.:Chapter 15:.

Spiraling Down

Cody yawned and sat up as his alarm went off. He looked over at Zack, expecting him to be fast asleep, snoring his head off. His eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw his twin brother lying on his back on the ground, periodically sitting up and lowering himself back to the ground in crunches. Cody brought his arm up to his face and saw that it was the normal time to get up. If Zack was doing crunches and actually breaking a sweat, Cody could tell from the smell of the room, he had been at it for a while. And when Zack got started on something sport related, he worked hard at it.

Stretching his arms over his head, Cody pushed his covers off of him and slid out of bed. "What're you doing up?"

"Just getting some work in," Zack replied. He lowered himself back to the ground, staring at the ceiling as he rubbed his stomach. "We won those games last week, yeah, but with Christmas break coming up so fast, and how long we're going to be off. I don't want to fall behind."

Cody quirked an eyebrow, standing over Zack. "Uh, Zack, we still have another two weeks before Christmas break and another game before then. I don't think you have to worry that much." Zack gave him a mysterious look before starting to do a few more crunches.

Cody took a step back and watched as Zack finished up his workout routine. He walked over to his dresser and pulled out his clothes, starting to get changed. Glancing at the calendar that rested on his naturally clear desk, he scanned the dates that jumped out at him. Christmas and New Years of course, but there was also the game days they had. Large 'W's sat over the two days of the last week. He was a bit surprised, modestly anyway, at the amount of points he managed to score in both games, on his own and with assists. He knew he was good, but he didn't think he was that good. All the practice that he and Tapeworm had gone through with Max, Crystal, Patrick, and Noah all of the yelling and being pushed so hard nearly made him break the first couple of times, but he worked hard to get better. However, he knew that no one would take him seriously, so he didn't mention it and just said that he was going to the library, no one would question him then.

Zack did nothing but make fun of him, going to the library more often than usual and while Cody was used to it, he felt a little annoyed at the increased teasing. That was all the push he needed, he worked more on his shooting technique and his speed rather than lifting weights, not wanting to bulk up and give himself away. A part of him was really hoping that everyone would be shocked and surprised about the way he played. He got that and more when Zack laughed at him during that study hall, saying he had no chance of making the team. And while he hated to fight with Zack, sometimes he always liked to put him in his place when he got the chance. And putting Zack in his place when he deserved it was more rewarding to him than getting an A on the hardest test he could come up with. Cody bit his lip as he looked towards his feet.

He had wanted to make the team, but he didn't want to take Zack's spot away from him. He saw how disappointed Zack was and how angry he was, though he did his best to hide it. That's what we have in common, Cody thought with a grim smile. Both of us hate to lose. Cody turned and studied his reflection in the mirror above his desk before he grabbed his clothes and started to get dressed. Zack got up from the floor and used both hands to push his hair back from his face before leaving to go take a shower before they went to school.

Cody finished getting dressed, making sure everything was in place, turning his head when he heard his cell phone buzz, letting him know he got a text. Cody walked over to his bedside table and, pushing aside his unused inhaler, picked up his phone. He unlocked the screen and quickly read the text he received.

Rhuben: Don't forget to bring your notes in for the science project. I need to copy them down if we're going to get some work done.

Cody sat down on the edge of his bed, creating a text in reply, slightly smiling as he did so. As the science fair was coming up sooner than he remembered, the first week in March, there was still a lot to do to get started. After coming up with a topic for his project, and confirming with Bailey that the two of them would be terrible partners due to their competitive nature with science, he asked if Rhuben wanted to be his partner, before they had gone off on the break. He knew he could trust her and he knew she knew her stuff after he explained the idea behind the topic.

He set his phone aside for a moment. Since she had moved into the Tipton he and Rhuben had worked together for the science fair every year. He didn't know why he continue to ask if she wanted to, when she was starting to expect the invitation. It was good to know that she was always willing to help him out and not make a big deal about it. Crystal always said she would like to sit out of them, saying that having a father as a scientist and everything she's helped him out with would be unfair for everyone else. Cody's stomach twisted a little as he thought about the two girls he had dated before. They were two completely different relationships and he enjoyed both, but both had ended in a way he wasn't so fond of. Thankfully they had all managed to become friendly again in the weeks after the relationships ended.

It'll be like old times, Cody thought with a smile. The times that he and Rhuben had worked diligently to get projects done and seemed to be speaking the same language when they hit their stride and got things moving again. They used to be able to talk about anything while they were working and he managed to learn a lot about her in that time as well. Year after year as their projects continued to increase in difficulty, the more time they spent together to get it done and he always found himself waiting for the times that they were going to work together.

Rhuben: Hey, space cadet, are you there?

Cody shook his head and looked down at the phone again. He noticed his text sitting in the draft section and opened it up again. After a few more touches, he finished it and sent it back.

Cody: Yeah, I'm here. I was just getting ready for school. I have the notes packed away in my backpack. We're on for Study Hall, right?

He got a reply a few seconds later.

Rhuben: Right. With Tutweiller being distracted, we can get a lot of stuff done. I even started to draw out some ideas that we could do in case our main idea doesn't pan out.

Clearly she doesn't know me very well, Cody thought, trying not to smirk. Since when did any of his ideas not work out? They hadn't won every year—except that time Barbara managed to squeak by—for nothing. Though he knew a lot of it was up to the help that he got or else they wouldn't have been able to finish in time.

Cody: Good idea and good thinking.

Rhuben: I know. What would you do without me? ;)

Cody: Be bored to tears. Have no one to talk to. Lose the science fair.

Rhuben: Good to know that the only reason you have me around is to win the science fair, mate.

That's not how I wanted the conversation to go. Cody twisted his mouth to the side, rubbing the back of his neck. One thing he always tried to do was make sure he didn't hurt anyone's feelings. He didn't like to rock the boat and he didn't like it when people were mad at him. He knew from experience that girls didn't like to be told that they were only being used and he had pretty much just implied that. Cody wracked his brain, trying to think of something to type, and then slowly started to work his way around the keyboard on his phone.

Cody: Well, you're not bad to look at, either.

He held his breath, waiting for a reply. When none came in the first five minutes, he closed his eyes, wondering if he had said the wrong thing. With a sigh, he got to his feet and gathered his school books as Zack walked back into the room, hair slicked off his forehead and a towel wrapped around his waist. He took one look at Cody and immediately knew something was up.

"Why do I get the feeling that you just royally screwed up with something?" He asked slowly, going over to his dresser to pick up a brush.

"Well, I don't know if I did," Cody admitted. He picked up his phone and walked over to Zack, holding it out for him to look over. "Should I be worried if a girl doesn't respond after five minutes?" He then leaned forward and sniffed the air around Zack. "Did you actually use soap when you took a shower? Like, scented soap?"

"Is that so weird?" Zack cocked an eyebrow a he looked over the text messages on Cody's phone.

"Considering the fact that you usually reek of sweat, B.O., and, strangely enough, lunch meat, I'd say, yes," Cody replied. He tilted his head to the side as he studied his brother. "Does this have to do with Max, by any chance? 'Cause I can't help but notice that I haven't been banished to the closet with ear plugs recently."

"You know the ear plugs thing was your own fault," Zack pointed out. He grinned at his brother. "It's also the reason for the sock in the door."

"It's not my fault that Max is loud," Cody said, returning Zack's smirk. He studied his brother, his eyes narrowing a bit. "Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that you two didn't seem to be as close as you used to be. So I was wondering if something was wrong."

Now Zack let out a sigh. "Hell if I know, Buddy, I mean we can't talk about whatever is wrong without getting into some sort of a fight or else we act like it didn't happen. I'm starting to think it's something I'm doing wrong and we both know that it's not me." Chuckling, Zack handed Cody his phone back. "You're doing a better job with flirting by text, but the fact that you kinda insulted her before giving her a compliment may have put her off a bit."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Great," he muttered.

"Don't sweat it, Codester; Guys make mistakes like that all the time. Plus, no one knows how to react over text. If anything, you can say that it was an old text that got sent, changes are she won't even notice." Zack waved a hand, turning his back on Cody so he could get dressed.

"Thanks." Cody took back his phone and shoved it into his jeans pocket. He grabbed his backpack and pulled it over his shoulders, turning back to his brother, who had his stuff together as well. It was a good thing to see, maybe now if Zack would raise his grades, things would be much better for him. "So what do you think Mom's making for breakfast today? Smoke alarm hasn't gone off yet."

"I'm guessing she's poured cereal then, can't screw that up," Zack said. Cody gave his older brother a stern look. Zack then held up his hands defensively. "Ok, the one time I put more sugar on my cereal-"

"-and get on a sugar high so bad that you were up for almost a full day and puked your guys out-"

"-and you're branded for life." Zack rolled his eyes.

Cody chuckled and held out his hand. Zack put his out and the two of them did their handshake. Something that had seemed to cool when they were kids that they grew out of when they got older. They only just started to do it all over again, it being a way to show their support of each other as well as it being a sense of comfort. Cody wasn't stupid; he knew that the idea of the time of the two of them being split up for more than a week since they were born was coming sooner than expected. And no matter how crazy Zack made him, how many times he predicted Zack behind bars, how much he wanted to tear his hair out; he loved his brother and didn't know what he would do without him.

Zack and Cody left their room and headed over to the kitchen table just as the bathroom door closed behind them. Cody's left eye narrowed as he looked at his mother, who was already seated at the table, then turned around to see Kurt walking around him to get to the table as well. He exchanged glances with Zack. What's going on?

"Good morning, boys," Carey beamed, spotting her twin songs. She lowered the newspaper and motioned for them to sit down at the last two plates at the table, Kurt sitting in a spot next to Carey. "Have some breakfast before you go to school."

"Sure." Zack walked over to the table, loudly dropping his backpack to the ground. He glanced back and forth between him mother and father before exchanging another glance with Cody. Cody slowly sank down into his chair as well and hesitantly picked up the piece of toast that was sitting on his plate. He turned it back and forth, examining the breakfast food. "It's ok, Dad made it," Zack whispered to him.

Cody let out a sigh of relief and bit into his breakfast. "So what are you doing here, Dad? It's kind of early, don't you think?"

"Your mother and I got the set list of songs that Mr. Moseby wants us to sing and your mother asked if I'd come over to work on it and see which songs sound better with our voices…" he trailed off, seeing the confused expressions on Zack's and Cody's faces and felt the glare that Carey was sending his way. "Right. Sorry. Your mother was asked by Moseby-dude if she wanted to do a residency at the Tipton for the holidays and she asked if I wanted to do it with her."

"Really?" Cody spun his toast around his hand. "You guys don't normally work well together."

"The only thing we work well on is music," Kurt admitted. "And that's only because we're too busy singing to kill each other." Zack laughed as Carey shook her head, angling her gaze towards the ceiling. "And everyone liked it the last time we worked together so…"

"You really did," Zack admitted. "I liked it anyway. It was the only time that I liked to hear Mom sing, apart from the shower."

"That's because when I'm in the shower, it's the best time for you to try and get money from me," Carey replied, causing the table to laugh again. Cody laughed along with them, finishing the rest of his breakfast. He wasn't going to allow himself to think that they were going to get back together. They were obviously better apart and over the past couple of years they had only just gotten to the point where they could trade insults easier than breathing without any problems. Even Cody noticed that Carey didn't seem as bothered as she used to be whenever he was around.

"You have to admit though, that's smart," Cody came to his brother's defense. "Utilizing the time that someone else is distracted for your own monetary gain." He shrugged. "How do you think I talked you into letting me look at Cosmopolitan magazine for 'science'?" He burst out laughing and bumped fists with Zack as Kurt threw his head back and laughed.

Carey looked at the men that surrounded the table and couldn't help but laugh as well. She had to admit, it was a good plan, and very sneaky for a—at the time—twelve year old. She expected it from Zack, not from Cody. As sad as it was to say, she found him more innocent persona to be how he really was, as opposed to Zack's obvious fixation with girls. Cody finished his breakfast and looked at his watch. He reached over and smacked Zack on the arm. "We should get going or we're going to be late for school."

"Cool." Zack stood up and took his plate to the trash can.

"Zack, honey, you've barely touched your breakfast," Carey said, watching as he walked by her, heading to the trash. He kept his back to her, scooping the uneaten food, which was all besides two pieces of bacon, into the trash. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Zack turned to face Carey and made a half snort half laugh sound, reaching over and putting his plate in the sink. "I just stayed up late last night snacking. You can't have double fudge pop-tarts in this suite without them being eaten in midnight binges did you?"

"That's not healthy," Cody said.

"Thanks for that," Zack snapped.

Cody frowned as Zack picked up his backpack and stormed out of the suite. Cody rubbed the back of his neck as he followed his brother. He was usually never that hostile when it came to him joking about Zack's diet. He would usually get a sarcastic response; pieces of food shoved into his face, or a mocking laugh, but not get snapped at. Cody followed Zack out of the suite and into the elevator. Once the doors closed, Zack brought out his arms and wrapped them around Cody's neck, taking him into a headlock. Cody immediately reacted, bringing his arms up and attacking Zack back. The two spun around, trying to pin each other down, moving into the hotel lobby as they did so. They were so engrossed in their mini-battle that they didn't hear Mr. Moseby's shouts of protest or his warning gasp before they knocked into a table.

"Uh-oh," Cody said. He looked over at the center table that held the Tipton's most expensive vase tilted and rolled along the table's edge. Cody could feel Zack's grip tighten around his neck in anxiety. The two boys watched as the vase rolled off the table and fell towards the floor. At the last second, Mr. Moseby dove forward and grabbed onto the vase. Mr. Moseby let out a sigh of relief and slowly glared up at the boys.

"Race ya to school!" Zack declared.

"Right behind you!" Cody replied.

The twin boys raced out of the hotel and down the street. They didn't stop until they reached the Manning's neighborhood. They spotted their friends waiting on the sidewalk and slowed to catch their breath.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Aaron laughed, shaking his head. "No, let me guess. Moseby, right?"

"For a kid without eyesight, his other senses are so good, it's scary," Zack said, resting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah, and all mine are telling me is that you stink when you sweat." For show, Aaron took a large step away from Zack and Cody and waved a hand in front of his face, his nose wrinkling as he did so. Sydney laughed and gave him a high-five as the rest of the Jacksons and Crystal laughed. Noah rummaged around in the sports bag that dangled from his shoulder and produced a stick of deodorant, handing it out to the older twin boys.

"Thanks." Cody took the deodorant and rolled them under his arms, handing it back to Noah. "Nothing a little deodorant can't fix. Though in Zack's case it'd probably take a whole bucket."

"Well…" Rhuben tucked her hair behind her ears and sniffed around Zack. "He doesn't smell like lunch meat." Zack rolled his eyes as the others started laughing again. "Big improvement there, mate."

"Thanks." Zack said with half-lidded eyes and lowered eyebrows. "My B.O. isn't that bad." To prove his point, he lifted his arm and motioned for Patrick to take a whiff. When he did and didn't keel over, Zack gave a condescending smile. "See?"

"There's not much stock there," Riley remarked. She looped her arm around her brother's waist and used her other hand to pat him on the chest. "Smells don't bother him much, by now we've probably gotten used to the way you smell."

"Rugged and manly?"

"No, mate, stale and sweaty."

"Good one," Zack approved with a smile.

"I try."

"So are we ready to go to school?" Crystal pointed up at the house as she started to back down the street. "Dad likes to make sure that we actually go to school. Last time we skipped, to go to that mall concert with Matisse, he's made sure that he hadn't gotten a call from the school this early in the morning."

"Bye guys." Aaron waved before going back up the driveway to go into the house, Sydney following close behind him. Cody waved back to the boys and started to follow his friends down the sidewalk, heading towards the high school.

"So where are Bailey, Max, and Tapeworm?" Cody asked, noticing the difference in the group without the three of them there. "They always walk with us."

"I think Max's mum gave them a ride to school today," Rhuben replied. She gathered her hair that was caught between her backpack and back and loosed it around her face. "That's what she said anyway, I don't know, I could barely hear her over the loud music in the background." She shook her head. "I swear that girl is gonna go deaf soon."

"I don't doubt it," Cody replied. He glanced at her in surprise. "So…you're not mad about what I said?" He prompted. Rhuben gave him a crazy look, the corner of her mouth lifting towards the right eye that narrowed, her eyebrows mashing together. "Over text. You know…" Cody rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…when I said."

"Oh!" A look of recognition slid over her face. "I didn't text back so fast because I had to wash the breakfast dishes." She poked his pocket. "Take a look."

Cody pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pulled up his messages. He navigated to hers and looked it over, smiling again.

Rhuben: Best compliment I've gotten in a while. Good to know that's what you're good for. Haha. :)

"Ok, why did you guys ask me to walk to school with you if you weren't going to talk?" Bailey whispered loudly. She looked over her shoulder to be sure she wasn't being overheard by anyone. Not that she had to worry about it, Miss. Tutweiller was reading yet another romance novel that seemed to have her completely engrossed, so much so that her eyes widened with each page she turned. Hopefully her face didn't start turning red, when that happened, everyone knew to stay away from her, knowing it was either going to result in her crying or she would get a creepy, dazed look on her face. "The only time I like to walk that far is when I'm walking Porkers. And even Porkers doesn't like to walk that far!"

Tapeworm smiled.

"That's why we meet up at Crystal's house, its closer!" Bailey continued with her rant. She twisted her foot back and forth, pressing the tip of her shoe into the ground. "Even working on the farm wasn't as bad. There's something wrong with this city air…it doesn't taste clean."

Max's nose wrinkled. "So you're saying that farm air, mixed in with manure and sweat is better than city air?" Bailey nodded rapidly, her eyes wide with earnest and Max laughed quietly. She rubbed her forehead, slightly turning away. Tapeworm made a coughing sound and started to tap his pen against his notebook.

Bailey's eyebrows furrowed together as she looked back and forth between the two of her friends. The two best friends seemed uncomfortable sitting next to each other and now that she thought about it, they had been for a while. Even before Thanksgiving, the two of them had been acting a bit weirder than usual. They were always looking at each other funny, and Max didn't seem to want to be around Zack as much as she liked to be, before. Not even the mention of her boyfriend made her smile as much as she used to. There was something going on, she was perceptive enough to know that. Even on the walk over to school they made sure that Bailey was positioned between the two of them the whole way and when Bailey tried to talk to them, to have at least some sort of a conversation, they would mutter a response and that was the end of it.

Bailey was a talker, anything that was on her nerves or that she was having problems with, she had to talk to someone about it, about every minute detail of her problems. She used to talk to Moose about the sort of things that bothered her, now she had more friends to talk to, to help her through her problems, which was something she did enjoy about city life. There was always someone around, rather than her family and animals that she had to take care of every day. Porkers did a good job of listening, but he wasn't someone that was able to talk back, though he seemed to understand her perfectly. And if he were there at that moment, he would be telling her that there was something up.

"What's wrong?" She pressed, dropping her pen and closing her notebook. She glanced over her shoulder once more. Tutweiller was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, she was going to be out of commission for a while, so they could get away with it. "You guys are really starting to scare me."

"Ok, but, what we're going to tell you, you can't tell anyone else," Tapeworm warned. Max sighed loudly, resting her chin in her hand and Tapeworm glanced at her for a moment. "I'm serious. We are going to say something, just…we need someone else's opinion."

"Ok." Bailey moved her off her forehead and nodded. "What is it?" Her eyes moved back and forth between the two friends, waiting for a response. Tapeworm started to chew his fingernails and Max continued to hem and haw, sighing repeatedly, shifting her chin placement in her palm. Bailey frowned, pursing her lips. "I'm not going to be able to help if you don't tell me what's going on."

"Fine." Max dropped her hand, keeping her gaze away from Bailey. "Um…Tape and I…we…um…we kissed."

Bailey blinked for a moment and sat back in her chair. "What?" She shook her head. "Wait. Who cares? A kiss is just a kiss, right?" She scratched the side of her head. "Or is that city thing really not true, if so, then I have something to tell Lily Mae when I send off my next letter."

"The problem, Bailey, is that…we…well,"—Tapeworm licked his lips—"I really like Max," he admitted. "And I have, for a while. And, while kissing her was an accident, I don't really regret it." Max ducked her head, her upper lip curling for a moment. "It's just…her being with Zack is the problem."

Bailey held her hands up, briefly closing her eyes. Whatever she was expecting, she was not expecting this. Not something of this caliber. Back on the farm, if someone were with someone, they were with someone. Kissing, for the most part, was just for fun though when you were committed you never thought of straying, and if someone her age did get married, more often than not, it was because the girl was already pregnant. When she opened her eyes again, everything came clear again. "I thought you liked Zack."

"I did," Max replied. She slapped herself on the forehead. "I do! I mean…" She shook her head, her ponytail bobbing. "It's just…I really do like, Zack. Or, I used to. I don't know. The time that we broke up, after freshmen year, when he became clingy, I don't know what happened. I missed him and we got back together, but then it finally hit me that Zack's a flirt. He flirts with almost everything that moves."

"But you know that Zack is crazy about you," Bailey protested.

"And about Maddie," Max reminded her. "And…" she trailed off, shaking her head again. "He's always chasing after some girl and even though the two of us were good together…I can't help but think he's going to break up with me to go out with someone else. I can't stand thinking that every girl he talks to he wants to go out with more than me. That every girl that talks to him wants to go out with him and push me aside."

"So why don't you just trust him to-"

"It's hard to trust someone when they've done it before." Max gave a bitter laugh. "It was part of the reason we broke up before. I told him off about flirting with other girls, and then he became incredibly clingy." She tightened her grip around her pen, her knuckles turning white. "And when we were broken up he went out on more dates than I could count."

"Oh." Bailey did understand the reservation. Why be with someone that you couldn't completely trust. But this was Max and Zack, they got along so well together.

"Yeah," Tapeworm finally spoke up again. "And, the thing is that we don't know how to tell Zack about it. Last thing we want to do is hurt him and, of course, we don't know how everyone else is going to react to it."

Bailey understood that. It wasn't just Zack and Max and Tapeworm that would be affected by the cheating…or whatever they would consider this. All of their friends would be affected too, who would take whose side and who would be more sympathetic to the other, who would get into a fight because of it. It would be something they talked about for a while and who knew how the rest of the student body was going to react. Everyone knew about Zack and Max dating, from the freshmen all the way up to the seniors. It would probably cause waves of gossip throughout the whole school in a moment's notice. That's what happened when everyone got in each other's business. Bailey bit her lower lip that was what happened when you told the wrong person the secret.

"Guys, whatever you do, please don't let anyone know that I knew first," she said suddenly. She moved a hand to her mouth, as if ashamed of what she said. "I'm sorry, that sounds so selfish. But…I meant, Zack would feel-"

"Betrayed?" Tapeworm spoke up. "I know. That's what we were afraid of too." He ran a hand through his short hair, twirling his pen in his fingers. "But…at the same time, we have to think about the way we feel."

Bailey could understand that, it was like the romance movies she liked to watch. There was always some sort of a love triangle or some sort of a problem where the girl was torn between her two loves or her love and her career. In the end, the girl usually chose her love or found a way to have both. This time, there was no way for anyone to have both. Someone was going to get hurt, and in this case, it seemed like it was going to be Zack. Max was stuck between how she felt for Zack and how she felt for her best friend. She clearly liked them both, but she also seemed to have a lot of problems with Zack that she hadn't talked about since they first manifested, almost two years before. And if there was something that Bailey knew helped, it was getting things off your chest.

But at what cost? Bailey gave a half smile. "Yeah… you have to think about the way you guys feel. It's probably going to hurt Zack, but you need to be honest." She looked between the two. "Because this has obviously been killing y'all for ages." That was her policy; honesty was the way to go, even if someone ended up getting hurt.

"Yeah." Max gave a fleeting smile. "You're right, Bailey."

"Thanks," Tapeworm added.

Bailey couldn't bring herself to say 'y'all are welcome'. Instead, she gave her own fleeting smile, lifting her textbook up to hide her face. She was even more confused than she was before, where her place was in this whole mess.

Should she let the others know or wait for it all to come out? Should she sit back and act like nothing happened if Zack ever came to her to talk? She always tried her hardest o be friends with everyone and to help the best way she could. That was her personality; cheerful, helpful, friendly, outgoing, energetic…when something was thrown her way, she did her best to handle it. What was she doing to do now?

"Oh!" The class looked up as Miss. Tutweiller placed her now closed book against her chest and continued to dab at her eyes. She continued to dab and sniff for a few minutes before looking over the class that ranged from freshmen to seniors. "That was so beautiful. Let me tell you, kids. Love is always worth it."

Bailey gave a helpful smile before turning back around and slouching in her seat. Is it worth it when you're really hurting someone in the end? Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, bending to the side to quickly read the text as cell phones were banned in classrooms. She read over the text and her shoulders dropped. Great, Bailey. You just jinxed yourself.

"You're selfish!"

"You're controlling. You're asking me to change when I can't. I can't believe we're having this conversation again, anyway. I already told you that it's the way I am, I'm a bit of a flirt, but I'm with you."

"It's not like I can help it! You're always looking at other girls and-"

"-And you're always insecure about it. Why don't you trust me? Why can't you trust me? I feel so much pressure from you-"

"-Like I don't feel pressure from you?!"

And that was only part of the fight that Max and I got into. That's the part I can't stop thinking about, and knowing that she and Tapeworm kissed, that she…cheated on me. Would it really be considered cheating though? That's where being a teenage is so confusing. Some people would think a kiss is nothing, especially when it wouldn't be a big deal if the other person found out. Is hooking up—having sex—with someone else the only thing that's considered cheating? Does a hug constitute as cheating? A kiss? What about emotional cheating? I don't know; I'm so confused with everything. All I know is that…maybe our breakup wasn't a bad thing. And…I still want Max to be my friends. I think I loved her, but I'm not so sure, I felt that things weren't always fun. Isn't that the point of being in love with someone? That you always have fun around them? That you feel nothing but elation when you're around them? I hate to admit it, but I don't think I've really felt that way with anyone.

Ever.

I wonder why…

Zack lowered his pen and pressed it in the spine of his journal, closing the lid over it. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs, his hands flopping over his knees, as he looked out over the Boston harbor. He always liked to be able to sit at the water's edge and watch the boats docked. Sometimes, if it was supposed to storm, he would continue to sit there and watch as the storms rolled in along with the boats. Violet, white, yellow, blue, and the odd green flashes of light over the horizon as the dark clouds slowly stretched across the sky. He liked being able to watch the rain cascade down from the clouds before it reached him. It was always relaxing to him.

A light wind blew and Zack pulled his beanie down further over his ears before jamming his hands into his sweatshirt pockets, hunkering over, allowing the wind to blow over his back. He raised his shoulders, allowing them to block his ears from the cold. As much as he was used to the cold and normally enjoyed it, it just reminded him of how empty he was feeling.

"Thought I'd find you here, mate."

Zack didn't have to turn around to know it was Riley that was sitting down next to him. He could always tell, even over the phone, from the inflections in the girls' voices who was talking to him. It was kind of strange for him to see things, physically, different about girls, but wasn't always particularly good at figuratively seeing things differently. Zack looked at Riley out of the corner of his eye as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around herself, holding on tightly. He looked away, looking back over the water again. It was clear, reflecting everything that got close enough. He was scared to go down the rest of the steps and lean down, looking to see what would be shown back.

Would he see himself?

A shell of himself?

Nothing?

He didn't want to risk it.

Zack took in a deep breath, looking at Riley out of the corner of his eye again. He looked back at the water; it lapped gently at the bottom of the steps, making low lapping sounds against the concrete. "Did you know?"

"Did I know?" She repeated.

Zack briefly closed his eyes. "Did you know that Max kissed Tapeworm? Or did you know that we broke up?" He shrugged his shoulders and moved his lower jaw to the side for a moment. "Actually, you probably wouldn't be here if you didn't hear about us breaking up." He drummed his fingers on the top of his notebook. "How'd you know I was out here, anyway?"

"Uh, you told me," Riley replied. She used a hand to move a chunk of her raven hair out of her face. Zack gave her a funny look. "Like, a little bit after we met the first time. You were rambling on and on about yourself and you mentioned that you liked going to the Boston Harbor to watch boats come in." Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught his gaze. "I figured it'd be the first place you'd go to be alone."

"Oh." Zack looked away again. The two were silent for a long time and he was glad, that's all he wanted. To be able to have some time to just think. Think about what really? He and Max broke up, they were both at fault, and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Getting back together may not be the best choice for them at the moment, they needed some time apart.

Whether or not she was cold, Zack didn't know, but Riley shifted closer to him, tilting her head, angling her face to him. "You'll bounce back, Zack." Riley reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, warm against the cold wrapped around him. "You always do." She removed her hand and brought it back against herself, before appearing uninterested. "That's something that I've always liked about you."

"You don't have to pit me," Zack murmured.

Riley's eyes narrowed even further, her tone suddenly growing harsh. "If I hate people feeling pity towards me, mate, why would I do that to someone else?" Her voice softened. "I was being empathetic. I know what it's like…hell, it'd be sad if I didn't know what it felt like…with all of those exes…" She shook her head.

"What happened?" Zack finally turned to completely face her. For some reason he didn't particularly expect her to have a lot of boyfriends, especially after the first couple of times he had asked her out and she turned him down, she said she didn't considering someone a boyfriend unless she was asked to be a girlfriend. And even then, she usually changed the subject whenever she was asked, always getting a bit bitter.

Riley was silent for a long moment and Zack wasn't sure she was going to answer. Finally, she said, "Long story short, a lot of them were jerks. I've had a few that were cool and we're still friends, but a majority of them…I would say that I was desperate for positive attention and I didn't surround myself with good people." She left it at that.

Zack left it at that too, if he pressed further, it'd be a harder conversation to have than he wanted. There were a lot of things with her that would be hard to talk about, though he knew it was going to come up at some point. He thought about his and Max's fight. It had happened right after school and there was a bit of an audience, something that he hated, but their momentum kept going and they kept fighting and before he knew it, they were broken up. He would have liked anything other than that final sentence, a scream, a punch, maybe even a slap…anything but the finality of the silence when they walked away from each other.

"What are you thinking about?" Riley pressed. The wind blew again and she made a sound of whining protest, causing Zack to chuckle, and she hurried to cover her face, her nose already bright red. Her movement flicked her hair around his face, giving him the scent of strawberries that wafted around him, and her cheek brushed against his shoulder.

Zack smirked. "All those times you slapped me."

"I didn't slap you," Riley protested. "I just high-fived your face." She ginned. "There's a difference." Zack smiled. "I'm trying to make you laugh."

"I don't feel like laughing, thanks," Zack murmured.

"Well, what do you feel like doing?"

"Nothing."

"Ok."

And they sat there, watching the boats dock.

What I ate today

Breakfast

-Two slices of beacon

Lunch

-Nothing

Dinner

-Nothing

Time spent at the gym

-2 hours

A/N: Whooo, happy moments with Zack and Cody. There are going to be more happy moments as the story goes on, with the whole group as well as individuals. I tried hard to have Tapeworm's, Max's, and Bailey's conversation and the resulting breakup of Zack and Max to be as realistic as possible. When you have one person that's torn in-between two people, it's hard to figure out which would be the best way to go. Also, you're probably wondering why you didn't see Zack's and Max's breakup in real time, it's because I have something planned with that, so you're going to have to wait a little bit (aka a couple of chapters) before you see what happened.

Mwahahaha. I'm so evil. Ahem. I'm not sure how long (chapter wise) the story is going to be, I have a couple other things to show as the story goes on.

I'll update again soon.

Cheers,

-Riles