Different Dimension

Zack was miserable.

Martin had been ignoring his texts for the past three days and avoiding him and he didn’t understand why. What did he do wrong? He thought everything was going well. They’d been talking every day, going on so many dates, hell Martin even held his hand in public. And that kiss.

Wait, was it the kiss? Was he that bad a kisser that he put Martin off of him? Fuck, was he that pathetic? No, wait, his ex-boyfriend Matt would’ve told him if he was a bad kisser. They were still friends, he would’ve been honest with him. In fact Matt would probably feel it was his obligation to tell him. So it wasn’t the kiss…

But what the fuck did he do wrong?

Maybe Martin had just been doing it all as an elaborate prank. Part of freshmen hazing. Fuck. He wouldn’t do that…right? He wouldn’t humiliate Zack like that? Toy with his emotions? Stomp on his heart? Surely Paul wouldn’t let him do that…unless Paul was in on it too? No, no, he couldn’t think like that. He couldn’t let himself. Paul was a good guy and a good RA. And like Sierra had said, her cousin Kennedy was friends with Martin, and her cousin wouldn’t be friends with an asshole.

So why did Martin run away?

It took all of four days full of moping for his friends to stage an intervention. After classes, Alex came back with him to his dorm. Zack didn’t think anything of it until he saw Rian, Jack, Sierra and Tay in the room too. Zack groaned, even more so as Alex locked the door behind them, meaning he really didn’t have a choice in this. But that didn’t mean he was going to make it easy on them.

“This is completely unnecessary,” Zack frowned, dumping his bag on his desk.

“Bullshit,” Jack said simply, folding his arms over his chest.

“You’ve been moping for four days, and we want to know why,” Sierra added.

“We’re your friends and we’re worried about you,” Alex said.

Zack sighed, running his hand over his head. Looks like they weren’t going to make it easy for him either.

“Please, Zack? You just look so…sad,” Rian said softly, eyes earnest.

Well fuck.

Zack chewed his bottom lip as he sat down on his bed, Sierra, Tay and Alex sitting on the bed too, Rian and Jack sitting on the desk chairs.

“It’s Martin,” Zack finally admitted.

He didn’t look at his friends. He didn’t want to see the disappointment in their eyes.

“What did he do, Zack?” Rian asked.

And Zack couldn’t stop the truth spilling from his lips, confessing everything from the second Martin met him until the moment he ran away. His friends sat in silence, but he knew their faces would be anything but. So Zack just kept his gaze on his hands – it was better this way. Less chance of his emotions plummeting again.

“I am so sorry,” Alex murmured, when Zack had finished.

Zack’s head snapped up, a frown on his lips. “What?”

“I was the one that pushed you to walk back to the dorms with him,” Alex muttered.

“It’s not your fault, seriously,” Zack said firmly.

“But…”

“No, don’t feel bad, Alex. It’s my fault. Clearly I’m just not good enough for him,” Zack sighed.

That’s what it all boiled down to, right?

“Stop that right now,” Sierra said shrilly.

Zack’s jaw dropped slightly in surprise, a couple of his friends snickering.

“You are awesome, Zack. If you were straight, I’d be climbing you like a tree. You’re hot, and funny, and smart, and caring, and way too good for someone who doesn’t know what he’s got in front of him,” Sierra said sternly.

Wow.

“Um, thanks?”

“I mean it, Zack. You are one of the sweetest guys I have ever met, and you deserve so much more than this bullshit. I know everyone agrees with me,” Sierra insisted, hands clenched into fists at her side.

His friends sounded a general chorus of agreements, all nodding their heads, making Zack feel slightly better. But then his mood plummeted again.

“So why doesn’t Martin want me?”

No-one had an answer. He didn’t think they would.

“Look, I say you should forget about him, but clearly you’re head over heels already,” Alex teased.

“Clearly,” Rian mused, making Zack blush.

They fell into silence, Zack desperately trying not to let the despair in the pit of his stomach swirl and grow.

“I have an idea,” Sierra said suddenly.

Well this couldn’t be good.

“My cousin Kennedy is having a Halloween party this weekend. We’re all going to go and you’re going to flirt and drink and party and have an amazing time, and show that dbag what’s he’s missing,” Sierra said firmly.

Zack opened his mouth to protest but the narrowed eyes of his friends kept him quiet.

“I think Sierra’s right, Zack. It may be that Martin’s confused about how he feels, that he doesn’t understand all these strong emotions and is scared by them, and while I know it isn’t a good excuse for him to be ignoring you like this, maybe seeing you desired by other attractive males will give him the kick up the ass he needs,” Tay said softly.

Everyone’s jaws dropped. Tay rarely spoke, other than a few words in answer to something, so for her to say so much and so deep?

Wow.

“Well I’m sold, thanks to our mini Yoda,” Jack snickered, making Tay blush as everyone else laughed.

“Then we have a party to look forward to,” Sierra grinned.