"You don't want to go in there either?" Alex asks, when he finds Clay standing in the street, looking up at Jess' house. "Did Hannah force you to come?"

"Pretty much. Are you here for Jessica?" Clay asks. "I know you two were on a date the other week."

"Yeah. But this isn't exactly the kind of thing I had in mind for a second date," Alex admits. "Do you know if Bryce and Monty will be there?"

"I think so. Zach will be there, and I don't think he goes anywhere without the other guys, so…"

"Right…"

"Are they still giving you shit?" Clay asks, but when he sees Alex's pale face, he already knows the answer. "Look, man, they used to do the same thing to me. Just try and ignore them."

"Sure, I'll just ignore getting my head kicked in every other week."

"Have you told anyone at school?"

"What's the point? They'll give them a warning, and that's it. They'll only have it in for me worse if I get them in trouble."

Clay wishes he could say something to make it all better, because he has been where Alex is now, and he knows how much it hurts, but he doesn't know how to fix it either.

"Maybe now that you're with Jess…"

"You think that'll stop them?" Alex scoffs. "Those guys are bullies, Clay."

"Yeah, I know."

"Whatever, let's just go inside, yeah?"

"Talk to someone, okay? If it gets too bad, tell someone," Clay says, but the other teenager ignores him, and he walks off.

"See? I told you it'd be nice," Hannah says, as she crashes down next to Clay, who has been chatting to Jessica and Alex since getting away from the kitchen, where somehow he had ended up in charge of the drinks.

"Yeah… whoohoo," Clay sarcastically says, and Jessica can't help but laugh.

"It's really not so bad. Besides, the view is pretty nice, isn't it?" Hannah asks, nudging her head into the direction of Justin, who is on the other side of the room, hanging out with Bryce and the other guys.

"Please tell me we're not talking about Bryce Walker," Alex says, looking more disgusted than anything. "Seriously, that guy is…"

"We're not," Jessica quickly says, as Zach joins them, his arms sliding around Hannah's waist, before kissing the top of her head.

"Justin?" Alex asks, the blush on Clay's face enough to tell him he's right. "Shit."

"What about Justin?" Zach asks.

"Nothing," Clay quickly says. "We were just talking about…"

"Clay having a crush on Justin," Hannah laughs, her colleague sinking down deeper into the couch, really wishing he wouldn't have come here tonight.

"Isn't he straight?" Jessica asks, looking back at the guys at the other side of the room.

"Who? Justin?" Zach laughs. "No, he isn't."

"But didn't he used to date Kat?"

"Yeah, but he is definitely into guys. Trust me."

"Wow, do I want to know how you're so convinced he is?" Hannah laughs, gripping tightly onto her boyfriend's arms around her waist.

"Because he got into a fight with Bryce about it when he came out," Zach explains. "They made up again, obviously. But yeah, it was a whole thing."

"Well… I guess you have no excuse not to ask him out now," Hannah says, a daring grin on her face, but Clay just grumbles something. "He's hot, Clay!"

"I'm going to get a drink," he announces, quickly getting up and walking off.

"You know why he won't ask him out, right?" Alex asks, and they all look at him. "Because Bryce and his friends used to bully him too. He can't just ask Bryce's best friend out now, can he?"

"Oh…"

"But Justin doesn't do that stuff," Jessica tries, but Alex rolls his eyes, not failing to notice the guilty look on Zach's face.

"No, just like Zach doesn't beat the shit out of me. But they still stand by and watch it happen, don't they?"

The dig at Zach makes the atmosphere turn icy cold, and it isn't until Jessica starts talking about something that had happened at school that day, that they can all manage to ease up again, but Alex can still feel Zach staring at him with that guilty look on his face. He ignores it though, because he hasn't said anything that isn't true, has he?

"Do you have a minute?" Zach asks, when he catches up with Alex, who is on his way home after the party.

"Why? So you can tell me that you're not like your friends, and that you're really a nice guy?"

"No. You were right, with what you said before," Zach admits. "I should have said something, when they were giving you a hard time."

"Well, you didn't. Can I go home now?"

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Whatever, Zach. I don't even care anymore," Alex sighs, ready to turn around, but when Zach grabs his arm, he flinches.

"I'm not… I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to say I'm sorry, and I don't want us to be like this. So can we start over? For Hannah and Jess' sake," Zach explains, and all Alex wants to do is tell him off, but instead he just nods. Because he is too tired to fight him, and he knows he will have to put up with him from now on, so he might as well make their time together as tension-free as possible.

"But you know your friends are dicks, right?"

"They're not my friends."

"Right," Alex says, a small smile forming on his lips when Zach extends his hand. "I'll remember that next time they kick my head in," he teases, as he shakes the other teenager's hand.

"I don't…"

"Relax, it was a joke."

"Right, I don't know what happened, but I like it," Hannah says, the biggest smile on her face, as she looks from her boyfriend to Alex.

"We made up," Zach says, and he flashes Alex a smile. "I apologized, for being a dick."

"Oh, wow," Hannah laughs. "I would say you're not, but… I'm glad you've worked out your differences. Now we can all hang out together, without you two acting like you're…"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was my fault." Alex nods, a sheepish grin on his face. "Sorry."

"Speaking of hanging out together. Where is Jess?" Zach asks, looking around Monet's. "Didn't we say five?"

"She's probably still at practice. I can't stay much longer though, I promised my parents I'd help them out at the store, so…"

"I better go then," Alex says, wishing he hadn't come at all, already feeling like an outsider enough as it is. To be the odd one out, without Jess here, it's more than just a little uncomfortable.

"No, stay," Hannah quickly says. "You know, it wouldn't do you any harm to hang out together. You might even like each other," she teases, before giving her boyfriend a kiss and getting up. "Don't kill each other, okay? Love you."

"Say hi to your parents for me."

"I will," Hannah says, and she gives Alex a wave before walking off.

"What?" Zach laughs, when he sees the look on Alex's face.

"Nothing."

"No, tell me."

"She just said 'I love you', and you responded with 'say hello to your parents for me'?" Alex laughs. "It was funny, that's all."

"Yeah, well…," Zach begins, but he has just been caught out, and there is no point denying it. "How about another drink? I'm paying."

"Sure," Alex laughs, and he watches as Zach gets up and orders them both another drink. He had been so full of anger because of everything Bryce and his friends have done to him, that he had just assumed that Zach was just like them. But even in the way Zach is smiling at the young man making their drinks, he can see that he is different. Whereas the other teenagers seem cruel, and they seem to get off on making other people's life a living hell, he seems kind. Only when he's not with them though, because when he's with them, he laughs along to their cruel jokes, and he stands by and watches. It's like he is someone else entirely, and Alex can't help but wonder who he really is. And why is he pretending to be something he isn't?

"Can I ask you something?" he asks, when Zach sits back down at the table.

"Sure."

"Why are you friends with those guys?"

"I told you, they are not my friends."

"You are always with them at school," Alex says, but Zach just shrugs. "Why? You can see what they're like, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But we're on the same team, so… I don't know, man."

"Are you scared to stand up to them? Is that it? Do you think they'll kick you off the team?"

"No. Look, I am not like them, okay? And I don't agree with the shit they say."

"I know, that's why I don't get it. Why would you want to hang out with them? What do you get out of it?" Alex asks, but then he looks down at his drink, embarrassed at having spoken to Zach in this way. "Sorry, it's none of my business."

"Because it's expected of me?" Zach admits, and when Alex looks up at him, he can see how ashamed he is to admit it. "I know that makes me weak, Alex. But I'm trying, okay?"

Alex can't help but smile, because up until just a few days ago he had been ready to fight him, yet here they are, talking, actually being honest with each other.

"I would like for us to be friends," Zach says, his hand tightly gripping onto his mug. "Not just because of Hannah and Jess."

"I'm sure Bryce would love that," Alex scoffs. "But thanks, I guess."

"I don't care what Bryce thinks, okay?"

"Yeah, right," Alex laughs, a shy smile forming on Zach's face. "Seriously. How can you hang out with him? Doesn't it get boring, that whole act of his?"

"A little," Zach admits. "You know, I don't even listen to what they say half the time. It's the same old shit every day, so…"

"Calling girls sluts, calling guys faggots?" Alex suggests, and just as Zach was beginning to relax, he tenses up again, looking embarrassed. "That shirt hurts, you know? Even if they are just words."

"I've never actually called anyone a faggot or a slut. I wouldn't. I stood up for Justin when he came out, so…"

"Wow, look at you," Alex says, Zach not failing to notice the sarcasm.

"You really hate me, don't you?"

"I don't hate you, Zach. I just don't get you. At school you're 'one of the guys', and with Hannah you're completely different. I'm just trying to figure out which version is the real you."

"Well, I just told you, so…"

Alex picks up his drink, wishing he would have left when Hannah did. But when he notices Clay looking for a table, he quickly calls out for him.

"Want to join us?"

"I'm just waiting for someone, but thanks," Clay says, flashing an uncomfortable smile, still remembering how Zach now knows about his crush on Justin.

"Oh?" Alex asks, raising an eyebrow.

"It's Tony, and it's not, like a date or anything," he quickly adds. "I should ehm…"

"Sure," Alex laughs, and he watches as Clay makes his way over to an empty table.

"Am I missing something?"

"He's probably embarrassed Hannah told you he likes Justin." Alex shrugs. "You didn't tell him, right?"

"No, I am staying out of that."

"Do you think it could ever work between them?" Alex asks, keeping his voice down. "With Justin being friends with Bryce and everything."

"They're not as close as they used to be. Ever since Bryce gave him shit for being gay, Justin has been off with him. They still hang out, but he doesn't take his crap as much anymore. So I don't know, if he likes him, I think he'll go for it. I don't think he'd let Bryce stop him."

"You know Hannah is talking about setting them up, right? Jess told me."

"Yeah, I know. She tried to get me involved too, but like I said, I am staying well out of that," Zach laughs. "But good for her, I guess? We'll see how it works out."