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

Part 2 Chapter 8b

A/N: There are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter because I'm trying to go over how Ophelia and Montgomery met/started dating

Warning: Talk of sexual assault

It was the third week of freshmen year. Zach and Ophelia walked to and from school together every day, since it was cool already in August. Zach would stay at Ophelia's house after school, which was closer to the school, and wait there until his father came to pick him up.

Today, however, Zach had stayed late to try out for the junior varsity football team. The season would be starting soon. He was happy, because he felt he did good in the tryouts.

Ophelia was not as happy. She sat bored outside watching the tryouts for over an hour. The only reason she stayed instead of leaving him to fend for himself was the fact that he promised to buy her ice cream afterwards. He had to give an incentive, because his mother was very strict that he never walked home by himself. She thought fourteen was still too young for that.

Zach waved to Ophelia right before tryouts ended. She gave a half wave back, and he could tell she was tired of sitting out there. He didn't blame her.

They walked together to an ice cream shop about a block away from Ophelia's home. As soon as she got her dessert, a smile came to her face and it didn't leave.

"Thank you, Zachy," she said, teasing him with the nickname she knew he hated.

"Mhmm," he said back. He counted the cash he had left in his wallet. "Geez, I didn't know you could even order anything that expensive here."

Ophelia shrugged, digging into her fifteen dollar sundae. "I have expensive taste." And she knew his mother gave him plenty of money weekly for anything he wanted.

Zach was facing the entrance, and Ophelia watched as he suddenly ducked his head down, and tried to cover his face with the plastic menu on the booth table.

"What?" Ophelia asked. "What happened?"

She looked behind her, to see a few boys their age walk in.

Zach whispered, "Those are some of the guys from tryouts today. They were so good they already made the cut."

Ophelia looked back at them.

"Don't look!" Zach whispered.

Ophelia turned back around. "Sheesh." She took another bite of her ice cream. Mouth slightly full she mumbled, "Why don't you say hi?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "You're such a girl."

She frowned now. "What does that mean?"

"We're not friends," he told her, "I can't just go say hi. What if they make fun of me when we leave?"

Ophelia almost laughed. "Hate to tell you this, Zachy. But that's kind of what girls have to deal with all the time."

Zach's eyes widened as his order was called at the counter. He debated whether he wanted to stay hidden, or get his ice cream. He decided he wanted ice cream. He would just go quickly.

Ophelia watched him get up, and then she turned her attention back to her own ice cream in front of her.

Zach walked up to the counter nervously. The taller, older looking boy noticed him first. He nodded at him. "Hey, you go to Liberty, right?"

Zach was surprised by the friend tone. "Y-Yeah. I do." He hated his sudden stutter.

The boy nodded. "Yeah, you were at tryouts. You've got a good arm."