Episode 18

"No Chance in Heck"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

The Suite on the 23rd Floor

While the noise of the New Year's celebrations from the television still filled the room, everyone who was physically there was stunned into silence. All of them, for a myriad of different reasons couldn't believe what they had just heard. Zack had been accepted into Harvard's Business School? Once their initial shock had warn off, Carey and Mimi found themselves bursting with pride. Next to them, Cody and Bailey were still surprised to hear that Zack had even applied to Harvard as he had never mentioned it to them at all. As far as they knew, he wanted to stay at BU, and once he got accepted there, that was the end of the story. And next to them was Maya. She couldn't help but to beam at her boyfriend. At the same time, she was feeling love, pride and a dash of 'I told you so!' all mixed together. Of course, Zack himself just held the letter in his hands as he continued staring at it and reading over and over what it said. And his feelings at the moment were hard for even him to figure out at the moment. Yes, he was surprised and caught completely off guard, but the overriding emotion he was having right then was pure, unadulterated terror. This was so not what he had had expected or wanted. And as if on impulse, he immediately held the letter away from him as if it were a snake about to strike and bite him. He could only ask himself how this had happened Zack. Not able to come up with any answers, Zack could only shake his head as he tried to wrap his mind around all of this.

"What just happened here?"

By then though, Maya had thrown her arms around him and engulfed him in a tight embrace. "I'm so proud of you, Zack! I told you that you could get in to Harvard!"

But he was still in too much of a shock to hug her back. This was all way too much for him to process right then. "They accepted me? But...but...but...why would they do that?"

Cody shook his head and laughed. "Congrats, Bro. I didn't even know Harvard was on your radar as a potential business school. Why didn't you tell us that you had applied there?"

Zack looked over at his brother. "Because I didn't think I had a chance in..." He paused and remembered his mother and grandmother were standing in the room with him. "...heck of getting in! I wasn't even going to apply there in the first place, but Maya told me I should just to see what happened..."

Bailey laughed too. "Well, it looks like she was right!"

"I guess. I mean, she told me not to suicide it and to apply to ever other MBA program in the Boston area. But Harvard never crossed my mind as I thought we were still banned from there. I didn't know they had changed presidents..."

That caught Carey's attention. "Wait a minute! You two were banned from Harvard? Why?"

Zack and Cody looked at each other. "Long story, Mom..." He paused. "But when you and Bailey said you had applied to medical school there and were asked in for interviews, Maya convinced me to give it a shot myself. But I still didn't think I had a chance in...heck of getting in. And then when I heard about what happened to you in your interview there, I pretty much forgot all about Harvard. I mean, I was following your mantra that Harvard didn't exist..."

Carey was even more confused now and turned to Cody. "Okay, hold on a second! What happened to you in your interview at Harvard?"

He paused. "Nothing to worry about now, Mom. It all worked out in the end. Besides, we should be celebrating Zack being accepted to Harvard right now..."

Zack looked at the letter again and sighed. "Yeah, celebrate it..."

Maya just smiled at him. "I think you're still in shock, Babe. But remember, you have the opportunity of a lifetime in right there your hands! This is the most amazing news I've ever heard...you know, since you asked me to be your girlfriend again..."

"If you say so..." Zack began looking around the room at the expression on everyone's faces and he began to feel a little queasy. All of the looks of pride with the high expectations they carried were beginning to freak him out, and he felt his legs begin to go numb. "I need to sit down..." Quickly, he stumbled over to the couch and sunk back into it.

Mimi just chuckled. "Well, I think we definitely have a reason to make another toast now! Wait until I tell all of my friends back in Seattle that both my grandsons are Harvard bound now!"

That was more than he could take, and Zack began shaking his head. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Not so fast there, Mimi! While Harvard may have accepted me, I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to accept them or not..."

Maya sat down next to him with a concerned look on her face. "Why wouldn't you, Zack? Its the best business school in the world..."

Zack gulped trying to come up with a reason why that everyone would buy. "Ummm...because I need to run this past Moseby and London first. I mean, Harvard will cost at least three times as much money as BU would per year. Since London has said the company is going to foot the bill for me to continue my education, I think it only fair that I should give her a little say in how she spends her money..."

He looked around to see if everyone was buying that, and he sighed to himself when it looked like they were going to. But just when he thought he had bought himself some time, Bailey spoke up though.

"Zack, I don't think you have anything to worry about there though. Not even taking into account that she is your friend, from a purely business standpoint, I can see London encouraging you to go to Harvard. I mean, London wants the best of the best, and that includes having the future head of her company be a Harvard MBA grad. Don't you think so too?"

He shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea..." He sighed. "Sorry if I seem like a downer here, but I'm still having trouble believing this is even really happening to me. I swear...I never thought I had a snowball's chance in...heck of getting in there. Like I said, I mainly applied there just to make Maya happy. I've never considered the possibility of going there. I mean, they've seen my transcripts. What were they thinking?"

Cody laughed again. "Never underestimate the power of diversity, Bro..."

Zack just looked up at his brother and smirked. "Ummm...Codester, in case you haven't noticed - and you should have because we're twins, I'm a blonde hair, blue eyes middle class white male. I'm the poster child for a lack of diversity!"

He laughed again. "That's not the kind of diversity I was talking about, Zack. Did you ever wonder why Bailey and I chose Ethics, Politics & Economics to be our other major along side of Biology?"

"Not really. I just kind of figured that was something you both were interested in..."

"Well, yeah, it was, but there's a lot more to it than just that..."

Bailey continued for him. "What Cody is trying to say is that everyone applying to medical school was going to more than likely have a degree in either biology or chemistry or another one of the sciences. Yes, we'll have a degree in biology too, but our other major in EP&E helps us stand out compared to other applicants. It shows that our educational backgrounds are diverse from the typical medical school applicant."

"Its the same with you. Most people who apply to business school probably have degrees in economics or management or accounting or something like that. I'm sure they are constantly on the look out for other people from different majors that would bring unique viewpoints to their program. You know, such as hospitality administration."

Maya looked a them. "You mean sort of like what happened in Legally Blonde where her degree in fashion merchandising actually helped her get into Harvard Law School?"

Bailey smiled. "Exactly!"

Zack just shook his head again. "Sorry I brought it up, but I don't think that really matters right now."

Carey turned to him. "Why not?"

He sighed. "This is just so much for me to take in right now, and I need time to digest this. I need time to figure out what it is what I really want to do, and I need a chance to talk to Moseby and London. Above all, I just need time to think. Can you all understand that?"

Everyone paused before nodding their heads. "Of course we can. We just want you to do what makes you happy, Zack..."

He sighed again. "Right now, what would make me happy would be to forget all about this for a little while. I mean, its not even one in the morning yet on New Year's Day. We still have some celebrating to do. But, I promise...when I finally figure all of this out, you all will be the first to know..."

Fortunately for Zack, everyone else gave him his space and didn't bring up the H-word the rest of the weekend. But, he could still see them looking at him when they didn't think he was paying attention. When Monday rolled around, Zack was actually happy to return back to work. Of course, he was even happier when he found out that London and Todd had decided to extend their vacation for a couple of more weeks which meant it would be two more weeks before he would have to bring Harvard up to London. Hearing that good news, he felt like doing cartwheels down the hallway, but he refrained from doing so. By the time he left to go home that day, he was actually feeling great. But when he got back to the suite, he knew something was up when everyone was there sitting on the couch waiting on him again.

"Uh oh...What now? Did I get another envelope in the mail?"

Maya smiled. "Yeah, you did. But this time, its from the BU registrar. All of our grades finally came in the mail today..."

Zack sighed in relief. "Oh...Okay, might as well see what the damage is."

But there wasn't hardly any damage to speak of. Zack had pulled three A's and a B to give him a fall semester GPA of a 3.71. As for Maya, she had pulled four A's and a B for a GPA of 3.77, and she couldn't resist the urge to tease him that her GPA was higher than his by six hundredths of a point. Of course, she did remember to thank Cody and Bailey again as two of her A's were classes they had helped her study for her finals in. As for Cody and Bailey though, they got the good news they were hoping for and had come to expect. Another 4.0 left them one semester away from graduation with a perfect cumulative 4.0. But, to be fair, they only had three classes listed on their grade sheets as they wouldn't get a grade in their Biology senior project until they completed the second semester of it that spring. But, as it was now early January, that meant that the beginnings of their final semester at Yale were only a few days away.

New Haven

While Yale's dorms were scheduled to re-open on that Wednesday, January 7th, classes weren't going to begin back until the following Monday. Normally, Cody and Bailey had no real reason to hurry back as soon as the dorms reopened, but this year they did. Unlike the previous semester, they would have access to the Biology labs as early as that Wednesday, and they wanted to head back to check on the status of the experiments they still had going on as soon as possible. After all, it had been almost a month since they had last been on campus, and their curiosity as to how they were proceeding make it an easy decision for them. Plus, they thought having a few extra days of working on them would be highly beneficial later on. Fortunately for them, by the morning of the 7th, the weather was being much more cooperative than it had been the previous week. Even so, Carey tried to talk them into staying until the weekend, but they remained firm in their intentions to head back to New Haven that day. Of course, they did have to promise to drive slowly and call her as soon as they arrived back on campus.

The rest of the week back at school, they did indeed spend several hours every day in the Biology lab. But despite their fears, all of their experiments were running smoothly, and all of them should be finished by the middle of February. So, they had plenty of time until school started to finish the last of their reading for the class Bailey had chosen for them to take that semester. And on Saturday afternoon, Gertie and Tapeworm finally returned to school too.

"Glad to see you guys still remembered where this place was. I mean, it had been a month since you'd been here."

Cody laughed. "I know, but we couldn't wait to get back and get our final semesters under way..."

Tapeworm shook his head. "I bet you are. Do I even need to ask if your schedules are jokes again?"

Turns out, he didn't. Seems Cody and Bailey really liked having Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays off to work on their senior projects the semester before and lucked out that their schedule in the spring would allow them to maintain it. As mentioned before, they had spent a good part of their winter break reading several books on a reading list for the class Bailey really wanted to take - ENGL 358, Literature for Young People. Among the titles they would be covering that semester were Charlotte's Web, Where the Wild Things Are, Stuart Little, Pinocchio, Wonderful World of Oz, Little Women, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Six By Seuss: Treasury of Classics, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and to Cody's dismay, Twilight, the first book of the Twilight series. When he had finally finished reading it, Bailey had asked him if it had really been that bad. He could only look at her and say it had been even worse that he ever could have imagined. Fortunately, the class fit in their schedule by only meeting once a week on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30-3:20. And they wouldn't be taking it by themselves as Gertie really wanted to take it too. After she had about killed herself the previous fall with her schedule, she had room in her schedule for the class. Everyone tried to talk Tapeworm into joining them in the class, but after he had seen the reading list for it, he politely declined.

Of course, their second class for the semester would be, MCDB 486, the second semester of their Biology senior project. Their plan was to finish up their research by Valentine's Day and spent the rest of their semester writing up their findings and preparing the presentation they would have to make. While that would be the final Biology class they would ever take, they only had one last EP&E class they had to take too - an advanced seminar. Since they had enjoyed working with Dr. Ryan the previous semester, they decided to sign up for the seminar she was teaching that spring - EP&E 312, Moral Choices in Politics. Well, to be honest, it came down to it and another seminar, but her class fit the schedule they wanted as it would meet on Thursday afternoons from 1:30-3:20. And the other added bonus was that she only required students who had already completed their senior projects to do a twenty page paper in the class. That was just fine with Cody and Bailey.

That left them only one class to fit into their schedule, and once again they lucked out that it fit in with their desired schedule. And unlike their other gut class, Tapeworm as chomping at the bit to take this class with everyone. And like Cody had said previously, he and Bailey felt their adventures on the boat would give them a unique vantage point to bring to the class. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:30-11:45, they four of them would taking ANTH 172, Great Hoaxes and Fantasies in Archaeology. Not only was the subject matter completely fascinating to them, they had heard it was a relatively easy class by Yale standards. Naturally, there would be a huge list of people wanting to take it, but once again, seniority would have its privileges.

So, with only having classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays like the previous semester, they would have Mondays and Wednesdays to do their work on their Biology senior projects while Friday was set aside to do their homework in their other classes. Of course, it still wouldn't be a beginning to the semester without Tapeworm once again complaining about Cody and Bailey's schedules.

"Geez..." He shook his head. "I thought I was doing good to have Fridays off. I seriously don't know how you guys keeping doing this. Every semester, you keep finding new ways to make your schedules even more and more ridiculous. And on top of that, two of your classes are across the courtyard in Harkness while your advanced seminar in downstairs in Bass Library. This is your biggest joke of a schedule yet..."

Gertie just rubbed his shoulder. "You don't have much room to complain this semester, Howie. Your schedule is pretty user friendly too..."

He sighed. "I know, but this is our last semester that we'll all be together here. Its become tradition for me to gripe about their schedules. I won't get to next year..."

Cody smiled. "Tell you what. Once we find out our schedules for our first semesters of medical school, we'll send you a copy of them. Then you can call us and gripe and moan all you want about them..."

Tapeworm laughed. "I seriously doubt I'll be doing that. You two will be slicing and dicing on an actual cadaver next year. Between having to do that and reeking of formaldehyde, I would want no part of it! Besides, Cody, knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't already invested in industrial sized drums of Fabreeze..."

Bailey shushed him. "Don't give him any ideas!"

Boston

While Yale started back on Monday January 12th, BU wasn't scheduled to start back until that Wednesday. And like they were in New Haven, Maya and Zack were really looking forward to their spring semesters. For Zack, he was looking at another light load in addition to the fact that he was scheduled to graduate in May. But as happy as he was about that, Maya might have been even happier because of something a lot less monumental. For the first semester she could remember, she would only have an eight o'clock class one day a week. No more would she have to wake up at six o'clock every morning so she would be on the subway platform before 7:15 to catch her train. In fact, she was really looking forward to getting to sleep in for the first time in a long time.

Her sole 8:00 AM was SAR AT 405, Clinical Athletic Training II, and it had its lecture on Wednesday mornings from 8:00-10:00 and a discussion section the same morning from 11:00-12:00. On Mondays, she wouldn't start her days until ten AM when she would take SAR HP 560, General Medicine Practicum from 10:00-12:00. On Fridays, at the exact same times, she would be taking SAR AT 506, Evidence-Based Practice: Clinical Applications. Being done by noon on those three days allowed her to continue working those afternoons. Plus, both of her classes on Monday and Friday were only two credit courses that wouldn't have a final exam she had to take.

Of course, by having relatively easy days then, it meant she was going to have very full Tuesdays and Thursdays. Even still, she wouldn't have eight o'clock classes those morning. Instead, those days began at nine o'clock when she started her days with SAR HP 532, Clinical Medicine II, the follow up class to the one that Cody and Bailey had helped her study for the previous semester. Its schedule was a little different as it had a lecture section on Tuesdays from 9:00-10:30 with her smaller discussion/laboratory section on Thursdays from 9:00-10:30. Immediately following that class on both days, Maya had SAR AT 430, Orthopedic Rehabilitation, from 11:00-12:30. It also had a lab section on Tuesday afternoons from 3:00-5:00. Finally, on Thursday afternoons from 3:00-5:00, she would have her sixth and final course of the semester in SAR AT 431, Clinical Reasoning in Rehabilitation.

Six classes was a lot, but Maya wasn't about to complain especially when four of them only met one day a week. Plus, it was the sweetest schedule she had had in her three years at BU. Of course, it would have been nice to have had a schedule quirk like Zack was going to have that semester, but he told her it was something that only happened in the Hospitality Administration Department and because of the professor involved.

The quirk was that Zack basically got two classes for the time of one. From 2:00-5:00 every Thursday afternoon for the first half of the semester, Zack would be taking SHA HF 416, Hospitality Franchising. But halfway through the semester, he would take a final for that class and be done with it. The following week, on the same day and same time, he would begin taking SHA HF 417, Hotel Management Agreements & Negotiation. When finals week came around, Zack would take the final for it. Both were two credit courses, so by the end of the semester, he would essentially be taking a four credit one. And the reason it worked out so well is that both classes were taught by the same professor.

But those weren't to be his only two credit class of the semester as he would also have SHA HF 370, Revenue Management and Technology on Friday mornings from 10:00-12:00. Those three classes would fill up the final hospitality administration electives that he could take. His final two classes of the semester would both be four credit classes and ones he was required to take to graduate with either his bachelor's degree or his minor. The final hospitality administration requirement he had to take was SHA HF 432, Hospitality Leadership, and it would meet on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00-5:00. Every student in the program had to take this class the final semester of their senior year. That left Zack with his final class he needed to complete his business management minor, and it was SMG SM 221, Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management. It had its lecture sections on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:00-3:30 with discussion/lab sections immediately following them on both days from 3:30-5:00. Zack wasn't particularly happy with how many hours that class was going to take up, but he had already come too far not to take it. Plus, he figured it might help him out in the future studying for his MBA - wherever he chose to do that.

Of course, he still had plenty of time in the mornings to work on Monday through Thursday from 8:00-12:00 to get in sixteen hours a week. And that fact made Maya smile. On the Thursday of their first half week of classes, they were having lunch again on campus, and she couldn't help but tease him.

"Just make sure you're quiet those morning so you don't wake me up. Besides, I did it for you last semester, so I think you can return the favor..." She grinned. "I really think I'm going to like this reversal of fortune this semester..."

Zack just shook his head. "Ha ha...very funny."

"Hey! Four days a week, I'm going to be getting at least an extra hour of sleep than I'm used to getting. Don't think I don't plan on enjoying it!"

He sighed. "This is payback, isn't? I knew I shouldn't have shushed you to keep it down so many mornings. This is going to come back and bite me in the butt. You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Maya just smiled at him. "Maybe. But look on the bright side, Babe - on Fridays this semester, we'll be able to have breakfast and ride the subway to class together..."

"Very true." He smiled. "I guess that won't be so bad."

She laughed. "But, you're getting up first those mornings and then waking me up when you're done with the bathroom!"

He just shook his head. "I think Karma is still kicking my butt. I should learn to keep my big mouth shut from now on..."

"Probably. Of course, while our schedules are pretty nice, they're not as nice as having Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays off..."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it. The only thing keeping me from melting down like Tapeworm is knowing they'll get theirs again next fall when they start medical school..."

Maya paused. "Speaking of next fall and starting grad school, have you given any further thought about Harvard's acceptance yet?"

He just shook his head. "No, not yet..." He paused. "I mean, it doesn't really make sense for me to yet until I talk to London and Moseby, and London won't get back in town until after next week..."

"Well, maybe you should go ahead and talk to Moseby? If you can get him on your side, I'm sure the two of you can convince London should she hesitate. But, Zack...I really think London's going to be proud of you and tell you to give Harvard a shot..."

Zack just looked at her. He had a pretty good idea London would too...considering she had practically said as much when they talked right before Thanksgiving. Still, he still found himself stuck. It seemed everyone wanted him to go to Harvard's business school...except him. But, seeing the look on Maya's face, he just nodded.

"I'll talk to him tomorrow..."

New Haven

On that same Thursday afternoon at Yale, classes had now been back in session for almost a full week now. Well, for Cody and Bailey, their first week of classes would officially be over by three thirty that afternoon. But after Bailey, Cody, Tapeworm and Gertie got out of their anthropology class that morning, they all headed back to Berkeley to grab some lunch in the dining room. And after they had all got their food and found a table to sit down at, Gertie couldn't help but give her former roommate a little ribbing about what had happened in their class that morning.

"You know, Bailey, I don't think I've ever seen you so riled up before like you were in class today..."

Cody mumbled under his breath. "I have..." Of course, that got him an elbow in the ribs from Bailey.

Gertie continued. "I swear, I was almost positive that you and Professor Louis were going to come to blows. You two were having a really heated discussion..."

Bailey just sighed and shook her head. "Well, if you are going to act like an authority on something, I feel like you should at least know what you are talking about. I mean, he kept going on and on about how the legend of Princess Zaria was a big myth. At first, I tried to calmly correct him and tell him that it was very real, but he kept being dismissive of me and basically saying I was full of horse puckey..." She took a deep breath. "If he would have only listened to me, I could have told him exactly how I knew it was real. I mean, I have first hand knowledge that its no myth..."

Cody shuddered. "You can say that again, Sweetie. I remember it very vividly too..." He paused and looked down at his plate. "Huh...fish tacos..." He shook his head and laughed. "What were the odds of that being on the menu today?"

Of course, Gertie and Tapeworm both just gave them a look before he shook his head. "Let me guess...something that happened to you while on the boat?"

"Yeah, in fact, I know it was real because I was possessed by Princess Zaria..." Bailey proceeded to tell them about their stop in South America and how Zaria's spirit had taken over her body and all the things she had made her do. "If it hadn't been for Cody saving me, I shudder to think what could have happened..."

Cody smiled at her. "Well, while your plan to kill Zack is one I've considered numerous times, I'm glad you didn't. That would have been an awkward conversation with Mom trying to explain to her how the woman I loved had murdered my brother..."

She couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, Sweetie...I think."

"Besides, I much prefer you just the way you are..." He paused and laughed. "Even though you like to keep teasing me about mine, you had your own issues with your voice changing then..."

She teased him. "Yeah, my voice was deeper than yours has ever been..."

Tapeworm decided to change the subject to something more topical. "So, you guys got any big plans for spring break yet? It is our senior year after all. Our last chance to go out with a bang..."

Cody shook his head. "Not really. With us having a week in Hawaii in July and then two weeks in Paris and Majorca in August, neither one of us felt the need to have three big trips in one year. Instead, I think our plan is to spend those two weeks trying to finish up our Biology senior project write ups and began preparing our presentations. I mean, we'd have Mom around to practice on plus Maya owes us a couple of favors."

Bailey nodded. "Plus, we've already scheduled fittings for my wedding dress and Cody's suit with Arturo for the first week we're back in Boston. And Chef Paulo is going to prepare samples of the menu for us to try. So, we do have a full day of final wedding obligations to take care of too."

Cody laughed. "And if the timing is just right, we'll be there in time to see Maddie give birth and help welcome her child to the world."

Tapeworm shook his head. "Okay, that officially makes me feel old now. I knew Maddie was pregnant but to think she's only a couple of months away from being a mom. I still remember when she was a sophomore in high school when we were in the 7th grade..."

"Well, in a bout five or so weeks on Valentine's Day, she's also going to be a bride. We're making a special trip back to Boston for Valentine's Day for her wedding. Bailey is going to be one of her bridesmaids while Zack and I are scheduled to be ushers..." He turned to Bailey and grinned at her. "So, if you see any last minute things you want for our wedding, tell London."

She laughed. "Yeah, I'll get right on that..."

Cody paused. "Though, since we'll be done there by early evening, I may have to call Zack and take him up on his offer..."

Bailey turned to him. "What offer would that be?"

"Well, since we're going to be there for Valentine's Day, he offered to include us with his and Maya's plans for the evening. Seems they've found a place to celebrate it in Boston they think is highly appropriate."

"And where would that be, Sweetie?"

He just smiled. "That, my dear, is going to be a surprise."

"Well, if you think its a good idea, I trust your judgment, Cody..." She turned back to Gertie and Tapeworm. "So, what about you two? Any big plans to send your final semester of undergrad off with a bang?"

Gertie smiled. "We have a few ideas that we're kicking around..."

Tapeworm laughed. "She does. My vote is to head to the S.S. Tipton II to see if its everything you guys made it out to be..."

"Well, if your serious about it, give Zack a call. He might be able to hook you up with a really good deal. And you already know Esteban, so you would get to see him again. Oh, and if you run into a really big man named Kirby, tell him you're friends of ours, and he'll look out for you."

Gertie nodded. "Well, we might just do that. Sure we can't talk you two into coming with us?"

Cody smiled. "While it does sound like fun, I think we should stick with our plan to head back to Boston. We really should try to get our final senior project done as soon as possible. So, you guys go have the times of your lives while absolutely nothing exciting will happen to us..."

Boston

The following day was Friday, and Zack and Maya did have breakfast together before heading off to their morning classes. After both finished off their only classes for the day, they met up again to have lunch before Maya had to head off to teach her swim lessons that afternoon. He was hoping she wouldn't remember his promise to go see Moseby that afternoon, but she reminded him of it just before she headed off to the fit&rec center. Figuring he was now stuck, Zack headed straight to the offices of London Inns before he headed home. And making things worse, Moseby's secretary told him he could go right in as Moseby wasn't otherwise busy. So he knocked on the door, and when he did, Moseby looked up him in surprise.

"Zack? What are you doing here today?" He laughed. "Can't get enough of this place so you're coming in on your day off, huh?"

Zack closed the door behind him before taking a seat across from Moseby's desk. "Actually, there is something I needed to talk to both you and London about..."

"Well, she's still out of the country with Todd..."

"I know, but I promised Maya I'd come and talk to you today, so here I am..."

Moseby frowned. "Zack, is everything alright?"

Zack sighed. "Most would say its better than alright, but I don't agree with that assessment."

"What are you talking about?"

"This..." Zack handed his folded acceptance letter still in its envelope to Moseby.

Moseby took it from him, pulled out the letter and began reading it himself. And like Zack had on early New Year's Day, his eyes went wide in shock. "You got accepted to Harvard's business school!"

Zack could only nod. "Yeah...I still have no idea why, but they did. I mean, who would have thunk it, huh?"

Moseby slumped back into his chair and shook his head. "Wow...I have to admit, not me. Well, I knew there was the slightest of chances, but I didn't realistically see this coming..." He paused. "But maybe I should have..."

Zack looked at him incredulously. "Why? Nobody else did...except maybe Maya."

"Come on, Zack. I admit I was a little skeptical at first about how you would respond to the added pressures and workload of college, but from the very beginning, you've been...as you younger people are apt to say 'kicking butt and taking names.' Every semester, whether it be at Beacon Hill or at BU, you've been well above a 3.0. And don't forget that you rocked the GMAT..." He paused and shook his head again. "I can only imagine what you could have done in high school if you had had this same work ethic then that you do now. I know I've said I was proud of you before, but I honestly don't think I've ever been prouder of you than I am right now..."

Zack just looked at him for a second. "You aren't going to get all mushy on me again like you did that one time you made me hall monitor, are you?"

Moseby laughed. "I might. I mean it, Zack...I'm really proud of you. Due to your own hard work and on your own merits, you actually got into Harvard Business School! You should be extremely proud of yourself!"

He sighed. "I guess..."

"You guess? This is a huge honor for you! For your whole family! Just think...next fall, there will be two Martins in grad school at Harvard." He paused and smiled. "Make that three. Bailey will officially be a Martin by then too."

Zack shook his head. "No, you had it right the first time. There will only be two there..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about I'm not going!"

Moseby looked at him in confusion. "What in the world do you mean that you're not going?"

"Exactly what I just said! I'm not going! Moseby, I don't want to go to Harvard! I'm perfectly happy to say at BU..."

"Why would you not want to go to Harvard? Its the opportunity of a lifetime! An MBA from there will be like a golden ticket, and the world will be your chocolate factory!" Moseby paused. "Surely you aren't thinking about the cost involved. You know as well as I do that London will back you 100%. And if she is a little hesitant, I'll help you convince her this is the best thing..."

Zack sighed. "That's not what I was worried about..."

"What then? Zack, this is something you have to do! The perks of a degree there will put you in very elite company!"

Zack shrugged. "Maybe...if I was actually able to graduate from there. But I have serious doubts that I would be able to. Moseby, look at me. You've known me for almost ten years now. Remember, I made your life a living hell at the Tipton and on the boat. When have I ever been Harvard material? The answer is never. Cody and Bailey, those two were born to go there. But me? At no time in my life have I ever been ivy league material..."

Moseby was in disbelief. "Of course you are! I mean, if Harvard thought you were good enough to accept you, doesn't that tell you that they think you can handle this?"

"Yeah, well, I know me better than they do. Moseby, it would be like a plane crash. At first, it would be cool to watch and you couldn't look away from it. But in the end, there would be nothing left by destruction and carnage..."

He shook his head. "I don't believe that, and you shouldn't either. And I'm sure everyone else has told you the same thing when you told them you didn't want to go..."

Zack laughed. "Yeah, like I've told anyone else this yet. Mom and Mimi are so proud of me that they might burst. And I think I actually saw looks of respect from my brother and soon to be sister-in-law for the first time in regards to my academic abilities..." He stopped and sighed. "And don't get me started on Maya. I never wanted to apply to Harvard in the first place, but she practically forced me to. I never thought I'd get in, so I thought it was a simple thing to do for her that I would never have to worry about. Well, unfortunately, now, I do. I'm afraid it would break her heart if I told her I didn't want to go."

"Then don't tell her. Just go and give it a shot. If it turns out to be too much for you, you can always transfer out and back to BU. But the Zack Martin I know would never quit before he even tried..."

"Yeah, well, that was the more carefree Zack. The new mature version is a lot more realistic and cautious."

"I don't believe that either. You want to know what I think?"

"I'm all ears..."

Moseby smiled. "I think you've gotten used to the taste of success in regards to your school work. And I believe you've discovered that you really like the feeling that it gives to you. But you're scared that if you try something more difficult and fail, then it will mean everything up until now was all an illusion. Newsflash, Zack, It wasn't! You've busted your hump and done well. You've done better than I could ever have imagined. I think you're afraid of not only letting yourself down if you fail, but your petrified of letting everyone else down too. You want to stay in your comfort zone and play it safe..."

"Well, can you blame me?"

He shook his head. "No, I can't. Actually, I can understand it all too well. Why do you think for so long that I just accepted the abuse I got from Mr. Tipton?"

"Because you're a glutton for punishment?"

Moseby glared at him. "No. I was in a position of respect and high authority, and I wanted to do my best to prove to my boss that I was worthy of it. For the first time in my life, I had acquired a taste for it and found that I liked it. Growing up, I had brothers who were always better at me at various things and a mother who wasn't very supportive of the few things I was good at. So, I was forced to seek my validation elsewhere, and once I got it, I was hell bent on holding on to it. But it took me until a few years ago to realize that I didn't have to take the abuse that came with it to know that I was already success. I realized I had a woman who loved me and friends who cared about me. I realized it was okay to step out of my comfort zone and do something I was scared to do. And I did it. Yeah, I was unemployed for a while..." He held out his hands. "...but look where I am now."

Zack paused. "Yeah, because of London..."

Moseby laughed. "You don't get it, do you? Zack, in the past few years, I've had offers to leave London Inns and go work elsewhere for a lot more money. But I haven't taken those offers because I believe in a little thing called loyalty. I don't need more responsibilities and more money to know I am a success. I already was one. I was happy here and still am. I'm surrounded by people like London and you and Maddie that I consider to be my friends...and yes, I do consider us friends now. But my point is that its okay every once in a while to strike out and walk the tight rope without a net. But the funny thing is you aren't really ever without a net as you'll always have everyone who cares about you there to catch you if you fall." He paused and smiled at Zack. "Now, are you really going to sit there and tell me that you're too afraid to do something that I did? The Zack I know would do it just to defy me..."

"Maybe so, but what I need from you right now is to tell me you won't support me in going to Harvard. I need a good reason to tell everyone that will get them off my back!"

Moseby shook his head. "That, I won't do. Zack, don't do anything hasty here. Take your time and think about it. And don't be afraid to tell everyone else about your fears. I know they would understand..."

Zack shook his head too. "I seriously doubt that, Moseby..."

To be Continued...