Hannah has just arrived at school when her phone buzzes in her pocket again. She has been trying to ignore it all morning, but when she sees Bryce standing by his locker, phone in hand, a big, cocky grin on his face, she knows that there is no point in ignoring his texts. So she takes her phone out of her pocket, and she sends him yet another text, telling him to leave her alone.

"What's wrong?" Clay asks, when Hannah almost bumps into him and Justin. "I have seen that look before, and…"

"Nothing. Why can't anyone just leave me the fuck alone?" Hannah spits out, her phone buzzing in her hand again. She is about to turn around, but when Justin puts a hand on her arm, a worried look on his face, she sighs, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"What's going on? Is this about Zach?"

"No. It's…," she begins, but she can't even say the words, her throat closing up when she remembers the dozen of pictures Bryce has sent her since the party the other week.

She hands Clay her phone, but as soon as he and Justin start scrolling through Bryce's messages, through the pictures, the threats of him going to the police about Alex if she doesn't send him a nude in return, Hannah wonders if she should have kept it to herself. Because they are only words, right? Only pictures. It's not like he has actually hurt her.

Justin can feel himself growing angrier with every text he sees though, and when he looks up, only to find Bryce watching them with a big grin on his face, he snaps. He storms up to him, and without saying a word, he slams him into his locker. He punches him in the face, the blood immediately beginning to pour from his lip.

Clay watches it happen, but it happens in only a matter of seconds, and before he realizes, the two teenagers are on the floor, rolling around trying to hurt each other.

He can see Monty running over to them, more than likely to help Bryce, and even though he is far from the fighting type, the thought of Justin being beaten by the two of them, it makes Clay run over to them, and place himself in between the two teenagers on the floor and Monty.

"Get out of the fucking way, fag!"

"No," Clay says, his heart beating so fast, that he can't help but wonder if he is about to pass out. But when Monty pushes him, his fighting spirit takes over, and within seconds, he finds himself on the floor too, punching and kicking Monty, feeling more than just a little ridiculous. He knows Monty can and will beat him, but anything to buy Justin more time to beat Bryce.

But there is no beating anyone, because the headmaster's voice thunders through the hallway, and within seconds, the four of them are in his office, trying to explain why they were fighting.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lainie spits out, as soon as she, Clay and Justin have left the headmaster's office. "Fighting? Seriously?"

"Bryce was harassing Hannah!"

"I don't care, Clay. You could have reported it, or you could have talked to him about it. He…"

"Talked to him?" Clay scoffs. "Are you kidding me? Are you even listening? He is harassing her, mom!"

"I am sorry, Mrs. Jensen. I started it," Justin says, and Lainie turns around, a tired look on her face. "I'm sorry."

"I know you were trying to look out for your friend, but fighting other kids is not the solution. We…," Lainie begins, but when Monty comes into the hallway, his eye swollen, but a big smirk on his face, she keeps quiet.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Jensen. Did they tell you?" he asks, but no one is quite sure what to say. "That they are fucking?"

"You shut the fuck up, you…," Clay spits out, ready for another fight, but Justin holds him back.

"Let's go home."

"Mom…"

"We'll talk about it later."

"What happened?" Alex asks, when he joins his friends for lunch. "I heard Clay and Justin got into a fight with Bryce and Monty?"

"It was my fault," Hannah says, keeping her voice down. "Bryce has been texting me ever since me and Zach broke up."

"Texting you? As in…?" Zach asks, but deep down he already knows the answer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I figured he would stop? I told him to stop, but he started threatening to go to the police about Alex, so…."

"Did you ever send him anything?" Zach asks, a feeling of dread washing over him, having seen enough pictures of girls going around to know exactly what Bryce would do with a picture of Hannah.

"No! I told him to stop."

"You have to tell someone," Jessica says. "I don't mean Clay or Justin. But someone at school, or the police even."

"Oh, yeah, let me go talk to the police. Sorry to bother you, but a guy from school showed me his dick. Can you please arrest him?" Hannah scoffs. "I just feel bad that Clay and Justin got in trouble for trying to stick up for me."

"If Bryce texts you again…," Zach begins, but Alex cuts him off.

"No, you are not going to fight him too. What good is that going to do? Do you think that'll stop him? Jess is right. Hannah has to tell someone."

"I'm sure he'll stop when he gets bored." Hannah shrugs, trying to hide how much all of this is getting to her.

"And what if he doesn't?"

"He will."

"Your mom told me what happened at school today," Matt says, an uncomfortable look on his face as the two teenagers sit down at the kitchen table for the conversation they have been dreading all day. "I can't say I am happy about the two of you fighting, but…"

"No buts. You can't go around fighting people."

"But I'm proud of you for sticking up for Hannah," Matt continues, ignoring his wife glaring at him. "I just wish you had gone about it in a different way. You could have come talk to us, or…"

"Next time we well," Clay quickly says. "Now can we go?"

"Your mom also told me that a boy from your school said…"

"He is an idiot," Clay says, ready to say anything to make his parents believe that Monty was lying. But when he sees the hurt look on Justin's face, he sighs.

"So you and Justin are just friends?" Lainie asks, looking more than just a little uncomfortable to have to ask.

"No," Clay mumbles. "Justin is ehm… he's my boyfriend," he admits, and although it makes his heart skip a beat, just seeing the smile forming on Justin's face is enough to reassure him that he has just done the right thing.

"Well… I am obviously happy for you," Lainie says, sharing an uncomfortable look with her husband. "But you know that this means that you won't be able to share a room anymore, don't you?"

"Why?" Clay blurts out. "You were alright with us sharing before."

"That was before we knew you were more than friends, Clay."

"So? It's not like we're up there, having sex!"

Justin has to cover his mouth with his hand to keep himself from laughing, but when he sees Matt struggling to keep his laughter in too, he can't help himself.

"That is ehm… good to know," Lainie sighs. "But how are we… Matt?"

"I'm sorry, but come on, if they want to have sex, they will find a way. So why change things now?"

"We're not…!"

"I think they got that," Justin laughs. "But I understand if you want me to leave."

"We don't want you to leave. We're just going to have to come up with some new rules."

"Of course." Justin nods, Clay's face turning an even darker shade of red. "Whatever you say, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen."

The boys go up to their room, and crash down on Clay's bed, Clay still blushing. But when Justin kisses him, before snuggling up to him, he can feel some of the embarrassment leaving him, it now truly hitting him what has just happened.

"Shit."

"What?" Justin laughs. "You just realized you told your parents we are definitely not having sex?"

"I just told them I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

"I think so. They didn't really seem to care, did they?"

"Why would they?" Justin laughs. "What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. Something. This was just… nothing."

"Disappointed?"

"Relieved?" Clay says, a shy smile forming on his lips when Justin looks up at him before kissing him again. "I wouldn't have let them send you away, by the way."

"Sure."

"Justin! I am not going to let them send you back there, okay? I promise."

"Here again?" Bill asks, when he is about to get into his car, and he sees Zach standing by his own car. "Are you waiting for Alex?"

"Yeah, I said I'd pick him up for school."

"You and Alex have been spending a lot of time together lately, huh?"

"We hang out, yeah." Zach nods, Bill still making him feel like he is being interrogated, every time he speaks to him. "We play video games and stuff."

"And stuff. Drugs?"

"No, sir!"

"So if I were to check your car right now, I wouldn't find any drugs in there?" Bill asks, trying to keep a straight face. "Have you ever done any drugs, Zach?"

"I ehm… ehm… well, there was…"

"Dad, seriously?" Alex rolls his eyes, when he comes out of the house, and he walks past his father to join Zach. "Leave him alone."

The smile forms on Bill's face, and he gives a little wave, before getting into his car and driving off.

"I see where you get it from!"

"He always does this." Alex rolls his eyes again. "He thinks it's funny. I guess."

"Hilarious."

Alex can't help but laugh, but when they get into the car, and Zach leans in to kiss him, he backs away from him.

"Sorry, I thought…"

"We should probably go on an actual date first before we do that."

"Right. I've been thinking about it. Maybe we can go see a movie?" Zach suggests, but when Alex just stares at him, raising an eyebrow, he lets out a nervous chuckle. "What?"

"Hannah and Clay work there."

"So? We'll go on a day when they don't work. Or we could go see a band? There's usually some good stuff on over the weekend."

"I'd like that," Alex says, the smile slowly but surely taking over his face. "Shit, I can't believe we're actually going to do this."

"A date?"

"Yeah. I really wanted to hate you, you know?"

"You did."

"Yeah… I always thought you were interesting though," Alex admits, a big grin forming on Zach's face. "What? I said interesting, not…"

"Hot?"

"Fuck off, Zach." Alex shakes his head, smiling to himself.

"I thought you were."

"Were what?"

"Good-looking. Especially when you still had the ehm…," Zach says, pointing at his nose. "Why did you take it out?"

"I figured I'd get less shit from those assholes if I stopped dyeing my hair, and I took out my nose ring. It didn't work though."

"I'm really sorry I never stopped them," Zach says, but when Alex tries to shrug it off, he sighs. "Did you really change because of them?"

"Yeah, I was trying to get them to stop noticing me," Alex admits. "It's not great, getting your head kicked in."

"I think you should dye your hair again," Zach says, but Alex just laughs, convinced Zach is taking the piss. "I mean it, fuck those guys. If you want to dye your hair and have a nose ring, just do it. Who gives a fuck what they think?"

"You did, up until just a few weeks ago. Or have you already forgotten about that?"

"Yeah, and I regret that. I fucked up, keeping quiet just to keep the peace. But not anymore."

"Oh god," Alex laughs, when he sees the determined look in Zach's eyes. "I almost regret agreeing to go out with you now."

"I mean it, Alex. Fuck 'em."

"Yeah… that sounds great, until Monty tries to break my legs again."

"I won't let him."

"You really think I should dye my hair again?" Alex asks, as he checks himself out in the rearview mirror. "What color?"

"Any color you want."

"And if I dye it green, would you still want to be seen with me?" Alex teases, but when he looks back at Zach, and he sees the loving smile on his face, he can feel himself blushing. "Thanks. For having my back."

"It's what you do, right?"