The knocking wouldn't stop. Good thing the doors had locks.
"Zack, c'mon, open up!" Cody shouted from the other side of the door. Zack didn't bother to get up. He didn't bother to do anything. He just wanted to lie in bed and feel sorry for himself and for London and keep himself from going out and punching out every couple who looked happy and in love and who didn't have someone wanting to keep them apart.
"Yeah, we have brownies with extra fudge!" Woody added, and Zack heard Cody whisper not to lie to him.
"C'mon, Zack," Cody pleaded again. "We have to get to class!"
They weren't going to leave him alone unless he opened the door. He groaned in irritation and got up and opened it. Both boys smiled at him, with Woody waving. He needed his brother, not their curly-haired friend. "No offence, Woody," he muttered and pulled Cody in, shutting the door in Woody's face. He heard a "Hurtful!" from Woody, but Zack ignored it. Cody eyed his twin.
"Whoa, what happened? Your eyes are all red. You've been crying!"
"I'm aware, genius," he grumbled and went back and collapsed on his bed and hated that the tears wouldn't stop. He didn't even bother changing out of the gray sweats and black shirt that he slept in. "I'm not stepping a foot out of this room, not when I could run into London."
Cody stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Oh... you two had a fight."
"No, we broke up."
Cody's eyes widened at the blunt statement. "What? Why? You guy were so happy and perfect for each other."
"Yeah, until her dad stepped in."
Understanding filled Cody's features. "He doesn't want the two of you together."
"Yeah."
Cody went and sat near his brother on the bed. "I'm sorry, man."
"Yeah, so am I."
"What did Mr. Tipton say? Didn't he know that you guys were dating?"
"Yeah, but before, he just let it slide because London was so happy. He kept us out of the media since he was embarrassed by me, but now, he's tired of putting in the effort of keeping it quiet. He just wants me to stay away from London since he's never liked me because of the trouble I've caused in the past. He thinks that I'm a bad influence on her."
Cody remained silent, and Zack sat up, eyeing his brother. His mean look made Cody talk. "Well, it makes sense. I mean, you have caused trouble in the past, and you and London have cut class before."
"Thanks for taking my side," he mocked bitterly.
"I'm just saying that I know where he's coming from. I'm sorry." Silence ensued, and Zack wanted to dive into his blankets again. "So this is it, then? You guys are over?"
Zack frowned. "It was either break up or he sends me back to Boston to live with Mom."
Cody's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's low, even for Mr. Tipton."
"Tell me about it. I thought it would be better that we break up and I still see her, rather than going back to Boston and never see her again. Plus, I love this ship and sailing around the world, and well..." He met his brother's eyes. He might as well tell him the truth. "I don't want to be separated from you, man, as annoying as you are."
Cody smiled and put his arm around his shoulders and shook him a little. "Aw... thanks, Zack."
Zack brought Cody's arm off of his shoulders. "Don't get used to me saying that, okay? It was just this once."
"I'm just glad that you think that way. So, how will you still see London if you refuse to leave your room?"
"Give me some time." He fell back down onto his back. He stared at the white ceiling. "Do you think I made the right decision? London and I are gonna be miserable."
"I think you did. I wouldn't want you to leave, either. Plus, just seeing London and being friends with her should be enough, right?"
"Hardly. I'm gonna want to hug her and kiss her every time I see her, but I won't be able to." He slapped his pillow. "Dang it, I hate this."
"No one said love was easy."
"Tell me about it."
Silence ensued, and Zack tried to keep the hurt down. He didn't want to burst into tears in front of his brother. The reality really came crashing down on him: him and London would never be a couple, just friends who really, really wanted to be with each other but painfully couldn't.
"Well... I'm not going to force you to go to class," Cody said, "but you can't stay in here forever."
"I have enough food in here to last me."
"Yeah, food on the floor that's been there who knows how long and could walk out of the room by themselves by next week."
Zack smirked for the first time since the day before and sat up. "Fine, I'll go. I doubt London will be in class, knowing how torn up she was with all this."
"What about her father telling all the teachers to keep an eye on her?"
Zack thought for a second. "Yeah, you're right." He fell back down on his back. "I'm staying here."
Cody pulled his brother back up. "No, just c'mon. You'll be fine. Since when is the Mighty Zack afraid of anything?"
Zack nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not afraid of anything. I can face London and we can be friends."
"Yeah."
The boys got up and left five minutes later after Zack got ready. He instantly regretted going to school when he saw London sitting there in her desk in history class. He went on into the room, and she glanced at him. They stared at each other for a second, longing in their eyes, then London turned her head. Other kids noticed and started to whisper among each other, asking each other about what was going on. Zack felt something pinch his chest.
"Fine, since you all are so curious," he said to everyone, "London and I broke up. Her dad didn't approve, so now, we're over. There, now you all can stop gossiping about us."
He went and sat down is his seat and Cody did as well. He turned around and said to Zack, "A bit insensitive, don't you think?" He nodded his head towards London who suddenly stood up and left the classroom. Zack stared after her, gripping his desk.
"I was just saving everyone the trouble of wondering what's going on," he defended.
"Wise," Cody said sarcastically and turned back around. "Just go talk to London and leave things on a good note."
His brother had a point. Forget class—I'm leaving. He got up and exited the classroom and heard Cody comment, "I meant after class."
Zack cantered down the ship, heading towards the girls' cabins, knowing that London was headed that way. But he stopped. There she stood, leaning against the railing, staring out at the sea. She looked so beautiful in her pink dress that went to her knees, and her hair wavy again. She wiped her eyes and got out her phone from her silver purse.
"Daddy?" she said into it, and then in a broken voice, "Are you happy now? I ended it with him, and I couldn't be more miserable! Good luck with wanting me to do better in school because it isn't going to happen because I'm so miserable and won't be able to think! I can't even think to begin with!"
She let out a whimper and a burst of cries. In her sadness, she threw her phone off the ship and let out more cries. Zack's eyes began to burn at witnessing this, and his chest tightened painfully. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He knew that was Cody.
"It hurts for me to see her like this, too, but... c'mon, man."
Zack watched London cry bitterly for a moment more, wanting more than anything to go over there and embrace her. She turned her head slightly and caught sight of him. They stared at one another, and London was about to walk up to him when a big man in a black suit suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Run along, boys," he said in a deep voice. "Leave Miss Tipton be."
That was fast, Zack thought for a second and glared at the man who was a foot taller than him, and two times as wide. Cody pulled on his shoulder, and finally, he turned and the boys started walking in the other direction.
"Mr. Tipton was sure serious, wasn't he?" Cody asked as Zack looked back at London and she met his longing gaze. Then it was blocked by the big man.
"Yeah, he was," Zack mumbled and they made it back to the classroom and stood just outside of it. He shook his head, trying not to cry in front of his brother. "I can't do this, man," he said in a cracked voice. "I really can't do it. I'm skipping today."
Before Cody could say another word, Zack turned and walked on back to his cabin. It really hurt seeing London like that. Of course, he had seen her distraught before, but not like this, and not because of him. It felt like his heart was being torn into pieces. Now he really knew what people meant when they said they had a broken heart.
London had it, too.
He needed do something about this. He wouldn't let himself or London feel like this any longer. He needed to talk to Mr. Tipton... and in person.
~ ~ ~
"Zack, you're out of your mind. If you do that, then you really will be sent back to Boston."
Zack had just finished telling Cody about his plan as they stood in Cody's room that afternoon after school. Zack was already informed that London was forced to go to her classes by that big man, and according to Woody, she was always dabbing her eyes with tissues. This made Zack want to take care of this situation even more.
"But I can tell him that I'm not the same troublemaker from before," Zack countered. "You and I both know that I became a better person since I started going out with London."
Cody nodded as he went and sat at his desk, but faced Zack. "Yeah, I admit that you have. At least, you stopped with your pranks. Cutting class and being self-absorbed are still prevalent, though."
Zack gave his brother a look. "Still. London changed me and I changed her. I'm gonna make Mr. Tipton see that and make him see that separating London and me was a horrible idea. It's not gonna make London any happier, which means she may not graduate high school until she's thirty."
Cody nodded, knowing that he wouldn't be able to change his brother's mind. "So... what are you going to do first, then?"
"I'm gonna talk to Mr. Moseby and ask him to call Mr. Tipton."
"And have him ask Mr. Tipton to fly all the way out into the middle of the Atlantic just so he can talk to you?"
"Yes."
Cody turned to his homework on the desk. "Good luck with that."
"You could at least be a little bit more supportive."
Cody let out a breath through his nose and turned to face his brother again. "Zack... really, if you do this, he's just going to get annoyed and he's going to send you back to Boston. I don't want that to happen. As annoying and obnoxious as you are, I don't want you to leave. I thought we already covered this."
The emotion came and Zack gulped hard. He sat on the trunk at the end of Cody's bed, and his chest tightened. "I don't know what else to do. I hate feeling like this. I guess I also know what they meant when they say love hurts. It does, literally. It feels like my chest is being crushed by a sledge hammer."
Cody nodded. "It does feel like that sometimes." He paused for a moment as Zack felt that sledge hammer feeling, especially when he remembered London wailing earlier. "Do it, then. Talk to Mr. Tipton. I have a different way of getting him here, though."
Zack looked at Cody, curiosity in his bloodshot eyes. "Really?"
"Yes. You hate feeling like this, and I hate seeing you like this. I also hate seeing London like this, too, so I'm going to help out."
"What did you have in mind?"
Cody smiled. "You'll see."