"We should probably talk about it, right?" Jessica says, before Alex has even gotten a chance to greet her at school the next morning. "About what happened last night."

"I'm so sorry, Jess. I don't know why I did it, or…"

"Yeah, you do. We all know why you beat the shit out of Bryce," Jessica chuckles uncomfortably. "But that's not what I'm talking about."

"Right."

"I'm talking about you and Zach."

Alex just nods, knowing fully well that there is no point in denying it, and Jessica is grateful to not have to go through the same conversation again. So she wraps her arms around him, and she gives him a big hug.

"Go for it, okay? I know he feels the same way about you, and me and Hannah…"

"I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," Jessica says, a big smile on her face when she lets go of him. "Really. You and Zach… it just makes sense."

"It does?" Alex asks, "It doesn't make sense to me."

"Why not?"

"Because he's friends with the assholes who…"

"No, he's not." Jessica rolls her eyes. "Not really. Not anymore, I think."

"Right," Alex chuckles. "I should hate him. You get that, right?"

"Whatever. Are you seriously going to give up on the guy, just because he hung out with them? Because if you do…"

"Do what?" Hannah asks, when she pops up behind them. "Tell me."

"Can you please tell him that he's an idiot?"

"You're an idiot," Hannah says, a big grin forming on her face. "Let me guess, this is about Zach?"

"I really don't want to talk about this with you two," Alex mumbles, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"What? Because we had sex?" Jessica laughs. "Or because Hannah and Zach…"

"Both?" Alex laughs uncomfortably. "This is really weird."

"I would rather Zach goes out with you than with some girl." Hannah shrugs. "I would probably just want to scratch her eyes out."

"Hannah!"

"Yeah, that's just scary," Alex admits. "If I find a dead rat in my locker one day, at least I'll know who put it there."

"It was a joke," Hannah laughs, but when Jessica and Alex just stare at her, the grin on her face grows bigger. "It was!"

"Yeah…," Jessica laughs, before sharing a knowing look with Alex. "I'm sure it was."

"Do you think Bryce will talk?" Alex asks, when Clay and Justin join them at their table for lunch. "About what I did to him?"

"He won't," Justin sighs. "Because he knows what shit we've got on him, so he wouldn't risk it."

"Do we?" Alex asks, a confused look on his face. "Have shit on him? I mean, I'm pretty sure the cops don't really give a shit about him calling people names."

"Oh, don't worry." Justin grins. "I have enough on him to make sure he keeps quiet."

"We both do," Zach reassures him, and he almost reaches out to put a hand on Alex's, but as far as he is aware, Alex and Jessica are still dating, so he keeps his hands to himself, and he quickly looks down at his drink.

But when they hear Bryce and his friends come into the cafeteria, laughing loudly, they all look up, all expecting something to happen. But the guys sit down at a table, Bryce showing them all something on his phone.

"He is such an asshole," Jessica spits out. "Did you know he sent…," she begins, but when Hannah kicks her underneath the table, she swallows back the rest of her words.

"What did he do?"

"It doesn't matter. He's just an asshole." Jessica shrugs, but she can feel Alex's eyes burning a hole into her. She ignores it though, because as much as she wants them all to know just what he did to Hannah, she knows it isn't her place to tell them.

"Are you okay, dude?" Justin asks, turning his attention to Alex. "You were pretty angry last night."

"I'm fine."

"I thought you were going to kill him," Clay admits, but no one is sure if he is kidding or not, and it only makes them more uncomfortable. "The way you were…"

"Well, I didn't, okay? Look at him, he's fine," Alex spits out. "Fucking asshole."

"Don't let him get to you. He's not worth it."

"That's easy for you to say, he's your friend."

"You saw what he did last night, right?" Justin asks, raising an eyebrow. "He is not my friend, Alex. Not anymore."

"Whatever."

"Don't let those guys get to you."

"I'm just sick of not being able to go to my locker without Monty trying to kick my head in, or…"

"Dude, Monty is a fucking idiot," Justin laughs. "He is just trying to impress Bryce."

"That doesn't make it hurt any less," Alex mumbles, embarrassed to have to admit that their actions hurt him, but what is the point in lying? It's not like he can pretend that it doesn't bother him, not after they have all seen how he had reacted to Bryce's mocking last night.

"Whatever Monty says, that shit has nothing to do with you," Justin explains. "That is all about him being really fucking messed up."

"What do you mean?" Clay asks, still remembering every single name Bryce and his friends, but especially Monty had called him.

"You know Monty is gay, right?" Justin asks, but when they all stare at him, gob smacked, he can't help but laugh. "I thought you knew."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jessica asks. "Monty isn't gay. He is the most homophobic son of a…"

"We were at this party one time," Justin explains, keeping his voice down, "and all of the sudden he had his dick out, and he grabbed me by the back of my head and he tried to push me to…"

"He wanted you to suck his dick?" Clay blurts out, so loudly that it makes the girls at the table next to them look up.

"He did," Justin laughs. "But I just shoved him off, because, you know, it's Monty."

"That doesn't mean he's gay." Hannah shrugs. "Maybe he was just drunk? Maybe he thought you were someone else?"

"That's what I figured. So I didn't mention it again. But then a few months later we were hanging out at Bryce's, and when I was getting changed after going for a swim, he…"

"Please tell me you did not let Monty suck your dick," Clay groans, burying his face in his hands. "That is just… oh god. That is disgusting."

"What? Jealous he got there first?" Justin laughs, but when Clay goes a bright shade of red, he just puts an arm around his shoulder, still laughing. "Relax, I stopped him, okay? Trust me, I am not interested in Monty."

"Wait, so… Monty is into you?" Jessica asks, before looking over to the jocks sitting at their table. "Does Bryce know?"

"Monty is not into me. Monty is into sucking dick," Justin chuckles, his arm still wrapped tightly around Clay, who can't stop blushing. "And yeah, Bryce definitely knows."

"Holy shit," Zach says, and seeing as he has been quiet all along, they look at him, not sure if he only just realized what Justin has told them, or if they are missing something. "Monty is sucking Bryce's dick?"

Justin just shrugs, the grin on his face growing so big, that it looks like it's about to take over his face.

"Wait, so he gave you shit for being gay, but he lets a guy suck his dick?" Alex asks. "Why doesn't he have a problem with Monty being gay?"

"You just answered your own question, didn't you?" Hannah laughs. "Sounds like Monty is doing him a favor, and he doesn't mind his friends being gay, as long as he gets something out of it."

"That's not… yeah, I don't think that's the reason," Justin admits. "I wanted to be out, Monty is never going to come out. You've seen him, the way he goes around calling every guy a faggot? It's just so people won't find out who he is."

"That guy is seriously messed up."

"No shit."

"Alex, there's someone here to see you!" Mrs. Standall yells up the stairs, just as Alex is about to sit down to do his homework. He can't imagine who would come and see him, so a feeling of dread washes over him, because what if Bryce has gone to the police? What if he is about to get arrested? What would his father say?

But when he gets downstairs, Zach is waiting for him in the living room, a big smile on his face as Carolyn is showing him a picture of Alex from when he was still a toddler. It makes him cringe, and for a split-second it makes him wish he had found the police here to arrest him instead.

"I'll leave you to it," Carolyn says, when she notices her son, and after flashing Zach another smile, she leaves the room.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought maybe we could go for a walk or something?"

"Why?"

"Why?" Zach chuckles. "Because we're friends?"

"I broke up with Jess," Alex blurts out, even if only to see Zach's reaction. "Or I think she broke up with me."

"Are you okay?"

"I suppose it's for the best, right?" Alex shrugs, but when he sees the guilty look on Zach's face, he sighs. "It wasn't your fault. It wouldn't have worked between us anyway."

"You don't know that. If I had stayed away…"

Alex hears his mother's footsteps in the kitchen, so he lowers his voice, not ready for his mother to know what is going on between him and Zach just yet.

"We're about to have dinner, so…"

"Right. I should go," Zach quickly says, regretting coming here in the first place. But when he sees a small smile forming on the other teenager's face, it gives him the smallest bit of hope.

"Or you could stay? I'm sure my parents won't mind," Alex suggests. "We can go for a walk after dinner?"

"Are you sure?"

"Just don't mention the ehm…"

"Kissing you?" Zach asks, but when Alex lets out a chuckle, he quickly realizes that that is not what he was talking about. "Sorry, I just…"

"I meant the party. Bryce."

"I won't tell them anything."

"Good."

They go into the kitchen, and without hesitation, Carolyn sets another place for Zach. They all sit down, but Alex can see his father staring Zach down, not entirely sure why he is here, seeing as he has never heard Alex mentioning them being friends before.

"So, Zach… you are on the team, aren't you?" Bill begins, but the tone of his voice makes it feel like he is trying to interrogate him rather than get to know him.

"Yes, sir."

"You are friends with Bryce Walker, Montgomery de la Cruz…?"

"No, they are not my friends, sir," Zach answers nervously. "We are on the team together, but I'm not friends with them. They are not really my kind of people."

"I see." Bill nods, Zach getting more and more nervous at the way he is trying to stare him down.

"Let it go, dad." Alex rolls his eyes.

"So, how is Jessica?" Carolyn tries, hoping a change of topic will lighten the atmosphere. "You should invite her for dinner again sometime."

"We broke up."

"Oh…"

"That's a shame," Bill says. "I liked her."

"Yeah, me too," Alex says. "But I guess we weren't meant to be." He shrugs, as he pushes around the food on his plate.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Carolyn says, flashing a comforting smile. She had been trying her best to make things more comfortable, but when the two teenagers catch each other's eye, before quickly looking down at their plates, the guilt written all over their faces, it's obvious that there is more to the story. Carolyn knows not to bring it up though, so she starts telling them about her day, hoping that her husband will let it go too.

"Your mom knows," Zach says, as soon as he and Alex step out of the house. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over."

"She was going to find out sooner or later, right?" Alex shrugs, but when there is no reply, he looks up, only to find a big grin on Zach's face. "What?"

"Does that mean that you want to go out with me?"

"Sure. We already made out, so…," Alex says, trying to keep a straight face, but when he sees the blush on Zach's face, he can't help but laugh. "Just don't tell Justin, okay? Because he will tell Clay, and if Clay knows…"

"Hannah and Jess know." Zach nods. "I won't tell him."

"Not until we know what this is exactly. I don't want them to get involved. You know what they are like."

"If they find out where we're going, they'll probably follow and try and spy on us, you mean?" Zach laughs. "Yeah. Let's keep it quiet for now."

They walk on, both a little nervous, now with the promise of an upcoming date in the air. But when they sit down on a park bench, Zach looks up, a confused look on his face.

"Why does your dad hate me?"

"He doesn't hate you," Alex chuckles. "It's just that he knows you hang out with Bryce and Monty."

"Right. How?"

"You know what he does for a living, right?"

"Should I be worried?"

"Depends." Alex shrugs, trying to stop the smile from forming on his face, but failing miserably. "He's pretty protective over us, so…"

"So if I mess this up…?"

"He's got a gun." Alex states, so matter-of-factly, that Zach swallows hard, before nodding nervously. "Shit, I'm just kidding," Alex laughs, almost feeling sorry for making a joke out of it. "You'll be fine."