Alex's face was hidden in the fridge. It was a little past two in the morning and Lisa had finally went to sleep. She wanted to spend most of the night talking about her feelings for him, which normally Alex would have been for just because he likes to hear that someone thinks to highly of him, but he couldn't help but wonder what his best friend was doing.. Or who his best friend was doing. It made him sick to his stomach to imagine Jack locked in someone else's embrace, so sick that he had to cool off. Alex wanted a water, anyway. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

His fingers had just wrapped around the cool plastic bottle when he heard the front door open. Alex silently shut the door so he could hear the voices more clearly. They were laughing and telling the other to be quiet. He knew perfectly well who those voices belonged to- Jack and Zack. That was comforting, at least. Now he knew Jack wasn't out with a stranger.

Alex took a long chug of his water and smiled to himself. He slowly dragged his body into the living room, watching from the corner as Jack and Zack clung to each other for support, their faces turning a deep shade of red from attempting to laugh quietly. He couldn't help himself, he had to join in their laughter.

"Oh shit," Zack turned his head, a crooked grin still on his lips. "Look B-Kat, it's Gaskarth!"

"Oooh, snap!" Jack pulled his arm away from Jack and stumbled backwards before catching his balance. "Where's Lisa?"

"She's asleep, and if you two asshats don't shut up, you're gonna wake her."

"Ooh, wouldn't wanna do that!"

Even from the corner he was standing in, Alex could smell the vodka lingering on his friends. Maybe this wasn't as comforting as he thought. Last time Jack decided to drink vodka like water, it didn't end so well, and judging by the look on his friends face, they might have to repeat that very night. He decided to avoid Jack's comment.

"You shoulda came tonight, bro," Zack slurred. His cheeks were bright red and his eyes were glossed, but he kept smiling. "You shoulda seen Ri and Kara on the dance floor. They were all-"

Alex watched closely as Zack began to shake his butt. He was attempting to make a beat with his lips, throwing his arms in the air. Alex had to admit it was funny, and even Jack cracked a smile when Zack pressed his ass against his waist and began to grind on him. That, however, bothered Alex. Watching Jack thrust into Zack's rear end was making his blood boil. But why? He had Lisa upstairs, in his bed.

"I've never seen Ri act like that," Zack snorted. He didn't seem to take notice to the angry look on Alex's face. The boy was still laughing as he pulled his body away from his lanky friend, staggering a little as he headed towards Alex. "I gotta piss."

Jack could feel the tension fill the room as soon as Zack went through the door. Alex was shooting daggers through his face, but Jack thought he looked cute standing there with his arms crossed in an obvious pout.

"What's the matter, Gaskarth? Didn't you and Lisa have a good night?"

"We had a great night, actually," Alex uncrossed his arms and took a few steps closer to Jack. "What's the matter with you? Couldn't find anyone to hook-up with?"

"Oh, I found someone, all right." Jack beamed. "He's not a pretty boy like you. He's a real man."

"So now I'm not a real man?" Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Go to bed, Barakat, before you say something you'll regret."

"Like what? We're just friends, aren't we, Al? I can tell you about these things and it won't be a problem, because now we both have someone. Go ahead, tell me about Lisa. Is she good in the sack?"

"You know what, dude? I'm not doing this shit with you. Talk to me when you're sober."

Jack frowned. Alex's face had gone pale, and he was slowly dragging himself through the living room to head back upstairs. He wasn't supposed to leave yet. He was supposed to see his two friends being more than friends and get jealous. If Jack wasn't so drunk, he could probaby find a reason for Alex to stay, but thankfully Zack Merrick had perfect timing. Just as Alex was about to disappear from sight, Zack came stumbling in with his jeans unzipped and adorably messy hair.

"Eh, where ya going, Alex? We were gonna watch Home Alone!"

"I'm not in the mood, Zack," Alex sighed. He turned his body so he could see his them both more clearly. "Thanks anyway."

"Suit yourself," Jack mumbled, walking over to Zack. He wrapped his long arms around Zack's strong shoulders and smiled, making sure that his friend knew what was coming so he wouldn't freak out. Zack gave a small nod, giving Jack the okay, and their lips met. It was awkward and sloppy, but at least they did it. They actually did it. "Come on, Zacky!"

"Hoooold up," Alex took a single step into the room. He had a strange smirk on his face and a finger in the air. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?"

"That. That.. Kiss."

"Oh, well," Jack slurred with a smile. "It was a kiss. You know, Al, when two people are really comfortable with each other, sometimes they have these feelings to show affection. Do you know what that is?"

"Shut up, dipshit," Alex glared hard at his best friend. "I mean, what the fuck? Zack, are you gay?"

"Nope, not gay," Zack grinned. "Just a cool dude, dude."

"What's the matter, Al? Wish it were you kissing me instead?"

"Jack..."

"It's okay, Alex," Zack mumbled. "I know everything."

"What do you mean you know everything?"

"I mean, I know everything. I figured, you got Lisa, so Jack needs someone to."

"I don't know what it is Jack told you, but it seems you both have the story confused."

"Well," Zack stumbled forward a little bit. He grabbed on to Alex's shoulder for support. Alex winced at the overwhelming smell of vodka but helped his friend stand despite the sickening smell. "Jack told me about that night that you kicked him out, and bits and pieces of the events that followed after. Alex, man, I just want you to know that, if you like things in your butt, I still love you."

"Whoa buddy, you're getting ahead of yourself. Maybe I should clear the air here."

"Yeah," Jack snorted. "Maybe you should."

Alex shifted his weight so that he could comfortably hold Zack up without his back breaking. Zack snickered and rested his head on Alex's shoulder. It would only be a matter of time before the boy was either puking or snoring, Alex could only hope that neither of those options happened while Zack was clinging to him.

He was angry to say the least. Who did Jack think he was telling Zack about the things that had happened? Alex was confused, that's all. He didn't know what he wanted, but now he was certain that the things that happened with Jack could never happen again. It was too weird, and too wrong to talk about in conversation such as this one.

"For starters, I don't like things in my ass, Zack. When Jack told me that he had feelings for me, I freaked out, and I'll be the first one to admit that." His voice dropped, for fear of Lisa hearing the words. "But when I thought about it, I mean, who doesn't want to fall in love with their best friend? It makes relationships so much easier. So I tried it, and yes, I had fun with Jack.. But I'm not gay. I'll never be gay. I've got a perfect girl sleeping in my bed right now and next to you guys, she's the best friend I ever had. I have a chance of a normal relationship here.. Why would you want to ruin that for me?"

Zack gave a deep sigh from Alex's shoulder. His eyes were on Jack's, trying to read his face. Jack looked hurt- Deeply hurt, and deeply angry. What kind of friend would he be to take that away from Alex? The boy had been through enough.

"I understand." Jack spoke calmly for someone who had just had their heart ripped out while drunk off of vodka shots. "If you want to be with Lisa, then be with her. Just remember one thing: I love you enough to let you go to her. Would she ever love you that much?"

Alex thought about the question for a moment. No, Lisa would never love him like that. She loved him enough to let him sleep with other girls, she loved him enough to hide in the corner and wait for him to see her, but she wouldn't love him enough to set him free. He couldn't even love himself that much.

Everyone had a heavy heart. Zack didn't feel very welcome in this conversation anymore, but he knew if he tried to step away from Alex, he'd probably fall flat on his face. Jack seemed equally as uncomfortable. He was turning his body away from the door, headed for the door, but before he could touch the cold knob, the wood swung open and smacked him in the face. Jack grabbed his nose, cursing to the top of his lungs. Alex helped Zack stand firmly on his own and rushed to Jack's side. He put an arm around his friend, but the moment Jack realized there was any physical contact, he shrugged Alex off with a hurt look in his eyes.

"Oh shit, bro, I'm sorry!" Rian wasn't supposed to be here, but he stepped in with Kara trailing closely behind him. "I thought you'd all be alseep."

"What are you doing here?" Jack raised his eyes. He took a step away from Alex. "I thought you guys were going back to Kara's?"

"We were going to, but we had the cab take us by the store first, and..."

"And?" Alex asked. He was beyond hurt by the fact that Jack didn't want to be around him. "Are there even any stores open this late?"

"Yeah, that little minute market thing," Rian snickered. "Anywho, we went to the store, and we have a problem."

"What's that?" Zack dragged his feet to the group. He had a sleepish grin on his face.

"Kara took a pregnancy test. It came back positive."

Their faces fell. Could anything else go wrong in this one night? It seemed life would never give them a break, any of them.

"Jack, I think you were right," Alex frowned to his best friend. "I think this Summer might totally suck."

Notes

I'm sorry if this sucks. I haven't been able to write this chapter and I have no idea why. ):
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the drama. Mucho love. <3.