Chapter 23

Again, I don't own any of these characters

The rest of October ran smoothly. And soon, the calendar turned to November. Fall was in bloom on campus as all of the leaves around campus had turned to shades of reds, yellows and oranges. And November in New England brought with it cooler temperatures. Shorts and skirts were packed up until next spring, and sweatshirts and sweaters took their places. And the beginning of November brought round two of exams.

Like the last time, Cody and Bailey diligently prepared for each exam. And like the last time, they both destroyed the tests. Once exams were over, they only had a a few weeks until their "fall recess" which included the Thanksgiving break. So, with the lull between exams and break, they took life as easy as they could. Everything seemed very laid back and dull – exactly what they were both ready for.

But that changed one Friday. Max and Tapeworm were scheduled to come over for dinner that night. Cody and Bailey had noticed those two had been spending a lot more time together lately, but Cody still hadn't seen enough to declare Bailey the winner of their bet yet. Coming home from class that day, Cody stopped to get their mail while Bailey went on in to check on Porkers. As Cody was going through their mail, most of it junk, he noticed there was an envelope addressed to them from Sony Pictures Studio in California.

Returning inside himself, Cody was assuming it was a rejection letter telling them thanks for applying but we've gone a different direction. He put down his book bag and placed the rest of the mail on the kitchen counter. Opening the letter, he began to read it.

Dear Miss Picket and Mr. Martin,

Thank you for your interest in the Jeopardy College Team Tournament. As you can imagine, we received a lot of interest from all over the country.

Cody sighed. It was pretty much what he figured.

Upon reviewing your application, we would like to congratulate you both on making our list of finalists from Yale University.

Huh? Did that say what he thought it said?

On December 3, 2011, we will have a representative on your campus to administer the Jeopardy test to the two of you as well as our other finalists from around the region. Please show up before 10 AM in Room 246 of the Student Center. If this time and date do not accommodate your schedule, please call us at the number below to attempt to reschedule a time at another campus.

Whoa...

Again, Congratulations and hope to see you soon.

Cody just stood there reading and re-reading the letter over and over. He couldn't help but smile as he knew how happy this would make Bailey. And as if on thought, Bailey joined him in the kitchen. She couldn't help but see the smile on his face.

"What's going on?"

"Here. Read this..." Cody handed her the letter.

Bailey began reading it and a huge smile formed on her face too. She looked up at Cody and immediately threw her arms around him.

"We did it!"

"Yeah, we did..."

"Oh my gosh...We have to start studying for this right now!"

Cody chuckled. "Slow down. We have plenty of time and all fall recess to prepare ourselves."

Bailey paused. "You're right...But we should call everyone and let them know..."

This time Cody paused. "Maybe we should wait till we actually know something for sure."

"You don't think we'll make it?"

"Bails, I have every confidence in us. But maybe we just wait to tell everyone. Maybe we wait till the actual airdates and surprise them then..."

"Do you really think we'll make it on air?"

Cody just looked at Bailey. Despite his cautiousness, he wouldn't dare dash her dream. "Of course I do. Haven't we already proven that we are an unbeatable team?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, we have. You're right. Let's wait to tell everyone later."

Cody smiled back at her. "Good. Because we need to start on dinner. We're having guests over, remember?"

"Of course I remember. I'm fully planning on getting the confirmation I need to declare victory in our bet..."

"You think so, huh?"

"I know so..."

Cody teased her. "Maybe I should give them a push in the opposite direction then..."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Cody laughed. "Of course not."

"Good. Besides, I'm due to win one of our bets anyways..."

"Last I checked, we were both one win, one loss and one tie..."

Bailey grinned. "That's why its time for me to win again..."

Cody just laughed. Soon, they began to prepare dinner. Cody pulled out his Foreman Grill and began patting on burgers. Bailey began preparing a salad. While the burgers were cooking, Cody put a tray of of baked potatoes in the oven to let them cook. By the time the doorbell rang, everything was finished cooking.

The four sat around the table and ate. Once they finished, they just started talking.

Max turned to Cody. "That was delicious. Why are you going to law school or med school? You should be a chef..."

Cody smiled. "I thought about it, but I decided I enjoyed cooking way too much to do that..."

Tapeworm looks at him in confusion. "That makes no sense."

Cody shrugged. "I enjoy doing it, but I do it for me and my family and friends. If I did it for paying customers, it would become too...businesslike and I'm afraid I would get disenfranchised with it. This way, I'm not trying to please everyone else."

Tapeworm nodded. "That makes sense..."

Bailey decides to change the subject. "So, what about you two? Survive another round of exams unscathed?"

Tapeworm smiles. "Yeah, thanks to Max, I actually understood most of what I was talking about on my philosophy test..."

Max laughs. "Me? You actually explain derivatives and integrals to me in a way that made sense..."

Bailey couldn't help but to smile. She just knew that she had been right.

But Cody couldn't let it be that easy. "Wow...You two have been spending a lot of time together lately. Anything we should know about?"

Tapeworm didn't say anything but Max laughed. "Cody, Tapeworm and I are old friends, and neither of us knows that many people here..."

"Just checking..."

Now it was Bailey's turn. "I think its wonderful that two close friends are spending so much time together. You know, Cody and I started off as friends too..."

Max and Tapeworm look at each other and then back at Cody and Bailey. "Is there something going on here that we should know about?"

Cody smiled. "Not at all..."

Max nodded. "Good. Because for some reason I was getting the feeling there was a push to have Tapeworm and I as more than friends..."

Bailey paused. "Would that be so bad?"

"So...You were pushing?"

Cody shook his head. "Not at all. We just want to see the both of you happy."

"Wow...I can't believe you two! Trying to pair us off like that!"

Cody and Bailey looked at each other. Finally Bailey spoke. "I'm sorry. I just thought that maybe..."

But before she could continue, Tapeworm just started laughing.

Now, Cody and Bailey were confused.

"Sorry, Max...I couldn't help myself any longer..."

Max laughs too. "Its okay..." She turns back to Cody and Bailey. "I guess we should be upset that you meddled...but it may have worked out."

Bailey smiled. "Really?"

Tapeworm nodded. "Yeah..."

Bailey couldn't help herself and turned to Cody. "See, I told you so!"

Cody just smiled. "Yeah, you did...Congrats, Bails. You won."

Now it was Max and Tapeworm's turn to look confused. "Won what?"

"Bailey thought you two would be a cute couple. I thought you had been friends for so long that it might not happen..."

Max nods. "So, what does she win?"

Bailey just turned to Cody and smiled.

To be Continued...