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

Part 2 Chapter 9

Ophelia and Montgomery embraced for an entirety of eight minutes. When they pulled apart, he wanted to kiss her. But he knew she might reject him. And he didn't think he would be able to handle that.

Montgomery recalled when they caught each other at Hamlin's and how she admitted that they probably were meant to be together. She seemed to have forgotten all about that conversation.

When they pulled apart she was sniffling, like their short time together left her emotional.

She had spent the time thinking about what would happen if her and Montgomery did leave together. What if they lived away from Bryce and his father and all the other bad influences? Would it be better? Would they be happy again?

It was just...so easy to be happy around him. At least, it used to be.

"Ophelia..." His voice came out hesitant. An important question in his mind. "Do you really love Zach?"

A color flashed across her mind when she thought of her feelings for Zach. Yellow. Her times with Zach bubbly and happy. His sweet personality only rarely overshadowed by seriousness caused by fear, like had happened today. That seriousness is what made them take their break. But she knew that she would get over what had happened. Did she love him? Of course. She had loved him longer than they were even dating. He had always been in her life, since they were kids. She expected he would always be there.

"I do."

Montgomery took a quick breath in. He gulped. He hesitated with his next question. But he needed it answered.

"Do you love him the way you loved me?"

A different color flashed in her mind. Red. Deep red, deep love. The tenderness and passion of the love her and Montgomery shared. A passion Ophelia had only seen from Zach when they first got together and had since faded. But it was the passion her and Montgomery shared, that she knew would never go away, or fade, even for an instant.

Ophelia didn't answer him. But they both knew the answer was no.

*****

Scott didn't ask Montgomery about the tapes at all while they were at school. He didn't want to mention it, or bring it up. Because he didn't want to think about it. When Marcus called Bryce a rapist at the ceremony, it shocked him. That meant what Zach had said was true. So did that mean what Zach said about Montgomery was true? Did he really hurt Ophelia?

He looked up the blog when he got home. He scrolled through the comments to where the tapes supposedly were. He took a deep breath. Fifteen entries.

There was a comment below the audio files, made by a student at his school, a junior named Derek. He named the files.

Tape 1-Justin Foley
Tape 2-Jessica Davis
Tape 3-Alex Standall
Tape 4-Tyler Down
Tape 5-Courtney Crimson
Tape 6-Marcus Cole
Tape 7-Zach Dempsey
Tape 8-Ryan Shaver
Tape 9-Justin Foley
Tape 10-Sheri Holland
Tape 11-Ophelia Tristano
Tape 12-Clay Jensen
Tape 13-Bryce Walker
Tape 14-Mr. Porter
Tape 15-Bryce Walker's Confessions

Jesus Christ. There were a lot. And they were mostly fifteen minutes or longer. He couldn't imagine being able to sit down and listen to them all that night. Maybe someone summarized them?

But Tape 11...

Ophelia Tristano. He knew that was the one Montgomery was on too. He glanced at the time. Her tape was one of the shortest ones. He gulped. He recalled Zach saying Montgomery had hurt Ophelia, as well as Hannah. Did he actually want to hear it?

He told himself earlier he didn't want to. He wanted to live in the ignorance he had been in that morning.

He kept thinking about the word written on Bryce's locker. Rapist. It had to be true, right? That must be what that confession was on the last tape. Bryce raped Hannah.