Disclaimer: I do not own Saved by the Bell or any of its characters.

Chapter Four

The six friends sat in silence at the Max during lunch. Not a single one of them could describe the silence as comfortable. Kelly, who had just last night made the vow to make sure that everything was okay between the group, worked up a huge smile.

"So, Lisa, Jessie, did you hear that we have a new girl that is trying out for the swim team?" Kelly forced a conversation to start.

"Is she supposed to be good?" Jessie asked, relief filling her voice. Their fourth in the relay had to drop out just a couple of weeks ago due to ineligibility. They had yet to find an adequate replacement for her.

"Well, if she was good, wouldn't she be on the team already?" Lisa asked, doubt filling her voice.

"Unless she transferred in," Slater defensively said, thinking of his own transfer only a little over a year ago.

"After school today, the three of us should go check her out," Kelly offered an idea. She wanted to solidify the fact that her and her two friends were still on solid ground. Jessie and Lisa readily nodded to the idea.

Zack looked like he wanted to continue with another conversation as they once again fell into silence, but was really unsure what he could say.

000

"Zack and I had kind of a weird argument last night," Lisa explained to Kelly and Jessie as they sat in the bleachers later, watching the girl (who was in fact a transfer student) getting ready to show her abilities.

"Already?" Jessie asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"You and Slater fight all the time!" Lisa defensively said. Jessie shrugged, but decided not to comment on the subject anymore.

"What happened?" Kelly asked, curiosity filling her voice.

"Screech called him …," and Lisa relayed the events to the two girls. At the end, both girls noticeably grimaced at what she had said.

"What?" Lisa immediately asked.

"Well, you know that Zack is very protective of Screech," Jessie reminded her. They all knew that even though Zack called Screech a "geek" or other names, Screech was one of the few people who really understood Zack, and on numerous occasions when other people had tried to take advantage of Screech, Zack had become very angry.

"He thinks of Screech as a younger brother," Kelly confirmed.

"But, I did not do anything," Lisa protested.

"I think, in this case, he is defensive of the past ways that you have treated Screech," Jessie sighed, "That might have seemed petty to him before you started dating, but now he is probably wondering if it is okay to continue on like this."

"He knew my faults before we started dating," Lisa frowned, unsure what else to say.

"That does not mean that he has to like them," Kelly laughed, "You will quickly learn, Zack Morris has plenty of faults of his own too."

"I know that," Lisa sounded annoyed.

"Who does Kelly think she is?" Lisa asked herself, "Her time with my boyfriend has long since been over."

Neither Jessie nor Kelly knew what to say to the sudden outburst, so decided to keep quiet while Lisa sifted through her thoughts.

"Oh wow, look," Kelly suddenly said, pointing to the girl who had just entered the swimming pool and began swimming. They were all taken aback by the natural talent the girl seemed to possess, and finally the three of them began to grin.

"I guess we found our fourth relay person," Jessie smiled.

The three girls ran down the bleachers to introduce themselves to the new girl. She grinned broadly at them as they hustled to her. The swim coach looked absolutely delighted as well.

"Hi," Kelly held out her hand in greeting, "I am Kelly, captain of the swim team, and this Jessie and Lisa, we are the other three legs of the relay team. You were amazing."

"Thanks," the girl smiled, "My name is Allie."

"Well, I guess we will see you at swim practice tomorrow," Jessie smiled before the three girls walked off.

00000

The new girl on the swim team had made the three girls earlier conversation long forgotten. They excitedly entered the Max, talking about Allie and her swim time, and how now they could hopefully accomplish the dream of going to the state championship.

Zack smiled as he saw them enter. They were talking so animatedly that it felt exactly like nothing had changed. Except, when he got up to let his girl in the booth, this time it was not Kelly, but Lisa. And while it felt mostly natural to him, a part of him almost thought for a second that it was going to be Kelly who slid in next to him.

"You babes look happy," Slater observed as Jessie pulled up a seat next to him. Jessie shot him a warning glance, but kept on smiling.

"Sorry, Slater, today I am not going to fight with you," she laughed, "the girl trying out for the swim team was absolutely perfect."

"We may even get to go to the state championship with her," Kelly eagerly stated, "Can you imagine it?"

"Finally getting to rub it in Valley's face that they are not the best," Lisa sighed, as she intertwined her hands with Zack. Everybody in the group's eyes automatically dropped to the two joined hands, but then were quickly averted again.

"Hey, I have an idea," Zack smiled, "I could be your team manager!"

"Zack," Kelly chuckled at him, "You would do anything to get out of school for just a few days."

"Seriously, can she not lay off of Zack for one second?" Lisa could not help but think again, "She does not know him as well as she thinks she does. They have not even been friends as long as we have."

"Guilty," Zack admitted, knowing his plan had been revealed, he then turned to the girl next to him, "But, just think about it. A few days together, outside of school. We would have tons of fun!"

"In that case, I should sign up too!" Slater laughed, winking at Jessie.

Lisa let out a breath she did not know she had been holding. No matter what Kelly said, it was clear that Zack was only thinking of her. Lisa was not sure were this sudden worry about Kelly had come from, Kelly had said it was okay and she had never been the type to go back on her word. Yet, Lisa still had begun to feel on edge.

Screech, who had not spoken a word during the entire conversation, quietly stood up as if he was leaving. Zack noticed and frowned at him.

"Screech!" Zack stopped him, "Where are you going?"

"Kevin and I have a science experiment we need to finish," Screech explained, not really wanting to go into details.

"Are you sure you do not want to stay for a shake?" Slater genuinely offered.

"Sorry guys," Screech apologized before practically running out the door. After Screech had left, the group fell into another awkward silence.

"What has gotten into us?" Zack's mind filled with the question, "There is no way that it is because of Lisa and I … is it?"

He frowned at the idea. If the group could not be happy for Lisa and himself, then maybe they were not being the friends they should be. Screech had promised to try and accept it, and now he was running away like a hurt puppy every time he saw them together. The others had welcomed the relationship with open arms, but now seemed hesitant about it. Even Lisa seemed on edge, and if he admitted it, so was he. Why else would he have snapped at Lisa like he did yesterday?

"Is this all a mistake?" the fleeting voice in his mind asked him, but he quickly dismissed it. He knew his feelings for Lisa were real, and just like with girls in the past, he knew he would do anything to make it work.

"Come on Lisa," he suddenly said, "Let's go grab a movie."

"I am not dressed for the movies," she haughtily replied, but her smile gave away her happiness at the spontaneous invitation.

"You look fantastic," he assured her. She smiled at his words and wordlessly, but gladly went with him as he stood up and led her out the door.

"How about that shake?" Slater asked Kelly, who smiled at him. Slater was surprised to see how genuine the smile looked after she had just witnessed the interaction before them.

"As long as you are buying, bubba," she used Jessie's nickname for him in a light hearted fashion. The three friends settled comfortably in as they began to discuss their day, and a movie that they had recently watched on tv.

"See, this is not so hard," Kelly smiled to herself as she sipped her chocolate milkshake.