~Can You Fix The Broken~ [Monty De La Cruz]

Chapter 6

The throbbing was the first thing I felt as I slipped back into consciousness. The constant monotone ring in my ears was still there, and my eyelids were too heavy to open. I tried to lift my arm or my leg, or just something, but they refused to move. They were frozen there, as if a thick block of stone or concrete was forcing them down. Through the ringing I was able to hear the distance murmurs of voices, and it took all my energy to try and understand what they were saying.
"What the fuck happened here?"
Tony?
"My dad- he knocked her out with a fucking broken fence post."
Holy shit... Monty?
I began to gradually remember what had happened, and even though it was a blurred vision that passed in seconds: I could remember enough. I'd been photographing the registration plate of the van, and the next thing I knew I was on the floor, listening to the sounds of a violent fight as I fell into a dark unknown void.
"So you decide to almost fucking kill him? And then you call me?"
I heard Monty stammer, sounding afraid, "You were the most recent contact in her phone!" He exclaimed, his voice shaky, "And there was nothing else I could do! He almost killed her, like he had- !" He didn't finish the sentence and there was a long silence that followed.
I felt something touch my arm. It was cold, and it felt faint against my skin however I could still feel the pressure they were applying. As I came round a little bit more, I could feel the leather of a car seat hard against my lying back and my bare neck as well as the rumble of a car engine, and their voices sounding closer now as the ringing slowly faded.
"How are you going to get away with this, huh?" Tony asked him, his voice raised, "He's going to be fucking furious with you! Who knows what he'll do to you?!"
"I don't know, okay!?" Monty yelled back, worried and panicked, "He's beaten me with a fucking hammer before, so I'm sure I'll be fine."
Wait... did he said a hammer?
"But did you almost fucking kill him that time?" Fair point Tony.
Monty groaned loudly, "No! For fucks sake!"
"Exactly." He sighed heavily, giving in, "I can hide you at my garage for a while, but you fucking owe me." Tony offered, though not sounding too happy about it.
"You serious? You'd do that for me?"
"Uh-huh."
I felt the weight on my eyelids slowly lifting off, and despite the energy it took to open them, I did anyway. I saw the roof of a familiar car, and through the windows I could see the pitch black night sky pierced with brilliant lights of the stars. As I turned my head weakly, I saw two figures in the front of the car, both of them stressed and uncomfortable. I knew that last year Monty and Tony got in a huge fight against eachother along with the entire football team and many others in the corridor after Monty had called him a faggot, so I completely understood the intense tension between them. I lifted my feeble arm, but it fell back down again after lifting it slightly off the seat, however it drew their attention. They both looked back at me, and seeing I was awake, Tony immediately pulled aside in a quick jolting movement, breaking instantly.
"Shit, Sades." Tony gasped, and he turned around in his seat, "How are you feeling?"
I looked over at Monty who looked genuinely concerned for me. He was frozen stiff in his position and it looked as if his face had been drained entirely of blood.
"Honestly? Rough." I mumbled, barely able to speak. I wouldn't be surprised if they couldn't understand me.
Tony glanced over at Monty, "I'll take you both to the garage and I'll get Hannah or Jess to cover for her, okay?"
"I don't know how to thank you, Tony." Monty sighed, his head glumly lowered.
"Yeah," he replied, "Me neither."
I felt the mustang jerk forwards as Tony pulled back onto the road, and Monty's gaze remained on me for a little while longer before facing forward reluctantly.

I reopened my eyes as we pulled up at Padilla Automotive, and I could hear Tony kill the engine and climb out swiftly, followed by Monty at a much slower pace. The cold night air hit my skin sharply as Tony pulled his front seat forward, Monty doing the same. The goosebumps ran along my skin, even under my hoodie and jeans, and I could feel myself shivering.
"Can you lift her?" Tony asked Monty, "I need to open up the garage and sort it out a bit."
"Sure." Monty replied, his voice quieter than I've ever heard it before.
As Tony headed away, his keys rattling loudly as he fumbled for the right one for the side door, I could hear him mumble something in Spanish, and it seemed like Monty understood a little, his face softening more that it already had.
I'd been here once before, and he'd got quite the set-up at the back of the shop, kitted out with a small kitchen and fridge and a set of old, tatty yet usable sofas. It was hidden behind racks of car tyres and spare parts, unseeable to the customers and other people.
But that was luxury for Monty.
I looked him in the eyes as he climbed over the front seat, his arms slipping underneath my frail, freezing frame, and as if I weighed the same as a feather, he lifted me from the backseat. I shivered as my whole body was hit by the bitter air nipping at my open neck, but more importantly, I felt my body against Monty's. Even through my thick clothing I could feel his muscular arms and as he carried my limp body close to him. I buried my head into his neck, and I could feel his jawline against my hair as well as his hands softly caressing the sides of my arms — I could even feel his heartbeat though his shirt and how his hard yet comfortable chest lift a little as he breathed deeply. I let my eyes close and enjoy the bliss of the moment, despite my constant and unstoppable shivering.
"You're going to be okay." I heard him whisper, his head tilting a little, enough so that his cheek rubbed against my head, "I promise."

I felt myself being laid on the soft fabric of one of the sofas. The scent of petrol and a hint of beer filled the air, and I heard Tony grab a few from the small fridge in the corner. He offered one to Monty, but he refused. Surprised, Tony put it back before slumping down in an armchair, Monty remaining standing with one hand on his head.
"Fuck." He said, clenching his fists, "What the fuck have I gotten myself into?"
Tony signalled to a spare stool, but Monty ignored the gesture.
"You're telling me." Tony sarcastically remarked but Monty didn't hear him.
"My dad'll find out what happened, and then it's not just me in danger. You know that right?" He continued, a growl in his tone.
"I know." Tony reassured, then gestured to the stool again, which this time Monty decided to use: he pulled it up and sat down, his head in his hands.
"I can't drag you into this." Monty said to him, "I'm not risking you both."
Tony laughed a dry chuckle, "I've dealt with Justin's stepdad before — I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Meth Seth?"
"Yeah. Meth Seth."
"Damn." Monty's voice was monotone, yet it sounded impressed still, "That's bad."
Tony grunted in response, but his eyes landed back on me. Noticing I was coming round a little more, he got up and reached for an ice pack from a different layer to the beer in the fridge. He gently passed it to me and lifted my hand to my head to the point where I must've been hit — the pain I was expecting to feel was numb, except from the throbbing of course, but that was barely anything significant. I thanked him quietly, but I don't think any sound left my mouth except a wince. He then grabbed his phone and walked out of the door, but he didn't shut it. I heard him talking to Hannah, asking her to tell Marie that I'd stayed at hers and that my phone had died, and she agreed to it after some convincing. For a few moments, I was left alone with Monty; I could feel the tension in the room.
"I'm so fucking sorry Sadie." He said to me, leaning forward on his stool, "Why- why did you come back?"
I tried to sit up, but slipped back down after failing. Monty then slid off the stool and knelt by my side as I lay on the couch, his hand taking hold of mine.
"I needed answers." I was able to get out, but it felt like daggers in my throat as I spoke, "I didn't forget what you said to me. Outside school."
He shook his head at me, swallowing heavily, "I knew you'd get hurt, Sadie." His voice broke, "I mean, he could've killed you."
I couldn't say anything else. My body ached too much as I was fully conscious now, and I felt the pain rushing to my head. I hissed at it, my hand gripping onto the ice pack so hard that my knuckles went white. I felt Monty take hold of my hand and take the ice pack from me and held it on my head for me, letting my arm fall to my side as I let my eyes close. His thumb gently massaged the skin behind my ear, which was unexplainably relaxing. I noticed Tony by the door, but he kept his distance, giving us a moment alone.
"Does it hurt?" He asked me, his voice a broken whisper.
All I could do was nod and make some sort of noise. Anything else would've been too painful.
"I'm so fucking sorry." He repeated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, "I should've been there earlier."
I wanted to tell him no. I wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault. I wanted to tell him that I shouldn't have gone there and that I'm sorry that I started this.
But I couldn't. I physically couldn't.
"I shouldn't have-"
The only thing I was able to do was lift my finger to his lips, silencing him. My hand was so shaky, and he felt it as my fingertip made contact with his skin. His eyes locked with mine as I lowered my hand, letting it fall back onto the couch. I closed my eyes again, and let myself drift off into sleep as Monty's thumb softly rubbed against my hairline.

There we go. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Remember to vote and comment
~ Gracie xx