𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗢, monty green

Chapter Eighteen

"Are you sure it's ready for tasting?"

Monty didn't notice her reluctance to drink the new batch of moonshine he had made - or he just ignored it - and continued to slosh around the barrel in which it was being brewed.

"Oh it's ready alright." There was a mischievous glimmer in his eyes that made Avery's heart leap. "Now come on, you gotta be the first one to try it."

He poured a small quantity of the liquid into a cup, which Avery took whilst holding back a grimace. Monty was watching her expectantly, a bright smile on his face that made it impossible for the girl to turn the offer down.

Raising it hesitantly to her lips, she took a gulp of the moonshine, letting the liquid burn her throat and wrestle her urge to gag. Taking another sip, she was ready for the foul taste, and so it wasn't so bad; it tasted slightly sweet even.

"Well?"

Avery put down the cup, pretending to think it over as if she was some sort of moonshine expert, when in reality the only alcohol she had drunk was the whiskey Finn found and some rum she had dug out of her dad's belongings one time. Monty was clearly getting impatient, biting back the fond grin that threatened his lips, and tapping his foot against the floor.

"It'll certainly get you drunk, that's for sure."

"And that's our aim." Jasper interjected, appearing through the tent and taking a hold of the barrel Monty had brewed the moonshine in, dragging it over to his feet. "What are we calling it?"

Monty shrugged nonchalantly, picking up Avery's cup and taking his own sip of the stuff to see what it tasted like. He grimaced, wrinkling his nose in disgust, but then laughed softly.

"It really doesn't taste great."

He offered it out to Jasper, who chugged the rest of it, before exhaling loudly with a cough. He rested his hands on Monty's shoulders, shaking him enthusiastically, clearly overexcited about it all.

"It's perfect, my man." He lifted the barrel from the floor proudly, beaming at them both. "And everyone's going to appreciate this Unity Juice, just as much as me."

He disappeared from the tent, his shouts of Monty's Unity Juice echoing across the camp, followed by people's cheers and shouts. Monty and Avery exchanged an amused glance, neither one of them bothered by missing the Unity Day speech or the alcohol they could easily get more of.

Avery never cared for Unity Day, finding herself drawing a blank whenever she attempted to think about reasons she should feel unified with the rest of the Ark. And whilst she now feels unified with her fellow Delinquents, she still just associates Unity Day with her life on the Ark. As for Monty, the boy just never understood everyone's obsession with it, or why they should celebrate a place that 'had' to resort to locking up kids for crimes such as stealing medicine for sick family members.

"Unity Juice? That's what we're calling it?"

Monty just shrugged in turn, clearly finding the whole thing funny. "The name works." He said simply. 

Avery rolled her eyes, unimpressed by the ordeal. It was then that she recalled only a day prior, which the boy had mainly spent attempting to perfect his moonshine recipe, Monty got the chance to speak to his parents on the radio. He hadn't mentioned a word of it to Avery yet, but the girl couldn't care less about her own family then, she wanted to hear about his.

"How were your parents? You spoke to them yesterday?"

He startled as if it had slipped his mind, and the girl stifled a laugh. "They're relieved I'm alive, apparently."