get mad at me for it," Zack said.
"Don't think that I'm stupid enough to believe that you don't enjoy that you'll have her when I won't." Bob's tone was no longer soft. It was filled with spite and aggression.
Zack's sympathy was slowly draining. "Fuck off, Bob. I've spent holidays with her for years. You didn't seem to have a problem this past summer. I was at her apartment. It's not a big deal."
Bob laughed harshly. "Right, no big deal? That's what Maya tells me, and then I see the way she smiles at you. You say it's no big deal, and then I see the way you stare at her. You both think you're kidding me, but you're not. I love Maya and-and she may not love me as much, but I want her and I'll fight to keep her. I'll punch you in the face to keep her, Zack. Don't think that because we're friends I'll let you take her like you do with everything else."
It took all of Zack's power not to attack him right then. He wanted to. He wanted to tell him that he wasn't afraid and had fought tougher guys than him. He wanted to tell Bob that no matter how much he loved Maya, it was nothing compared to his love and his connection. He wanted to say so much but decided against it. Bob had never said such things to him before. It was his rage and jealousy talking. Bob knew all about that. He had done the same thing on many occasions to Cody and Bailey.
"Bob, if anything is breaking you two up, it's you and how you're acting, not me. Maybe if you stopped trying to keep her on a leash, she wouldn't get bothered by you. Maybe if you trusted her. Maybe if you-"
He couldn't finish his statement. A pressure hit his face. He fell back against the fence. Zack opened his eyes. Bob was standing over him. He was grinning, but his eyes were something else. There was pain and panic in the brownness. Zack knew what was in Bob's eyes and what was in his heart. Zack knew because he felt it, too. "What the hell is going on?" someone asked.
Zack looked beyond Bob and saw Maya, Woody, and Addison running over. Zack quickly stood up and rubbed his cheek. It stung a bit. "Bob, what happened?" Maya demanded.
"Zack, are you okay?" Woody asked.
Zack looked from Addison to Woody to Maya, and then settled on Bob. There was something there that he understood. "Nothing, I mean, I'm fine. I fell back against the railing."
"How did you fall back? I mean there's like nothing that could-" Addison asked.
Zack looked around. "These shoes are kind of slippery. I fell back, that's all," he interrupted.
"Oh, really, you just fell back?" Maya asked. He knew that she was skeptical.
Zack had to talk to her forehead. He couldn't look her in the face. "Yeah, I fell, that's all."
"Well, are you okay? Did you hurt something?" Addison said.
"No, Bob tried to catch me but it was too late," Zack came up with. He knew that he shouldn't have protected Bob, but he couldn't tell on him. Zack knew what it was like to feel hollow and he couldn't treat Bob the same way, no matter how much he wanted to. It wasn't in him.
"Sorry, Zack," Bob mumbled.
Zack tried to smile. He knew what he was really apologizing for. "It's okay."
Maya looked from Bob to Zack. "Well, fine, as long as you're okay Zack and you just fell, right?"
Zack nodded and looked at his shoes to avoid their gaze. "Yeah, to be safe I'll go put my leg up in my cabin."
He didn't give anyone time to respond. He didn't look back. He kept walking. He wanted to punch Bob back. He wanted to scream at himself for protecting him, but most of all, he wanted it all to end. He wanted Maya. He wanted her more than anything in the world, but it was tearing Bob a part, and as much as he desired finding peace and happiness in his life, he wasn't sure if it was worth taking it from someone else.
Thanks for reading! C: Next chapter is going to start the Christmas dance :D A lot is going to happen, so stay tuned! I should have it up soon! Please keep those reviews coming! Sorry this chapter had like no Cailey :c But this was just kind of a filler chapter before the dance! Sorry if it was kind of boring, but I promise it'll get better! Stay tuned for chapter 10!