It was Rep Night. The night Montgomery had drugged Hannah, taken her into the hills, and taken photos of her topless.
Montgomery was driving back to Ophelia's house now, to drop her off. Then Montgomery would get rid of Hannah.
Pulling up her house, Ophelia was silent. She refused to say a word to him. He parked in her driveway.
"I love you-"
She got out of the car, slamming his door and heading inside her house, ready to crawl in the bed, cover her eyes, and pretend nothing had happened that night.
Montgomery drove back to the high school. By the time he got there, of course he regretted things. He didn't process how much trouble he could get into until he realized he didn't know what to do with Hannah. He couldn't send her home, and he couldn't just leave her anywhere, right?
He thought about leaving her on the football field. No, that was too risky. What if she died? He would be to blame. He would go to jail.
Montgomery decided he would leave her in the only place he knew he wouldn't get in trouble. He parked next to the Clubhouse, coming in from the forest side so that he could come close.
Montgomery went to the back of the truck, pulling back the tarp, and seeing her body, slightly moving. She must have been waking up. He picked her up, carrying her gently to the entrance of the Clubhouse.
He pushed the door open, and nearly dropped her.
Bryce day inside, alone.
He sent Montgomery a confused look, but Bryce was clearly high out of his mind.
"Dude, what the fuck?"
"Shit..." Montgomery said to himself. He kept his grip on Hannah. He thought of an excuse. "She, uh, she had to much to drink. Ophelia told me I should let her sleep in here."
He wondered if Bryce would believe him. He was surprised to find that Bryce didn't seem to care.
"Go ahead."
Bryce was sitting in the recliner across from the couch, so set her down on the couch. He laid her, carefully.
When he turned around, Bryce was holding out a bud to him.
"Take some, friend."
Montgomery hesitated. He shouldn't. He should take off now, while he still could.
"Actually, I should get home," Montgomery tried.
Bryce scoffed. "Come on, no ones waiting up for you. Just take a few hits."
Bryce was right. No one was waiting up for him that night. Montgomery took a seat on the field up chair next to the couch.
Montgomery took a hit off the bud. And then Bryce pulled out a pipe, and more weed than Montgomery thought he had. And pretty soon, Montgomery was stoned too. For a while, he forgot about the shit he did that night. Until he looked over, and saw Hannah still on the couch.
They were there for about two more hours, before Montgomery realized it was already one am. He came down around two.
"I really need to leave," Montgomery said. "My dad will be pissed if he leaves for work and I'm not there."
"Alright," Bryce told him. "Let's get a photo first."
Bryce pulled out the polaroid camera. Montgomery hesitated. "Maybe not this time."
"Come on, just one," Bryce insisted.
Montgomery didn't want to, but he still smiled.
Bryce continued, "With our guest of honor."
Montgomery didn't want Hannah to be in the photo, especially with him. But if he said no, Bryce might get suspicious.
Montgomery sat on the couch, and placed Hannah's head on his lap. He forced a smile as Bryce took a photo.
"Shit, your head was cut off," he said. "One more."
Montgomery smiled again.
Bryce took the last photo.
"You look sexy," Bryce complimented.
He stood up, and felt a bit dizzy. He sat back down in the chair next to the couch.
"Actually, maybe I should wait a little longer."
Bryce stood now, standing right next to the couch. Hannah's unconscious body still asleep, next to him.
"Why don't you head out now?" Bryce urged him.
Montgomery hesitated. "I don't know, I feel kind of-"
"Go," Bryce told him.
Montgomery looked up, to see Bryce staring down at Hannah's body. Montgomery suddenly wanted to stay. He had been the one to drug Hannah, he was responsible of what happened to her while she was still out.
"I'll just stay a little longer."
Bryce walked over to the door, and held it open for him. "You'll get better air in your car outside."
"But..."
Bryce just looked at him. Montgomery sent Hannah one more looking before standing back up.
"Alright," he said. "I'll go then."
"See ya tomorrow, De La Cruz," Bryce told him. He patted his shoulder, and pushed him the rest of the way out.
He slammed the door behind him, and Bryce could hear him locking it.
Montgomery stood outside the door for a few minutes, before shuffling over to his car. He took a deep breath, and considered the matter to be out of his hands.
Montgomery drove home, and tried to forget about it.
*****
Ophelia didn't have an appetite for the food her mom made her. She was worried that her mother would figure out her plans for the day.
To go to Montgomery's court day, after her parents specifically forbid her from it.
Zach was supposed to come pick her up early, and take her. Montgomery's testimony didn't start until nine, but they would get there early. No doubt it would be packed.
Montgomery testified today, Justin testified tomorrow, and that was it. The trial would be over. And everyone wanted to see the last days of the trial.
Ophelia was in her room, brushing her hair, when she got a text message.
She was surprised. It was from Scott.
She unlocked her phone to look at it.
SCOTTY: Are you going to court today?
She just sent back a 'yes'. She hesitated. She typed out 'are you?', but decided to delete it.
She finished getting dressed, only to get another message.
SCOTTY: Do you have a ride?
Ophelia felt almost excited that he was offering. But she already had one.
She wrote out: Zach is picking me up at 7:45, so my mom won't think I'm missing school.
She waited for his reply.
SCOTTY: Okay, cool.
Ophelia finished getting ready, and waited outside for Zach. The time reached 7:45, and he was nowhere to be seen. Then 7:50. Now it was almost 8:00.
Ophelia's mom came outside.
"Ophelia, Zach must be running late. How about I just drive you to school?"
That couldn't happen, because then Ophelia wouldn't be able to leave and make the court time.
"No, he'll be here," Ophelia insisted.
"Don't be ridiculous, let's go," her mother told her.
Ophelia gave up hope. She followed her mom to her car, only for another vehicle to skid next to their driveway.
Ophelia gasped at the sharp stop. The window rolled down. It was Scott. He parked in front of her house. He got out of the car, and smiled at her and her mother.
"Hey, Mrs. Tristano!" He waved. Her mother vaguely waved back. He turned to Ophelia, "Sorry I'm late, I had to get gas."
Her mother turned to her. "Is he the one taking you to school?"
Ophelia knew this be the only way to get to the court house, since Zach was too late. "Yeah," she said, playing alone like she had been waiting for Scott the whole time.
Scott ran around and opened his passenger door for her, inviting her in from across the yard. Her mother looked at her skeptically. Ophelia said, "Bye!" quickly, before hurrying across the grass in her front hard and hopping into Scott's open seat.
As he pulled away from her house he told her, "Figured you might not want your mom knowing you were going to court."
Ophelia didn't say anything. She just looked down at her phone, to the text message conversation she had with Zach the night before. She asked if he could take her to court and he just replied with, 'K'.
Ophelia put the phone away, upset. She looked out the window.
"You okay?" he asked as he merged onto the freeway to get into the city.
Ophelia sighed. "How did you know Zach wouldn't come?"
Scott let out a low breath. "He was one of my best friends. I know him."
Ophelia knew Zach didn't want her going to see Montgomery in court. And he asked her not to. If it had happened a few days ago, she would have agreed and given in to staying away. But Montgomery had told her he would testify against Bryce, she didn't want to risk that not happening because he was upset she wasn't there.
But Scott somehow knew Zach would bail on driving her? So how come she was too blind to see it?
They rode in silence for a moment. Then Scott turned on music, a pop station.
When they pull off the freeway, Scott looked over to see the time was only 8:15. They still had forty-five minutes before court started.
"Have you eaten?" Scott asked her.
He spotted a small diner across from the court house, slightly hidden by a few bigger restaurants.
Ophelia just shook her head 'no'.
"Are you hungry?"
Again, "No."
Scott wasn't hungry at all. He had eaten a few bowls of cereal for breakfast that morning because he woke up early, nervous.
He didn't like the fact Ophelia hadn't eaten.
"Well, I am," he lied. "Do you mind if we stop over there and wait until we have to go in?"
She looked over to the diner. It looked cute, and simple. "Yeah, okay."
Scott was nervous. Really nervous. Ophelia could tell just by looking at him. He assumed it was because of the trial. She didn't know the real reason.
The two of them entered the diner.
A hostess greeted them. "Hey, guys. Welcome in. Just two today?"
Scott smiled, friendly. "Just us."
It was a younger waitress, probably just a few years older than them. She looked kind of familiar. Maybe she used to go to Liberty High.
"Can you we get the back booth?" Scott asked when she tried to place them near the front.
The waitress just said, "Sure." She had a nice voice. And a pretty face.
Scott sat across from her, letting Ophelia sit facing the wall, while Scott faced the door. The waitress dropped off two menus.
When she walked away, Scott looked towards the white board that rested at the front counter of the diner, trying to read what the morning's special was.
When Ophelia saw Scott's eyes move down the ball, she thought that he was checking out the waitress. He must have thought that she was pretty too. Why wouldn't he? She was curvy, with a slim waist.
Ophelia suddenly thought back to the cruel words Bryce had said to her in the Clubhouse. He had insulted her body, and her looks, saying the only reason people wanted to be with her was because she was ugly.
She wished she looked like that. Ophelia longed to be pretty like the waitress, the kind of beauty that had boys turning their heads.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Scott asked her.
Ophelia changed her mind about not eating quickly, as she realized she despised how skinny and bland her body was. Maybe if she ate more, she could become bigger in areas like her butt, and her breasts. Maybe more food would make her look more like a woman than a middle schooler.
"Actually, I can eat," she said.
Scott smiled, glad. He, of course, could eat a lot, even if he wasn't hungry.
They ordered, Scott got pancakes and hash browns, Ophelia got eggs and toast.
"So, what's your favorite thing to do when you're not at school?" Scott asked her, wanting to have conversation while they waited for their food.
"My favorite thing?" she asked. "Like, my favorite hobby or something?"
Scott nodded. "Yeah, hobby. Or, like, interests. I like baseball. But I also like watching tv. So I would say those are my favorite things to do."
Ophelia took a sip of the iced water out in front of them. She chuckled. "I don't think watching tv is considered a hobby. It kind of just a time filler."
He countered, "Isn't that what a hobby is? A time filler?"
"Hm." Ophelia smiled at him. "Okay, I guess. I was going to say I like to read, and I guess that's pretty close to watching tv."
They spoke for a few more minutes, talking about what movies they liked, what books they liked, and why Scott should consider reading books longer than 200 pages, because they're the ones that are more exciting. Scott offered to teach her about one of his favorite video games, Desert Duty. Montgomery played that game a lot, but he had never offered that before.
After the food came, they were done eating at 8:40, and still had twenty minutes to spare before court.
Scott cleared his throat, pushing his empty plate away from himself. "Ophelia, do you mind if we talk for a few minutes? Before heading over?"
Ophelia was caught off guard by his sudden serious tone. "Sure, about what?"
He hesitated. He reached into his jacket pocket, and Ophelia saw him pull out a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. He set it on the table, and slid it across to her. She grabbed it. She only had to glance at it, not even open it completely before realizing what it was.
Her account of what happened with Bryce. Ophelia took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from freaking out.
"Where did you get this?" She spoke low and breathless.
Scott folded his hands together. "Monty had it. I don't know where he got it." Ophelia did, from her backpack. "He freaked the fuck out on Bryce, almost beat the shit out of him."
Ophelia didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he wanted her to do, or how he wanted her to react. So she just put the note in her jacket pocket.
"Good. He deserved it."
She caught Scott staring at her.
"What?" she asked. Everyone had different reactions to situations like these, Ophelia wasn't sure if his would be to judge, or to pity. She didn't like either option.
"I know your name isn't on it. But it's yours, right? You wrote it? That...That happened to you?"
Scott remembered the day of the first baseball game, the day she had written about Bryce locking her in the Clubhouse and threatened her. He remembered seeing her after the game, upset.
Why the fuck hadn't he gone up to her? Why hadn't he talked to her?
"Yeah," Ophelia told him, simply. "It happened to me. Bryce happened to me."
Scott found himself moving his hands under the tape. He felt angry, and didn't want to see Ophelia's balling his fists. He didn't want to seem angry in front of her at all, he wanted to be calm.
But he struggled with it.
"And you didn't leave anything out, right?" he said.
Ophelia hesitated.
Scott feared what she wasn't saying.
"I didn't leave anything out," she told him. "But I left it short. I guess I wasn't as detailed as I could have been."
Scott saw her hands resting on the table. They were fidgeting now, nervous. He wanted to reach over to grab one, and calm her down. But he didn't want her think he was coming on to her.
"Like what?" he asked.
"Just stupid stuff," she said. "It didn't add anything."
"Like what?" he repeated.
She sighed. "Yeah, he threatened me, but, I don't know. I feel like that didn't phase me. He said I'd pay if I kept messing with his team, but obviously I wasn't going to stop talking to Zach-," she glanced at him, "-or you."
He felt important to her in that moment.
"But he was..."
Ophelia laughed, pitifully. It confused Scott.
Ophelia said. "God, I feel like such a stupid, dramatic girl. He was mean to me, and that's what made me so upset. He called me ugly, and easy, and said that no one liked me and that's what made me so sad."
Scott waited for her to finish.
"It helped him, though. Because since I was so ugly, I was worried if I told everyone he had gotten on top of me and said he wanted to 'try me out', they wouldn't believe me. They wouldn't believe me because why would Bryce do shit to me when he has a beautiful girlfriend?"
Scott was taken aback, and stayed speechless for a moment. He had wanted to 'try her out'? What kind of sick fuck said shit like that?
Rapists.
"Yeah, but obviously that shit isn't true," Scott said. "You know that, right?"
"Well, you believe me, so I-"
"No," he cut her off, "Not about people believing you. I mean, obviously they will, but...you're not ugly, Ophelia. You know that, right?"
Did she? Because one of her boyfriends couldn't stay hard around her, and the other boyfriend...let's just say he didn't have the same attraction as other boys did.
Ophelia didn't say anything, so Scott continued.
"You said he got on top of you, and he threatened to, do that..." He threatened to have his way with her. "He didn't, like, make you do anything? Or undress you or anything?"
"No," Ophelia said, "He didn't do that. So I guess I'm lucky-"
"No!" he said quickly. Again, he checked himself and lowered his voice. "I didn't mean that, I didn't mean to say you were lucky. I just...I just want to know how he hurt you, so I can know how to help you."
This time, he did reach over, and put a hand over hers. Ophelia thought of Zach, and felt guilty, so she pulled away.
Ophelia said, "You don't have to, Scott. That's not your responsibility."
He didn't hesitate to say, "I want it to be. I don't mind if it is."
Ophelia felt like an awful person, because she knew Zach loved her and had her best intentions at heart, but Ophelia suddenly wished Scott been the one she told yesterday, not Zach. She would have preferred Scott's comfort, rather than the anger Zach had shown towards Bryce.
She wanted Zach to have been the one to pull her away from the fight yesterday, instead of him jumping into it.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Scott asked her.
He had gone to support Bryce in court. He had believed Bryce.
"I did tell people," she said. "I told Zach, and I told Mr. Porter. I wanted to be careful about it."
"But you didn't-" He stopped, realizing his voice was raising slightly, and lowering it. He said, softer, "You didn't tell me."
He could have been able to see the truth about Bryce before he had forgiven him.
Ophelia had thought about Scott several times the day before. She assumed it was because he was involved in everything she was involved in, and he had been kind to her when she needed help.
She wondered, now, if Scott thought of her throughout the day too. If he was upset at her for not telling him what happened, because he wanted to more involved in her life than she had been.
"I'm sorry," Ophelia whispered. "I didn't know what to do. I didn't want it going around. You know how he spins stories."
Scott looked ashamed. "I do now."
Ophelia ran a hand through her hair. Scott looked at her, and she saw he had chosen the option to pity her. It was written all over his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. "I mean, he threatened to rape you, Ophelia. That fucks me up and I wasn't the one it happened to. I can't imagine."
Ophelia nodded, then stopped. Instead, she shook her head. "No, I'm not okay. Not really."
Scott looked down. Shame on his face. Ophelia wanted to tell him he had nothing to do ashamed about. He hadn't done wrong. She didn't want him to feel like he had.
"It's not just because of Bryce," she told him, quickly. "It's everything. It's everyone."
Scott said, "But Bryce has a fucking lot to do with it."
Ophelia couldn't disagree with that.
"Monty told me he was going to testify against Bryce," Ophelia told him.
Scott leaned back. "Holy shit. Really?"
"That's why I'm going today," she said. "I know what you must be thinking, seeing me coming to 'support' him, but it's more than that. I...I want him to tell the truth. I want him to do something to redeem himself. Something to..."
Scott leaned back forward. She didn't have to finish. He knew what she meant.
"Something to prove you weren't stupid for waiting for him to change?"
Ophelia bit her lip. How did he read her so well?
"I was hoping for something like that too," Scott admitted. "He's become my best friend this year. If he got up on the stand and lied through his teeth, defending Bryce, then what is the point of me trying to look past what he did? There wouldn't be one. It'd just mean I was as fucked up as he was."
Ophelia ran a hand through her hair again. She sniffed, feeling combustion start in her nose as her voice weakened, becoming emotional. "I know people think I'm stupid already. I just, I don't know how to explain it. I want him to be a better person, Scott."
He nodded. "Me too."
She laughed, pitiful again. "I don't understand it. Why am I here? Why do I show up for him?"
"You're a good person," Scott told her, "Even if he's not."
Ophelia thought for a long moment, she decided, "It's not that I want him to be better. I want him to have been better. I've known Monty for years, and in the last few months I've been told how he's this awful person. I just-I feel like I'm holding out hope that something will happen and prove that they were wrong, and that he was good all along."
Scott didn't want to coddle her now. He didn't want to console her, or be gentle. He just wanted to be real.
"He has a good side, Ophelia. That doesn't mean he's a good person. Good people don't hurt others."
Ophelia was embarrassed, and ashamed. Because his words were true.
"And I know it's easier to forgive someone if you're the one they wronged," Scott told her. "It's hard to believe, but being the person that got hurt by him, it makes it easier to look passed it. He's not 'some awful guy who hit his girlfriend' to you, he's just Monty. And he fucked up. And you don't get to see the perspective everyone else does. And they don't get to see yours."
He seemed like it was so easy to understand.
"So what's my perspective, Scott? What do you think I'm feeling?" she challenged.
Scott took a breath. "Okay. You're Ophelia. You have a great boyfriend, and he's popular, and you have fun. But one night he's drunk, and he gets angry, and he gets jealous. He hits you, and he breaks your nose. You forgive him, because what he did didn't change the fact that you loved him." Ophelia listened while Scott seemed to summarize her life. "And then he attacks you again, and your friend, Hannah comes and saves you. You call the police, but you change your mind. You tell Monty that Hannah was the one who called the police. Because you still love him."
Ophelia sat back in her seat, Scott just leaned forward.
"He believes you. So he gets revenge on Hannah by drugging her, and taking photos to blackmail her, so she'll never call the police again. Things are fine now. Monty isn't hitting you, no ones knows he did, so you can both forget about it." Scott took a breath. "But then Hannah kills yourself. And she tells everyone about what Monty did to you, and what Monty and you did to her, and now everyone is judging you for still loving him."
Ophelia looked out the window, away from him as he continued.
"When Hannah kills herself, you finally hear your story through her point of view. You see how fucked up Monty is, so you dump him. You leave school. When you come back, you can't stand how people are judging you, so you go back to Monty, because he's done so much worse that he would never judge you like they did-"
"That's not why I-" Ophelia stopped herself.
That's not why she went back to him, right? It was because she wanted things to work with him.
"Monty hits you again. So you know he can't change. So you want to leave him. Permanently. But it's hard, because you're not used to living without him. So that's why you stay in his life, wishing him the best. He's always been a character in your life, so you assume he always will be."
Ophelia sighed. "You have me figured out, huh? You think I'm chasing after Monty because he's all I know?"
Scott looked down. "No. You miss him because you think he's the only one that loves you. He's the only one that's centered his whole life around you."
Ophelia shook her head. "I don't think he's the only one that's loved me. But I know, he's the one that's loved me the most."
Scott asked. "What about Zach?"
"What about Zach?" Ophelia snapped. "He doesn't like me like Monty did. He's not even here."
She regretted her words as soon as she said it.
"Fuck," she mumbled. "Wait, I didn't-"
"It's okay," he told her. "That's part of the reason, isn't it?"
She just looked at him.
"The reason you think of Monty?"
What did they have to do with each other?
Scott explained, "So you finally get rid of Monty, the guy who's world revolves around you, the guy who would literally do anything for you. And you move on to Zach, who promised to treat you better. But he just...doesn't."
Ophelia was quick to defend Zach, "Zach's never hurt me, he's good to me."
"He is," Scott agreed. "He's nice. And he likes you. But, he's just not Monty. You were Monty's whole world, but you're just a part of Zach's. And because Zach, who seems perfect for you, doesn't make you feel what you felt for Monty, you assume no one can. You assume Monty's it."
Scott leaned forward again.
"So now, you and Zach are on a break, because you already left the honeymoon phase of your relationship with Zach, and you realize that he wasn't all you hoped for. But now Monty's back, and he's trying to change for you. And you want to believe that he can change."
"That's not why me and Zach are on a break," Ophelia tried. "Things have just been stressful."
Scott told her, seriously, "Ophelia, I know that it may feel like you'll never find a guy like that'll love you like Monty again, I promise you it's not true. You're beautiful, O. And you're smart, and you're amazing. You...You don't have to keep trying with someone who obviously isn't good for you."
Ophelia knew what he meant when he said Monty's world revolves around her. They did everything together, they were so involved in each other's lives. Whatever they lacked from their home life, they made up for with each other.
"So when you and Zach do finally break up," Scott said, "Will you just go back to Monty?"
She didn't want to. She didn't want to be with him. But Scott was right. She didn't know how to be without him.
"You should decide now, O," he told her. "Decide now, while you have all the facts in front of you. Do you want to be with him again?"
Ophelia gulped, and took a deep breath.
"I want Monty to stay in my life." Scott slumped back, upset. Ophelia continued, "But...I don't want him to be my life. I don't want him to be my future."
Scott let out a breath, relieved.
"I wish I hated him," Ophelia admitted. "Do you think I don't? I wish I hated him like everyone else did."
"Do you hate Bryce?" Scott asked.
Ophelia nodded. "Yeah, I think I do."
"I do too. Now."
Ophelia took a deep breath. She regretted what she said about Zach. Of course he loved her. She hadn't been with him as long as Montgomery, that's the only reason she felt Montgomery loved her more. Right?
"Do you think you'd be upset if Monty moved on, and found a new girlfriend? Or do you think it would help you move on?"
Ophelia couldn't tell Scott the truth. Because she swore she wouldn't tell anyone.
But if Montgomery moved on, and found someone new to love, she didn't know if it would be a girl.
"I think even if I do move on, it's still going to be hard watching someone move on from me. You know, forget about me."
"I don't think that will happen," Scott told her. He leaned forward again. He glanced at her hands, wondering if he should try taking one in his again. He decided not to. Instead, he told her, "You're not forgettable."
She looked at him, and he looked at her, and they looked at each other.
"So, are you still Zach's girl?"
The question sent adrenaline pumping through her veins. She felt her heart beating faster, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.
"I think I-"
Something caught Scott's eyes.
He leaned back quickly, muttering, "Shit."
Ophelia turned around. Zach was walking through the restaurant, down to their table.
"Zach?" she asked, confused.
"Ophelia," he said, "Have you not been getting my messages? I've been texting and calling for half an hour."
She looked at her phone, which was in her jacket, in do not disturb. He had been trying to reach her. A lot.
"Oh my god," she gasped. "Zach, I'm so sorry. I thought you bailed."
"I just woke up late," he said. "I got to you house at, like, 8:05 and you were already gone."
He looked at Scott, who looked away, avoiding eye contact. Zach looked at the meal, and then the two people sitting across from each other.
It looked like a date.
"What the hell is all this?" he asked.
Scott cleared his throat. "We were just grabbing breakfast before court."
Zach was untrusting. And, suddenly, he was also insecure.
"Why didn't you call me?" Zach asked Ophelia. "Or text me?"
Had she wanted time with Scott alone?
"I thought you bailed on purpose," she admitted. "I thought you just didn't want me going to court."
"I don't," he said, "Of course I don't. But I was still going to take you. I wasn't going to force you to leave." Zach looked to Scott. "Did you tell her I fucking bailed on her?"
Scott felt guilty. He genuinely thought Zach had.
"He was just being nice," Ophelia told Zach quickly. "He's being a good friend. He wanted to make sure I got to the courthouse."
Zach was unsure. He saw how Scott had looked at her at school, and how he looked at her now. It upset Zach, and made him sad, wondering how wrong Zach could have been to Ophelia to make he really just left her at home without saying anything.
"Being a friend? Because this looks like a fucking breakfast date or some shit."
Ophelia felt guilty, because, for a while, it felt like that to her too. And she liked it.
Ophelia stood up. "I'm sorry," she said. "But it wasn't like that. You know me and Tony get breakfast sometimes too, right?"
"Tony's fucking gay," Zach said loudly. A few tables looked over. The waitress snickered from the front.
"Shh," Ophelia said quietly. "What, girls and guys can only be friends if ones gay?"
"You know what I mean," Zach told her. He pointed to Scott. "Look at him. He has fucking hair gel. He never wears that shit."
Scott hesitated. He did styler his hair longer this morning, and it was for Ophelia.
"I'm sorry," Ophelia said again. "Look, court is going to start soon. I can just drive over with you. Is that okay?"
Zach grumbled, "Yeah."
"How'd did you know we were here?" Scott asked him.
Zach rolled his eyes. Had he tried to hide?
"I've been circling the courthouse. Finally saw your car."
Scott just let out an inaudible scoff, upset at Zach's distrusting attitude. But Scott calmed down, realizing Zach had every reason to be distrustful. Because Scott had wanted it to be a breakfast date.
"You guys can go," Scott told them. "I'll get the check."
"No need," Zach told him. He reached back for his wallet, and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. He slammed it in the table. The total would have been a little over twenty dollars.
Scott knew why he did that. It was a power move. Zach was rich, he was tall. He should be the one to get the girl, right?
Ophelia saw Scott's face fall at his actions.
Zach walked towards the door. He looked back at Ophelia.
"I'll just grab my jacket," she told him. "I'll be right there."
Ophelia went back to the booth, and grabbed her jacket. Scott stood to his feet, upset with how their meal had ended.
"I'm sorry," Ophelia said. "I'm sorry for leaving, Zach feel a lot better if I-"
"I'm not one to lead someone on," Scott said, suddenly. She wondered where this was going. "I'm not trying to make this seem like something it's not."
Ophelia looked back at the door. Zach was waiting.
Scott spoke his next words quietly, so Zach wouldn't hear.
"I'm not just being friendly. I mean, I do believe guys and girls can be just friends, O. But I don't think we can."
Ophelia felt shocked, surprised, flabbergasted. She couldn't think of a word to really express how caught off guard she was with his words.
She couldn't think of how to respond either.
She breathed, "Oh..."
He said, "But Zach's a friend. I'm not trying to go behind his back, or make you do something you'll regret."
Scott stepped around her. He turned to her and before he left he just told her, "You have my number, O. If you guys do end up breaking up completely...use it."
A/N: Don't hate me Zach fans 🥺🥺
Sorry if it seems like I'm adding unnecessary drama, next chapter is Monty's court date so I'll try to have some of it resolved
Also I get so happy and sentimental when people talk about having read this story back when it had like 5 chapters 😭 I'm sorry I made y'all wait so long, I promise to finish this story completely