𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 - lexi howard

- 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

[no silent readers please]

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 teacher asks the students to stand up and tell everyone about their summers, Montana and Rue share a look. What are they, in fucking kindergarten? But while the Bennett girl tries to hide behind BB in a way of avoiding the task, Montana jumps up and raises her hand confidently.

"Ooh, looks like we've got our first volunteer," the teacher says dryly, knowing the Lestari girl is about to say some inappropriate shit. "Montana, choose your words carefully, please."

Tana nods and steps onto the stage with a grin. Lexi, who was already paying one hundred percent attention to the class, only gets more focused at the sight of the girl from the swings. Everyone in the room wants to hear about her summer, of course — she's Montana Lestari, she's known for disappearing and just being overall crazy — but Lexi Howard doesn't want to know to have a good laugh. Lexi Howard wants to know so she can understand Montana some more. Figure her out.

All day, the only thing that has been on her mind is that girl. She hasn't been able to pay attention to any of her work because all she wants to do right now is help the girl. She wants to know her, to understand her, to fix her — and Lexi knows it's weird as fuck, but she can't just leave Montana, she can't just let her go, after what happened this morning.

Montana steals her attention back when she clears her throat as she smiles down at everyone from the stage. "So, the first thing I remember this summer is having really good sex with one of my brother's millennial customers — let's just say she's not buying from him anymore, but it was worth it. Middle-aged pussy is good shit," she begins, nodding her head as she remembers everything. The teacher is already pinching her nose and regretting her decision to let Montana take the spotlight.

"Then, I don't really know what happened — I was probably blacked out for, like, the first two weeks," she goes on, brows furrowed as she tries to jump start her memory. She lowers herself down so that she's sitting cross-legged on the stage. "Woke up in hospital, went to see Dr. Milburn a couple of times, got a few new tats 'n piercings, cut my hair (apparently) — oh, and I got a lap dance from this cool stripper for my birthday, my little brother Ash gives the best gifts ever, I swear. And I went to a special hospital for a month after slicing my foster dad's ear off."

And while everyone else laughs, Lexi frowns from the floor. She thinks — she knows — Montana plays all this off as a joke, but there has to be a reason. There's no way someone just wakes up one day and decides to chop a guyʼs ear off. She knows there's more to Montana Lestari than the psycho bitch everyone thinks she is. Maybe she has done some pretty messed up stuff, maybe she is totally crazy, but nobody is born evil. There has to be a deeper reason, and Lexi Howard is confident that she is going to get it.

Still sitting on the stage, Montana nods. "Uh, I guess I just went poof after that and now I'm home," she finishes with a shrug, and everyone in the hall deflates when they realise they're not going to find out where or why she disappears anytime soon.

When she sees that Lexi Howard is still staring at her, though, a slight smirk curves its way up Montanaʼs lips.  "And to end my perfect summer, I took a really interesting shower."

Nobody reacts. Nobody knows what she means. But Lexi goes bright red as she remembers being caught staring where she shouldn't have been staring.

Still smirking, Montana slides off the stage and doesn't make eye contact with anyone as she struts back to her seat on the gym floor. But when she goes past Lexi Howard, she lowers her sunglasses a little and sends her a wink.

"Thank you, Montana," the teacher says with a sigh. "Rue, you can go next."

(a/n: how to you feel about this chapter? and i keep dropping no body, no crime references hah, you should read that fic if you haven't already) — tay <33