.:Chapter 08:.

Daddy Dearest

Bailey sighed as she flipped through pictures on her camera. She tried to keep herself from looking at them, but she always got homesick around the weekend. There was always something to do back on the farm when you were bored. You could go down to the river, play with the pigs, ride the horses, go into town, or go to her friend's farms to see what they were up to. Even though she wasn't dating Moose anymore, she would have been glad for his company at the moment. Not that she didn't like the way things were in Boston. She really enjoyed the city; the large buildings, the harbor, the Tipton hotel, and the people. All of it was different to her and she really enjoyed it.

But that didn't mean that she couldn't keep the homesick feelings at bay whenever they came up. Bailey smiled sadly as she looked through the pictures of her farm before it had gone bankrupt. She wondered what had happened to the land now. What about the animals? The rest of her family? They all had to split up when she and her parents moved to Boston. Who knows what they were all doing now? Last time she had asked, her mother said that they had set up in different places in the US. But she hadn't heard anything since then.

Bailey felt a nudge at her thigh and she smiled sadly at Porkers, the only pig that they had that they didn't raise for food. He had been with her for as long as she could remember and she was glad that he was one of the few things that she could bring with her to Boston. "It's alright Porkers," she said, rubbing him between the ears. Porkers snored loudly and pressed his snout to her knee. "Things will be good here, you'll see. We've been here a couple of years already, we're bound to get back on our feet. And Daddy's job is good for him, he seems to enjoy it."

Porkers let out another snorting sound and climbed into Bailey's lap. He rolled onto his back and Bailey giggled as she rubbed his stomach. "You know just what to say to make me feel better." Using her free hand to continue rub his stomach, she used her free hand to continue looking through the pictures on her camera.

"Hey Bailey!"

Bailey looked up at the multiples voices calling her name and smiled when The Jacksons, Crystal, Aaron, Max, and Tapeworm all walked into her room. She put her camera down and smiled at her friends nudging Porkers off of her lap. "Hey guys." She tilted her head to the side, confused. "What are you all doing here?"

"We're going to the park, remember?" Aaron said, moving to the side of her bed. He reached over and rubbed Porkers between the ears. He smiled as Porkers moved forward to get scratched even more. "We had this planned for weeks."

"Oh yeah," Bailey said. She rolled off of the bed and got to her feet. "Let me just get my shoes and my phone." She went over to her desk, pushing papers aside that held plans for a science project. It reminded her that she really needed to get started on it if she was going to enter the science fair in time. "I was just looking at pictures of the farm," she explained, brushing her long braid over her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess homesickness is really hitting me this time."

"It looks cool," Rhuben said, picking up the camera and moving through a few pictures herself. "Bonzer. Speaking of, I finally got the pictures from the homecoming dance done," She said.

Reaching into the drawstring bag that was on her back, she pulled out a manila folder and opened it, passing them around for everyone to see. There pictures of them as a group and in pairs and individually together. As Zack and Max were the only ones that were together at the time the dance came around so they promised that everyone would go in a group and not have to worry about being left out whenever a slow song came on or when it called for couples only. Of course that didn't stop them from making out in the limo on the way to the dance and on the way back from the dance.

"There are some really good ones in here," Rhuben added.

"With you taking the pictures Rhu, no one can take a bad one," Noah said with a smile towards his sister. Rhuben smiled back at him before flipping through some other photos. One of her and Cody, Riley and Tapeworm, Max, Patrick, and Noah, Bailey, Riley, Rhuben, and Crystal, Crystal and Zack, and so many others. It had actually been a fun night for all of them. Zack and Cody had both been nominated for Homecoming Duke while Bailey had been nominated for Homecoming Duchess with Cody and Bailey winning the crowns for each of them. The week leading up to it, Spirit Week, had been fun for them as well. With each of the days representing a different style of dress to bring out school spirit among the students, the junior class had ended up winning the spirit point competition, the float competition (with a float representing Spiderman) and the bonfire competition.

It was well known amongst their group of friends that the girls weren't ones that liked to dress up to go to dances or to have fun in general. Bailey was the one that had dragged them to the mall and found them dresses to wear for the dance. And even though they hard to cram their feet into high heels that Bailey had insisted they wear rather than the flats they had planned, they all were surprised to find that they didn't want the night to end.

Bailey smiled as she glanced at a picture of her, Max, and Tapeworm as they all leaned towards each other around the table the group had claimed. Since she moved to Boston and met everyone, it had become quite clear that while they were all friends, she was closer to Max and Tapeworm compared to the others. She didn't mind much, every large group of friends branched off in some way or another and there was always someone else to talk to if the immediate people weren't around.

Laughter suddenly broke her out of her thoughts.

"Wanna bet?" Riley said.

She and Sydney were looking over a picture and laughing to themselves. Turning it around, the group of friends were met with the sight of Zack, Patrick, and Tapeworm frozen in time with forks close to their mouths and plates filled with deserts in front of them. Somehow someone had challenged them to eating a bunch of desert before they threw up. Some guy bet like that. Of course Zack, who never backed down from a challenge, immediately jumped at the chance. Patrick was never one that turned down free food and Tapeworm, who wondered if he could eat anything as fast as he could eat hot dogs jumped in on it too.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Patrick joked. "I look great in that picture."

"You've been spending too much time with Zack," Crystal remarked.

"I've been saying that for years," Riley added. "Unfortunately he's always still around."

"Oh come on, Riles," Sydney turned up to his eldest sister with an innocent smile on his face. "All of us know that you don't hate him as much as you put on. You may as well admit it at some point." He turned to look at another picture and missed the frown that slid onto Max's face. She glanced at Tapeworm and quickly looked away, twirling one of her braided pigtails around her fingers.

Bailey made a note of the movement but decided not to call her out on it.

"The day I do that is the day the world blows up," Riley said.

But she didn't deny it, Bailey thought, smiling to herself. She finished pulling on her shoes and looked around the room for her phone. Which must be a step in the right direction. She couldn't remember a time when the two of them weren't fighting over something or she was annoyed with his constant flirting.

"Guess we don't have to worry about the end of the world anytime soon then," Rhuben said. She laughed to herself and picked up a picture and turned it around. "Here's a good one of you and Max, Tape," she said, holding it out to him. Tapeworm took the picture and barely glanced at it before handing it over to Max, who seemed to pale all of a sudden. "Is something wrong?"

"No," the two said in unison.

Rhuben exchanged glances with Riley, Crystal, and Bailey. They all had the same looks on their faces. They clearly didn't believe them. Especially considering they had been quiet since they arrived. That wasn't like anyone in their group of friends besides Noah. Noah was the strong and silent type, compared to the rest of the Jacksons, who were usually so loud and outgoing. Rhuben had times where she was quiet as well, but not to the extent that Noah was.

"Ok then," Bailey said. She found her phone and shoved it into her pocket. Turning she picked up a leash and handed it over to Aaron. "Do you want to take Porkers with us? He likes to get as much exercise as he can. And that's not always possible in this city."

"Thanks!" Aaron beamed and lifted Porkers up into his arms, using his other hand to take the leash from Bailey. "C'mon Porkers." He shifted the weight of the pig in his arms before leaving the room. Crystal walked behind him, holding her hand a few inches away from his shoulder just in case he couldn't traverse the stairs and needed some help.

Bailey followed her friends out of the room and called to her parents that they were going to Liberty Park before closing the front door behind them. Bailey tilted her head back and looked up at the sky as she walked along with her friends. The fluffy white clouds gently paced across the sky along with the light wind that blew. Bailey plunged her hands into the front pocket of her sweatshirt. It could get pretty cold back in Kansas, but it was a bit different now. Nonetheless she still loved Boston and everything about it. The way the sunlight reflected off of the windows in the large buildings and warmed her as she passed. It was like a new version of New York…not that she had ever been to New York, but she imagined it was all the same.

Being in Boston let her know that her dream of seeing the world was that much closer to becoming a reality. She wanted to visit as many states and counties as she could and no matter how much she was going to miss Kettlecorn and the farm, she knew it was holding her back from everything she could accomplish.

"Ok, who wants to play soccer?" Sydney spun the ball between his hands and bounced it on his knees as he arrived at the park. He bounced it off his knee a few more times before kicking it high into the air. "Aaron, come play!"

"I want to hang out with Porkers first," Aaron replied. He started to run around in circles, Porkers following after him. "Bailey said that he needed to get a lot of exercise." Sydney glanced at the soccer ball a second before running off to chase Porkers around as well. Bailey laughed and pulled a bag of treats out of her sweatshirt and placed them by a tree so the boys could feed him later.

She turned back to the game as Max got the ball and dribbled it between her feet. "Pass it, Max!" She called, waving her arms over her head. She wasn't one that was big on sports, but she liked to play every chance she got. Max passed the ball over to her and they quickly divided themselves into teams with Bailey, Max, Noah, and Riley on one side and Rhuben, Tapeworm, Patrick, and Crystal on the other side. Bailey got the ball and started to dribble it off down the field.

Crystal ran up and managed to snag it from her with a few well-placed kicks of her legs and went running back in the other direction. The game went back and forth a few times before it ended up turning into a massive game of tag. No one was sure who the tagger was at multiple points of the game, but they didn't care.

Bailey was suddenly struck with the reminder that they weren't going to have moments like that much longer. Where they could all just hang out and have some fun. Not with senior year and colleges and the real world looming closer and closer. So it was good to be able to stay in that moment for the time being.

And if she knew what was going to happen, how things were going to get more complicated before it got better, she would have held onto it much longer.

"Dad!"

"Hey! Zack! Cody!" Kurt Martin opened his arm and grabbed his sons in a hug. He mussed their hair before stepping back to get a good look at him. "You guys look great," he said and raised a hand to his chin. "Definitely Martin boys," he added. "No doubt about it." He reached out and nudged his sons on the chin with his fist. "So what'd I miss?" He waved an arm and motioned for Zack and Cody to follow him over to his car.

"I got As on all of my tests," Cody said. He shifted his backpack up his shoulders as he beamed at his dad. "And I have an internship that I'm working on."

"That sounds great, buddy," Kurt said. He popped open the trunk to the Chevy Corolla that had been parked on the other side of the street. The boys turned back and waved to Carey, who was watching them through the revolving door of the Tipton Hotel. She smiled and waved back, blew them a kiss, then disappeared from view. "What sort of internship is it?"

"Nothing interesting, I can tell you that," Zack replied. He dropped his backpack and dumped it into the trunk. He rushed by his brother and opened the passenger side door of the car. "Oldest gets shotgun," he said, noticing the irritated expression on Cody's face. "Sorry, bro, it's been that way since we were kids."

"Yes, but considering the way we are now, it'd make more sense if I sat in the front seat," Cody said, crossing his arms over his chest. At the now confused look on Zack's face, Cody glanced over at Kurt, who looked like he was about to start laughing. "I'm saying you're short," he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. Zack scowled, but still pulled open the door to the passenger seat and climbed inside.

Cody slid into the backseat and Kurt got into the driver's seat. He turned on the car and pulled out of the parking lot, barely checking over his shoulder. A loud honk filled the air as he picked up speed and started down the street. Cody let out a sound that was a mixture of a surprised squeal and a cry of horror, covering his face with his hands. Kurt and Zack laughed loudly as Kurt continued to accelerate up to the speed limit. Though Kurt had left his touring antics behind, there was still a bit of the bad boy that didn't follow the rules in him.

"So what's been going on with you, Zack?" Kurt asked. "Your Mom said something about the basketball team." Kurt shrugged. "I don't know, I couldn't really hear her over the nagging that she was doing. Telling me when to have you guys get to sleep and what foods you can and can't have." He paused, lifting a finger. "You're not allergic to anything are you?"

"No, Dad, we're not," Cody replied. "And you know that Mom doesn't nag, she just wants to be sure that we're all ok."

"I know," Kurt said. "I was just teasing. Your mother is a smart, if not slightly worrying, beautiful woman." Zack lifted an eyebrow and twisted in his seat to exchange glances with Cody. Neither of them had heard Kurt refer to their mother that way in a long time. Now that they thought about it, they weren't sure if the ever did and not knowing the reason for their divorce. All they knew was that they were passed back and forth every weekend and their parents barely said a few words to each other that didn't result in some sort of a confrontation.

Turning back, Zack went to answer Kurt's question. "Yeah, Cody and I are on the team."

"Way to go!" Kurt cried. "I knew that both of my boys had my athletic ability. It just took a little bit longer for it to show up." He blindly checked over his shoulder before making a quick turn, tires squealing as he did so. "So what position are you playing, Cody?"

Cody hesitated for a long moment. Zack crossed his legs at the ankle and slumped further down in his seat, glancing out the window. "Point guard," he replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zack could see Kurt react with surprise. He jerked the wheel to the right for a moment, almost hitting the car that was driving alongside them. Kurt winced and pulled straightened back out. He lifted a hand to apologize to the driver of the car then glanced at Zack. Zack merely shrugged, flicking his hair out of his face. He was actually starting to get used to hearing it, but the reactions he continued to get were starting to annoy him more than anything else. Yes, it was weird, but couldn't everyone else get over it? He did. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe not completely. Not yet. But it wasn't as bad as it was before. Not especially with the plan he had set.

"That's great, Cody," Kurt said enthusiastically. But there was still a hint of surprise in his tone.

"Yeah, I'm the power forward now," Zack said. He slowly started to smile. "Which is cool because I get to show off my guns!" He lifted his arms and flexed his muscles. There wasn't much to look at, but that didn't mean anything. He just had to work on his diet and his workout routine and he was going to see results quicker than he thought. His stomach growled, suddenly remember that he hadn't had breakfast. But then he remembered something he had read online, to drink more water to lose weight and it curbed your appetite. Zack reached into his backpack and pulled out a water bottle. Tilting his head back he took a few quick gulps before replacing it and pulling out his notebook.

Flipping to a blank page, he started a new list.

Things I've eaten today:

Breakfast

-Nothing

The hungry feeling went away a few seconds later. He flipped his notebook closed and tossed it back into his backpack. Looking up, he noticed Kurt looking at his backpack curiously, alternating between the road and the floor of the car. Zack quickly went to explain. "I'm starting a new workout routine to bulk up for the team," he explained. "Maybe you can help me out with it. I only just started and I'm not really seeing results so far."

"Hey, no problem buddy," Kurt said with a grin. He reached over and mussed Zack's hair once more. "I'll be glad to help out you guys whenever you boys need it." He nodded, focusing on the road once more. "You know that. I'm trying to be here as much as I can for you guys now."

"Yeah…"

Zack knew that he and Cody were thinking of the same thing. How many milestones they had gone through without Kurt there because he had been with his band or because Carey didn't want him there. Zack even remembered the time that he and Carey had gotten into a fight because Kurt was more lenient about the things they were allowed to do. Then he stowed away on the tour bus, wanting to spend Spring Break with his father. Things turned out to not be as fun as he thought. Life on the road was supposed to be one, long, non-stop party. But it turned out that he was mostly alone and waiting for hid ad to come back and he had become bored and wishing that he was back at the Tipton.

Since then, Carey and Kurt had arranged it so that they could see each other more, but it wasn't until recent years that Kurt had started to become more like the parent that he was supposed to be. Responsible, but having a good mix of being the 'fun parent' that the boys knew and loved.

"Cool, thanks!" Zack grinned.

"No problem," Kurt said. He finally pulled into the parking lot of the apartment and cut off the car. The boys climbed out of the car and grabbed their bags before following him up into the apartment space. "So, what do you boys want to do first?"

Zack and Cody looked at each other before responding in unison. "Play basketball."

Zack bounced the basketball by his side as he and Cody walked along the court, waiting for Kurt to get ready to play. It was an old court behind the apartment building that seemed to have been abandoned over the years. The white lines had long worn out, leaving indentions in the dirt as evidence that they were once there. Ivy twisted and turned up the poles of the baskets. Grass started to invade the court as well. The three had gone to the gym first, to get some pointers from Kurt on how to improve his routine. There, Zack was secretly glad to know that he was still stronger than Cody when it came to lifting weights. After going through the different machines, they had headed outside to start playing the game.

Zack turned to Cody as a smirk slid onto his face, his competitive nature already starting to take him over. His hands gripped the ball, the raised points and grooves formed a bond against his palm. Zack lifted his arm, jumped up, and flicked his wrist, sending the ball spinning to the net.

The basketball connected with the backboard and let out a satisfying 'swish' as the ball fell through the mesh net. Cody's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second then the two started to sprint towards the ball. The pump of adrenaline made Zack hyper aware of what was going on around him. He could see Cody gaining on him, running faster than he had remember his brother being able to run before. Zack knew he was going to have to move faster. Feinting to the left, he took a quick step to change directions. Cody must have anticipated it because he stayed with Zack's movements. Zack grabbed the ball and spun it so that it bounced straight up into the air. He stopped short and then broke out at full speed.

Cody was still on his tail.

So he was going to have to play dirty.

Zack jumped and rotated in the air, moving his arm so that it seemed like he was going to hit Cody in the face. A grin slid onto Zack's face when he saw Cody back away to shield his face. Zack crouched low and bounced the ball between Cody's legs, sped around him, then grabbed the ball, taking another shot.

He made it.

Zack threw his hands into the air as Cody frowned and jogged to get the ball. "That's one to nothing, little brother," he taunted.

"Nice maneuvering Zack," Kurt said, clapping loudly. "That's the way to play!" And not wanting to leave his younger son out he said, "And Cody, your speed and determination has improved as well. Great job!" He clapped Cody on the shoulder as he passed him to start up the game again.

"Thanks Dad," the two said. Zack glanced at his father and then at Cody. That's what he liked about him, the fact that he treated the boys as equally as he could. Even though he did more athletic things with Zack and seemed to have more things in common, he was still as supportive and attentive to Cody as he could be with his interests. I can't say the same thing for Mom, Zack thought bitterly. All she cares about is Cody this and Cody that. It's like I can't do anything right around her. But here…I can do whatever I want and I don't have to feel as guilty about my hesitation to make big decisions.

Zack lifted his hands and caught the basketball as Cody passed it to him. He bounced it at his side a few times, walking around in a circle, his mind going a mile a minute. Why does everyone automatically think that I don't want to do the same things Cody does. Just because I don't talk about it… He reached up and took another shot at the basket. It went right in. I'd like to see him deal with the same things I do. He watched, placing his hands on his hips as Cody grabbed the ball and moved to stand next to Zack's side. He bounced the ball twice, spinning it the air, then bounced two more times. Cody lifted his head, took a breath and took a shot. It went in perfectly.

Spoke too soon, Zack thought. He shrugged. It was pretty good thought. A small smile started to slide onto Zack's face as he watched his brother. Maybe he's not as hopeless as I thought. But I'm still going to get my spot back no matter what.

"Good one," he murmured.

"I learn from the best," Cody replied.

Zack's eyebrows twitched and he lowered his head, allowing his fringe to cover his face. That seemed really sincere and it just made him feel like a jerk. Especially considering how Cody had never said a bad thing about him throughout this whole thing. Their first game was coming up the next week and it probably wasn't going to help if he was harboring a very obvious grudge against his brother. It didn't seem to be scoring him very many points with Max, she had called him or texted him back since she suddenly broke off conversation the afternoon before. He glanced over at his bag as it laid down in the grass. Maybe he should call her back…

"Ok!" Kurt clapped his hands together. "Let's play a quick game shall we?" He crossed his arms over his chest, tucking his hands into his armpits "First to ten is the winner. Anything goes. Though if things get really nasty I'll call you out on it. Got it?" Zack and Cody nodded. "Ok, heads or tails?" He pulled a coin from his pocket and placed it on top of his thumb.

"Hmm, let's think about the probability of this shall we?" Cody held the basketball against his stomach. "There's a fifty fifty chance that the one you pick is the one that it's going to be. But then you have think about what the coin went through. Does it have any gunk on it? Had it ever been rolled over by a car? Is it bent at an odd angle?"

Zack rolled his eyes and exchanged pained glances with Kurt. Once he got started on something, it was hard for him to get off it. Kurt brought his hand up and rubbed his nose before waving to get Cody's attention. "Just choose one, Codester," he said with a laugh. "I'd like to get some playing in before we get something to eat or watch TV and rot our minds or whatever."

"Fine, I pick tails," Cody said.

"Heads," Zack spoke up.

Kurt flipped the coin, caught it in his hand, and then slapped it over onto the back of his other hand. He pulled the top hand away and glanced at the coin. "It's Heads, Zack you start it off." Cody passed the ball over to Zack and scraped his feet on the ground before crouching low, ready to defend his basket. Zack backed up a few paces to get some space between the two of them. To give him time to think of a game plan. He had to play strategically. Cody was better than he anticipated but he wasn't the better of the twins.

Bounce.

He felt the rough grips of the ball as it touched his fingertips.

Bounce.

The ball smacked against the court, making a dull 'thunk' sound as it connected with the dirt.

Bounce.

It felt cool as it passed from his hand to the court. Finally he had an idea. Zack picked up the pace of his dribbling and moved quicker towards Cody. Cody spread his arms, shuffling his feet in anticipation of the direction that Zack was going to move in. That was probably the only thing that word work against them…their intuition, their being twins, knowing each other so well inside and out. Zack feinted to one side then headed to the other. When Cody reacted to his movement, Zack quickly feinted back and drove to the basket, getting a point in a matter of seconds. Cody sighed, dropping his arms. Zack bounced the ball to him and the two switched positions.

The game was on from there. Zack and Cody continued to play as hard as they could, trying to trick the other out of knowing what move they were going to make. The intensity increased as the game continued to go on. They bumped into each other more often and their glares and groans of frustration increased as well. Kurt watched, totally enraptured. Back to back they continued to score, the game being very close. When it got to be nine to nine, everything was thrown out the window. Zack and Cody started to shove each other as they tried to get to the ball.

This isn't just about the game now, Zack realized as they continued to play. It's about getting our past feelings out. I haven't seen Cody this frustrated before. Maybe he really has been feeling bad about the way I've been treating him. He didn't blame Cody. Just saying that they were sorry wasn't going to fix everything.

This was.

Zack grabbed the basketball and drove towards the net. Cody did his best to keep Zack out of the way, but was faked out at the last second and Zack scored the winning shot. He cheered as Cody went over to his bag to retrieve his water bottle and towel. Zack went to his bag but stopped a few steps away. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and he realized just how hard he had been playing. Zack turned, hands on his stomach, and bent over, throwing up onto the ground. His puke made a sickening splattering sound against the court that made him throw up again. Slightly dizzy, he sat back on the ground, stretching out on his back.

"Whoa, Zack, are you alright?" Kurt's face suddenly appeared over his own. He was grinning. "Nice job, dude."

"Are you ok?" Now Cody was looking over him. But he was frowning in concern. "I didn't mean to play that hard."

"I'm ok," Zack replied. Kurt and Cody reached over and grabbed Zack's arms, pulling him up so that he was in a sitting position. Cody handed him a towel and a water bottle, both of which Zack gratefully took. After checking Zack's vitals—getting too close to his brother's eyes for Zack's taste—Cody smiled and reached out a hand towards Zack. Zack looked at him curiously, then recognized the light behind Cody's eyes. Everything bad between them was gone, just as he wanted. Zack slapped his hands into Cody's and they did their famous handshake that they hadn't done in years. "You played good."

"You played well," Cody corrected.

"Whatever," Zack said. He rested his forehead in his hands for a moment. Everything was spinning.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Kurt asked to make sure. Zack nodded. "Ok, let's get you inside then," He grabbed onto Zack's arm and lifted him up, just like he used to do when the boys were kids, before setting him on his feet. He slung his arm around Zack's and Cody's shoulders, heading to the side of the court so Zack could grab his things. Then they went into the apartment to get showered and changed before they went out to get some food.

Zack sat down on the floor, not wanting to get sweat on his father's couch, and started to a set of sit ups. He started to do that and pushups every time of the day that he could get. If anything was going to get him in shape faster, it was going to be those drills. Besides, he wanted a flat stomach just as much as girls liked it on him. The thought alone made him push through the burn of his stomach muscles.

He reached out a hand and grabbed his phone as it started to ring. Zack glanced at the caller ID and his eyebrows rose before he answered it, putting it to his ear. "Hey Sweet Thang, do you miss me already?"

"Not in the slightest," Riley replied. "I miss Cody though."

"Ouch." Zack continued to do his sit-ups. "Hit a man where it hurts. So what'd you call for?"

"You're with your Dad, right?" Riley asked. He could hear the sound of yelling and laughter in the background. Listening harder, he could hear some birds chirping and concluded that she was outside somewhere. The skate park? Liberty Park? The Tipton pool? Maybe even the small garden area at the Tipton. HE wasn't sure. "For the weekend?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" Zack sat up, resting his arm on his upraised knees.

"I know everything about you," Riley replied, as if it were obvious. "Being friends for so long, I know your schedule. It's not that hard to figure out. So, yes, your nightmare has come true. I'm everywhere."

"Hmm, sounds more like a dream come true to me," Zack said.

There was a brief pause on her end of the phone. "How did I not see that coming?" She seemed to ask that more to herself than to him. Nevertheless, it made Zack smile. "Anyway, I was just wondering if you dad still had that guitar that he was selling? I was thinking of buying it off him."

"I thought you said that you didn't like to sing anymore," Zack reminded her.

"I said I didn't like to perform anymore," Riley corrected him. "And singing and playing the guitar are two totally completely different things, boofhead." She cleared her throat. "So if you could just let me know about that, that'd be great."

"No problem," Zack said. "I'll as him." He promised. He was silent for a moment, wondering whether or not he was going to have the balls to ask his next question. "Hey, Riles, back when we were going to dinner at the Tipton…how did you know that I thought that you were only my friend because of Cody?" He rushed to continue, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I mean, it's ok if it's true. I'm sure that's why I've had a lot of friends over the years when I haven't been moving-"

"Zack," Riley interrupted. "I only knew you thought that way because it's always on your face. Whenever we're with our friends or if we're just hanging out or whatever, I can see it in your face. And if it helps any, I'm not your friend only because of Cody. I'm your friend because you're funny and funny looking and you keep things interesting."

"That's it?" Zack pressed. "Cause I think my devilishly handsome good looks and witty charm has something going for me, too."

"Don't push it," Riley said and hung up.

Zack smiled as he ended the call. He looked through the contacts on his phone and hovered over Max's name. He sat there for a moment, trying to figure out whether or not he wanted to call her. Finally, he put the phone down, placing it away from him. He got up from the floor, hearing the shower water turn off. He grabbed his towel from the floor and draped it over his neck before heading towards the room that he and Cody were sharing. The apartment was more like a mini condo, the master bedroom had its own bathroom in its room, Zack and Cody shared a bedroom, they had their own bathroom, and then there was another full bathroom as well as a half bath. Games and electronics littered the apartment as well. If it weren't for the guitars and family photos sitting around, it'd look like a kid rented the place out.

"So I was thinking that we order in a pizza," Kurt said, walking out from the counters that lined the kitchen. He had five menus from different restaurants in his hands. "Or maybe Chinese."

Zack thought back to the game earlier that afternoon and when he thought about puking, he grimaced. "Actually, Dad, I'm not hungry," he said and went to take a shower.

Things I've eaten today:

Breakfast

-Nothing

Lunch

-Nothing