It's Always Been You and Me

Chapter 1: The Unlikely Outcome of An Unlikely Deception

August 11, 2006

10:00 PM

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Alexandra Margarita Russo stood backstage, wondering once again how her plans could have gone so awry. She was wearing the costume of an Elizabethan Shakespearean actress, waiting for the principal to arrive and yell at her. She had magicked herself away from New York to get away from her annoying brother, Justin and her parents. She had landed in a Middle School not unlike her very own. That's when all of her many problems began.

Alex, as everyone called her, had a flair for the dramatic. It was no wonder, then, that she had lied about herself at this school. She had said she was Gwen, a student in drama club, and had magically changed the records to add such a name to the list. She had then been thrown into rehearsals for that year's school play, A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. Although they had received warm adulation from the audience, they had deviated from the script and ended the play with an impromptu, and all too real, free-for-all fight.

Cody had fallen for "Gwen" and they had dated for a day. Then, "Gwen" had been assigned the role of Hermia in the school play while Zack Martin, Cody's twin brother, had landed the role of Lysander. "Gwen" had fallen in love with Zack and broken up with Cody after they kissed, even though Cody still had feelings for her. Zack, however, was in love with Vannessa, who had a soft spot for Cody. Add to this bubbling cauldron, a wild card: Agnes. She had derailed the kiss scene, changing the script with a little help from Cody and everything went downhill from there.

After the play, Alex's elder brother, Justin and their father, Jerry, had materialized at the school, having located where she was. After she explained what had happened, her father decided to ground her for two months, with him hinting about doubling the punishment if she used magic unsupervised or broke any other rule, however minor. But the worst punishment was being forced to get scolded by the principal for changing the script without authorization during the play.

The principal walked backstage, her eyes burning with fury. Everyone in the room stood still and turned to face her. 'This is absolutely unacceptable. How could you all do this?' No one answered her question or said anything to her. Everyone in the room, including the drama teacher, were looking down at their shoes. The only two people who looked her dead in the eyes: Alexandra Russo and Zachary Martin. Even though she was infuriated with him, she still admired his guts and daring she had to admit, if only to herself, that is she and Zack ever fought or argued, it would be an extremely bumpy ride, and she couldn't be certain who would win.

The principal looked at the twins and said, 'It seems you two were at the center of this chaos. As we have had to let you off in the past with, to use a Scottish maxim, a verdict of "not proven", with there not being enough evidence of your guilt, I will be lenient this time, even though I know I shall later regret it. You and your twin brother shall clean up this mess without anyone else's help, along with trying out outfit ideas for a new school uniform. Is that clear?'

The twins reluctantly chorused: 'Yes, Ma'am' with Zack even adding a mock salute as if to satirize the moment. The principal turned and looked at Vannessa and said: 'You, young lady, will be suspended for a week. You must learn that there are consequences for your actions and that your father's money and influence will not save you every time.' Before Vannessa could protest, she turned to Agnes and told her, 'Agnes, you are sentenced to a month's detention, starting Monday.' (In case you wondered, their principal is a retired judge.)

She then turned to Alex, alias Gwen and said: 'Gwen, you are in a lot of trouble. This fight happened because of your actions. You will therefore have to be in detention, but only for a week, as you will have to help with cleaning out dusters, removing the chewing gum you stuck to the bottom of the desks, removing the graffiti from the classroom and many other chores. If you don't turn up, I will be forced to suspend you for two months. Is that clear?'

Gwen (Alex) opened her mouth to protest, but her father cut her off and said: 'She understands, Madam Principal, and I'll make sure she turns up for the punishment'. The principal then concluded: 'Good, you can all go home now. Have a good weekend.' She then walked off to her office as fast as she could without running. Justin then told her, "Get your stuff, Gwen. We're leaving.'

She strode off towards the stage and picked up her bag. She then turned around to find Zack Martin standing behind her. She cursed the boy for his silent movements and for looking so good. She looked into his eyes and realized that he was feeling guilty, so she asked him, 'What's wrong, Zack?' He responded, 'I'm sorry for hurting you, Gwen. I should have realized that Vannessa never loved me and that you did. I know you'll likely never forgive me, but I had to apologize to you because I couldn't bear to hurt you and not apologize.'

She tried to remain cool, but the Zack Martin effect worked as she melted like butter and hugged him, along with kissing him firmly. 'I forgive you.' She said. 'It would have taken longer, but you have both the charm and the luck of the Irish." He laughed and stated, 'I'm of Scandinavian descent, but thanks anyways. Will I see you on Monday?' he asked her anxiously. 'You will, but in detention.' Alex/Gwen quipped. 'Then I'll be sure to drop in.' He responded.

They walked holding hands, until he got to the parking lot, where Cody and Carey were waiting for Zack in a taxi. Zack kissed her goodbye and climbed into the taxi, waving at her until she was out of sight. The Russos then retreated into the shadows, and magically transported themselves back to Waverly Place.