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

Chapter 20

"Are you okay?"

Ophelia turned to see Hannah had started walking next to her as she headed towards her first period.

She rehearsed greeting people again.

"Hey Hannah!" Ophelia greeted, excited to see her friend. "Yeah, I am. I'm sorry I lost you at the dance. How was your dance with Clay?"

Hannah held an arm out, stopping her walk. She looked directly at her bruised face. "Are you okay?" She repeated.

Ophelia cringed. She rehearsed her lie too.

"Oh, I'm fine" Ophelia told her, casually. "I got in a little car accident after the dance."

Hannah continued staring at her. "Ophelia..."

She waited. Nervously.

Hannah then said, "I saw Montgomery hit you."

*****

That small confession is what drove everything on Ophelia's tape to occur. She wished she hadn't told Ophelia what she saw.

She wished Hannah never saw it.

"Hey, do you mind talking for a second?" Clay asked, approaching Ophelia while she was alone in the hallway. She just got out of first period with Montgomery, and she was waiting for him at the door. The teacher made him stay late.

"I actually have to get to class," she insisted.

Clay was wearing a gray jacket, his hands were shoved in his pocket, and his headphones were around his neck. Her eyes followed the cord to his pocket. Her tape was in his pocket right now.

"Please," Clay said, "Just for a few minutes. I really think you'll want to hear this."

"Cory, what's up, man?" Montgomery asked, coming out of the classroom. His arm snaked around Ophelia's waist.

"Montgomery" he greeted.

Ophelia said, "His name is Clay, Monty."

Montgomery laughed. "Oh, fuck, my bad. I've been calling you that for hella long."

"I know" Clay said, simply. He cleared his throat. "I thought that you two, um, broke up?"

He laughed again. "Nah, we're all good now. Why, were you interested or some shit like that?"

Ophelia rolled her eyes.

"No," Clay told him, "I just....never mind."

She watched as he walked off.

"What the fuck is that dude on?" Montgomery said, "He's always spacing the fuck out."

Ophelia ignored the question and instead asked, "What did Mrs. Jangle want?"

Montgomery scoffed. "That bitch gave me lunch detention."

"What? Why?"

"I was supposed to have a stack of assignments to turn in today but I forgot about them."

Ophelia asked. "You forgot to bring them?"

"No, I forgot to do them. Actually-I just didn't want to."

"Are you serious?" Ophelia demanded, now mad at him. "What did you even do during your suspension? You promised I would have you for lunch today."

"Hey, I'm sorry, okay?" he said. He looked guilty. She knew that he felt bad.