Loose Change~ Montgomery De La Cruz / Zach Dempsey/Scott Reed

Part 3 Chapter 11b

tw: mentions of abuse, mentions of sexual assault, mentions of physical assault, mentions of parental abuse

a/n: there will be flashbacks in this chapter that take place homecoming night, and the night of spring fling. If the timeline gets confusing at anytime just let me know and I'll try to fix it the best I can :)

a/n: also, when I wrote the scenes from Bryce's funeral when Scott came back I had Heather playing in the background and now whenever I hear that song I think of Scott omg 😭

*****
The entire night of Homecoming, there was no one filled with more fury and hatred than Zach Dempsey.

Even as he drove the entire way from his house, down to the pier, the anger didn't simmer out. Not one bit. In fact, it grew. Every thought he had focused around Bryce. He contacted Ophelia. He contacted her. He called her. And that voicemail...that stupid fucking voicemail.

Who the fuck did he think he was saying all that to her? To Zach's girlfriend. He didn't even have the right to talk to her.

When Zach did finally get to the pier, it was completely dark out. The only light coming from the dim light poles, and the moon. Bryce was sitting against a light post. He seemed to be waiting, patiently. Zach assumed he was for Ophelia. So he got angrier.

Bryce was surprised as he saw Zach's car pull up. Had Ophelia gotten his message after all?

When Zach got out, Bryce expected Ophelia to appear as well. But she didn't. It was just Zach, wearing a cast, limping towards him with fury.

Bryce knew he fucked up his knee on the field. He ran at Zach as an act of revenge. Because Bryce knew Zach was the reason Chloe left him. He figured a broken knee was a reasonable repayment. But he didn't think Zach knew it was him, so he stayed confident.

Zach threw open the gate that stood between him and the pier.

Bryce walked towards him, cautiously. "Zachy?" he called. "Didn't expect to see you here. What's up, friend?"

The name only increased Zach's anger. Bryce didn't get to call him that. They weren't friends anymore.

"Fuck you!" Zach snapped at him.

Every step Zach took sent anger through his leg. So every step he took reminded him of just how furious he should be at Bryce.

Bryce just chuckled at his extreme reaction. "Or, not friend."

Zach grit his teeth together.

Bryce's eyes gazed around the area. "Did O not come?"

He thought he got to call her 'O'? Fuck him.

"No, she didn't fucking come," Zach snapped at him. "Why the fuck did you think you had any fucking right calling her?"

Bryce chuckled. "You sound pretty jealous, man."

"I'm not jealous!" Zach yelled at me. "I just know my girlfriend doesn't want to be contacted by a fucking rapist!"