Zay laid his head against Seth's shoulder with a sigh as Seth linked their fingers together. They were snuggled together on the couch watching movies. Things were strange and he didn't know how to make them right again.

"You doing okay?" Seth asked.

"I can't answer that. I have no idea. Things are so fucked up."

Seth made a small sound of agreement. "Yeah, but it's been four days. You should try and talk to them."

"No," he said as he sat up.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "They can't accept that I'm happy. For whatever reason Lyssie keeps shoving West at me."

"I don't think that's true," Seth replied.

"You weren't there."

"No, I wasn't but I think I have a good idea of how things are, Zay. West and I didn't exactly end things on a good note, he's probably holding onto a lot of resentment and I'm sure that colors how he sees me. They're all concerned for you, that's all. Our beliefs are formed by our life experiences. Yours were formed by your parents and that damn church."

He scowled. "My beliefs are vastly different than theirs."

"Exactly. You formed your beliefs based on what you saw and heard, your beliefs are contrary, but they were formed because of your experiences. West's are formed from his and Alyssa and Josh's from theirs. People can only see what their experience allows them to see, you have to cut them some slack sometimes. Until you form new experiences and have new things shown to you, then your beliefs won't change. And you have to accept those new experiences and allow them to change your beliefs or you'll remain stagnant."

Zay snuggled back up beside him. "You know, for a bad boy biker from the wrong side of the tracks you are very smart."

"Nah, I'm not, I simply understand people. Comes from being on the outside looking in a lot of the time, gives you time to observe people without being noticed."

"You're still smarter than you give yourself credit for," Zay replied.

"Thank you. Now be quiet so we can watch the movie."

Zay chuckled and wrapped an arm around Seth's waist, hugging him. "Can I ask you something?"

"You know you can."

"Is what West said true?" he asked.

"West says a lot of shit, to what are you referring?" Seth asked in response.

"That you aren't gay."

"Ahh, yes that. No, I'm not. I'm Bi."

Zay sat up with a frown. "You told me you were gay."

"No, what I did was ask you out. You formed an opinion based on that information."

Zay scowled at him. "And you didn't think it was necessary to tell me the truth?"

"I've found a lot of guys react negatively if I say I'm Bi like they think being with a guy is only a curiosity thing. I like both girls and guys, Zay, but I've always been more attracted to guys. I want to be with you, if I didn't then I wouldn't have asked you out."

"You should have told me."

"Yes, I should have and I'm sorry. This harkens back to the whole 'opinions are formed by experience' thing," Seth told him with a laugh.

"Harkens? Dude, who are you?"

"That is all you got out of that?"

"Yes, yes it is. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, I'm the one who didn't tell the complete truth." Seth shrugged.

"Yes, but I'm sorry for doubting you," Zay told him as he settled back against him.

Seth linked their fingers together again. "It's all good, Zay."

***

West stared at Alyssa and Josh. "He did what?"

"Moved in with Seth. I should have left well enough alone, it was stupid to try and talk to him about it." Alyssa slumped in her seat.

"You couldn't have known he'd explode like that," Josh reassured her.

"Yes, I could have. I know Zay and I should have expected it. Now we have no idea what he's doing or how he is. He won't even talk to me. I've left dozens of messages. When he sees me coming in the halls he runs in the opposite direction."

West sighed. "This is my fault too. If I wasn't so hung up on the fact Seth is an asshole you wouldn't have tried to talk to him about it."

"Hey, come on you were trying to help," Josh told him.

"Yeah, but I could be wrong. I've seen them together and they do look happy."

"They do, but that doesn't mean you're wrong about Seth. We have no idea if he's trying to separate himself from Darrel or not. That could be a lie," Alyssa pointed out. "Seth knows that Zay doesn't like Darrel and the crew after that convenience store incident. If he thinks the only way to get on Zay's good side is by lying to him about leaving the gang he might do it."

"He would, I can't figure out what his end game is with Zay," West replied. "If he's up to his old tricks he has something already lined up. A heist or something and he'll find a way to set it up to pin things on Zay if it goes bad or if Zay attempts to back out. Hell, even to keep the suspicion off himself."

"Like he did with you?" Josh asked.

"Whoa, wait a minute, what does that mean?" Alyssa asked him.

West sent Josh a glare. "Thanks, man."

"Sorry," Josh replied meekly.

"I wasn't in a good place after I came out, not after the way my dad reacted. Seth was there, he was supportive and he listened. I began hanging out with him and the gang and got into a lot of shit. He has a picture of me jacking a car and when I decided to leave him he threatened to turn it over to the cops and pin all the recent car thefts at the time on me."

Alyssa whistled. "Shit, that's low."

"Yeah. Seth isn't stupid, the guy is smart and he knows how to cover his ass. Why he runs with Darrel, I can't say, but I can assume it's because he thinks he's smarter than all of them and if things go to shit he can pin it on them."

"If that's true then he wouldn't break away from them," Josh told him.

"No, maybe not. Darrel is strictly small-time though, he doesn't hit anything big and he certainly doesn't have savings of any kind. The gang takes enough to survive and nothing more. Seth doesn't like being small-time," West told them.

"Look, we can debate this until the cows come home and never figure out what the bastard is up to if he's even up to anything. Sitting here talking about it isn't going to get us anywhere," Josh said.

"No it won't," West replied with a deep sigh.

Alyssa looked beyond West's shoulder. "Speak of the devil and the rest of his spawn," she muttered.

West twisted around to look across the cafeteria. Darrel and his crew entered the room and went straight to the table in the corner they usually occupied. Seth and Zay were with them.

He shook his head. "Jesus, Zay is wearing his fucking jacket."

"Yeah, leather isn't exactly his normal look," Alyssa replied with a giggle.

West turned back around. "There's nothing we can do. Zay won't listen to reason and Seth will keep up his act until he no longer needs him. The guy will listen to all his problems, give him advice, and be interested in everything Zay says. He will be the perfect, caring boyfriend. It's how he was with me and because of that Zay will never believe he's shady."

"No, he won't," Alyssa replied, her eyes on Zayden where he sat with Seth across the cafeteria, Seth's arm thrown casually across the back of Zay's chair.