Hannah and Zach's Relationship in "13 Reasons Why"
Warning: Contains spoilers for season 2 of 13 Reasons Why.
Season two of 13 Reasons Why included tons of secrets and confessions, as to be expected, but maybe the most surprising revelation was Zach and Hannah's summer romance, which took place the summer after sophomore year. While some fans, primarily those rooting for Clay Jensen, were not happy about their fling, others are obsessed with their love story and are using the hashtag #Zannah to show their support.
In case you're wondering, Ross Butler, the actor who plays Zach Dempsey, was totally on board when showrunner Brian Yorkey gave him the full lowdown.
"It was a surprise, but it made sense to me, and it felt organic," he told Elle. "It was a lot of what I was playing in the first season anyway-I always felt Zach truly cared about Hannah, and was just afraid to tell his friends about her, though I didn’t think that we lost our virginities to each other!"
Which ship name rolls off the tongue better? #Zannah or #KatrosserineBlangforter pic.twitter.com/XwCxfcGCQt
- Ross Butler (@RossButler) May 21, 2018
Fan or not, Hannah and Zach's storyline is actually kind of confusing. Did they date before or after Hannah's note? And how did they start talking in the first place? Check out their full timeline, down below.
Zach comforts Hannah at Rosie's diner.
After Marcus harasses Hannah at the diner, Zach joins her table and tries to comfort her. He attempts to show Hannah a nose/spoon trick, but miserably fails.
Zach and Hannah argue in the cafeteria.
The next day, Zach sees Hannah sitting in the cafeteria by herself and admits he wanted her name to be on his Oh My Dollar Valentine's list. Suspicious of Zach's intentions, Hannah asks if he was dared to talk to her. Then, Zach messes up. Big time.
"Look I know you think every guy like you because you have this great ass, but I like you for so much more than that," he says.
Hannah then tells Zach to leave her alone, but before he moving on, he says, "This shit that happens to you, I think some of it you bring on yourself."
Zach steals notes from Hannah's compliment bag.
The day after, Zach starts to steal the notes in Hannah's compliment bag. He does so for a couple of days, and eventually, Hannah catches on.
Hannah writes Zach a very personal note.
Once Hannah discovers Zach has been stealing from her compliment bag, she decides to write him a very personal note. In the note, she explains how alone she feels and why the compliments mean so much to her.
To test out her theory, Hannah puts the note in her own bag. As expected, Zach takes it. According to Hannah, Zach then throws the note on the ground.
Mrs. Bradley reads Hannah's anonymous note.
Mrs. Bradley reads an anonymous note (from Hannah) that says, "What if the only way not to feel bad is to stop feeling anything at all forever?" Zach fails to speak up.
Zach sees a movie with some friends.
The summer after sophomore year (a.k.a. the summer after Hannah's note), Zach enters the Crestmont with Monty and Scott Reed, and sees Hannah at the candy counter. Zach and Hannah exchange looks while Monty and Scott joke around.
Zach apologizes for everything.
That summer, Zach sees a lot of movies and during one of his visits to the Crestmont, he finally apologizes to Hannah. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry for all of it. The thing I said about your ass, that wasn't and your compliments and I'm just really sorry," he says. Hannah forgives him.
Zach asks Hannah on a movie date.
Zach goes to see a movie called 2001: A Space Odyssey, and afterwards, he asks Hannah if they could see a movie together. The catch is, his mom won't let him have girls over, so he wants to see a movie at Hannah's house. Hannah agrees and they have a good time, until Hannah's mom almost walks in on them. Zach hides behind the bedroom door, and Hannah's parents never find out about their date.
Zach's dad dies.
That same summer, Zach's dad dies, and Zach leans on Hannah for emotional support.
Zach and Hannah confess they're virgins.
After Zach and Hannah both confess they're virgins, Hannah asks Zach if he would be interested in having sex. Zach then turns to Justin Foley for sex advice. Note: Zach tells Justin he's seeing a girl from another school.
Zach and Hannah have sex for the first time.
As Zach put it during his testimony, their relationship was much more than the sex. They spent the entire summer together, eating ice cream, reading books, and spending time at the docks.
Zach tells Hannah he wants to keep their relationship private.
Toward the end of the summer, just before their junior year of high school, Zach tells Hannah that he doesn't want his friends to know about their relationship.
Hannah breaks up with Zach.
Zach shows up to the movie theater with some of his friends, including Monty, Bryce, Justin, and Scott. After the movie, Zach pretends to leave his wallet and talks to Hannah. He tries to explain his weird behavior and says that he acts the way he does because he doesn't want his friends to make fun of her. (Either way, they do!)
Hannah then ends their relationship and says, "You were right before. Maybe it's best if we just keep this thing between us. You know, if we end it now, it stays good, not complicated."
If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, connect with a counselor 24/7 at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 1-800-273-8255, or by accessing the chat feature on their website. You can also visit the 13 Reasons Why website for more information on how to get help.
Victoria Rodriguez is a fellow at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram!
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