You're Different - Scott Reed

42

"Hey you okay, you seemed pretty zoned out today?" Scott questioned his girlfriend as she got in his car.

"Yeah I'm okay baby." she smiled at him "It's just hard not to think about him and him not graduating when that's all everyone talks about. 

"I know babe." he smiled empathetically at her.

"Two people I love gone, just like that in the blink of an eye."

"Izabela, can I ask you something? It might not be the best time but it's been eating at me for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, um go-ahead." she looked at him confused.

"Um, uh did you and Monty ever? um you know?"

"Have sex?" she chuckled. "No, we kissed a couple of times but it they were one of those kisses you give when you first start dating someone." she stated.

"Did he ever um try to?" 

"No, he never tried to force me to do anything. Not even kiss him. Everything we did, which as I said was only kissing, was of my own will, Scott." she looked at him.

"I'm sorry for asking..."

"No it's okay, do you have anything else you want to know? There's no point keeping everything to myself, I think he would want you to know."

"What were you guys? Were you like dating?"

"Truthfully, we were still just friends. Yes we kissed but nothing was official."

"Do you think if he was alive you would be with me?"

"Um, Scotty I don't know. I think if he would've lived we definitely would have tried to be together, whether that would have worked out or lasted only God knows."

"Oh..."

"We um, we made a lot of promises to each other and I think if he were still here we would have kept them so I will keep them." she shrugged. "We promised if we were still broken up by prom, he would be my date. You know, he was actually seeing someone when we kissed. But he told me I would always come before anyone, he was in love with me Scotty."

"And did you fall in love with him?"

"Honestly I think I was starting to, he stuck by me through everything. Every single thing he was my person, he was the one what knew the ins and outs of who I was so he let me see the ins and out of Monty y'know?"

"Yeah I get it, I'm not mad or anything, I know you love me." he smiled grabbing her hands. "We weren't together." he shrugged.

"I know you probably didn't want Monty to be the one that got me through all of it but that's how the cards fell." she smiled at him leaning in to kiss him. 

"It's okay because someone upstairs knew that you would need someone to be there for you through this."

"Yeah, exactly." she smiled kissing him once more as they pulled into her apartment complex. 

"I'll come to pick you up later okay?"

"Of course, I'm um, I'm going to pass by the cemetery actually." she smiled softly at him, gave him a kiss and walked into her apartment.

She walked into the silent, empty apartment and placed her bookbag onto the couch. She grabbed a light hoodie and her car keys and headed to a place she visited all too often this last year. 

"Hi mom, it's been a little. I've been here though and I'm sure you know I talk to you every night. My love for you never fades, missing you never gets easier. It never will. I love you mom always, thank you for watching over me and protecting me mom." She spoke with watery eyes as she placed a small set of daisies next to a headstone that read "Amanda Juliet Montoya-Arroyo, mother, friend, sister, angel. Loved by many, never forgotten."

The small girl stood up and walked a couple of yards to where there was a plastic paper holder sticking out of some still overturned dirt. "Montgomery De la Cruz son, brother, best friend. Forever young and never forgotten."

"Hi Mon, I miss you of course you know." she chuckled lightly. "I find myself talkign to you way too often because I think in my head you're still here." she wiped a stray tear.

"In my head you would be all over the Liberty hallways making noise and having a good time. Hugging me, talking to me, being excited about a good grade, making me laugh. Doing something." she giggled again. "It's been hard y'know getting past you being gone but Scotty has been a huge help. You know I never stopped loving him but you also knew I started falling for you." she smiled wiping her tears. "Maybe that's why it's so hard to let you go. I don't know. I miss you a lot Mon. You'll be forever my person no matter what. I love you." she spoke placing some daisies in front of his 'headstone'. 

She took a deep breath and walked back to her car to head home to shower and get ready for the find your drink party. 

-

"I really don't want to be here." Izabela groaned to Scott 

"I know hun, but after the toast, we're out of here okay?"

She nodded at him and went to find somewhere to sit until the toast.

The night passed and all she could do was think of him. How he died, how he cried for help and it came to late, how she knew he suffered for those last moments of his life and she couldn't do anything to help him. She felt hopeless.

"Hey, they're getting ready to do the toast." Scott broke her out of her thoughts leading her outside to the big crowd that had formed.

"Hey everybody listen up! Ayo turn that fucking music down." Diego motioned over to the DJ. " Now I just want to say, welcome everybody to this year's 'find your drink'!"

The crowd yeared and raised their shot cups.

"Now this one person was really looking forward to this party because they wanted our senior year to be bigger and better than anything before, but he can not be here with us tonight. So, we're going to pour one out in his honor. Now I know a lot of you didn't like Monty but I think we can all agree he deserved to live to see this day. Hey Estela, Izabela get up here you have to a part of this too." Diego motioned in the crown for the two girls to go up to where he was. 

The boys passed each of the girls a shot. 

"To our friend and brother, Monty de la Cruz!"

"Too Monty!" the crowd spoke

"May he rest in peace." Diego spoke once more. 

"Too Monty." Izabela whispered as she looked up to the sky and poured out the contents of her shot cup.