#montgomery de la cruz x oc

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 24

A/N: Guess who’s back! Thank you for sticking with me. It’s been a rough several months and I think things are finally getting to a point where I can focus on my hobbies again. As always, feedback is appreciated and Character Q&As are open. Much Love -Em

I had finished the last book on my To Read shelf by mid-May. Hopping off my bed, I went over to my bookshelf. There was only one shelf of space left. The stack to shelve had gotten a tad out of hand. Sighing to myself, I sat down to start reorganizing. I pulled the books from H to Z down to fit the new additions to my collection in. My dad poked his head in when the stack fell over.

“Everything okay in here?” I was surrounded by books. Dad tried not to laugh as he took the scene in. Grabbing books, I turned back to the shelf.

“Perfect. Totally meant to sit in a sea of books this afternoon.”

“Sure. You have fun with that. I have to head into the office for a while. Tell your mother I probably won’t be home for dinner.”

“Will do.” I nodded, not turning my attention back to him.

Monty texted me shortly after I had finished the M’s. What are you up to today?

Organizing my bookshelf. I finished my TBR so now they go in the permanent collection.

Only my girlfriend would make a permanent book collection and a separate section for books that aren’t done.

Hey! Lots of people do this.

Yes honey.

What are you up to today?

Trying to study for my last History test. It’s very boring.

I’m sure it is. If you’re free Saturday, how about a get out of studying free card?

Oh? What did you have in mind Doll? I rolled my eyes and grinned. Of course he thought I meant something dirty.

Cool your jets Monty. I was going to see if you wanted to go to the bookstore with me?

I can make that happen. What time?

I think Clay and I are getting lunch to go over our study guide for the Math final. I could do like 1?

Sounds good. Do you want me to meet you at the bookstore?

Sure. I go to the B&N at the Everglade.

It’s a date.

I smiled and went back to my books.

When it was done, I snapped a picture and sent it to Justin. I finished my TBR! You know what that means?

Oh no. More books?

More books!

Do I have to come with you?

No. The parents gave me a limit of 10 books this time.

Only 10?

I have points saved up. And 10 is a perfectly reasonable amount of new books.

For you? Yes. For normal people? No.

Oh shhh, or I’ll make you come with me.

Okay, okay. It’s reasonable lol. I texted Monty a picture of my bookshelf too. He responded with a laughing emoji.

Teachers were beginning to wrap up final units and hand out study guides for finals. Justin was still mad about summer school so he kept up his not giving a shit attitude. I rolled my eyes whenever he sighed or complained about finals. And I stopped offering to help him. If he wanted to do more work in summer school, that was fine by me. It gave me more time to spend with Monty.

On Saturday, I met Clay at Rosie’s and we both got milkshakes. I wasn’t very hungry, and I didn’t want burger breath later. “So Clay, how’s Hannah doing?”

“I don’t know. We have hung out a few times, and I see her at work, but I don’t think we have hung out hung out.”

“You still haven’t asked her out?”

“I mean, we went to Jeff’s place not together, but we were both there, and I feel like maybe we connected?”

“Connected?”

“Well, we were doing… stuff… and we talked.” My eyes widened.

“Clay Jensen did you do drugs in Jeff’s basement?”

“Maybe?” I was stunned.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Clay Jensen, having fun. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Ha ha.” He joked.

“I’m kidding! But seriously. Take the risk Clay.”

“I’ll think about it. Can we look at this study guide now?” I sighed and pulled it out of my bag. We both shuddered. This is not going to be a pretty exam.

By the time Clay and I called it an afternoon, it was 12:30. That gave me just enough time to get to the city. We packed our notes and headed outside. “Man, I really need a car.” Clay sighed, unlocking his bike.

“Your parents said no?”

“I have a bike.” He waved towards the bike.

“That you do. I would offer you a ride, but I’m headed into the city for the afternoon.”

“No worries, Addy.” He smiled. We waved goodbye and I watched as he biked down the street. I started my car and texted Monty. Leaving Rosie’s now. Might be a little late. Drive safe.

Sounds good, drive safe Doll.

I stopped at Starbucks when I got to the mall and got an iced coffee to sip while I browse and a coffee for Montgomery. He was waiting outside Barnes & Noble for me. “Hey handsome. Fancy seeing you here.” I winked as I walked up to him.

“Hey gorgeous. What can I say, thought it would be a good way to find a girl. You know what they say about the readers.”

“I have a feeling I do.” I laughed and handed him his coffee. “Something to do with being high strung, overachievers with daddy issues?”

“Somethin’ like that.” Monty took my hand and let me lead him into the bookstore. I decided I would keep my ten-book limit to myself. I knew how many points I had, and I still had birthday money left from last year.

He chuckled as I practically dragged him towards the YA section. I didn’t stop to look at the romance displays or the cookbooks or the journals. I was on a mission. There were books to buy. I sipped my coffee as I browsed. As usual, I made my way up and down the aisles quickly once to see if anything immediately caught my eye. A couple of books did, so I grabbed them to look over after I was done my power walk. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you move that fast.”

“Ass.” I laughed as I read over the synopsizes of the two books. Neither of them was my cup of tea in the end, so I decided to put them back. I could feel Montgomery watching me as I looked at the shelves. “What?” I asked as I pulled a book down and skimmed the back.

“Nothin’. You’re just cute is all.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. And those shorts are very nice.” I blushed and smiled softly.

“Thanks.” I handed him the book.

“Oh, I see. You needed someone to carry the books.”

“Well, who else would I have asked, when I have my strong, athletic boyfriend to follow me around the store?” He only laughed in response. I grabbed a few more books as I sipped at my coffee. Once in a while, I would notice him watching me and turn to smile at him.

There were six books in Monty’s hands before he finished his coffee. “I’m going to throw this out. Try to leave some books for the next person, okay Bookworm?”

“I’ll try. No promises though.” I mused. By the time he came back, I had three more books. I looked up when I heard him laugh. I grinned at him and held out the books. He took them, tucked them under his arm, and stepped towards me. My brow furrowed and he reached to tuck my hair behind my ear, trailing his hand down to cup the back of my neck, and pull me towards him to kiss me. I kissed him back softly. It was nice to be able to kiss in public. I liked our little bubble. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. He pulled away first.

We continued to peruse the store for a while and stole kisses and glances along the way. Monty slid his hand in my back pocket as we walked. I grabbed another couple of books and sighed. “What’s up?”

“I guess that’s enough books for a little while.”

“For a little while? Addison. There’s like,” he paused to count, “sixteen books here.”

“Yeah. And that isn’t even all of what is on my TBR still. And it’s buy one get one half off all books.” I shrugged.

“Jesus. Crazy woman.” He muttered softly and kissed the side of my head. I sighed and turned to head for the till. After discounts, points, and birthday money, my total was twenty-five dollars.

“Now to figure out how to sneak the extra six books into the house.” I muttered as we left.

“The extra what whats?”

“Uh… nothing.” I smiled sheepishly. He shook his head playfully. “Oh, hey. Pretzels. Split one?”

“Nice change of subject. Sure. Pretzel sounds good.” He rubbed my hand as he held it. This is nice.

In late June, just as finals week was hitting its peak, tragedy struck our little group of jocks. The boys were at Bryce’s trying to blow off some steam. I was trying to be nice to him and make an effort for Justin, so I tagged along. The way his family approached and flaunted their money always took me by surprise. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew my family had more money than most. More than I liked to consider or admit. But it was never flashed around the way it was with the Walkers. I came from old money on my dad’s side, like his mom. But unlike him, I wasn’t exposed to it on a daily basis. The concept of a twice a week maid was enough to widen my eyes. The only time my family had a maid come was when Gran was coming to stay with us, or we were hosting Christmas back when all my grandparents lived state-side, so a very deep clean was needed. The fact that they had a chef come in once a week to meal prep for them was… almost incomprehensible. The only time I met a chef was when I found a hair in my food when my family went out one night.

I had been to his house before of course. I was friends with Justin. We shared custody of him most weeks. Even still, I found myself hanging back and watching the boys socialize. Or I was trying to at least. Bryce thrusting a bottle of water in my hand startled me. I jumped slightly. “Thanks.” I muttered.

“Don’t mention it.” He chuckled. He settled himself next to me and leaned back against the counter.

“Hi.”

“Hi. You know that they will talk to you, right? They know you.”

“I know.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you then.” Great. Just what I want.

“Sure Bryce.”

“How are finals treating you?”

“I cried before my honours English final yesterday.”

“I almost forgot about my math final.”

“So, we are basically in the same boat.”

“Basically. You had bio and history today?”

“Yeah.”

“How were they?”

“I think I did fairly okay. Can you imagine what my mum would do if I bombed the history final?” He stared off into space with me and shivered.

“I would say something nice about you at your funeral.”

“Thanks Walker. Killing me does seem like a lot of hassle for that though. Like it seems like it would just inconvenience them. Maybe locked in my room to study until I’m forty?”

“True. I would text you news updates. Keep you updated in all things Bryce and the boys.”

“Prefect. Make isolation at least a little bit bearable.” He was actually kind of nice sometimes. Maybe. If I squinted.

“Yeah. My dad would have freaked if I missed my math final.”

“How could you take over the family business if you fail tenth grade math Bryce?”

“No idea. Not like he doesn’t pay someone to do all that math for him. Speaking of, he wanted me to ask you if your dad is taking on any new clients now that tax season is winding down?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think he is, but I can get him to email your dad.” I don’t think he’s going to take your dad on.

“I’ll let him know.”

“Where are you off to this summer?”

“I think we are summering in Fiji?”

“Because California isn’t summer-y enough?”

“Mom thinks the sun feels different. More sunny. I tan better in tropical environments.”

“Sure, you do.”

“What are your family’s plans?”

“We have our annual family trip to Boston at the end of July into the first week of August. Dad pushed his vacation time this year.”

“Doesn’t he own the company?”

“Yeah. But his associate wanted to take vacation in mid-July. She’s taking her kids to Disney World.”

“Again, doesn’t he own the company?”

“Again, yes. Why?”

“Shouldn’t he get first pick?”

“Well, our vacation basically costs us airfare, food, and spending money. Hers and everyone else’s costs a lot more. And requires more planning. So, he lets them have first pick and takes whatever’s left for the most part. Because of that, people are more willing to pick fairly.”

“Interesting.”

“Are you two going to come outside or not?” Justin called from the back yard. Bryce and I looked up and found the house empty. All the boys had moved to the back. We shrugged and joined them. I needed to pass the sniff test so I didn’t dare go in the pool house. Anders and Dylan were in the pool house enjoying Bryce’s stash. It was already nearing eighty degrees in the daytime. We were in for a hot summer. Justin pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and jumped in the pool. Shaking my head, I followed Bryce outside.

I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped my feet in the water. Monty was trying to be discreet and swim backwards towards me. He stopped just shy of me and shared a look with Zach. I pretended not to notice. It looked like I was busy watching Justin goof off with Bryce and Garrison. I was watching my boyfriend out of the corner of my eye though. I felt a wave close to my foot. “Montgomery. If you touch my foot, I’m not responsible for what happens to your face.” His hand stopped and his eyes widened. Justin laughed and called from across the pool.

“She isn’t wrong dude. She kicked me in the face when I was trying to bug her one time.”

“I wasn’t going to….” Monty trailed off.

“Sure, you weren’t.” I shook my head and moved to stand up. I pulled my tank top over my head. The shorts I was wearing were fine to go in the water.

Seeing as we had to keep up appearances, I couldn’t very well ask Monty to tighten the tie on my bikini top. That would be too much. The boys would question that. Joking around and talking to each other in a group was okay. Touching was not. “Hey Justin, do you mind?” I gestured to my back, not looking at the pool.

“He’s a little busy.” Bryce said. I could hear splashing behind me.

“Zach?”

“Sure.” He climbed out of the pool and untied the bottom strings. He pulled them tighter in a knot and doubled the bow. “Good?”

“Yeah.” I turned around. “Thanks.” Bryce whistled. Gross.

“Why are you keeping her all to yourself again?” He asked Justin. I flipped him off. Why am I being nice to you again?

“I’m not. It’s Addison. Even if I was, I don’t share Bryce.” He seemed to shut the conversation down. Only I could pick up on the stern undertone in his voice. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, and they were back to goofing off again.

I slipped in the pool and noticing Justin was distracted, I swam over to him and jumped on his back. I may have accidentally splashed Monty in my jumping. I snuck a peek at him and he was rolling his eyes and laughing. “Chicken?” Justin asked. His hands went to my thighs unconsciously.

“No. You dropped me last time. Though it would be entertaining trying to watch the rest of you lift each other.”

“We’re strong.” The boys around me protested. They all made a show of flexing.

“Yes, yes. You’re all strong and hot. With superior athletic abilities. Go you.” I laughed.

“Ha! I told you she thinks I’m hot.” Bryce pointed at Justin.

“It doesn’t count if you’re objectively attractive Walker. I also think the blond guy from the Percy Jackson movie is hot. Because he is objectively attractive.”

“Objectively attractive?”

“You’re lucky you’re rich.” I muttered. Justin choked. “You’re a very pretty man Bryce Walker.”

“Do we get called pretty too Addison?” Monty asked.

“If you don’t call me by my full name again then sure Monty. You are also pretty. Foley, I swear if you drop me, you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.” His hand tightened around my thigh.

The group of us hung out for a while. At some point Scott joined us. Even though we weren’t friends per say, he was still nice to me when I was around. He swam over to my corner of the pool. “I’m supposed to ask you if you think I’m pretty?”

“Scott. If you don’t know you’re pretty, I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Alright then. Why was I supposed to ask?”

“I acknowledged Bryce is objectively attractive and the children felt left out.”

“I see. Why are you hiding in a corner?”

“Hiding from Justin. He’s trying to get me to play chicken. But I don’t feel like getting dropped again.”

“And why does he think you’d get to play with anyone else?”

“I think the attempt would be very entertaining actually.” There was a ringing over by the table.

“Someone’s phone is ringing.” I called. The ringing stopped and started again immediately. Zach looked up. It was his phone.

“It’s probably his mommy calling to tell him he has to come home before it gets dark.” Bryce teased. The boys laughed. I even chuckled a little to myself. Oh, how bad I would feel about that chuckle in a few hours. Zach splashed him. By the time the phone began its second round of ringing again, Zach was out of the pool and grabbing it. He was smiling when he answered it.

“Hey Mom. I’m com-.” It was quiet. “Yeah, I’ll be right home.” He hung up and quickly pulled on his pants, over his wet swim trucks. He threw on his shirt and practically sprinted back in the house. He didn’t say a word to any of us as he left.

“What’s going on with him?” Bryce said. We all stared after him.

A few hours after I got home, I got a text from Bryce. Justin got the same text. Zach’s dad died. Justin and I sat and looked at each other at the table, shocked. We sat there for a solid ten minutes, trying to absorb the information we had been given. I was sure our friends were in the same position. How did you respond to something like that? None of us had ever lost a parent. Sure, I had lost a couple of grandparents. I probably wasn’t the only one. But they’re sort of expected to die. They’re old. They’ve lived. Our parents weren’t old. Not old enough to die yet anyway. I picked my phone back up and texted Zach the only thing I could think to say. He would hear the words a lot in the next few months. I am so sorry. I knew he wouldn’t answer.

Zach wasn’t at school for the rest of the week. Not that he should have been. He had been excused from all of his other exams. Because of course he should have been. I didn’t see him until I was walking home from a date with Monty over the weekend. He was just… walking around town. He didn’t see me at first. When he noticed me standing up the street, he waved a little. I waved back and slowly walked over to him. Even though Zach Dempsey and I weren’t really friends, we were friendly. That’s why it didn’t feel weird when the only thing my brain said to do, was hug him. He didn’t cry. He didn’t say anything. He just hugged me back. We didn’t talk about that random, silent hug on the street again. Not for a long time at least. We simply nodded as we parted ways. He walked one way and I walked the other.

July changed a lot of things. Bryce left town with his family a few days after Zach’s dad’s funeral. Seth was back in town too. That meant Justin spent most of the first couple of weeks of July at my house. He was right. My parents were not happy about him doing summer school. As his not-mom my mum had a strict ‘no fun until homework is done and checked’ rule. At first, I spent my time with Monty during school hours. We weren’t really sure what the summer meant for our relationship. Those first few dates, we mostly talked about that.

“Well, I don’t want to not see you.” Monty said, between kisses in the backseat of my car. We had parked at a secluded clearing overlooking the river.

“I don’t want to not see you either. It’s going to be hard though.”

“Don’t talk about hard right now Doll. Please.” I pulled away and looked at him wide-eyed. “You don’t strike me as a public sex kind of girl. And I don’t want to get a public indecency charge.”

“Yeah. I’m not.” I sat up. “Justin being at my place complicates things.”

“Oh, I know.” He ground out as he adjusted his jeans. I could tell my cheeks were flushed.

“We knew we couldn’t see each other every day.”

“But it’s not easy not seeing you.”

“I know it’s not.”

“Why does this have to be so hard?” He sat back.

“I don’t know.” Neither of us were ready nor willing to have the ‘tell other people’ talk. Even though it had been almost a year. And probably needed to happen.

“Seeing each other while school is in, isn’t such a bad thing, is it?”

“No.”

“And I do have other friends. I could say I’m going to the city with Alex or something. Give us some more time?”

“That’s true.”

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “I could take you to the bookstore.” He blinked at me. “What?”

“The bookstore?”

“It’s air conditioned.” I shrugged and climbed into his lap. His hands instinctively found their way to my hips.

“You just need someone to carry your books again.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I smirked.

There was something different about Justin since he started summer school. I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was… distracted. I noticed he spent more time on his phone after homework than paying attention to what we were doing. Which was fine when it was show re-runs or my mom’s pick for movie night. But when you’re trying to play Ticket to Ride with a guy, it’s much easier when they are paying attention. “Hey. Earth to Justin. Hello?”

“Huh?” He looked up from his phone.

“It’s been your turn for the past five minutes.”

“Shit, sorry.” He looked at his cards and the map. Picking up a red and a pink from the pile, he settled back in his chair. Interesting. I frowned at the board, trying to figure out what he was doing. I came back with nothing. His phone buzzed again. I glanced at it. So did he. Then my phone buzzed. He glanced at it. So, did I. It was like we were waiting to see who would grab their phone first. After a few beats, his hand went to his phone. He smirked a little and put it down. I didn’t check mine.

I came home from a date with Monty a little late on Thursday. It was nearing five when I walked in the door, after I fixed my hair. I dropped my purse and stopped dead in my tracks. Justin had company. Company in the form of Jessica Davis. Who was currently sitting in his lap. On my couch. Making out with him. On my couch. They had their hands up each other’s shirts. On my couch. I cleared my throat. Jessica pulled away and turned towards me. “Oh, hey Addy.” She greeted, like this was normal.

“Hey Addy. You’re… just getting home?” His speech was slowed. Are you shitting me?

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“Your parents said I could have a friend over after class.”

“Okay.” I blinked. She was still perched in his lap. I glanced at the clock. “I suggest you fix your shirts because they should be home soon. And I don’t think they want to see, uh, this.” I motioned in their general direction. Jessica laughed and climbed off Justin.

“Oh, don’t be such a priss, Addison.”

“I’m not being a priss. I just wasn’t expecting to come home to people making out on my couch.” She rolled her eyes. “Great to see you too. Hey, Justin. Can I steal you for a sec?” I waved upstairs. “There’s snacks in the cupboard, Jess.”

Justin followed me upstairs, trying not to giggle at, assumingly, the fact that he didn’t get caught by my parents. I shut the door when we got to my room. “What the fuck Justin?”

“What?” He shrugged.

“What do you mean what?”

“What?”

“Making out with a girl on our couch?” He was trying to avoid eye contact. My parents are going to kill him.

“No one was home. It’s not a big deal.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t know, a couple weeks?” I blinked at him. He was still trying to look away from me. I grabbed his face and made him look at me.

“Are you fucking high right now?”

“No? What? Why would you ask that?” His eyes were bloodshot. He was acting very much like Justin when Justin has been indulging in Bryce’s stash.

“Don’t lie to me Justin Foley. You know my parent’s rules. Do you want them to freak out?”

“Oh, come on Addison. It was a little weed. It’s not that big of a deal.” I sighed heavily.

“You know what, whatever. You obviously don’t care. So, I suggest you tell your girlfriend to leave or figure out a way to sober up before they get home. And if that fails, tell her to leave, and come hide in here until you’re sober enough to face them.” I grabbed a book off my shelf and went back downstairs. I nodded at Jessica, who had made herself some crackers and dip. Sitting at the table, I texted Monty.

Justin and Jessica? Did you know about this? He responded a couple of minutes later.

No? Actually?

Yeah. They were making out on my couch when I got home. And to make things even more awkward and complicated, they’re both high.

I mean, to be fair, weed isn’t really that bad.

Yeah. I know. But that’s not the point. My parents are going to freak. Now is really not the time to be pissing them off.

Oh crap. You guys leave for Boston soon, don’t you?

Next week. And if Justin can’t keep his shit together… I left the unspoken implication hang in cyberspace. Are you really just going to ignore the fact that they were on the couch?

I was hoping to just ignore that fact.

Our make out spots are becoming fewer and further between.

We could just stay in your bed, Doll.

But the couch has the TV. So we can not watch a movie without worrying about my laptop falling.

“Who you texting so much?” Jessica asked, trying to peer at my phone.

“Friend from Boston.” I said, locking my phone.

“Oh, friend from Boston, you say? Is he cute?”

“I guess? His girlfriend probably thinks so.”

“Oh. Not a secret long distance lover then?”

“No. And we grew up together. It would be weird.” I slipped my phone in my pocket and grabbed some cereal. We both looked up when my parents got home. I took that as my cue to go get Justin. I practically kicked him downstairs so he could go entertain his girlfriend with my parents and I could have some time to process how I missed it. Probably the same way he has missed me having a boyfriend for… almost a year.

The day before we left for Boston, Justin and I were running around like mad men. I had plans with Monty and Justin had plans with Jessica tonight, so I didn’t want to be too long packing. Unfortunately, neither of us could find anything we wanted to bring. It was going to be nice so I wanted to bring some dresses. We had a few things planned, but like with our other trips, there would be plenty of time to lounge around the house.

“Have you seen my pink and green dress?”

“The one with the stripes? No. Have you seen my blue shirt?”

“I think mum put it in the wash.”

“Okay.” Justin went down the hall to the bathroom. “Has anyone seen my shampoo?” He called.

“It’s in here.” My dad called from their room. I was busy ripping apart my closet. I groaned in frustration.

“You know, it’s just Boston. We go every year.”

“I know Justin. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.”

“Yeah. Wait… are you trying to impress Adrian?” Justin laughed. I turned and he was leaning against the doorframe.

“No. Absolutely not. Besides, he has a girlfriend.” A girlfriend I happen to like.

“If you say so.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off as he went back to packing his bag. I gave up on my closet and decided to tackle our toiletries. I wasn’t too concerned with travel sizes because it was all going in my checked luggage.

“Decide what book you’re taking with you Addy?”

“Don’t you mean books, plural? It is a 6-hour flight after all.” He laughed.

“Okay, okay. Books?”

“I’m happy you asked.” I grinned as I pulled out the Barnes & Noble bag from under my bed. His jaw dropped. I shrugged.

“Your parents are going to freak.”

“They know I went book shopping.”

After a very long day of packing, Justin left to go meet Jessica. I texted Monty to let him know I would be leaving in about fifteen minutes. “I’m going to hang out with Alex and Clay for a bit.” I told my parents.

“Just remember we leave early tomorrow for the airport Addison.” My dad said, not looking up from his list. My mom was emptying the fridge.

“I will.”

When I got to the cliffside where we agreed to meet, Monty was waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself. I ran and held onto him like it was the last time I would ever see him. “You’re only leaving for two weeks Addison.” He grunted at the impact.

“I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.” He kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for a few more minutes before finally separating. I took his hand and led him up the trail. It was good for both of us to be walking the trails. He was starting summer training with the boys while we were gone, and I was going to be sitting for around 8 hours straight tomorrow. Provided our flight wasn’t delayed, of course. It was just starting to get dark, and I stopped along the way to take in the town’s skyline in the evening dusk. Monty rested his chin on top of my head, and I sighed, leaning back into him. It was so peaceful. I looked up and him and noticed a small bruise forming on his jaw. Not wanting to start a fight right before I left for two weeks, I pretended I hadn’t seen it. I smiled sadly to myself still. I wish he would just talk to me about it.

After a few hours, wandering around and soaking in the last time we would have for a couple of weeks, which feels like an eternity when you’re 16, we knew it was time to say goodbye. When we got to the parking lot, he made me turn around at his Jeep. I furrowed my brow. Before I could ask, he twirled his finger in the air. I clamped my mouth closed and turned. He rummaged around for a minute. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see. Just wait a minute.” I huffed. He chuckled. “Ah.” He muttered. He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned. He held out a small Barnes and Noble bag. I was taken aback. I wasn’t expecting anything. I pointed at the bag and then at me.

“F-for me?”

“It’s not much so don’t start.” He smiled, shyly.

“Okay.” I took the bag.

“I can’t wrap stuff worth shit, so the bag is as good as you’re going to get.” I laughed and shrugged. It was a fair enough explanation. I opened the bag and pulled out a spiralbound notebook. The cover was pink with the titles of all the classics on it. I smiled. “You won’t be here for your birthday, and I know your notebook is getting full so….” Monty trailed off.

“Thank you. This is really sweet.” I flipped it open and gasped. On the first page, he had drawn a book like on the cover, and titled it The Next Classic and written Hawthorne at the bottom where the author’s last name sometimes appears.

“Happy birthday, Addison.”

“Oh.” I smiled. My eyes had started to tear up. This was the sweetest gift anyone had ever given me. I closed the gap between us and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him and I deepened the kiss just a little. Not too much, just enough to make him remember me while I was gone.I had finished the last book on my To Read shelf by mid-May. Hopping off my bed, I went over to my bookshelf. There was only one shelf of space left. The stack to shelve had gotten a tad out of hand. Sighing to myself, I sat down to start reorganizing. I pulled the books from H to Z down to fit the new additions to my collection in. My dad poked his head in when the stack fell over. “Everything okay in here?” I was surrounded by books. Dad tried not to laugh as he took the scene in. Grabbing books, I turned back to the shelf.“Perfect. Totally meant to sit in a sea of books this afternoon.” “Sure. You have fun with that. I have to head into the office for a while. Tell your mother I probably won’t be home for dinner.” “Will do.” I nodded, not turning my attention back to him. Monty texted me shortly after I had finished the M’s. What are you up to today? Organizing my bookshelf. I finished my TBR so now they go in the permanent collection. Only my girlfriend would make a permanent book collection and a separate section for books that aren’t done. Hey! Lots of people do this. Yes honey. What are you up to today? Trying to study for my last History test. It’s very boring. I’m sure it is. If you’re free Saturday, how about a get out of studying free card? Oh? What did you have in mind Doll? I rolled my eyes and grinned. Of course he thought I meant something dirty. Cool your jets Monty. I was going to see if you wanted to go to the bookstore with me?I can make that happen. What time? I think Clay and I are getting lunch to go over our study guide for the Math final. I could do like 1?Sounds good. Do you want me to meet you at the bookstore? Sure. I go to the B&N at the Everglade. It’s a date. I smiled and went back to my books. When it was done, I snapped a picture and sent it to Justin. I finished my TBR! You know what that means?Oh no. More books? More books! Do I have to come with you?No. The parents gave me a limit of 10 books this time. Only 10?I have points saved up. And 10 is a perfectly reasonable amount of new books. For you? Yes. For normal people? No. Oh shhh, or I’ll make you come with me. Okay, okay. It’s reasonable lol. I texted Monty a picture of my bookshelf too. He responded with a laughing emoji. Teachers were beginning to wrap up final units and hand out study guides for finals. Justin was still mad about summer school so he kept up his not giving a shit attitude. I rolled my eyes whenever he sighed or complained about finals. And I stopped offering to help him. If he wanted to do more work in summer school, that was fine by me. It gave me more time to spend with Monty. On Saturday, I met Clay at Rosie’s and we both got milkshakes. I wasn’t very hungry, and I didn’t want burger breath later. “So Clay, how’s Hannah doing?” “I don’t know. We have hung out a few times, and I see her at work, but I don’t think we have hung out hung out.” “You still haven’t asked her out?” “I mean, we went to Jeff’s place not together, but we were both there, and I feel like maybe we connected?” “Connected?” “Well, we were doing… stuff… and we talked.” My eyes widened. “Clay Jensen did you do drugs in Jeff’s basement?” “Maybe?” I was stunned. “Well, I’ll be damned. Clay Jensen, having fun. I never thought I’d see the day.”“Ha ha.” He joked. “I’m kidding! But seriously. Take the risk Clay.” “I’ll think about it. Can we look at this study guide now?” I sighed and pulled it out of my bag. We both shuddered. This is not going to be a pretty exam.By the time Clay and I called it an afternoon, it was 12:30. That gave me just enough time to get to the city. We packed our notes and headed outside. “Man, I really need a car.” Clay sighed, unlocking his bike. “Your parents said no?” “I have a bike.” He waved towards the bike. “That you do. I would offer you a ride, but I’m headed into the city for the afternoon.” “No worries, Addy.” He smiled. We waved goodbye and I watched as he biked down the street. I started my car and texted Monty. Leaving Rosie’s now. Might be a little late. Drive safe. Sounds good, drive safe Doll. I stopped at Starbucks when I got to the mall and got an iced coffee to sip while I browse and a coffee for Montgomery. He was waiting outside Barnes & Noble for me. “Hey handsome. Fancy seeing you here.” I winked as I walked up to him.“Hey gorgeous. What can I say, thought it would be a good way to find a girl. You know what they say about the readers.” “I have a feeling I do.” I laughed and handed him his coffee. “Something to do with being high strung, overachievers with daddy issues?” “Somethin’ like that.” Monty took my hand and let me lead him into the bookstore. I decided I would keep my ten-book limit to myself. I knew how many points I had, and I still had birthday money left from last year. He chuckled as I practically dragged him towards the YA section. I didn’t stop to look at the romance displays or the cookbooks or the journals. I was on a mission. There were books to buy. I sipped my coffee as I browsed. As usual, I made my way up and down the aisles quickly once to see if anything immediately caught my eye. A couple of books did, so I grabbed them to look over after I was done my power walk. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you move that fast.” “Ass.” I laughed as I read over the synopsizes of the two books. Neither of them was my cup of tea in the end, so I decided to put them back. I could feel Montgomery watching me as I looked at the shelves. “What?” I asked as I pulled a book down and skimmed the back. “Nothin’. You’re just cute is all.” “Oh?” “Yeah. And those shorts are very nice.” I blushed and smiled softly. “Thanks.” I handed him the book. “Oh, I see. You needed someone to carry the books.”“Well, who else would I have asked, when I have my strong, athletic boyfriend to follow me around the store?” He only laughed in response. I grabbed a few more books as I sipped at my coffee. Once in a while, I would notice him watching me and turn to smile at him. There were six books in Monty’s hands before he finished his coffee. “I’m going to throw this out. Try to leave some books for the next person, okay Bookworm?” “I’ll try. No promises though.” I mused. By the time he came back, I had three more books. I looked up when I heard him laugh. I grinned at him and held out the books. He took them, tucked them under his arm, and stepped towards me. My brow furrowed and he reached to tuck my hair behind my ear, trailing his hand down to cup the back of my neck, and pull me towards him to kiss me. I kissed him back softly. It was nice to be able to kiss in public. I liked our little bubble. It felt like we were the only two people in the world. He pulled away first. We continued to peruse the store for a while and stole kisses and glances along the way. Monty slid his hand in my back pocket as we walked. I grabbed another couple of books and sighed. “What’s up?” “I guess that’s enough books for a little while.” “For a little while? Addison. There’s like,” he paused to count, “sixteen books here.” “Yeah. And that isn’t even all of what is on my TBR still. And it’s buy one get one half off all books.” I shrugged. “Jesus. Crazy woman.” He muttered softly and kissed the side of my head. I sighed and turned to head for the till. After discounts, points, and birthday money, my total was twenty-five dollars. “Now to figure out how to sneak the extra six books into the house.” I muttered as we left. “The extra what whats?” “Uh… nothing.” I smiled sheepishly. He shook his head playfully. “Oh, hey. Pretzels. Split one?” “Nice change of subject. Sure. Pretzel sounds good.” He rubbed my hand as he held it. This is nice. In late June, just as finals week was hitting its peak, tragedy struck our little group of jocks. The boys were at Bryce’s trying to blow off some steam. I was trying to be nice to him and make an effort for Justin, so I tagged along. The way his family approached and flaunted their money always took me by surprise. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew my family had more money than most. More than I liked to consider or admit. But it was never flashed around the way it was with the Walkers. I came from old money on my dad’s side, like his mom. But unlike him, I wasn’t exposed to it on a daily basis. The concept of a twice a week maid was enough to widen my eyes. The only time my family had a maid come was when Gran was coming to stay with us, or we were hosting Christmas back when all my grandparents lived state-side, so a very deep clean was needed. The fact that they had a chef come in once a week to meal prep for them was… almost incomprehensible. The only time I met a chef was when I found a hair in my food when my family went out one night. I had been to his house before of course. I was friends with Justin. We shared custody of him most weeks. Even still, I found myself hanging back and watching the boys socialize. Or I was trying to at least. Bryce thrusting a bottle of water in my hand startled me. I jumped slightly. “Thanks.” I muttered. “Don’t mention it.” He chuckled. He settled himself next to me and leaned back against the counter. “Hi.” “Hi. You know that they will talk to you, right? They know you.” “I know.” “Okay. I’ll talk to you then.” Great. Just what I want. “Sure Bryce.” “How are finals treating you?” “I cried before my honours English final yesterday.” “I almost forgot about my math final.” “So, we are basically in the same boat.” “Basically. You had bio and history today?” “Yeah.” “How were they?” “I think I did fairly okay. Can you imagine what my mum would do if I bombed the history final?” He stared off into space with me and shivered. “I would say something nice about you at your funeral.” “Thanks Walker. Killing me does seem like a lot of hassle for that though. Like it seems like it would just inconvenience them. Maybe locked in my room to study until I’m forty?” “True. I would text you news updates. Keep you updated in all things Bryce and the boys.” “Prefect. Make isolation at least a little bit bearable.” He was actually kind of nice sometimes. Maybe. If I squinted.“Yeah. My dad would have freaked if I missed my math final.” “How could you take over the family business if you fail tenth grade math Bryce?” “No idea. Not like he doesn’t pay someone to do all that math for him. Speaking of, he wanted me to ask you if your dad is taking on any new clients now that tax season is winding down?” “I don’t know. I don’t think he is, but I can get him to email your dad.” I don’t think he’s going to take your dad on. “I’ll let him know.” “Where are you off to this summer?” “I think we are summering in Fiji?” “Because California isn’t summer-y enough?” “Mom thinks the sun feels different. More sunny. I tan better in tropical environments.” “Sure, you do.”“What are your family’s plans?” “We have our annual family trip to Boston at the end of July into the first week of August. Dad pushed his vacation time this year.” “Doesn’t he own the company?” “Yeah. But his associate wanted to take vacation in mid-July. She’s taking her kids to Disney World.” “Again, doesn’t he own the company?”“Again, yes. Why?” “Shouldn’t he get first pick?” “Well, our vacation basically costs us airfare, food, and spending money. Hers and everyone else’s costs a lot more. And requires more planning. So, he lets them have first pick and takes whatever’s left for the most part. Because of that, people are more willing to pick fairly.” “Interesting.”“Are you two going to come outside or not?” Justin called from the back yard. Bryce and I looked up and found the house empty. All the boys had moved to the back. We shrugged and joined them. I needed to pass the sniff test so I didn’t dare go in the pool house. Anders and Dylan were in the pool house enjoying Bryce’s stash. It was already nearing eighty degrees in the daytime. We were in for a hot summer. Justin pulled off his shirt, dropped his pants, and jumped in the pool. Shaking my head, I followed Bryce outside. I sat on the edge of the pool and dipped my feet in the water. Monty was trying to be discreet and swim backwards towards me. He stopped just shy of me and shared a look with Zach. I pretended not to notice. It looked like I was busy watching Justin goof off with Bryce and Garrison. I was watching my boyfriend out of the corner of my eye though. I felt a wave close to my foot. “Montgomery. If you touch my foot, I’m not responsible for what happens to your face.” His hand stopped and his eyes widened. Justin laughed and called from across the pool. “She isn’t wrong dude. She kicked me in the face when I was trying to bug her one time.” “I wasn’t going to….” Monty trailed off. “Sure, you weren’t.” I shook my head and moved to stand up. I pulled my tank top over my head. The shorts I was wearing were fine to go in the water. Seeing as we had to keep up appearances, I couldn’t very well ask Monty to tighten the tie on my bikini top. That would be too much. The boys would question that. Joking around and talking to each other in a group was okay. Touching was not. “Hey Justin, do you mind?” I gestured to my back, not looking at the pool. “He’s a little busy.” Bryce said. I could hear splashing behind me. “Zach?” “Sure.” He climbed out of the pool and untied the bottom strings. He pulled them tighter in a knot and doubled the bow. “Good?” “Yeah.” I turned around. “Thanks.” Bryce whistled. Gross.“Why are you keeping her all to yourself again?” He asked Justin. I flipped him off. Why am I being nice to you again? “I’m not. It’s Addison. Even if I was, I don’t share Bryce.” He seemed to shut the conversation down. Only I could pick up on the stern undertone in his voice. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone, and they were back to goofing off again. I slipped in the pool and noticing Justin was distracted, I swam over to him and jumped on his back. I may have accidentally splashed Monty in my jumping. I snuck a peek at him and he was rolling his eyes and laughing. “Chicken?” Justin asked. His hands went to my thighs unconsciously. “No. You dropped me last time. Though it would be entertaining trying to watch the rest of you lift each other.” “We’re strong.” The boys around me protested. They all made a show of flexing. “Yes, yes. You’re all strong and hot. With superior athletic abilities. Go you.” I laughed. “Ha! I told you she thinks I’m hot.” Bryce pointed at Justin. “It doesn’t count if you’re objectively attractive Walker. I also think the blond guy from the Percy Jackson movie is hot. Because he is objectively attractive.” “Objectively attractive?” “You’re lucky you’re rich.” I muttered. Justin choked. “You’re a very pretty man Bryce Walker.” “Do we get called pretty too Addison?” Monty asked.“If you don’t call me by my full name again then sure Monty. You are also pretty. Foley, I swear if you drop me, you’re sleeping on the floor tonight.” His hand tightened around my thigh. The group of us hung out for a while. At some point Scott joined us. Even though we weren’t friends per say, he was still nice to me when I was around. He swam over to my corner of the pool. “I’m supposed to ask you if you think I’m pretty?” “Scott. If you don’t know you’re pretty, I don’t know what to say to you.” “Alright then. Why was I supposed to ask?” “I acknowledged Bryce is objectively attractive and the children felt left out.” “I see. Why are you hiding in a corner?” “Hiding from Justin. He’s trying to get me to play chicken. But I don’t feel like getting dropped again.” “And why does he think you’d get to play with anyone else?” “I think the attempt would be very entertaining actually.” There was a ringing over by the table. “Someone’s phone is ringing.” I called. The ringing stopped and started again immediately. Zach looked up. It was his phone. “It’s probably his mommy calling to tell him he has to come home before it gets dark.” Bryce teased. The boys laughed. I even chuckled a little to myself. Oh, how bad I would feel about that chuckle in a few hours. Zach splashed him. By the time the phone began its second round of ringing again, Zach was out of the pool and grabbing it. He was smiling when he answered it. “Hey Mom. I’m com-.” It was quiet. “Yeah, I’ll be right home.” He hung up and quickly pulled on his pants, over his wet swim trucks. He threw on his shirt and practically sprinted back in the house. He didn’t say a word to any of us as he left.“What’s going on with him?” Bryce said. We all stared after him. A few hours after I got home, I got a text from Bryce. Justin got the same text. Zach’s dad died. Justin and I sat and looked at each other at the table, shocked. We sat there for a solid ten minutes, trying to absorb the information we had been given. I was sure our friends were in the same position. How did you respond to something like that? None of us had ever lost a parent. Sure, I had lost a couple of grandparents. I probably wasn’t the only one. But they’re sort of expected to die. They’re old. They’ve lived. Our parents weren’t old. Not old enough to die yet anyway. I picked my phone back up and texted Zach the only thing I could think to say. He would hear the words a lot in the next few months. I am so sorry. I knew he wouldn’t answer. Zach wasn’t at school for the rest of the week. Not that he should have been. He had been excused from all of his other exams. Because of course he should have been. I didn’t see him until I was walking home from a date with Monty over the weekend. He was just… walking around town. He didn’t see me at first. When he noticed me standing up the street, he waved a little. I waved back and slowly walked over to him. Even though Zach Dempsey and I weren’t really friends, we were friendly. That’s why it didn’t feel weird when the only thing my brain said to do, was hug him. He didn’t cry. He didn’t say anything. He just hugged me back. We didn’t talk about that random, silent hug on the street again. Not for a long time at least. We simply nodded as we parted ways. He walked one way and I walked the other. July changed a lot of things. Bryce left town with his family a few days after Zach’s dad’s funeral. Seth was back in town too. That meant Justin spent most of the first couple of weeks of July at my house. He was right. My parents were not happy about him doing summer school. As his not-mom my mum had a strict ‘no fun until homework is done and checked’ rule. At first, I spent my time with Monty during school hours. We weren’t really sure what the summer meant for our relationship. Those first few dates, we mostly talked about that. “Well, I don’t want to not see you.” Monty said, between kisses in the backseat of my car. We had parked at a secluded clearing overlooking the river. “I don’t want to not see you either. It’s going to be hard though.” “Don’t talk about hard right now Doll. Please.” I pulled away and looked at him wide-eyed. “You don’t strike me as a public sex kind of girl. And I don’t want to get a public indecency charge.” “Yeah. I’m not.” I sat up. “Justin being at my place complicates things.” “Oh, I know.” He ground out as he adjusted his jeans. I could tell my cheeks were flushed. “We knew we couldn’t see each other every day.” “But it’s not easy not seeing you.” “I know it’s not.” “Why does this have to be so hard?” He sat back. “I don’t know.” Neither of us were ready nor willing to have the ‘tell other people’ talk. Even though it had been almost a year. And probably needed to happen. “Seeing each other while school is in, isn’t such a bad thing, is it?” “No.” “And I do have other friends. I could say I’m going to the city with Alex or something. Give us some more time?” “That’s true.” I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. “I could take you to the bookstore.” He blinked at me. “What?” “The bookstore?” “It’s air conditioned.” I shrugged and climbed into his lap. His hands instinctively found their way to my hips. “You just need someone to carry your books again.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I smirked. There was something different about Justin since he started summer school. I couldn’t put my finger on it. He was… distracted. I noticed he spent more time on his phone after homework than paying attention to what we were doing. Which was fine when it was show re-runs or my mom’s pick for movie night. But when you’re trying to play Ticket to Ride with a guy, it’s much easier when they are paying attention. “Hey. Earth to Justin. Hello?”“Huh?” He looked up from his phone. “It’s been your turn for the past five minutes.” “Shit, sorry.” He looked at his cards and the map. Picking up a red and a pink from the pile, he settled back in his chair. Interesting. I frowned at the board, trying to figure out what he was doing. I came back with nothing. His phone buzzed again. I glanced at it. So did he. Then my phone buzzed. He glanced at it. So, did I. It was like we were waiting to see who would grab their phone first. After a few beats, his hand went to his phone. He smirked a little and put it down. I didn’t check mine. I came home from a date with Monty a little late on Thursday. It was nearing five when I walked in the door, after I fixed my hair. I dropped my purse and stopped dead in my tracks. Justin had company. Company in the form of Jessica Davis. Who was currently sitting in his lap. On my couch. Making out with him. On my couch. They had their hands up each other’s shirts. On my couch. I cleared my throat. Jessica pulled away and turned towards me. “Oh, hey Addy.” She greeted, like this was normal. “Hey Addy. You’re… just getting home?” His speech was slowed. Are you shitting me? “Yeah. What’s going on?” “Your parents said I could have a friend over after class.” “Okay.” I blinked. She was still perched in his lap. I glanced at the clock. “I suggest you fix your shirts because they should be home soon. And I don’t think they want to see, uh, this.” I motioned in their general direction. Jessica laughed and climbed off Justin. “Oh, don’t be such a priss, Addison.” “I’m not being a priss. I just wasn’t expecting to come home to people making out on my couch.” She rolled her eyes. “Great to see you too. Hey, Justin. Can I steal you for a sec?” I waved upstairs. “There’s snacks in the cupboard, Jess.” Justin followed me upstairs, trying not to giggle at, assumingly, the fact that he didn’t get caught by my parents. I shut the door when we got to my room. “What the fuck Justin?” “What?” He shrugged. “What do you mean what?” “What?” “Making out with a girl on our couch?” He was trying to avoid eye contact. My parents are going to kill him. “No one was home. It’s not a big deal.” “How long has this been going on?” “I don’t know, a couple weeks?” I blinked at him. He was still trying to look away from me. I grabbed his face and made him look at me. “Are you fucking high right now?” “No? What? Why would you ask that?” His eyes were bloodshot. He was acting very much like Justin when Justin has been indulging in Bryce’s stash. “Don’t lie to me Justin Foley. You know my parent’s rules. Do you want them to freak out?” “Oh, come on Addison. It was a little weed. It’s not that big of a deal.” I sighed heavily. “You know what, whatever. You obviously don’t care. So, I suggest you tell your girlfriend to leave or figure out a way to sober up before they get home. And if that fails, tell her to leave, and come hide in here until you’re sober enough to face them.” I grabbed a book off my shelf and went back downstairs. I nodded at Jessica, who had made herself some crackers and dip. Sitting at the table, I texted Monty. Justin and Jessica? Did you know about this? He responded a couple of minutes later. No? Actually?Yeah. They were making out on my couch when I got home. And to make things even more awkward and complicated, they’re both high. I mean, to be fair, weed isn’t really that bad. Yeah. I know. But that’s not the point. My parents are going to freak. Now is really not the time to be pissing them off. Oh crap. You guys leave for Boston soon, don’t you? Next week. And if Justin can’t keep his shit together… I left the unspoken implication hang in cyberspace. Are you really just going to ignore the fact that they were on the couch?I was hoping to just ignore that fact. Our make out spots are becoming fewer and further between. We could just stay in your bed, Doll. But the couch has the TV. So we can not watch a movie without worrying about my laptop falling. “Who you texting so much?” Jessica asked, trying to peer at my phone. “Friend from Boston.” I said, locking my phone. “Oh, friend from Boston, you say? Is he cute?”“I guess? His girlfriend probably thinks so.” “Oh. Not a secret long distance lover then?”“No. And we grew up together. It would be weird.” I slipped my phone in my pocket and grabbed some cereal. We both looked up when my parents got home. I took that as my cue to go get Justin. I practically kicked him downstairs so he could go entertain his girlfriend with my parents and I could have some time to process how I missed it. Probably the same way he has missed me having a boyfriend for… almost a year. The day before we left for Boston, Justin and I were running around like mad men. I had plans with Monty and Justin had plans with Jessica tonight, so I didn’t want to be too long packing. Unfortunately, neither of us could find anything we wanted to bring. It was going to be nice so I wanted to bring some dresses. We had a few things planned, but like with our other trips, there would be plenty of time to lounge around the house. “Have you seen my pink and green dress?” “The one with the stripes? No. Have you seen my blue shirt?”“I think mum put it in the wash.” “Okay.” Justin went down the hall to the bathroom. “Has anyone seen my shampoo?” He called. “It’s in here.” My dad called from their room. I was busy ripping apart my closet. I groaned in frustration. “You know, it’s just Boston. We go every year.” “I know Justin. I just like to be prepared for every eventuality.” “Yeah. Wait… are you trying to impress Adrian?” Justin laughed. I turned and he was leaning against the doorframe. “No. Absolutely not. Besides, he has a girlfriend.” A girlfriend I happen to like. “If you say so.” He smirked. I rolled my eyes and flipped him off as he went back to packing his bag. I gave up on my closet and decided to tackle our toiletries. I wasn’t too concerned with travel sizes because it was all going in my checked luggage. “Decide what book you’re taking with you Addy?” “Don’t you mean books, plural? It is a 6-hour flight after all.” He laughed. “Okay, okay. Books?” “I’m happy you asked.” I grinned as I pulled out the Barnes & Noble bag from under my bed. His jaw dropped. I shrugged. “Your parents are going to freak.” “They know I went book shopping.” After a very long day of packing, Justin left to go meet Jessica. I texted Monty to let him know I would be leaving in about fifteen minutes. “I’m going to hang out with Alex and Clay for a bit.” I told my parents. “Just remember we leave early tomorrow for the airport Addison.” My dad said, not looking up from his list. My mom was emptying the fridge. “I will.” When I got to the cliffside where we agreed to meet, Monty was waiting for me. I couldn’t help myself. I ran and held onto him like it was the last time I would ever see him. “You’re only leaving for two weeks Addison.” He grunted at the impact. “I’m going to miss you.” “I’ll miss you too.” He kissed the top of my head. We stood like that for a few more minutes before finally separating. I took his hand and led him up the trail. It was good for both of us to be walking the trails. He was starting summer training with the boys while we were gone, and I was going to be sitting for around 8 hours straight tomorrow. Provided our flight wasn’t delayed, of course. It was just starting to get dark, and I stopped along the way to take in the town’s skyline in the evening dusk. Monty rested his chin on top of my head, and I sighed, leaning back into him. It was so peaceful. I looked up and him and noticed a small bruise forming on his jaw. Not wanting to start a fight right before I left for two weeks, I pretended I hadn’t seen it. I smiled sadly to myself still. I wish he would just talk to me about it. After a few hours, wandering around and soaking in the last time we would have for a couple of weeks, which feels like an eternity when you’re 16, we knew it was time to say goodbye. When we got to the parking lot, he made me turn around at his Jeep. I furrowed my brow. Before I could ask, he twirled his finger in the air. I clamped my mouth closed and turned. He rummaged around for a minute. “What are you doing?” “You’ll see. Just wait a minute.” I huffed. He chuckled. “Ah.” He muttered. He tapped me on the shoulder. I turned. He held out a small Barnes and Noble bag. I was taken aback. I wasn’t expecting anything. I pointed at the bag and then at me. “F-for me?” “It’s not much so don’t start.” He smiled, shyly. “Okay.” I took the bag. “I can’t wrap stuff worth shit, so the bag is as good as you’re going to get.” I laughed and shrugged. It was a fair enough explanation. I opened the bag and pulled out a spiralbound notebook. The cover was pink with the titles of all the classics on it. I smiled. “You won’t be here for your birthday, and I know your notebook is getting full so….” Monty trailed off. “Thank you. This is really sweet.” I flipped it open and gasped. On the first page, he had drawn a book like on the cover, and titled it The Next Classic and written Hawthorne at the bottom where the author’s last name sometimes appears. “Happy birthday, Addison.” “Oh.” I smiled. My eyes had started to tear up. This was the sweetest gift anyone had ever given me. I closed the gap between us and kissed him. He pulled me closer to him and I deepened the kiss just a little. Not too much, just enough to make him remember me while I was gone. 

#can't go back #Can’t Go Back #jessica davis #clay jensen #montgomery de la cruz #monty x oc #monty x reader #monty de la cruz #monty imagine #13 reasons why #13rw #13 rw #Thirteen Reasons Why #fan fiction #fanfiction #fanfic writing #fanfic #writing #writer #creative writing #Justin Foley

[lovelyflowerchild44]

Story Board: Montgomery de la Cruz x OC

#montgomery #de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz #x oc #x reader #story board #story ideas #montgomery x reader #montgomery de la cruz x oc

[reducttiddi3es]

Feels Right Monty x OC- Requested

REQUEST:   @vintagemac94 Hey🌸, I just came across your blog and loved the Monty love I saw there those two stories were pretty awesome. Could I pls make a request for MontyxOc where she has a boyfriend in college but when she moved to town and transferred to Liberty High she fell for Monty because of the amazing chemistry they had when they first met... As much as she wanted to stay loyal the connection her and Monty had proved too strong to ignore and she let the temptation take over💜. Tysm

I really enjoyed writing this, so much so that I had to split it up into parts XD. I will put the second part up soon(once I complete it that is)

hope ya’ll enjoy it. requests are always open.

WORDS: 1389

MASTERLIST

“Ok, babe. I’ll call you tonight. I can’t afford to go late on the first day of school”

“No, Soph, you call me in break time ok.”

“Ugh, fine. I love you but I really got to go now”

I hung up smiling about how much my boyfriend cared for me. We had been together for a little more than a year and it was going great. He was a little possessive but that’s because he loves me. Right?

I ran down the stairs excited for my first day at Liberty high.

“Morning, mom. Hey dad”, I said kissing both of them.

“Here, have your breakfast and then we’ll leave”

*

“Have a nice day, sweety.”

“Bye dad”

I walked into the massive property of Liberty high which was crowded with noisy teens. I looked around, there were the cheerleaders, nerds, punks and the jocks. Ugh.

I never really fit in with most of these groups. I am friendly but I’d rather be alone. But I had promised myself to make friends.

I looked around and spotted a boy and a girl talking, they seemed nice.

“Hey, I’m Sophie Miller. I’m new here, can you please tell me the way to the counsellor’s office”

“Hey, I’m Hannah Baker.”

“I’m Clay Jensen. Well I was just heading there to take the new students on the school tour.” He laughs.

“Well then you can give me a little preview” I said before we bid goodbye to Hannah and headed towards the counsellor’s office. Wow. Its gonna take some time to memorize all these hallways.

*

The day went by well, I had a few classes with Clay and others with Hannah, so I didn’t have to put in the effort of socializing.

I sat at their table during lunch. They were so sweet, and we talked about random stuff while they told me a little more about the school.

As soon as the bell rang, we all moved towards our next class, when I realized that the next class, I had neither Clay nor Hannah with me. They showed me towards my classroom before going off towards their own. I walked in slowly, almost as if I was walking into a dense cave. I walked slowly to a bench at the end of the class, satisfied that I had caught the attention of nobody, or at least that’s what I thought.

I managed to get away from the “new girl introduction” bit successfully. Since it was the last class of the day, I went out towards the parking lot wondering where my dad was.

*

 Things went on quite smoothly for the next few days. By smooth I mean little to no social interaction except with Clay, Hannah and a few teachers. It felt nice, like I could fit in, that I did not need my boyfriend as a barrier between me and the world. Jake (boyfriend) had asked me to call him at least 5 times a day. It was getting a little annoying, but I had to, after all he agreed to me going away to another town. It was the least I could do for him.

It had been almost a week in school and it is safe to say I still don’t know anyone other than Clay and Hannah, I mean I did make efforts to make friends but it seemed as if everyone had their friend groups filled already.

“Honey, I’m so sorry but you’ll have to walk to school this week”, my dad told me as he was getting ready to catch his flight to go on a business trip.

“Don’t worry dad, I CAN walk to school. It isn’t far” I chuckled.

*

Monday morning came soon, I got up realizing that I had to walk to school and so I had to be quick. But after all I’m as slow as a sloth bear. I ran, literally ran out of my house without breakfast, racing with the wind. God, I’m going to be late.

“Hey, careful.”

In the haste of getting to school on time, running like a mad-man on the streets, I did not realize when I bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking, so sorry.” I said sweating and almost at the verge of freaking out. “I didn’t see, I don’t- I’m sorry”

“Oh god, shhh, quiet”, that someone clasped a hand over my mouth with the other slowly rubbing up and down my back. This somehow immediately calmed me down. I looked up to meet the eyes of this kind stranger.

I looked into his deep hazel colored eyes, and I felt something. Something, that I can’t explain. Something I haven’t felt before. Something that was nice. I was so lost in his eyes that I did not realize that I had literally been gawking at him.

“You’re a weird girl, aren’t you” he laughed.

I snapped out of my bliss and gave him a confused smile.

“And a pretty one” he added, sending more shivers down my spine. His smile was so confident, so sweet yet almost like a smirk oozing with arrogance.

“Why are you walking to school today? Do you need a ride?” he asked.

I was shocked he knew as much as he did. And I guess it was written all over my face. He added “I go to the same school. I’ll give you a ride, it’s not very safe to leave you unsupervised right now”, he laughed.

He walked over to a jeep parked near the sidewalk and sat confidently in the driver’s seat, sure that I would follow him. And I did. I don’t know why I did it but I did. I sat down in the passenger seat.

“I’m Sophie. Sophie Miller” I said mustering up the most confidence I could and smiled at him.

“I’m Montgomery. Montgomery De La Cruz. But I prefer Monty” he said mimicking me. But I wasn’t offended, in fact I smiled at him wider than before. “Monty” I said softly.

*

The entire ride we spoke about tons of things. I’m not saying we had many things in common in fact we didn’t but it did not feel awkward. Also did I mention that that he was the hottest person I’d ever seen (still is). I hadn’t gotten the chance to see him that well considering I was near-freaking out over stumbling into him but when we reached school and he got off the car, the radiation of the morning sun hitting his skin in all the right places making him look more godly than he did before, had taken my breath away. Wow.

My feet carried me to class, my hands carried my books, physically I was in class but my mind could focus on nothing but Monty. His voice echoed inside my head; his soulful laugh made me smile like an idiot without realizing that I was in class.

“Miss Miller, is there something that you want to share with the class, so that all of us can laugh”

My face turned red at the teacher’s voice and I shook my head. The bell rang before she could go any further. The entire day, I barely payed attention to any class, my brain flooded with images of Monty (funny how I could imagine him in ways I’d not even seen him).

I absent mindedly walked out of the school towards home, still smiling wide. All of sudden a car pulled up next to me. The window rolled down.

“You know you can’t just ditch me, today morning was certainly not a one-time thing” he said smirking.

“N-no I was-“

“Oh God, just get in sweetheart” he laughed, the nickname leaving his lips effortlessly.

***

It had been a week and my dad was back home but I still drove with Monty to school. We had gotten incredibly close, I went to his games and we spent a lot of time together after school, gaming, listening to music, I even tutored him while he failed to teach me baseball. But the most wonderful time was when we sat together and talked about random things. Monty had gotten me to feel so good about myself, I had become more confident. It felt nice.

We were jamming to some music while riding to school when my phone rang.

Jake.

MASTERLIST

#montgomery de la cruz #monty x reader #Montgomery de la cruz x reader #timothy granaderos #clay jensen #hannah baker #Justin Foley #Bryce Walker #monty x oc #jessica davis #jeff atkins #zach dempsey #Alex Standall #Tyler Down #monty de la cruz #chocolate nightmare moon #13 reasons why #13rw fanfiction #13rw #13rwedit #13 reasons why imagine #tony padilla

[ocheadcannonrandomness]

Maia Alejandra De La Cruz

Face Claim: Jazlyn Robinson

Maia is Monty’s little sister. She is 17 years old. Like Monty, she suffered from being around her father. As a result, she often snuck out in the middle of the night. This lead to some bad things happening to her and around her. But she always tried to take the fall for Monty just so he wouldn’t get hurt. She really loves her brother.

Despite all this, she is a really smart girl. She does good in school. She worked at Monets with Justin for a little while. She loves doing her sports, which include diving and gymnastics.

She has a 4 month old little boy. His name is Montgomery Callum, or “MC” as a nickname. She is a single mom, but she prefers it that way. She doesn’t like to talk about her sons father. He is not in the picture anymore so she feels like she doesn’t need to explain him and his actions to anyone.

She was absolutely heartbroken and angry when she found out about Bryce’s death. She understands that he was a bad person. She agreed that he needed jail time for everything he did. But she believed that he was really wanting to try and be a little bit better. She agreed he would never be a great person. But she thought he deserved a chance to get better.

When she found out that Monty was dead, She lost it. She felt like her heart was ripped from her chest. She immediately had a gut feeling that their father played some role leading to his death. She also knew, she just knew, that her brother had been framed for Bryce’s murder. Of course she believed him when he told her that he had nothing to do with it. When she came to school after learning about her brothers death, she pushed Justin, Jessica , and Alex away. She only confided in Clay, and the Jocks especially. Monty also introduced her to Winston. So she got close to him as well, and they got even more close after Monty’s death.

Like Clay,(and maybe Jessica, based on the trailer I saw?), Maia sees Monty’s, and sometimes Bryce’s, ghost at school and other places. That’s why she confides in Clay. She is willing and working on letting the other kids back in her life, because she has always loved Justin and she doesn’t want anything to happen to him.

Maia has her own little house near school, she saved up for it. And she also is trying to get a restraining order against her Father.

#13rw season 4 #13 reasons why oc #13 reasons spoilers #13 reasons imagine #montgomery de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz x sister

[missmarrypotter]

You can try

Montgomery x OC femaleFriend!! (Penelopee)

IMPORTANT: i Like to think that there is more to Monty than we see at the Show. I don’t ignore what he did. But that's what fanfictions are for, to write the Character Like i’d Like him to be - at least for me ✨ If You think otherwise please don't read it.

WARNINGS: Montgomery being in it, cursing, Mentioning of rape?!

He was just staring at the clock in the Pool House. His Hands were slightly shaking, his jaw was intensely clenched. He was breathing in and out very slowly but heavy.

He weakly shook his head.

“I'm not even able to explain any of this Phee..  Sorry wouldn't even Cover half of what i am” he managed to speak out. Quiet but still. Tears were rolling down his cheeks After his words.

Penelopee didn't really know what to say about his first words After thirty minutes of silence.

This was the third time she had seen Montgomery cry.

First time was when his father beat him up really Bad for the First time. He was 9 years old back then. His father had slapped him before but never really bashed him this Hard. It was the first and last time he cried because of it, since that Day he just endured it.

The second time was when Penelopee, Scott and him rushed to the vet because her dog looked really Bad. They had to put him down because he got poisoned.

Today was because she confronted him about protecting Bryce.

“Alex was right, we could have stopped it.. We could have stopped him” he said, burying his face in his hands.

Penelopee carefully took his Hands to remove them from his face.

“You didn't know it was Hannah and You did definitely not know what he was doing to her. I mean how many times did he bone some girl in there. Or how many times did You walk in on Justin and some chick. Or Scott and me.You couldn't have known it. Ok?!” she tried to calm him down,  stroking his cheek. He weakly nodded. She was Kind of right but he still felt so guilty Like never before. He was good at ignoring unpleasurable Situations. He had to be to survive.

“The thing is…  You can't help Hannah anymore. That's just how it is. Sad but true. But You can help Jessica now. Jess is still here, still fighting, still facing this piece of shit Bryce every Day. And so are Hannah’s parents. You can still help them, they are important now!”

He looked up. Seeing her face this Serious had him tearing up again.

“Are You mad at me?! he asked.

“Uhm..  Honestly there is so much shit going on right now..  I don’t think i can sort my emotions right now but i think i’m not..” she explained. He nodded.

He knew how much the latest incidents messed up her head and her feelings. Justin came back. They had to sober him up. Jess and Alex were back at school. Alex still had Lots of recovery to do. Her female Best friend, Sheri, told her about the accident that caused Her other Best friends dead.The trial against liberty high failed. Not being able to help jess with her pain. Not being able to calm Monty down anymore These days. Her brother got arrested for drug possession.

Everyone had their own Problems These days. And most people thought they had to Deal with their demons alone. People always think their secrets or Problems are the heaviest. They think no one would ever understand or forgive them.That's why they keep them to themselves and that exactly is the Problem here. Some burdens are just too Heavy for a single human being.

“Look Baby, People sometimes make horrible mistakes. It's human and your decision to Cover for Bryce and to defend him is definitely your worst ever. But it doesn't have to define You. You can still decide to help now. You can't turn back time. That's fact. But You can choose to make no second horrible mistake,  do You understand me Montgomery?!”

“ Girl,  You are hopelessly optimistic and supporting. It's fascinating…”, he sniffled.

“ That’s all i can do right now i guess. I just wanna believe in happy endings and humanity..”

She softly smiled at him, poking his nose.

“You are not a Bad Person. You are just someone Bad things happened to. Which sadly led You to make some motherfucking stupid decisions. But none of this will make me forget the things You did for me and the great times we had..  or will have together..

I believed in You when no one did. And I believe in You right now. You’ll make the right choice. I'm sure.” she said softly,  pressing a kiss on his forehead.

“It's your decision. No one else's. Don’t think about Bryce. I know that he did alot for You and the boys. But enough is enough. There is no excuse.”

She knew how Hard it was to accept the fact that a friend of yours is capable of a horrible thing Like rape. Phee and her Boyfriend had some Serious disagreements when the First rumors about Jessica and Bryce came up

Scott didn't believe them at First. Of course he didn't. Bryce was his friend. Sure thing You believe in a friend. That's just how friendship works right?! But when the tapes were published Scott had to face the truth. Now it was Monty's time to do so. He had a lot to lose. Not just a friend. A family as well. Those guys had been Like his brothers for years now. This team. This Sport. It was not just fun for him. More Like a Ticket to a better life. Scott and Penelopee understood it. Kind of. But the court most likely wouldn't. They would probably Charge him for complicity. But every decision had it's price. Justin knew that as well. But he decided to come back and help Jessica out. He knew what could happen but still decided to sort out his former decisions. Phee couldn't be any prouder. Justin fucked up. But he was ready to face the consequences.

“Do You think they even want me to help them!?  I mean Jessica probably hates me right now..”

“ I don’t know, Babe. But You can try. That's the Best You can do right now.

I’ll be there ok?!“

He nodded, biting his Fingernails.

“Love You, poo bear” she said softly.

“I’ll leave You and your thoughts alone right now, yeah?! Phone me whenever you’ve decided what to do or if You need me. Or just come over, we are right there. You can stay at the Pool House as long as You want.”

“Thank You guys so much. Really…  and I love You too. You know that right?! “. Penelopee nodded happily.

She gave him a warm hug before leaving him.

Back in the house she decided to cuddle herself up next to her sleeping Boyfriend.

“You think he’ll decide to testify?!” Scott mumbled, snuggling into the crook of her neck.

“Oh did i wake You up?! Sorry my Love.” she said, turning around to face Scott.

“I think he will. I Hope he will. But i think he’s going to. Yes” she smiled.

“Good. I think so as well.” he nodded, pecking her nose.

After a while they both Fell asleep. They slept well. Both were confident about the trial against Bryce. Montgomery had changed a lot lately but Scott and Phee knew him well enough to believe in him at this point. None of Them were alone anymore. They had each other’s back now. They’d face him Hand in Hand.

In the End it's going to be Bryce Walker who’ll stand alone. Finally.

In my Story he decides to testify.  But You can choose the ending however You want it to be♥

#13 reasons why #13rw #13rw au #jeff atkins #monty de la cruz #13rw scott reed #scott reed #scott reed x oc #justin foley #13rw imagine #montgomery de la cruz #oc #own character

[pinkykitten]

Accident

Zach Dempsey x Davina Jensen (who is portrayed by Danielle Campbell)

Warning: some curse words, mentions Hannah’s death, bullying

Specifics: oc, fluff, angst, bullying, comedy, aesthetic, art, nerd, 400 followers competition

People: Zach Dempsey, (oc) Davina Jensen, Clay Jensen, Tyler Down, Matt Jensen, Lainie Jensen, Bryce Walker, Montgomery De La Cruz, Scott Reed, nurse, Hannah Baker (mentioned), Skye Miller (mentioned) 

Words: 3,418

Masterlist

Requested: By @misspygmypie  OC x Zach Dempsey! Her name is Davina,Clays younger sister. She's 5ft, has tattoos and is shy/nerdy/a loser like Clay (they're like besties). Zach sees her hitting her head on a locker accidentally and brings her to the nurse, then takes her home and asks Clay about her the next day. In the end Zach takes her out to a roller skating rink as date. His buddies make fun of him for dating her but Zach kisses her at school in front of everyone, making them "official".

Authors Note: i was so happy to announce the winner of the 400 followers competition, which was the one and only @misspygmypie. thank u so much for participating and to all of u that did. i luved this idea i thought it was so unique and special all ur oc’s fam r special to me 😊. i luved everything about this and i tried to incorporate everything that brigitte gave me. thank u for the request and again thank u all for 400 followers i still am in shock. u guys are amazing, and just thank u all for liking my stories. feedback is much appreciated here. enjoy MY GORGEOUS CHILDREN! hope u like this brigitte, this ones for u!

previous oc story for my 300 followers: Zach Dempsey x oc Adeline Foster

“C’mon Dav (said like dove but with an a so dav but kinda with an accent) wake up,” Clay groaned as he shook Davina from her slumber.

Big brothers were sometimes tough to handle, especially Clay Jensen. 

Davina shook in her sleep, trying to swat away her annoying brother of hers, “leave me alone! Wake me up later!”

Just then their dad walked in, Matt Jensen, “whats going on here? Mom made breakfast for the two of you, you guys have to already be ready for school.”

Clay pointed to Davina, “as you can see dad thats what I have been trying to do.”

Davina’s dad sighed and patted her softly, “wake up sweetheart, you need to go to school today remember?”

Davina shot up, while rubbing her eyes, “why? School sucks!”

Matt shrugged while rubbing her back, “I want you both downstairs. Now.”

Davina got out of her bed, slipping on her s’mores slippers.

She yawned and stretched, while her brother just watched, obviously annoyed. “”Can you hurry up with your stretching or do I need to call dad for that too?”

Davina smacked her older brothers head and grinned, “good morning to you too Clay Jensen!”

She ran downstairs to greet her mother and to partake in the breakfast. She was always seated next to Clay. 

Ever since Davina came into this world her and Clay have been like two peas in  a pod. They always acted as if they were twins, knowing what the other one wanted to say, finishing each others sentences. Clay was her best friend, the most important person in her life. 

Thats why it hurt Davina when Clay had to deal with Hannah’s death. It made her sad but her brother was devastated. Clay tried to brush off her death, to try to say he was fine, that it didn’t cause him any pain but deep down Davina knew that, that was not true. 

“So Skye Miller, hmmm? Seems pretty legit, funny my brother goes for someone who also has tattoos,” Davina chuckled at the thought while her brother blushed down in his cereal bowl in embarrassment. 

“Really? Well I hope we can meet her one day,” their mother, Lainie Jensen, said as she put the OJ in the middle of the table. “And honey how many times have I told you I want you to cover up your tattoos?”

“But mom-,” Davina protested. 

“Honey, they make her who she is, and if kids can’t see that those art pieces on her arm make her Davina, then they need to skedaddle away,” her father stood up for her, drinking some of his morning coffee while reading something on his ipad.

“Well just be careful okay. Love the dress though, you look beautiful,” Davina’s mother caressed her cheek. “Always reminding me of those vintage tv shows.”

“Thanks mom.”

Matt peered from the top of his glasses, “What’d you kids think of doing after school?”

In unison Davina and Clay said, “we’re gonna be watching The Empire Strikes Back of course.”

Davina looked up smirking, yep she and her brother were a couple of nerdy kids. Star wars, comic books, video games, all those things and more, thats all she has ever known. 

Their father took his spectacles off and with a confused face just stared at his two children as if they said they were going to eat the toilet. All Davina heard being muttered was a, “thats just creepy.”

Davina laughed and stood up hastily running to the door. “Clay today I’m driving so...lets go!”

Clay groaned in annoyance and quickly grabbed his book bag to try to keep up with her. 

School was a war zone.

Indeed it is.

Stepping into that school made Davina nervous, anxious. Being Clay Jensen’s sister was no easy task. Especially with his reputation at school, people viewed her without getting to know her as a stupid loser. She felt shy, and in many ways unworthy. 

“Whelp getting ready for all those stares,” Davina shrugged. “Crap I forgot to give Tyler that book he borrowed. I’ll be right back.”

Clay gripped her arm and his eyes bugged out, “Dav I don’t think thats such a good idea. I mean Tyler kinda was a-”

“Stalker,” she finished his sentence.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry Clay, you don’t always need to protect me. I’m fine. Go enjoy your girlfriend,” Davina pointed in front of her and Clay turned his head to see Skye waving to him. When Clay turned back to Davina, Davina had walked away backwards while producing kissing sounds. “Go get her lover boy.”

Clay shook his head, chuckling. 

Thankfully, Tyler was close by. “Hey Tyler,” Davina waved to him. 

Tyler gave a shy smile and closed his locker, “H-h, hey Davina whats, whats um going on?”

“I forgot to give you this last week. Thank you so much for letting me borrow this like you’re a life saver!”

“Oh yeah no problem, hey what was you’re favorite part?”

Davina leaned by his locker, placing her hand on her hip. “I love the part when they figure out who the murderer is, to me it seemed super creepy.”

“Really? Oh my god thats my favorite part two, it like gave me the chills!”

Davina nodded and rubbed her arms up and down. Tyler cleaned his camera lens and gulped. 

“Hey Davina, I’ve heard you really like video games and stuff. I was just wondering, me and a couple of friends are gonna play some games at my house this Saturday. Would you like to come? I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to I get it but if you-”

“Sure, I would love to go over. I love video games like I’m obsessed! I might beat you though!”

Tyler was shocked, brushing back his brown curls and licking his lips, “ye-yeah, yeah, okay, yeah, so I’ll get that ready and yeah just show up!”

Just as Davina was about to answer, Bryce and his crew started laughing and saying, “the creep and the loser.” Davina turned around and gave them a glare. But then as she turned her head she saw the tall Zach Dempsey. Her breathing stopped and she was just consumed by the presence of Zach. 

“Anyways thanks Tyler see you later,” Davina left to go put her items in her locker. Her eyes still glued to the dashing Dempsey.

The education rolled off all the teachers tongue as if they were fruit roll ups. Calculus and physics filled up the air all the way to the top. Davina sat at her desk not paying any attention to the class but her thoughts wondered to Zach. She has always been too shy to speak to Zach, so she didn’t know much about him. Only that he was into sports and a part of Bryce’s snotty group. 

The bell rang which meant for lunch and Davina sprinted out of the art class to the lunch room to reunite with her brother. 

Art. One of life’s beautiful appearance of feelings. In the art class they have, Davina was the head of it. Not many children were in that club but she didn’t mind just as long as she got to do what she adored. 

Davina running to her destination didn’t see a locker open and surely enough. 

Wham!

She met harshly with the locker. The sound of the metal echoed through the halls. Davina fell back, clutching her forehead which was already starting to bruise. 

“Hey, hey are you okay,” came a loud deep voice. 

Davina’s vision was cloudy, and she groaned in pain. “Ouch, my head.”

“You guys wait for me back there. I’m gonna take her to the nurse’s office,” came that voice again. 

A pair of strong arms lifted Davina from the floor. She sighed and slowly regained her vision. She looked up to see who was carrying her, and the sight almost made her want to dig a whole and die in it. 

It was Zach Dempsey. 

“Zach! I think I’m good, you don’t need to do all this,” she giggled shyly. She clutched for Zach’s shirt tightly, afraid of falling from his height. 

“We’re almost there. You hit your head pretty badly, I don’t really want you to pass out.”

Davina nodded and just stayed there like a limp dog. 

She was carried to the nurses office. Feeling so embarrassed that her cheeks were a bright pink. 

Zach gently laid her on one of the beds there. Davina looked everywhere but him, feeling shy. 

“What happened to her,” asked the nurse nonchalantly as if many children looked like this. 

“She hit her head on a locker, you can see the bruise right here,” Zach softly pointed to her bruise. Davina hissed and Zach apologized, he than sat in a nearby chair waiting patiently for Davina. 

Davina tried not to laugh, Zach was so big compared to the chair he was sitting on. 

“I’ll go get an ice pack and call her parents,” the nurse walked on out to get the items. 

“Whats so funny,” Zach smiled charmingly. 

“Its just you look so large compared to the chair you’re sitting on.”

Zach laughed along side her, awaiting for the nurse to come back. And planting a new seed within them. 

Davina and Zach connected that day. Joking around like a couple of high school kids...wait thats what they are...anyways, joking around. Making each other smile and laugh and just appreciate each others company. 

Clay took Davina home and was furious with her as he put it, “artsy fartsy clumsiness.” She couldn’t help but giggle at that name. 

When they arrived home, Davina’s parents were also irate. Scolding her for not being more aware of her surroundings and not watching out. Now she wore a huge bruise on her forehead. 

“Great,” she muttered to herself as she stared in the mirror. 

Since the dilemma Davina’s parents did not want her going to school the next day so instead Clay got to go only. 

Davina seeing that her mother and her brother had left got on another one of her dresses and set off to her favorite places, first Starbucks then her favorite diner. 

Rosie’s Diner. 

Davina got her favorite Starbucks drink, enjoying the taste of the liquid in her mouth. Next door to Starbucks was the diner. 

The door made a ring as she opened the old, dingy, door. She sat by the biggest window and pulled out her favorite book. 

Reading was like another world to her. She could put herself anywhere and she was just...there. By a pirate ship in the deep blue sea. On her way to a trip to Mars. She could go anywhere when she read. 

In the afternoon, Davina arrived back home. She walked in on her brother texting his girlfriend. 

“Oooooh Skye, whats she got to say,” Davina wiggled her eyebrows. 

“You’re such a weirdo! Hey have you been talking a lot to Zach?”

Davina’s eyes widened and looked to her hands, her cheeks becoming red. “No.”

“Oh my god Dav, you’re lying!”

“Fine! He’s the one that carried me yesterday to the nurses office right after I hit my head.”

“Wait, wait, what? He carried you? Like, like in as a baby, carried you?”

Davina bit her lip and nodded. 

“Dav, you got to be so careful with those creeps especially that dic* head Zach.”

Davina rolled her eyes and plopped down on Clay’s bed. “You’re not my dad Clay. I’m fine. Besides we just talked, end of story.”

“Not quite,” Clay said as he laid next to you. “He’s been asking about you the whole day. Asking me if you were okay, about your head. He wants to know, and he asked me this personally, if you would like to go on a date with him, at the skating rink?”

Davina punched Clay lightly and shot up. “Are you serious?”

“Jesus Christ Dav, what the heck was that about? Yes I’m serious. Jeesh I think you split my innards.”

“Drama queen,” Davina pushed her lips out. “When though? Aghhh I’m so lost at dating, its just another world I don’t know anything about!”

“Tonight, but hey you’re not actually thinking of going right?”

Davina stopped her pacing and planted her feet sternly to the ground, “why not? I don’t see the issue, Clay he actually likes me. I’ve never gotten that kind of attention, I mean look at me. Why can’t I just have fun for one day?”

Clay shook his head but then sighed in defeat, “fine! You win! Just please be careful okay.”

Davina squealed in excitement and ran to her big brother, “thank you so much Clay! Yes! Oh my god what am I gonna wear?”

Davina sat in the car that her and Clay shared. Waiting for Zach to appear. She was waiting in the parking lot for him at Skatz 4 Dayz.

Davina started to feel as if the date wasn’t going to happen at all. She sighed and felt defeated, she felt played.

“Of course. What did I expect?”

Suddenly, Zach’s car appears. Davina starts to get nervous, tensing up, her palms sweating.

Turning the ignition off and stepping out she makes her way to Zach.

“Hey there, didn’t think you were going to make it,” Davina said truthfully.

Zach gave a confused face, “why wouldn’t I come. Yikes, that bruise does not look good.”

“Crap! I thought I covered it up with makeup. Give me one sec.”

Zach caught her arm and shook his head, “hey you’re fine...actually you’re more than fine. You are really, uhm, beautiful today. But you’re beautiful everyday.”

Davina grinned from ear to ear, “why thank you Mr. Dempsey, shall we?” She grabbed his arm.

“We shall,” he copied her.

While walking in they see a dog. A black poodle to be exact.

“Oh my god how cute is he,” Davina shouted in happiness.

Davina was such a dog lover. Everything about dogs she loved. Since she could remember, she’s always wanted a dog. Enjoying how sweet they were to their owner, they were mans best friend.

Davina crouched down to the dog’s level and said, “look Zach I can speak dog. Hello doggy nice to meet you.”

Davina shook the dog’s hand and giggled at his cuteness. Zach also giggled but not at the dog, its was how sweet and adorable Davina was acting.

“Dogs are so cute right,” Davina asked staring oblivious to her tall date. Zach nodded and took a hold, shyly, of Davina’s hand.

Her face reddened and she tried to hide behind him.

She felt as if she was in a rom com, how in the world was Davina Jensen supposed to behave on a date?

The whole date was perfect, Davina was on cloud 9. Her heart was beating so fast she could hear it. She was madly in like to Zach. She truly liked him with all her being. They talked through the whole time. Holding hands during the skating, and her falling a couple of times only to be saved by the heroic Zach.

They finished each others sentences, had the same likes and dislikes. Complained about schools, laughed over the same comedic jokes. Both felt as if they have known each other for eternity.

They were both on the skating floor when out of the corner of her eye Davina spots Bryce’s group.

“Is that Dempsey,” yelled Monty.

“Holy shi* it is. And he’s with that weird Davina girl. Hey bro!” Bryce called running to both of them.

Davina closed her eyes knowing what they were going to say.

“Hey brother,” Bryce said as he gave a handshake to Zach. Zach was uncomfortable.

“Ooooh didn’t know you were into the weird ones,” Scott giggles while smirking at Davina.

“Hey aren’t you Jensen’s sister?” Bryce asked giving you his charming, wicked smile.

“Yes, I’m his younger sister. I’m sorry I gotta go though, my mom is probably gonna want me home soon.”

“Whats with all the tattoos,” another one in the group asked. Davina self consciously tried covering her arms, wishing she would of listened to her mothers advice.

“She weird like Skye, duh dude,” Monty laughed.

Davina growled angrily, “Skye is not weird okay. Don’t say that.”

“Ooooh,” they all said, almost tempting Davina.

“Guys I think it will be better if you guys leave,” Zach tried to stop the situation.

“Dude, whatever you can say can be said in front of us,” Bryce said crossing his arms.

“..its nothing,” Zach looked down.

“So what are you guys dating? Cause if you are, its like bro you can do sooooo much better!!!!” Monty put his tongue out and laughed like an idiot.

“Dude thats just wrong,” Bryce cackled as well, agreeing with Monty.

“Guys stop, enough you’re gonna hurt the losers feelings,” one of the other guys said in a whiny voice.

Tears were coming into Davina’s eyes and she just sprinted away from all of the commotion.

Zach ran after her but it was too late Davina was gone like a ghost.

“They laughed at me like a loser! They made fun of me and bullied me,” Davina cried to her brother, Clay.

Clay rubbed her arms up and down, soothing her. She came to him crying hysterically, and Clay knew he should not have let her go.

She now sat on the bed of Clay’s explaining what happened. Why her heart was broken, why she felt so much pain.

“Its okay, you’re here with me. You’re safe,” Clay whispered cuddling with his little baby sister.

She sniffled and just wept some more into his shirt. They both laid down on his bed, cuddling and just being in eachs other presence.

“I’ll make that bastar* pay for what he did,” Clay swore under his breath.

“I should of listened to you Clay, I was so stupid to think he wanted to be with me. Stupid!”

Unfortunately, Davina had to go to school the next day. She felt scared, what would he say? What would happen?

She felt as if she was about to suffocate. She felt fragile.

Upon entering the school the group of Bryce’s was there but no Zach. Davina went to her locker and angrily, stuffed it with her items.

She felt like crying. That is until Zach came in with a megaphone in his hand.

“Davina please listen to me,” Zach pleaded when he saw her. Davina shook her head repeating the word no over and over.

Zach turned on the megaphone, “Davina, I am so sorry for what happened yesterday. I know I should of protected you and I wanted to but, I failed to do that. I made you feel ashamed to be yourself. The truth is Davina I love your tattoos, I love that you’re shy, that you can talk to animals, that you love Star Wars, that you love art, because the thing is Davina I love everything about you. I like you a lot. Like a lot a lot.”

Davina chuckled at his comment, she saw that the group of turds was watching. Monty looked all mad, with Bryce looking concerned. Everyone at school watched Zach.

“You are amazing Davina, I’m sorry you were treated that way, cause you shouldn't have been. You deserved to be treated with respect, so I’m gonna make it up to you. I’m gonna show you that we are official, and just how much I really like you.”

Davina waved her hands in a no matter and stuttered trying to tell Zach she didn’t like where this was going. She felt Zach was about to ruin his reputation. 

Zach dropped the megaphone and went to Davina. He gently pulled her by the waist and in front of everyone he kissed her. The kiss was slow but sensual. Zach’s big hands were placed on her pale cheeks, deepening the kiss. He kissed Davina in front of everyone, in front of Bryce’s group, heck even in front of Clay. Davina didn’t matter, she was kissing...him. The one that made her happy, that made her feel that she wasn’t ashamed to be herself. 

“I’m sorry Davina,” Zach whispered to only her after the kiss. 

Davina gave Zach another peck, “I forgive you, but how about we go somewhere? Just the two of us and maybe, I don’t know go watch a movie?”

Zach smiled, “I would love that,” and wrapped his arms around her as they walked to the exit together. 

#13 reasons why #13 r w #13 reasons why x reader #13 rw x reader #x reader #oc #x oc #oc insert #zach dempsey #zach dempsey x reader #zach dempsey x oc #zach dempsey x davina jensen #danielle campbell #davina jensen #fluff #angst #bullying #comedy #art #aesthetic #nerd #400 followers #400 followers competition #requested #@misspygmypie #my writing #accident

[multifandom-images]

Masterlist

Created; 3/19/17

Last updated; 7/21/17

Teen Wolf

Pack images:

My Past

Invisible

Visible (Part two to Invisible)

You’re- You know, My Human

Under Pressure

My Present (Part two to My Past)

Isaac Lahey:

I’m a Wolf

Secrets

My Present

Theo Raeken:

Night Swimming

Hey...

What it’s like to be his mate

Helplessly in Love With You

Stiles Stilinski:

Panicking

Liam Dunbar:

Little Crushes

Peter Hale:

Periods

Lydia Martin:

Maybe?

Brett Talbot:

Bump in The Road

Supernatural

Platonic/Family:

You Don’t Want to Know (Child! Reader)

Naruto

Kakashi Hatake:

Helplessly Falling For You

Clone

The 100

Oc x Reader:

Earth

Thirteen Reasons Why

Montgomery De La Cruz

Suspended

Idiot (Part Two to Suspended)

Love

Zach  Dempsey

Chances

Tears

Library Love

Boku No Hero Academia

Series:

Snap of the Fingers MasterList

#teen wolf #masterlist #theo raeken #The 100 #theo raeken x reader #Kakashi Hatake #supernatural #original character #naruto #stiles stilinski #teen wolf isaac #isaac lahey #multifandom #multifandom masterlist #anime #thirteen reasons why x reader #thirteen reasons why #boku no hero academia #boku no hero academia x reader

[1-800-imagines]

Masterlist

Finally Finished! Here’s the full Masterlist in all its glory!

Suicide Squad

The Joker

1

2

3

4

5

Doctor / Part 2

Harley’s Sister

Boss Man

Joker’s Daughter

Stolen NSFW

Concert (Preference)

Bad Day NSFW

Being a Daddy (Preference)

Jealous

Phone Calls NSFW

Boss Man

Materials

Scars

Digger Harkness ‘Captain Boomerang’

Fluff

1

Chato Santana ‘El Diablo’

1

2

True Blood

Eric Northman

1

2

3

4

5

6

Hurt

Fluff

Jealous

Alcide Hervaux

1

Jealous

Fluff

Jason Stackhouse

1

2

Family (Preference)

Fluff

Sons of Anarchy

Jax Teller

Addictive (Semi NSFW)

Jealous NSFW

Downwards Dog NSFW

1

2

3

4

5

Ice Cream

Fluff

Family Fluff

Boxing NSFW

Drabble

Chibs Telford

Little Sister

Jealous

Baby

1

Juice Ortiz

1

I love you (preference)

Being his wife (preference)

Chibs’ Niece

Happy Lowman

1

Competing 

Fluff

Opie Winston

1

Herman Kozik

Baby Girl

Competing

Tig Trager

Flangst

Shameless

Carl Gallagher

1

2

3

4

5

6

Lip Gallagher

1

2

3

4

5

6  (Halloween)

7 (Dad!Lip)

8

9

10 NSFW

Ian Gallagher

1

13 Reasons Why

Justin Foley

1

Dating him (Preference)

Montgomery de la Cruz

Dating him (Preference)

Supernatural

John & Dean Winchester

Choices

Dean Winchester

Serial Killer

Proverbial Dog House

Meeting Daddy / Part 2

1

2 (Dad!Dean)

3

Fluff

John Winchester

Angst

These Days

Sam Winchester

1

Random

Turkey Day

Being Bobby’s Daughter (Preference)

Game Of Thrones

Jon Snow

Homecoming

1

2

Leaving

Flangst

Twin

Jaime Lannister

Flangst

1

2

xStark!Reader

Tommen Baratheon

Hurt

Fluff

1

Being Married (Preference)

Unique / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

Tyrion Lannister

Book Room

Stealing Books

1

Robb Stark

Dating Him (Preference)

Birth

Flangst

Grenn

1

Lost

Theon Greyjoy

1

2

Trapped

Sansa Stark

1 NSFW

Sandor Clegane

Mine NSFW

Fluff

1

Oberyn Martell

1

Angst

Bran Stark

Fallen

Come Back to Me

Lots of people

Making you cry

Original Character

Lyanna Baratheon

The Walking Dead

Daryl Dixon

Daryl’s Baby

Dating Him (Preference)

Jealous

1

Saving Grace

Shane Walsh

Dating Him (Preference)

Carol Peletier

Her Long Lost Daughter

Carl Grimes

Dating Him (Preference)

Negan

Marvel

Tony Stark

First Christmas (Preference)

1

OC Hadley Stark

Family Fluff

Loki Laufeyson

1

Thor Odinson

Fluff

Clint Barton

1

Peter Quill

Fluff

Headcanon

How they fight for your attention

Riverdale

Archie Andrews

1

Jughead Jones

1

The Vampire Diaries

Damon Salvatore

1

2

Klaus Mikealson

1

2

Grey’s Anatomy

Alex Karev

Anxiety Attack

Oh Baby

Daughter 2

Shooter

1 / Part 2 NSFW

Derek Shepherd

Car Crash 

Teen Wolf

Isaac Lahey

1

The Outsiders

Sodapop Curtis

1

Headcanons

Cuddling

Reign

Francis

1

Twilight

Carlisle & Esme

Being Their Daughter (Preference)

Paul Lahote

1

Star Wars

Kylo Ren

1

Dirty Dancing

Johnny Castle

Be My Baby

Here ya go lovelies! Enjoy.

#Masterlist #so many fandoms #dirty dancing #the walking dead #greys anatomy #supernatural #game of thrones #sons of anarchy #Suicide Squad #twilight #reign #avengers #marvel #true blood

[ao3feed-13reasonswhy]

Misfortune

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2HFUHT2

by xkittydoll

AU. BRYCE WALKER X OC. Dark and angsty and smutty. It's always been Bryce and I. Through everything, through pain and suffering, hate and love, hurt and comfort, I have remained by his side, since before the start of it all. At one point I truly believed we were soul mates. Now, I'm just numb. WARNING includes graphic underage sex, violence, Stockholm syndrome, drugs

Words: 3967, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 13 Reasons Why (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage

Categories: F/M

Characters: Bryce Walker, Montgomery de la Cruz, Zach Dempsey, Justin Foley, Jessica Davis

Relationships: Bryce Walker/Original Female Character(s), Montgomery de la Cruz/Original Character(s), Zach Dempsey/Original Female Character(s)

Additional Tags: Stockholm Syndrome, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Underage Sex, Domestic Fluff, Dom/sub, Light Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones, Sex, Drug Use, Recreational Drug Use, Emotional Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Smut, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Daddy Kink, Love, Past Relationship(s), Unhealthy Relationships, Mental Instability, Mental Health Issues, Anger, Sad, Misery, Dark, Alternate Universe, Emotional Sex, Teen Romance, Teen Angst, Angst and Feels, Teenage Drama, Horny Teenagers, Manipulation, Manipulative Relationship, Choking, Spanking, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Sex, Intense, Violence, Tragedy, Angst and Tragedy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2HFUHT2

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #13 reasons why

[13-reasons-ideas]

Once A Serpent? Part 4

A/N: New chapter! It’s a little short but I feel like this is the most logical spot to end it based on what’s coming next. I have decided how I want to show you guys Kennedy and Sweets’ relationship. There might be chapters that end up being only flashbacks, depending on the content but for now, it should just be flashbacks sprinkled in sometimes. Sorry if the spacing is weird. I don't know why it looks funny on my end. As always, much love and feedback is appreciated. -Em

I didn’t hear from Nathan, post breakup, until the next Saturday. I had just gotten home from my first shift at Monet’s. My phone vibrated on the counter. I thought it was my boss, Daphne, or someone from work. I silently hoped it was Monty. I refused to admit that I might possibly have a crush. My breakup was still fresh. When I saw that it was none of those people, but rather Sweet Pea’s name on the screen, I almost spit out my granola bar. What the hell? Why is he texting me now? What does he want? What could he possibly have to say to me? I sighed and decided to leave it unread for a while. He wasn’t worth dropping my snack and homework over. Not anymore. That didn’t stop me from glancing over at my phone every few minutes though.

My curiosity got the better of me and I pushed my math notes aside. I wasn’t going to solve this question anytime soon. Maybe I’ll text Scott and see if he knows the answer. I unlocked my phone and tapped the messages icon. Instead of texting Scott like I should have, I opened Sweet Pea’s text. How’s California? I rolled my eyes. What was I supposed to say to that?

It’s sunny. I locked my phone and stupidly, tried to go back to my math homework. After several minutes of still getting nowhere with it, I gave up and texted Scott.

Hey. Did you figure out question eight? I’m about rip my hair out trying to do it.

Figure it out? No. Get the answer? Yes.

What?

Melissa said it’s 38. Zach agreed.

You know it says ‘show your work’ right?

Well shit.

Yup. I don’t think you can say ‘my girlfriend said it’s this.’ and get points.

I’m busy right now, but we can call later and figure it out?

Sure. Tell Melissa I said hi.

I will when I see her tonight.

You’re not together? I thought you were spending the day together.

Her parents needed her to do stuff for her grandma today so we moved things.

Ah. Sweet Pea texted me a few more times while I finished my work.

You good?

Yeah. My ex is just… I don’t know.

Boy troubles?

You could say that. My phone started ringing. It was Scott.

“Scott.”

“Kennedy.” I could hear voices in the background. “You’re on speaker.”

“You’re calling me because?”

“Boy troubles.”

“Tell him to fuck himself.” Bryce called.

“That would require answering his texts. Are we sure the answer is 38? I don’t think it’s 38.”

“It is.” Zach said.

“What’s he saying? Dude. My mom will murder all of us if you fuck up her couch.” There was a chorus of laughter in the background. I assumed they were being idiots at Scott’s place.

“I don’t want to look.”

“Do it!” the guys called. I groaned.

“What’s the situation there?” Monty asked. Fishing for a story or is he curious?

“K so he hasn’t spoken to me since the breakup. And when I went to return his stuff, I overheard him saying some not so great things.”

“Any more to go on?”

“Secrets Monty.”

“You wouldn’t kill me. You like me somewhere deep down.”

“Sure she does. Real deep.”

“Fuck you Walker.”

“Anyway. He texted me when I got home asking how California is. I told him it’s sunny and haven’t looked at my phone since.”

“Fuck him. Read the texts and call me back.”

“Fine. In the meantime, can you get Zach to explain how the hell this is 38?” I hung up and opened Sweet Pea’s messages.

Sunny?

That’s it? Not exciting? Again, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

Jones misses you.

Fangs wants you to answer his text. Which I assume you never got if you didn’t answer. Because it’s Fangs.

I sighed and answered him. Yes. Just sunny. It’s small and school just started. The only cool thing that has happened is homecoming. We lost. Tell him I didn’t get the text. Short, sweet, and to the point. Maybe now he will leave me alone.

I texted Scott. No point in calling. He basically was just asking if I got a text from my friend or not.

That’s weird.

I know.

I abandoned my phone for the rest of the day. I didn’t want to think about Nathan and his out of the blue text. If I kept my phone on me, I would just read it over and obsess over it. That wasn’t healthy. We broke up. We were over. We both had to accept that. Random texts weren’t okay. After all, I was the experiment. “Took him two years to figure that out?” I spat. My parents were gone for the night, so the house was empty. My question was met with silence. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t get his text out of my head.

I needed a distraction. I tried cleaning the kitchen. Scrubbing at the already clean counters. Mopping the floor. I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. Once that was done, I went upstairs and did my laundry. Folded my shirts and hung my pants. How’s California? I huffed and emptied out my closet. I didn’t like how it was organized when we moved in. The pretty little rich girl. I ripped a sweater off its hanger. Experiment. I threw a pair of jeans across the room. Was never going to work out anyway. Both better off. I screamed and pulled at my hair. I hadn’t let myself really feel the emotions of our breakup. It all happened so fast that I never really got a chance to take a breath and accept it. And so, I did what any sane person would do. I sat on my floor and sobbed. I let myself feel the cold loneliness that I wrapped in too warm sweaters during the day and thick, heavy blankets at night. For the first time in a month, I freely let my mind run wild with memories. Once, they were cherished. Now though… now they felt tainted. Like everything we did, like all of our promises from the last two years meant nothing.

FLASHBACK

I was curled up on Nathan’s bed, flipping through an old comic book. He was in the kitchen. I could hear cupboard doors opening and closing. The scrape of metal on glass filled the trailer. I winced. “Sorry.” He called. I didn’t respond. He came back into his room with a pb & j on a plate for us to share. Not exactly the healthiest breakfast. My mom would flip if she saw me eating this at nine a.m.

“Thank you.”  I mumbled as I sat up. He joined me on the bed silently and kissed my temple. We ate our sandwich quietly, while we shared the comic I was flipping through. He, of course, knew it by heart. But he still reacted like it was the first time he was reading it when a twist happened. I smiled to myself because I knew he was only doing it for my benefit.

As we laid together lazily, wasting a dreary Saturday morning, he played with my hair. “This is it, right?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“This is what they mean in all those old movies and books we read for English, about that person? The person who is it for you? This is what they are talking about?”

“I think so.” I nodded.

“So, this is forever?” He sounded hopeful.

“Yes. This is it.” I had long since abandoned any fear of leaving. I had allowed myself to become comfortable. I was content. And madly and completely in love with Nathan.

“I promise this is forever.”

“Forever.” I sat up and kissed him deeply.

END FLASHBACK

I remained on the floor as more memories ran through my mind. Eventually, I heard my phone ringing somewhere in the background. I ignored it. Sometime later, my parents came home. I had stopped crying but was still on my floor. My parents called my name. I groaned in response. “Kennedy?” my mom asked as she came in my door.

“What?” My voice was gravely and sounded hollow.

“Oh, honey.” She came and sat with me. Her hand ran through my hair, untangling it. My dad came up the stairs.

“Girls?”

“In here.”

“Oh my.” Dad stayed in the doorway.

“I hate him. I hate him Mom.”

“I’ll get the ice cream.” Dad said before retreating back downstairs. Mom pulled me into her lap. Together, we stood and slowly made our way downstairs.

Dad had ice cream on the counter with three spoons. I took a chair over to the counter and sat down, pulling the tub towards me. We are an eat it out of the tub kind of family. “Don’t hog all the brownie bits.”

“I make no promises Pops.”

“What happened honey?”

“Nate texted me.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing of consequence. Just… nothing.” I sighed.

“I’m sorry pumpkin. I always thought I should have kicked his ass.”

I laughed. “Dad!”

“What? It’s my right as your father to kick ass.”

“Dad!”

By Monday I was in a better mood. I was back to thinking that Nathan didn’t matter anymore. Scott was waiting for me at my locker with his math homework. “This is how it is 38 apparently.” He handed the papers to me.

“Morning Scott.” I looked over the work. It was all Greek to me. “Uh… huh. Right. Sure.”

“Oh good, you agree.” I pulled my textbook out of my bag and pulled out the loose sheet from this weekend. Handing it to Scott, I shoved another book in to replace it. My sweater was balled up in my locker and I slammed it shut. We started on our way to class as I scribbled the work off Scott’s paper to mine. Bryce and the guys caught up with us near the cafeteria.

“What did you get up to this weekend?” Bryce asked. He snaked his arm around my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and brushed him off.

“Not much. Reorganized my closet. Watched movies with the parents. You?”

“I had a date.” He shrugged. The boys groaned and made some stupid comments.

“Fantastic. Was she nice?”

“Nice enough.” He smirked. “How’s the ex?”

“He sucks. And has gone radio silent again, thankfully. I had ice cream. I feel better.” Melissa walked over to us and hugged me tightly. I stiffened. I wasn’t good with unprovoked touching.

“Men suck.”

“Hey!” Scott protested.

“Not you hon. I’m sorry Kennedy.”

“Don’t be. It was bound to happen sometime. Also yes.” I shrugged. The bell rang and I waved bye to my friends.

Justin and I got to work Tuesday afternoon at the same time. I watched as he pulled his sweater over his head in one motion. I could feel my neck flush. Not because I was attracted to him or anything. It’s just one of those things that is attractive anytime a guy does it. It was my third shift, so I was still learning the basics. The register was easy enough to do. You selected the drink, any customizations, and any extra items, and then took the money. Fairly simple. For the most part. I had already had some ‘I only like the idea of coffee’ orders. One girl asked for eight pumps of syrup in her medium latte. The espresso bar was a work in progress. The buttons were finicky lately, or so I had been told by Daphne on my first day.

I was finishing an espresso order for a ‘Prestilla’ when I could feel someone’s eyes on me. I tried to ignore the feeling, but it wouldn’t go away. I was used to the feeling of being watched. But I wasn’t as new in town anymore. People were starting to ignore me. I shook my head slightly. When I looked up, Montgomery was watching me from the doorway. I smiled at him softly. He nodded in my direction. I pretended not to pay attention when he came to order. “Monty.”

“Justin.” I wasn’t dumb. I knew they weren’t friends. Even though I knew that I was taken aback by Justin’s slightly hostile tone. We were at work.

“What can I get for you?” I choked back a snort at his customer service voice.

“Pour over with cream.”

“Anything else?”

“What’s in the lemon raspberry muffin?”

“Is… Are you-?” Justin muttered but stopped himself. “Lemon. And raspberries. And whatever else goes in a muffin.” I hummed, trying not to laugh.

“One of those.”

“That’ll be five ten.” I turned to grind the coffee for the pour over, groaning slightly.

“How’re you?” I turned around and tilted my head. I couldn’t hear Monty very well over the coffee grinder. He held up a hand for me to wait. Once the coffee was ground, I was able to hear again. “I asked how you are.”

“Oh, I’m good. You know, working. You?”

“Good. Work okay?”

“It goes.” I was never good at small talk.

“Fair enough. Are you working Friday night?”

“I don’t think so? Why, what’s up?”

“Bryce’s parents are out of town so he’s having some people over after the game. Did you want to come?”

“Sure. I think Melissa and I are going to the game together. Are you planning on winning this week?”

“We always plan to win.” Justin piped up. “Here’s your lemon raspberry muffin, that has lemons and raspberries.”

“Thanks.” I handed Monty his coffee and he smiled at me. “See you tomorrow, Kennedy.”

“See you, Monty.”

#Once a Serpent? #Sweetpea #sweet pea x oc #sweetpea x oc #sweet pea x reader #sweetpea x reader #riverdale #riverdale fanfiction #montgomery de la cruz #monty imagine #monty x oc #monty x reader #monty de la Cruz fanfic #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz imagine #montgomery de la cruz x reader #scott reed #Thirteen Reasons Why #13 reasons why #13rw #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing

[sharkeeshark]

home with you (montgomery de la cruz) (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/UiNb/0BngW1bJvK "i ain't got time for no games. i'm not being rude, can you give me my space? cause i do what wanna do. and I'm not going home with you" don't you always end up falling in love with your bestfriend? montgomery de la cruz x oc

#13reasonswhy #13rw #alexstandall #clayjensen #delacruz #hannahbaker #instagram #jeffatkins #jessicadavis #justinfoley #media #montgomerydelacruz #sheriholland #snapchat #social #socialmedia #tonypadilla #twitter #tylerdown #zachdempsey #books #wattpad #amreading #montgomery #monty de la cruz #de la cruz #alex standall #clay jensen #hannah baker #jeff atkins

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 23

The boys showed up for brunch on time this week. Scott was smirking at me every time I limped a little. It’s been a while. I flipped him off when no one was watching. “He should be less grouchy now.” I muttered.

“Great.”

“Want another coffee, Monty?” Scott asked. I shot him a death glare.

“I’m good. Golden.”

“I’m sure you are.” He smirked. I walked over to my husband and hugged him sheepishly. He kissed the top of my head. Justin snorted. I rolled my eyes. Charlie was his usual nice self and said nothing. I did catch him smiling at us though.

I wasn’t feeling the whole making a nice, big meal thing this morning, so I pulled out a couple of boxes of cereal-the ones Monty doesn’t eat out of-and set them on the island. There was bread next to the toaster and yogurt in the fridge. I waved towards the food. “My home is your home. Brunch is served.” The boys replied with a chorus of thank you’s. I sat back and watched them from the corner of the kitchen. They moved around each other so easily and fell into joking conversation so easily. It was almost hard to remember where we had come from even just a year ago. I thought back to the day we told Justin about us. I was positive there would be at least a little blood. Hence the public, well trafficked, meeting place. Monty said something I didn’t catch, and Justin threw his head back laughing. Scott shook his head.

“Hey, question for you guys?” Charlie asked, breaking me from my revere.

“Yeah?”

“Why do you keep Nutella in the fridge?”

“Don’t question it.” Monty shook his head. “It was a point of contention. Just let it happen.”

“Do you keep peanut butter in the fridge?”

“Yeah. But that’s because we buy the natural one and it says to refrigerate it.” I shrugged.

“Why do you buy natural peanut butter?” Justin asked, his mouth half full of toast.

“Points.” Monty replied. Justin nodded.

“But Nutella isn’t really natural.” Charlie pointed out.

“I don’t know. My family always kept it in the fridge after opening it. Just one of those things I guess.” I shrugged.

“And my family did not. So, we compromised and keep it in the fridge.”

“Okay. Are you going to eat anything Addison?” I nodded and grabbed a bowl for some yogurt and granola.

When I looked for the dried cherries to put on top, I couldn’t find them. I knew we had some somewhere. I just bought them. Remembering that Monty had helped put away the last grocery shop, I stepped back from the pantry and looked up. Low and behold, there were the cherries. Two shelves from the top. I blinked rapidly.

“Hey babe.”

“Yes honey?” He obviously knew what I was going to ask.

“Where are the cherries?”

“I think you can see them.”

“Yes. I can. And why are they up there?”

“I’unno.” The boys laughed at his response.

“Honey?”

“Yes dear?”

“How tall am I?”

“Five somethin’?”

“Yeah.”

“On a good day.” I rolled my eyes. Dick.

“And how high would you say that shelf is?”

“Six somethin’ give or take?”

“Okay. And love?”

“Darling?”

“How am I supposed to reach them when they are over a foot above me?” Justin, Scott, and Charlie burst out laughing.

“Reach real high?” Justin suggested.

“Use the Force?” Charlie added.

“Scale the shelf?” Scott laughed.

“Ha ha. Very funny boys.”

“It is, yeah.”

“Assholes.” I smirked.

“Would you like some help babe?” I sighed. The stubborn part of me said no but the growl of my stomach said yes.

“Since you offered.” I stepped out of the way. Monty grabbed the cherries and tore open the bag for me. He grabbed a spoon to scoop some out and sprinkled them on top. I watched as he arranged some more in a smiley face at the edge of the bowl. He was so sweet. Our friends pretended not to notice. I heard them whispering about it after brunch though.

We sat around for a while before our friends had to leave. “If you need help later, call me.” Justin offered.

“I know. Hopefully we won’t have to.” Justin gave Monty a look above me. His brow rose slightly. “I’ll tell mum and dad you say hi.” We hugged and the three boys left us alone for the rest of the afternoon. It was around twelve thirty. We still had a couple of hours to kill before we had to go to my parent’s place. I changed my pants, grabbed a book from the shelf and got comfortable on the couch. Monty came over and laid on the couch with his head in my lap. He flipped on the tv quietly and I played with his hair. He pressed a soft kiss to my thigh and squeezed it a little.

“Not happening right now. I don’t want to have to shower twice today.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered against my thigh.

“And I’m still a little sore.”

“Could tell you how to fix that.”

“I don’t think that would fix it Casanova.”

“Only one way to find out.” He nipped my thigh lightly. I sucked in a small breath.

“Was staying up until four not enough for you?” He didn’t answer. “Oh wait. Who am I talking to? Of course, it wasn’t.” I ruffled his hair.

“You weren’t complaining about it last night. Or this morning.”

“I’m not complaining.” I smirked into my book.

“Alright.” He kissed my thigh again.

“I’m not saying we can’t Montgomery. I’m just saying we can’t right now. When we get back from mum and dad’s, you can have me all to yourself.”

“That’s so far from now though.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive. Besides, wouldn’t you rather have the time to make it interesting?”

“I can do quite a lot in,” he paused to check his watch, “an hour and fifteen minutes.”

“You also get the luxury of sitting on the couch though. I have to bend and stuff.” I looked down as he rolled his eyes playfully.

“Fine, fine.”

“I’ll shower as soon as we get home, promise.”

“Then I get you all to myself for the night?” I nodded. He sat up and pulled my book down to kiss me. “Deal.”

We got to my parent’s place a little bit before three. Mum and dad were still going through the hutch to see what they wanted to keep or get rid of. There were a few different piles in the living room. “Hey kids.”

“Hey dad.”

“Need any help?”

“No, Monty. You go sit. Rest up.” Mum shooed. “There’s a pillow on the couch for you.”

“I can do this part though. It’s just organizing.” He protested. Mum looked up at him with her best mom face.

“I’d listen to her son.” Dad said, seriously.

“I haven’t gotten that look in a long time.” I shook my head.

“Okay.” Monty sighed and went to sit on the couch.

I think he felt a little useless. I smiled at him and mouthed ‘I love you’. He mouthed it back. My mum waved me over and made me take her spot. She got up and began to twitter around Monty. She was trying to be helpful. I turned as she got him a glass of water and fluffed the pillow that he was elevating his leg on. I lifted a brow.

“She never fluffed my pillow when I was injured.” I muttered to my dad.

“She didn’t even fluff my pillow when I broke my ankle skiing when we were young and could still do that kind of thing.”

“Are you sure you could do it then? Seeing as you broke your ankle.” I joked. Dad chuckled.

“We were young and spry once Addison.”

“I’m sure you were dad.” I stuck my tongue out at him. I held up an old pair of mittens. At least I thought it was a pair. Dad shook his head and I tossed it in the garbage pile.  

“Can I get you anything else dear?”

“No thanks Margot. I’m all good here. Thank you.” You wouldn’t be hovering so much if you knew he was cleared for physical activity.

Mum puttered around the kitchen, regularly checking in on Monty. Dad and I continued to dig through the hutch and get rid of things. Every now and then one of us would find something random and have to stop to ask mum what to do with it. Usually the answer was “If we haven’t needed it for long enough that it’s been exiled to the hutch, we don’t need it.” None of us could argue with that logic. I sighed when I pulled out yet another pair of mittens. Turning to the pile of only mittens I had begun to make; I shook my head.

“You two know we live in the Bay area, right?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Because there is a pile of like twenty pairs of mittens here.”

“We use them when we go out east in the winter.” Mum said as she walked over.

“Mum. When is the last time we went to Boston over the winter?” I literally could not remember. She had to stop and think. “If it’s been that long, we don’t need them.”

“We should keep a few pairs though. Your father and I might want to go sometime.” I shrugged. I turned to my husband. He looked like he desperately wanted something to do. I figured mum wouldn’t protest too much if he went through the mittens. It wasn’t like it required a whole lot of lower body movement. He nodded gratefully.

Gathering up the pile, I walked over and dropped them on the coffee table. Monty looked relieved to have something to do. “She means well.” I mumbled and kissed the top of his head. He nodded. We were almost done emptying the catch-all. I groaned internally. That meant it was almost time to move that stupid thing. They had to wait until Montgomery was injured to get rid of it. Mum and dad finished emptying and organizing while I grabbed some rags to try to slide the oversized hutch on without completely destroying the floors.

Because of the front steps and where the garage door was in the house, it was easier to move it through the house the long way, than to take it outside the shorter way. Since I was quote ‘closer to the ground’ as Montgomery put it, I was in charge of sliding the rags underneath the massive wooden beast. Mum and dad heaved one corner up off the ground and I quickly slid a rag underneath. They huffed slightly when it went down. “One down. Three to go.” I said.

“Mhmm.” Dad hummed. We tried to work as quickly as possible with the remaining three corners. The three of us stood back to try and assess the best plan of action now. Mum suggested we try to just push it all from one side. That sounded like an accident waiting to happen to me. Dad thought we could have more success if we pushed and pulled straight from opposing sides. Again, that sounded like a very expensive ambulance ride would be in our near future. I suggested that we try shimmying it across the house from opposing sides. My parents shrugged at the idea. To me it seemed like the safest option.

“Fourth option. We call Justin to help.” Monty piped up from the couch.

“No, I don’t want to bother him if we don’t have to. He has his own things to do today.” It was Saturday after all. He usually hit a meeting sometime this afternoon or evening. We all agreed to at least try to do it on our own.

“I see why you like to… what do you call it babe? Supervise?” Monty asked, from his spot on the couch. That used to be my spot. He looked quite comfortable.

“Yeah. What of it?” I huffed.

“This is nice.” I rolled my eyes. Dad grunted as he pushed his side of the hutch. It moved less than an inch.

“What if we shimmy it that way a little more?” Mum suggested.

“That could help.” Dad shrugged. We pushed. And then we pulled. And then we pushed a little more. The damn thing wouldn’t budge. I stood up and put my hands on my waist to catch my breath.

“Can we call for more muscle now?” Dad nodded. Monty grabbed my phone off the coffee table and called Justin. He put it on speaker.

“Hey Addy.”

“Hey. Are you busy?”

“No, why? Need some help?”

“Yeah. Scared dad is going to throw his back out.”

“I’ll be right over. Zach is with me. It’ll be a breeze.”

“Sounds good.”

“The hutch is like two hundred pounds man. I think you should lower your expectations.”

“Says the guy who gets to watch from the couch.” Monty just laughed and hung up.

The three of us took a break while we waited for Justin and Zach to show up. I wondered if Zach was going to be in a better mood today or not. I wiped the sweat from my face with the collar of my shirt. Monty looked up at me when I sat down next to him. “You’re going to need to go sit somewhere else.” He whispered. I sniffed myself even though I hadn’t sweat that much. Or as much as I was likely to later.

“I don’t smell that bad.” I rolled my eyes.

“No, you don’t.” I turned to him, surprised by his shortness with me. When I caught sight of his eyes darkening, it made sense. “I need you to go sit somewhere else, Doll.”

“Okay.” I nodded and stood. Making myself comfortable on the love seat, I sighed. “Why did you decide that now was the best time to move the hutch?” Dad shrugged. Neither of them said anything. Their silence worried me. They didn’t move it before because Gran would have been so upset if she came to visit and it wasn’t there. Does that mean…? “Gran isn’t... sick or anything, is she?” Monty and I both looked at my parents over the couch.

“Oh! No, honey. Not that your dad or I know about anyway.” I breathed a sigh of relief. I might think she is a backwards, far too rich for her own good, arrogant old lady, but she’s still my grandma.

Justin and Zach sauntered in around four thirty.  “Heard you needed some muscle?” Justin grinned, flexing dramatically. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. What a dork.

“Woah there, slugger. Put those away before you hurt someone.” Dad laughed. Mum shook her head and continued to fuss over Monty. He looked less than thrilled with the attention.

“Hey Zach.” I nodded.

“Hey.” He looked at Monty and pointed discreetly. Monty shrugged.

“Hey man.”

“Hey.”

“Thank you for coming boys.”

“No problem, Mama. Where do you need us?”

“Mama?”

“No good?”

“No.” Mum replied, flatly.

“Alright.” Justin laughed. He seemed very cheery.

The five of us went back to the hutch to try to decide on a better plan of action. Zach took a couple of laps around the hutch, and then walked to the back door. He shrugged and then walked back to the hutch. “Shimmying it sounds like the best option. You might need more cloth though. Didn’t you guys redo the floors like a year ago?”

“Yeah. And we almost slipped when we got home from that movie?” I laughed.

“What movie was it?”

“Leap Frog or something?”

“With Amy Adams?”

“Yeah.”

“Leap Year.” Monty added. “You went to a rom-com with my girlfriend.”

“Hey dude. If I knew she was your girlfriend I would have told you to take her. It was a replay at the Crestmont anyway. It’s not like it was new.” Justin cleared his throat. Oh. Crap. Zach and I looked at each other wide-eyed.

“Mom? Would you say these two mitts go together?”

“Yes. I would.” Dad stepped in to try to diffuse some tension.

“I think there is a drop cloth or two in the closet upstairs. Justin, why don’t you go grab it?”

“Sure Pops.” He mumbled. I slumped against the hutch when he went upstairs.

“We suck. I feel so bad.”

“I know. I’m sure he’s fine though. He’s tough.” Zach patted me on the back. It was the most unforced physical contact we had had recently.

Justin came down a while later with the drop cloth and a few old beach towels. He was smiling so I thought that everything must be okay. Dad helped him spread the drop cloth on the floor and the beach towels went over top of that. We all groaned once the floor protection was down. That meant we had to lift it up again. Zach, Justin, and dad took one side while mum and I took the other. When that didn’t help anyone, Justin came over to help mum and I. It turned out that our extra muscle was actually Zach. He traded places with Justin and the five of us managed to get one side of the hutch on the cloth. Mum elected herself to pull the cloth underneath if we lifted the other side. After another few minutes of heaving and grunting and whining, we got the cloth under the hutch.

Now that it was fully on a slidable surface, we could shimmy it through the house easier. The boys decided to push us ladies to the side and handle it themselves. Mum and I shook our heads at each other. “You’re doin’ great guys.” Monty called from the couch. He wasn’t even looking. So much for supervising. I smiled as dad showed off for my mum a little. Even after all these years, they were still so in love with each other. No matter how many fights they got in or how hard things got, they always had each other’s back. They were truly partners. Dad, Justin, and Zach had moved it all the way to the back door now. All we had to do was get it over the hump and find a spot for it in the garage. Mum and I were called over to facilitate a spot. It wasn’t until after the hutch was situated in a corner, safely away from anything that could fall on it and break whatever fell-because this thing could probably survive a bombing, let’s be honest here-that I spotted a dolly in the rafters. I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

“Hey parents.”

“Hey kid?” Dad answered.

“Why didn’t we just use the dolly?” Dad was silent for a moment.

“I-I. It’s moved now. That’s what’s important.” Justin and I shrugged.

I had broken quite the sweat from the workout and knew that I had promised Monty alone time when we were finished. I wanted to go home and shower. I wanted to be alone with my husband. And I could tell he was growing tired of my mother’s constant fussing. She means well. Monty and I took our leave at the same time as Justin and Zach did. Mum and dad thanked us for the help. They were both grateful for the free labour.

Us kids stood on the front walk awkwardly. We didn’t really know how to say bye to each other. Zach definitely was not friends with Monty, and I wasn’t holding my breath on that.  I wasn’t even sure if I was still friends with Zach anymore. And even though we joked around inside, I don’t think it changed anything for him. Maybe he was starting to come around a little? I couldn’t be sure. The joking around. I nervously peeked at Justin. He seemed fine enough. We still didn’t really spend a lot of time talking about what happened while he was… out of town. It just never felt like the right time or that there wasn’t a way to really talk about it without someone being the asshole in the conversation. We all decided the easiest way to say bye was the most awkward pleasantries we could come up with. The thanks wave and no problem nod. A nod towards the car. And of course, fumbling the keys. I waved as I drove past the Audi. Zach waved back.

After we were home and I had my shower, Monty scooped me up bridal style-even though it was still against doctor’s orders- and dropped me on the bed. I landed with a soft ‘oof’ and smiled up at him. “Time for things to get interesting.” He smirked down at me. His large hand wrapped around my thin ankle and pulled me towards him.

#montgomery de la cruz #monty x oc #monty de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz x reader #monty imagine #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz imagine #13 reasons why #13rw #13 rw #Can’t Go Back #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing #Fanfic writer #Justin Foley #justin foley jensen #zach dempsey

[13-reasons-ideas]

requests are still open yay! MontyxOc, Oc dated Monty a year ago.. things didn’t quite work out but her & Monty maintained a close friendship some say a little too close for ex’s. She stared dating (any one of the guys) but Monty continued to flirt with her she wasn’t stopping him either, She feels bad & tells Monty to stop flirting & trying to get with her... He doesn’t she starts to get fed up and on a class trip they argue over it.. the argument however ends much differently (smut)

A/N: This story contains SMUT. DNI if under 18. 18+ only. This is a long one you guys. Definitely bring a snack and a cup of tea to read it. I’m sorry if the spacing is weird. I can’t to hear what you have to say about it! Feedback is appreciated and much love as always. - Em

Friends Don’t 

I met Monty in the park. Things had been different between us recently. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He turned in my direction. I sat on a picnic table and watched him for a few minutes. He seemed like he wanted to say something but didn’t know how.

“What’s going on in that hot head of yours?”

“I don’t know. I don’t… I don’t want to mess everything up.”

“Well how will you know if you do, if you don’t take the chance?” I had a feeling I knew what was coming.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this Reagan.” Even though I had a feeling, it still felt like a punch in the gut to hear him say it.

“For what?”

“Things to get serious.”

“Who said anything about serious? We are sixteen.”

“I don’t know. Do you want to pretend that I’m ready to date someone? That doesn’t seem very fair to you.”

I shrugged. He has a point. He’s not exactly in a great place right now. “I guess not.” Even though I didn’t want to, I felt tears starting to well up and the familiar prickle in my nose. I blinked a few times because I knew he was right. It just sucked to hear.

“I don’t want to not have you around though.”

“I know. I don’t want to not have you around either. You know me better than anyone. Best friends?”

“Best friends.”

“And if you ever need anything, I’m there. No matter what.”

“Day or night.”

“Always.”

ONE YEAR LATER

Monty and I stayed close. We kept our promise to be best friends. After all, we knew each other better than anyone. We hung out after school and got coffee. He came over and we watched movies. It was almost like we didn’t break up. Almost. For a while after our breakup things were awkward. We hadn’t really figured out where our boundaries were. After some time, we got comfortable again. Some people would say we were a little too close. It didn’t really matter that much to us if we still flirted or finished each other’s sentences.

It didn’t matter, at least until I started spending time with a certain other jock. Zach Dempsey had caught my eye before senior year but there was something about him that was different that September. He was still kind of cruel, but he was trying. He meant well. He just didn’t always know how to go about things in the best way. I knew what being forced to spend extended time with Bryce walker could do to a person. Zach and I had a few classes together over the years. Our friendship started like a lot of friendships did in school. You got stuck sitting next to someone and so you had to decide if you wanted to ignore them for the rest of the semester, or if you wanted to make your semester not suck and play nice.

We decided on the latter that first day of world history. He was late to class and the only empty seat was next to mine. I had spent time around him when Montgomery and I were dating so we were able to at least talk to each other. Our interactions consisted mostly of homework and school stuff for about a month or so. Then, slowly, we started talking about our interests and other things on our way to lunch. On one such walk to lunch, he told me about his dream of becoming a marine biologist.

“Seriously?” I asked him.

“Yeah. It’s cool. Why?”

“I don’t know. I just guess I pegged you as a guy who would want to do the athlete thing and get a business degree in case you didn’t get drafted.”

“Nah. That… that isn’t really in the cards for me.” I nodded.

“I want to go into social work.”

“No way, really?”

“Yeah.” I didn’t elaborate on why I wanted to. That was not my story to share.

“Zachy!” Scott called across the room when we got to the cafeteria.

“I- I should probably get going.” He stammered.

“Yeah. My friends are waiting.” I waved over at Jess and Alex. Zach started to walk away but turned around again.

“Did you want to get a coffee or see a movie sometime?”

“Like, together?”

“I mean, yeah.” He shrugged, trying to play it cool.

“I think I’d like that. Oh, and can you tell Montgomery and Bryce Cheerios is not lunch?” I laughed.

“But they are.”

“I guess we can discuss it over coffee.” I smiled.

“Wednesday after school?”

“Sure.”

I sat at a table with my friends. “So. I’m going on a date.” Jess and Alex looked at me with wide eyes.

“Shit. No way.” Jess smiled.

“Yeah. Zach Dempsey.” I explained, answering their unspoken question.

“Zach is nice.” Alex added.

“And he’s like… really good looking.”

“I know, right?”

“Tall.”

“Very tall.”

“Doesn’t have an anger problem.” Jess muttered under her breath. My smile faltered. I looked up and Monty’s eyes were on me. My phone vibrated. Cheerios is lunch pretty girl. I rolled my eyes. Zach said he has a date. Wouldn’t happen to be a certain girl in his world history class, would it?

I’ll give you details after. And why do you care?

On Wednesday I got a ride with Justin and Clay to school. My car was in the shop for maintenance and my house was on the way from theirs. After school, Zach drove me to Monet’s. I got to ride shotgun in the Audi. The wind feels different. Maybe it’s because this car costs more than my education will. He was a safe driver, I noticed. Soon, we had parked outside the cozy little café. We didn’t hold hands on the way inside.

Inside, I ordered a hot chocolate, and he got a cup of tea. “You like pomegranate?” I asked when we sat down.

“Yeah. It’s tart.”

“It’s pretty good. One of my favourite tea flavours.” We made small talk for a while. I wasn’t sure when the last time he had been on a date was. I hadn’t been on a real date since Monty and I broke up last year.

“Your opinion on Cheerios is wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“Yeah. It’s lunch food. Or breakfast food. Hell, even dinner food.” I shook my head.

“I will never understand boys.” He laughed and picked up his spoon. “What are you doing?”

“Just watch.” He breathed on the spoon and tried to balance it on his nose. I giggled and it stuck for maybe three seconds before falling to the table. I burst out laughing.

“Can I try?” I picked up my own spoon.

“Go for it.”

“Okay, okay how do I do this?”

Zach reached over and took the spoon, holding it in front of my mouth. “Breath on it.” I did. “Now before it dries, take it, and place it on the end of your nose.” I did as he said. It fell instantly.

“Try again?” He waved. I tried again and it fell, yet again. “One more. I think I know the spot now.”

“Go on.” This time, I was able to get it to balance for four seconds. “Does this make me champion?”

“Sure. Until we have rematch.”

“A rematch you say?”

“Yes.”

“I look forward to it. Mostly so I can win again.” I smirked slightly. We spent the next couple of hours just talking to each other about stuff. Mrs. Dempsey called him home around five.

“Yeah Mom. I’m just out with the guys going over some plays. I’ll be home soon.”

“I take it I’m getting my refill to go?”

“Yeah. It seems that way. I’ll drive you home.”

We went on like that for the next few weeks. We would meet for coffee or meet up to see a movie. Go for walks in the park or by the docks. It was nice. Different than what Montgomery and I had, but it was a welcome change. We went public at school before we decided to tell our parents. My parents weren’t exactly ecstatic about me dating in my senior year and I knew how his mom felt about girls in his life. I was still talking to Monty. All the while, we had kept up the flirty banter we had started a few weeks after our breakup. Zach didn’t seem to mind much. “Good morning Beautiful.” He said as he walked over to my locker that morning.

“Hey 85.” I smiled brightly at him.

“You look very cute.”

“Why thank you kind gentleman.” I grabbed my bag off the floor and shoved my geometry book in it. Zach threw his arm around my shoulders as he walked me to class. I rested my head against him and we chatted about our night.

“So, you guys are public now.” Monty said, walking up to us with Charlie in tow.

“That’s really cute.” Charlie said.

“Yes.” I smiled. I felt Monty’s eyes traveling my body and I couldn’t help the blush that crept up my neck.

“Yeah.” Zach said.

“That’s great.” Monty replied. When we walked away, he called out, “I’ll see you around Reagan.”

I turned and called back to him, “yes you will.”

In the following few days, Monty kept up with the flirting. I didn’t stop it. I found it kind of amusing. “Going to harp on my lunch choices again Rea?”

“No. You’re an adult. I trust you to make proper choices.”

“Now, Reagan. You should know I’ve never been good with proper.” I rolled my eyes. Oh, I know.

“Seems to have done you pretty well so far. How’s… uh… collarbone tattoo?”

“Katie?”

“Sure.” He merely shrugged.

“How’s Zachy?”

“Zach is good.” Zach said, sitting down at the table. I swatted Monty’s hand away when he reached for a cookie.

“And you should know by now to not touch my food Montgomery.”

“Oh. She full named you. What’s it like to be called out by your ex like that, man?” Bryce asked.

“You don’t get a cookie either Bryce.”

“Reagan.” He held his hand up to his chest. “You wound me.”

“That’s sad for you.” I shrugged. Zach turned to me and shot me a megawatt smile.

“Do I get a cookie?” I thought for a moment.

“You can get half a cookie.”

“It’s half more than I had before.”

“I’m his best friend. Can I have the other half?” Justin asked when he sat down.

“No. My cookies.”

“I’ll trade you my Milky Way for that half.”

“No.” I laughed. “You’re sure you’re okay to come to my place later?” I asked Zach.

“Yeah. It’s just your parents. Parents like me.”

“Did he just say ‘just your parents’?” Monty looked at me with wide eyes. I shrugged. “Reagan.”

“Monty.”

“Your dad threatened to shoot me.”

“My parents never really liked you though.”

“Gee, I wonder what gave you that impression?”

“What would have?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe when her dad threatened to shoot me.”

“Parents don’t like you. They’ll love me.” Zach beamed.

“They don’t like you because you ruined their daughter.” Bryce laughed. Again, I shrugged. Can’t really argue with him there. Monty merely smirked, proudly. Ugh men.

“Anyway. You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. And can you remind me again why we sit here?”

“You get to see me.” Monty chuckled.

“No. No I don’t think that’s why.”

“Hurtful.”

**

In the few months after Zach and I started dating, his mom had come around to the idea of me being in his life. I spent time at his house, mostly working on homework or helping May with hers. It was tense at first but she came around eventually. Once she realized I only wanted what was best for her son. My parents were getting more used to the idea of me dating again. They saw how we interacted and seemed to approve more than they did with Monty. I had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the fact that I wasn’t emptying the first aid kit my mom kept stocked every month or so.

Monty and I were still close. He had recently started seeing a girl named Kyla. I wasn’t sure how serious it was but figured it could be good for him. It didn’t stop him from flirting with me though.

“Good morning gorgeous.”

“Good morning Montgomery. Good night?” I laughed.

“Of course.”

“How was your date with Kyla?” I asked.

“It was good. She cooked for me.”

“That’s nice. Was it good?” Charlie asked, adjusting his bag on his shoulder.

“I mean, sure. Some kind of spinach something or other?”

“You hate spinach.” I said.

“Yes. And you hate tha-.” Monty started. I saw Zach walking towards us.

“Shhhh.” I cut him off. “Hey babe.”

“Hey beautiful.” Zach pulled me into a hug and placed a kiss on my head. “How was dinner at Alex’s last night?”

“It was good. His mom let me bring contraband in the house.”

“Contraband?” Bryce asked.

“He’s not allowed to have junk food.” Charlie explained.

“Something about healthy body healthy mind or something.”

“She’s not wrong Rea.” Zach said.

“I know but still. Let the kid have a candy bar once in a while. It won’t hurt him.”

“He prefers sour patch kids.”

“I know.” The bell rang and interrupted us. I sighed heavily and took Zach’s hand. He walked me to math and kissed me on the cheek as he left. I smiled brightly at his retreating form.

Monty texted me in math. As I was saying, you hate that you and Zach haven’t fucked yet. Have you even gotten to second base yet?

None of your god damn business.

I’ll take that as a no. Don’t worry. It’ll happen eventually. I could get Charlie to get Alex to talk to him. Or you could let me talk to him.

No!

What? You don’t want me to tell him all your dirty little secrets?

I swear to God, De la Cruz. I will wring your neck in your sleep.

You’d be doing my dad a favour. You’d at least get past the front door.

I’d wring his first. Now stop texting me and learn some shit.

Fine.

Zach sat with Alex, Jess, and I at lunch. Kyla was sitting with Monty. I got the impression that she didn’t really like me all that much. In order to avoid a catfight-as much as I think the boys would like to see it- I found it best not to sit with them when she was around. Plus, it gave me a bit of a break from all the sports talk I had to pretend to care about. I shared my granola with Jess. Alex ‘stole’ my gummy bears. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I had the other bag in history. Zach kept my little secret. I felt him watching me out of the corner of his eye. He was talking to Alex about some video game. Jess and I rolled our eyes. “Boys.” We said in unison.

That weekend, Zach and I went for a walk along the docks. It was a beautiful day outside. We walked hand in hand just talking. When we felt like taking a break, we sat down on a bench overlooking the water and watched the waves. He put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. He was whispering sweet nothings in my ear. “Part of me wishes it was cold out, so I could offer you my sweater.”

“Me too.” I smiled.

“You look adorable in them.”

I giggled and hid my face in his shoulder. “I do not.”

“You do though.”

“Okay.” I blushed. He grinned at me as I peeked up at him.

We spent another hour walking and enjoying our time together. When it started to get dark, Zach walked me back to his car. He held the door open for me and kissed me before closing it. He is so sweet. The radio was playing softly. We sat in content silence for most of the drive. The purr of the engine lulled me into a peaceful sleep. “Reagan.” He whispered. I didn’t want to wake up. “Reagan. Baby, wake up for a second please.”

“Hmm?” My eyes stayed closed

“I just wanted to know if you want anything from Starbucks.”

“Sleeping.”

“You can stay in the car and sleep if you want.”

“Kay.”

“I’ll get you something.” He whispered and kissed my temple before getting out and locking the car. When I woke up, there was a cup of tea in the cup holder for me. So thoughtful.

**

I was in the middle of getting ready for a date with Zach when someone rang my doorbell. Running to answer it, my eyes widened when I saw Monty. His cheek was already starting to bruise and his knuckles were bloody. “Hey.”

“Uh. Hey there friend.” Blood was dripping onto my porch. “Just a sec.” I held up a finger and ran to grab a towel. He wrapped it around his hand before stepping inside. Thankfully there won’t be blood on the floor now. He stood in the entryway. “How’s the other guy?” I asked as I pulled out my phone to text Zach. Monty didn’t answer.

I’m so sorry. I have to cancel tonight. I think I’m coming down with a cold. I want to try to nip it in the bud and sleep it off.  

That’s okay. Do you want me to come over? I can bring you soup.

No, thanks though Zach. I’m just going to go get ready for bed and sleep so I can be better by Monday.

Okay. I’m just a text or call away if you need anything. <3

Thank you. <3

Now that my plans with Zach were taken care of, I was able to focus on the boy at my front door. “You know you don’t have to just stand there. You’ve been here before since we broke up.”

“I know. I just wanted to give you some space while you dealt with whatever plans you and Zach had.” He walked into the house further before adding, “which you didn’t have to do.”

“It’s not a big deal. I told you I would be here for you, whatever you need. Do you want some ice for your hand?” I dug around in the freezer for the tray. He tried to protest but I saw the thinly veiled wince when he flexed it. Sighing, I pulled out the freezer bags and filled one with ice. Monty accepted it begrudgingly.

“I didn’t need ice Reagan.”

“And I don’t need five million dollars Montgomery. If you don’t want it though, I’ll gladly take it back. I’m sure Kerba would love to hear about whatever bullshit reason you give for your hand being fucked again is.” He shut up and kept the ice.

“Think he would believe me if I said it was an exercise accident?”

“No.” I stated, shaking my head. Monty moved into the living room, settling in on the couch. Grabbing the remote with his good hand, he started scrolling through channels.

“You know if you hit the guide button, you can just pick a channel.”

“Yeah, but then you don’t complain about it and I can’t irritate you.”

“And I wasn’t done.” He didn’t respond, so I went into the closet for my mom’s first aid kit. She kept it stocked at all times. It was hard explaining why it was so depleted so frequently when Monty and I were together and even harder to explain why it was full after we broke up.

Walking over to the couch, I sat down and opened the kit. I grabbed some gauze and took his hand in mine. There was too much blood, so I had to go get a cloth. His lip curled when the wet cloth touched his cut knuckles. My brow rose but I didn’t say anything. Monty grimaced as I wrapped his hand. “Is your cheek okay?”

“It’s fine.”

“Okay. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah. You don’t need to feed me too Reagan.”

“Okay.” I let him continue flipping channels, knowing when to not push him. He never was very nice when I was patching him up. He finally settled on some old black and white film. Neither of us watched it. We just spent the night sitting in silence. It gave me plenty of time to think about the fact that I had lied straight through my teeth to my very nice, charming boyfriend.

A couple of weeks after I had patched Monty up, I noticed he wasn’t at school. I was walking to my locker with Alex that morning. Scott was talking to Charlie about something when we passed. “I don’t know where he is, man.”

“But we have a huge government midterm today.”

“It’s Monty. He probably just overslept or decided to cut first period.” I stopped walking unconsciously. Then where is he?

“You’re probably right.” Charlie said, as he adjusted his bag. He bumped into me when he passed. “Sorry Reagan. Guess I didn’t see you there.”

“Huh? No worries Charlie.” I smiled as he took Alex’s hand and nodded to them when they left me in the hall.

“He isn’t at school yet.” Scott said, behind me.

“Okay. I don’t know why you think I care but whatever.”

Scott looked at me seriously. “You care. Might want to look like you care less though. His replacement is coming this way.” I didn’t respond.

By lunch, I had started to worry. Charlie was right. We had a government midterm today. Monty couldn’t miss it. I scanned the cafeteria. There was no sign of him anywhere. He wasn’t in math this morning either. I couldn’t stop myself from texting him. I know you aren’t this self-destructive. Get your ass to school.

“Hey baby. Who’re you texting?”

“Just Bryce. I loaned him some of my government notes in first so he could cram. I just need them back.” Zach took my hand and we walked to the jocks table. Still no sign of Monty. I didn’t sit down. “Hey Bryce, did you get my text?”

“Uh. No?”

“About my government notes that you borrowed?”

“What-?” I gave him a look. “Oh. Yeah, I put them in my locker. Meant to bring them to lunch but it slipped my mind.”

“Can we go get them? I wanted to read over them during lunch.”

“Sure?”

“Great.” I nodded towards the door. He stood and followed me out.

“So, what the hell was that?”

“Did Monty stay at your place last night?”

“No. It’s probably nothing. You know how he is. Disappears sometimes.” We stopped walking and stepped into an empty hall.

“Yeah. It’s just that he knows this is important. I worry is all. Unlike you, he actually needs to get a scholarship.”

“I need to too Reagan.”

“You don’t. But go ahead and think that if it helps you sleep.” I shook my head and pulled my history notes out of my bag. “We’ve been gone a while. Don’t want anyone getting suspicious.” I texted Monty again while we walked in silence back to the cafeteria. If you aren’t in government I will drive to your house and kick your unfairly shapely ass. You better have a damn good excuse for not being here.

When I got to government for fifth period, I sighed in relief. Monty was sitting in his seat next to mine. “Nice of you to finally show up.” I grumbled as I sat down.

“I was busy.”

“It’s a Wednesday during school. During midterm week no less. What was so important?”

“Kyla got a new piercing a few weeks ago.” He smirked.

“You’re disgusting.”

“What? Have you and Zach still not?” My silence spoke volumes. He snorted. “No wonder you’ve been so bitchy lately. Want me to talk to him? Explain that you have needs?”

“No. I want you to not skip school to fuck your,” I paused, “Kyla. Because you aren’t a dumbass.” Even though I was pissed at him, I still waited for him until he had finished his test. We stopped at his locker so he could drop off his books.

Zach was waiting for me at my locker. We had rescheduled our movie date to today under the guise of making sure my cold was for sure gone and until midterms were complete. “Hey Zachy.” I hugged him and kissed his chest.

“Hey beautiful. How was your midterm?”

“Not bad. I think I did okay.”

“That’s good. How was it actually Monty?”

“Could have been worse. No one cried, which kind of sucks.”

“Good to know.” I put my stuff in my locker, failing miserably at the organization I had at the beginning of the year.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Monty. At eight. When you’re supposed to be at school.”

“Okay. We can go with that. You kids have fun now.” I shook my head and rolled my eyes. A blush had started to creep up my neck though. Maybe tonight.

When we got to my place, I left Zach downstairs to go change. I threw on underwear that matched my bra. Just in case. I settled on a pair of yoga pants that framed my ass well and threw on a low-cut comfortable tank top. Back downstairs, Zach was taking a bag of popcorn out of the microwave. I felt his eyes go straight to my butt as he heard me come down. I smirked slightly. I hugged him tightly from behind at the counter. “You’re cute.”

“So are you.”

“I’m not cute.”

“You are. My giant teddy bear you. Oh, and there’s a box of Mike & Ike’s in the pantry for you.”

“Thanks.” He grinned.

We scrolled through Netflix for a few minutes. Nothing looked really interesting until we scrolled past Beautiful Creatures. It’s good to make out to. And I like it. Settling in for the night, I rest my head on his lap. I sighed happily as Zach stroked my hair. It was so nice to just have a quiet night in with him. He adjusted his position slightly a while into the movie and I sat up to change positions as well. Falling asleep was not in the plans for this evening. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer against his chest. Leaning back, I rested my head on his shoulder. I placed a few soft kisses on his neck and jaw.

Zach’s breathing picked up when my lips ghosted over a spot just under his chin. There it is. I smiled against it and kissed it again. He sighed and I pulled away to look at him. His pupils were slightly dilated. I leaned in to kiss him. He leaned in and our lips touched. It was soft and gentle at first, but quickly became deeper and more intense. This wasn’t the first time we made out at all. But this time felt different. More meaningful. Maybe it was the right choice to change my underwear. His tongue ran along my bottom lip, requesting entrance. I was more than happy to accommodate it. His hand made its way around to rest against the back of my neck. My body shifted into a kneeling position on the soft couch, so I had a better angle. One of my hands rested on his chest. The other wound its way around the back of his neck to play with the soft hairs at the top of it. So soft.

Our tongues playfully fought for dominance. Neither of us seemed too keen on winning. We were just enjoying the moment. The movie was still playing in the background, though neither of us cared. My hand traveled down his muscular body as our making out intensified. I played with the hem of his shirt. I wasn’t wanting to take it off. But I also wasn’t not wanting to take it off. My boyfriend has a very nice body. Zach took control and began leaning forward. He continued until my back hit the cushions. After some readjusting, I was laying comfortably with Zach’s large frame above me. I smirked slightly when I felt his pants beginning to tent. He only pulled away long enough to sit up and pull his shirt over his head. Ugh that is the hottest thing any man can do. The blue shirt dropped to the living room floor unceremoniously.

He kissed me once more before moving on to my neck. The initial kisses were light and teasing. He was still trying to draw a map of where all the sensitive spots were. I gasped when he brushed over my pulse point. Zach smiled softly against it. The kisses turned much less light and teasing after that. It was both sides under attack now. It felt so good. I couldn’t stop the quiet whimpers from escaping. I moaned his name and ran my fingers through his hair. Why do men get the super soft hair? God. This feels amazing. “I love you.” He breathed into my neck. My breath caught in my throat. What? It wasn’t like I had never thought I loved him. I did. I was just surprised that he said it first. When I didn’t say it back immediately, his kissing faltered. I didn’t mean to hesitate.

“I love you too.” I smiled, even though he couldn’t see it.

We continued making out for a while until it got too close to my parents getting home. It was a long weekend, so they didn’t care much if he was over late. We were both adults. On weekends, they trusted us to be alone later. Even if alone meant ‘my parents are in their room upstairs or down the hall so shhh’. On school nights, Zach was gone by ten thirty. Even though they trusted us, none of us needed to experience them walking into the house to see their daughter and her boyfriend getting hot and heavy on their couch. Instead, we cozied up on the couch under a blanket and watched a couple more movies. “It’s getting late Reagan. I should head home. Mom will probably send Deputy Standall to come get me soon.”

“Okay.” Zach and I walked to the door and hugged goodbye. I stood on my tip toes and kissed him gently. “I love you.” I whispered.

“I love you too.” He whispered back.

The next morning, I woke up with tiny purple marks on the sides of my neck. He doesn’t usually leave marks. I like it. I wore my hair down so my parents didn’t see them. I may be an adult, but they still preferred I didn’t go around sporting hickeys all the time. Probably part of why they hated Monty so much. My mom felt it was anti-feminist. It was letting a man mark their territory and property. I usually challenged that with her wedding set. Dad just preferred not to think of me as being in a physical relationship. He was aware of it of course. Just preferred not to acknowledge it. Which, I mean, fair.

At school, I couldn’t leave my hair down. It was too hot. I threw it in a high ponytail in history. Zach breathed in sharply when he saw my neck. I turned and smiled at him. “Thank you.” His eyes widened and he coughed to cover a groan. During lunch, I could feel the boys staring at me as they arrived at the table.

“Damn Zach. Didn’t think you had it in you.” Bryce sniggered. I rolled my eyes.

“I did. You finally corrupted him, Reagan?” Justin wiggled his brows at us. I blushed and hid my face in Zach’s chest. I was never this shy about marks with Monty. Maybe that was because no one made comments like that when he did it. Because it was expected. And they knew he would rip their tongues out. I expected Monty to comment. He surprised me when he only quirked a brow. I was less surprised when he pulled me aside before history.

“Don’t let your parents see those. You seem quite attached to him. Wouldn’t want your dad to actually kill him. Maybe you should leave your hair down for a while. Wouldn’t want anyone getting any ideas, would you?”

I was stunned at the unnecessary hostility in his tone. Why the fuck does he care? He didn’t say anything else. I turned as he walked away, leaving me alone in the hall. I still put my hair down though.

Zach and I continued to explore the more physical aspect of our relationship in the coming weeks. Nothing too serious, just some semi-clothed touching. Maybe the rare under clothes touches. Only enough to tease. Never enough to lead anywhere. I was both grateful and frustrated by it. He didn’t leave anymore marks on me either. He could tell I was uncomfortable with his friend’s comments and wanted to avoid it as much as possible. We had agreed to wait until we were both ready. Neither of us were virgins. But it was still new. It did leave me with plenty of time to wonder what it would be like though.

When I wasn’t thinking about all the dirty things Zach and I could get up to, or Zach in general, or Monty, I occupied my time with college applications. My top choice had been UNC Chapel Hill for many years. Even before I knew what I wanted to study. I worked hard in school because of it. There were other schools I would like to go to, but none compared to UNC in my mind. I remembered when Monty and I had talked about what we wanted to do after high school, and he looked amazed but slightly skeptical at my goal. I knew he didn’t mean anything bad by it. We both knew how big of a goal I was. Zach had a different look on his face. He looked at me with complete faith that it would happen. It wasn’t even a question to him. He didn’t verbalize the thought, but I could see it in his eyes. I just hoped he was right.

Admissions emails were due to go out any day now. I both couldn’t wait and absolutely dreaded it. I had applied to seven schools. Statistically speaking, I had to get into at least one of them. I just wasn’t sure which one. Zach tried his best to reassure me that everything would work out. Our friends agreed with him. Monty also tried to reassure me. And keep my mind off of it with his incessant flirting. It was nice. I had a constant I could focus on. Monty flirting with me, as strange as it sounded, was keeping me calm. Zach tried his best to keep my mind occupied. We talked about anything but schools unless we needed to. It was sweet.  I just wasn’t sure it was helping much.

The pring of an email notification on my phone pulled my attention away from the textbook I was reading. I quickly grabbed my laptop and logged on. Pulling up Gmail, I held my breath. It could be any email. An email titled University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Office of Registrar Admissions Decision sat at the top of my inbox in bold letters. This is it. Holy crap. I was shaking so hard I opened the wrong email first.

Back on my inbox page, I took a very deep breath and opened the email. Dear Miss Reagan Taylor, thank you for your application to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We regret to inform you that you have not been accepted for admission at this time. I couldn’t read any further. There was more information, I just couldn’t bring myself to read any of it. My eyes had begun to fill with tears. I didn’t get in. I worked so hard. And I still didn’t get in. Numbly, I moved the computer off my lap and grabbed my phone. Unconsciously, I selected a contact and put it to my ear as I felt myself beginning to dissociate.

“Hello?”

“Hi. A-are you busy right now?”

“I don’t have to be. What’s wrong?”

“C-can you come here? Please?”

“I’ll be right there.”

I numbly walked out of my room and went to unlock the front door. In my room, I sat in the center of my bed and hugged my knees. Willing the tears to remain at bay, I screwed my eyes shut. That didn’t do much to help, because all I saw was a string of the words not been accepted running over and over again.

A knock on my bedroom door caused me to look up. I wasn’t aware of how much time had passed. He was standing in my doorway with his hands tucked in his pockets. “I didn’t get in.” I said softly. My voice cracked. His long stride had him at my bedside and sitting down within only a few steps. He pulled me close to him and I cried into his shoulder. He laid us back and he held me as I cried. I felt so vulnerable as we laid there silently.

It must have been at least an hour before we moved. It had started getting dark outside. “Thank you, Monty.”

“You needed me.”

“I know. I just,” I paused, “thank you.”

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” I walked him to the door and went to take a shower. When I got out, I saw that Zach had texted me. I love you and I hope you’re having a good day. I sighed to myself. I couldn’t bring myself to find the energy to text him back. Instead, I crawled into bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

The next day, I threw on a pair of sweatpants and one of Zach’s t-shirts. I was too upset about the email to really care about looking nice. I met Zach at his car in the parking lot. He had a cup of hot chocolate for me and had his adorable happy grin plastered across his face. “Morning beautiful.” I took the to go cup gratefully.

“Morning.” He put his arm around me as we walked, and I leaned against his large frame.

“How was your night?”

“It was okay. Yours?”

“It was alright. Anything exciting happen?” Exciting is not the word I would use.

“Uh, no. Not really.” We had reached my locker. I opened it and dug around for my stuff.

“Hey, Reagan.” Luke called from across the hall. I lifted my arm and waved at him without turning around.

“What’s up Luke?” I asked when he was at my locker. Some of the football team was with him, including Monty.

“You know, it goes. I heard back from UNC yesterday. Did you?”

“Uh.” I cleared my throat and tried to will away more tears. I didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath Monty made. “I uh… Yeah. I didn’t get in.” I muttered. There was confused murmuring all around me. The only one who didn’t say anything was Monty. I didn’t have to look up to see that Zach was glaring daggers at him.

“How did they not accept you?” Charlie asked.

“I don’t know Char. It was a long shot anyway. Their acceptance rate is twenty three percent total. It’s even less for out of state applicants. Applicants who aren’t being given sports scholarships anyway. No offence Luke.”

“None taken. I’m sorry Reagan.”

“It’s okay. I applied to other schools.” I cleared my throat again. “I have to get to class.

“I’ll walk you.” Zach said. I nodded and took his hand in mine.

We stopped on the way when he pulled me aside into an empty classroom. “You didn’t mention that you heard back from UNC.”

“I know. I just… I needed some time to process. Can we talk about this later? I have a reading due at the beginning of class.”

“Sure. I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Of course.” I kissed him on the cheek. I sat through my classes in an almost daze. Monty sent me a couple of texts that made me smile. Zach also sent a couple of goofy pictures to try and cheer me up. My smile didn’t quite meet my eyes as much. I attributed it to being upset about the admission decision.

I met Zach at the doors to the cafeteria and he hugged me. I smiled sadly into his chest. I picked at my lunch silently. I could feel Monty and Zach’s eyes on me. They were watching both me and each other. No one else picked up on the tension. “Did you want to come over after school Zach? My parents are at work.”

“That works. I’ll let my mom know we are studying after school.”

“Studying each other?” Justin smirked. I rolled my eyes. Zach threw a piece of cheese at him.

“Fuck off.”

“Why do you throw food at each other?”

“It’s fun.” They shrugged.

“Alright then. I have a free period so I’m going to finish a project. I’ll see you guys later.” I leaned over and kissed Zach.

A few minutes after I sat down and pulled up my assignment, someone sat next to me. “So. You didn’t tell Zach?”

“No Monty.” I didn’t look up from my computer.

“You didn’t tell him you called me either, did you?”

“No. But I’m sure it will come up tonight when we talk.”

“You’ll let me know if everything is okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I have class so I’ll text you hot stuff.”

“You better.” I smirked.

Zach and I met each other at my place. My parents were at work and I think both of us knew this was going to become a fight, so I wasn’t surprised when he agreed to come over at lunch without a thought.. We danced around each other in silence. Neither of us knew how to react to the tension between us. With Montgomery it was easy. He would be in a mood or I would be upset about something, we would yell at each other for a while, and then… then it was fixed. I had never fought with Zach before.

“Why didn’t you tell me about UNC?”

“I told you. I needed time to process. To think. That was my top choice Zach. My plans literally changed overnight. That takes time to think through.”

“But I’m your boyfriend. I’m supposed to help you with that stuff. To be there for you.”

“I know. But I need to take time to process before I can deal, okay?”

“Right. Time to process. That’s why Monty knew?”

“How do you know he knew?”

“His reaction this morning. Plus, I heard him talking to Scott and Luke about it in class.”

“Are you mad I didn’t tell you, or are you mad I told Monty?”

“Both.”

“I don’t know why I told him okay?”

“No Reagan. Not okay.”

“I didn’t do it intentionally Zach. I just… dialed. I wasn’t even looking at my phone.”

“Is that supposed to make this better? That your instinct was to call your ex-boyfriend and not me?”

“No. I’m saying that I wasn’t even thinking clearly. All I knew was that in an instant my entire future was fading before my eyes.”

“So, you called Monty.”

“Yes Zach. I called him. I called him and he came. He dropped everything and he came to me.”

“What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“What. Happened. Reagan?”

“Nothing. I just cried. And cried. And then he left. I was upset.”

“Why couldn’t you call me?”

“Oh my god, Zach. I wasn’t thinking. I can’t explain to you why I called him and not you. I just picked a contact without looking and it was his.”

“Do you still love him?” His question caught me off guard. Do I?

“No.” My voice sounded sure. My brain and heart didn’t believe me. Hopefully Zach would.

“You don’t. Why do you still flirt with him?”

“I don’t love him. As for the flirting, that’s just how we talk to each other. We’ve always done it.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

“Noted.”  

Zach scoffed. “You flirt with your ex in front of me.”

“I don’t mean anything by it.”

“That doesn’t matter. Do you not think it’s weird that you’re still super close to your ex?”

“Not really, no. He is my friend. You can be friends with an ex, you know.”

“Most people can’t, actually.”

“So what? You’re mad that I’m friends with Monty?”

“I’m not mad Reagan. It’s just a lot to deal with.”

“Why?”

“Do you know how it feels to learn stuff about you, because your ex is talking about it? Or because you two are joking about something?”

“No. I guess I never really thought about it like that. It’s not that weird to us. But it does make sense.” I sat down on my couch. My adrenaline was leveling out again and I felt like an asshole.

“It doesn’t feel good.” He sat down next to me.

“I’m sorry Zach. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.”

“I know.”

“I’ll talk to Monty about it. Tell him we need to stop the flirting and stuff.” Zach took my hand gently.

“Okay.” I rested my head on his shoulder and he pulled me into his lap. I was shocked that a fight had been resolved that easily and cleanly.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Monty and I met at the docks to talk after Zach and I fought. “Hey.”

“Hey sweetheart.” I grimaced slightly.

“Zach and I talked.”

“Okay. How did it go?”

“He was pretty ticked off that you knew about UNC before he knew. And that you came over instead of him.”

“But I’m your friend.”

“And he is my boyfriend. Also, for the record, you aren’t just my friend Monty. You’re my ex.”

“So?”

“So, you aren’t just my friend.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because. The way you talk to me, it’s like we never broke up. You’re the one who said you wanted to break up. That you weren’t ready for a serious relationship. Or any relationship for that matter.”

“Is it you, or Zach that has a problem with it?” My silence spoke volumes. “I see. Well, you go tell your boyfriend that we talked.”

“Monty. I do feel bad about it. It’s not fair to Zach to have to deal with you flirting with me and making moves all the time.”

“You know, if I believed that you felt bad, or that you were honestly asking me to stop, I would. But I know you. I know this isn’t coming from you.”

“Montgomery. You need to stop. I’m asking you to stop.”

“Fine. I’ll cool it.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask. Still friends?”

“Of course, Rea.” He hugged me tightly. I felt like I would let tight hugs slide because I liked them. We walked to our cars together quietly. I didn’t want to have to go or have things change, but I knew that if I wanted to stay with Zach, they would have to.

Monty was true to his word for all of three days. We were still friendly. The flirting had stopped though. There was still a buzz in the air when we interacted. It was easier to ignore now. At least, I thought it had stopped. I was painting my finger and toenails in the bathroom on Saturday night. It was my weekly self-care night. My phone rang before I could decide on a face mask to do while my nails dried. I smiled but rolled my eyes a bit when I saw who was calling. “Hi Monty.” I tried to sound annoyed but couldn’t keep the smile out of my voice.

“Hey Reagan.” He slurred slightly. I could hear the sound of boys falling and goofing off in the background. Bryce is having a thing, I guess.

“What’s up Buddy?”

“Jus’ guys night.”

“You don’t say.”

“You sound relaxed.”

“And you sound mighty drunk. It’s Saturday.”

“Right. Right. Girly night.” He chuckled.

“Yes. Is there a reason you called?”

“Wanted to say hi.”

“Oh.” I thought we had talked about this.

“I miss you.” He slurred. Oh boy.

“Uh. Miss you too.” I grimaced. He was drunk so I wasn’t going to just pretend I hadn’t heard him. Montgomery wouldn’t remember this in the morning.

“I’m an idiot.”

“No, you aren’t.”

“I am. I let you go.”

“Monty….”

“I love you.” My eyes widened. No. I felt the corners of my eyes begin to fill with tears. Looking up, I blinked them away. I didn’t know what to say.

“I-.”

“I’m in love with you.”

“Monty.” I whispered. Why is this happening? We talked about this. At least he won’t remember this tomorrow. But I can’t just act like it didn’t happen.

“Buddy, get off the phone and come play.” Garrison called in the background.

“Gotta go.” Monty said before hanging up. What the actual fuck just happened?

I didn’t text Monty or Zach all day Sunday. I didn’t actually talk to or text anyone aside from my parents. I woke up on Monday dreading school. I just laid in bed and stared at my ceiling. I would see Zach and have to act like that phone call didn’t happen. And that Montgomery hadn’t said what he said. I would also see him. I don’t know if I can do that. He’s your friend. He was wasted when he called you. He won’t remember it. Taking a deep breath, I threw off the covers and got up. I stopped for a coffee on my way to school to try to calm my nerves, even though I was more of a tea person.

I walked into the school and as luck would have it, the first person I saw, was Montgomery freaking De la Cruz. Thank you, Universe. Instantly, I turned on my heel and walked out of the building before he could see me. Books weren’t important now. I had to avoid him. I power walked to the nearest exit and stopped by a large tree. Leaning against it, I took a deep breath and contemplated ditching school. That wasn’t going to be possible. Because the universe decided to say fuck Reagan today. Zach was walking towards me from the parking lot. He waved. I pretended I hadn’t seen it and ignored him. He stopped when he got to my tree. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Hey. Yeah. I’m okay.”

“You’re breathing kind of heavy. And leaning against a tree.”

“I’m fine Zach.”

“Okay.” He didn’t sound convinced. Before he could say anything more, I picked up my bag and brushed past him. I took the long way around to the back of the building to physics. I slumped in my seat and doodled through the whole class. I was doing well enough that the teacher wasn’t going to call on me.

I spent the next week avoiding Monty. I didn’t answer his texts. I took different routes to class. As far as I was concerned, he didn’t exist anymore. Except for the near constant string of text messages that I was getting from him. And his confession running over in my head any time I had a free moment to think. Why did he have to do that? I was getting on just fine. Zach and I were in a good place again. We agreed that we would just be friends. Fine. Fine. Fine.

I was also distant with Zach. I felt awful about it. You love him. He can say it to you sober. He loves you. If he saw me in the halls, he would come over and I would let him walk me to class. We would hold hands. My grip wasn’t as tight as usual. He would put his arm around me. I wouldn’t lean against him. I think he could tell something was off. Being Zach, he wouldn’t bring it up though. Since I was avoiding my two favourite jocks, I couldn’t exactly sit with Zach at lunch. I sat with Jess and Alex instead. Without Zach. They exchanged looks the first day but said nothing.

I went to the baseball game after school to support Zach. And to make it seem like nothing was wrong between him and I or Monty and I. I didn’t want people asking too many questions. Questions I didn’t want to answer. Monty’s drunken declaration had brought up feelings I had spent the better part of a year and a half, trying to bury. I was the one that wanted more from him. I was the one who needed more. When it was clear I wasn’t going to get more, I settled. And then when we broke up, I was comfortable in the fact that even though I loved him and I felt like he loved me, it would go unsaid and we could just be friends. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was why we were so close and flirted with each other. While I wasn’t in love with him anymore, I still did love him. Even though I told Zach I wasn’t. Liar. You are still hopelessly in love with him. Maybe. But I can’t have him the way I want. And I love Zach. I just haven’t decided if I’m in love with him yet.

After the game, I waited to say bye to Zach and congratulate him on the win. “Congratulations 16. You won.” I smiled as he walked up to me. I was waiting at the bottom of the bleachers.

“Of course, we did. I had my biggest cheerleader in the stands.” He grinned. I couldn’t help but melt. Pushing away any and all thoughts of Montgomery’s phone call, I threw my arms around his neck and let him scoop me up into his arms as we kissed. My legs wrapped around his waist and his hands held my thighs.

“Get a room.” Bryce called out to us as he passed with some of the guys. The jocks cheered and whistled. I flipped them off and pulled away from the kiss.

“Two things. One, you don’t have girlfriends because you whistle at girls. We aren’t dogs. Two, fuck off.” I called back.

“I have a girlfriend.” Anders yelled.

“I know. She’s awesome. That’s two of twenty. Now shut up and leave us be assholes.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

Zach let out a loud laugh when they walked away. “That was amazing.”

“Yeah. It kind of was. Sadly, I have to go work on a project. Walk me to my car?” I said as I jumped out down.

“Lead the way.”

I was working on my project when Monty called me. I sent it straight to voicemail. He called again. I let it ring out. He called back. This man just doesn’t quit. Again, I let it ring. He called a fourth time. Jesus. I answered it on the second to last ring. “What?”

“Woah. Who pissed in your tea today?”

“You called me four times in a row. What do you want Montgomery?”

“Well, I was calling to see why you have been ignoring me. But now I’m going to ask why you’re being such a bitch?”

“I’m busy. And you called me four times in a row.”

“Busy with what?”

“A project.”

“Okay. I’ll keep this quick then. Since a project is apparently more important than your best friend.” I didn’t respond. “Why have you been avoiding me, Reagan?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.”

“Bull. I haven’t seen or heard from you in almost a week. Are you mad at me or something?”

“No. I’ve been busy.”

“With Zach?”

“No. With stuff. I have a life outside of Zach Dempsey and you, you know.”

“Stuff. Okay. What stuff?”

“School stuff. Trying to figure out what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. Stuff.”

“Alright. I don’t believe you though. Did I do something wrong?” Yes. You did. Something very wrong. That you apparently can’t even remember. Meaning you didn’t have to just be drunk to say it. You had to be wasted.

“No. I’ve just been busy.” I sighed.

“We’re okay?”

“Yes Monty. We’re okay.”

“Okay good. Did you want to do lunch tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“Great. Rosie’s at one?”

“I’ll be there.” I threw my phone on my bed when I hung up. This man is infuriating. Why can’t I say no to him?

To no one’s surprise, Monty didn’t stop flirting with me. He made comments about my outfits or little things that he knew about me. It had finally driven Kyla away. I feared that Zach would be the next person he drove away. I didn’t fall into his trap anymore and let him bait me into flirting with him again. He tried hard. But I didn’t want to go back on my word to Zach. I couldn’t control what Monty did. But I could control how I reacted. So, any time Monty flirted with me, I ignored it. I pushed down the little flutter in my stomach and blush that threatened to creep up my neck. Zach would roll his eyes and smirk if he was around to watch the spectacle that had become Monty and my interactions. We both figured he would grow tired of not getting a response and quit eventually. I have no idea why. Montgomery De la Cruz never was one to back down from a challenge.

As the school year started heading towards its close, the big senior trip was coming up. Every year, the school sent the senior class on a trip. It was supposed to be educational and technically was fair game on any exams except our government finals when we got back. But really, it was to let us blow off some steam and get us into a different environment, so we were less likely to do a Senior Skip Day or senior prank. The only teachers who tested on it were the hard asses. This year we would be going to DC to “learn about the government and how our nation’s democracy runs.”

The senior class was abuzz with excitement about our trip to DC. It was fully paid for by the school due to it being a mandatory trip, aside from the few thousand we needed to fundraise for. It wasn’t cheer camp so people were more willing to donate for a bake sale, over Dollar Valentines. Typically, everyone shared rooms at the hotel. This year however, there was an uneven number of girls in the class. Meaning that one lucky girl, would get a whole room to herself for the week. To make it a fair draw, every grade twelve girl’s name was put into a raffle. A random teacher from the neighbouring school then pulled a name from the bunch, to keep it impartial. An email would be sent out to every girl, letting her know if she was picked.

I held my phone tightly all day on draw day. It was a week out from the day we were leaving. We weren’t told when the email would go out. Only that we would know by tonight. I hope it’s me. At dinner, my phone pringed. I shot up like I had been bitten.

“Reagan. You know the rules. No phones at dinner.” My mom scolded.

“But Mom. It’s draw day for the single room. I need to go check. Please? Thirty seconds. Promise.”

“Okay. Go check.” She waved me off. I ran to the counter and grabbed my phone. Opening the email, I read it intently. Reagan Taylor- Single room. I screeched in excitement.

“I got the single room! I got the single!”

“That’s wonderful honey. Now come finish your broccoli.” I quickly texted Zach. I got it. :) He replied while I was finishing dinner. That’s great. :)

I texted Monty after dinner as well. I got the single room. He replied while I was getting ready for bed.

Excellent. What better place for you and Dempsey to screw each other silly? Can’t wait to hear all the details.

You are such a creep.

You like it.

The Friday before we left, Zach came over after school to help me pack. My parents were having date night, so it was just the two of us for the foreseeable future. Ever the gentleman, he helped me carry my suitcase up from the storage room. The rose gold hard case set was laid out on my floor. I put Zach in charge of folding my clothes, since he was the self-proclaimed “master packer”. He pouted slightly when I said he couldn’t fold my underwear. I managed to sneak in a few more sexy sets as well. We would be gone for a week. A lot can happen in six nights.

“Do you like this shirt?” I asked him.

“It’s nice.”

“I could wear it to the Capital.”

“Yeah. Or dinner.”

“There’s going to be dinner, hmmm?”

He walked towards me and took the shirt from my hands. “There might be. There also might be a lot more than dinner.” Zach wrapped his arms around me.

“Oh really?”

“Mhmm. If you want more than dinner.”

“I do have a single room.”

“That you do. Bring the shirt.”

“Okay.” I felt a blush creeping all the way up to my ears.

After some more packing, we took a break. A very nice break. We were laying on my bed. The suitcase was still open in the corner of my room. Zach shifted so he was resting his head in his hand on his elbow. I looked up at him and grinned. He grinned back. “Hi.”

“Hi.” He leaned down and kissed me softly. I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around his neck. Zach smiled into the kiss and moved to climb on top of me. He straddled my waist so that I was on my back again. The more he kissed me, the more I wanted this to go further.

My hands left his neck and went to pull on his shirt. I was trying to pull it off without breaking our kiss. When it was halfway up his torso, he pulled away from the kiss and pulled the cotton over his head. I smiled demurely at him. He began kissing me again and our tongues did their playful dance. I moaned softly when he kissed my neck. He didn’t suck hard enough to leave any marks. I sat up to take off my shirt when he pulled it up my stomach. He kissed me once again and I carded my fingers through his hair. My breathing started to get heavier as his Zach’s hands explored my body. My hips bucked lightly. He unzipped my jeans and I wiggled them off. They were pushed to the end of the bed along with our shirts. I struggled with his belt a little. I wasn’t used to it yet. It still felt foreign under my fingers. Finally, I had removed it. I unzipped his jeans and Zach kicked them off. He moved his kisses down my chest, brushing over the top of my bra. I sighed. My hands moved to his to the front of his torso and I ran my fingers up and down his chest. The skin was smooth, but I felt goosebumps form where I touched. We were still in our underwear. This feel so… nice. Nice is good. So why does it feel like I have no clue what I’m doing?

We made out passionately. Our exploration of each other’s bodies continued. There was light teasing and nipping at spots. It felt good. Zach unhooked my bra and I pulled it off. It landed at the end of the bed with our other clothes. I gasped when he grew bolder and sucked a pebbling nipple into his mouth. His tongue flicked it a few times and I moaned his name. He used his other hand to roll and tease my other nipple. My hips couldn’t be stopped from bucking. I wanted more. I reached for his boxers. I was only able to brush his V-line. He pulled away from me.

“Did you want something?” He asked cheekily.

“Mhmm.” I moaned and reached for him again. My eyes were trained on the bulge in his boxers. They widened as he pulled them off and his cock sprang out. Reaching out, I grasped it in my hand. It felt hot and heavy. He moaned softly when I began stroking.

To make things easier and more comfortable, he rolled over so he was on his back. I sat up some and watched his face. Zach’s eyes were closed, and his brow was furrowed. He looked relaxed. I leaned down and kissed him. His fingers tangled into my hair as he deepened the kiss. My strokes became more confident and picked up speed. The quiet moans and grunts he was emitting were very encouraging. Soon enough, his hips were bucking. He sat up to stop me. I looked at him with dark eyes. He smiled at me and sat up, pushing me down on the soft mattress. Zach was gazing at me with the most kind and loving expression I had ever seen. My heart swelled.

I couldn’t wait any longer and reached to pull down my underwear. Zach pulled them down my legs and threw them towards the end of my bed. I got comfortable as he reached out for me. His fingers quickly found my core, and then my clit. My breath hitched when he rubbed it. He was gentle. I silently thanked him for that. Gathering some lubrication, he spent a little while trying different gestures and patterns as he ran his fingers through my core. There was some back-and-forth movement, as well as some up and down. It felt good but it wasn’t quite it. He tried circles and I moaned his name loudly. “That’s it. Do that. Do more of that.” My hips twisted. He leaned down to kiss me again while he rubbed me. Zach continued to rub my clit softly in circular motions. I moaned lowly as a finger entered me. It was slow and calculated. He continued to stimulate me for a few minutes, varying the speed and intensity of both his rubbing and thrusting. My hips wiggled in an attempt to get more stimulation.

Deciding I was aroused enough, he pulled away and looked at me questioningly. “There is a new box of condoms in my sock drawer.” He nodded and stood to grab one. Once the condom was properly and securely in place, he climbed back on top of me. I felt dwarfed by his large frame. He rubbed my clit and fingered me a few more times, before I felt his cock brush against my folds. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for him to enter me. I was expecting something quick. Like ripping off the band aid. Instead, he slowly pushed his way into my body. I groaned and my head rolled to the side. His breath hitched when he bottomed out.

“Shit.” He cursed in my ear.

After a few beats, he began to slowly thrust. I tried to match his slow, sweet pace. It just felt so different. Nice. Good. But still different. Zach started kissing up and down my neck again. I smiled and eventually, was able to match his thrusts. They began speeding up slightly and he intertwined his fingers with mine. I squeezed his hands. I closed my eyes when he kissed me. It almost felt like there was something missing. While I was trying to focus on the sensations coursing through my body, I realized that we weren’t just having sex. We were making love. I froze slightly but covered it by tensing up a little. I could feel my orgasm approaching anyway. I could tell it would be different than normal. I was both excited and a little scared.

As though Zach could sense my thoughts, he kissed me deeply and murmured against my lips, “let go.” His thrusts picked up speed and my hips stilled. I felt the knot in my stomach start to tighten and I clutched his shoulders. I moaned loudly as I felt the knot snap. My orgasm was different than it had been in the past. It was good, but it was less intense. There was no convulsing or extreme contortion. He continued to thrust, pulling me through my orgasm. My muscles relaxed and I slumped for a second. I could tell Zach’s high was in his reach. I began whispering dirty nothings in his ear and telling him that I loved him to try to get him to finish. I kissed his neck and nibbled softly. His thrusting became sloppy and he groaned loudly as he peaked.

With a laboured grunt, Zach rolled off of me and pulled me close to him. I closed my eyes for a second. Then I remembered I had to go to the bathroom. I rolled over and sat up slowly. When I returned to bed, Zach had discarded the condom and put on his boxers. I pulled his shirt on, along with a clean pair of underwear. Curling up in his arms, I rested my eyes for a while. “I love you.” I whispered as I drifted off.

“I love you too.” We woke up an hour later and finished packing, sneaking coy glances at each other.

Tuesday morning started unfairly early. We had to be at the airport by eight for our flight at ten. My alarm went off at five thirty. I protested as I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Slowly, I made my way to the bathroom to shower. I didn’t need to look super cute, but I at least wanted to smell good. It was a five-hour flight. I double checked that I had everything packed while my hair towel dried. My dad knocked on my door and I grunted at him. The shower had done little to wake me up. “Morning Kiddo. I’m just going to take your suitcase downstairs.”

“K.” I muttered.

Downstairs after I got dressed, I poured myself a very large cup of coffee. I didn’t really like sleeping on planes. Plus, I could get a tea after we got through security. My mom had offered to drive Zach and I to the airport, so I called him to make sure he was up. “Good morning Baby.”

“Good morning babe.” He sighed on the other end of the line.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Jut tired.”

“Me too. Mom just wanted to make sure you were up.”

“I am. Stuff is by the door and everything.”

“Oh good. See you in half an hour?”

“Okay. See you then. I love you.”

“I love you too.” I hung up and texted Monty to make sure he was up. Get up loser, we’re going to DC.

I’m up. And it’s too early for bending Mean Girls quotes.

It’s never too early. He replied with an eye roll emoji. I shook my head and didn’t answer.

“Reagan, are you ready to go?” My mom asked.

“Yeah.” I grabbed my backpack and rolled my suitcase out to the car. Dad lifted it into the back and checked that mom and I were securely buckled. Have to make sure my girls are safe. He had said when I asked him about doing that when I was younger. I still didn’t let him see the way I smiled about it.

Zach was waiting on his front steps for us. It was still early and May was still asleep. He waved and mom opened the back hatch for him. I looked in the rear view mirror and smirked at the way his muscles bulged when he lifted his suitcase into the car. He kissed me when he got in and greeted my mom. “Thanks for the ride Mrs. Taylor.”

“Of course, Zach.” She smiled at him from the driver’s seat. Once we got onto the highway, traffic was fairly light. It was still pretty early so we beat most of the commuters. It grew heavier as we got closer to the airport. None of us were surprised. Especially given that an entire high school senior class was descending upon it.

Mom parked in the drop off zone for the airline. Zach got out and walked around the car to open my door. He hugged me tightly as I stepped out. I breathed in the fresh scent of his cologne. “Hi.”

“Hi.” I looked up at him and grinned. Throwing on my backpack, I grabbed Zach’s while he got our suitcases. Inside, we met up with our friends. Clay was basically dragging Justin through the airport. Alex and Charlie both looked very awake for seven forty-five in the morning. Must be nice. I nodded at Monty and Scott from across the room. They were talking to Bryce and Luke.

Getting our tickets and going through security went shockingly well. Since we had so much time to kill, the teachers let us roam the gate freely. We had to swear left and right we would be on the plane. I abandoned Zach with Justin and Alex to go in search of a piping hot cup of tea. “Reagan.” Monty said as he approached me.

“Morning Monty. It’s tea time.”

“I need coffee. I’ll go with you.” We walked through the gate silently. I could feel his eyes on me. He was trying way too hard to seem like he wasn’t

staring at me.

“Can I help you?”

“There’s something different about you.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“You seem… less tense.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He stopped for a minute. “Wait. Did you two finally?” I blushed. “You did. Was it good?”

“Yeah.” I replied. It wasn’t a lie. It was good.

“Yeah? Better than us?” I turned to him, perplexed.

“Is that trick question? How do you want me to answer that?”

“Is that a no?” He smirked.

“No. It’s not an answer. Because it’s none of your business.”

“Alright, don’t tell me.”

Tea and coffee in hand, we walked back to the gate to sit until our plane boarded. The minutes ticked by. Zach was watching YouTube videos on his phone. I peeked over my book at him. He looked up and smiled. I felt eyes on us and turned to Monty. He was smirking at Zach. I rolled my eyes, mouthed piss off to him, and went back to my book. The flight to DC was pretty boring. I was able to sit with Zach and we watched a movie for the first half of it. Afterwards, I listened to some music and read while he slept.

We spent the first night in DC relaxing after a long flight. I enjoyed having a single room. It was quiet and I didn’t have to argue with anyone about what bed I would get. Jess came to do a face mask and have some girl time. It was nice. “So, tell me. What’s new with you and Zach.”

“There’s not much to tell.” I fibbed. She saw right through me.

“Oh, come on Reagan. There is totally something to spill.”

“We finally had sex.”

“No way!”

“Yeah.”

“How was it?” I hesitated. “Girl talk.” She smiled at me and I knew none of what I said would get back to Zach.

“It was nice.”

“And?”

“Good.”

“Nice and good?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the best you can come up with?”

“I don’t know Jessica. It was nice.”

“But it’s supposed to be more than nice.”

“I know. And it wasn’t bad. It was just….”

“No. Don’t even think that. We cleansed. Remember?”

“Okay Ryan Shaver.” I laughed.

“Still.”

“I know. It was just different is all.”

“I get that.” She sighed wistfully. I tried to scrub the mental image of Jessica and Justin going at it like jack rabbits. Ew. No no. Bad.

We toured the Smithsonian on Wednesday and went to the Capital on Thursday to see Congress. I stuck close to Zach the whole time. Monty continued his flirting. It was as though he really had no idea what he had said to me last month on the phone. I did my best to ignore it. But it was starting to get on my nerves. I could tell Zach was growing frustrated as well. While it got on my nerves, I was having a harder and harder time ignoring the butterflies in my stomach when Montgomery tried to charm his way to me. He could tell. I just hoped Zach couldn’t. Our interactions had been tense since last month.

Tensions between me and Monty come to a head in DC. It was Friday night, three days into our weeklong trip. I was coming back from an evening coffee run with Zach and Justin. Monty was milling about with Bryce and Luke outside. I tried to ignore the pang in my chest when I saw them. Monty caught my eye and subtly nodded at me. No one in either of our groups noticed. I pulled out my phone and texted him. My room. 10 mins. He waited until we were inside the hotel to read my message. There was no response. I assumed he got the message and made to excuse myself to my room. “That was really great guys. I’m actually pretty tired and I still have to fill in my trip journal for the day. I think I’m going to head up to my room.”

“Okay, night Reagan.” Justin nodded. He seemed slightly suspicious. I chalked it up to him having his own experience with bullshit excuses.

“Do you want me to walk you up?” Zach asked.

“No, don’t worry. You hang out with Justin. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Alright. Text me when you get upstairs. I love you.”

“I love you too.” I kissed him softly.

Upstairs, I threw my backpack on the unoccupied bed and threw my hair up. Since I would be getting ready for bed soon anyway, I brushed my teeth and changed into my pyjamas while I waited for Montgomery. I was putting my toiletries back in my suitcase when he knocked on my door sharply. He was standing on the other side of the door, his hands once again buried in his pockets when I opened it. “You rang.”

“Hi.” I moved out of the doorway and let him in.

“What did you want to talk about Reagan?”

“No one saw you come up here, did they?”

“No. they didn’t. Is that what you’re worried about? Someone knowing that I’m in your room?”

“Of course not. Its just….”

“Zach. You can say his name. I’m a big boy.”

“I told Zach that he didn’t have to worry about you and I.” Monty scoffed, bitterly.

“Yeah. Nothing to worry about with us. Sure.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“If I was in his place, I would worry too.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean Montgomery?”

“Last month, you told me that we aren’t just friends. And you weren’t wrong. Because people who are just friends don’t look for each other in crowds. Or stop when other people are talking about them. The thing you forgot to mention is how unfair you were being to both of us.”

“I don’t do that.”

“Bullshit. I’ve seen it. And if I’ve seen it, so has Zach. He isn’t that oblivious.”

“Zach has a problem with our friendship.”

“Oh, so now you admit it. Least I got that out of you. Only took a month.”

“It makes him uncomfortable that we are so close. And I feel bad about it. I told you that already.”

“If you expect me to believe you care so much about how our friendship affects your boyfriend, then why did you call me about UNC as soon as you found out and not him? Why did you lie and cancel plans with him to spend time with me? Why is it that until a month ago, you flirted with just as much intensity as I did? Why did-.” I opened my mouth to stop him. “No. You don’t get to talk right now Reagan. It’s my turn to talk.” I closed my mouth and looked down. I was stunned and a little bit scared. He had never yelled at me like that before. “Why did you ask me to come get you when you got too drunk at a party on a college visit and not him? Even after you told me things had to change? Because I would love to hear you explain that.”

I was silent. I knew I couldn’t deny any of what he had said. We weren’t just friends. We didn’t know how to be friends. Or we never wanted to be. “Well?”

“I… you weren’t being fair to me either Monty. I’m not the only one at fault here. I wouldn’t have had to cancel on Zach if you hadn’t shown up to my house unannounced needing first aid. Again. You’re the one who started it with the flirting. As soon as you saw that I was moving on and could be happy with someone else, you fucking start flirting with me and talking to me like you had never stopped. Like you hadn’t broken my heart that day. And maybe I let it go on too long. Maybe I shouldn’t have reciprocated the flirting. But it made me feel good. And it was fun. Until it started having an impact on my actual relationship. With someone who is able to admit that he loves me. You want to stand here and talk to me about looking for someone in a crowd or stopping when people talk about them? What about when you drunk dialed me telling me that you love me? What about how anytime we are alone together you waste time leaving just so you don’t have to go? I’m not the only one at fault here. I asked you to stop flirting with me and you didn’t.”

“Is that phone call what did it?”

“I’m with someone who doesn’t have to be drunk to tell me that he loves me. And no. The call didn’t do anything. But it’s nice to know you remember it.”

“You want me to say it? I’m completely sober. You really want to hear me say it?”

“Yes.” I said loudly, exasperated.

“Easy. I love you.”

We were silent for a minute, finally aware of the tension in the air. I made the first move and kissed him. It was chaste at first. I was giving him a chance to take it back. When he didn’t pull away or stop it, I deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around me, picked me up, and placed me on the bed. His hands trailed down my body and played with the hem of my shirt. He sat on the bed beside me and pulled me on top of him. I straddled his waist and sat in his lap, slipping my hands under his t-shirt. When I traced his abs, he sucked in a breath. Everything with him felt so natural. So easy. I slipped my hands out from his shirt and pulled away from our kiss. He looked puzzled until I pulled off my shirt. I nodded at him and he pulled off his flannel. Next to go was his t-shirt. His pupils were blown. He was staring at me, not with hunger like I had expected, but in awe and admiration.

I kissed him again, but I quickly pulled away. I kissed down his neck, searching for the pulse point. We fell backwards in a mess of limbs and kisses on the plush hotel bed. His hands were on my hips instantly to steady me. I had found his pulse point and sucked at it harshly. There was sure to be a mark within the hour. I could feel him pulling at the waistband of my pyjama pants. “Yes.” I whispered in his ear. Monty pulled my bottoms down and off quickly. My underwear was still on and he snapped the waistband cheekily. “Bastard.” I said against his neck.

“You love it.” He moaned loudly when I bit his neck in response. I had to cover his mouth.

“Shhh. People could hear.”

“Screw people.”

With that, he flipped us over, so he was on top now. My hands went for his belt and I deftly undid it. My muscles still remembered the movements. The sound of the clinking metal as the hook hit the buckle. The way I had to tug a little harder to get it to come out of the loops because it stuck on the back one. Soon enough, his belt and jeans were strewn across the room along with the rest of our clothes. It was his turn to kiss me. He dragged his teeth against my bottom lip, pulling it slightly. I moaned lowly. His kisses traveled down my neck quickly. He always did prefer to leave marks on my collarbones and breasts. My neck was still fair game to him and he often left at least one mark on it at any given time. Just like he had so many times before so long ago, he left a clear bite mark on my décolleté. His attention was turned to my breasts then. He deftly unhooked my bra and pulled it off. It joined the ever-growing pile of clothes flung across the room.

The marks he left on my breasts were small in comparison to the one I had left on his neck. He is probably trying to hide them. I too, moaned loudly when he nipped my skin. He covered my mouth like I had done to him only moments before. The difference was that I grabbed his wrist in my hands like I was trying to hold onto him for dear life. I heard him chuckle and felt the stupid smirk against my chest. “Shhh. People could hear.” He mocked.

“Screw people.” He uncovered my mouth and pulled away for a moment. I gazed at him wantonly. I realized what he wanted a second later when he tried to both push and pull me further up the bed. Taking the hint, I shimmied my way up, so we had more room. Falling off the bed would certainly raise suspicion about what was happening in here.

Montgomery continued his journey down my body to my underwear. He stopped to place a gentle kiss to each of my hips. “Think you can keep quiet Kitten?” I melted at the nickname. I hadn’t heard it in so long.

“Yes.”

“Okay.” He pulled at the waistband of my underwear and they landed on the floor beside the bed. I sighed as he placed kisses to my pubic mound and my upper and inner thighs. Reaching down, I placed my hand on his hair. It felt so soft. Suddenly, he placed a kiss to my clit and my hips bucked. My fingers curled in his hair slightly. I moaned again, quietly this time, when he began to lap at my folds. My fingers curled in his hair more still. I couldn’t stop myself from tugging slightly. When he focused on sucking my clit I pulled on his hair. He moaned against my core and my body shook. When he added a finger or two to the mix, I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. I had been secretly imagining this moment for the better part of a year. This felt so much better than I could have ever imagined. My orgasm began to build quickly. My walls started to flutter. Monty chuckled. He was well versed in my body’s reactions to stimuli. We both knew what was coming. His fingers thrust faster, and he stopped sucking my clit. Instead, he rubbed my clit harshly. I had to cover my mouth to keep from moaning too loudly. And then everything was bright and light for a second. I felt a, thankfully given our location, small trickle of liquid spill its way out of me. Monty gently slowed, and then stopped his thrusting and rubbing. I was panting and trying to catch my breath.

“Just give me a second.”

“Of course. Take your time.”

I looked down at him as he climbed up the bed. He settled beside me and reached down to palm at his hard dick. Once I had caught my breath, I shoved his hands out of the way and took over the palming. “You are so evil.” He grumbled.

“You love it.” I slipped my hand under the band of his boxer briefs. I hadn’t even touched his dick and he was bucking his hips already. He gasped when I brushed his dick with my fingertips lightly. I grasped it in my hand and stoked it. My movements were stilted by his underwear. After I took them off and dropped them next to my own underwear, there was much more real estate to work with. My hand was back to stroking right away. I was mostly just trying to bide time getting my energy back.

A little longer and my energy was back up to useful levels. So, I straddled his waist again and leaned in to kiss him. I wasn’t as conscious of my nakedness as I normally was. Our kiss was heated but I managed to pull away somehow. The trailing kisses down his chest made his breathing heavy. When I reached his cock, I licked a stripe from base to tip. I felt him tug at my ponytail holder. “I will never understand how this works.” I chuckled and reached up to pull my hair down. It fell in a cascade around my face. I tucked some behind my ear and repeated the same lick. The groan and hand that was winding its way in my hair told me all I needed to know. I smiled to myself before taking his cock in my mouth. I sucked slowly at first. I needed to take a few minutes to get used to the feeling. He removed his hand from my hair then, letting me do my thing. He put it back when I started to take more and more into my mouth and throat. I sighed softly when I managed to take it all. That last half inch was always iffy. His hand was wrapped up in my hair and holding it away from my face. I was surprised that he remembered not to tug when I started bobbing my head. Or maybe that wouldn’t be something a guy would forget. His hand traveled down to the base of my hair and rested against my skull. He started to buck his hips and I gagged slightly. Focusing on breathing through my nose, I kept my pace up. I knew he was holding back. I moaned around his cock and he cursed under his breath. I didn’t quite catch it. I stopped sucking to take a big breath of air.

Before I could resume my actions, Monty tugged on my hair. I looked up at him. There’s the hunger. He tugged on my hair again. He was trying to pull me up towards him without hurting me or being too demanding about it. I crawled forward towards the headboard. Kissing him again was the easiest choice I made this trip. I got lost in the feeling of his lips on mine and his tongue fighting mine for dominance. He took advantage of my distraction and rolled us over again. He always did like to be on top. “Do you have a condom anywhere?” he asked between kisses.

“I slipped one in the nightstand beside the Bible.” I breathed.

“You would put it beside the Bible.” He sat up and reached into the drawer, pulling out the blue foil packet. Once the condom was in place and the foil was discarded, he kissed me again. He was still kissing me when he adjusted our positions so he could enter me. My neck had always been a favourite spot to kiss. I gasped when I felt his cock enter me. It felt amazing. My body knew what to do instinctively as soon as he began thrusting. My hips were quickly able to match his pace. I gripped his biceps tightly, trying to convince myself that I wasn’t dreaming.

As his pace quickened, mine stilled. I was watching him. His brow was furrowed, focusing on this moment. I was pretty sure both of us weren’t sure if it would ever happen again. I reached up and brushed some hair that had fallen into his face away. Montgomery hit a particularly sensitive spot and my hand fell to his shoulder, squeezing and digging my nails into the skin. I moaned loudly and he kissed me to muffle it. “Shhh.” He cooed against my mouth. I whimpered. I felt my orgasm building again. It was coming on fast. My hips started to move on their own accord again. His thrusts started to falter, and I mewled. We were both on a rollercoaster that was speeding up to a stomach dropping fall. I covered my mouth so no one could hear the scream trying to jump from my throat. My eyes screwed shut tightly and my eyes rolled back in my head. The white light was so bright. As soon as my orgasm began to hit, so did Monty’s.

He pulled out of me quickly and discarded the used condom. All but falling over me, he rolled onto his back. We were both breathless. I was gasping for air. He was panting heavily. I rolled over onto my side, for some reason shy to cuddle up against him. It seemed silly to be concerned about that after what we had just done. But it felt like crossing a line. “Come here.” Monty pulled me closer to him.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? It doesn’t cross a line?”

“Reagan. We just had arguably the best sex of our lives and I told you I love you. I think we are way past being concerned about crossing lines.” I sighed, realizing he was probably right. Might as well get comfortable. “You need to go pee first.” I sighed again and excused myself. Back in bed, I curled up beside him again.

“We had to go and make everything complicated.”

“When has anything about us not been complicated?”

“I guess you’re right. Will you stay?” He checked his watch and thought for a minute.

“I can stay for a while if you want me to.”

“Yes please.”

I woke up the next morning alone with the blankets tucked around me tightly. There was a note on the pillow next to me written in Montgomery’s messy scrawl. I’ll be waiting. Remember that. I love you. I set the note in my lap and rubbed my face. I should check my phone. See if I missed anything important. Zach had texted me to say good night the night before, while I was… otherwise engaged. There was a text from Justin asking if I needed to talk. And Scott. He wanted to know if I knew where Monty was last night. Oh god. I forgot they were sharing a room. Oh shit. I need to face Zach now. Deciding it would be best to get it over with as soon as possible, I dragged my butt out of bed. I tucked Monty’s note in my suitcase while I got dressed.

When I looked in the mirror and saw the marks on my chest and neck, I rolled my eyes. I packed a heavy-duty concealer for my under eyes. I wasn’t planning on using it to cover hickeys that my ex-boyfriend left on me. Blending and layering took longer than expected but it was early enough that I was still done at a reasonable time. I had to leave my hair down though. Throwing on a pair of sneakers, I made my way to Zach and Justin’s room. I paused for a second when I passed Montgomery’s room. I shook my head. You can’t. Not while Zach is still a factor in the equation. I knocked on Zach’s door and he opened it shirtless. My eyes trailed down his body. I couldn’t stop the memories of last night from flooding back. “Good morning beautiful.”

“Morning Zachy. Can I come in?”

“Yeah. I’m just about ready.” I nodded and went to sit on his bed. Thankfully I wasn’t walking funny. When he was ready, we went downstairs hand in hand.

Monty was talking to Scott in the hotel lobby. I was shocked to see him awake and dressed at this time. The man likes his sleep. And we didn’t exactly get much last night. “Morning Scott. Monty.” Zach stopped to talk as we passed. I couldn’t look Monty in the eye.

“Morning lovebirds.” Scott replied.

“Zach. Reagan.”

“Morning.”

“No tea yet?”

“No.”

“I see. Long night?” I could hear the smirk in Monty’s voice. I hate you.

“I stayed up watching tv.” Zach began making small talk with the boys but I didn’t contribute anymore. I just wanted to get out of there and be alone with my boyfriend. Part of me hoped I could forget that last night ever happened. That didn’t stop me from thinking about it though. The longer they talked, the more I thought about it.

“Babe let’s go. Brunch is waiting.” I urged him to stop talking to Monty and Scott. Please don’t invite them.

“It’s not even eleven Rea. I don’t think it counts as brunch yet.” Scott laughed.

“Okay, then breakfast is waiting. Either way, I’m hungry and food that is far too calories dense to be considered a proper morning meal is waiting.”

“Did you guys want to come with?” My eyes widened. Did he just…? He did not just invite them with us.

“Uh.” Monty cleared his throat. “Are you sure you want to invite me?”

“Yeah. I mean, you and Reagan are friends. I’m going to have to get used to it somehow.”

“Why don’t we ask Reagan?” Monty turned and looked at me, raising an inquisitive brow.

“Um. I- uh.” I looked down, blushing. “I was kind of hoping we could go… just the two of us?” I asked Zach, raising my voice a couple of octaves.

“Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. I just thought…,” he paused and took my hand again, “of course we can go just us. I was just trying to be nice and make an effort.” He was looking at me so kindly that I had to look away. “Sorry guys.”

“Nah, no worries. Gotta get time with your girl.” Scott waved it off. He shot Monty a look that I didn’t like. It made me feel uneasy. Does he know? Before I could think too much into it, Zach was leading me outside.

Brunch was delicious. Zach was his usual slightly oblivious but in a cute way self. If he had any idea something was wrong, he didn’t let on. On our way back, we stopped to sit and look at the White House from a distance. “Why did you invite Monty and Scott to have brunch with us?”

“Well, I didn’t realize you wanted to go just the two of us.”

“That’s not what I meant. You don’t like Monty. So why invite him to hang out?”

“He’s your friend. As much as I don’t like it and I don’t like how he talks to you, he’s important to you. So, I’m willing to try to be nice to him.” Oh. Well now I feel like even more of an asshole.

“That… That’s really nice of you Zachy. Thank you.”

“No problem. What do you say we head back and watch a movie in your room?” He kissed my temple and stood, holding his hand out to me.

“My room? Could we maybe go back to yours? Mine is kind of messy. I had some trouble finding something to wear this morning.”

“Okay. I don’t think Justin is holing himself up in there today.”

Scott caught us when we got back to the hotel. “Hey! Can I steal Reagan for a few minutes? I need to ask her something about an assignment in Spanish.”

“Sure. We were just going to watch a movie.”

“O-okay.” I waved to Zach and trailed behind Scott to his and Monty’s shared room. “I’m hopeless at Spanish and you know it. What is this about?” Please tell me he doesn’t know.

“Are you going to tell Zach about last night?” Fuck.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s crap. Are you going to tell him, or not? Because he deserves to know.”

“How do you know about it?”

“Monty didn’t come in until like two or three this morning. I hadn’t seen him for hours before that. When I saw him this morning, and the calling card you left on his neck, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. The concealer on your neck just confirmed my suspicions. Just be thankful Zach is too oblivious to notice it.” I sighed, knowing he was right.

“I will. Just… not while we are still here. I don’t want to ruin anything. More than it already is anyway. Plus no one wants to deal with anyone getting arrested on a school trip.”

“Okay.”

“Is that all?” I turned to leave.

“Yeah. Actually, one more thing?” I stopped just short of the door. “Monty really does love you. And anyone with half a brain cell can see that you still love him. So, you deserve to be happy.”

“Thanks Scott.”

I spent the rest of the trip trying to avoid Montgomery and hold my tongue around Zach. I slept almost the whole flight back to California. School the next day dragged on. It continued to drag on for the next two weeks. Senioritis had set in hard now that we were done the D.C. trip. No one wanted to be there. We were graduating in a month. Most of us were going off to college. The last few weeks of school were basically pointless anyways. Even our teachers didn’t care as much. It was hard, but I managed to stay pretty cordial with Monty. I kept up appearances that everything was fine for most of the two weeks following the trip with Zach. On Friday I woke up and decided that it was time. I had to end things. I had to be fair to him. I had to take a chance and see if Monty and I could make things work this time. I texted Zach on my way to school. Meet me at the docks after school? The water is beautiful this time of year.

Sure.

I sat in my car for ten minutes after I arrived, trying to talk myself out of talking myself out of doing this. Zach wasn’t here yet so I got out of the car and walked around, trying to find a secluded bench where we could talk in private. I found the perfect one under a tree in the shade. It had an amazing view of the water. I snapped a selfie and sent it to him. Come and find me.

Zach snuck up and slid into the spot next to me. I jumped slightly. “Hey beautiful.”

“Hey.”

“I missed you today.”

“Yeah, I had some stuff to do. You know, last minute projects and final touches on assignments.”

“I know.” We sat quietly for a bit, just admiring the view. “You’re right. The water is beautiful this time of year.”

“Yeah.” I picked at my nails nervously. Just do it. “Listen, Zach….” I started.

“Yes?” He took my hand in his. I stared down at it.

“I- I think that…,” I paused. “I think that we need to break up.”

“What? Why?”

“I think it would be the best thing for us Zach.”

“Do you not love me anymore?”

“What? No, of course I do. It’s just… things are changing so fast.”

“Then why?”

“We are both going away to school next year and it will be too hard. I don’t want you to be tied down to someone on the other side or halfway across the country.”

“How do you know it will be too hard, Reagan?”

“Because. I’ve seen people try to make it work. We are eighteen Zach. We have our whole lives ahead of us. College is supposed to be the time where we experiment and make mistakes. To drink too many mixed drinks and wake up in someone else’s bed. I want you to experience that. And you can’t do that if you aren’t single.”

“We don’t leave for school for another two months at least though.”

“I don’t want us to wait until a week before we leave to decide that going into college single is the best choice.” Zach was silent for a while. I felt so bad. It needed to be done though.

“I guess you’re right.”  I smiled sadly at him. “You’ll always be special to me, you know that?”

“I know. You’ll always be special to me too.” I squeezed his hand and he kissed me softly for the last time. Knowing he would need time to sit and process, I was the one who stood and left him on the bench.

In my car before driving away from the docks and Zach, I sent a text message. Four words. Eleven letters. I hoped he would know what it meant. I love you too. The weight of hitting send was unimaginable. I had spent so long denying it, that I didn’t know how to feel about it. I guess I would just have to wait and see what the future held.

#montgomery de la cruz imagine #montgomery de la cruz #monty x reader #monty de la cruz #monty imagine #monty de la Cruz fanfic #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz x reader #zach dempsey #Zach Dempsey x reader #Zach Dempsey x oc #smut #requested #Justin Foley #jessica davis #Friends Don't #writing #writer #writeblr #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing #feedback

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 21

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I was having a really hard time writing this chapter. I don't know why but I did. It is done now though. This chapter contains SMUT. DNI IF UNDER 18. IF YOU INTERACT UNDER 18 YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. As always, feedback is appreciated and much love. -Em

I woke up half an hour early Friday morning. Monty groaned at the alarm. “Shh. It’s for me. Go back to sleep.” He grunted in response. I placed a soft kiss to the back of his neck and got out of bed. I picked up one of his shirts from the laundry basket that hadn’t made its way into a drawer yet. In the bathroom, I ran the shower while I brushed my teeth. In the shower, I washed my hair and exfoliated while my conditioner sat. After my face was washed, I set about the arduous task of shaving. There was some spectacularly ungraceful bending and balancing to make sure I hadn’t missed any spots. This is attractive. Bet he wishes he was awake to see this spectacle.

Once I was clean, I finished my skincare routine while my hair towel dried. I used a honey almond moisturizer that I knew Monty liked. I slipped his shirt on. His alarm went off while I was putting product in my hair. Surprisingly, he got up of his own accord. “Morning baby.” He mumbled from the other side of the door.

“Morning babe.”  Knowing his routine like the back of my hand by now, I vacated the bathroom to go make some breakfast. A bowl of apple oatmeal sounded delicious this morning. I poured a bowl of cereal for Monty. While he showered and coffee brewed, I read my newest book.

“Good morning Addison.” Monty smiled and kissed me when he came into the kitchen. His hair was still wet. It dripped on my arm and made me jump slightly.  

“Good morning Monty.”

“You smell nice.” He placed another kiss on my head. I tilted my head up and back to kiss him again. I brought my arm up to wrap around his neck. His arm instinctively found its way to settle just below my chest. I held him in place as I deepened the kiss slightly.

Before it could go any further the coffee machine beeped. Monty pulled away. He rolled his eyes a little. I went back to my book like nothing happened, but not before I caught him adjusting his jeans. I smirked to myself. I might have to text the guys and tell them brunch is cancelled. “It’s supposed to rain today, so I don’t think you should go to school in just my shirt.”

“Well, that’s unfortunate. I was practically already ready to go.” I teased. He turned to look at me. His eyes had darkened a shade or two. I couldn’t be sure if it was from our kiss or my comment.

“And now you have to go put some fucking pants on.”

“Yes, sir.” I mock saluted. He chuckled as he poured us cups of coffee.

“That’s Daddy to you Doll.” He muttered as I walked back to our room. Again, I smirked to myself. Well at least the sex shouldn’t be as big a surprise. I picked up my phone off the nightstand and texted Scott, Charlie, and Justin. Brunch might be cancelled tomorrow. My parents need us to help move some furniture.

Charlie answered me first. You mean they need you to them move furniture. I smiled. As I was deciding on a pair of jeans, Justin texted me. I glanced down at my phone. Supervision duty. Fun. Let me know if something breaks.

Black skinny jeans or the navy with the cuffs?

Navy.

Thanks.

Scott answered a minute later. That’s all the updates I need or want. I tied a knot in front of the shirt, so I wasn’t swimming in it. My hair was beginning to dry by now, so I ran a comb through it quickly and scrunched it in an attempt to give it at least a little shape while it finished drying.

As I was walking out of our room, Justin texted me again. Oh. You don’t actually mean that. Have fun. Still let me know if something breaks.

I do. And I will. See you at school.

I didn’t bother waiting for a response and slipped my phone in my pocket. “Remember we are helping mum and dad with the stupid hutch tomorrow afternoon.”

“I know. If dad hasn’t said anything to either of us before school is done, I’ll text him.”

“Alright.” I stopped in front of Monty and twirled. “See, pants. Better?”

“Much. And watch that tone missy.”

“Okay.” I rolled my eyes. He blinked at me in surprise. I watched as he stepped towards me and leaned in.

“I have no issue being late for school. Feel free to keep this up Doll.” He grumbled.

“Sorry. I’ll be good.” I squeaked.

“Good.” He nodded. I jumped when he swatted my butt as he walked past me to turn on the news. He was right. It was supposed to rain today.

There was a sweater in my spot when I got to lunch. I picked it up and threw it over my bag as I sat down. Monty stopped talking and kissed the side of my head, before going back to arguing with Zach and Charlie about a play for tonight’s game. I tuned them out and turned to Justin. “Moving furniture?” He muttered to me.

“Yeah. Mum is sick of looking at that awful hutch coat rack thing.”

“How are you supposed to help with that?”

“Direct. Probably push it.”

“On the hardwood?”

“We are going to put cloths underneath. It’ll be good. Monty is going to supervise because of his knee. He’s thrilled.”

“He finally gets out of the heavy lifting?”

“Yup. All it took was breaking himself.”

“All.” We chuckled. “I want to know if it breaks. That thing really is awful. Call me if you need more help.”

“It is. I’ll definitely tell you.”

“Good.”

“Tell them I’m right Addison.” Zach said.

“About?”

“No, tell them I’m right.” Monty said.

“About?”

“The play is a stupid play.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“And we are asking the person who doesn’t do sports about sports because…?”

“Just agree.”

“And now I defer to Justin. Talk to your boys please.”

“Oh, so now they’re my boys?”

“Yes.” I nodded and pulled out my salad, effectively removing myself from the conversation. The sweater came in handy. It was absolutely pouring rain on my way to fourth period.

“They don’t need us until at least three tomorrow.” Monty said as I was getting my books from my locker.

“That’s great. I’ll tell the boys brunch is still on.” I picked up my bag and we made our way to the car. My plans for the evening were playing over in my head as we walked.

At home, Monty went to change while I threw a load of laundry in. I got started on some homework with the time we had to kill before making dinner. He squeezed my shoulder as he passed me at the island. I smiled at him briefly before going back to my notes. He grabbed a bag of fruit snacks and pulled out my laptop. I did note that he had already taken off his pants for no pants pizza. We worked quietly for a little while before my stomach started to grumble. Monty chuckled quietly. We turned to each other and grinned. “Dinner?”

“Yes, please.” I laughed. We stood up and took out ingredients. The hour or so we took to cook was so nice. There were stolen glances and stupid jokes passed between the two of us. We slowly moved closer to each other and bumped hips. Everything was so normal. It was amazing. I was elated to be back to how things used to be.

After we finished enjoying our pizzas, I got up to change and get ready for bed. I reapplied my lotion and grabbed my favourite white button up. The white button up. I left the top few buttons undone. Smoothing it out in the mirror, I made my way back to the couch. I sat down cross-legged next to Monty.

“That’s familiar.” He said as he looked up. I shrugged.

“It’s comfortable.”

“Okay.” He smiled. I leaned closer and he pulled me into his side. He shifted and stretched before putting his arm across the back of the couch, and my shoulders. Cliché but adorable. Neither of us commented on the light blue strappy bra I wore. Or the fact that I was wearing a matching set.

The two of us sat in comfortable silence for a while. The Cars That Made America was on. It was very interesting. Soon enough the first episode ended and the second began. Love that History does all three at once. I could feel Monty’s eyes on me. He tried to hide that he was looking, by sneaking quick glances. No matter how hard he tried not to, I knew he was staring down his shirt. My position against his side gave him a prefect view of my cleavage. I tried to hide a smirk as I spoke. “Yes?”

“Nothing.” He averted his gaze and tried to feign more interest in our show.

“Okay.” I adjusted my position again. I hadn’t noticed how aroused I was until I moved, and the cool air hit my core. I inhaled sharply.

“Are you okay Addison?”

“Yeah.” I looked up and caught him smirking.

“You sure about that?”

“Mhmm.”  

“Alright.” I cuddled closer into his side. Tilting my head up slightly, I kissed his jaw softly. We were well into episode two by this point. He turned and kissed me on the forehead.

I sat up a little and kissed his cheek. He smiled to himself.

I took the opportunity to kiss the corner of his mouth.  Then I kissed him properly. He smiled more. I ran my tongue along his bottom lip. He allowed me entrance and eventually, pulled me into his lap. My hands rested at his shoulders. His wrapped around my waist and rested on my hips. He let me lead for a while. My hips ground on their own accord. Until his natural desire for control got the best of him and he broke. Our fight for dominance ended when he grabbed my his with one hand to still me. The other hand slid up my side and came to rest against my throat. I whimpered and tried to buck my hips. His hand squeezed my throat gently. A warning. I pulled away and huffed. He leaned in and nipped my lip. I stuck my tongue out at him. He quirked a brow. I looked down at him apologetically. He shook his head and smiled. I leaned in and kissed him again. He pulled away and started to kiss my neck. It was really soothing. I sighed slightly and adjusted my position. Monty nipped my neck. I whimpered.

His hand travelled back down my body and rested at my panty line. My breath caught as his fingers ran along the line. My hand travelled down his body and tugged at the bottom of his shirt. Monty pulled away and pulled his shirt off. I dragged my nails down his chest again and immediately my hand rested at the waistband of his boxers. He smirked at me. I looked at him with begging eyes. He nodded. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I said, confidently nodding.

“Okay.” He nodded again. I sat back in his lap and pulled his button up off. My hands went back to his waistband and pulled his boxers down a little. He picked me up and placed me on the couch so he could take them off. I jumped back into his lap after pulling my own underwear off.

There was no need to prepare either of us because of all the pent-up tension that had been building in the days and weeks leading up to this. I slowly sank down on his cock, gasping as it entered me. He groaned in my ear and threw his head back. I began to rock my hips back and forth and around in circles, trying to find the best angle and positioning. Once I found it, we both looked at each other with wide eyes. Perfect. He pulled my head towards his and kissed me deeply. “I love you.” He mumbled against my mouth.

“I love you too.” I found my rhythm and placed my hands on his shoulders to get better leverage and balance. Soon enough, I could tell the knot in my stomach was beginning to tighten. Montgomery’s grip on my hip tightened and I could tell his high was coming on fast. Probably a little faster than he would like, but I wasn’t going to complain.

A few minutes, or maybe a few more than a few minutes, I wasn’t counting, my walls tightened around his cock. He groaned. I leaned down and bit into his shoulder. Monty growled. I felt his cock spasm deep inside of me. I gingerly removed myself from his cock and rested in his lap. We both slumped against each other, breathing heavily. Eventually, we both stood and moved to our bedroom. There were a few more rounds. We woke up the next morning groggy, sore, and sated.

#Can’t Go Back #montgomery de la cruz #monty de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz x reader #monty imagine #monty x reader #monty de la Cruz fanfic #monty x oc #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz imagine #13 reasons why #13rw #13 rw #Thirteen Reasons Why #Smut

[13-reasons-ideas]

Once A Serpent Part 3

I could feel Monty looking at me across the hall. I didn’t acknowledge him. I wasn’t really sure how to talk to him. Or what to make of him. In the three weeks since school started, he seemed to rotate between watching me silently, treating me almost like one of the boys, and turning the charm up to eleven. I was rooting through my locker one morning when he slid in next to me. “Morning Monty.”

“Morning Kennedy.”

“What can I do for you this morning?”

“I heard through the grapevine that you don’t tell stories to strangers. Any chance you share coffee with strangers?”

“That depends. What would coffee entail?”

“Conversation? Maybe a snack. Or a walk. See where that takes us?”

“Are you asking me out?”

“I could be.” He smirked.

“That’s too bad. Coffee sounded pretty good.” I closed my locker.

“Not a date then?”

“Text me.” I nodded as I walked away.

“Is that a yes?” He called after me.

“You tell me.” I called back. I’m assuming he doesn’t have a lot of female friends.

Montgomery texted me in math. Monet’s at 4.

Okay.

He watched me at lunch. I pretended not to notice. Instead, I picked at my leftover chicken. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Charlie. I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay.” I turned to look at him. He was giving me such a sweet look.

“I’m okay. Just thinking.”

“Oh. Well, do you like cake?”

“Who doesn’t like cake?”

Charlie pulled a cupcake out of his lunch bag and split it in half. “I tried out a new recipe. Actually, two recipes put together. Tell me what you think?”

I nodded and accepted the piece. Monty was watching us. “Did you want a piece?” I offered. Then I realized it wasn’t technically my cake to be offering. I turned to Charlie and looked at him questioningly. He nodded. I tore off a piece and handed it to Monty. He accepted it. This cake was delicious. This is what all cakes need to be. “Make it again. Make it all the time.”

“You like it?” Charlie grinned.

“What did you put in this?” Monty asked.

“Bittersweet chocolate.” He shrugged.

“What else? Did you put crack in it? Because I kind of feel like you could have. This is now all I want to eat for the rest of forever.” I asked.

“No. No crack. Nothing else like that either. Although….” He trailed off, thinking. The golden has a dark side. Fun.

“Also, Monty. Coffee at four sounds great.”

“It’s not a date.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.” I nodded and stood.

After school, I texted my parents that I would be spending the afternoon studying with a friend. I was early, so I looked over the menu. I had noticed a help wanted sign out front. There were applications sitting on the counter. Assuming we would be here for at least three months, I took one and filled it out quickly. I gave it to the barista behind the counter. I recognized him from school. “Justin, right?”

“Yeah.” He looked at my application. “Kennedy. You’re in my American history class?”

“First period.”

“You’re friends with Bryce and the guys, right?”

“Yeah. They seem nice.”

“For the most part. Just be careful around Bryce.” I didn’t question him on that. I had heard enough in the halls and seen the writing on the bathroom walls. Bryce was not someone I would be spending a lot of my free time with. “Did you want to order something?” He asked. I turned around. There wasn’t a line, but I still stepped out of the way. I wasn’t sure what I wanted yet.

“What’s good here?”

“You can’t really go wrong with the hot chocolate.”

“I’ll get one of those with almond milk, please?”

“No problem.”

“Am I late?” Monty’s voice said from behind me. I jumped slightly. I didn’t reach for my pocket though. Progress.

“No, I was early.”

“You’re here together?” Justin asked.

“Yeah.” Monty nodded.

“Alright. What can I get you?”

“Americano with cream.”

Monty and I took our coffees to a corner table. We sat in slightly awkward silence for a while. It was different spending time with him alone. Typically, one or more of the guys was around to act as a bit of a buffer. “How are your classes going?”

“They’re okay. I’m settling into the swing of things. How are yours?”

“They aren’t bad.” He smirked.

“That’s good.” We sat in more awkward silence. “Did you want to get these to go?” He looked at me funny. “I haven’t had much of a chance to explore town yet. And you did offer a walk.”

“Oh. Sure.” We grabbed our paper cups and headed out of the café.

The air outside seemed to loosen both of us up a little. His shoulders were less tense. I had a looser grip on my coffee cup. It looked like he actually wanted to be there. I wasn’t sure if he was so tense because I had insisted that this wasn’t a date, or if it was because of something else. The guy wasn’t exactly an open book. Then again, neither was I.

“Any other secret tattoos?” I turned to him, surprised by the question.

“Maybe. What about you?”

“I don’t want my mother to throw me out of the house, so no.”

“Conservative?”

“Yes and no. But it’s more a ‘young’ thing.” It occurred to me then, that I didn’t know how old he was.

“H—how old are you?”

“Nineteen.” I let out a silent breath.

“Oh, okay. Maybe after you graduate?”

“Maybe.”

“I can stick and poke pretty well if you change your mind. There is plenty of hidden real estate on the body.”

“I’ll think about it. Where are these secret tattoos?”

“Not telling. That ruins the secret.” He chuckled and sipped his coffee. He even drinks coffee pretty.

We walked for a little while in more silence. It was a little less awkward this time though. “What it like growing up, moving around so much?”

“I don’t know. It was okay most of the time. It could get lonely, especially when I was younger. It was easy to make friends on base because they understood. But my parents and I agreed that I needed friends outside of the military. Got to see some pretty cool places.”

“Chicago count?”

“I was six. I didn’t go out much. But it was loud from what I remember.”

“Not surprised.”

“Evergreen County?”

“It’s a small town.”

“That’s it? That’s all I get?”

“I haven’t gotten any stories yet. So, neither do you.”

“That’s fair.” I shrugged.

“Maybe I can get a story next time?”

“Careful Monty. That sounds an awful lot like you’re asking me out.” I smirked.

“I’m not. Scout’s honour.” He smirked back. I had my doubts about him ever being anything close to a boy scout.

“Sure. I make no promises on stories though. You know what they say.”

“You’d have to kill me?”

“Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”

“Feisty.” I rolled my eyes. We continued like that for a while longer. Chatting and going back and forth playfully. I refused to think of it as flirting. I wasn’t ready to flirt yet. Eventually, we went our separate ways.

My parents were eating dinner when I got home. “Hi sweetie.”

“Hey.”

“Make good headway on studying?”

“I guess. Started on my term paper for American History.” Not a lie. Just didn’t start it today. “Oh, by the way, I applied for a job at a coffee shop.”

“That’s good.”

I pulled a plate down from the cupboard and joined my parents at the table. Our conversation flowed easily as usual. I joined in where I could. But I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering back to my not a date with Monty. He was so charming. And pretty. And tall. Careful Kennedy. You’re encroaching on crush territory.

“What do you think pumpkin?”

“Of?”

“Painting the kitchen?”

“Oh. That sounds great dad. What colour?” I looked around the room at stark white walls.

“Maybe a seafoam?”

I turned to my mom, clearly disgusted. “Yuck. What millennium is it mother? 1985 called. They want their paint back.” The three of us laughed. “Seriously, what colour?”

“Maybe a grey. Something light. Neutral.”

“Almond could look nice too Heather.”

“I agree with dad. Don’t go with agreeable grey.” The next owners will just paint over that. Almond they have at least a chance of keeping. I didn’t voice my thoughts though. We just got here. We were all still in the going to be here for a while stage.

#monty x reader #monty de la cruz #monty imagine #monty de la Cruz fanfic #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz x reader #montgomery de la cruz imagine #Sweetpea #sweetpea x reader #sweetpea x oc #sweet pea x oc #sweet pea x reader #13 reasons why #Thirteen Reasons Why #fanfiction #fan fiction #fanfic #fanfic writing #riverdale #riverdale fanfiction

[13-reasons-ideas]

Can’t Go Back Part 22

Expected this chapter to be a little longer but it’s okay. I hope you like it! As always, feedback is appreciated and much love. -Em

In the days after my breakdown, things calmed down for the most part. I was able to avoid my dad as much as possible. I spent a lot of my time either in my room writing and doing homework or hanging out with Justin. He had been getting pretty cozy with Bryce lately. I figured he could use some estrogen in his life to balance out all the testosterone and rich boy aftershave. Random Dude Number Eight was back in town, so Amber was all about him at the moment. Wonder how long until Seth gets back. Justin had made himself quite comfortable at my place over the weekend. And then again after school Monday. Monty tried to raise a fuss about it when I told him on the phone. I could see right through him though. He would never admit it, but he liked Justin, deep down. Somewhere. Very deep down. I had laughed and shaken my head. We still texted each other all the time. Justin didn’t seem too interested on the weekend.

“Are you watching this documentary or not?”

“Huh?” I looked up from my phone and focused on the TV in front of us. “Yeah.”

“Then what just happened?”

“Stuff.”

“What stuff?” I only shrugged in response. “Okay. I’m changing the channel.”

“Okay.”

“Pawn Stars okay?”

“Mhmm.”

“What’s so interesting that you’re sitting on your phone ignoring me?”

“Twitter.” “Since when do you use Twitter?”

“I use it on occasion.” He hummed. “Fine, fine. I’ll put it away.” I gotta go. Justin is pouting. I locked my phone and put it on the floor. I shifted so I could lay on the couch. My feet were in Justin’s lap.

“Are we betting crackers or chips how much Rick offers this guy?”

“Chips. I say between fifty and a hundred.”

“In that condition? No way he will go over forty.”

“You’re on.” We shook on it. I won a bag of chips. He was offered sixty dollars.

My parents got home from work late that night, so my dad transferred me some money for takeout. We settled on Chinese food. Justin and I were falling asleep on the couch when they got home. Dad arrived first. “Hey kids.” We both started awake.

“Hey dad.”

“Eventful evening?”

“Justin owes me a bag of chips tomorrow.”

“Overshot the offer again?” Justin hung his head. “You’ve been watching that show for how long, son?”

“Years.”

“And how often does he lowball?”

“… All of them.” Dad laughed and came over to the couch, pointing to the boxes. We nodded at him. He picked up the chow mien and ruffled Justin’s hair as he passed into the kitchen. Justin groaned. He’s so nice to him. I tried to ignore the pang of jealousy. Mum got home a few minutes later, all but dragging her school bag. It was the end of the semester. She was always busiest around now. “Don’t you two look cozy?”

“Hi Mum.”

“Hey Mom.” She dropped her bag on the entry hutch before coming over to place kisses on our foreheads. Justin wiped his off like he was going to melt if he left it on for too long. He was grinning though. Mum shook her head at him, smiling back. I merely groaned in protest. As usual this time of year, she went back to grab her pile of papers and marking, before she went upstairs into her office. She stayed there for the rest of the night.

The next day, we were running late. Late late. Not just late by my standards. We stayed up too late watching YouTube videos. Justin and I ran down the stairs to grab something to take with us to eat. “Morning family!” We exclaimed, out of breath. I was brushing my hair with one hand and attempting to make a travel cup of tea with the other. Justin took over for me so I could make my hair a little more presentable. It was basically hopeless when I was running around. Giving up, I chucked the brush in my bag to deal with at school. Monty texted me. Are you guys coming to school or what?

Coming. I threw my phone in my bag as well. Justin thrust a granola bar and apple in my hand before grabbing my keys for me and bolting out the door. “Bye family!”

At school, I gave up on my hair. I threw it into a messy bun and called it a morning. We made it inside with minutes to spare before the final bell.

“Mr. Foley!” Mr. Porter called as we passed the office. Justin skidded to a halt. I ran straight into him.

“We know. We know. No running in the halls.”

“No. Well. Yes. But no. I need to see you in my office.” Justin turned around slowly. I looked up at him quizzically.

“I’m kind of running late, so if this could wait until later?” He asked casually.

“Now Mr. Foley.” Justin sighed and hoisted his bag further up his shoulder.

“I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Yeah. Text me?” I shot a glance at Mr. Porter. Justin nodded. I stood and watched him enter the office. What’s going on? I hope it isn’t serious. I readjusted my own bag and quickly weaved my way through the halls to my locker.

By lunch, Justin still hadn’t texted me. I looked for him in the halls as I walked to class but didn’t see him. While I searched for my friend, I noticed Hannah walking in my direction. She had gotten a haircut over the weekend. It wasn’t drastic or anything. Just a clean up of her usual. “Hannah!” I called. She slowed and looked around. I stood on my tiptoes so she could see me. I waved slightly to catch her attention. She caught sight of me and waved back. I walked closer to her, so I wasn’t yelling across the hall. “Your hair looks really good.”

“Thank you.” She smiled a little and looked down. Someone called my name down the hall. I looked up and saw Scott with Bryce and Monty. Scott waved me over. Bryce was tossing a football in the air and catching it. In a hallway filled with people. He’s pretty. He’s kind of smart sometimes. But he doesn’t really take other people into account.

“I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. I ran off towards my friends and Bryce.

“Hey.” I nodded when I reached them. The boys nodded at me. We all fell into step as we walked to the cafeteria.

“You take really small steps.” Bryce chuckled.

“Look at the size of her legs. How big did you think her steps would be?” Monty laughed.

“Hey!”

“What? Are you going to try to say I’m wrong?” He smirked. I rolled my eyes. He shook his head.

“I’m fun size.” I shrugged.

“Fun size. That’s one way to describe it.” Bryce snorted. Scott and Monty laughed. I pushed him lightly. Justin wanted me to try to be nice to him. “You know where Foley was in first?”

“Porter wanted to talk to him.”

“And where were you this morning?” Scott asked.

“We were running late.” I sat at the jocks table and nodded at Zach. “Hey Zach.”

“Hey Addy.”

“Jeff Atkins.”

“Addison Hawthorne.” I pulled out my lunch-thankfully mum took pity on us and packed us lunch today-and made room for Justin. He walked through the doors and sulked over to the table. He plopped onto the bench next to me dramatically.

“Summer school.” He groaned into the table.

“What? Also, hi.”

“I have to do summer school.” My eyes widened. “Your parents are going to kill me.”

“They won’t kill you.” I patted his back.

“They can’t kill you. How will you two get married then?”

“Fuck off Bryce.” Justin smiled a little.

“I tell you what. If Justin and I get married, I’ll name our dog after you.” I rolled my eyes.

“Deal.” He stuck out his hand for me to shake. I shook my head at him.

“It isn’t that bad Justin. It’s what? A month?” Zach offered. We all knew he was just being nice. No one wanted to do summer school.

“Yeah.”

“You’ll be done by the time our Boston trip rolls around. That’s two weeks out of town.” I offered as well. I eyed Monty. He was generally aware of my family’s annual trip to Boston. But it had never mattered to him before. He looked carefree. Only I could see the slight upset behind his eyes.

Thursday after school, Justin decided it was time to go home. He had to check on his mom. Make sure she was okay. He packed his bag when we got back to my place. I walked him to the door and hugged him. My parents said goodbye and reminded him that this was his home too, as they usually did. I went upstairs with some juice to read a book for a little while. Before I could get too far into it, my phone chimed.

What’s up Doll? I smiled.

Reading, you?

Homework. What are you reading?

Homework? You do that? It’s called Party. It was on dirt cheap at the bookstore last week.

I have been known to do it sometimes.

Sometimes. I laughed.

Is Justin still there?

No. He went home.

Can I come over later?

Yeah. I think my parents are doing date night tonight or something. It’s finals season so dad is trying to give mum a break.

Oh really? I could tell he was smirking.

You have homework to do Montgomery.

Alright. I’ll go do my homework. Let me know if they go out.

Sure enough, Mum stuck her head in my room to let me know they were going out for the evening an hour later. “Okay, have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.”

They’re going out. I texted Monty. I hope you’re done your homework.

I am. See you in a couple hours. I threw my phone down on the bed beside me to finish reading. After I finished my book, I decided to tidy up my room. I put Spotify on shuffle and got to work. I was dusting when my phone rang. “Hello?”

“Hey, I’m outside. Can you come let me in? I’ve knocked like six times.”

“Crap! Sorry I’ll be right down.”

I bolted down the stairs to the door. “Hey.” I ushered him inside.

“Hey. I wasn’t sure if you were going to leave me out here all night or not.” Montgomery walked past me and sat on the couch.

“I was cleaning my room. And aren’t you forgetting something?” He looked at me, feigning cluelessness. I made grabby hands at him. He laughed and stood up. I smiled. I thought he was going to give me my hug. I gasped when he scooped me up and sat back on the couch, with me in his lap. His arms rested around me comfortably. I rested my head on his shoulder. “This doesn’t count as a hug.” I muttered against his neck. I felt his arms tighten around my waist. “That’s better.”

Monty turned on the tv and we sat quietly together for a little while. It was nice to have a quiet moment with him. I wished we could have them more often. And with less sneaking around. But things were easier this way. There were no unsolicited opinions to have to pretend to listen to. There were no snide comments from our friends. It was easier. “So, Justin is stuck in summer school?” Monty asked, breaking us out of our revere.

“Seems like it.”

“How did that happen?”

“Well, he doesn’t exactly care about school.”

“But still. He has you. And from what I understand, your parents.”

“I know. But I can’t force him to do school.” I shrugged.

“You force me.”

“I kiss you. And let you cop a feel sometimes. Among other things. Justin gets none of those things.” Monty laughed.

“That’s fair. So, you would withhold those things if I was doing bad in school?”

“Maybe. But I don’t see why I should be punished for your mistakes.” We left it at that. I wasn’t sure what the situation with Justin was. There wasn’t much more to say about it.

“When are you guys going to Boston again?”

“Hmm? Oh. Uh… I think sometime in July? It depends what dad’s schedule looks like. Maybe mid-July? I’ll know more concrete dates like next month.”

“Okay.” He was quiet for a while. I sat up and scooted my butt backwards, out of his lap. Monty looked at me.

“It’s only two weeks.”

“I know.”

“You seemed upset the other day when I mentioned it to Justin.”

“I wasn’t.” Mhmm.

“Babe.”

“What?”

“I know you. You had that look.”

“What look?”

“The ‘I’m sad but I’m also a brick wall so no I’m not’ look.”

“I’m going to pretend I know what you’re talking about.” He nodded, confused.

“It’s a look you have. That’s not the point. The point is you seemed upset. I don’t want you to be upset.”

“Okay. I’m not. Two weeks is just a long time.”

“I know.” I nodded. I know it is. I’ll miss you too. “It’s just Boston. It’s not like we are going to the middle of nowhere. There is cell service in Massachusetts.”

“I guess.”

“Besides, then I’m not stealing you away from your friends all summer. You can have some guy time.”

“Yeah. How is it that Justin gets out of guy time by going with you?”

“Oh, he doesn’t. Adrian forces him to come hang out with his friends.” Monty looked confused. “Adrian is the neighbour’s son. We grew up playing together. Think of him as Justin with a Boston accent and darker hair.”

“Okay, I can see it.”

“But if you’re asking why Justin comes with us, it’s mostly to make sure he’s taken care of while we are gone.”

“Doesn’t he flip flop between here and Bryce’s? And his mom’s?”

“Yeah. When we were kids, we would trade off vacations with the Walker’s. If they were going out of town and knew Justin was safer at their place, we would have him here. And vice versa. As we got older and Bryce’s parents started going out of town more, it was easier to just bring him with us.”

“That’s fair.” That seemed to put Monty’s questions to rest for now, so we went back to enjoying our little cocoon of privacy until he had to leave. We would talk more about it later, when I could give him actual details of our trip.

#Can’t Go Back #monty x reader #monty de la cruz #monty imagine #monty de la Cruz fanfic #montgomery de la cruz x oc #montgomery de la cruz #montgomery de la cruz x reader #montgomery de la cruz imagine #Justin Foley #monty de la cruz fanfic #monty x oc #13 reasons why #thirteen reasons why #fanfic #fanfiction #13rw #fanfic writing #fan fiction #13 rw