Trae-Zachary Relationship

Intimacy Level:

The **Trae-Zachary Relationship**, also known as **Trach**, is the platonic to romantic relationship between Trae Ventura and Zachary Foxx. In The Feminist Manifesto, Zachary develops a crush on Trae, but his feelings are scattered after discovering Trae and Joe kiss in The Wild Ride. Once this occurs, Zachary ignores Trae, who assumes that Zachary may have feelings for him. The two, later in The Psychological Warfare, kiss each other for the first time.

## Overview

### Season One

Trae takes Zachary under his wing in *The Devil's Protégé*and helps him defend himself from The Jocks, who ostracized him on the football team. Despite his first judgment of Zachary in the beginning, he offers him an exclusive spot in the Savages. Zachary relies on Trae's assistance after discovering his bullies Brian and Vik in a compromising position. Trae helps him put people's drama into the light, but the plan backfires when a video of Brian and Vik is exposed. Trae tries to protect Zachary and himself from being accused of the video scandal, but Zachary blames Trae for putting him in that predicament. Later, he apologizes to Trae for immediately blaming him, while secretly tackling romantic feelings for Trae, who isn't exactly aware of his crush. Zachary gives Trae the silent treatment after catching him and Joe kissing each other outside of the Oregon nightclub. Trae is confused by Zachary's attitude, until the two later reconcile. Despite being grounded, Trae sneaks out to Zachary's home only to help him with his panic episode. The two later kiss each other. In the season finale, Trae leads The Savages in a big riot at the school, but Trae is shot down by a police officer, who turns out to be Zachary's father on duty. Zachary soon discovers that Trae is primarily responsible for Brian and Vik's video scandal while he is hospitalized, because he and Sydney discover the evidence in his bedroom.

### Season Two

A month later, Zachary contemplates telling The Savages about Trae's hidden agenda, but Sydney is urged to do so. Despite Sydney telling him it's for the best, Zachary is between a rock and a hard place because of his feelings for Trae. When Trae returns from recovering, he avoids Sydney's intervention plan. Shortly after Trae quits the clique, Zachary reunites with him. He forgives Trae for his actions and Trae convinces him that his motives were to protect him. Trae and Zachary share their second kiss with each other, and eventually begin dating. However, more issues emerge as Trae remains uncertain about his own commitment issues, and Zachary doesn't tell Trae about his father. This leads to Zachary relying on ecstasy, sold by Moneybag member Kyler, for his anxiety. However, he becomes addicted and displays strange behaviors towards Trae and The Savages. Trae finds MDMA that Zachary dropped and warns him to stop using it or else they'd break up. Zachary eventually tries to stop, and makes up for it by inviting Trae over for a night together. The plan goes well until Zachary is unaware of his parents staying at home. Zachary tries to keep Trae from coming over until his mother invites Trae over for dinner, but Trae becomes appalled when his PTSD recaptures memories of being shot by Zachary's father. Unsure of whether to be angry at Zachary for not telling him, or angry at his father, he distances himself from the house after an argument with his father. He breaks up with Zachary instantly, but it creates more problems for Zachary at home when his father disowns him and kicks him out of the house for being gay.

Trae, however, is unaware of this until Lily informs him of the situation, but he finds himself too stubborn to reach out to support Zachary. Eventually, things get worse as The Savages, including Trae, are taken in for questioning for Felix Winchester's murder. Despite Trae having no obvious involvement, he becomes appalled when Zachary admits to the police that he killed Felix and ends up getting protected from jail by his own father in exchange for returning home and going to conversion therapy. Although Zachary hesitantly agrees, he fights his father when returning home and locks himself in his bedroom, taking a handful of Kyler's drugs. Zachary writes a suicide letter, puts it in an envelope for Trae and gradually overdoses.

With Zachary in the hospital, Trae finds himself shattered by his suicide attempt and blames himself for not being there for him. It also causes him to suffer from a meltdown when he attacks Kyler for continuing to give Zachary drugs. When he returns to visit Zachary in the hospital, his mother gives Trae a letter that Zachary wrote for him (although she didn't open it). Zachary admits in the letter that he didn't kill Felix, but he was pressured by Kyler to take the fall. This letter reveals Kyler was the culprit behind Felix's murder. Although Zachary's name is cleared, he is transferred into a mental facility and rehabilitation center for the remainder of the year prior to his drug abuse and suicidal behavior, leaving his relationship with Trae in the air. While Zachary is admitted, he ends up having an affair with Joe after they leave prom.

### Season 3

In the third season, Trae returns to school during his senior year, cutting ties with The Savages after their involvement in Felix's murder. Despite his new leaf, he harbors guilt for cheating on Zachary with Joe, who ends up living with him and his mother prior to his own family troubles. Joe, however, persuades Trae into believing that Zachary is holding him back and their relationship is meant to be temporary because of Zachary's personal demons. In denial at first, Trae gets this realization when Zachary's mother visits Trae and tells him that friends are now allowed to visit Zachary at the facility. When Trae goes, Zachary is completely unresponsive due to being heavily sedated the night before. The moment makes Trae believe that he doesn't love him anymore. Trae visits again and surprisingly gets Zachary's blessing to let him go after Trae admits that he had an affair with Joe.

Zachary and Trae find closure in their relationship and Trae promises to always love him and keep in contact with him until he returns home.

### Season 5

Shortly after the Class of 2017 graduates from high school, Zachary is discharged from the mental facility with a healthier mindset. However, at this time, Trae has already moved to Los Angeles with now-boyfriend Mike Daugherty and adapted to life in college. Zachary, meanwhile, is forced to rewind and make up a year's worth of school to get his high school diploma. After Rose De Vil invites The Savages and the Class of 2017 for a post-college retreat, Trae and Zachary reunite, but romantic tensions rise when Zachary believes the two can rekindle the flame.

## Episodes

* S1

The Devil's Protégé

Trae and Zachary meet in the hallways, after Zachary accidentally bumped into Trae. At first, Trae was irate, but he was taken aback by Zachary's immediate response: he helped pick up Trae's items. Once Trae realizes that Zachary isn't exactly the type of football jock that he expected, Trae apologizes, revealing how unusual it is interacting with someone outside of his clique. The two, then, engage in a conversation about Zachary's disinterest in the football team, and isolation from the members.

Sympathetic about his mistreatment on the team, Trae agrees to interact with Zachary the next day to solve his problem. During lunch, Trae concludes that Zachary is passive and the jocks take advantage of him. While Zachary doesn't want to be tough like the other jocks, he wants to defend himself; Trae convinces Zachary to act stubborn towards the team, and offers him a spot in The Savages if plans go awry. Meanwhile, as Lily and Sydney perform *Hollaback Girl* in the cafeteria, Trae and Zachary are seen dancing with each other.

During the football game night, Trae leaves Zachary a text message, encouraging Zachary to stand against the jocks. Once Zachary decides to abruptly quit the team, and he is confronted by Slick Vik, Brian, and Matt, Trae comes to Zachary's defense, immediately welcoming him to The Savages to prove that he belongs.

The Boomerang Effect

Soon after Zachary discovers Brian and Vik in a romantic encounter in the locker rooms, Zachary bumps into Trae, who notices Zachary's concerned expressions. When Zachary reveals Brian and Vik's compromising position, Trae laughed hysterically, as if he knew about it. He claimed that he knew that at least Brian or Vik were secretly hiding their sexuality. When Zachary wishes he could seek vengeance on the jocks, Trae comes up with "The Boomerang Process," another term for a plot for revenge.

Later that day, Trae and Zachary are outside of the courtyard, and gives Zachary a "lesson" in "Reality Check 101," and they both perform *Ratchet Commandments* together, while Trae confronts a few students publicly of their deeds. During the school assembly, Trae and Zachary are both seen in shock when Brian and Vik's video is exposed during The Savages's performance. Brian and Vik physically provoke Zachary in the boys' restroom until Trae, once again, comes to Zachary's defense. He is involved in an altercation with Vik when he sticks to Zachary's statement of their lack of involvement with the exposure.

The Feminist Manifesto

While Trae and other members of the Savages head to the movies, Zachary sends Trae a text message asking to talk. Trae quickly responds, informing him that he would talk later. The next morning, Trae approached Zachary in the hallways, warning him about Rose De Vil and her suspicions of the video. Trae, then, suggests that Zachary should reveal he was inside of the locker room when it happened, but Zachary fears that De Vil would label him as an accomplice. Trae also suggests that he should make a sensible alibi, and then he departed.

After Zachary is interrogated by Rose De Vil, he blames and confronts Trae for his attempt at seeking revenge on Vik and Brian. Frustrated by his questioning, he walks away from Trae angrily. Meanwhile, Zachary notices Trae in a conversation with a suave new member of the Moneybags, Mike Daugherty, and he became jealous, fearing that Trae would avoid him after his confrontation. Zachary felt remorseful for his outburst, and he approached Trae to apologize to him, but in a fantasy, he believes that he is kissing Trae, which reveals his attraction to him. Trae claims that Zachary is his "new bro" and despite feeling relieved, Zachary's fantasies still remained in his mind.

The Wild Ride

The School For Scandal

The Psychological Warfare
## Songs

* Season 1
* Season 2

Duets
**Ratchet Commandments**
(*The Boomerang Effect*)**Disturbia/Radioactive**
(*The Psychological Warfare*)**Bring Me To Life**
(*The Beast Unleashed*)
Sang Together (In A Group Number)

Related Songs
* *Nude Beach A Go-Go* by *Azalea Banks.* (The Wild Ride)
* *Ready Or Not/Ready Or Not* by *Bridgit Mendler/The Fugees.* (The Wild Ride)
* *Say Ok* by *Vanessa Hudgens.* (The School For Scandal)

Duets
**Take Off Your Cool**
(*The Scarlet Letters*)**Time After Time**
(*The Promenade*)
Sang Together (In A Group Number)

Related Songs
* *Mr. James Dean* by *Hilary Duff.* (The Alibi)
* *I Want To Know What Love Is* by *Foreigner* (The Conflict of Interest)
* *Come As You Are* by *Nirvana* (The Blackout)
* *Zombie* by *The Cranberries* (The One That Got Away
* *Paint It, Black* by *The Rolling Stones* (The One That Got Away)