Expect the Unexpected (Zack Merrick/All Time Low)

Chapter Twenty Two

Hello, Drama? Yes, it has arrived. So... let me know what you think, I appreciate it when you do :-)

----------------

Letting Erika and Alex's relationship go another week or two had made Rian feel awful, he hadn't told a single person about his conversation with Erika. She had begged him not to tell anybody, keeping it from Codi was the hardest. Rian loved her, in the short time he had known the girl; he was completely and totally in love with her and until now hadn't kept a thing from her. He knew it was just as hard on Erika, Codi was her best friend. Alex had no idea Rian knew, which was fine with Erika and Rian.

Doing what he had to do, Rian knew he wasn't going to be proud of this one later. Zack had called and asked him if he wanted to go out for a few drinks, Rian wasn't Zack Merrick's biggest fan as of late but he couldn't refuse a friend. Leaving for the evening, he has just told Codi it was a few beers with a friend, by now Codi knew that line meant he was going to hang out with Zack.

The evening ended up with the two of them sitting in the corner of a small bar, one they used to frequent as a group, until Zack and Alex had seemingly turned against one another.

"Erika and Alex are together." Rian said casually throwing it out there somewhere in the conversation.

Zack had asked Rian how his own relationship was going, when Rian could see Zack's eyes glaze over from all of his girl like gushing about how amazing Codi was, Rian blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Oh." Zack nodded not paying much attention. "Lucky guy."

"Yeah she's pretty good looking." Rian agreed mentally slapping himself.

"She's a nice girl too." Zack added with a shrug, taking a drink of his beer.

"Why are you being such an asshole to her?" Rian asked point blank.

Shifting in his seat, Zack began playing with the label on his beer bottle. He had no idea how to answer that, not in a way that would be accepted by Rian at least. Rian was dating the girl's best friend, everything Zack said would likely get back to Erika and he didn't need that.

"I don't know that what she's saying is true, it's complicated." It was the first thing that came to his mind that sounded decent.

"Isn't it always? Look man, if you want to know you can have tests done to know for sure." Rian encouraged.

The last thing Rian wanted was to see Erika struggling with a baby on her own; sure she had people who would help her but that help could only go so far. A child needed their parents, lots of people did it on their own but it wasn't fair to the kid. Rian didn't want the kid growing up never knowing what it was like to have their dad, his relationship wasn't the greatest with his father, Rian never wanted anybody else to go through what he had.

Zack took a long drink of his beer and sighed. Sometimes it was easier to push things away then take a chance. If they did one of these tests and it was Zack's fine, but if it wasn't then where did that leave him? It was just going to be easier if he pushed Erika away and signed over all rights. His parents would still want the baby around and that was fine, let them. Zack didn't mind what anybody else did, as long as he didn't have to be the one dealing with it all.

"I'm scared, man." He muttered, unsure if Rian had even heard his words.

"What?" Rian asked in disbelief.

"From the minute Alex blurted it out that she was pregnant and I was told it was mine, I've been scared shitless. I don't know how to be a parent." Zack shrugged looking at possibly the only friend he had left; the look on his face was a dead giveaway that the man was scared to death.