Human Being | Montgomery de la Cruz

Chapter 2

"I'm Montgomery de la Cruz. Monty."
I froze. Holy shit, this is Monty. Justin's friend who always got into fights. Wait, he beat up Alex. That's where I recognize him from. Should I not be talking to him?
"Oh. Uh, Veronica Foley," I said, awkwardly.
"I know. Look, I know you think I'm an asshole, but you're Justin's sister and I wanted to protect you from Bryce," he said.
"Protect me from him? I thought Justin and Bryce were friends," I said, confused.
"Uh... well, they're not anymore," he said, nervously. There was an awkward silence, until I got an idea.
"Do you wanna skip?" I asked, smirking up at the boy.
"I'm always down to skip. Let me text Justin really quickly to let him know I've got you," he said, pulling out his phone. I looked him up and down. He's very muscular. Looks like he has some nice abs. Luckily Justin and I have a pool in the back.
"He says it's okay. He did say no funny business, which I can't promise," he joked. I giggled at him.
"Well, lets go, Montgomery," I said, following him to his Jeep. He opened and closed the door for me, then got in himself.
"A gentleman, I see," I joked. He chucked.

The car ride was silent, but comfortable. Soon, we pulled up to my house.
I grabbed my car keys as he opened and closed the door for me again. I unlocked the door and we walked inside and sat on the couch.
"What do you wanna do, princess?" He asked, looking at me. I felt my cheeks go red.
"Wanna swim?" I asked.
"I don't have my trunks," he said, putting his hand on my leg.
"Justin has a bunch. You should be able to fit one of them," I said, breathing heavily. His hand went up to my thigh. My breath shortened.
"Well, that'll do," he said, smirking.
He moved his hand and walked into the kitchen. I gathered myself up and walked upstairs to get Justin's swim trunks. I was thinking about how he was teasing me in the living room. He knew what he did to me.

After swimming for a bit, we got into the hot tub.
"So, tell me more about yourself," I said.
"Well, last year I was a player, but that got boring, so now I'm just living," he said, winking.
"I meant something about you, dumbass," I giggled.
"I know, princess. I'm Spanish and Filipino. I play basketball, football, and baseball. My mom le- um yeah," he said, visibly nervous. His mom left, but he couldn't say it.
"Monty-"
"Tell me about yourself," he said, cutting me off. I just decided to let it go.
"I'm black, Mexican, and white, a lot, I know. Justin and I are six months apart. We don't have the same dad, obviously. I'm a cheerleader, yet I hate cheer. I love hip hop," I said.
"Why do you hate cheer?" He asked.
"Because it's stupid. But I'm on it because of Jess."
"Jessica Davis?"
"Yup. She's my best friend, also Justin's girlfriend."
"Huh. I know Justin doesn't play baseball, but do you wanna come to my game Saturday?" He asked, nervously.
"Of course. You know, Jeff used to-" I stopped myself. Jeff was my best friend. I held back a sob. Monty noticed.
"Jeff was the best pitcher we had. I'll tell you, he was a god at baseball. I miss him on the field," Monty said. I stayed silent. I didn't want to cry. Monty must've noticed because he put his arm around me, making me feel protected. He turned my face to look at him.
"Tell me what's up," he said, softly. I was shocked by the softness in his voice, but it calmed me down.
"I feel like his death is my fault. I asked him where he was going, he said he was getting beer. I asked if he was drunk, but he said no. I shouldn't have let him go," I said, quietly, letting a tear slip. He wiped the tear and placed his hand on my cheek.
"I know for a fact that it wasn't your fault. He was drunk. He shouldn't have gone, but he did, and it's not your fault."
"I just feel like now that he's gone, all I have is Jess and Justin. Like no one else is there for m-" I was cut off by him kissing me. I immediately kissed back. It soon got more heated. I climbed onto his lap and he held my waist. I ran my fingers through his damp hair. One of his hands moved to my back. He pulled back for a second, still having me on his lap.
"Veronica," he said, catching his breath.
"Yes, Montgomery," I said, also catching my breath.
"Are you a virgin?" He asked.
"Yes," I said, nervously.
"Will you go on a date with me?" He asked.
"Isn't this a date?" I asked, smirking.
"I guess so. Are you having a good time?" He asked.
"The best time," I said smiling.
"Hey, assholes," Justin said, coming into the back. I quickly hopped off of Monty before Justin could see. Monty ran his fingers through his hair and groaned. I must've hit him down there.
"Hey, Justy," Monty said, jokingly dragging out the y. Justin chuckled as I giggled.
"Why'd you guys skip?" Justin asked.
"Fucking Bryce was messing with your sister, so I helped her out and she asked if I wanted to skip," Monty said, annoyed at the thought of Bryce. I wonder what that asshole did. Justin's face went from chill to angry.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I swear if he touches you, Veronica, I will slit his throat," Justin said, angrily.
"What the hell happened between you guys. I mean, I never liked Bryce, but why don't you?" I asked, curiously.
"Don't worry about that, Ronnie. If he touches you, tell me or Monty right away," Justin said, sternly. I nodded nervously. I hate when Justin talks to me like I'm a little kid. A second later, Monty's phone dinged. His eyes went wide as he looked at the text.
"Holy shit. I gotta go. I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said, his voice cracking. He acts so fearless, but he looks scared. He's trying to hide it, but Justin and I see it. He quickly jumped out and ran inside to get changed. I noticed a bruise on his back.
"Justin, where did he get that damn bruise?" I asked, nervously.
"Um, a fight?" Justin said.
"I know when you're lying, Just. Please tell me," I begged. Justin sighed and walked over to me.
"Did he tell you his mom left and took his sister?" Justin whisper asked. I shook my head no.
"Well, they left Monty with his dad. His dad blames him and he beats him," Justin said. I gasped.