That's Just The Price I Pay

Girls don't notice Zack often. They might notice his good looks, but then they meet his friends, who are much more outgoing than him and seem more "interesting". It wasn't that he didn't talk to them because he thought he was too good for them-he was just a quiet person in general. If he does talk to girls, he's the "best friend". He was a good listener and was always there to turn to when things went sour. Unfortunately, no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't be more than "best friends" with a lot of the girls he once liked quite a bit.

When Lillian, known as Lily, catches his eye, he tells himself that nothing is going to stop him from pursuing her. This time, things would end differently, and he was going to make sure of that.

But the fact that she has a boyfriend turns things around and he doesn't know what to do. However, his crush on her didn't disappear, even after a little more than a year. It wasn't as strong, but it was there. As friends, he had been able to get really close to her. So when things get rough with her boyfriend, who else would she turn to but him?
It's all a matter of whether Zack can admit his true feelings or not this time, and whether or not she'll return them. After all, once you're in the dreaded "best friend" category, it's almost impossible to get out of it.