No, Just A Friend In Need

Zack let go of Ashley's tight rump, and the blonde let out a hissing exhale, "This time, I'm gonna fucking give it to him, I swear to God, he needs to take the hint and let go," Ashley hissed out to Zack who placed his hands calmly on her shoulders,

"Remember, we agreed that we're focusing on us and letting the rest go. Screaming and fighting with him is only going to make you feel worse in the long run," Zack soothed before turning to his dresser and grabbing a shirt and the first pair of shorts he could find,

"You're right...I hate when you're right," Ashley weakly smiled as she turned and quickly did the same,

"Two seconds!" Zack called out as he tossed his shirt on and hiked up his shorts, scarcely able to keep up with Ashley, who had plenty of practice getting dressed fast thanks to years of sneaking around in her house with Brandon, "Good?" Zack softly asked the blonde as she gave her shirt and pants a few final tugs,

"As I'll ever be," Ashley sarcastically sighed back.

Zack calmed himself with a final breath as he walked to the door and pulled it open. The duo almost fell back in relief as instead of seeing a muscular jock at the door; they only found Gavin shifting uncomfortably, "Hey man...can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Oh shit, uh, yeah," Zack replied as he broke out into a relieved chuckle, "Thought you were...never mind, sure man, come on in," Gavin gave a thankful smile and entered the bedroom only to nervously glance towards Ashley, "What's up?"

"I gotta talk to you about Heather..." Gavin mumbled back as he glanced back towards Ashley, though the cheerleader merely smiled back at him, "Um, sorry, Ash, this is sorta personal. Could I talk to just Zack?" Gavin asked in a soft plead,

"Hmm? Oh my god! Of course!" Ashley exclaimed, giving her head a small smack with her palm, "Wake up, Ashley," She chastised herself, "Sorry, Gavin, take all the time you guys need, I'll head upstairs,"

Ashley slipped out of the bedroom and easily shut the door behind her, leaving the two friends in private, "So...you're not dead," Gavin lightly joked,

"For now anyway, a bear might not have gotten me, but Brandon still might," Zack shrugged, not fully sarcastic in response, knowing he still wasn't sure where things laid between him and Ashley's ex, "Heather, huh?" Finally, Zack asked after shaking his head clear of his own problems, "What's got you twisted up?"

"Uhhh, well, I'm not sure how to put it," Gavin began to say as he started to pace, "I don't know if I ever told you, but I have a crush on Heather, you know?"

"Who doesn't?" Zack smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the baseboard of the bed, "Sharing a room proving to be a bit difficult?" Zack guessed, knowing that if roles had been reversed and he was placed with Victoria at the start of the week, he would have been a nervous wreck. Ironically Zack couldn't help but having the trailing thought of how disappointed he would be now if that had happened as well.

Gavin rocked his head either way, "No...well, yes and no... it's not difficult; at least I don't think it qualifies that way," The geeky teen babbled back,

"Did you...pop a boner that she saw?" Zack couldn't help but laugh with a small toss of his hands,

"No! It's not that kind of problem...er, maybe it is?" Gavin groaned as he ran his hands up over his face and through his short blonde hair,

Zack let out a scoff, "Gav, shut up, take a second to gather your thoughts, and tell me what's wrong. I'm not gonna figure that out on my own," He easily but firmly told his friend,

Gavin rapidly nodded and shut his eyes taking in and out a few deep breaths, "Okay...so, I have a crush on Heather, and I think...I think she has one on me too," Gavin explained as calmly as he could,

Zack couldn't help but grimace, he didn't ever want to put his friend down, but the thought that Heather Ravers, daughter of the richest man in the state, queen bee of high school who has a reputation of only dating college guys, liking Gavin Westher seemed a little far fetched. "She...told you this?" Zack asked back, doing his best not to offend Gavin,

"No...she didn't exactly tell me that..." Gavin muttered back, his lips slowly curling up into a smile, "But she did a hell of a lot more than that..."

Zack's eyes widened, "More than, as in..." The teen pressed with an expectant look,

"She...gave me a handjob last night and a blowjob this morning," Gavin squeaked back, causing Zack to let out a wild laugh and jump up to his feet, patting Gavin on both arms in a quick slapping motion, "Ow!"

"Dude, that is so fuck great; holy shit, you're getting in bed with Heather Ravers?!" Zack cheered for his friend, "Dude, that'd be fucking amazing even if she wasn't your crush, but she is; you killed two birds with one stone!"

"I know, it's great, I am...walking on fucking clouds, but..." Gavin lowly stated, "How do I...how do I hang onto her?" Gavin finally asked, "Like, I'm...me, and as you said, she's Heather fucking Ravers. How do I compare to --"

"Don't do that," Zack sharply interrupted, "You have her interest already, Gavin, and you know how you did that? By being you! You want to hang onto Heather, keep being the guy she wanted to mess around with. I know you think it's a crock of shit, but you need to be yourself. You stop doing that, and you'll screw things up for sure," Zack sincerely said, holding a hard locked gaze making sure Gavin heard and understood his words,

"What, I'm supposed to take Heather to the arcade with me? Let her join in on my dungeon and dragons nights? Come on, Zack," Gavin scoffed,

"Why the fuck not? How do you know she won't enjoy that?" Zack argued back,

"Oh yeah, sure, the mega-hot cheerleader will like nerd shit," Gavin mumbled with a shake of his head, "Even if I cut that out, how do I take her on a date? How do I top the shit she does every day with...going to the fucking park?"

"You don't have to top things financially to wow her, Gavin," Zack frowned, "You ever think Heather will appreciate a genuine display of affection rather than a shallow attempt to wow her? Hmm, almost like how she might end up getting into a genuine guy over shallow college guys?" Zack sarcastically finished causing Gavin to nod back reluctantly,

"Maybe I could...go out on the lake with her today?" Gavin suggested with uncertainty,

"That sounds great!" Zack instantly boosted his friend's plan, "You go out with her and make sure to be yourself, and you show her you're interested in her. And I don't mean interested in her looks, but Heather Ravers, the person,"

Gavin let out a few rapid nods, "Y-Yeah...you're right, Zack," Gavin began to agree, "I'm freaking out over it, but...I think you're right,"

"Of course I am," Zack chuckled back, "It's a skill; obviously that's why you came to me, the relationship guru," He jokingly added on,

"Probably how you got Ashley so fast, huh?" Gavin smirked as he turned and headed towards the door,

"Yeah, Ashley..." Zack murmured in agreement, once again wondering what exactly that meant for them. Did he have the blonde? Should he be taking his own advice? What the hell did natural pace even mean?

"Thanks, man, you helped out a lot," Gavin continued pulling Zack from his thoughts, "Glad you're not dead, again,"

"Yeah, me too," Zack quickly laughed back as Gavin left before he returned to leaning against the bed, thinking solely about the blonde cheerleader that most certainly had his affections.