The Truth Is Hard To Swallow [Two]
Alex rolled his eyes despite knowing that Zack couldn't see him. "Dude, shut up already. I said it was fine. It's not a big deal."
There was a slight pause as he listened to Zack jostle the phone around before speaking again, "So... care to tell me what happened to you last night?"
Fingers drumming against his phone, the teen shook his head, mumbling a firm, "No."
More silence.
"C'mon, Lex. What happened? You disappear on me and I don't see you like, for the rest of the night until you find me like all crying and shit, asking me to take you home."
"I wasn't crying," he snapped into the mouthpiece, blowing a few strands of hair out of his eyes angrily. He did not cry over something so fucking trivial. Like he would let someone get to him like that. Freaking hilarious.
"Fine. You weren't crying, whatever. But you looked pretty upset, and I'm worried. Please, Lex. Tell me what the hell happened to you last night."
Breathing out through his nose, Alex closed his eyes, trying not to see anything against the black. His fingers began to tap harder against the phone before he finally said with a huff, "There's nothing to tell, Zack."
"Bullshit. Look, I'm really sorry I wasn't there for you last night, and I'd like to think that nothing happened like you claim, but you looked anything but okay yesterday, and I'm really fucking worried so spill. Now. I'll come over there if I have to."
"My mom would kick your ass," he tried jokingly, hoping to deter his best friend away from last night. He didn't even want to think about it anymore.
"Your mom's at work, bitch," laughed Zack through the phone. He quickly sobered, however. "But seriously, Alex. Tell me?"
He sighed loudly, reopening his eyes to the harsh off-white of his ceiling. Stilling his fingers, Alex spoke quietly, "It's nothing. I just..." He stopped, gnawing on his lower lip in thought before just deciding to go ahead and say it bluntly. "I met someone at the party. We had a few drinks, made out, and I maybe slept with him."
The silence on the other line worried his nerves. Alex just knew that Zack was probably taking each part in, getting ready to explode.
"Wait, what? You what?!"
"It's not a big deal," he remarked flatly. "Everyone does it."
"Not a big deal? Not a fucking big deal? Of course it is! And who cares if everyone does it, Alex? You're not everyone!" hissed his best friend. "So wait, tell me what happened exactly so I know how badly I should kick his ass."
"Exactly what I just said, Zack. We met, talked, drank, and then fucked. That's it. He left right after, and then I came and found you. Nothing more to tell. It was just a one-night thing."
"He took your virginity!" Zack nearly screeched into the phone, voice going impressively high.
"Zack! Seriously! Don't need the reminder!" Groaning, the boy lifted his hand from his stomach to run it through his hair. The last thing he needed was for his loss of virginity to be publicized. "And how do you know I'm a virgin anyways?"
"Oh please, Alex. Don't even try that bullshit with me. We're best friends. I know everything about you. That includes sexual experiences, which you have had none up until now. Hell, you've never even kissed anyone. Although I guess last night took care of that too." There was a quick pause before Zack's voice came back over the phone, darker and lined with anger, "Goddammit. If I ever see that kid again, I'm gonna punch him."
Eyes rolling at his overprotective nature, Alex just said, "Please, I don't need you to defend my honor or whatever shit it is you're going on about. Like I said, it's not a big deal, and it didn't mean anything."
"To him," corrected Zack almost immediately. "It could not have meant nothing to you, right? Or else you wouldn't have been so upset and crying."
"I wasn't fucking crying for god's sake! Look, yeah, I maybe liked the guy, and I wouldn't have minded being something more, but that doesn't mean shit because he obviously was just looking for a one-time thing, which I'm perfectly okay with too. Just because I was a virgin and he was my first time doesn't mean I have to fall in love with him or something!"
"Well, yeah, I guess but..." He trailed off into another pause. They were having way too many silences. "So, you're not... I don't know, like, in love with him?"
"No!" shouted Alex vehemently, tugging at his hair in frustration. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for, like, the past ten minutes! I didn't magically fall in love with him, and it didn't suddenly become a relationship. We just slept together. That's it. No buts."
"...I don't believe you."
"Oh for fuck's sake. I give up. Go ahead and think whatever you want, Zack. Just know that whatever you're thinking, it's wrong because I am not in love with him. I don't even know who he is." Alex let go of his hair, feeling a headache crawl up. "Look, I'm going to hang up now because I'm done talking about this. I'm not upset, and I'm not in love with him, so don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that said, he hung up, tossing the phone over onto his pillow. He hadn't been lying when he told Zack that it didn't matter. Sure, he liked Jack, but one-night stands at a house party were pretty much an unspoken rule, and Jack had never hinted to being anything more during the whole time they hung out. Although hanging out had basically just been making small talk and drinking before jumping into making out. Truthfully, he hadn't been surprised to see the other boy go. Alex was just surprised that it bothered him so much when he watched him leave because he already knew and expected that it was a one-time thing. And yes, maybe he had wished his first time could have meant something more and could have been with someone who loved and cared for him, but that stuff was overrated anyways. He wasn't ashamed.
Still, Alex couldn't help but wish his stomach would stop churning every time he thought of last night. It was getting annoying.
He was so over it. Whatever.
--
School on Mondays sucked for plenty of reasons. Of course, for Alex, there was just one main reason why this particular Monday sucked harder than the others. He had never been good at noticing people around him, namely the student population of his high school, which meant that Alex had probably never noticed Jack, which meant that there was a good chance Jack went here, which in turn meant that he could run into Jack here. Shitastic. Gotta love Mondays.
Saturday night didn't necessarily mean anything, but if possible, Alex really didn't want to run into Jack. It would be uncomfortable to say in the least. Hell, just remembering what he had done with the other boy made his face flush bright red. No one else had ever seen him like that, and Alex wanted to keep it that way.
Which was why he was hiding behind his binder while simultaneously pretending to be looking for a book in his locker with little success. It was difficult to hold up his binder and take out a book at the same time. Even more so when Zack poked him in the side, causing him to jolt and drop the binder and the textbook he had finally manged to slide out.
"You're such a jerk," bemoaned Alex, rubbing at his side as he stared down at the mess of papers at his feet. He crouched down to pick them up, ignoring the pointed giggles.
"You love me," Zack smiled cheerily, nudging some of the papers with his foot in his own way of 'helping'. "What are you doing, anyways?"
"Nothing," he muttered as he got back up to his feet, papers stuffed carelessly back into his binder and book shoved back into the locker. It was the wrong book anyways. "Just looking for my stupid book."
"So..." Alex could already tell he wasn't going to like what was about to come out of Zack's mouth. "I asked around about Saturday," See? He definitely didn't like it, "but I couldn't find out anything besides what you told me. No one noticed anything, and Rian didn't know either. All he could tell me was that he was going to lock his bedroom door the next time. But then again, you never really told me anything about the guy, so that's not much to go off of since lots of people sleep around at parties. Still, I figured someone would have seen something."
"Why would you ask around in the first place?" he hissed, pushing the other boy with an angry hand. Zack had enough decency to look ashamed. "I said it wasn't a big deal. Why won't you just let this drop already?"
Getting defensive, Zack countered, "Because I'm worried about you. And if I hadn't left you alone at that party, it wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault, man." Alex sighed, knowing very well that Zack was just concerned and guilty for what happened. It was just that Alex was so sick of talking about this. It didn't mean anything, and he just didn't know how many more times and how many more ways he could say it until it finally got through. To both of them. The more times he had to think about it, the more he could feel his certainty drooping, and that was something Alex did not need right now. He didn't care, he was over it, and it was going to stay that way. "I'm not miserable, and I"m not crying my eyes out because of what happened. I'm perfectly fine, Zack. So, can we just drop it?"
The nod of Zack's head was all he needed to reassure him and calm his stomach. It was hesitant but there all the same.
"But if I ever find out who he is and see him, I'm still punching him," warned Zack.
"I can deal with that." His best friend grinned at the answer, obviously in approval with it. Grabbing the correct book, Alex shut his locker and smiled, feeling better already. Besides, it was five classes in and so far, he hadn't seen Jack around at all. Maybe this Monday wouldn't suck too hard.
--
Over the passing two weeks, he hadn't seen Jack and had successfully managed to get Zack to shut up about what happened over the weekend. At home, after the initial stern lecture on the first day, his mom seemed to forget entirely about his coming home late without any notice, going out to work as usual. Everything moved as normally as allowed. Except the really weird thing was that it didn't. Not for Alex. Something felt irrevocably altered, and he couldn't change it back. What was worse was that no one else seemed to notice. It was an itch he had under his skin that he couldn't scratch, no matter how hard he tried to pick at his skin with his nails.
Okay, so maybe Alex hadn't been telling Zack the entire truth. And maybe he skimped out on a few very important details, giving his best friend an edited version of what really happened. But they were details that Zack really didn't need to know. Like what exactly happened after they fucked. Alex didn't even want to know them. He felt completely shamed just remembering what had happened. And he was certain that it was the cause of his itch.
The thing was, after they slept together, Jack hadn't left immediately after. Well, he tried, but Alex had tried to stop him. Their talk basically consisted of Alex asking him to stay which prompted Jack to laugh and make clear his intentions that they were not going to progress past a one-night stand. Ever. It had been the most awkward and mortifying five minutes of his life, and Alex had never felt more ashamed in his life than he did at that moment. Not even sleeping with a stranger made him feel as humiliated and downright pathetic as he did at that moment. Alex really despised himself. Even more so because he knew that half of that was the alcohol talking, but the other half was all him. He was a fucking idiot.
Another really good reason why he wanted to avoid Jack at all costs possible if he went to their school. Although after two weeks and not even catching a glimpse of his dark hair and tall frame, Alex was guessing it was safe to say he didn't. He didn't want to ask Zack either just in case he happened to know the other boy.
Burying his face into his pillow, Alex tried not to think of it, but humiliating moments had this strange way of burning themselves into his mind until he had relived it at least a hundred times over before finally extinguishing themselves. He flopped over onto his back, letting out an aggravated breath.
Why couldn't he get it out of his mind?
It was ruining his night which sadly consisted of doing a little English homework and probably nothing else. Friday nights sucked only a little less than Monday mornings.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, startling his attention. Getting up from his bed, he padded through the apartment in his sock-clad feet, cautiously opening the door a crack before swinging it open completely upon seeing Zack on the other side. Of course. Who else would come to his house this late?
"I figured you were probably sitting in your room, bored out of your damn mind," he grinned, hand coming up in a wave.
"So you decided to come and entertain me?" he asked back, brow raised.
"Kinda. I came to drag you off to another party. And before you say no, I promise I won't leave your side this time!"
Alex narrowed his eyes, mouth curling as he said sharply, "No."
"C'mon, Alex! You can't just let one bad experience ruin the fun," whined Zack with a small pout. It was hardly effective against the older boy who just stared at him with a blank face. "Okay, think about it this way then. If you let that one asshole ruin your whole party experience, it's like you're letting him win! Instead of hiding around in here from him, go out and show him what he's missing. Make him regret it, bro."
It was a tempting idea. Very tempting. But the idea of seeing him again was also very nauseating, his stomach lurching unpleasantly at just the mere thought.
"Nice, but still no."
"Why not? It's not like you're doing anything better, and don't even bother saying you're busy because I already know you're not."
He silently cursed Zack for knowing everything about him. And being insanely persistent. He couldn't understand why Zack insisted on taking him out to these things. The first party had been a complete bust, and Alex was not a masochist looking to relive that experience again with another boy at another party.
"My mom will probably kill me if I come back home late again," he tried.
"Just tell her that you're sleeping over at my house. I mean, you probably will again, anyways. Can't exactly take you back home wasted, can I?"
"I'm not drinking," snapped Alex absently, rubbing at his wrist.
With hopeful eyes, Zack ventured to say, "Does that mean you're going?"
"You're a bad influence," Alex informed the other teen, rolling his eyes when Zack just grinned. They both knew that he was just stalling now.
"I like to think that I'm more of a positive influence on your nonexistent social life. So, does this mean that you'll go?"
Alex really did not want to run into that stupid douchebag Jack again. But Zack had a point too. He didn't want to just waste away in his house and give the other the satisfaction of thinking that he broke Alex's heart or whatever stupid notion he had in his head. Why not go ahead and go out and show him what he was missing? Show him that he wasn't crying over the jerk in his room because Alex certainly didn't care about him. And yeah, maybe he still didn't really like parties, but hey, everything deserved a second chance. Besides, maybe this time, he would meet a guy that wasn't a complete asshole. It was a stretch, but anything could happen, right?
"Yeah," he said, nodding and ignoring Zack's victorious whoops. "Let me just get dressed and call my mom."
He was going to show that stupid Jack that he was definitely so over what happened between them.
There was a slight pause as he listened to Zack jostle the phone around before speaking again, "So... care to tell me what happened to you last night?"
Fingers drumming against his phone, the teen shook his head, mumbling a firm, "No."
More silence.
"C'mon, Lex. What happened? You disappear on me and I don't see you like, for the rest of the night until you find me like all crying and shit, asking me to take you home."
"I wasn't crying," he snapped into the mouthpiece, blowing a few strands of hair out of his eyes angrily. He did not cry over something so fucking trivial. Like he would let someone get to him like that. Freaking hilarious.
"Fine. You weren't crying, whatever. But you looked pretty upset, and I'm worried. Please, Lex. Tell me what the hell happened to you last night."
Breathing out through his nose, Alex closed his eyes, trying not to see anything against the black. His fingers began to tap harder against the phone before he finally said with a huff, "There's nothing to tell, Zack."
"Bullshit. Look, I'm really sorry I wasn't there for you last night, and I'd like to think that nothing happened like you claim, but you looked anything but okay yesterday, and I'm really fucking worried so spill. Now. I'll come over there if I have to."
"My mom would kick your ass," he tried jokingly, hoping to deter his best friend away from last night. He didn't even want to think about it anymore.
"Your mom's at work, bitch," laughed Zack through the phone. He quickly sobered, however. "But seriously, Alex. Tell me?"
He sighed loudly, reopening his eyes to the harsh off-white of his ceiling. Stilling his fingers, Alex spoke quietly, "It's nothing. I just..." He stopped, gnawing on his lower lip in thought before just deciding to go ahead and say it bluntly. "I met someone at the party. We had a few drinks, made out, and I maybe slept with him."
The silence on the other line worried his nerves. Alex just knew that Zack was probably taking each part in, getting ready to explode.
"Wait, what? You what?!"
"It's not a big deal," he remarked flatly. "Everyone does it."
"Not a big deal? Not a fucking big deal? Of course it is! And who cares if everyone does it, Alex? You're not everyone!" hissed his best friend. "So wait, tell me what happened exactly so I know how badly I should kick his ass."
"Exactly what I just said, Zack. We met, talked, drank, and then fucked. That's it. He left right after, and then I came and found you. Nothing more to tell. It was just a one-night thing."
"He took your virginity!" Zack nearly screeched into the phone, voice going impressively high.
"Zack! Seriously! Don't need the reminder!" Groaning, the boy lifted his hand from his stomach to run it through his hair. The last thing he needed was for his loss of virginity to be publicized. "And how do you know I'm a virgin anyways?"
"Oh please, Alex. Don't even try that bullshit with me. We're best friends. I know everything about you. That includes sexual experiences, which you have had none up until now. Hell, you've never even kissed anyone. Although I guess last night took care of that too." There was a quick pause before Zack's voice came back over the phone, darker and lined with anger, "Goddammit. If I ever see that kid again, I'm gonna punch him."
Eyes rolling at his overprotective nature, Alex just said, "Please, I don't need you to defend my honor or whatever shit it is you're going on about. Like I said, it's not a big deal, and it didn't mean anything."
"To him," corrected Zack almost immediately. "It could not have meant nothing to you, right? Or else you wouldn't have been so upset and crying."
"I wasn't fucking crying for god's sake! Look, yeah, I maybe liked the guy, and I wouldn't have minded being something more, but that doesn't mean shit because he obviously was just looking for a one-time thing, which I'm perfectly okay with too. Just because I was a virgin and he was my first time doesn't mean I have to fall in love with him or something!"
"Well, yeah, I guess but..." He trailed off into another pause. They were having way too many silences. "So, you're not... I don't know, like, in love with him?"
"No!" shouted Alex vehemently, tugging at his hair in frustration. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for, like, the past ten minutes! I didn't magically fall in love with him, and it didn't suddenly become a relationship. We just slept together. That's it. No buts."
"...I don't believe you."
"Oh for fuck's sake. I give up. Go ahead and think whatever you want, Zack. Just know that whatever you're thinking, it's wrong because I am not in love with him. I don't even know who he is." Alex let go of his hair, feeling a headache crawl up. "Look, I'm going to hang up now because I'm done talking about this. I'm not upset, and I'm not in love with him, so don't worry about it. I'll see you tomorrow."
With that said, he hung up, tossing the phone over onto his pillow. He hadn't been lying when he told Zack that it didn't matter. Sure, he liked Jack, but one-night stands at a house party were pretty much an unspoken rule, and Jack had never hinted to being anything more during the whole time they hung out. Although hanging out had basically just been making small talk and drinking before jumping into making out. Truthfully, he hadn't been surprised to see the other boy go. Alex was just surprised that it bothered him so much when he watched him leave because he already knew and expected that it was a one-time thing. And yes, maybe he had wished his first time could have meant something more and could have been with someone who loved and cared for him, but that stuff was overrated anyways. He wasn't ashamed.
Still, Alex couldn't help but wish his stomach would stop churning every time he thought of last night. It was getting annoying.
He was so over it. Whatever.
--
School on Mondays sucked for plenty of reasons. Of course, for Alex, there was just one main reason why this particular Monday sucked harder than the others. He had never been good at noticing people around him, namely the student population of his high school, which meant that Alex had probably never noticed Jack, which meant that there was a good chance Jack went here, which in turn meant that he could run into Jack here. Shitastic. Gotta love Mondays.
Saturday night didn't necessarily mean anything, but if possible, Alex really didn't want to run into Jack. It would be uncomfortable to say in the least. Hell, just remembering what he had done with the other boy made his face flush bright red. No one else had ever seen him like that, and Alex wanted to keep it that way.
Which was why he was hiding behind his binder while simultaneously pretending to be looking for a book in his locker with little success. It was difficult to hold up his binder and take out a book at the same time. Even more so when Zack poked him in the side, causing him to jolt and drop the binder and the textbook he had finally manged to slide out.
"You're such a jerk," bemoaned Alex, rubbing at his side as he stared down at the mess of papers at his feet. He crouched down to pick them up, ignoring the pointed giggles.
"You love me," Zack smiled cheerily, nudging some of the papers with his foot in his own way of 'helping'. "What are you doing, anyways?"
"Nothing," he muttered as he got back up to his feet, papers stuffed carelessly back into his binder and book shoved back into the locker. It was the wrong book anyways. "Just looking for my stupid book."
"So..." Alex could already tell he wasn't going to like what was about to come out of Zack's mouth. "I asked around about Saturday," See? He definitely didn't like it, "but I couldn't find out anything besides what you told me. No one noticed anything, and Rian didn't know either. All he could tell me was that he was going to lock his bedroom door the next time. But then again, you never really told me anything about the guy, so that's not much to go off of since lots of people sleep around at parties. Still, I figured someone would have seen something."
"Why would you ask around in the first place?" he hissed, pushing the other boy with an angry hand. Zack had enough decency to look ashamed. "I said it wasn't a big deal. Why won't you just let this drop already?"
Getting defensive, Zack countered, "Because I'm worried about you. And if I hadn't left you alone at that party, it wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault, man." Alex sighed, knowing very well that Zack was just concerned and guilty for what happened. It was just that Alex was so sick of talking about this. It didn't mean anything, and he just didn't know how many more times and how many more ways he could say it until it finally got through. To both of them. The more times he had to think about it, the more he could feel his certainty drooping, and that was something Alex did not need right now. He didn't care, he was over it, and it was going to stay that way. "I'm not miserable, and I"m not crying my eyes out because of what happened. I'm perfectly fine, Zack. So, can we just drop it?"
The nod of Zack's head was all he needed to reassure him and calm his stomach. It was hesitant but there all the same.
"But if I ever find out who he is and see him, I'm still punching him," warned Zack.
"I can deal with that." His best friend grinned at the answer, obviously in approval with it. Grabbing the correct book, Alex shut his locker and smiled, feeling better already. Besides, it was five classes in and so far, he hadn't seen Jack around at all. Maybe this Monday wouldn't suck too hard.
--
Over the passing two weeks, he hadn't seen Jack and had successfully managed to get Zack to shut up about what happened over the weekend. At home, after the initial stern lecture on the first day, his mom seemed to forget entirely about his coming home late without any notice, going out to work as usual. Everything moved as normally as allowed. Except the really weird thing was that it didn't. Not for Alex. Something felt irrevocably altered, and he couldn't change it back. What was worse was that no one else seemed to notice. It was an itch he had under his skin that he couldn't scratch, no matter how hard he tried to pick at his skin with his nails.
Okay, so maybe Alex hadn't been telling Zack the entire truth. And maybe he skimped out on a few very important details, giving his best friend an edited version of what really happened. But they were details that Zack really didn't need to know. Like what exactly happened after they fucked. Alex didn't even want to know them. He felt completely shamed just remembering what had happened. And he was certain that it was the cause of his itch.
The thing was, after they slept together, Jack hadn't left immediately after. Well, he tried, but Alex had tried to stop him. Their talk basically consisted of Alex asking him to stay which prompted Jack to laugh and make clear his intentions that they were not going to progress past a one-night stand. Ever. It had been the most awkward and mortifying five minutes of his life, and Alex had never felt more ashamed in his life than he did at that moment. Not even sleeping with a stranger made him feel as humiliated and downright pathetic as he did at that moment. Alex really despised himself. Even more so because he knew that half of that was the alcohol talking, but the other half was all him. He was a fucking idiot.
Another really good reason why he wanted to avoid Jack at all costs possible if he went to their school. Although after two weeks and not even catching a glimpse of his dark hair and tall frame, Alex was guessing it was safe to say he didn't. He didn't want to ask Zack either just in case he happened to know the other boy.
Burying his face into his pillow, Alex tried not to think of it, but humiliating moments had this strange way of burning themselves into his mind until he had relived it at least a hundred times over before finally extinguishing themselves. He flopped over onto his back, letting out an aggravated breath.
Why couldn't he get it out of his mind?
It was ruining his night which sadly consisted of doing a little English homework and probably nothing else. Friday nights sucked only a little less than Monday mornings.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, startling his attention. Getting up from his bed, he padded through the apartment in his sock-clad feet, cautiously opening the door a crack before swinging it open completely upon seeing Zack on the other side. Of course. Who else would come to his house this late?
"I figured you were probably sitting in your room, bored out of your damn mind," he grinned, hand coming up in a wave.
"So you decided to come and entertain me?" he asked back, brow raised.
"Kinda. I came to drag you off to another party. And before you say no, I promise I won't leave your side this time!"
Alex narrowed his eyes, mouth curling as he said sharply, "No."
"C'mon, Alex! You can't just let one bad experience ruin the fun," whined Zack with a small pout. It was hardly effective against the older boy who just stared at him with a blank face. "Okay, think about it this way then. If you let that one asshole ruin your whole party experience, it's like you're letting him win! Instead of hiding around in here from him, go out and show him what he's missing. Make him regret it, bro."
It was a tempting idea. Very tempting. But the idea of seeing him again was also very nauseating, his stomach lurching unpleasantly at just the mere thought.
"Nice, but still no."
"Why not? It's not like you're doing anything better, and don't even bother saying you're busy because I already know you're not."
He silently cursed Zack for knowing everything about him. And being insanely persistent. He couldn't understand why Zack insisted on taking him out to these things. The first party had been a complete bust, and Alex was not a masochist looking to relive that experience again with another boy at another party.
"My mom will probably kill me if I come back home late again," he tried.
"Just tell her that you're sleeping over at my house. I mean, you probably will again, anyways. Can't exactly take you back home wasted, can I?"
"I'm not drinking," snapped Alex absently, rubbing at his wrist.
With hopeful eyes, Zack ventured to say, "Does that mean you're going?"
"You're a bad influence," Alex informed the other teen, rolling his eyes when Zack just grinned. They both knew that he was just stalling now.
"I like to think that I'm more of a positive influence on your nonexistent social life. So, does this mean that you'll go?"
Alex really did not want to run into that stupid douchebag Jack again. But Zack had a point too. He didn't want to just waste away in his house and give the other the satisfaction of thinking that he broke Alex's heart or whatever stupid notion he had in his head. Why not go ahead and go out and show him what he was missing? Show him that he wasn't crying over the jerk in his room because Alex certainly didn't care about him. And yeah, maybe he still didn't really like parties, but hey, everything deserved a second chance. Besides, maybe this time, he would meet a guy that wasn't a complete asshole. It was a stretch, but anything could happen, right?
"Yeah," he said, nodding and ignoring Zack's victorious whoops. "Let me just get dressed and call my mom."
He was going to show that stupid Jack that he was definitely so over what happened between them.