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

Goodbye and Thank You

a/n: just a quick appreciation post :)

Wow.

I really had no idea how amazing the Wattpad community could be until this story. Writing has always been a hobby, but my readers have made it a passion. I spend hours a day writing, for Wattpad or for pleasure, and I really love it.

I have no way of expressing to everyone how much I appreciate your comments. People saying they're gonna reread this story is crazy to me. It's insane. I appreciate you all so much.

I will forever and ever be grateful of my Loose Change readers.

I also want to say that in my original draft of Loose Change, I only planned on writing about season 1. I honestly didn't expect to continue the story at all. I was honestly planning on abandoning it, because I didn't like the new plot line that S2-4 had. You guys are what inspired me to form an entire story of my own.

I've never had fun writing like this. I remember specifically writing the camping retreat chapters, and the funeral chapters, and being so surprised by how emotionally invested I was in these stories I was making up. I want to explain how the ending came to happening.

1. I began this so long ago, and forgot about it for a long time, until COVID brought me back to Wattpad. In a way this story felt like a little escape. So much so that back in season 2 I was writing about Ophelia and Zach at a baseball game, and it felt so weird that they were out playing and not wearing masks.

2. I want to explain where Scott came from. Originally, this was going to be a one season story about a girl escaping an abusive relationship to be with her childhood best friend. But then as I wrote the characters, and Ophelia, I felt like a created a personality that had a mind of its own. I wrote her so detailed that I realized she wasn't meant for Zach. Especially when S2 and S3 came out. He wasn't the kind of guy who she needed. I didn't mean to write chemistry between Montgomery and Ophelia at first, it just happened. Then, when I watched S2-3 I realized there was another side of him, and that was the side that I imagined him having with Ophelia. So I wanted a redemption arc, and was even planing on an epilogue where she and Monty met in the future and grew together again, after he got help. But then Monty assaulted Tyler. That changed things. I felt like the character could be good, but would never be able to be kind enough to be in an actual relationship. There was too much anger.

Then came Scott...

Scott wasn't planned. He was going to be an acquaintance, an extra. But I wrote two scenes of them together, and that was it. It had to be Scott. From the moment he sat with her at lunch while she was by herself, I knew he was the one for her, and she was the one for him.

I loved writing Scott and Ophelia. During lock down, I remember I would write chapters of their tension so fast, because I wanted to write about them more than anything. There was one scene where Scott put a pencil in Ophelia's backpack, and I felt like I could feel the tension while writing, and I couldn't get enough of them. Again, this was my fun escape in a dark time.

I literally fell in love with their relationship without planning to, and it was my greatest honor to be able to watch you guys do the same.

3. The ending was always going to be 'they were all happy'.

I planned JT (who was originally just going to be Enrique) as soon as S3 came out. Then, I knew I wanted the epilogue to be Scott and Ophelia telling JT about his father. Zach's speech was planned from before Montgomery died. I figured that was when Zach would be the kindest to Montgomery's memory. In the epilogue, I always wanted to show where everyone ended up. I sketched some ideas for it before S4 even came out. There was even a scene where Justin ended up, but unfortunately I had to cut that after the show writer's decided to kill off his character.

I want to apologize to anyone upset over Ophelia and her mother not making up by the end of the story. I just felt that wasn't realistic of most situations. I didn't want to excuse her mother's behavior, so I didn't want to have them reunite.

4. I didn't originally plan Justin and Ophelia's friendship either. But in one scene I wrote about Justin walking Ophelia to the parking lot at the end of S2, and as I was writing it I realized these characters had so much in common, a friendship would be good for them. Had a friend like Ophelia been in the show, I hope Justin would've learned his worth faster. I can't believe how much more I cried over him while writing this story.

5. The camping retreat and funeral scenes(Bryce's and Monty's) were so addicting for me to write, because I felt so much emotion while writing them.

You guys brought my words to life and you all inspired me in countless way. I'm forever grateful.

6. I will never watch 13rw the same way again. Especially seeing Scott, because I didn't know him in the show, but feel like I know the characters so well now. He'll always be Ophelia's boy to me. Seeing any actor is just gonna remind me of this story again.

7. I'll never hear those old, pandemic TikTok songs without thinking of this story. It's insane, but I remember writing more than ten chapters while listening to Heather and Moral of the Story. Those songs will always give me bittersweet nostalgia for the time in my life where I wrote, and you commented. Because your comments literally fueled my happiness in those dark pandemic days.

8. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This has been such a fun, fulfilling experience. I appreciate you all so much, forever.