"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" London asked.

Mikayla struggled to come up with a response. She was still reeling from the news that the heiress had set her sights on Cody. Certainly it wasn't a good time to admit that she'd woken up in Cody's arms that morning.

"Is something wrong?" the heiress questioned. She'd noticed that the singer, who'd been so cheerful at the start of their conversation, had grown quiet and was no longer smiling.

"No, I...I forgot something," Mikayla lied. "I just remembered...I've got to go." She hurried towards the door. "Sorry to run. We'll talk later."

"Um...okay," London replied, but the singer was out the door before she could add: "Bye."

This isn't fair, Mikayla thought as she rode the elevator down to her floor. This is so completely not fair!

The singer didn't know what to do. For the first time in her life she had real friends, and she'd thought that she'd just gained a boyfriend. But now it could all fall apart. In some ways, she wasn't surprised. After all bad things that had happened to her in the past, she'd grown to expect the worst. And it made sense that London would want Cody. Back when Mikayla had first met them, she'd noticed how well the two got along.

But he's mine now, she thought. I need him.

Yet how could she compete with London? In the past, whenever Mikayla had found herself in any sort of competition with someone else, she'd do whatever she could to crush her rivals and get what she wanted. It's what her parents and her former manager had taught her. But that strategy had never really worked. She thought of all the times she'd tried to outshine Hannah Montana...and failed miserably.

Is this karma? she wondered. Is this payback for all the mean things I've done in the past? I'm not allowed to be happy now because I used to be a first-class bitc--

The singer's thoughts were cut off when the elevator doors opened and she saw Zack in the hallway.

"Hey," he called out to her. "I've been looking for you." He approached her as she exited the elevator. "We need to talk."

Mikayla didn't know what was on his mind, and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to care at the moment. "Not now."

But Zack was determined to have his say. "Look, this is important. I know about you and Cody."

"What do you know?" She noted that his expression did not seem congratulatory. In fact he looked more than a little upset, which made Mikayla feel defensive. "And it's none of your business anyway. What? You don't approve?"

"No," he answered bluntly. "As a matter of fact I don't." But before he could continue, Mikayla slapped him in the face. "Hey," he complained as he held up a hand to his now sore cheek. "Not cool."

"Well, you deserve it," the singer shot back. "This is all your fault!"

"What?"

"You should be happy," she went on loudly, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm going to lose Cody now." She appeared as if she had more to say, but she couldn't quite get the words out of her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Whoa, hold on," Zack said gently. He was utterly confused but he could tell that Mikayla was on the verge of a breakdown. Concern for her overcame his other feelings for the moment, including his anger at being slapped. "What do you mean? Why are you losing Cody?"

Slowly and painfully, Mikayla informed Zack of her conversation with London. He was surprised, and more than a little confused by the new information.

"Let me get this straight," he said with noticeable exasperation. "London and I almost kiss...and that makes her fall for Cody? What's that all about?"

Seeing how annoyed he was, Mikayla stopped thinking about her own feelings for a moment and tried to comfort Zack. "She did say you were attractive. And totally date-able."

"But she wants Cody, not me," he said, a bit surprised by the amount of jealously he was feeling.

"She's closer to him than you," Mikayla replied. "They spend a lot of time together, working on her web show and stuff." She sighed. "I could tell there was some chemistry between them from the moment I met them. That's why I know I'll lose Cody. Now that London is interested in him, there's no way I can win."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short," Zack began. He was ready to offer more words of encouragement to her, but then realized that would be counter-productive. He wanted to woo Mikayla away from Cody after all. It's just that this new development with London had thrown him for a loop. "I mean...maybe there's someone better for you than Cody."

As upset as she was, Mikayla was still able to notice the look in Zack's eyes as he spoke those words. He was clearly interested in her. That fact gave her a momentary feeling of happiness, but it was followed by more misery.

"Zack, I think you're great," she said. "And I'd be lying if I said I've never thought about you and I...you know. But, I...I want Cody. I need him." She looked down to the floor. "Oh, what's the use? I've already lost him. I'm losing everything...again."

The hopelessness in the singer's voice was heartbreaking. So much so that it only took Zack a moment to make a decision. He put his arms around Mikayla and spoke in a comforting tone. "The heck you are. You're losing nothing."

"What? But London--" Mikayla began.

"I'll deal with London," he said, cutting her off. "Things will be fine."

"But I thought you didn't approve of me and Cody?"

"Because I wanted you for myself," he admitted. "But...if you really care about someone, you have to do what makes them happy. And Cody makes you happy."

Mikayla looked at Zack and started to cry. But for once here tears were not from sadness. "I don't know what to say. You're...the greatest guy ever."

"You say that because it's true," he replied with a smirk, causing Mikayla to actually laugh through her tears.

"I'm so sorry I hit you," she said. "That was horrible of me."

"You weren't thinking straight," he responded. "But don't go around smacking people like that in the future. You could get in serious trouble."

Feeling absolutely mortified that she had acted so immaturely, Mikayla swore she'd never lose control like that again.

After taking his leave of Mikayla, Zack headed back to his suite. Now that he'd promised the singer that everything was going to be alright, he needed to figure out how he was going to make good on that promise. He figured the first thing he could do was talk to his brother. He'd let Cody know that he was willing to accept his relationship with Mikayla.

But then what do I do about London? he wondered. Zack was still bothered by the fact that the heiress was now attracted to Cody. Actually, he was mostly bothered about why she was attracted to Cody.

If she should be attracted to anyone, it should be me, he thought. What is wrong with the world anyway? Mikayla wants Cody, London wants Cody. Doesn't anyone realize I'm supposed to be the babe magnet?

Zack took the stairs up to his floor, as he was only one flight down. As he approached his suite he heard the elevator doors open down the hall, and turned to see London emerge.

"Hi," the heiress called out as she approached Zack. "I came to talk to Cody. Is he home?"

Zack assumed that his brother was home, but he could also guess what London wanted to talk to him about. "Um...probably not," he answered. "What do you want to talk to him about anyway?"

The heiress blushed slightly and got a coy look in her eyes. "Oh...something. It's sort of personal." She flashed an enthusiastic smile. "Let me in so I can check to see if he's home or not."

"That's not a good idea," Zack answered. "Actually, I need to talk to you about something important."

London's expression started to show the first traces of impatience. "Oh? Okay. Just let me check to see if Cody is in first."

"No, this is really important," Zack said as he blocked her path to the door.

Unfortunately, London Tipton was used to getting what she wanted. And whenever someone tried to deny her, her instinctive response was to push harder. "My talking to Cody is more important. Now get out of my way."

"Not going to happen," Zack countered.

London put her hands on Zack and tried to push him aside, but he braced himself and stood his ground. The two soon found themselves in an awkward sort of wrestling match, which would have appeared quite comical to any onlookers. But alas, they were alone in the hallway and nobody was there to witness their struggle.

"Why won't you let me see Cody?" London protested as she continued pushing against Zack. "You're being very rude!" Her complaints continued and grew louder, causing Zack to worry that Cody or his mother might hear and open the door.

"Will you please be quiet and listen to me?" he pleaded.

"No!" London shot back. She then took in a deep breath and appeared as if she was about to let out one very loud yell. Zack knew he had to prevent that from happening, but both his hands were occupied at the moment, as he and the heiress continued grappling with each other.

So without really thinking about it, right before London was able to let out her yell, Zack leaned forward and covered her mouth with his own.

The next thing they knew, they were kissing. A kiss that continued after both of them had stopped struggling.

To be continued...

author's note: Okay, the past few weeks have not been great for me, so I haven't been able to update. Hopefully it won't take so long for me to add a new chapter. Thanks as always to everyone who leaves reviews. I found it interesting, and oddly satisfying, that a number of self-confessed London/Cody fans were actually upset when London revealed an attraction to Cody in the last chapter. I'm glad that Mikayla is being embraced as a sympathetic character and a viable romantic option. And no, I still haven't decided yet who will end up with who in the end - though I am leaning towards a certain outcome at the moment. Further feedback and suggestions are welcome. (And the more comments I get, the more it encourages me to write.)