"My name is Dennis Vasquez, I will be representing Andrew and Olivia Baker, and this is a deposition."
Ophelia felt her breath catch. She folded her hands, sitting up straight.
The lawyer, Dennis, was seated across the table from her. Next to him was Clay Jensen's mother, who was representing the school. To the side, Hannah's parents.
And by the wall in front of her, her mother.
The man sitting in front of her continued, "I will be asking you questions and you must answer them truthfully unless your attorney clearly instructs you otherwise. Do you understand?"
Ophelia nodded. "Y-Yes." She cursed herself for stuttering. She should not be nervous, and she should definitely not let people know she's nervous.
"There is no judge present but this is a formal legal proceeding. You are under the same legal obligation to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Do you understand?"
Ophelia was more confident with this, "Yes."
"Okay, great. Can you please state your full name for the record? As well as your age, where you go to school, and what year you're in."
Ophelia gulped. She glanced at her mother, who sat against the wall of the room, judging almost as harshly as the actual lawyer may have. She glanced back to the man who asked the question.
"Ophelia Tristano. I'm seventeen. I go to Liberty High School and I'm a junior."
She watched as Dennis wrote something down.
"Alright, Ophelia. When and where did you first meet Hannah Baker?"
Ophelia recalled the time at the Cresmont when they first spoke. It pained her to remember. "I knew her from class, my sophomore year. But I didn't talk to her until I saw her at the Cresmont."
"The movie theater she worked at?" Dennis concluded.
"Yeah. She gave me some free popcorn."
"And why was that?"
'Us Liberty Highers have to stick together, right?'
Ophelia cleared the lump in her throat. "Because she was nice. She was really nice."
Dennis nodded. "That's very kind of to say about her. The two of you were close, correct?"
Her mother watched her intently. "I guess. For a while."
Ophelia saw Mrs. Baker frown at her answer.
"You slept over at her house numerous time, correct?" Dennis asked. "One time being the week before the incident occurred?"
Her mother leaned forward.
Ophelia felt that her mouth was dry. Before answering, she reached forward and took a sip of the water placed in front of her. "We used to be really good friends. We ended up drifting apart. Work and school and everything. We had our last sleepover because we both wanted to rekindle our friendship."
She recalled the real reason. Images of Montgomery pounding on his bathroom door while she cowered inside replayed through her head.
"Are you aware of Hannah being bullied by anyone?"
The school lawyer, Mrs. Jensen, spoke up. "Dennis, we're going to have to object. That asks her to assume behavior."
Dennis nodded, and rephrased the question. "Did you ever hear anyone say unkind things to Hannah?"
Ophelia had, multiple times. Terrible, awful things. So she nodded.
"Verbal answers only please," he told her.
"Yes. I heard people say unkind things."
"Can you give some examples of anything specific they said?" he asked.
Ophelia felt uncomfortable. Especially with adults around. "Inappropriate words. I don't feel comfortable repeating them."
"Please, try to tell us if you can."
Ophelia glanced again to her mother. Her mother was watching her. Judging still.
Ophelia tried, "The S word, the B word."
Dennis smiled a bit. "Please, Ms. Tristano. This is a professional trial, and you will not be looked down upon for speaking profanity at this time if I ask for it."
Ophelia took a deep breath.
"They called her a slut. And a bitch." Out of the corner of her eye, Ophelia saw Hannah's mom cringe. Her own mother gained a displeased look on her face.
Ophelia continued, "They said she was easy. They...They had her name on a list for best ass in the sophomore class. So people talked about her sexually, a lot."
Mrs. Baker made a stifled noise, and Ophelia saw her turn towards the wall.
"A list? This was passed out at the school?"
"Yeah," Ophelia told him.
"And do you think staff knew about this list?"
"Dennis, objection," said Mrs. Jensen. "Assumption."
"I'll rephrase," he agreed, "Ophelia, did you witness a teacher see this list, or hear them speaking of it?"
"I didn't. No."
"Did you see anyone touch her physically at school?"
Ophelia thought about the times boys would corner her in the hallway. Or when they would walk behind her on the stairs and take pictures of her ass. "A saw a few boys slap her ass before. As a joke."
"Not a very funny joke to me," Dennis mentioned. "Did you ever tell anyone about this?"
Ophelia felt like everything she said was just an admittance of betrayal to Mrs. Baker. "No, I didn't."
Dennis nodded, understanding.
"Ophelia, you are dating a Liberty High athlete, correct? Montgomery De La Cruz?"
Ophelia felt her body freeze. They knew, they knew, they knew. Montgomery wasn't given a subpoena so why else would they bring him up?
"Are you alright, Ophelia?" Mrs. Jensen asked, noticing her discomfort.
"Yes," she said, sparing another look at her mother who looked even more disappointed now that she was hesitant. "Monty and I...I mean, Montgomery and I are not together anymore. We broke up a couple days ago."
"And what was the reason for that?"
Ophelia was taken aback by the strangely personal question.
"That is a little off topic," Mrs. Jensen tried.
"Not exactly," was Dennis's reply. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a piece of paper. "Ophelia, can you say on record what I just handed you?"
Ophelia slowly reached forward and grabbed it. Her breath caught in her throat. Her felt her hands beginning to tremble, so she quickly moved them back to her lap.
The first thing she saw was the name 'Officer Standall'.
'OFFICER STANDALL: STANDALL SPEAKING
HANNAH BAKER: HEY, MR. STANDALL. ITS ME, HANNAH. I GO TO SCHOOL WITH YOUR SON.
OFFICER STANDALL: HELLO, HANNAH. IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?
HANNAH BAKER: NO [A PAUSE] MY FRIEND HAS TO REPORT AN INCIDENT.
OFFICER STANDALL: [LOUDER] WHAT KIND OF INCIDENT?
[SHUFFLING NOISES]
HANNAH BAKER: AN ASSAULT'
Ophelia looked away from the paper.
"Can you just state what that is out loud?" Dennis repeated.
She didn't want to. She couldn't. Not here, not in front of everyone, not in front of her mother.
"I-I'm not sure what it is," she settled with.
Dennis spoke for her, "This is a transcript of a call to Officer Standall where you and Hannah reported physical assault. Do you remember when this call occurred?"
Her mother's eyes flashed between her and the paper. A new expression Ophelia didn't recognize.
"At a sleepover," she admitted.
"Yes, the sleepover that happened just a week before her death. So can you better explain why that sleepover actually occurred?"
Ophelia stuck with her story. "We just missed each other, that's all."
"Ophelia, I would like you to take a minute to read the entire call transcript."
Ophelia looked back down at it.
'OFFICER STANDALL: HANNAH, CAN YOU PLEASE PUT YOUR FRIEND ON THE PHONE?
[NOISES]
OPHELIA T: HELLO?
OFFICER STANDALL: HELLO, MAY I ASK WHO I'M NOW SPEAKING TO?
OPHELIA T: OPHELIA TRISTANO.
OFFICER STANDALL: ALRIGHT, OPHELIA, FIRST OFF I WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THIS CALL IS BEING RECORDED. NOW, ARE YOU AND HANNAH SAFE? ARE YOU IN A SAFE LOCATION?
OPHELIA T: YES.
OFFICER STANDALL: ARE YOU HURT AT ALL?
OPHELIA T: I [A PAUSE] I THINK I'M OKAY. I HAVE BRUISES, BUT NOTHING IS BROKEN.
[MUFFLED SOUNDS]
OFFICER STANDALL: ALRIGHT, OPHELIA, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED?
[A PAUSE]
OPHELIA T: MY BOYFRIEND ATTACKED ME.
OFFICER STANDALL: WHAT IS YOUR BOYFRIEND'S NAME?
OPHELIA T: MONTY DE-MONTGOMERY DE LA CRUZ.
OFFICER STANDALL: MONTGOMERY DE LA CRUZ [MUFFLED] [DISTANT] NOT NOW, ALEX. [LOUDER] OPHELIA, WHERE IS YOUR BOYFRIEND RIGHT NOW?
OPHELIA T: AT HIS HOUSE.
OFFICER STANDALL: IS THAT WHERE THIS INCIDENT TOOK PLACE?
OPHELIA T: YES.
OFFICER STANDALL: AND HE PUT HIS HANDS ON YOU? HE PHYSICALLY HURT YOU ON PURPOSE?
OPHELIA T: YES, HE [PAUSE] BUT HE WAS REALLY DRUNK-
[MUFFLED]
HANNAH B: [DISTANT] -DOESN'T MATTER-
OFFICER STANDALL: OKAY, OPHELIA, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED RIGHT NOW SO YOU DO NOT FORGET ANYTHING. BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE.
I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU TWO OPTIONS I CAN EITHER PICK YOU UP NOW, TAKE YOH DOWN TO MAKE A STATEMENT, AND THEN ARREST DE LA CRUZ TONIGHT, OR YOU CAN MEET ME FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING AT THE STATION
[PAUSE]
OPHELIA T: CAN I COME TOMORROW AFTER SCHOOL?
OFFICER STANDALL: DOES MR. DE LA CRUZ GO TO YOUR SCHOOL?
OPHELIA T: YES.
OFFICER STANDALL: I WOULD NOT ADVISE IT.
[MUFFLED]
OPHELIA T: PLEASE.
[PAUSE]
OFFICER STANDALL: ALRIGHT, AS SOON AS YOU GET OUT OF SCHOOL.
[PAUSE]
[MUFFLED]
OPHELIA T: THANK YOU.
[MUFFLED]
[CALL END]
Ophelia wiped her eyes. She was not tearing up. In fact, the opposite. Her eyes weren't watering, they were dry and stinging.
Dennis asked, "Ophelia, can you confirm on record that this phone call was made to report your previous boyfriend, Montgomery De La Cruz, for physical assault?"
She didn't dare look at anyone. She couldn't. Her body stopped working, like she was paralyzed. She heard her mother's chair creeping as she shifted. She heard a gasp, she guessed it from from her mother, but she wasn't sure.
"Yes."
"Describe the assault please-"
"Dennis." Ophelia snapped her head towards Mrs. Baker as soon as she heard her speak. She said nothing more.
Dennis cleared his throat. "Alright, Ophelia, can you at least tell us where the assault took place? And how Hannah became involved?"
She heard a chair squeaking, and saw her mother was leaning forward.
"It...It happened at his house-"
"Montgomery's house?"
"Yes. And I called Hannah to pick me up. That's how she got involved." Ophelia began speaking quickly, because she just wanted it to be over with.
"You did not end up giving a statement, correct? You withdrew your complaint."
"Yes."
Dennis then said, "Because you wanted to continue dating Mr. De La Cruz?"
"I..." Ophelia hesitated. She wanted to find the words to tell her story in a way that didn't sound bad. But she couldn't. What happened was terrible, in any words used. "Yes."
"Was your boyfriend ever angry at Hannah for helping you?"
"That's forcing her to speculate," Mrs. Jensen cut in.
Dennis said, "Fine. Ophelia, did he ever say he was upset at her?"
Mrs. Baker watched her with wide, doubtful eyes.
Ophelia swallowed. "No, he had nothing to be upset about. It was my fault. I withdrew what I said because I made a mistake."
"A mistake?" Dennis asked.
Ophelia was going to lie. She hadn't planned on it, but she knew she had to. Or else she would be the next target, or Montgomery would be.
"The assault...it was a misunderstanding. It wasn't an assault, it was just an argument. I was being dramatic. There was no reason for Monty to be mad at Hannah, he was just mad at me."
"So this assault case was a misunderstanding," Mrs. Jensen said, "And it took place completely off school property."
Ophelia only nodded, then remembered she had to say aloud a, "Yes."
Mrs. Jensen said, "Dennis, I believe we should go past the assault case completely."
Ophelia let out a breath, relieved.
"No," Mrs. Baker said, suddenly. She looked to Dennis. "Show her."
Ophelia looked between them. Confused.
Dennis nodded. He reached into his briefcase again. Slid another paper in front of her. Her eyes focused on it, and she could withhold the surprised noise that came from her mouth.
It was a photo of Hannah. From Rep Night.
But it wasn't the one of her topless.
It was her on a couch. The place looked familiar but she couldn't think of how.
Hannah was unconscious, laying with her head on the lap of a boy. Someone with a Varsity blue jacket on.
Montgomery.
"Ophelia, Wait."
Ophelia stopped. Her mother, next to her stopped also. They turned around to see Mrs. Baker has hurried towards them. They were just leaving the courthouse.
"My daughter is almost late for school," her mother said to the woman. Her tone still held an unrecognizable emotion.
"I am sorry, Mrs. Tristano," Mrs. Baker apologized. "But can I have a moment alone with your daughter."
Ophelia looked to her mother, who only shook her head. "Absolutely not."
"Please," Mrs. Baker said, now only speaking to Ophelia. "You and Hannah used to be close. I know you did, she talked about you all the time-"
"We were close," Ophelia agreed.
"Then why did you lie in there?" Mrs. Baker demanded to know.
Ophelia's mother grabbed her arm. "My daughter is not a liar, Mrs. Baker. And you will not call her such a thing."
Mrs. Baker frowned at Ophelia's mother.
Ophelia said, "I didn't lie."
Mrs. Baker scoffed, angry now. "My daughter told me she was going to Representative Night with you. She didn't show up again until the next morning. And now I'm finding pictures of her with Liberty High athletes? Unconscious? You're telling me you had nothing to do with that? That that wasn't your boyfriend in the picture?"
Ophelia asked, shocked, "She didn't come home until morning?"
"What did your boyfriend do to her?" she demanded to know.
Her mother pulled her arm. "We only have fifteen minutes to get you to school. Let's go."
Her mother pulled her away. Mrs. Baker yelled to them, "I'll call every fucking athlete in to testify if I have to. And we'll find out who was in that photo. And if it's your boyfriend you will be getting charged too."
It felt different. Liberty High. Ophelia walked through the halls and suddenly she didn't feel like she was stepping through the school of her youth, she felt like she was stepping through a school of crushed innocence. Each step shattering it more and more for someone new.
The same feeling as her first steps inside after Hannah's passing.
Ophelia passed Courtney, who didn't bother to do more than simply glance over at her. She passed Ryan, who offered a smile, then continued on.
Then Ophelia saw Zach. He was walking with Marcus. They were speaking quietly. He spotted her a few feet away. His mouth stopped moving.
Zach wasn't sure if he should stop for her, after upsetting her so much the day before. He watched as she got closer, both holding eye contact.
When he was an arms length away, she reached her arm out, and took a handful of his shirt. She kept walking. Zach flung around, forced to by her grip on his shirt.
"What the hell?" said Marcus, as his friend was suddenly grabbed away from him.
Ophelia kept pulling Zach until they passed in front of the boy's restroom. She let go, "Can you see if anyone's in there?"
Zach looked at the door. "Are you serious?"
She pushed him into the door slightly. "Please."
"Okay, okay." Zach pulled the door open completely and stepped in. After a moment, he poked his head out and said, "Empty."
Ophelia wasted no time in walking in.
"Um..." Zach was confused on what to do.
Ophelia walked in front of him, and made her way to the large, handicap stall. She held the door open. "Come on."
Zach wondered what the fuck was happening. But nevertheless, he followed her lead. He trusted her. Completely.
She locked the door behind them.
"What if someone comes in?" he asked her, still curious to what was happening.
"I'll stand on the toilet so they don't see my feet."
Zach wondered how she had that idea ready so fast. He remembered the photos Tyler showed him the other day. Her and Montgomery in the restrooms...
Ophelia ran a hand over her face. She turned away from him, and shook her hands, like she was trying to shake the nervousness out of her body.
"Did you do your deposition this morning?"
"Yes. And..." she turned to Zachary. She spoke fast. "They talked about Montgomery. And-And it was a hell of a lot more than I thought they would."
Zach placed two hands on her shoulders. He rubbed them slightly, to calm her. "Hey, it's okay. Just tell me what happened."
She looked away from him. "They brought up the call I made to Officer Standall. The one I made with Hannah."
He frowned. "They knew about it?"
"They had the transcript of it. Printed out. They made me read it. Zach-" She took a deep breath. "Zach, they asked if he Monty was angry at Hannah because she helped me that night."
"What did you say?"
"I told them it wasn't true!" She admitted. "I told them that I had exaggerated, and me and Monty just got into an argument."
Zach pulled away from her. He took a deep, meditative breath. He wouldn't get angry at her, not this time. It's okay she lied. She was protecting herself. Even if it meant she was protecting him too.
"That's okay," he tried to say, calmly. "I mean, it helped, right?"
Ophelia was still anxious. "Zach, my mom was there. I had to say I tried to file a police report against Monty in front of her. She's angry, I can tell. She-She wouldn't even talk to me when she dropped me off. She didn't say a word."
Zach brushed a piece of hair behind Ophelia's ear. She sighed deeply, falling into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm sorry about your mom," he told her. "My mom was upset about the trial too. It must be getting to her head."
"That's not it," she told him. She pulled away. "My dad extended his trip another two weeks. He didn't want to come home."
"I'm sure that's not why-"
"It is," Ophelia said. "It's not a big deal. He never wants to. I just wish my mom was able to just get used to it like me and Honor do."
Ophelia ran her owns fingers through her hair, ruffling it. "I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this. I-I just have no one else to talk to about it."
Tony was who she used to turn her, but he hadn't spoken to her since she had gotten back with Montgomery. They weren't together now, but she doubted her knew. And Jessica was still nowhere to be seen.
"Hey," he told her, "I'm glad you're talking to me. I love it when we talk. Even if it's about...disappointing parents."
She let out a small chuckle.
Ophelia thought of the photo again, and her humorous state vanished.
She said, "They showed me a photo taken of Rep Night. I-I'd didn't know about it."
Zach stilled. "Like, of Hannah topless."
"No," she said quickly, "A photo of Hannah on a couch. It looked like Monty was there, but I wasn't positive. But...I don't know. I really don't know where it was, but it had to be after he dropped me off. And Zach, it had to have been taken by someone else."
He processed the information. "Meaning Montgomery had Hannah longer than we thought?"
She went further, "Meaning Montgomery could have done stuff I didn't know he did. He could've-" She stopped herself, refusing to say it. Refusing to even keep thinking it. "Do you think you can bring it up to Bryce? He's the only one I can think of that Monty would have told."
They paused for a moment, as they both thought they heard the door open Zach was tall enough to peek over the stall. He saw no one.
She continued, "I-I told them that Monty was with me the whole night and that he couldn't have been there."
"They believed you?"
"Why wouldn't they?"
Zach scratched the back of his head. "I guess I could talk to Bryce. It's hard to act like things are normal with him."
"Trust me, I get it."
Zach looked Ophelia over. Today, she was dressed more modestly than the rest of the week. She had on a long sleeve dress with black tights, despite the heat outside. The dress had a turtleneck collar as well. He hair was straightened, and it was pinned in the back. Baby hairs still fell out and framed her face.
He guessed she was dressed this way because of the deposition. She looked beautiful, he realized, and he wanted to let her know.
"You look really pretty today."
Ophelia smiled slightly. She looked down at her outfit. "You don't think black tights clash with dark purple?" She gestured to her dress.
"No," he insisted. "You look really nice." He looked down at his own outfit. "Do you think my red shirt clashes with my white shoes?"
Ophelia smiled, but wrinkled her nose. "I think just because the shoes have some blue on them."
Zach snorted. "What? That was a joke. You think I actually have an outfit problem?"
"I'm sorry," Ophelia told him, still in a lighthearted tone, "I knew it was a joke but I kind of thought that when we first came in."
"Wow," Zach said, sarcastically, laughing, "I might as well go home now. I'll just stop trying fashion altogether."
"This is trying?"
Zach was shocked. "Ophelia! Jeez!"
"I'm sorry," she said again, laughing.
She stepped closer. She used her hands to smooth his shirt. She did this by moving her flat palms over his chest. She felt his breathing. Up and down. Up and down. She could feel his body heat through his shirt.
"But I'm just kidding. You still look nice. Don't worry about that."
She looked up at him, and he looked down at her.
"I'm sorry I was upset yesterday," he told her.
"Don't be."
She kept her hands placed on his chest, now still.
"I just get upset, thinking about how much you care about him." He then added, "Because I don't want him to be the one you care about anymore."
Ophelia just said, "He's not."
Zach nodded, but he knew she couldn't control that. "I feel like I was pressuring you yesterday. To, you know, get over Montgomery fast. And I'm sorry for that."
Zach suddenly walked backwards until he felt his back his the wall, he then slid down it, taking a seat on the floor.
Ophelia walked up to him. She sat next to him. "These floors are probably really dirty, you know."
He laughed. "Sorry." He set his backpack on the ground next to him. "Go ahead."
Ophelia sat on his backpack, no longer having to make contact with the ground.
"Can you ask Bryce about the photo?"
"Yeah," Zach agreed. "I'll try at practice today. If Montgomery leaves him alone."
"Thank you." She reached over and kissed him on the check. His face turned red.
"Do you think you can do me another favor?" she asked. "Ask you mom how she thinks my deposition went? My mom will probably tell her what she's thinking."
"Okay," he agreed, again. "But my mom was kind of upset too. Not that talkative."
Ophelia understood.
Zach cleared his throat. "Maybe, uh, maybe you should come over. For dinner or something."
Ophelia smiled, but before she could reply he said, "Not as a date! Not a date, just like a get together. Or to talk to my mom. Or just...hang out? Play chess or something?"
Ophelia snorted. "Play chess?"
Zach groaned. "Don't tell me Montgomery never played chess with you?"
Ophelia was smiling while she talked now. "I don't know. Maybe like once."
"So you're out of practice," he said, "This is great. I'll win every round."
She laughed. "How many rounds are we going to be playing?"
"Just an easy hundred."
Ophelia playfully hit him. "Zach."
They laughed together for a moment, looking at each other. But as their laughter faded, their eye contact remained.
Zach wanted to kiss her, again. But he wouldn't. He wanted to give her time to get over Montgomery. He wanted her to be ready to be with him. His biggest fear is that she would never get over him.
Ophelia wanted to kiss him too. But she wouldn't. She was scared of something happening like yesterday. Where they bonded with their bodies, but came out still in disagreements.
But the main reason Ophelia wouldn't kiss him is because deep down she still didn't know why he liked her. She didn't know if his feelings were genuine. She knew Zach would never lead her on, and he wouldn't lie to her about how he felt.
But what if he just felt sorry for her? What if he heard the tapes and thought she was some damsel in distress he needed to look out for? Is he just protective of a childhood friend and assumes that his protectiveness stems from romantic feelings? What if it was all a mistake? What if he realizes that later? When she's already too attached to him?
She wanted to ask him. Why did he like her? When did he start? Does he want a real future with her?
But the door suddenly slammed open in the bathroom. Ophelia jumped to her feet. They heard loud voices, and whooping.
Someone banged on the stall. "Alright, guys! Let's exit immediately!"
"Shit!" Zach muttered. Zach stood too.
"Dempsey?" The man said, able to tell by his hair popping above the stall door.
"Coach Rick," Zach said, nervous.
Carlos, from the baseball team spoke up. "Ay, Dempsey! Who you fucking in there?"
Ophelia turned red. "F-Fuck."
The coach banged again. "Open, up!"
Zach sent Ophelia an apologetic look, before he unlocked the door and opened it. Four of his teammates were there. They were all laughing.
"Pull the bitch out too!" One shouted.
Ophelia wasn't just embarrassed now, she was humiliated. The baseball coach looked in and saw her. He looked confused, instantly. Because he only knew her as Montgomery's girlfriend.
"Come on," he instructed.
Ophelia had to walk out. The boys only became louder when they saw her.
"Damn, Zach! Monty's girl? Where's the bro code?" She heard the guy, Jaime say.
Coach Rick grabbed them both by the arm and led them out of the bathroom.
"Coach, we weren't doing anything," Zach told him.
Coach Rick let go of them once they exited the bathroom. "Look, Zach I'm letting this slide because I don't want to risk you getting suspended for any part of the season. But if any other teacher caught a male and female student locked in a stall together it wouldn't just be game suspension. It would be immediate suspension from school."
He pointed to Ophelia. "For both of you."
"We-We were just talking," she tried to say, "We just wanted privacy."
"Look, Tristano, I don't make the rules. I'm just telling you how other faculty will enforce them."
The boys followed them out from the bathroom.
"Hey, Ophelia! If you're making your way around the team how about you come for the infielders next?" Jaime joked.
She cringed at it, and was surprised to see Coach Rick said nothing to stop their teasing. Ophelia turned away from them, but the guy grabbed her shoulder. He had seen the way Montgomery grabbed her at the party, and figured he had the right to do so also.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, slut."
Zach shoved Ophelia behind him, and shoved Jaime back. "Fuck you!"
"Pratters, language," the coach said, disappointed. Yet, he didn't say anything to him about touching her.
The yelling caused a commotion, causing attention.
"Coach, what's going on?" Ophelia heard Bryce's voice say. She looked up, to see his group coming towards them.
Montgomery walking up behind him. He hesitated when spotting Ophelia. Even more when he saw Zach with her.
Before anything, Montgomery noticed how beautiful Ophelia looked. Then he noticed the upset crowd.
Montgomery had been festering what Bryce told him the other day. How he had seen Zach at Ophelia's house while they were still dating. Maybe they was more than friends from the start.
That morning, Montgomery complained to Bryce about it again, trying to procure more information.
Then Bryce gave him another piece of information. One that ceased Montgomery's depressed thoughts.
Zach shoved Jaime again. "Call her a slut one more time and see what happens."
Jaime stumbled back to where Montgomery and Bryce were.
Montgomery frowned. "You called Ophelia a slut?"
Jaime just shrugged and said, "Well, she's fucking being one-"
Montgomery punched Jaime in the face.
"Fuck!" Coach Rick yelled. "De La Cruz! Get off him!"
Montgomery held up his hands and backed away. Jaime tried rushing towards him, but Carlos held him back. Jaime was small anyways, he wouldn't be able to do much.
Zach pushed Ophelia even further behind him. He rolled his eyes at Montgomery's behavior. He's trying to swoop in and be the hero? As if he hadn't called Ophelia a slut himself? All he was doing was causing a scene that Ophelia didn't even want to be caused.
Ophelia took a hold of Zach's arm. Montgomery suddenly shoved Jaime again, sending him into Carlos behind him.
"Monty, knock it off!" Coach Rick yelled.
"Monty, enough!" Bryce told him, equally as angry.
When Ophelia looked at Montgomery, she pictured what Alex told her the day before. That he saw Hannah get raped. She didn't believe it then, but after seeing the picture...
"Alright," Montgomery said, laughing slightly. "I'm out of here."
Coach Rick warned, "That attitude better be gone by practice today."
Montgomery laughed again, as though he just had a humorous conversation with a friend, and didn't just physically assault a teammate. "I'll watch my temper, Coach."
Bryce slapped Montgomery on the back. "You fucking better. Sorry about that, Coach."
Montgomery looked at Zach as he walked towards him, and purposefully hit his shoulder as he went.
He smiled towards Ophelia, nodding. "See you in class, O."
Ophelia frowned, completely confused. Why was he so happy right now? And smiling at her?
It was like he knew something she didn't.
"What did you guys talk about the other day?" Zach asked her, noticing how friendly Montgomery looked at her.
"Nothing," she said, also just as confused. "I asked if he deleted the photo. He said he did. He thought I was trying to turn him in, accused me of it, so I left."
"He looks real happy," Zach commented.
Ophelia agreed.
"Get the hell out of here," Coach Rick told them as he checked Jaime's face for bruises.
Zach and Ophelia both went to the first period. Ophelia sat in the corner, while Zach sat next to her so Montgomery wouldn't be able. She appreciated it.
"Hey," she said, "Thanks for not, um, punching Jaime."
Zach shifted uncomfortably. "I feel bad, like I should have. Like you shouldn't have had to wait for Montgomery to come do it."
"No, I'm glad you didn't," she said, "It would've made me feel really bad if you got in a fight because of me."
"But he called you a slut-"
"I know," she said, lowly. "I know. But I didn't want Montgomery to do that. And I wouldn't have wanted you to either."
"He's too pussy to have done that."
Ophelia hadn't even noticed Montgomery walked in the classroom. He spoke so loudly the teacher heard.
Mrs. Jangle, at her desk said, "Please watch you language Mr. De La Cruz."
"Sorry, Jangle," Montgomery told her as he plopped down, a few desks away from them.
For the rest of class, Ophelia took note of his upbeat attitude. It hurt her, and made her wonder if he moved on from her already. She shouldn't care, though, right?
After class, Zach asked if she felt safe walking herself to her other classes.
"I can walk you," he offered her. "Your next ones far, right?"
"Kind of," she mentioned. "I have to go outside to get there, but that's it. I should be fine, I don't want to make you late."
"It's really no bother," Zach insisted.
She smiled, and thanked him. "If anything happens I'll tell you. Thank you, Zach."
He asked, "Do you, um, want to meet for lunch?" He was unsure if she was still hesitant to be seen together. But after that morning, it didn't seem like it.
"That would be nice," she told him. "But outside maybe? Away from your friends?"
Zach felt like he hardly had any friends anymore.
"Of course," he told her. He was unsure how to leave her. If he should hug her or just leave. He ended up holding up a fist, for a fist bump. He cringed at himself. "Um, be careful, alright?"
Ophelia laughed at it, but fist bumped him back.
Ophelia walked out the doors, and began her track to her across campus class. She stopped at the bleachers. Waiting.
Montgomery came after a few minutes.
He was smiling at her.
Ophelia felt bad for texting Montgomery to meet her, especially after telling Zach he had nothing to worry about. But she needed answers about the photo. And she wanted to tell him about the deposition.
"Hey, babe," he greeted.
She stepped away from him. "Excuse you."
"Come on," he told her, "Let's just get this over with. Look, we're going to make up anyway."
Ophelia shook her head at him. "We're not, Montgomery."
His smile dropped. "Montgomery? What are we formal now or some shit?"
She rolled her eyes at him. "The reason I texted you is because you came up in my deposition."
He grit his teeth. He looked nervous. "And?"
"And they know I tried to report you for assault," she said, "And they figured you would want to get back at Hannah for it."
Montgomery looked around, even more nervous. "And what the fuck did you tell them?"
"That I exaggerated. That you didn't really hurt me, we just got into a verbal fight. That's why I withdrew it."
He seemed relieved. "And they fucking dropped it, right?"
Ophelia hesitated.
"What the fuck, O? What happened?"
"They showed me a picture of you and Hannah," she snapped. "At Rep Night. After you dropped me off. Hannah was laying on you."
Montgomery let out an angered breath. "Fuck!"
"What the hell happened?" she demanded to know.
"Nothing! Fuck! I thought my face wasn't in those."
"It wasn't," she told him, "But I knew it was you."
He asked, "How?"
"Because I know you, Monty." She then said, "Montgomery."
"And you fucking told them?"
Ophelia frowned at him. "Are you fucking stupid or something?"
She was surprised at her tone, as was he. His own words rubbing off on her, her tone just as rude as his. Montgomery had hurt her before, but she stood now unafraid of him.
Montgomery felt bad, because he wasn't angry at her, he was angry at the situation. But all his words came out hateful, and like the hate was targeting her.
Curse words were everyday things for Montgomery, but they weren't for Ophelia. Not until they started dating. She only used them when she was angry at someone, or something, but he used them whenever.
"I told them I didn't recognize the person," she said, "I'm not looking to get myself in trouble."
He ran a hand through her hair, "So that's it? It's over?"
"Maybe for the trial," she said, "But not for me. What were those photos? What-What did you do to Hannah?"
"Calm down, I didn't rape her."
Ophelia froze. "I-I didn't think you raped her." She refused to.
"Then why the fuck are you so concerned?"
"Because-" She hesitated. "Because someone told me what you did. What you let happen."
"What the fuck are you on about?"
"You saw Bryce rape Hannah. At Bryce's party. In the hot tub."
Montgomery tried his best to make sure his expression didn't change. "No, I didn't."
"You didn't?" Ophelia felt relieved. She believed him.
"No, who the fuck told you that?"
She didn't want to say.
"Bryce never fucking raped anyone." Montgomery knew this to be untrue, but didn't want to say that in front of Ophelia. He didn't want to appear suspicious.
"He did," she said, "And you and all his friends need to stop fucking protecting him."
"O-"
"No!" she said suddenly. "I didn't come out here just to fucking chat with you. What did you do with Hannah on Rep Night after I went home?"
He looked around again, and put his hands in the pocket of his varsity jacket. "We just messed around. Smoked weed and shit."
"Hannah smoked?" She asked, unconvinced.
"No, me and Bryce."
Her heart dropped. "You brought Bryce?"
"No," he said, "I didn't bring him. He was just there."
She stuttered, "W-Where? Where were you?"
"Just in the clubhouse."
"Your baseball clubhouse?"
"Nothing happened, Ophelia. Relax."
"Relax?" She demanded. "You're had Hannah drugged with a fucking pervert of a friend with you-"
"Watch it," Montgomery warned. "Bryce is a good guy. He's the only one that's always been there for me. The only one that helps me whenever you decide you want to fuck up my life with some bullshit somehow."
Montgomery walked closer to her. She stood her ground. He got right in front of her and looked down at her.
"We were just smoking," he said, "And then I left her on the field. So you can fucking leave it alone now."
"You left her on the field? Monty, so many things could've happened-"
"But it didn't," he said. "And I wouldn't have given a fuck if it did."
Ophelia looked up at Montgomery with anger, wondering how she ever felt so much love for a man who has so little compassion.
"You fucking knew didn't you?" Ophelia snapped at him. "You did know what Bryce did to Hannah?"
A smile grew on Montgomery's lips. No, not a smile. A smirk. "And what the fuck would you do if I did?"
"Nothing," she muttered. "I can't fucking do anything. Because I lost my chance by making the mistake of protecting you."
Montgomery scoffed. "You're so fucking dramatic, O."
"My name is Ophelia."
He frowned. "Whatever. I've seen you with him, O. You guys don't work."
"Who are you even talking about?"
"You and Zach," he told her. "I know you want to like him, because he's better for you than me. But you don't. You can't. Not like you liked me."
Now, Ophelia did take a step back. Where was this coming from?
She didn't realize that even though their relationship was currently off topic for her, it was all that was ever on Montgomery's mind for the last few days.
Montgomery continued, "Face it, O. You're never gonna find someone to love you as much as we loved each other."
Ophelia took a moment to breath, and process his words.
She said, "Then I guess I'm lucky for that."
Her response angered Montgomery, once again crushing the notion that the two of them may reunite. It sent him back into his depression spiral that was cured only by information from Bryce. Information that Montgomery was now ready to spill.
"You think you're lucky? That you found some fucking Prince Charming that'll save you from me? That I'm so fucking horrible you literally need-"
Montgomery stopped suddenly. To Ophelia, it looked like he was just taking a deep breath, but Montgomery was really swallowing the lump in this throat that threatened to spill emotion into his words, making his voice crack and his eyes water.
"It was a mistake to try to talk to you," Ophelia told him. "The only thing you know-the only thing you feel-is anger. It's always anger."
Montgomery didn't understand how she didn't notice the pain he felt, the sadness he felt, and the love he felt for her.
Ophelia turned around, suddenly aware that she had missed the second bell for class at least five minutes ago.
"I know you were fucking him before," Montgomery said suddenly. This time, his voice cracked before he was able to stop it. "Bryce told me. I know about you two."
He knew, but he didn't care. He didn't care if she was really fucking Zach now, or while they were together. He still wanted her back.
Ophelia turned around immediately and pointed a finger at him. "Bryce is a fucking liar and a fucking rapist and you shouldn't listen to a fucking thing he says."
"Then he's lying when he said Zach asked for your nudes?" Montgomery asked, suddenly, divulging the information that Bryce had given him, the ammo against Zach that he wanted to save until later, but let out now instead.
Ophelia froze. But then she shook her head. She wouldn't let his mind games get to her. "Yes. He lied. Zach isn't like you guys."
"Like me?" he asked, offended. "Fine. Look at Zach's phone. In his messages with Bryce."
"I'm not snooping through his phone."
"Then good fucking luck with that guy," Montgomery snapped at her. He spit on the ground. "You won't last. You'll get tired of him."
"Enough," she told him. "You know what, Monty? The only thing that I've fucking gotten out of talking to you is-is more reasons to stop loving you." Her voice was angry, but weak. Unconfident and wavering.
Montgomery's face dropped. He nodded, expressionless, and turned around. Montgomery took off his backpack, and with brute force and anger he swung it into the back of the bleachers. It hit with a loud sound that caused Ophelia to flinch.
He trudged away, not looking back, not seeming to be heading to class either. Maybe to his car.
Ophelia watched him, upset and annoyed at his behavior.
His childish behavior. His dangerous behavior. His disgusting behavior.
But despite it, Ophelia reached down, grabbed his backpack, and returned it to his locker for him to find.
"I can drive you home," Zach offered, again, "If you're getting bored."
"No," Ophelia insisted. "I'm fine, really."
Zach had told her he had to get some basketball practice in, since he had mostly been focusing on baseball for the last few weeks. Ophelia asked if she could sit and watch. An empty gymnasium is something she looked forward to. She wished Montgomery played an indoor sport, instead of just baseball and football.
Zach had been shooting for fifteen minutes, and kept feeling bad for making Ophelia wait.
"You know, maybe we should just go," he said, "I can practice another day."
"No, keep going," she insisted.
"Just a few more minutes," he promised. "I just want to take a hundred shots."
"Shoot away."
Honestly, Ophelia liked watching him. He made most shots he took, and it was impressive. She thoughts of the times she watched Montgomery. He was a true athlete. But so was Zach. Zach was good in a different way, in a smarter way.
"I've been texting Alex," he told her. He dribbled the ball a few times. "He hasn't responded to me at all today."
Ophelia bit her lip. "Um, I can be checking for you." She hesitated. "What's your password?"
"1717."
Ophelia asked, "What's that stand for?"
Zach shrugged. "Nothing. Just easy to remember."
Ophelia nodded, and Zach went back to shooting at the hoop.
Ophelia looked down at Zach's phone beside her, then back up at Zach, who wasn't paying attention. She grabbed it.
She spared another glance at him, before opening it. Montgomery's accusations running through her head. She clicked on Bryce's name in his phone.
She scrolled through his texts. She saw nothing but dates and times for practices and parties.
She exited out of the chat. Instead, she became curious, and typed her name into his message search bar. She was surprised to see how many messages popped up. The first one she clicked on wasn't even him, but it wasn't Montgomery talking in a baseball group chat saying 'TAKING OPHELIA TOO'. That was dated a few months prior. She tried her best to ignore them. She didn't want to completely break his privacy.
She found Bryce's name again. She read the message 'OPHELIA POSTED THESE'.
She frowned. She looked up to Zach. He still wasn't looking. She clicked on the conversation to read the whole thing.
BRYCE: OPHELIA POSTED THESE
Below were three photos of her in swimsuits, two with Montgomery in it, one with her by himself. They were screenshots taken off her social media.
ZACH: HOT. I'LL JUST HAVE TO CROP MONTY OUT LOL
Ophelia frowned again, surprised by the conversation, and by Zach's word. She looked at the date, to see it was months prior. Back in the summer, a little bit before she even met Hannah.
BRYCE: THAT'S NOTHING. FOUND BETTER ON MONTY'S PHONE ?
ZACH: SHIT. HE KNOW YOU TOOK THEM?
BRYCE: HE WOULDN'T CARE.
Ophelia wondered if that were true.
ZACH: WHAT KIND?
BRYCE: BATHING SUIT. BUT SMALLER. COLDER IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
Ophelia held her breath wondering what photo they could be talking about, and if they really had anything. She didn't know what Bryce meant by colder, either.
ZACH: CAN YOU SEND IT TO ME?
Ophelia bit the tip of her thumb, nervous.
BRYCE: DON'T TELL MONTY
[1 IMAGE]
Ophelia gulped. She clicked to open the image. She found a selfie of herself, one angled down at her body. Her face was barley in it. Ophelia cringed, closing the photo and his phone immediately.
She had taken it two summers ago. She had been dieting, and working out, and she bought herself a super small bikini to wear when she tanned, because she felt confident in it then. She wouldn't wear it out, not like her mother would allow it, it was just for tanning. She took the photo after she dipped in the pool to cool off, and then laid back down on her towel to dry off. She knew what Bryce meant now. Her nipples were hard due to the temperature of the pool she just got out of. It gave a perfect outline for her boobs. Not that there was much of them, but the angle made it look like there was much more than there actually was. She remembers being proud of that.
Ophelia felt so exposed all of a sudden. She wondered, did he ask for more? Did Bryce have more?
It wasn't exactly a nude he asked for, she tried to reason. But it was as racy a photo as could be from her.
Ophelia set the phone down suddenly, and wrapped her around over her chest. Zach looked over.
"You alright?" he asked her.
Ophelia just nodded. "Fine."
Zach started shooting again. Ophelia felt his phone vibrate next to her.
A text from Alex.
'CALL ME'
"Zach!" she called. He jogged over.
He looked confused, as was she. She wondered if anything went wrong at his hearing.
"Go ahead," she said, telling him to call now.
Zach did. He didn't speak for a moment, only listening. Ophelia saw his face drop, no emotion on it for a full minute. The only thing she could read was shock.
"Of course. I'm on my way." Zach hung up the phone, still expressionless.
"Is he okay?" Ophelia asked him. The photo stripped from her mind.
She watched Zach gulp. His hands began shaking.
"He..."
Ophelia reaches forward, and grabbed Zach by the hand, comforting. "What is it?"
Zach squeezed her hand, and made eye contact now.
"Alex shot himself in the head."
The end of season one!
First off thank you to every one of my readers you guys are amazing and have given me motivation to continue and finish this story that I started long ago.
I decided instead of giving a big ending and starting a sequel as a separate story I will just continue on with Loose Change.
The Season 4 trailer looks crazyyy and it looks like there will definitely be a lot of Monty in it.
Yes, Winston will be in this story however it will be a little different than in the show. Monty is going to be bisexual in this story, although I feel like he might have been bisexual in the show too but it wasn't addressed
I hope that I do the next seasons justice!
Next chapter will take place five months later, right at the start of season 2!
Also, if I have not answered your question about Ophelia/Zach or Ophelia/Monty or even Ophelia/Scotty pairings I am not trying to be rude I am just trying to not spoil anything in the story
But every comment you make I really appreciate and I looked forward to! All my readers are so nice and interactive I love y'all!
What are some things y'all are hoping for next season? ?
And if there are any specific scenes/your favorite scenes from the show that you want to see addressed in the book let me know! Especially if they talk about anything in the show that you think is important. Thank you all!