The Montgomery Brothers

03 - braxton montgomery

[ t h r e e ] - braxton montgomery

   I felt the warmth of my pillow beneath my cheek as my eyes fluttered open. The soft morning light from my window streamed into my bedroom. For a few moments I felt peaceful, but then I shot up quickly from my bed. My hand darted for my phone and as I clicked it on and the time read 8:14. "Oh, shit." I whispered. I was so horribly late and it was only the second day of school.
     I launched myself out of bed, stumbling over my feet in the process. I squeezed my unusually large thighs into the only pair of blue jeans I owned while throwing an oversized tee shirt over my head. I settled for a quick messy bun on top of my head instead of my usual straightened hair. I checked my phone again as I stumbled out of the door of my apartment. I had gotten a text from Avery about 30 minutes ago. Hey, I couldn't wake you up so I had to leave without you. Sorry! See you at school. I cursed to myself silently and I jogged down the stairs and out the front door. I strained my eyes against the blaring sun and tried to regain my bearings. I huffed out a breath and started towards school. I made it about one fourth of the way when I heard a car screech to a hault next to the sidewalk. I squinted to see who was inside. Of course, Cole Montgomery rolled down his window and shot me his annoying smirk.
     "You're late, Elena Birches." He stated flatly, yet laced with complete and utter sarcasm.
     "You're late too, Cole Montgomery." I retorted and he just snickered in response.
     "Get in the car." He said motioning to the seat next to him. I sighed in relief and climbed into the passengers seat.
     "I owe you," I sighed as we sped off to school.
     The bell for fourth period had just rang as Cole and I made it to school. I squeezed my way through the crowed hallways, trying to find Avery. A sigh of relief slipped from my lips as I saw her standing by her locker, talking to a guy I had never seen before. Right as Avery and I locked eyes she shoo'd him away and a look of shook spread on her face.
     "Where have you been, Elena? You look horrible." She said grabbing each of my upper arms and looking at me with full concern.
     I shook my head, "I over slept," I told her, then quickly changed the subject, "Who was that?"
     "Just a friend," she said, almost defensively.
     I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows at her, not convinced, "A friend? I've never seen you look at someone like that before."
     "We've only known each other for like 5 days," she deadpanned and we both laughed in response.
     The bell rang and we both headed to our classes. Unfortunately, I was so late I only made it to one of my classes.
     When lunch rolled around, I found myself eating alone outside in the court yard. I had positioned myself on the ground under an oak tree. Avery had a "project" she needed to work on with the guy I saw her with earlier that morning, but I didn't mind being alone. I listened as the trees leaves rustle in the wind. I sunk my face into my cheeseburger and flipped through my Chemistry notes.
     I heard leaves crunching behind me and I turned around quickly to see who it was. It was a guy who looked similar to Cole. His dark hair swept up effortlessly and his brown eyes stared daggers into mine. He dressed differently from Cole though, his clothes were darker. I flashed him a small smile as he took a seat next to me.
     Without saying a word he took the burger out of my hand and took a bite out of it.
     He raised his eyebrows and handed it back to me, "That's horrible." He said bluntly.
     I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head, "It's not that bad after you eat it for a while." He stayed quiet for a while, gazing at the trees, so I spoke again, "Who are you?"
     His eyes locked with mine, I felt intimidated by his presence. "I heard you've been talking to my brother," He said, completely ignoring my question, "stay away from him, you don't deserve him."
     I scoffed and glared at him, "And how the hell do you know that?"
     He grabbed my wrist firmly, but not enough for it to hurt. I whimpered softly, afraid of what he'd do. "I know my brother, and I know the pain he's been through. So I won't ask again. Stay. Away." He said through gritted teeth. I felt a chill rush down my entire body. I pried his hand off my arm. Before I could say anything more, he got up and stormed away.
     My back collapsed against the trunk of the tree and I closed my eyes, breathing heavily in fear. My heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. I quickly grabbed my notebook and shoved it into my bag. I flung it over my shoulder and pushed myself off the ground, walking quickly back inside the school, dumping my trash into a trash can on the way. As I tried to push past the crowd of people, I could hear my heart beat in my ears. My chest rose and fell quickly. I yelped as my body smashed into someone and we both toppled to the ground. It was Cole.
     "Woah, Elena. Are you okay?" He asked. He tried to help me up but I hit his hand away.
     "Stay away from me." I said, my voice shaky and broken. I ran straight for the doors.
     "Elena!" I heard Avery call after me, but I didn't stop running until I was off school grounds and into town.
     I leaned my back against the brick walls of some small laundry mat and caught my breathe, my hand resting on my chest. The last couple minutes kept playing over and over in my head until finally I forced myself to snap out of it. I adjusted my bag back into my shoulder and continued walking straight for the Cafe.
     The routine bell rang above my head as I pushed open the door. Katherine came out from the back and greeted me with a warm smile.
"Hey, girlie. Are you here to work?" She asked wiping her hands on a white towel. I nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "Well you came at a perfect time, we have a small lunch rush."
It was ironic because there was only four people in the Cafe, but I just went along with it. She first taught me how to make some of the signature drinks, which was my favorite part.
"Woah, there." Katherine said catching a cup that had slipped from my sweaty, shaky palms. "You seem a little frazzled, you okay?"
"Yeah," I said, flashing a fake smile, "Just nervous." Yet I couldn't shake what had happened from my head.
As Katherine and I wiped down the tables, I turned to her, "Do you know Cole Montgomery?"
She blew a strand of hair out of her face and put her hand of her hip, thinking. "Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, goes to your school?" She asked and I nodded. "Sure do. Why are you asking?"
"I know this might sound crazy but, I think someone who knows him is trying to hurt me." I said cautiously. Her face instantly laced with concern. In an instant, she pulled me into a comforting hug. At first, I felt reluctant to hug her back, but eventually I gave in. Her hug reminded me of my mother's hug. It was warm and you felt completely and utterly safe.
"Oh god, sweetheart. Why do you think this?" She asked, releasing me from her grip.
I shook my head, "I'm not sure, he just came up to me at school and started threatening me."
She twisted her face as if she was in deep thought. Then a giant sigh left her lips and she rolled her eyes. "I know exactly who it was."
"Who?" I asked, perking up slightly.
"Braxton Montgomery. His brother. He's done that to almost every girl Cole has gotten close to." She explained, going back to wiping tables.
I took a seat in the booth she was wiping down. "But why?" I asked.
She shook her head, "No idea. He always scares the girls out of town before anyone finds out why."
My back straighten uncomfortably, "Out of town?"
She sighed and sunk into the booth across from me. "Yep, there's only been two, but both hated Braxton so much they moved out of town."
I crossed my arms, "Well I'm certainly not going anywhere."
She laughed and reached out to grab my hands. She looked straight into my eyes, "You're one of the good ones, Elena. I can feel it." I smiled back at her. "Now, lets show you how to cash people out."

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Authors Note: Hello! I hope you enjoyed the third installment of The Montgomery Brothers. I apologize for taking so long to update! Hopefully I can get a steady update schedule soon! As always, if you enjoyed this chapter than be sure to vote and comment. Thanks a trillion <3