*Lola's P.O.V*
"Mom! Please!" My brothers and I whined as we followed Mom into the hotel. We wanted new bikes, but Mom wouldn't let us.
"Guys, what's wrong with your old bikes? They're still perfectly good." Mom said.
"Mom, they're tricycles." Zack said.
"Guys, I'm sorry, but we can't afford bikes right now." Mom told us, "I mean, it's that or food." Me and the boys looked at each other hopefully. "No, forget I gave you that option." She quickly said, before walking away.
"Great, now we're stuck here with nothing to do." Zack complained. I noticed Cody staring at the hotel entrance in amazement. I turned around and saw a load of girls walking in, as Zack continued to make a fuss, "I mean, this is probably the most boring hotel in the history of boring hotels."
Knowing all the girls would shut him up, me and Cody grabbed him and spun him round.
"Oh Zack!" Cody said. Zack's face lit up like a lamp and his jaw dropped.
"I love this hotel!" He yelled. The two boys watched in awe, as the girls piled into the hotel. I was a little confused as to why they were even here, but then I remembered there was some beauty pageant being held here. "Wow, it's like Christmas!" Zack said.
"I'm sweating in places I've never sweated before." Cody told us. I scrunched my face up in disgust. I found all of this quite pathetic. The beauty pageant and the way my brothers were acting.
"Alright! Moseby booked a beauty pageant!" Zack said.
"I wish we could just go up and talk to them." Cody said.
"Hello! We can!" Zack told him, before gently hitting Cody's chest, "Watch and learn, little brother." I rolled my eyes as Zack walked over to one of the girls. "So, if I guess your name do I win a kiss?" He asked her, giving her a flirty smile.
"Awh, you're so adorable!" She grinned, pinching Zack's cheek, before her facial expression turned to an annoyed one, "And so completely out of your league." She then walked away, proving my point that almost all beauty pageant girls are spoilt snobs.
"Smooth." Cody said sarcastically as we walked over to Zack.
"You guys are almost as pathetic as the beauty pageant." I said, crossing my arms over my chest, "I mean, I wouldn't be caught dead flouncing around a runway in some stupid, frilly little dress, with my face caked in buckets and buckets of makeup." I went on.
"Not even if there was a really cute guy in the audience?" Cody asked me.
"No, not even then. It's honestly stupid how you two are acting so giddy, just because of a few girls, who may have pretty faces, but are probably super shallow. I would never act like that just because of a boy. Nope, never, not in a million years, no sir..." I kept going on and on. I decided I wanted some candy, so I took a step back, about to turn and walk over to Maddie's candy counter, but accidentally walked into someone as I stepped back.
"Oh, I-" I spun around, my eyes landing on the boy I bumped into. He looked a bit older than me, like fourteen-ish, with soft brown hair and brown eyes. Oh my god, he was cute.
"Sorry for bumping into you, are you alright?" He asked me.
"Y-yeah, I-I-I...um...uh...eh...I..."
"What was that about not acting stupid because of a boy?" Zack muttered in my ear, so the boy wouldn't hear. I gave my triplet a glare, as I regained my posture and tried to speak normally.
"I'm, uh, I'm fine. It was my fault, really. Sorry." I tried to say without stuttering.
"Don't sweat it." He chuckled, giving me a smile which made me melt inside, "I'm Nick, by the way."
"I-I'm, um, my name's..." Wow. I've actually forgotten my own name.
"Lola." Zack said to me slowly, as if talking to a four year old.
"Right, Lola. My name is Lola." I said to Nick. He chuckled again.
"C'mon, Cody, let's leave before she starts drooling." I heard Zack quietly say. I ignored him and looked back at Nick.
"So, Lola, are you here for the beauty pageant?" He asked me.
"Oh, god, no. Me and my brothers live here." I told him.
"Here? As in, in the hotel?"
"Yep."
"That's so cool." Nick said.
"I guess so." I shrugged, finally having a normal conversation with him without stammering, "What about you? Are you here for the beauty pageant?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.
"Haha." Nick said sarcastically, smiling playfully. "No, I'm actually here with my aunt and cousin, Rebecca, who is entering the pageant. My parents are out of the town for the weekend, so I have to stay with them." He explained. I nodded, understanding.
"Nick!" A woman said, walking up behind Nick, "Come help me take the bags up to our room. Rebecca will be here in a sec, she's getting the rest of her stuff from the car."
"And that's my cue." Nick said to me, causing a small giggle to escape my lips. Yes, me, giggling. I never giggle. "I'll see you around, Lola."
"Y-you too." Dammit, the stuttering's back! Nick gave me another heart-melting smile before walking away to help who I presume is his aunt. Once he left, I looked around and saw my brothers by the stairs near the entrance. Cody was sat on the railing and Zack was stood on one of the steps.
"Finished making googly eyes at that guy, Miss. 'I-would-never-act-stupid-because-of-a-boy'?" Zack mocked me as I walked over. I rolled my eyes.
"I was not acting like that because I thought he was cute or anything, I just...lost my train of thought." I fibbed, my eyes darting from side to side.
"Riiight, and I suppose you forgetting your own name had nothing to do with him either." Cody said, raising his eyebrows and folding his arms, as he jumped down from the railing.
"Shut up." I mumbled, crossing my own arms in a stubborn manner. "And, for your information, 'that guy's name is Nick." Both my brothers just rolled their eyes, as some girls walked passed and caught Zack's attention. Typical.
"So, you like video games?" He didn't get much of a response as the girls just walked away faster. "There was no connection." He tried to tell Cody and I. I rolled my eyes. As you may have noticed, I roll my eyes a lot around my brothers. "Ooh, but I think Mini Miss Rhode Island is making eyes at me." He smirked, running over to the one of the other contestants.
"None of them have even noticed me." Cody sighed. I was about to try and make him feel better, when a girl walked through the front door and bumped into Cody as she walked down the steps, causing her to drop her bag. I watched from a few feet away as they stared at each other, the girl smiling and Cody looking completely awestruck. Looks like I'm not the only one who's found a crush.
"Hi." The girl finally said. Cody started making incoherent sounds. "I'm sorry, I don't speak Vietnamese." She apologised. I stifled my laughter.
"Uh, er... I meant, do you need some help with your bags?" He managed to say normally, picking up her bag.
"That's really nice of you, but I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." The girl said as nicely as she could.
"It's okay, I'm not that strange. Except for when I get really nervous, I can't stop talking. Which is odd because I'm aware of it and you'd think I'd know better, but for some strange reason-"
"Alrighty, then." She cut Cody's ramble off, taking her bag from him and walking away. Cody watched her walk away, as Zack walked down the steps looking disappointed. I moved closer to them so I was stood next to Zack, since I'd stepped back to give Cody his space while he talked -or rambled so quickly it wasn't even understandable- to that girl.
"Okay, this thing is a total washout. The girls are all stuck up, phony-"
"Don't talk about her like that!" Cody cut him off, "She's sweet, and she's pure, and everything that's good about life." Cody stared at her dreamily, as she checked in at the front desk.
"Cody, you just met her." I said.
"And yet, I know all I need to know about her." He said, not looking away from the girl.
"Oh yeah? What's her name?" Zack asked. Cody groaned, burying his face in his hands. He looked up and ran over to the girls, with me and Zack following, only to be stopped by Mr. Moseby.
"Not so fast!" He told us, "Now, these young ladies are here for a very important competition, which happens to bring in a lot of money to this hotel. They did not come here to be harassed by Tweedledum and Tweedledumber."
"You better stop right there if you want to keep that nice little pocket hanky of yours." I said, placing my hands on my hips, before Mr. Moseby could insult me. He just made a face.
"But I have to talk to what's-her-name." Cody said, trying to see past Mr. Moseby.
"Nope, nope, nope, nip, nin." Mr. Moseby made a series of weird sounds, before saying "There will be no fraternising with the contestants, or I will have your mother confine you to your hotel suite. Now, these people are here as our guests; we must treat them like royalty." Just as Moseby said that, a woman who I'd seen speaking to him earlier, walked over with a box of some sort.
"Maryann, where can I dump my portapotty?" She asked. Me and my brothers stepped back, covering our mouths at the grossness of that sentence. And that box thing.
"If you'll excuse me, I have to help the queen...with her throne." Mr. Moseby said, clearly as grossed out as we were, but trying to hide it. The woman smiled and handed him the box. I almost gagged at the thought of touching that thing. Moseby took it and walked away, holding it as far away from himself as possible.
It wasn't long before the beauty pageant started, and Cody dragged Zack and I backstage so he could see 'what's-her-name' again and give her some flowers. I didn't really mind, as I was kinda hoping to see Nick again.
"How much longer do we have to wait here?" Zack whined.
"Until what's-her-name comes out and I can give her these." Cody said, holding up the flowers.
"Good day." I faintly heard Moseby.
"Uh-oh, Moseby alert!" Zack said.
"Oh no! He's gonna see us fraternizing!" Cody panicked, hiding his face with the flowers. And I thought Zack was supposed to be the dumb one.
"What are you, five?" I asked Cody. "Quick, we can hide in here." I grabbed both of their wrists and pulled them into the dressing room, where we hid behind a rack of dresses.
"Oh, Tyreesha, in this dress you are bound to win." A woman said to her daughter.
"No! I quit! I'm sick of beauty pageants, I'm going to science camp!" The girl shouted, snatching the dress and throwing it down before storming off.
"Where did I go wrong?" The mother asked herself. "Tyreesha!"
"There she is!" Cody said, looking at a girl; the same girl he bumped into. He climbed out from behind the dress rack and began walking towards her.
"What are you doing?!" Me and Zack whisper-yelled after him.
"Oh, ladies. Knock knock, man in the house." We heard Mr. Moseby as he walked in. Cody panicked and grabbed a wig, throwing it on his head. He sat on one of the chairs and covered himself with a dress. What is he doing?!
"Come on in, we're decent." One of the mothers said.
"Splendid, splendid." Moseby said, walking in.
"You know," Said one of the women, who's shirt read 'Brianna's Mom', "These rose-colored candies are horrible."
"That's soap, Madam." Moseby said.
"Well, then they're pretty dang good." She said. Then the woman in charge of the whole thing walked in.
"Almost showtime, girls. Come on, come on, come on, my little beauties, come on!" She turned around, seeing Cody who still had the wig on and was holding the dress over himself. "Young lady, why aren't you in your dress?!"
"Uh..."
"Number eleven..." She looked at the tag on his dress, "You're in the first group!" She then looked closer, "Is that a hair on your lip?"
"I hope so!" Cody gasped, looking in the mirror beside his chair.
"We'll just pull that right out." She said, grabbing a pair of tweezers.
"No! Come on! That's my only one!" Cody whined, backing away from her. Eventually, she won and plucked the hair, much to Cody's dismay. They both finally left, and Zack and I came out from behind the rack of dresses, since no one was here any more.
"What are we gonna do?" I panicked, "She thought Cody was one of the contestants!"
"Okay, okay, relax... Cody's smart, right? I'm sure he'll find a way out of this." Zack said, but was probably trying to convince himself more than me. "Come on, let's just try and find him." He decided. I nodded and we ran out of the room.
After running for a while, we finally came across the ballroom, where the pageant was being held. As we ran in, we saw Cody up on the stage. Yes, Cody, going up and down the runway wearing a wig, dress and high heels.
"Tyreesha enjoys marine biology, double dutch, and her hero is George Washington." The host guy said.
"He's out of his mind!" Zack exclaimed. I was about to completely agree, when I saw the sign next to us and my eyes widened. I nudged Zack and pointed towards the sign. "£2,000?! He's a genius!" He yelled.
"Yay, Tyreesha!" I shouted, jumping excitedly.
"You go, girl!" Zack added. I was so busy cheering "Tyreesha" on, that I didn't hear someone walk up behind me, until I heard their voice.
"Lola?" I spun round and instantly smiled when I saw Nick.
"Oh, hey Nick." I said casually.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Oh, I'm here because..." I paused, trying to think of an excuse. I mean, I couldn't really say 'Oh, my brother is pretending to be a contestant so we can win money for bikes'. "My sister is a contestant." Why did it take me so long to come up with that?
"I thought you said you were only here because you lived at the hotel?" Nick said.
"I- uh, I know, I do, but my sister, Tyreesha, decided to enter at the last minute." I lied. Nick nodded, clearly buying it.
"Is that her up there?" He asked, looking up at the stage. I cringed as Cody tripped and awkwardly walked all over the runway.
"Yep, that's my sis." I said, trying to hide my grimace.
"Okay, well, I better go. I told Rebecca I'd meet her backstage right about now." Nick said, looking at his watch. I nodded.
"Okay, I'll see you around." I said.
"Ditto." He said, winking at me, before walking away. I found myself smiling dreamily. He just winked at me. Well, either that or he had something in his eye... Oh well, I'm gonna go with him winking at me.
"Hello? Earth to Lola?" I suddenly noticed Zack waving his hand in front of my face.
"Huh?" I mumbled, looking at him.
"Cody's just finished, so we need to meet him backstage. Come on!" He said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along. We ran back through the halls until we got to the dressing room. "Hello, ladies." Zack said, walking over to Cody and the girl he likes. I noticed how the tag on the girl's dress said Rebecca. I wonder if she's Nick's cousin?
"Rebecca, you remember my sister, Lola and my brother, Cody?" Cody said. Wait, did he just call Zack, Cody?
"Huh?" Zack asked, just as confused as I was.
"Cody. You're Cody." Cody said through gritted teeth.
"Thanks for the flowers." Rebecca said sweetly.
"Right, because I'm Cody, the one who sent you the flowers." Zack said, trying to act as Cody. Emphasis on trying.
"Rebecca!" I heard someone say. I turned around and saw Nick running in. Huh, so she is his cousin. "Oh, hi, Lola. Again." He said as he saw me.
"Hiya." I smiled, as he turned back to Rebecca.
"You did great tonight." He began.
"Thanks." She smiled at her cousin.
"Your welcome. Anyway... Your Mom's in another cat fight..." He trailed off awkwardly.
"My daughter is twice as pretty as your daughter!" I heard a woman say in the background.
"Aah! You bit me!"
"Oh great. I better go hold her earrings." Rebecca sighed, walking over to the women.
"I should go help too. See you later, Lola." Nick smiled at me.
"Yeah." I said, as he left.
"Wait, so the guy you like is cousins with the girl I like?" Cody asked me.
"Yeah, I guess so." I said.
"Okay, okay, enough girl talk." Zack butted in, "Dude, you were so hot out there. You have a chance to win the prize money!" He told Cody.
"No way!" Cody argued, "I'm not doing it! These heels are killing me and my pantyhose are riding up!" He complained. Okay, ew.
"Who cares about your female problems?! Think about the money!" Zack said.
"Think about the bikes!" I added.
"You can't drop out of this pageant!" Zack continued.
"Forget it!" Cody yelled. Then Rebecca came back and put a hand on Cody's shoulder, turning him around.
"They're right. You can't leave. This pageant is like a shark tank." She took Cody's hand, "I need you to help me get through this." Cody looked at us, then back at Rebecca.
"I'm in!" Cody giggled in his girly voice. Me and Zack fist pumped and did a little victory dance.
"Hug!" Rebecca exclaimed, opening her arms. Cody opened his arms too, but Zack hugged him before Rebecca could. I saw the uncomfortable look on Rebecca's face and chuckled nervously.
"Um, they have a very special relationship." I told her awkwardly.
Later that night, me and the boys were back in our suite while Cody was converting himself back into a dude.
"Boy, eyeshadow is tough to get off!" Cody exclaimed, walking in wearing a bathrobe and wiping his makeup off with a towel.
"'Cause you used to much." I said matter-of-factly.
"Which, by the way, makes you look a little cheap." Zack chimed in, as he got "Tyreesha"'s outfit ready for the next pageant, while I just sat on the couch, on my computer. "Now, I have a great idea for the talent competition," He continued, just as the phone rang. I put my laptop aside and got up to answer it.
"Hello?" I said into the phone.
"Hey, Lola, it's Rebecca." The voice of Rebecca spoke.
"Oh, hi, Rebecca." I said, grabbing Cody's attention.
"Is Tyreesha there?" She asked, as Cody ran over and tried to take the phone from me.
"Give me that." He muttered, as I held it out and called for "Tyreesha".
"Oh, Reesha!"
I finally handed the phone to Cody and he sat on the edge of the coffee table.
"Oh, hi, Rebecca. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I have to work overtime to look as good as you do." Cody is in his girl voice, with a weird little giggle. I shook my head, going back to my computer. I could faintly hear Rebecca's voice through the phone, but took no notice. That is, until Cody said, "A slumber party?"
Zack immediately dropped the pink jacket he was holding and looked at Cody, "No! Absolutely not! I'm putting my foot down!" He said sternly.
Cody gave Zack one glance before saying, "I'll be there!" and hanging up.
"Clearly you do not understand the 'foot down' concept!" Zack said.
"Hey, this is the only way I can be with Rebecca and I'm taking it." Cody said, putting the phone down and walking over to Zack. I also put my laptop down and walked over to them.
"Well, you're going to blow our cover and our chance to get new bikes!" Zack went on.
"I agree with Zack on this one." I said, "You can't risk blowing your cover when we're so close to winning."
"Tyreesha can do it." Cody said.
"No, Tyreesha can't!" Zack said, mimicking Cody's girl voice.
"Who's Tyreesha?" Mom asked, walking in through the front door. I panicked slightly and helped Cody hide the dress under the cushions, as the three of us sat on the couch.
"Um, the new weather girl on TV." I said, thinking on the spot.
"She's always wrong." Cody explained, "40% humidity? I don't think so!"
Mom walked over and looked at the blank TV screen, "The TV's not on."
"Yeah, that's 'cause we turned it off. We're sick of her lies!" Zack said.
"Okay... What do you guys have planned for tonight?" Mom asked as she walked over to the kitchen.
"Um, I'm sleeping over at Tapeworm's." Cody told her, as we got up and followed her some of the way.
"And you two aren't?" She frowned, looking at Zack and I.
"Uh, no we had a fight." Zack told her.
"You guys and Tapeworm?"
"Me, Zack and Lola." Cody said.
"Are you wearing lipstick?" Mom bent down to get a closer look at Cody's face.
"That's what the fight was about." I jumped in. Wow, I am on a roll with these excuses!
"Yeah, uh, me and Lola put lipstick on him while he was taking a nap." Zack explained.
"That wasn't very nice," Mom pointed at me and Zack, "And that's not your shade." She pointed at Cody, before walking away.
"I told you!" Zack said, earning a glare from Cody.
After Cody left for the slumber party, me and Zack sat on the couch watching TV. We were watching some cartoon, when the phone rang again.
"I'll get it." I told Zack, getting up and walking over to answer the phone. "Hello?" I said into the receiver.
"Hey, Lola, it's Nick."
"Oh, hey, Nick." I said, going into our room for a bit more privacy.
"Hey, listen, the pageant ends tomorrow which means it's my last day in Boston and I was wondering if you wanted to go out before I leave?"
"Go out? As in, like, on a d-date?"
"Uh, yeah...what do you say?"
"I'd love to!"
"Really? Awesome! How about tomorrow evening, just before the pageant starts?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Great. I gotta go now, so I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye."
As soon as the line went dead, I let out a huge squeal. I then went back into the living room and put the phone back on it's stand.
"Did you just squeal?" Zack asked, looking at me. I just grinned, sitting down on the couch. "But, you never squeal. You yell. Mostly at me and Cody..."
"Well, I guess some things change." I said with a shrug, a smile on my face.
"Okay, what happened on the phone?"
"Oh nothing much... Well, except that Nick asked me out on a date!" I said with yet another squeal. Zack flinched at the noise.
"You're going on a date?" Zack asked incredulously.
"Yep." I chirped.
"But...but...I'm the supposed to be the first one to go on a date out of us three." Zack stuttered, referring to him, Cody and myself.
"Well, sorry, Zackie, but looks like I'm the first one to go on a date." I said, standing up and skipping into our room.
"Did you just call me Zackie?!"
*Cody's P.O.V*
I arrived at Brianna's suite and her mom opened the door.
"Oh, look, girls, it's little Tyreeta." She said as I walked in.
"Tyreesha." I corrected her.
"Like it matters." She replied. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, honey, there's a tray out there with half a steak on it, I'll be right back." I heard Brianna's mom say as I sat down with Rebecca.
"You're just in time! We're playing 'What Do You Wanna Be When You Grow Up'." Rebecca told me.
"Okay! Me next!" Brianna said, climbing onto the armchair. "A supermodel!" She exclaimed, doing a pose.
"Tyreesha, what do you wanna be?" Rebecca asked me.
"Oh, I'm gonna be a hockey player." I said casually, but for some reason everyone looked at me weirdly. Wait, oh yeah, I'm supposed to be a girl... "O-or a princess, whichever pays better." I quickly added, and everyone smiled and nodded, taking that answer more seriously. "And Rebecca?" I asked.
"I wanna open a free animal hospital for underprivileged pets." She replied.
"I think that's beautiful." I said, earning a gorgeous smile from Rebecca.
"Thanks. I need to start saving for vet school now. That's the only reason why I'm doing the pageant." She explained, whispering the last bit. "What about you?"
"Oh, I'm doing it to buy some bikes." Shoot, I probably shouldn't have said that... "For underprivileged pets!" I said with the cutest smile I could muster.
"Aww, that's so sweet! It's so great that we can do this together!" She said.
"Hug!" I grinned, opening my arms. Rebecca smiled and hugged me. Yes! I finally got a hug from her!
"So, what do your brother and sister think about you being in the pageant?" Rebecca asked me.
"Oh, uh, they're okay with it." I said. "What about your cousin?"
"Yeah, he's alright with it. Although, he doesn't really help out much, since he's always on the phone to his girlfriend." She told me, rolling her eyes.
"Wait, he has a girlfriend?" I asked.
"Yep. They've been together for a while now." She said. Uh oh, this is bad... Lola really likes Nick, and he has a girlfriend? How am I gonna tell her?
I was snapped out of my thoughts when the doorbell rang.
"Be right there!" Brianna called.
"Don't bother, darlings. I own the place." Uh oh. That's London's voice.
"London!" I yelped quietly, crawling inside my sleeping bag and hiding there.
"I got the candy counter girl to bring us some snacks." I heard London say.
I then heard Maddie's voice, "Thank you for introducing me, but I do have an actual name. It's Maddie."
"London, what did you wanna be when you were little?" I heard one of the girls ask.
"I wanted to be an heiress. And I did it. Yay me!" London said, and then I heard a round of applause.
"You must be so proud. It takes a special kind of person to be born rich." Maddie said.
"Thank you!" London replied.
"What are you doing in there?" I heard Rebecca ask, tugging on my sleeping bag.
"Uh, putting on night cream. It has to be applied in the dark." I told her. I hated lying to her, but what was I supposed to say?
"You know girls, pageants have their place, but looks aren't everything." Maddie spoke up again, "I mean, there's education, and reading, museums, becoming a well-rounded person."
The girls and London just ignored Maddie and started talking about Orlando Bloom.
"Orlando Bloom likes smart girls. I know he does. I just know it!" I heard Maddie say, and then I think I heard her leave. London started talking again, but by then I'd started trying to escape. It was kinda difficult, since I was still inside the sleeping bag and bumped into a few things on the way, but eventually I managed to slither out of the room.
*Lola's P.O.V*
The next morning, I woke up bright and early, before either of my brothers. I got out of bed and grabbed some clothes, before going into the bathroom to change. When I went back into my room, I saw that Zack and Cody had woken up.
"Good morning." I chirped, going over to make my bed; something I rarely do. "Isn't it a lovely day?" I said. My phone went off and I opened it to see a text from Nick,
TO: Lola
FROM: Nick
Can't wait for 2night ;)
I let out a squeal as I read the text, earning weird looks from my brothers.
"Did she just squeal?" Cody asked.
"I know, it's weird, right?" Zack replied.
"Nick just texted me!" I practically sang, "He says he can't wait for our date tonight... He's so sweet!"
*Cody's P.O.V*
She has a date with him?! Yesterday they were just talking, and now they're going on dates?! Okay, I need to tell her about Nick's girlfriend before it gets any worse.
"You're going on a date with Nick?" I asked.
"Yep." She grinned. Wow, I've never seen her this happy...
"Are...are you sure that's such a good idea?"
"Of course! I mean, Nick is sweet, and kind, and caring..." She sighed dreamily. I rolled my eyes.
"Look, Lola, there's something you need to know about Nick," I began.
"Not now, Cody, I need to pick out my outfit for the date." She told me. Ugh, how can I tell her? She seems so happy! You can always tell when Lola's really happy, because she starts acting all girly. Squealing, talking about boys, talking about clothes... All the things she's doing right now.
"No, Lola, you really need to listen-"
"Not now, Cody! I need to find the perfect outfit but I have no idea what the perfect outfit is!" She complained. "Ooh, maybe Maddie could help me!" And with that, she left.
"What was that all about?" Zack asked me.
"What was what all about?"
"What were you trying to tell Lola?" He asked.
"Oh, uh, just something about Nick." I said.
"What about him?" He questioned. I sighed.
"Well, he kind of has a girlfriend, and it's not Lola." I told him.
"What?" Zack looked shocked, with a hint of anger.
"Yeah... I know I should've told her, but she was so happy! I mean, did you see how girly she was acting?!" I said.
"Well, we need to tell her before her date starts!" Zack said, jumping out of bed since we hadn't gotten up yet. We both quickly got dressed and ran out of the room. We said a quick "good morning" as we passed Mom, before leaving the suite and took the elevator to the lobby. As we got there, was saw Lola in front of the couch that Nick was sitting on, pouring water over his head...
*Lola's P.O.V*
I left the suite and took the elevator down to the lobby, instantly going over to the candy counter.
"Hey, Maddie." I said happily.
"Hey, Lola, what can I get you?" She asked me.
"Actually, it's not what you can get me, but what you can do for me." I said. Maddie raised her eyebrows in curiosity.
"Okay, and what is it that you want me to do?"
"Well, I have a date this evening and I desperately need help with wardrobe." I explained.
"Awh! Your first date!" Maddie exclaimed. I blushed and playfully rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, so will you help me?" I asked.
"Uh, sure, but don't people usually go to London for fashion advice?"
"Well, most people, but to me, London's more of an acquaintance. You're my friend." I explained, causing Maddie to smile.
"Awh! That's so sweet!" She gushed. "Okay, my shift ends in about ten minutes, so just give me until then." She said.
"Kay, I'll just hang out in the lobby for now." I stated. I turned around, instantly spotting Nick on one of the couches. Huh, how long has he been there? "Maddie! That's the guy I'm going on the date with!" I immediately told Maddie. She looked up at where I was pointing.
"Ooh, he's cute." She said.
"I know! I'm gonna go say Hi." I said. I decided to sneak up on him, so I walked up behind the couch. I was about to say something, when I realised he was on the phone.
"I know, Babe, I miss you too. Look, today is my last day in Boston and then I'll be home. Okay, I love you too. Bye, Baby." He then hung up. Hang on; Babe? Baby? I miss you? I love you? Am I mistaken, or does it sound like he was on the phone to his girlfriend?
I walked around to the front of the couch, since he still didn't know I was there, and stood in front of him.
"Oh, hey, Lola. We still on for our date?" He asked with a smile. Is he serious right now?
"You know, I was going to say yes... But then I remembered I don't date lying, cheating jerks." I said, my voice starting sweet but ending bitterly. Nick instantly looked guilty.
"You heard me on the phone, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah, I heard you. Loud and clear."
"Look, Lola, i-it's not what it seems." He stuttered.
"Really? Because it seems like you asked me on a date even though you already have a girlfriend!" I said, raising my voice. Nick opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. "That's what I thought." And without thinking, I picked up the vase that was conveniently on the coffee table, took the flowers out, and dumped the water all over Nick. Nick gasped and shot up from the couch.
"What the hell!" He whined, before running off. I put the vase back on the table, not even bothering to put the flowers back in. That's when I noticed Zack and Cody walking over. Plus, Maddie left the candy counter unattended to come over.
"Wow, that was...hilarious! The way you poured the water all over him! Man!" Zack said.
"Zack!" Maddie hissed, elbowing him in the rib. I ignored him and looked at Cody.
"Is that what you wanted to tell me?" I asked, finally putting the pieces together. He said he needed to tell me something about Nick, and I didn't listen... Man, I'm so stupid.
"Yeah... Are you okay?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine." I told him. I wasn't, to be honest, but I wasn't going to let them know I was upset. I doubt they'd make fun of me, but I still put on a brave face. I'm Lola Martin, and I don't cry in front of anyone. Just like I didn't cry when Mom and Dad divorced.
"Are you sure?" Maddie asked.
"I'm fine." I repeated, a little harsher than intended. I didn't say another word as I pushed passed them and took the elevator back up to our suite.
After hours of moping around in my room, I decided to do something. I exited the suite and took the elevator to the floor where the beauty pageant was. Cody would be going on soon, and I thought I'd be there to support him. I walked into the dressing room, to see him sat in one of the chairs, dressed as Tyreesha already.
"Hey, Lola, how're you feeling?" Cody asked as he saw me walk in.
"I told you, Cody, I'm fine." I insisted. That's when Rebecca walked in.
"Oh, Lola, I heard about what happened with you and my cousin. I just want you to know that I'm really sorry about the way he treated you and I hope we can still be friends." She told me, since we'd become pretty good friends since she and "Tyreesha" have been hanging out.
"It's okay, really. And of course me and you can still be friends." I said, forcing a smile. Rebecca smiled back, before turning to "Tyreesha".
"Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck. I hope you win the pageant, Tyreesha!"
"No, you deserve to win!" Cody said, standing up, "You're beautiful, and unselfish, and I've never seen anyone juggle while baking a cake!" Wow, she can do that?!
"You're so sweet! If you were a boy, I'd kiss you!" Rebecca exclaimed, before walking away, probably to get ready for the next part of the pageant or whatever.
I saw Cody sigh and slump into his chair.
"What's wrong, Codes?" I asked.
"I think I might drop out." Cody said, "It feels wrong to take the prize money when Rebecca needs it for something so much more important than bikes." He explained. I was about to say something, when Zack walked in.
"Dude, those bikes are ours! You are so gonna win this thing!" He told Cody.
"No I'm not." Cody answered.
"You need to have confidence. You're such a loser, what's wrong with you?!"
"Hey, lay off." I almost growled at Zack, pushing him slightly after he hit Cody's arm.
"I'm throwing the competition." Cody announced, standing up and walking over to other side of the room. Me and Zack followed him. "Rebecca needs the money for vet school." Cody continued.
"We've gone through too much for you to ruin this now." Zack said.
"We?! I'm the one wearing a dress!" Cody argued.
"And you've never looked better!" Zack replied.
"Well, you better take a good last look, 'cause I'm about to take it off for good." Cody said.
"I can't believe you're gonna let some girl come between us."
"Zack, give him a break. You can't force him to keep dressing like a girl just because you're greedy for money!" I said, trying not to yell.
"Hey, you were all for it at the beginning!" Zack retorted.
"Yeah, and now I've realised how selfish it is!" I shouted.
"Look, you are not throwing this competition!" Zack told Cody.
"Try and stop me, pal." Cody said.
"Well, then, take off the dress 'cause I can't hit a woman." Zack said, as they advanced on each other until their foreheads were almost touching.
"Zack, let us out of here!" Cody yelled, banging on the door of the closet. Yeah, we didn't do what he wanted, so Zack locked us in the closet. We'd been locked in for a good five minutes, when my heart started beating faster than usual. I started to feel a little breathless, but ignored it.
"Zack!" I shrieked, also banging on the door. I stopped suddenly, when the walls looked like they were closing in. Cody noticed me looking scared and frowned.
"Lola? You okay?"
"Cody... Do the walls seem to be closing in to you?" I asked, breathing a little heavier than usual. Cody looked even more alarmed and started banging on the door harder.
"Zack!" He shouted. Finally, one of the pageant contestants let us out. As soon as the fresh air got to my lungs, I could breath properly again. "Where's Zack?" Cody asked the girl.
"Who?"
"Tyreesha." I said.
"She's out there." She said, pointing through the curtains. Both me and Cody ran out, and ended up running out onto the stage. Of course, Cody was in his underwear, which made it that much more awkward. But Cody didn't even care as he tackled Zack to the ground.
"You're ruining Rebecca's chance at the crown!" He yelled, pinning him to the ground.
"You're ruining our chance at new bikes!" Zack said, flipping them over to he was on top of Cody.
"I don't care about the bikes! I care about Rebecca!" Cody yelled.
"Well I don't!" Zack yelled back.
"That's because you only care about yourself! Because of you, Lola almost had a freaking panic attack! Did you know she's claustrophobic?! Gosh, you're so self-centred!" Cody screamed, having flipped over so he was back on top.
"Guys! Stop!" I tried to break them apart, but somehow ended up being pulled down with them. Cody grabbed Zack's helmet and wig and pulled them off, revealing his true gender and earning a lot of gasps from the crowd.
"What is going on?!" Mom yelled. It was then that I realised she, Mr. Moseby, the host and Rebecca were stood there.
"Nothing out of the ordinary. Your triplets are attempting to destroy my hotel, but with a new twist. One of the boys is wearing a dress." Moseby said.
"What in the day long dickens is going on?!" Shrieked one of the judges or whatever, running onto the stage.
"I don't know which one of you two is Tyreesha, but he or she is disqualified!" The host guy said.
"You're a boy?!" Rebecca screamed.
"You're a boy?" Cody said pulling Zack's shoulder back. I rolled my eyes.
"Very funny! You guys are such jerks!" Rebecca yelled, and then ran off.
"Zack. Why are you wearing a skirt?" Mom asked with slight fear.
"I did so we could win money for bikes." He admitted. Well, at least he seems guilty, which means he's not completely heartless.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Mom said. I guess I would be sorta scared too if my son suddenly decided to dress like a girl.
The next day, I was in the lobby with Cody, when Zack walked up to us.
"Hey, man, you okay?" He asked Cody.
"Yeah." Cody shrugged.
"Sorry I ruined it for you and Rebecca, I guess I was just being a selfish, greedy goofball."
"Nah, you weren't greedy." Cody said.
"Yes he was." I snorted. Cody nudged me.
"So, we're cool?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, we're cool... I can't believe I thought a girl could be more useful than a bike!" Cody said.
"Hey!" I yelled.
"Sorry, what I mean is from now on, it's just me and you two." He said.
"Cody, can I talk to you?" Rebecca asked, walking up behind Cody.
"Buzz off, Bike Boy!" Cody said, pushing Zack aside. "You too, Sissy!" He pushed me aside too, as he started talking to Rebecca.
"Lola?" Zack asked, turning to me. I looked at him. "I'm sorry to you, too. I had no idea you were claustrophobic. I wouldn't have done it if I knew you were. Well, I shouldn't have done at all after the day you've had." He said. I sighed.
"It's okay. I know you have absolutely no self-control when it comes to money." I said, smirking slightly. Zack rolled his eyes playfully. I felt someone tap me on the shoulder, so I turned around and came face-to-face with Nick.
"Lola, can I talk to you?" He asked nervously.
"Why? What could you possibly say that could make this all better?" I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms.
"Well, um, I just wanted to say sorry." He said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Well, Nick, sorry doesn't cut it. Sorry doesn't make it all better. The only thing that would make it all better is if I had never met you in the first place. Oh, and I hope your girlfriend, whoever she is, realises who you really are and dumps your two-timing butt." I spat. "Let's go, Zack." I mumbled to my brother, who had been stood there, watching the whole thing.
"You okay?" Zack asked as we walked into the elevator.
"Yeah. Just peachy." I said, my voice barely above a whisper. The elevator soon stopped on the 23rd floor and we went into our suite. I went straight into our room, without even saying 'Hi' to Mom, while Zack went over to the fridge. I changed out of my clothes and threw some pyjamas on, even though it was barely 5:00pm yet. I opened the top drawer of my bedside table and took out my sketchpad and a pencil. I guess you could say I'm a bit of an artist. I like to draw when I'm stressed and upset, and I suppose I'm kinda good at it.
I was halfway through my sketch when the bedroom door opened and Zack walked in.
"Hey, Lola." He said as he walked over to his bed.
"Hi." I mumbled, not looking up from my drawing.
"Want a pudding cup?" He asked me. I glanced up and realised he was holding two pudding cups.
"No thanks." I replied, going back to my drawing. With a few finishing touches, I had completed my drawing. I know, I know, a broken heart couldn't be any more cliché, but I didn't intend on drawing this, it just...happened. As I put my sketch pad and pencil away, the bedroom door opened and Cody walked in. He shut the door behind him and pressed his back against it, sighing happily.
"Uh, hey, Cody." I said slowly.
"You alright, buddy?" Zack asked, just as curious as me to know why our brother was practically swaying from side to side in happiness.
"I'm fantastic." Cody said dreamily.
"Okay, dude, what happened?" Zack asked.
"She kissed me." He replied simply, referring to Rebecca. Well, at least one of us got something good out of this whole thing.
"Wow, congrats, bro!" Zack praised.
"Yeah, way to go." I said, not quite as entusiastic .
Soon enough, Mom came in a told us to go to bed, since it was a school night. So, we did. But, no matter how hard I tried to sleep, I couldn't. I was too depressed about Nick.
"Ugh." I groaned, falling onto my back after tossing and turning and almost falling off the bed a few times. It really annoys me that I'm getting all worked up over a stupid boy. I mean, I'm literally losing sleep over it!
I sighed and got out of bed. I snuck out of the room and tiptoed passed Mom's couch bed, to get a drink. I grabbed a glass and filled it with apple juice, downing it fairly quickly. I then put the empty glass and apple juice away and went back into our room.
"Lola?" I heard Cody mumble as I shut the door behind me.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked.
"No, I've been awake for a while." He replied, turning his bedside lamp on as he sat up, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said, pressing my back against the door, "I'm fine."
"No, Lola," He swung his legs out of bed, so he was sitting on the edge of the mattress, "You're not. You're my triplet sister, I can tell." He stated.
"Yeah, we can read your mind." Zack chimed in, either having just woken up or having been awake already. Cody glared at Zack.
"No, what I mean is we know you better than anyone, which means we know when you're lying about being okay." Cody said, walking over to me.
"Well, I guess I'm kinda bummed about what Nick did. And it does kinda hurt that he probably didn't even care about leading me on like that." I admitted, blinking away the tears that filled my eyes.
"Hey, don't cry." Cody said softly, "It was his loss. You're awesome and he was stupid for doing what he did. And hey, there are plenty of fish in the sea, so don't let this one guy get you down."
"I guess you're right." I sniffled, wiping the tears away, "I just hope the next fish isn't a lying, cheating pig who thinks he can just play me like I'm some toy and then just-"
"Breath, Lola, breath." Cody cut me off.
"Right, sorry, sometimes I forget to do that." I said. Cody smiled.
"Hey, if the next guy is a lying, cheating pig, can I watch when you lash out on him?" Zack asked.
"Zack!" Cody hissed, glaring at him.
"It's okay. I think I'm just gonna try and sleep now." I said.
"Okay. Night, Lo." He said.
"Night, Codes." I replied. I gave him a quick hug, said goodnight to Zack, and got into bed, where I eventually fell asleep.