All Friends Check-In (The Suite Life of Zack & Cody)

10. Cody Goes to Camp

When Cody and Tapeworm embarked on their two-week math camp adventure, Carey entrusted me with keeping Zack entertained. Uncle Marion, who had been busy teaching London to drive, was on board with the plan. Max was away, and their other friends, Adam and Danny, were down with chicken pox.

As the days went by, it was clear that Zack missed Cody. He made countless attempts to reach out, leaving a string of about sixteen unanswered messages on Carey's cell phone, which Cody had taken along as a source of comfort. 

"Probably the reason Codes isn't answering you back is because he's having a blast there," I told Zack, who had left the sixteenth message in the voicemail.

"We don't know if he is," Zack's face was etched with worry. Anything could happen up in the wilderness, from wild animals to cannibals. Cody could be in trouble."

I shook my head at him. "It's math camp. The worst thing that could happen to him is if he broke his calculator."

Zack thought I was in denial of everything. I could tell he was missing his twin, but knowing him, he'd deny it instead of admitting it.

I decided to check how Uncle Marion and London were doing with the latter's driving lesson. When I got to them, they buckled in but weren't moving. London's facial expression told me she was nervous as my uncle started explaining what the gearshift was.

"You're making me nervous with all this technical talk," London expressed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't we just relax? We'll turn on the radio," Uncle Marion remarked sarcastically. "Would you like "AM" or "FM"?" 

"Um," I was about to point out that the car wasn't operating.

"Not now, Marley."

I let them figure it out for themselves and returned to the building. I arrived in the ballroom to find Zack talking with Carey. Guessing it was about him missing Cody, I sat at one of the tables and listened.

"Honey, I think maybe you're the one who's missing him," Carey pointed out after Zack told her about his claimed twin telepathy.

"Don't be ridiculous!" he remarked. "Do you realize he forgot to take Blankie? I can sense he's a nervous wreck."

I figured it was a baby blanket, which Cody slept with.

"Well, you never know," I shrugged as I got up from the seat and approached Zack and Carey. "Codes probably made some friends and is having the time of his life."

"I believe that," Carey nodded at me.

"But I'm worried about him," Zack said with the same distress in his tone. He's up there in the wilderness. Right now, he could be hanging from a cliff, over a waterfall, with a pack of wolves and a bear snapping at him."

And he didn't mention the cannibals. I thought.

"It's math camp," Carey assured Zack. "The worst thing that could is that he sit on his compass."

"Told 'im."

"But, Mom, I'm w-," Zack started.

"Honey," Carey cut him off. "I'm tellin' ya. We're probably in more danger here than he is there."

"Forward, not reverse!" Uncle Marion shouted from outside.

The sound of screeching tires followed. Next, there was a loud crash. We turned to find London's car having burst through the wall while backward. Zack, Carey, and I ran over to check on London and Uncle Marion. 

"Oh, my goodness, are you okay?" Carey gasped in concern.

My uncle nodded, assuring the rest of us that he and London were fine. I was worried both of them would end up with whiplash. Uncle Marion turned to London, glaring at her. I had to guess she accidentally put the gearshift in reverse instead of forward after trying to follow my uncle's instructions but got nervous.