When Hannah had asked him to come over tonight, Zach had been nervous that he would have to sit through an awkward dinner with her parents. But when he had gotten there, Hannah's parents had been out, and after ordering in a pizza, they had crashed down to watch a movie. Zach had been relieved, and he had actually found himself enjoying the night. Until Hannah had asked him to go up to her room, before disappearing to the bathroom herself.

He had almost gone to check on her, because it was taking so long, but when she had come into the bedroom, her hair had been done, her face now all made up, and she was wearing nothing but a set of very revealing lingerie.

"What do you think?" she asks, failing to hide how nervous she is. "I mean… I know we haven't really discussed it yet, but we've been together for a while now, so…"

"Right…," Zach says, not sure how to react. "No, you look gorgeous. You do."

"But?"

"I don't… I'm not sure if I'm there yet," Zach admits. "But that's all me, that has nothing to do with you. I swear."

Hannah can feel the tears welling up in her eyes, as she sits down at her desk, trying to cover herself up with her arms. But when Zach gets up, and he takes his sweater off to put over her shoulders, trying to be kind, it only makes her feel worse.

"Do you even love me?" she asks, but when she looks up, and she finds her boyfriend staring at her with a guilty look on her face, tears begin to fall from her eyes.

"I really like you, Hannah."

"That's not what I asked."

"I promise that this has nothing to do with you. You are beautiful, and…"

"But you don't want to have sex with me."

"I can't," Zach sighs. "Look, I…"

"What?"

"I have to tell you something," he says, not sure if this is the time and place to do this. But he knows he can't keep it from her, because Justin had warned him what it would do to her, and seeing her sitting there, crying, it breaks his heart.

"Is there someone else?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Hannah scoffs. "What does that even mean?"

"Look, Hannah…"

"Do I know her?"

"I kissed someone," Zach admits. "But it wasn't a girl."

A long silence follows, and Zach can see Hannah trying to process this new information. He wants to explain it to her, tell her that he still likes her, but he isn't sure if she can take any more right now, so he just keeps quiet, until she gives a small nod.

"Do you like him?"

"I don't know. But I do know that I wanted to kiss him," Zach explains. "I should have told you, but I was scared, okay? I am still trying to wrap my head around it myself. I don't even know what this means, if I am bi, or…"

"You think you might be gay?" Hannah asks. She has stopped crying, and she is surprising herself with how calm she feels. She would have been upset with Zach if he had gone out and he had intentionally cheated on her with a girl, but if he is questioning his sexuality, she feels like she can't blame him. Not really.

"I don't think so," Zach sighs. "I like you, okay? I really do. But Alex…"

"Alex?" Hannah asks, her voice coming out all wrong, now feeling anything but calm. "You kissed Jess' boyfriend?"

"I am sorry, okay? It was a one-sided thing, and he had nothing to do with it," Zach says, knowing fully well that Alex had kissed him back, but Hannah doesn't need to know that. "It won't happen again. I promise."

"But then…," Hannah begins, but then she just laughs, it only now just hitting her that she was ready to sleep with Zach tonight, yet he doesn't even love her. Not only does he not love her, apparently he likes Alex, and he isn't even sure if he likes girls at all.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you want to be with him?"

"No, of course not. It was just a kiss. I want to be with you."

"I don't see how that can work," Hannah says. "Not when you might be gay."

Zach nods understandingly, but when Hannah gets up, and she sits down with him, he flashes a small, apologetic smile.

"Look, if you are… I don't care, okay?" Hannah says, trying her best to hide how heartbroken she is. "I still want us to be friends, because I like you, Zach. And I want you to be happy, but please don't go after Alex, okay? He and Jess… they don't need you trying to mess things up for them."

Zach knows that she means well, but her words feel like a dig, and they make him feel sick with guilt.

"What's going on with you?" Clay asks, when he finds Hannah standing by her locker the next morning, looking like she hasn't slept at all. "What's wrong?"

"Me and Zach…"

"You broke up?"

"Yeah." Hannah nods. "It just wasn't working out."

"Oh, wow… yeah, I did not see that coming. You were still going on and on about him the other day."

"Things changed, okay?" Hannah grumbles. "Can we please forget about it?"

"Sure. But if you want to talk…"

"I don't."

Clay keeps quiet, knowing fully well when not to push, but when Hannah walks away, he follows her, not wanting to leave her on her own when she's obviously upset.

"Now that I no longer have a love life of my own to focus on…," she begins, and Clay can already see where this is going. "Have you asked Justin out yet?"

"No…"

"But?"

"Nothing!" Clay quickly says, but by the blush on his face, Hannah can tell that he is hiding something.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Clay!"

"We kissed," Clay admits. "and he… you know…."

"What?" Hannah laughs. "Oh my god, did you two have sex?"

"No!" Clay says, a little too loud, before lowering his voice and adding, "but he jerked me off."

"Oh wow," Hannah laughs. "When did this happen?"

"The other week. But it's like it never even happened. I'm not even sure it did."

"You are such an idiot. He obviously likes you. Just ask him out. If you don't, I swear I will set something up."

"Please don't," Clay says, but before Hannah can say something, they notice Zach and Justin, and although Zach gives a wave, the smile leaves Hannah's face, and Clay quickly leads her away.

"What happened?" Justin asks. "Did you tell her about Alex?"

"I did," Zach sighs. "and she dumped me."

"I'm sorry, dude. How did she take it? Other than that she obviously dumped you."

"I think she was more upset with the fact I kissed Alex than with the fact that I said I might be gay."

"No shit, Jess is her best friend, so I can imagine she isn't too pleased about you wanting to hook up with her boyfriend."

"I don't…"

"Yeah, right," Justin laughs, but then he sighs, and he lowers his voice. "You really think you might be gay?"

"I don't know, man. I like Hannah, I do, but…"

"You know there's not just gay and straight, right? You make it sound like you have to choose," Justin laughs. "You don't."

"I know. I guess it doesn't really matter now anyway, does it? Hannah dumped me, Alex has a girlfriend…"

"For now." Justin shrugs, and when Zach looks at him, he can't help but laugh at the mischief written all over his face. "Who says he doesn't feel the same way about you?"

"He did."

"We'll see."

"What the hell happened?" Jessica asks, when she sits down at their usual table at Monet's. "You broke up with Zach? But weren't you going to…"

"Sleep with him last night?" Hannah asks, already sniffling again. "I tried to, but then he told me he didn't want to."

"Maybe he's just not ready. You can't break up with him, just because he doesn't want to have sex yet."

"I know, okay?" Hannah spits out. "I wasn't going to. But did you know he's gay?"

"What? Zach is gay? What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, apparently he's in love with Alex."

"Alex?" Jessica asks, trying to make sense of what Hannah is telling her. "My Alex?"

"Actually, I'm not sure if he's in love with him. But he did kiss him."

"Alex and Zach kissed? Hannah, what the fuck are you talking about? Did he say this, or are you just making shit up because you guys broke up?"

"Zach kissed him," Hannah explains. "He told me it was one-sided, but…"

"Did he tell you he is gay?" Jessica asks, reaching out to put her hand on Hannah's, because she can see how upset she is. "Or just that he kissed Alex? Because you know that doesn't have to mean anything, right? Maybe he was just confused, or… he loves you, Hannah."

"He doesn't. He told me he doesn't," Hannah admits, "He said he liked me."

"Because he's a boy. Boys are bad at expressing their feelings."

"He wasn't bad at it when he said he's into Alex."

"I'm sure he isn't," Jessica tries. "Just talk to him, okay? Give it a few days, then sit down and talk about what happened. Maybe he kissed Alex, but at least let him explain why he did it."

"He kissed your boyfriend, Jess. How can you tell me to go give him another chance?"

"Because I know how much you care about him, and it's not worth throwing away what you have over one dumb kiss."

"He kissed a guy."

"Yeah, and I have kissed girls. That means nothing." Jessica shrugs. "Talk to him, okay?"

As Zach was about to head off home, he had noticed Monty following Alex out of the school. So he had gotten back out of the car, and he had gotten to them just in time to stop Monty from jumping Alex. Monty had fought back this time though, and although Alex had tried to split them up, the two teammates hadn't stopped punching each other until one of the teachers had come out, and they were given a warning.

"Thanks," Zach says, when Alex hands him an icepack for his swollen eye.

They are up in Alex's room, Zach having giving him a ride and having gone home with him after the fight. It's the first time they've been alone together since they had kissed, and Zach feels like he should be apologizing for it again. But before he gets a chance to, Alex sits down next to him, a guilty look on his face.

"I heard about you and Hannah."

"Oh, yeah…"

"Is it because of what happened the other week? Because I can try and talk to her?"

"I don't think that would do any good, but thanks," Zach says. "No, we ehm… I think we'll be better off as friends."

"I'm sorry."

Zach gives a nod, not sure what to say. But when he moves his hand, and it ends up touching Alex's, he can feel the tension in the room growing. He knows he shouldn't be doing this, but when he hesitantly caresses Alex's hand, he can hear his breath getting caught in his throat. And when he looks at him, he can see just how much the small touch is doing to him.

He leans in, and as soon as their mouths meet, Alex wraps his arms around his neck. They crash back onto the bed, their mouths still glued together, and it feels like they will never break away from each other.

Alex slides his hands down to Zach's ass, their kisses only growing hungrier, but when Alex grinds their hips together, Zach pulls away, a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry," Alex quickly says, as he moves away from Zach. But when he notices Zach squirming, trying to cover up his erection, he can't help but laugh. "Oh, wow…"

"Sorry," Zach says, but then he sighs. "I've never done this before."

"Me neither."

"No, I mean… this. I'm a virgin," Zach admits, half-expecting Alex to start laughing at him, but Alex just flashes a smile.

"That's cool."

"No, it really isn't," Zach chuckles uncomfortably. "But yeah, I can't do this."

"Wait, so you and Hannah never did it?"

"She wanted to, but I couldn't. I wasn't ready."

"Are you waiting until you're married, or…?" Alex asks, trying to understand, but Zach just shrugs. "I'm not judging you, I'm just asking."

"I'm just waiting until it feels right, I guess," Zach says, but he can feel his insides getting all wrangled up, because he knows that it feels right, being here with Alex. Yet he knows it couldn't be more wrong, because Alex has a girlfriend.

Alex seems to notice what Zach is thinking, because he grabs his hand, a guilty look on his face.

"I want to be with Jess."

"I know. I'm not trying to…"

"I don't want to do this to her," Alex says, his fingers sliding in between Zach's. "I don't want to be that guy. I'm not."

"Maybe we shouldn't be hanging out together anymore?" Zach suggests. "Unless it's as a group?"

"Yeah…"

"You know I like you, right?"

"Don't. Please," Alex whispers, but when he looks up from their hands, and he sees the look on Zach's face, he nods. "I know."