Reasons for Tears || S.M ✓

C H A P T E R 1

Aspen Montgomery

Shawn and I were best friends. The best friends where you both could trust each other with anything and everything. Where you could go to them if you were sad and they would cheer you up. The friends where you were excited for them for anything. Key word: were.

Back in high school, Shawn and I made a promise. A promise that we both held onto forever. A promise that we both promised not to break. But, what did we do? We broke that promise.

That promise, was simple, was easy and small. But, not all promises were meant to keep in our case.

I get back into my Jeep and sit there. Just to think. Not about him or our situation but, what my future holds for me now. Now that I'm leaving Los Angeles, California. It's going to take many rest stops and sleepless nights but, it will all be worth it in the end, right?

I pull out of his driveway and begin my way to New York, the place that was undecided in the beginning. Where I, Aspen Montgomery, will go to The Art Institute of New York to pursue my dreams of making my art into a reality. Was it my first option? Most definitely not. And why is that? It all started and ended with that little, simple promise that Shawn and I made back in Sophomore year, with our usual routine in the morning before school...

|Sophomore Year- 2015|

"Montgomery!" I hear from outside my window as small pebbles hit the hard glass.

I slide my shirt on quickly and race over to my window and open the latch with a huge smirk placed on my face.

"Ay, Mendes. Could you be any louder and wake up my precious neighbors?" I yell louder than he did.
"I don't know, can I?" He tries to top my yell.
"I be–"
"Kids these days wake up at six in the morning and can't respect a single person" Mrs. White, my next door neighbor comes out in her pink rob and slippers.
"Sorry Mrs. White" I try not to laugh as I apologize to her.
"Yea yea yea. Whatever" she complains and walks back into her small, white house.

I close my bedroom window and race down my wooden stairs, all the way to my front door.

"Peter Raul, how could you?" I try to say angrily but end up laughing hysterically because of him.
"Marie, I don't know what your talking about!" He says with a big smile and placing his hands up in confusion.
"Com'on Peter Raul we gotta eat!" I comment and pull him in.

"Ah, nice to see you both finally after you annoy our neighbors for the one thousandth time!" My mother comments with a chuckle.
"You know us so well, mom" I reply and sit down at the table and begin to eat, as does Shawn.

"Okay guys get out of my house!" My mom claps her hands as she hurries us outside and into Shawn's Jeep.
"Love you too?" I question.
"Yes yes yes" she says and we all laugh.

"Ready to go Montgomery?" Shawn asks.
"Of course, Mendes. We are going to hell!" I exclaimed.

I hear him chuckle as he drives us both to Los Angeles High School. I lean my head against the window as I look around at all the palm trees along the way.

"Hey. You okay?" I hear a husky voice.
"Yep. Just tired. The usual" I reply with a laugh. He smiles and looks back onto the road. I feel a hand on my thigh as we arrive to school.

"We are here, Marie" Shawn says.
"Hmm. I don't know Peter Raul but this doesn't look like a school. It looks like hell" I explain and we both begin to laugh.

Shawn and I laugh... a lot. It gets to the point where teachers will yell at us and or split us up. Where students will give us an evil eye in class because we did or did not get extra homework because of us.