Chapter 59
Again, I don't own any of these characters
After sleeping in on Sunday, both Cody and Bailey spent Sunday studying for the MCAT and GRE. They now only had three months until their tests and only two weeks before school started back. This was going to be one of their last chances to have be able to focus completely on the tests. But throughout the summer, both were feeling better about the exams. To Bailey, the GRE was like an advanced SAT, and she had done very well on it. To Cody, the MCAT was basically a very big science test, and he felt he was in his element.
On Monday, both returned to work and received standing ovations from their co-workers. Of course, another round of questions were asked to them, but all they would say was that they next aired again the next night. After that, work continued on as usual. Cody was beginning to wrap up some of the projects he had been assigned to work on that summer. He wanted to have his findings done before he left on Friday. Dr. Cole had no doubts that Cody's work was going to be very useful. On the other hand, Bailey was in for a very busy week. Pet owners had noticed how their pets had taken to Bailey and wanted her to be there for any last minute appointments. And Dr. Ryan soon learned that during the semester, Thursday and Friday afternoon appointments were going to be a premium. Both of their bosses were sad to lose them full time, but they were happy to know they would be keeping them on in some capacity.
Tuesday night brought with it Cody and Bailey's semifinal game. They had both decided to watch it alone so they wouldn't have to answer any more questions. In that game, Cody and Bailey didn't just completely dominate right from the start like they did in the quarterfinals...but it was close. They were like a well oiled machine. Categories seemed to be tailored to at least one of their strengths. By the end of the Jeopardy round, they had a sizable lead – Team Yale 7,200, Team Georgia 2,200 and Team Arizona State 1,200.
The Double Jeopardy round went about the same. At one point, Team Georgia tried making a run at them, but a well played Daily Double by Cody and Bailey extended their lead again. By the time the Double Jeopardy round was over, the scores were Team Yale 14,800, Team Georgia 8,000 and Team Arizona State 4,400. Going into Final Jeopardy, Cody and Bailey weren't real worried about Arizona State, but had to bet at least 1,201 to make sure they finished ahead of Team Georgia if both got the answer correct.
Of course, once the Final Jeopardy category was announced, both Cody and Bailey felt very confident...The Revolutionary War. And the answer was as easy as they had hoped. It asked what tribe of Native Americans did the Americans dress up as for the Boston Tea Party. Both smiled as it was information they had learned on the tour of Boston Harbor when Bailey first arrived in Boston. Of course, the answer was the Mohawks. Team Georgia knew it as well, but Cody and Bailey had won by $1 and secured a spot in the finals...where they would go head to head with Team Harvard and Team Kentucky.
Wednesday night brought with in an unexpected phone call. Max and Tapeworm had moved back to New Haven that morning. Both, tired of their roommates the previous semester, had found studio apartments in a building not far from where Cody and Bailey lived. So, they were officially back in town now. Of course, they both congratulated Cody and Bailey for the performances so far. In turn, they invited Max and Tapeworm over to have dinner and to watch the first round of the finals. And they double checked with Zack and made sure it was okay to bring them up to Storrs the next night.
So, on Thursday night, Cody had dinner ready by the time they came over. They finished just in time to turn on the Finals. It was evident throughout the whole round that Barbara was giving Bailey dirty looks, but Bailey was too focused to notice them. The Finals, like the finals of every Jeopardy tournament is an accumulation of scores over two days. So, playing it safe just to get to the next round is not a good idea. Throughout round one, Team Harvard and Team Yale were going back and forth. It was obvious to the rest of the country that the rivalry had carried over to Jeopardy, but the rest of the country had no idea just how bad the blood really was between the two teams. Team Kentucky was quietly staying within striking distance. At the end of the first day of competition, Harvard and Yale were both tied at 22,000. Kentucky wasn't all that far behind at 15,000. Those scores would be added to the scores from day two.
After the show was over, there was immediately a call from Zack thanking them for bringing some drama to the shindig the next evening. As they sat around, Tapeworm turned to Cody.
"So, what was it like having to compete against Barbara?"
Cody shrugged. "Well, I tried not to let it affect me..."
Max laughed. "If she would have done to me what she did to you two, I would have wanted to destroy her..."
Bailey nodded. "Believe me...I wanted to..."
"Did you notice all the dirty looks she was giving you?"
"Not at the time, but seeing them now, I'm not sure how I missed them..."
"Did you two talk to her after everything was over?"
Cody shook his head. "No. I have nothing to say to her..."
"What about you, Bailey?"
Bailey smiled. "I didn't say anything...But I made sure she could see my engagement ring as much as possible..."
Cody turned to her. "You did?"
Bailey nodded. "Yes. I know it was probably a little childish, but I wanted to remind her that you are all mine..."
Cody smiled. "So, is that why you pulled me into those passionate kisses around the pool, in the hot tub, and on the stage?"
Bailey grinned. "The first ones were...The others were because I wanted to..."
Cody laughed. "Well, I enjoyed them, so I can't complain. But I am all yours, I don't care what anyone else thinks..."
Max sighed. "And to think...I actually missed their mushiness this summer..."
Bailey smiled. "Speaking of mushiness...We have some news for you both..."
"What's that?"
"We've set a date..."
"Yeah, when?"
"June 26, 2014. On board the S.S. Tipton..."
Tapeworm smiled. "Sounds like a lot of fun..."
Cody smiled too. "We hope so. And we actually have a favor to ask of the both of you..."
"Yeah, what's that?"
Bailey finished. "Well, I know you have both known Cody for a long time, and in the past year, I've come to consider you both great friends as well..."
Max smiled. "We feel the same way..."
"We were hoping you two would agree to be a groomsmen and a bridesmaid..."
Tapeworm smiled. "I'm sure Max will look good in a tux, but I don't think anyone wants to see me in a dress..."
Max playfully smacked him and turned back to Bailey. "We'd be honored..."
Bailey smiled. "Good. Once we have the dresses and tuxes decided, we'll get you both in for fittings..."
The next afternoon, Cody and Bailey both were given back to school parties at their respective jobs as it was both their last days until school started. Both left early and were ready to head out when Tapeworm and Max showed up at the house at 4:30. The quickly got on the road and made there way to Storrs by 6:30.
It seemed that everyone there had been very sociable in the first week there, and the apartment was filled with several neighbors and some of their fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. Cody, Bailey, Max and Tapeworm were introduced to everyone, and all the guests socialized before the show was to begin. Finally, at 7:30, everyone was gathered around the flatscreen.
"This...is...the...Jeopardy College Team Championship. Here are our finalists in this the second day of the Championship Round...Sophomores from the University of Kentucky, Mike Clooney and Ashley Wall...Freshmen from Harvard University, Mark Chang and Barbara Brownstein...And Freshmen from Yale University, Bailey Pickett and Cody Martin...And now, here is the host of Jeopardy...Alex Trebek..."
Alex Trebek came out and made his appearance to the audience.
"Thank you, Johnny. Welcome ladies and gentlemen. We would like to welcome you to the final game of our College Team Tournament. The scores the teams accumulate today will be added to their totals from yesterday. The team with the highest cumulative score will be our champions. So, to our teams, good luck. Here we go. The first round is the Jeopardy round. And these categories now in play...'G'eography...Comic Book Villains...College Coaches...The Civil War...European Monarchs and Potent Potables...Yale, you have control of the board..."
The first round was a battle back and forth between Harvard and Yale with Kentucky again bringing up the rear. In fact, at the end of the Jeopardy round, Harvard had slight $400 lead.
"Team Kentucky will be picking first in these categories of Double Jeopardy ...Ancient Egypt...American Vice Presidents...Poetry...Civil War Generals...2007 Movies...and Spring Break..."
Again, Harvard and Yale battled back and forth throughout the Double Jeopardy round. You could tell you were watching an instant classic as it progressed. Finally, the round ended...in a tie. Yale and Harvard were tied at $26,800 with Kentucky in third at $15,200.
"Well, it looks like it will come down to Final Jeopardy and this category...Memorable Sports Moments..."
After the final commercial break. "The category is Memorable Sports Moments. Here comes the answer...Game 6 of the 1986 World Series involved the infamous moment of the ball going through Bill Buckner's legs. However, it was this Met who hit the ball..."
The famous Jeopardy theme music began to play as the camera panned on the three teams as they wrote their final answers. You could see Team Kentucky immediately begin writing something down. Team Harvard was seen in a heated discussion. With Team Yale, you could see Bailey frown before she noticed Cody grin and begin writing.
Zack turned to his brother. "Bro...If you missed this..."
"Team Kentucky...You answered Who is Ray Knight?...I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Ray Knight is actually the Met who scored the winning run on the play. You wagered...$2,200 leaving you with $14,000 and a combined two day total of $29,000...Team Harvard...You answered...Who is Derek Jeter?...I'm sorry, that is incorrect as well. You wagered...$26,800...Leaving you with $0 for this round and a two day total of $22,000. So, Team Yale needs to end Final Jeopardy with at least $29,001 to become our Champions. Team Yale...
There was a pause for dramatic effect.
"You answered...Who is Mookie Wilson?"
Another pause for dramatic effect.
"That is correct. Did you wager at least $7,001?"
Yet another pause for dramatic effect.
"You wagered, $26,000 leaving you with $52,000 and a combined two day total of $74,000. Congratulations to Team Yale, Bailey Pickett and Cody Martin...Our 2012 Jeopardy College Team Champions! Tune in next week as we return to our normal version of your favorite answer and question game. Join us for that, won't you? So long everyone..."
In the apartment, everyone went crazy and Cody and Bailey both slumped back in relief. They had made it and had resisted the urge to tell everyone that they had won.
Zack patted them both on the back. "Congrats, Bro...Sis..." He paused and grinned. "So...just how much did you two win anyways?"
Cody and Bailey just shook their heads at him. There was no way they were going to tell anyone that the usual $100,000 for the regular College Championship had been bumped up considerably. Of course, Uncle Sam was going to try to get his hands on as much as he could, but Cody had some ideas to get around that. And all of that money was going to be invested until they needed it for either grad school or afterwards.
To be Continued...