Trust me (a Montgomery de la Cruz fanfic)

How does the invisible girl become friends with the school bully?! And how on earth could she actually fall for him?! "Trust me" is a story about Maya and Monty, and how their worlds intertwines. It's a story about love, friendship, honesty and trust.

[trustmemonty-blog]

19 What if...?

It was prom-night, and for once I was obsessing over hair, clothes and makeup. I had gone a little heavier on the makeup, and my hair was curled and pulled away form my face with a few bobby-pins. So far so good. I had bought a cute and classic blue dress for the occasion, but there was another dress that I could not stop thinking about. A couple of years ago my mum bought a purple dress, and I was so pretty. It was a bit more bold than the blue dress. It was shorter, tighter and showed some cleavage. I was debating in my head. The blue dress was definitely the safest and easiest choice, and it was a lot more "me". But then again, what about this whole situation is really "me"? 1. I'm going to prom, 2. I'm going to prom with a date, and 3. I'm going to prom with freakin Montgomery de la Cruz… The last 6 months of my life have been very much out of the ordinary. If I'm willing to take such a big risk with Monty, then I might as well take a small risk with my wardrobe. Maybe it's time to see that I actually have stared a new chapter in my life, and that the me that I was is no longer the me that I am…

The doorbell rang and I knew it must be Monty coming to pick me up. He had suggested renting a limo, but I thought that was a bit over the top, so he was just going to drive. I grabbed my purse and went out to see him. I entered the hallway, and there he was, looking breathtakingly handsome in his classic black tux. "Wow", he said when he saw me come in, looking me up and down in my purple dress. "You look amazing", he grinned. "Thanks", I blushed. My mum was already standing with the camera in her hands, ready to make memories. We made some silly poses for her, but she wasn't pleased that she didn't get a serious and normal picture of us. I didn't care. It's not like I'm ever going to forget this moment anyway. We said bye to mum and dad, and went out the door. He grabbed my hand as we walked over to the car. "You really do look amazing", he repeated. "So do you", I smiled back. He stopped in front of the car and pulled me closer to him, wrapping his hands around my waist. "I'm really happy you wanted to go with me", he said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and reached up, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. As my lips parted from his he pulled me right back in for a hug. First the left side, then the right side. He was acting very strange. "What's going on?", I asked, rather concerned. "Nothing. I'm just making sure you mum get the pictures she wanted", he said, chuckling. I turned to see my mother in the window, grinning, with the camera in one hand and giving Monty a thumbs up with the other hand. "Idiots", I mumbled, and got in the car. Monty laughed and waved at my mum before he got in the car too.

We were sitting in the car, and my mind was all over the place. I loved the thing we had going. The last week we had acted as if we were a couple and I had let my guard down a bit. I was in love with him, no doubt, and it had been everything I hoped it would be. At the same time I was scared to let him in all the way. For years I had hated him and been terrified of him. I've watched him ruin people. He had changed, but there was still a tiny doubt in my mind. What if he goes back to his previous ways? What if it's me that gets ruined next time? What if…? But what if not? What if he stays this way, but get tired of chasing me? What if I ruined everything, just because I couldn’t give him a chance? What if he changes back to the way he was, because he got tired of chasing me when I couldn’t let him in and it would all be my fault? He has done so much to be the man he thinks I deserve, while I still haven't let go of the past. I know he's not going chase me forever. I have to make a choice, and I have to do it now. Either I let him down easy and hope for the best, even thought I will loose him completely, or I have to actually start this new chapter I had been thinking about earlier and take this chance with him. If I let him down I will loose him for sure, and it would break me. If I give him a chance, there's still a chance that I might loose him and get broken, so why not give it a chance? What if it works out and I get to be his girl? I feel like I owe him at least a chance, and maybe I owe I to myself too? Maybe it's time to stop playing it safe, and realize that change could be a good thing? Don't I deserve to just be in love? I had made my decision, and I had made it just in time as we pulled into the parking lot at school. Tonight will be a test run. I'm going to just go with the flow and be in love. Whatever happens I will not over-analyze it, and I will go with my instincts. For tonight I'm just a girl going to prom with the guy she's in love with. Tonight I'll be Monty's girl.

We walked inside holding hands, and met up with Jenna and Adam at the entrance. They had arrived minutes before we did. "You came! And you look fantastic!", Jenna squealed and threw herself into my arms. Monty and Adam did some kind of complicated handshake in the background. It's a baseball-thing, I guess. "So you two are dating?", I heard Adam ask Monty. I could tell that Monty didn't really know what to answer. "Yes, we are", I said. Monty turned and looked at me with a shocked expression, but it quickly got replaced by a wide grin. "So now you're dating?", Jenny asked me while raising one eyebrow, as we walked into the school. The boys was walking ahead of us so they couldn’t hear. "I decided to try something new", I said, shrugging. Jenna just nodded. Knowing me as well as she did, I think she actually knew what I meant and what had been going through my head these last months. I had a great night. I danced, talked and laughed. The night was everything I hoped it would be, and gave me a clear answer that going with my instinct and stop thinking could be a good thing. I went all in with Monty, sitting on his lap, playing with his hair and making out during a slow dance. He had stars in his eyes, and seemed to be very happy with the night too. Jenna and I even spent time with the jocks, getting to know some of the guys that seemed cool. All in all it was a perfect night, and I was sad when it was over and time to go home. We said a quick goodbye to Jenna and the guys before we left.

"Did you have a good night?", he asked on the drive home. "It was perfect!", I grinned, making him grin too. "It really was", he agreed.

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Do you think she should give Monty a chance? Do you think she'll get her heart broken?

Please leave a like and/or a comment to let me know what you think<3

[trustmemonty-blog]

18 We’re not dating

I had to know what on earth that episode in the cafeteria was all about. I could not get it off my mind the entire day. So when the school bell rang for the last time that day, I said a quick goodbye to Jenna and ran outside to the parking lot. Monty was already sitting in his car and I reached just in the nick of time. I got in his car like it was the most natural thing in the world. He looked confused, yet didn't really seem to have a problem with it. "I have questions…" I said. "Okay. I'll take you home", he said and started the car. We didn't speak during the drive home, but I invited him in once we got there. I was eager to get him behind closed doors so I could finally get some answers to what and why. I dragged him with me through the house and closed the door behind us as soon as we got in my room. "The cafeteria today during lunch… what was that all about?", I asked, cutting right to the chase (no pun intended). "What do you mean?", he said, acting like he had no idea what I was talking about. I gave him a look, telling him stop acting stupid. "You walk by and just look at Chase, and suddenly he's acting like I'm poisonous… There's no way in hell that was a coincident", I said. He sighed. "Okay, so I told him to stay away from you", he admitted. "With just your eyes?". "Yes. The jocks respect me, and a disapproving look is all they need to stay way", he explained. "But why?", I asked again. "Chase is… he's bad news, okay? He's not a good guy in general, and he's certainly not good enough for you", he said while raising his shoulders. I wanted to point out the irony in that statement coming from him, but I decided it was best to just leave it. " And I thought maybe he was going to ask you to prom, so I got a bit… jealous", he admitted, blushing a bit. Monty was jealous? I never even thought about that. "Why? It's not like you asked…", I said, stating the obvious. "I didn't know I could", he replied. I felt so stupid. Here I was making it perfectly clear to him that I don't want anything to do with the guy he was at school, and then I get disappointed when he doesn't ask me to prom. I was sending him mixed signals, and I get why he was confused. I didn't know what to say. "Look, Maya, I have done so much to change. I have worked really hard to be the kind of guy who would be good enough for you. You know that. I might be far from perfect, but I'm working on it every single day. You say that you see the change, and I'm gonna show you I can keep it up. Please, give me a chance to prove it to you", he said, with hope in his eyes.

I thought for a second. There was no denying that I had fallen in love with him. And there was no denying that I saw how he had changed. I wanted to be with him, but I was scared. Scared of getting hurt, and scared of making a big mistake. What would I do if he fell back into his old habits? But I felt like I owed him a shot to prove to me that he could keep himself out of trouble. "Okay. We can stop with all the secrecy", I said. He smiled. "Good. Then it's my turn to ask you a question", he said, smirking. He pulled me in and sat down on the bed with me in his lap. I giggled. "Maya, will you go to prom with me?", he grinned. "Yes", I grinned back, and he pulled me in for a kiss. God, how I had missed his lips. His wonderful and addictive lips. "It's a date", he winked at me, still grinning. "Don't push it, buddy", I chuckled and kissed him again. If someone told me year ago that I would be going to prom with Montgomery de la Cruz I would probably have pissed myself laughing.

I told Jenna at school the next day, and once again she seemed more ecstatic about it than me. She insisted on dress-talk during lunch, and it actually sounded like a good idea. I had no clue what to wear. She went on about dress-colors and accessories, and I zoned out again while pretending to listen. I heard her say my name, and it snapped me out of it and back into conversation. "What?", I asked. She was staring wide eyed at something behind me. "Why is Montgomery de la Cruz heading for our table?", she asked. She actually seemed a bit scared. "I don't know", I said, not even bothering to turn around. Monty sat down on the surface of the table, with his feet on the seat next to me. "Hi", he smirked like only he could. "Hi", I replied, not in any way trying to hide my confusion about why he was at our table. "Hi, you're Jenna, right? Adams girl?", he asked Jenna. "Yes", she said. She looked like she was in shock. "I'm Monty. I'm dating Maya", he grinned, ignoring my annoyed glare. "We are not dating", I said, lightly slapping him on the knee with the back of my hand. He grinned and turned back to Jenna again. "Okay, listen to this, Jenna. I take Maya to the movies, right? Paying for the tickets, the popcorn, the drinks and everything, holding her hand during the entire movie and taking her home after. Now, what would you call that?", he asked her. "A date", she stuttered, trying to get herself together. "It wasn't a date", I said, sighing. "It so was a date", he reassured her, like I wasn’t even there. " It was not a date", I repeated myself. "Sounded like a date", Jenna replied. "But we're not dating, so it wasn't", I said. "Sounds like you're dating", Jenna said, smiling mischievously now. "And we're having our second date at prom", Monty said to Jenna. I took a deep breath. "It's not a date", I said, staying calm. "Your friend and I disagree. Jenna, tell her we're dating", Monty commanded Jenna. "You're dating", she said to me, giggling. "Monty, did you want something?", I asked him with an annoyed tone. My tone didn't seem to influence him one bit, thought. He seemed to be quite amused. "Not really. Just wanted to say hi, you know, now that I can", he said, grinning. He dumped down on the seat next to me and put his arm around me. "Don't push it! All the privileges you have earned can easily be taken away from you again", I threatened, making him chuckle. "So I'm guessing no kisses then?", he asked, putting on an innocent act. I just glared at him in return. "Fine. I'll be back for that kiss, though. Nice to meet you, Jenna", he said, and walked back over to the rest of the jocks. I couldn't help but to smile. He was such a goof. I turned back to Jenna again, and she was staring after him with her mouth half open. "How can you be this chocked? I told you everything", I said, chuckling. "I know, it's just so…real all of a sudden. One thing is hearing about it, but seeing this… it's just so… I don’t even have the words", she stuttered. I get it. If the roles were reversed it probably wouldn’t really sink in with me either until I witnessed it.

After school I ran into him again in right outside the door. "Hey, do you want a ride home?", he asked. "I'd love that, but I promised to walk with Jenna today", I explained. "I can take her home too", he smiled. I asked Jenna if she wanted a ride, and she was in. Most of the cars in the lot was already gone, and it wasn't a whole lot of people left either. Jenna got in the backseat, but as I opened the door to the front seat to get in, Monty jumped in front of it, slamming it shut again. "I will take both of you home, but there's a catch. There is a small fee to be payed", explained to me, with a playful smile. I looked confused at him. "I told you I'd be back for that kiss", he said, pulling me closer to him. I giggled. "So you're trying to con your way to a kiss now, huh?", I smirked. "You know, just a drowning man grasping at straws", he said shrugging. I let him lean in and give me a kiss. I was expecting a quick peck, but what I got was a long and soft kiss. I wanted to just stay there and kiss him for hours, but I remembered that Jenna was in the back seat. I pulled away slowly. He leaned after me, lingering on my lips for as long as he could. "We have an audience", I giggled once he eventually had to pull away. We both turned and looked at Jenna who was sitting in the back seat, again with her eyes wide and her mouth open. We both laughed.

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Who is excited for prom? :D

Please leave a like and/or a comment to let me know what you think <3

[trustmemonty-blog]

17 It’s time

For two and a half weeks we spent all our time practicing that kiss, and I loved every second of it. I had been holding back and denying my true feelings for him for a long time, and it felt really good and deliberating to get to kiss him almost every day, and just use the play as an excuse. The truth is that I was falling in love with him, and even though I refused to admit it to myself I knew damn well it was true.

It was finally time. Time to prove to people how hard we had worked, time for all the hours of rehearsing to be put to the test, and time to kiss Monty in front of more than a hundred people. And I was a bit nervous. It was not my first time on stage in front of this many people, but it was my first time kissing someone on stage. I really wanted it to be believable. The first scenes was a cakewalk. We had rehearsed that so many times that I didn't even need to focus. It all just came naturally while my body was on autopilot. We were closing in on the kissing scene and Monty and I was waiting backstage for it to be our turn to get back on stage again. If I was nervous there would be no word strong enough to describe how he was feeling. I was genuinely afraid he was going to just run away. "How are you so calm?!", he asked while pacing restlessly back and forth. "It's not gonna be half as scary as you picture it in your head right now", I tried to comfort him, but it didn't work. I had to calm him down somehow.

I grabbed his arm to stop him from pacing and placed a firm and hard kiss on his lips. "I'm probably never gonna tell you this again, but use the confidence you have at school. Just pretend you're at school", I said, hoping it would have some effect. "I'll try, but I don't know if I can", he explained. "If everything else fails then remember the advice I gave you last time. Focus on me, only me!", I said as they called our names for the last and final scene.

It was time for the big finally. The kiss that was gonna make us go out with a boom. My palms were sweaty, my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe properly. I turned towards him, and he towards me. This was it. The final moment. We locked eyes and involuntarily I was taking my own advice. My heart stopped racing and I could finally breathe again, as everything and everyone around us faded away. I was just me and him. All I could see was him, all I could hear was him breathing, all I could think about was how much I wanted to kiss him. And when he finally pulled me in and placed his lips softly on mine it felt like the easiest and most natural thing in the world. He pulled back and our surroundings was starting to fade back in. "Perfect! Brilliant! It was fantastic! You nailed it!", our teacher squealed of excitement. The curtain had dropped and we had managed to end the performance with a bang!

We stood outside saying goodbye to everyone after the play had ended. "I'm kind of relieved, yet sad, that the whole thing is over", I said to Monty. "Me too. I had a lot of fun rehearsing though", he grinned. "At least we can finally hang out and do something that doesn't involve reading lines and kissing", I chuckled. "You say that like it's a good thing", he smirked. "Are you ready to leave, Honey? Dad and I will wait in the car", my mum said as she passed by us. "I'll be there in a second", I yelled after her. "I wanted to ask you something before you go", Monty said. "Sure", I replied. " Would you let me take you out again sometime? You know, on another not-date", he asked, with a playful smile. "As long as it's not a date", I winked, joking back. "Alright. It's…not…a date", he confirmed and we laughed. We said goodbye and I went home with my parents.

I filled Jenna in before school the next day. And at lunchtime we met in the hall. "So are you going to this thing", she asked. "What thing?", I asked back. "Hello?! Have you been living under a rock for the last weeks? Everyone is talking about it! Look around you!" she said, flapping her arms. There was prom posters plastered on every wall. I had been so consumed by the play that I had totally forgotten about the whole prom. We entered the cafeteria and sat down at our usual table. She was blabbering on about the guy she was dating, how he had asked her to prom and what dress she was going to wear. I was pretending to listen. I kind of wanted to go to the prom, but I didn't want to go stag. And it wasn't likely that anyone would ask me anyway. A couple of jocks approached us, and Jenna got up to throw herself around the neck one of them. I figured that would be her new boyfriend. "Maya, this is Adam", he said, grinning from ear to ear. "Hi", I said, and he said hi back. One of Adams friends sat down next to me and smiled. "I'm Chase", he introduced himself. "Why haven't I seen you before?", he asked. "I don't know. I guess people like me aren't really on your radar", I replied. "Oh, you would definitely be on my radar", he replied, looking at me like I was a piece of steak. "So, do you have a date to prom yet?", he continued asking. I didn't really want to go with a guy like him, but I didn't want to go alone either. An if there's one thing I've learned over the past months it's that you do not judge someone by their first impression. Then something very strange happened. Monty was passing by our table, and he locked eyes with Chase. I have no idea of what kind of unspoken conversation went on between them in those few seconds, but it was obviously something. Chase stood back up. "I should get going. Nice to meet you, Maya", he said, and suddenly he showed no interest in me at all. He barely even looked at me. I turned around and looked at Monty, who quickly looked away as I turned. He had clearly been watching us. What just happened?

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Please leave a like and/or a comment to let me know what you think<3

[trustmemonty-blog]

16 It’s not a date

It was the most awkward dinner ever. Mum, dad, Monty and me. My mum had given Monty one of dads shirts while he waited for his own to dry. My dad hadn't met Monty until today, but knowing my mum I'm sure he had heard lots about him. My mum was wearing a mischievous grin throughout the whole dinner, while bombarding Monty with all kinds of questions about him. I didn't really say much. Just sat there awkwardly, giving my mother "The evil eye". She started asking him about his family, and I could tell he was starting to get uncomfortable. "Shit! We're late!", I said, interrupting her in the middle of a question. They all looked at me with confusion. "It's starting in like ten minutes. We gotta get going", I said to Monty, looking sternly at him hoping he would get the hint. "I don't… Oh, right! Yes! Yes, we are late", he played along. We excused ourselves from the table and I went to get his shirt from the dryer. We rushed out the door and into his car, yelling "bye" to my parents without waiting for a reply. "What are we late for exactly?", he asked as soon as we had driven far enough to no longer be visible from my house. "Nothing. I just needed her to stop with the questions", I replied shrugging. He chuckled. "So what do we do now?", he asked again. "I don't really know. What do you want to do?", I asked back. "How about we go see a movie?", he suggested as we drove past the cinema. "Why not, were already here"

He insisted on paying for the tickets, the popcorn and the soda. He held the doors open for me, and was really acting like a gentleman. There was very few people there, so we got pretty good seats too. It felt weird, but nice to do something other than hide out in my room for once. He took my hand and intertwined our fingers, looking straight ahead at the screen like he didn't even know he was doing it. He seemed oddly pleased with himself, wearing a half smile. He noticed me staring at him. "I can't believe I managed to trick you out on a date", he said, clearly satisfied with himself now. "This is not a date", I replied. He looked at me and raised one eyebrow, like his face was saying "isn't in obvious?". "It's not a date!", I repeated. He chuckled. "What part of this makes it not a date?", he asked, trying to prove his point. I thought for a second. The movies, he paid, holding hands… This SO was a date. "The part where we're not dating", I said, pretty pleased with my answer. "So… If we're not dating, how come we're on a date?", he asked again with great confidence. "It's not a date!", I repeated again, louder this time. Once again he just chuckled in response.

After the movie was over he drove me home. "This has been a great day", he said as we parked in front of my house. "It started out a bit frustrating, but at least I we got to have our first real date", he continued. I shook my head, and chuckled. "Idiot", I mumbled, making him chuckle too. I gave him a long and wet kiss, letting my lips linger as I slowly pulled away again, then got out of the car and shut the door behind me. He rolled down the window. "That's it? If this is how you treat your dates then there's no wonder you've been single for so long", he joked. "What do you want, then?", I asked playfully. "You could invite me in. We could pick up where we left off before we got so rudely interrupted earlier", he said smirking. I giggled. "Sorry, I don't put out on the first date", I winked at him, turned and started walking away. "Hah! You admitted it! It was a date!", I heard him yell after me. I was chuckling, but pretended I didn't hear him.

The next day in acting class we got the last pages of the script. We had been rehearsing for so long on the first part that we already knew it by heart, and I was excited to see how she'd been writing the ending. "This play is really good", I said to Monty as we waited for our next scene. We were going through the entire play in class, just so the teacher could give us all some notes on where we should focus the most towards the last couple of weeks before preforming. "It is. And I'm mostly excited about the ending though. I can't wait to spend hours with you practicing that last scene", Monty winked at me. We got called back out on stage again before I could reply. We didn't go through the last scenes since we had just gotten them and had no time to rehearse them yet, so the public kiss would have to wait. The last half hour of class we got to go through the last pages ourselves, while the teacher went around with advice and notes she had been taking during the performance. "Maya and Monty, you are a power-duo", she opened with as she approached us. "I don't really have anything to put my finger on. There's no doubt that you have spent hours rehearsing. But remember that the hardest scene is yet to come, and I think you should just focus on nailing those last pages too. Especially the last one", she said. "I guess we should start rehearsing as soon as possible", Monty grinned.

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Please leave a like and/or a comment and let me know what you think<3

[trustmemonty-blog]

15 I want him bad

I started paying closer attention to him in school. Jenna was right. He really had changed. The rest of the jocks didn't really seem to notice, but his usual victims did. I even saw a kid flinch as he walked past him, but smile relieved as he realized he was in the clear. I was standing by Jenna's locker before lunch, waiting for her, when the jocks passed by. Monty among them. One of the jocks pushed a kid as he walked by, making him fall down, and in response the kid shouted "fuck you". The jocks stopped and turned, and the guy who had pushed him started walking slowly towards the kid who had gotten back up on his feet now. That's when Monty placed a hand on the guys shoulder, stopping him. "Not worth it, dude", he said, and started walking away. The group of jocks followed, and hesitantly the guy followed too.

In acting class we got the first part of the script our teacher had been working on all weekend, and we started rehearsing right away. Monty kept impressing me with his acting skills. I thought back to the first day of class, and thought about how much he had evolved since then. He could really be going places. A month passed by in no time, and every spare minute I had was spent either rehearsing or thinking about the play, with or without Monty. We spent so much time rehearsing that we never really had time to talk about anything else.

It was afternoon and Monty and I were in my room working on a couple of new pages of the script we had just gotten. I watched him as he sat, deeply concentrated, marking his lines. I realized how much I had missed just talking to him. Just being with him and focusing on us. I didn't even have the chance to tell him that I'd noticed his efforts to change yet. I moved from the chair by the window over to the bed where he was sitting. He was so deep into it that he didn't even notice. "Hey", I said to get his attention. He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. I took the pen and paper out of his hands and placed in on my night stand. He looked confused. I smiled and grabbed his hand, and he smiled back, still confused. "Less work, more play", I said, and his expression changed from confused to excited. "I just wanted to say that I see you. At school. I can see that you've changed", I told him, and he smiled. I leaned in and kissed him softly. As I pulled back again, he was the one taking over. He pulled me in for another rougher and sloppier kiss, and I let him guide as I slowly laid back and he climbed on top of me. I let my hands do what they wanted. Touching and feeling, sliding from his hips, up his back and wrap around his neck. His hands stared exploring too, tracing the outline of my body. His touch was sending shivers through me. I let my hand slide softly through his hair, down his muscular arm and back up to is neck, where my other hand already had a firm grip. The warmth of his heavy breath on my face, his eager lips moving in sync with mine and his heavy body weighting me down was arousing. And I was not the only one getting aroused. I had felt the whole evolution of his dick growing against me, while his lips and hands got more and more eager. I wanted him. I wanted him bad. I pulled lightly on his shirt, hoping he would take the hint, and he did. His lips parted from mine for a split second before they came crashing back, giving him just enough time to pull off his shirt and throw it on the floor next to the bed. I traced his abs lightly with my fingertips. Hole shit, he was muscular. His hands slid slowly up underneath my shirt, giving me plenty of time to stop him if I wanted to, but I didn't. I needed to catch my breath, and left a trail of kisses down to his neck. I bit him gently and he made a silent growl. He had slid his way up to my breast, and squeezed it lightly over my bra. The bulge in his pants was rock solid and rubbing against me. I wanted more. His hands was softly playing along the line of my bra, his fingers pulling it down to give him access. With one hand placed firmly behind his neck, my lips were back on is and the other hand unbuttoned his jeans. I slid my hand into his jeans over his boxers to feel him, and rubbed on the big hard bulge I found begging to be released from it's cotton prison. He made a sound of pleasure as soon as I touched him. He was throbbing in my hand.

"Maya, are you home?", someone yelled from down the hall, and in what felt like one tenth of a second Monty rolled off me, and I jumped out of bed. He buttoned his jeans back up and grabbed his shirt from the floor. We both knew he would not have time to put it back on as the footsteps in the hall stopped outside my door. Fast as lightning he grabbed the glass of water from my nightstand and poured it on his shirt. I didn't even have time to ask him what the fuck he was doing before the door to my room opened. " Hey, are you.. Oh, hey Montgomery. I didn't know you were here", my mum said smiling. Her eyes was filled with questions as she looked at him standing there with his shirt in his hand. "Hi, Mrs. Kinney", he said and there was a minute of silence where she just kept looking at him with questions in her eyes. " I spilled my drink", he lied, holding up his wet shirt. " Oh, I see. I can put that in the dryer for you" she smiled, and took his shirt as he handed it over to her. "Thanks", he smiled. "So, are you staying for dinner?", she asked, looking at both of us. My heart was still raising and it was like my body had shut down and I had forgotten how to talk. "Sure, I could eat", Monty said. My mother nodded and left the room. I felt all the air disappear from my lungs and fell back into the chair. "Holy fuck, that was close", I said on exhale. We looked at each other and bursted out laughing.

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[trustmemonty-blog]

14 The little spoon

The movie came to an end and Monty stretched and yawned. "I'm starting to get tired so I should probably go home", he said as we both sat back up. "Hell no!", I instinctively yelled at him. He looked at me confused and raised an eyebrow. "You do not get to suggest these kind of movies and then leave me home alone at two o'clock at night. Montgomery de la Cruz, If you leave me here now then I swear I will hate you forever!", I ranted, with panic in my voice. I could see him trying to hide a smile, and hold back a laughter. "Alright, alright. What do you want me to do? Sit outside the door and bark in case of any cats show up to harass you?", he said snickering. "Shut up! Let's go to bed", I said, giving him a real annoyed glare this time. He followed me into my bedroom and just stood there watching me as I climbed into bed. Lucky I  had been wearing my PJ's all day, so I didn't have to go to the bathroom alone to change. Monty just stood in the middle of the room, waiting for directions. "So do you have like a guest room or…", he asked. "Now, that would make me be alone in this room, and we both know that's not happening", I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Come on, I saved some space for you right here", I said lightly patting the empty space on the mattress beside me, mimicking his tone and motion from earlier. "Really?", he said surprised, but the quite opposite of disappointed. "It wouldn’t be the first time", I said, referring to the time we fell asleep during a movie. "No, but this feels kind of different", he said. He had moved over to the bed, but he was still standing next to it. "Just get in before I change my mind", I joked. He took of his jeans, but kept the rest on. Monty crawled into bed next to me and I felt the warmth of his body as he placed an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, making me the little spoon. "Good night", he whispered. "Good night", I whispered back. I was already drifting off to sleep, feeling completely safe in his arms.

I woke up before him again. I closed my eyes for a minute to soak up the feeling of his warm breath against my neck. Even in his sleep he was holding me tightly in his arms. I wanted this moment to last forever. It felt perfect. I turned around, facing him, and admired his sleeping face. I could not hold back a smile. He looked so peaceful. I leaned over and gave him a soft light peck on the lips. He furrowed his brows in confusion for a second, before opening his eyes and smiling softly. "Hi", he said in a horse voice. "Morning", I replied. "What was that for?", he asked, still smiling. "For being cute when you sleep", I grinned. "Don't watch me while I'm sleeping, you creep", he joked, making me giggle. I climbed over him an out of bed. I expected him to follow, but he didn't. "Are you just gonna stay in bed all day?", I asked. "No, not all day, just for a little while longer", ha said looking a bit uncomfortable. "Really? You can't still be tired. Come on, I'll get bored", I said playfully, and tried to pull the covers off him. He latched on for his bare life, panic in his eyes. "NO! You can NOT do that right now!" he said, sounding a bit too serious. " Chill out, it was just a joke. Are you okay?", I asked genuinely concerned. "Just go shower or something. I'll be out in a few minutes", he said. Was he mad at me all of a sudden? " Was it something I did?", I asked again. "No, it's not your fault… kind of", he said. It looked like he was blushing a bit. I sat down next to him and placed my hand on his thigh. " Is there anything you need, or anything I can do?". "Not that!", he said, acting like my touch was stinging him or something. He sat up a bit and folded his hands. "Okay, so do you not know what usually happens to guys in the morning? Especially those who haven't had sex in a while when he is woken up by a kiss and a girl freakin sitting on him to get out of bed?", he asked, obviously rhetorically. "No….. OH!", I finally caught on. Morning wood… "Shit, sorry. I'll leave", I said, holding in a laugh. "Either that, or you'll have to take care of it", he said smirking. I kind of loved, yet kind of hated, the way he could change things around like that. Go from being embarrassed about something to owning it like that. "Oh yeah? You want me to take care of it? You want me to make it go away?", I teased him, while straddling him. His hands grabbed on to my hips, and my hands wrapped around his neck. His eyes turned hungry and filled with lust. I rocked my hips slowly once, while leaning in and lightly brushing my lips against his. His grip on my hips tightened, and I could feel what he had been trying to hide throbbing against my thigh. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered softly "Just picture your grandma naked", and jumped off before he could realize what had just happened. "OH, for FUCK sake!", he shouted and covered his face with a pillow. I was laughing so hard I could barely stay on my feet. "Did it work?", I managed to say while gasping for air. "I hate you for that, but yeah, it worked", he admitted, glaring at me through squinted eyes.

We ate breakfast and talked for while at the kitchen table. I was happy to hear that he was excited to get the script for the play we were doing in acting class. I was a bit scared I had been pushing him too far when I insisted on him saying he wanted the male lead. I was really looking forward to preforming it with him, but also all the time we would have rehearsing for it. Things were looking really bright. After Monty left, I called Jenna and filled her in on the whole weekend, as promised. She was almost more excited about it than I was, and practically squealed on the phone when I told her about the kiss. "I knew it! You were the one he changed for", she cheered. "What do you mean?" "Last week I heard him talk back to one of his buddies in the hallway, telling him to stop being suck a dick to this guy he was harassing. And on Friday I saw him accidentally walking into one of the students he usually pushes around, and he just said sorry and kept walking. Haven't you noticed? He haven't given as much a snide comment to a single student in like… weeks", she said. I hadn't noticed, but as she got me thinking. I realized that she was right. I had not seen him picking on a single kid in weeks either. He really was trying, and I felt bad that I hadn't even noticed…

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13 My hero

"Monty…", was all I managed to say. I was at an absolute loss for words. He was talking about me. This girl he was describing, all the beautiful things he was saying about her… it's me. And even more shocking is the fact that he thinks that I'm too good for him. Montgomery de la Cruz thinks that I'm too good for him. I went through a million emotions in just seconds, but I was still at a loss for words. "I don’t even know what to say", I managed to stutter. "To be honest, I don’t either. This isn't exactly how I was hoping to tell you this", he replied. I felt so bad. If I hadn't listened to his private conversations, he wouldn't have been forced to confess like this. I didn't want to do that to him. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to out you like this. I had no idea", I explained. I placed my hand on his and squeezed it gently. "It's okay. You would have found out sooner of later anyway", he said while giving me a nervous smile. I had so many thoughts running through my head. I don't even know how long we were sitting there in complete silence. "Look, I get it if you don't feel the same way. I just want you to know that I'm… I'm really trying to turn things around", he said interrupting the silence. "That's the thing. I do! I do feel the same way, but I feel the same way about the Monty that only I know. And honestly, I could never stand next to you at school and watch you do the things you do to other students. I just can't", I told him, every word stinging as painfully in my own chest as it probably did in his. "I get it", he said nodding softly, and I could see that my words had hurt him. But it was the truth, and no matter how great of a guy he was around me I could never support those sides of him. For a while we just sat there in silence again, just letting it all sink in. I wanted to do something to break this awkwardness, but I had no idea what to do or say. "Promise we one thing though. Promise me that we won't change. Not let things get weird. We're still just us, okay?", he asked. "I’ll do my best", I replied with a smile, but I wasn't even sure that was possible at this point.

"So, what now?", I asked. A desperate attempt to change the subject and get things back to normal. He looked at me for a second, and then a smirk spread across his lips. " Yeah, let's see… What where we doing before this? Oh, that's right. You rudely interrupted me in the middle of something", he said. I could see the playfulness in his eyes, so I know he was joking, but I couldn't really remember what he was referring to. What were we doing before this? "Like the knight in shining armor I am I had just saved you from the terrible wrath of the vicious and evil stray cat, and you were going to reward me", he said still smirking. I giggled. "Okay, what do you think is a suitable reward for your heroic efforts?", I asked, playing along. "According to the fairy tales, I'm pretty sure I am entitled to the princess and half the kingdom", he said, pretending to be dead serious. "Well, you can spread out on the couch, but I am unfortunately fresh out of princesses", I chuckled. "No, you're not. I found one right here", he said and pulled me onto his lap. I giggled like a little girl, and pretended to fight back. "Let me go", I laughed. "Never. You're mine now", he said, and added an evil laugh. He held me on his lap, straddling him and facing towards him. Our eyes locked and he placed his hand gently on my cheek. "Now how about that reward…", he almost whispered. His lips turned magnetizing again, but this time I no longer wanted to fight my urges. He pulled me closer to him, and leaned in slowly. As our noses touched, the butterflies in my stomach was replaced by wild hurricanes. Our lips barely touched at first, but it felt like a shock of electricity. I almost felt dizzy. There was no way I would be able to hold back anymore. My hand instinctively found it's way up to his neck, as our lips crashed harder together. Such an explosion it felt like inside. His hands grabbed onto my waist, and his tongue was softly begging for mine. I freed his wish and our tongues met and played, concealed by our lips. I almost fainted before I decided to pull back for air. The kiss was so intense, we were both out of breath. "Holy…Wow!", he said, looking at me with stars in his eyes. As if those eyes was not hypnotizing enough to begin with… "How's that for a price?", I giggled, probably blushing. "I have to save you more often", he chuckled.

"So, what do you wanna do now?", I asked, climbing off him and sitting back next to him on the couch. "How about another scary movie?", he suggested. "Sure. I'm down". I pressed play on the next horror movie we could agree on, and went to the kitchen to get us some drinks. When I came back he had spread out across the couch. "Really?", I said, giving him a glare telling him I was not amused. "Don't worry. I saved space for you right here", he said, gently patting his own chest. My face did not react, and I stood there giving him the same glare. "Oh, come on. You know you'll get scared and basically end up in my lap anyway", he said, with a wide grin. He had a point. I exhaled dramatically and shook my head gently, but I couldn't hold back a smile. "Good princess", he joked, as I got comfortable next to him on the couch and laid down to rest my head on his chest.

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12 That kind of girl

Our eyes locked and I felt that special kind of tension build again. His eyes melted me as usual, and his lip suddenly felt like magnets to me. God, I wanted to taste those lips. Then I remembered the conversation I overheard him have with one of his friends. The one where he admitted to being into a girl. I didn't want to be the one to ruin that. If this girl knew where he was spending his time it could already be ruined. That's when he started leaning in. I had a choice to make, and I had to make it fast. Should I just live in the moment and let him kiss me? Should I do what I wanted to do? Or should I stop him from making a mistake? I made my choice. I was not that kind of person. I placed my hand on his chest to stop him. "We shouldn't. I would hate to be the reason why someone else gets hurt", I said. I sighed, looking at the floor. "I'm sorry. I didn't know", he said. Didn't know? I looked at him again, confused this time. "Didn't know?", I asked. "I didn't know you were involved with someone else", he explained, but I was still confused. "Me? But… I'm not. Aren't you?", I said. "What? Who told you that?", he asked back, releasing his grip around my waist. "No one. I doesn't matter really. I just don't want to be the one who ruins anything or hurts someone", I said. "No one, huh? That's funny, because I only told John", he said, raising his voice a bit. "So John is spreading this around school. I'm gonna kill him", he said, getting angry. "It's not John", I said, trying to calm him down. "Well, I didn't tell anyone else, so that pretty much narrows it down to just John", he replied, still angry. I had to come clean. I could not let him believe that the only guy he trusted with a secret had betrayed him. "It's not John. I overheard your conversation. My locker is right outside that classroom, and I heard you talking. I listened, okay? I shouldn't have done that, and I'm sorry. I let the curiosity get the best of me. Do not take this out on John", I explained, feeling ashamed. He sighed, but seemed to calm down again. He reached out and grabbed my hand, pulling me over to the couch. He sat down, and I sat next to him.

"Okay, listen", he started, "I have met a girl. A girl who is smart and sweet and a bit goofy. She is very special to me, because she can make me feel like no one else can. Somehow she can see the me behind all the layers. She just gets right to my soul. She makes me feel safer and calmer that anyone else can. She's funny, caring, everything I need and everything I want. She's pretty perfect", he told me. Once again I felt my heart sink, and my stomach was twisting. I felt like throwing up. I was, without a doubt, jealous. "She sounds amazing", I said, faking a smile. "She is, there's only one problem. She is way too good for me. She's the best and kindest person I know, and she would never be with a bully like me. She's embarrassed to be seen with me because of the person I am around others, and I get it. I don't stand a chance with her unless I change, but it's really hard. I'm not the vulnerable type, but she makes me want to be", he said. I wanted to comfort him and tell him what I thought he would want to hear, but the truth is that I kind of agreed with the girl. Not the part where she's too good for him, but the part where she didn't want to be with a bully. I would probably have said the same thing. "How does she feel about you spending so much time here with me?", I asked. He shook his head lightly, almost like he was annoyed but tried to hide it. "Don't worry about that.", he said. "It might give her the wrong idea", I explained. "It won't.", he tried to assure me.

It hurt. It really hurt. I had not really wanted to admit it to myself until this very moment, but this pain made it impossible to deny anymore. I was not just mesmerized by his eyes or attracted to his good looks. I had fallen in love with him. Head over heels. I was in love with Montgomery de la Cruz, and it was nothing I could do about it. The only thing I knew for sure is that he can not find out about that. He needs his friend, and that's all I'm going to be. I plastered on the best fake smile I could, and thought to myself that this is when the acting comes in handy. I can do this!

"So, tell me more about her. What is she like?", I asked, trying my best to sound happy for him and ignore the pain I was feeling. He seemed a bit nervous for some reason. "She's the kind of person who would let you in if you stand outside her window at night in need of a distraction. She's the kind of girl who'll push you to try new things and step out if your comfort-zone, and be there supporting you every step of the way. She's the kind of girl you would feel comfortable telling your secrets too, or speak too about anything. The kind of girl who takes way too long to catch on, and even though it's a bit annoying it's adorable. The kind of girl that would make me leave a party on a Saturday night to just hang out and watch scary movies…".

Wait? Is he talking about me?

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11 Scary movie

As he pulled into his usual spot in the parking lot I got nervous. We were surrounded by jocks. "Oh god", I mumbled to myself. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You just go ahead", he smiled. I nodded. I had barely gotten out of the car before I could hear them behind me. "Yo, Monty. Got yourself a new toy there?", "Someone spent the night", "Damn dude. Look at him all freshly fucked and satisfied", followed by a whole lot of cheering and laughing. "I wish, you fucktards. I just happened to drive by as she missed the bus", he lied. On one hand I can't really believe they bought that lie, on the other hand the way they knew Monty he'd probably brag about it if it was true.

In the last acting class of the week we had pretty much finished the storyline for the play we were writing, and it was time to assign roles. Most people wanted to play the role they had suggested for the play themselves, so it was an easy process. "But, class, we still need a male lead. Are any of you guys up for the task?", the teacher asked addressing only the boys. I nudged Monty with my elbow. "Come on", I whispered. He looked conflicted, but he raised his hand. "I could maybe try…" is all he managed to say before the teacher interrupted him. "Perfect! The two of you have such great dynamic on stage. I think this is going to be amazing", she cheered. I could tell he was already nervous. After class the teacher pulled both of us aside. "I have noticed the two of you have gotten quite close, and that's why I wanted to ask you, I'm thinking that the whole play should finish with a kiss. It is a love story after all. Is that something the both of you would feel comfortable doing?", she asked. Monty and I looked at each other. The last thing I thought I would do in my life was kissing Montgomery de la Cruz. But it was for the play, and it would really present us as mature and committed actors. Maybe even open some doors for us. It's just a kiss, right? "I'm… I'd be okay with that", I said. "What about you, Monty?", she asked him again. "Yes, I'll do it", he said quickly, like he had to hurry up and say it before he'd change his mind.

The car ride home was a bit more quiet than usual, so I decided to address the elephant in the room. Or in this case, the elephant in the car. "You know you don't have to, right? If you don't feel comfortable doing it you can just tell me. I would not hold it against you", I assured him. "No, I'm down. Just nervous", he said still sounding lost in though. "So what are you doing this weekend?", he asked, suddenly changing the subject. "Nothing really. My parents are leaving town for their anniversary so I'll probably just chill in front of the TV all weekend. You?", I asked back. "I'm going to a party. Do you wanna come? It's at Taylors". "Thanks for the invite, but I think we've all learned that I'm not much of a party-girl", I joked and we both laughed. He dropped me off at home just in time to say goodbye to my parents before they left.

Saturday came and I was on the couch in my PJ's all day. It was about eight o'clock in the afternoon when my phone buzzed. It was a text from Monty, as usual. "What up?" it said. "Nothing really. I'm a bit conflicted. I'm kind of in the mood for a scary movie, but since I'm home alone that would be a recipe for disaster", I wrote back, trying to be funny, but I didn't get a reply. About an hour later there was a knock on my door. "Hi?", I said, not expecting to find Monty on the other side of the door. "You didn't want to come to the party, so I brought the party to you", he said smiling widely. "You did what?", I exclaimed, looking behind him in panic to check if I could see anyone else. "Just kidding", he laughed, "It' just me". I exhaled relieved, and gave him an annoyed glare. I let him in anyway. "Not that I'm not happy to see you or anything, but what are you doing here?", I asked. "Party was boring. Scary movie sounded better", he replied shrugging, and got comfortable on the couch. "Scary movie it is", I said and took a seat next to him. I pressed play on the movie I wanted to see, and leaned back on the couch ready for a thrill. And what a thrill it was. Best horror movie I've ever seen. Twenty minutes into the movie and the first jump scare my heart was pounding and I instinctively scooted closer to Monty. He chuckled a bit and put his arm around my shoulder. "It's just a movie", he said, trying to calm me down, but he was obviously entertained my by reaction. I can't help it. I have a love-hate relationship with horror movies. I love them, but I get so freakin scared. As the movie came to an end I realized that   not only was I sitting so close to him that I was basically on his lap, but I was also holding his hand. I didn't even notice it happening during the movie. Did I grab his hand, or did he grab mine? The credits rolled across the screen, and I let out a relieved sigh. He chuckled again. "Awww, you poor thing", he joked, hugging me tighter with the one arm he had around my shoulder and squeezing my hand. I giggled. The screen turned black, but we didn't move. "Did you really just blow off a party to watch movies with me?", I asked, not really managing to make sense of it my head. It was just so… not like him. "Yeah", he said. "No hot girls at the party, huh?", I joked. " Right, so I made it my mission to go out and find one and suddenly I was here. Strange thing", he joked back. "Oh, so you think I'm hot?", I teased him. "I… Erm.. Well, yeah", he replied, blushing a bit. "I'm kidding. Relax", I giggled.

Suddenly there was a loud noise outside, and we both jumped up from the couch. My heart was pounding again. I was already on edge after the movie. Monty leaned over the couch to look out the window. "I can't see anything", he whispered. There was another sound, not as loud as the first one. Monty tiptoed over to the door and in one fast move, he opened the door and stepped outside. After a few seconds I could hear him laugh. He came back inside and closed the door behind him. "It was a cat. Knocked over a flower pot", he said, laughing. "Oh my god, I was terrified", I said,   rubbing my forehead with two fingers. He pulled me in for a quick, but tight, hug. He leaned back to look at me, still holding his arms around my waist. "You're lucky I was here to save you", he said, pretending to be serious. "My hero!", I played along, still with my hands around his neck. He smiled. I felt the butterflies reappear.

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10 Sleepover

Thursday after dinner Jenna called me to talk about her new crush and that she was going to try out for the cheerleading squad. I pretended to be interested in what she was talking about, and I was about to make up an excuse to hang up. "So what's been going on with you? You've been so up and  down lately", she asked. " I've just been going through some stuff with a friend. It's complicated", I replied. "Oh, like a friend-friend or... boyfriend?", she asked again, obviously intrigued. "He's not my boyfriend". "Ooooh, so it's a he. Who is it?" "It doesn't really matter. You'll just think I've gone crazy". "Try me". "You wouldn't even believe it if I told you. You'll just give me a lecture" "Come ooon. Tell me!" "Fine, it's... it's Monty". "Yeah, right. But really though, you know you can trust me, Maya. Please, tell me. I will not tell a living soul, I promise", she begged. I decided to tell her the whole story. From the moment he walked into acting class, up until that very moment when she called.

"Wow! If it wasn't coming from you I wouldn't have believed it", she said baffled. "I still don't know if I really believe it myself", I admitted. "Promise you'll keep me updated. I want to know everything", she extatically. "Sure", I chuckled, "as long as you keep it to yourself". "You know I will! Gotta go. Bye!", she said, and hung up. I checked the time. It was half past nine already. We must have been speaking on the phone for at least two hours. I also noticed I had received a message from Monty. "You home?", I read. I wrote him back yes, and it took approximately 2 minutes before he was standing outside my window, knocking. "Am I gonna regret showing you how this window works?", I joked as I opened it. "Probably", he joked back, raising his shoulders. I let him in and he sat down on my bed. "I know it's late. I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but I had nowhere else to go.", he said, suddenly sounding serious. He looked stressed and sad. "Do you want to talk about it?", I asked and sat down next to him. "Not really", he said, giving me a sad smile. "I just can't be home right now", he explained. "Alright" I said. I didn't really know what to do or say. He probably had another fight with his parents. If he doesn't want to talk about I'm not gonna make him. I started up my PlayStation and turned the TV towards where we were sitting on the bed. I found the box of movies I had in my closet and dumped it in his lap. "Pick one", I said. I put on the movie he had chosen and got comfortable next to him. " I'll leave as soon as I know my parents have gone to bed", he said, and he seemed to relax a bit more. I didn't have the heart to tell him how sleepy I actually was.

The alarm clock on my phone ringing and vibrating in my pocket was what woke me up. I was still sitting in bed resting my head on the shoulder of a sleeping Monty. I guess I wasn't the only one who was tired last night. I shook him gently and whispered his name, but he just grunted in his sleep. "Monty, we have to get ready for school", I whispered a bit louder. I didn't really want to wake him up. He looked so innocent, vulnerable and cute in his sleep, but we had to get to school. He finally opened his eyes, and at first he looked just as confused as I probably did when I first woke up. "Shit, I fell asleep", he said. "No worries", I replied while trying to find a change of clothes, "I'm just happy my parents left before I did, because my mother would never let me hear the end of this", I joked and he laughed. I went to the bathroom to get ready, and when I came back Monty was gone. Did he just leave? Not a goodbye? No nothing? I guess there's quite a bit of douche left in him after all, I thought to my self, but my thoughts was interrupted my an unfamiliar sound coming from somewhere in the house. I went to investigate and found Monty in the kitchen with a mouth full of dry cereal. "Sorry, I was hungry", he mumbled with his mouth full. I shook my head lightly, found a bowl and placed it in front of him along with a carton of milk. "If you're gonna steal my food at least do it properly", I joked. "Thanks", he smiled. I packed lunch for the both of us while he ate, and noticed something was off. "New t-shirt?", I asked a bit confused, as I realized that it was not the same as he had been wearing last night. "I had a spare in the car. The perk of being an athlete", he said, jokingly flexing his muscles.

We left the house and I locked the door behind us. "See you at school", I said and headed for the direction of the bus. "Wait, are you serious?", he yelled after me when I had gotten across the yard. I stopped and turned. "What?", I yelled back. "You're not gonna let me take you to school?", he asked. "You didn't offer", I said, raising my shoulders. "Get in the car, you idiot", he laughed.

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9 Hand in hand

"So are we friends again?", he asked. "Sure, just don't expect me to sit with you and your jocks at lunch", I joked. "What? But I already saved you a seat", he joked back. "So… finally I can ask the question that has been bugging me all night: what on earth are you doing here?", he chuckled. "I don't even know. I came with Jenna but I haven't seen her since we walked through the door", I explained, "I was actually thinking about heading home". "Are you walking home?" "Yes" "I'll walk with you… if you want", he offered. Actually I was kind of scared of the dark, and the thought about walking home alone in the dead of night was anything but appealing. "Sure", I said.

"It's so dark and quiet. So strange", I said as we walked down the street that normally was full of people, cars and noise. I usually enjoy peace and quiet, but this was different. I found it kind of eerie how different it was at night. "Are you scared?", Monty asked. I could barely see him in the darkness. This part of the road didn't even have streetlights. "Don't laugh! I usually don't go out at night", I said, my voice probably shaking a bit. I heard him giggle anyway, but I knew I was being stupid and overdramatic. Then he grabbed my hand. "Don't worry. I'm looking out for you", he said as our fingers intertwined. And just like that I wasn't scared anymore. I actually felt safer than I can remember to have felt in years. Who would have ever thought that Montgomery de la Cruz would make me feel this way?! We walked and talked, hand in hand, all the way home, and as we reached my house I lead the way around the back. It had gotten pretty late so I decided to use my bedroom window instead of the front door. I didn't want to wake my parents. The window in my bedroom was almost the size of a door, reaching from the floor and almost all the way up to the ceiling. And it opened sideways like a door would. My parents and I used to joke about it being the secret backdoor, and it had saved all of our asses several times when we had lost or forgotten our keys. I knew it might be late before I got back, so I had left a crack on the widow before I left for the party. "Oh. Sneaky", Monty smirked as I opened the window all the way up. "Thank you for tonight", I said, and instinctively gave him a hug. He let go of my hand to put his arms around me and hug back. "My pleasure", he replied. It was a long hug, and I tried to ignore the stupid butterflies in my stomach going bananas, to soak up the feeling of his embrace. He pulled half way out of the hug to look at me. Those god damn eyes of his… it felt like I could stare into them forever. He had the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen. "I really like you", he said, suddenly seeming a bit nervous. "I really like you too", I smiled. He smiled back. "To be honest, I think you're the closest friend I got", I continued. His eyes fell to the ground for a second before looking back at me. I thought I heard him let out a soft sigh. He pushed a loose strand of hair back behind my ear with his thumb. I felt a new kind of tension build up. "I should get to bed", I said. It felt like my knees was about to turn to jelly, and I was scared that I was so drunk I would try to kiss him if I didn't kill this tension right away. "Okay", he said, and released me from his half-embrace. "Good night". "Good night", he replied, and by the time I had gotten inside he was gone. Right then and there I regretted not inviting him in, but deep down I knew I did the right thing saying goodbye.

Weeks flew by a lot faster now that we were friends again. We had a few stolen looks and conversations at school, and at acting class we'd always meet up outside and walk in together. He even drove me home several times after class. I felt complete again. I really had missed him.

At school Ï was putting some of my books back in my locker between classes, when I overheard a conversation going on in the classroom right next to me. Usually I wouldn't listen to other people's private conversation like that, but I recognized Montys voice and just couldn't help myself. "Nah, dude. I'm actually found someone. I'm just gonna focus on trying to reel her in", Monty said. "Say what? You? Bro, are you high?", the other voice chuckled. "Shut up, asshole", he chuckled back. "I'm just surprised. She must really be something special to tame you like that", the guy said. "She is", Monty replied. "Hey, good for you, dude. You could really use someone to knock you down a few steps", he joked again. "No, but really. I hope it works out for you". As happy as I was to hear him try to open up to someone and actually get a supportive response, I felt my heart sink. I was jealous. Why was I jealous? It was never anything like that between us. We were just friends, and nothing ever implied otherwise. It must be those damn eyes. I was no different than the rest of the girls at this school, and I had fallen a lot harder for him than I thought I had. I should be happy. He's making an effort to change, and it seems to have gone well for him this far. At least he found one good guy among the jocks. And maybe this girl he's interested in will have a positive influence on him.

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Should Maya have invited him in?

Please leave a like if you enjoy the story so far. It would mean a lot to me <3

[trustmemonty-blog]

8 Party

It was weekend again. This week had been going by so slow. Monty and I had been taken back to square one, witch means we ignored each other at school and in acting class we were talking like we didn't really know each other. Truth is, I missed him. I didn't realize how much time I actually spent talking to him or thinking about him until now. And I certainly didn't realize how much that time actually meant to me. But I refused to be the one to come crawling back. I know I was right about that I said. I just hoped he knew that too.

Jenna, who is slightly less invisible than me, had been invited to a party this weekend. She was begging me to come with her, but I didn't really want to go. "Come on, please. I barely know anyone there, and I don't wanna end up alone and bored.", she begged me. This was one of the few times we were hanging out after school. She was helping me go through my closet and toss away any clothes that had seen it's prime a long time ago. I didn't really care, but I knew this was the kind of thing she likes doing so I went with her idea. I could really use a cleanup in there anyway. "I don't know anyone at all. And I wasn't invited", I said, watching her throw another t-shirt in the garbage-pile. "He said I could bring a friend, so you kind of are invited", she said, giving me a begging smile. "Please, please, pleasepleasepleeeeeease. For me?", she kept begging, pouting her lip and flickering her long black lashes. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea? I never do anything like that, and I could really use some more people in my life. If I had actually lost Monty for good, maybe I should invest more time in the friends I already have? Maybe I'll even make some new ones. And It would make Jenna really happy. "Fine", I sighed, and held up my hands to signal my surrender. "Yes! And I know just what you're gonna wear", She cheered.

Like a blink of an eye it was Saturday night and Jenna and I was standing in front of a big house. Who ever owned his house, or any house in this neighborhood, obviously had money. "Ready?", she grinned. "No... let's do it", I replied and we went inside. The house was full of kids I recognized from school, but I seemed to be just as invisible as always. Jenna on the other hand was not. We barely made it through the door before several people greeted her, so I excused myself to go get a drink. I managed to find a can of beer and thought to myself that if this is where I'm spending my night I need some alcohol. That was pretty much the last I saw of Jenna. She smiled and waved from a far a few times during the night, and I waved back pretending to have a good time. Half and hour after we arrived I heard some commotion in the living room. I was in the kitchen helping myself to another beer, and looked out to see what was going on. A group of boys had arrived and was very much making their presence known. I recognized them all. It was the entire baseball-team. And, like we could feel each others presence, our eyes met straight away. This was obviously the last place he expected to see me. I withdrew back to the kitchen and exhaled deeply. I'm going to need something stronger than this beer! Luckily for me it was a lot to choose from.

I drowned my sorrows in liquor until I started feeling comfortable enough to mingle. Monty was following me with his eyes as I stumbled around in the crowd of people. I was feeling pretty good. I engaged in conversation with several people and even got hit on by a few guys. Monty was squinting his eyes from across the room. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was jealous. Eventually I started getting dizzy and headed out for some air. The back yard was huge with a large swimming pool in the center. As I walked out someone inside started yelling for people to join "spin the bottle", so most people headed back inside. I flopped down on a garden chair and enjoyed a break from the loud music and constant buzz of voices. I was just me outside, and a couple making out in the pool. I was watching them like it was a reality show. I didn't mean to be a creep, but it was one of those times where it was impossible to look away. Suddenly someone flopped down in the chair next to mine. It was Monty. We didn't even look at each other, but I knew it was him. You could cut the tension with a knife. We just sat there in silence for a long time, not acknowledging each others existence. He was the first one to break the silence. "Wow, that is a lot of saliva", he said, and we both bursted out laughing. The tension was officially broken. "You're really gonna make me say it?", he asked after the laughter died out. "Say what?", I asked back. He sighed. "That I miss you, and I'm sorry", he admitted, looking at the ground. "I miss you too", I assured him, "and I am sorry. Not about what I said, but how I said it. I didn't want to hurt you or create an argument, but I stand by what I said". "Fair enough", he replied. "I really wish you would just be confident enough to stand up for yourself. To be who you are not step on others to make yourself "cooler". And I get that it's hard and complicated, I really do, but you don't have to do those things. You are smart, funny, a great baseball-player, a really talented actor, you're kind, deep and really good looking. You don't need to scare people into liking you, because when you're just being yourself you are impossible to dislike. People will see that". "Thanks", he smiled. The smile was genuine, but I could detect sadness in his eyes. "I just thought you should know , that's how I see you", I smiled at him.

[trustmemonty-blog]

7 Confrontation

Sunday was used to make a decision. I felt really close to him now. I trusted him and I'm pretty sure he trusted me too. But I felt dishonest about the whole school-thing. Fair enough, it was not my fault he didn't notice me at school, but I didn't exactly tell him either. So I made the decision. Tomorrow I'll talk to him. At school. I'll confront him about the bullying. Maybe all he needs is a real friend.

The first two classes was just a blur. I kept thinking about how I was going to handle it. Should I just make my presence known, keep pretending like I don't see him and wait for him to come to me? Should I pull him aside? Maybe I should just walk right up to him and tell him when he's with his friends? A million different conversations and possibilities went through my head, but as the clock rang to signalize lunch-time I had made my decision. I'm going to text him to meet me in the hallway, and talk to him there. I shoved my books in my bag and started composing the text message while walking out of the classroom, but with my head buried in my phone I managed to crash into someone the second I stepped into the hallway. "Oh sorry", I said, but froze immediately. The white and blue letterman with our schools logo on it that I had just walked into was too familiar. I looked up and straight into Monty's face. He looked so confused, and I probably looked like I was going to cry. So much for telling him gently. "Bitch, watch it!", one of his buddies' spit at me. But neither Monty or I reacted. We just kept looking at each other. "Dude, you coming?", another one of his team mates asked him and hit him lightly on the shoulder. "Go ahead, bro. I'll catch up", he said, not taking his eyes off me. Behind me I could here the jocks laugh as they walked away, and I heard one of them giggle "Dude, she's gonna get it", like it was justice being served.

"I don't know what to say", he said, being the first one to break the silence. "Me neither", I replied. "Why didn't you say anything?", he asked. There was no change in his face-expression. "I don't know. I was going to. I was actually texting you right now. I just didn't know what to say. We've gone to the same school for several years and you've never even acknowledged my existence. And you  are… you.", I replied. "What is that supposed to mean?", he asked again, looking angrier now, but still really confused. "Come on, you are Montgomery de la Cruz. The school bully. The professional asshole. Everyone's big fear. Everyone want to be you, everyone wants to be your friend, or girlfriend for that matter.", I said, making a lot of hand gestures. "Wow!", he snorted, and chewed on his bottom lip, before he continued. "I thought you, of all people, saw past that. After everything, that's still how you see me?". "Every time we are alone I see you differently. And every time I tell myself that this dickhead bully is not who you are. But then I come to school, Monty, and I watch you in the hallways beating people up, pushing them around, destroying their stuff… I mean, what do you expect? I really like the guy I hang out with, but I have hated the guy at school for years!", I explained. "I wouldn't do those things to you", he replied. I shook my head. "I doesn't matter, Monty. As long as you do those things to others you will always be an asshole… to everyone else and to me. I would not be comfortable standing next to you as you and your friends do those things" "Wait, hold on! YOU are embarrassed to be seen with ME?", he raised his voice. I clearly hit a nerve there. "Do you know what it would do to your social status at this school to be seen with me. People would be fighting to be your friend", he ranted, clearly pissed off. I realized I really did hit a nerve, and decided to act on it. After everything he have done to fellow students for no reason I figured he could use a piece of his own medicine. "You don't get it, do you? I don't want that. I don't want a life filled with fake friends where I have to pretend to be someone I'm not just to get their approval. I'm sorry. I'm fine with hanging out in acting class or in private, but I don't want people here to know we're friends", I said, probably a lot more cocky than I needed to, but I knew I had the upper hand at this point. I saw the pain fill his eyes as I delivered that last statement, and immediately felt bad. "Fine! It's not like I could be seen with a nobody like you around here anyway", he replied, not hurting my feeling half as bad as I had clearly hurt his. "Good. Then we agree", I pretended to be satisfied with our "deal". "Sure is", he snorted again and left.

I felt really bad for hurting his feelings like that, but the monster had to be stopped. No matter who he was when we were alone together it was no excuse for acting the way he did at school. He deserved it, and hopefully it would sink in. Or maybe I'm just being too confident and I simply just lost a friend…

Back at acting class that same afternoon we didn't speak. Our Romeo and Juliette project was over, and the class was split into four groups to practice emotions. We didn't make the same group, and as the class ended he was already out the door before I had even picked up my bag.

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Please let me know if you like it<3

[trustmemonty-blog]

6 Hanging out

I spent my Saturday at home doing pretty much nothing. I was out in my yard reading and getting some tan when my phone buzzed. It was an incoming call… from Monty. It must be a pocketdiall, I thought, but decided to answer anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hi… it's me."

"I know…"

"Are you home?"

"Yes."

"Can I… or do you maybe wanna hang out?"

I didn't expect that.

"Sure. When?"

"Like… maybe now? If you're not busy"

"I'm not busy.

"Good. I'll pick you up in fifteen.", he said and hung up.

I ran to my room and changed from the bikini top into a regular bra and top, but kept the shorts that I'd been wearing all day. It was too hot for anything else. I heard his car when he pulled up and decided to run out before my mum realized. "Bye mum" I yelled as I closed the door, not waiting for a response. I gave him a quick hello as I opened the door and got in his car. "Go go go! Before she realize what's happening!", I joked. He laughed as he saw my mum peaking in the window and drove off. "So, what do you wanna do?", I asked. "I don't know. I just wanted to get out for a while. Do something fun", he said. For some reason he seemed a bit nervous. We drove around for a while, listening to music and talking about our guilty pleasures. I didn't even realize he had pulled into a small parking lot by the beach. It had become late evening by now and there were few people at the beach. "I need to stretch my legs. You want to take a walk?", he asked. "Well, it is perfect ice-cream-weather", I said and jumped out of the car.

He paid for our ice-cream and we sat in the sand down by the water, talking and eating. "I had a fight with my mum today", he told me. "I'm sorry. What happened?", I asked. "I don't really know what happened. It started with a simple conversation about baseball-practice, but it escalated so fast. She doesn't like my friends.", he admitted. "Why not?", I asked again. "She thinks I'm too obsessed with keeping my reputation among them to focus on the things I should focus on, like school and baseball and the acting. She think they are a bad influence on me." "And you disagree?", I asked again, and realized this was kind of a test. Based on his next answer I could easily determine if he is a good or a bad person by heart, and if he really trusts me. "No, I don't. I just… It's hard to hear sometimes. She just don't know what it's like to live my life, you know. I know she's right, but.. I don't know. It's complicated.", he admitted. He passed the test. "Anyway, I just needed to get out of the house and distract myself for a bit", he finished. "So you think I'm distracting, huh?", I said with a wink. "Very", he joked back. "And I feel relaxed around you. I can just talk about anything and… be me, kind of. I can't do that with any of my other friends. They're just too busy with baseball and  hooking up with chicks", he said. "And you're not?", I asked, trying to make it sound like a joke, but deep down I knew his answer would sting a bit. "I'm busy pretending. I haven't really been with a girl in months, but that's not what I tell them. I kind of have to, to fit in", he told me. Why was telling me this? "But mostly, I just like hanging out with you", he smiled. I smiled back. "Lucky I like hanging out with you too", I said. "And you have ice-cream on your face", he giggled. "What? Where?", I giggled too. He reached out and swiped his thumb gently over my cheek. "Gone", he said, with an intense look in his eyes. Those eyes. Those deep, brown eyes. I felt my heart skip a beat again and my face got flustered. Damn it! "I should get home", I said interrupting our little "moment".

The car ride home was a bit more awkward. It was like we both knew we had a moment, but no one wanted to admit it. As he stopped the car in front of my house we both got out of the car. I felt myself tense up a bit. What was he doing? He pulled me in for a hug. None of us had said a word yet. He hugged me tighter and longer now than he had done the last time, and I hugged him back. I instinctively closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his warm embrace and his smell. "Thank you for today", he said. "I really needed that". "Any time", I replied.

[trustmemonty-blog]

5 Preformance day

"Have you ever done any acting before? You're really talented.", I asked. "No, not really. Oh wait, I played a dwarf in third grade when my class put on Snow White", he laughed. "I don't think that counts", I laughed with him. "But I mean it. I think you can get far if this is something you want to focus on. You're a natural", I assured him, smiling. He smiled looking at the floor, blushing. "Can I tell you a secret?", he asked. "Of course." "I kind of have a secret dream to become an actor. To starr in a movie or something.", He admitted, still blushing. "Looks like we share the same dream", I replied, still smiling.

After he want back home I sat on my bed trying to process what had just happened. Montgomery de la Cruz had been at my house… in my room even. And he was kind and funny and… normal. He even told me a secret. That must mean that somehow he trusts me. I was surreal. Just thinking about his name would usually make me slightly nauseous, but now it gave totally different associations. And I was pretty sure I was falling for him… at least one version of him.  

I didn't see him at school the following day, and when the evening came it was time for class again, and this time we were going to preform our scene in front of the class. I knew we had rehearsed more than enough. The scene sat perfectly, but I couldn't help but feel nervous. Not for me, but for him. Up until this point he only had to get comfortable around me, but now he had to preform in front of everyone, and he had barely spoken to any of them. I arrived before him, as usual, and he came walking right up to me as soon as he walked in. "You ready?", I asked. "Yeah", he said, but I noticed the nervousness in him. "Hey, look at me", I said, and spun him around to face me. He looked at me, and now it was obvious he was very nervous. "You are a great actor! When we rehearsed yesterday it was perfect. Everyone here share your dream, and you are going to knock them off their feet. Just focus on me, okay?", I comforted him. He nodded and took a deep breath. It seemed to help a bit. We watched about half the group before the teacher called our names. Monty looked at me, panic in his eyes. I gently grabbed his face with both hands and looked him straight in the eye. ". Remember your dream. Just like yesterday, It's only you and me. No one else is here. Focus on me, only me", I gave him as one last advice and reminder before we had to go up in front of everyone and preform.

And what a performance it was. I don't know if it was my advice or if he just managed to pull himself together on his own, but it was just as good as it was when we rehearsed it in my room. I could tell everyone was impressed my him, the teacher included. "Fantastic! Great performance! What a talent", she exclaimed when we were done. He was proud, no doubt about it. And so was I. "Nailed it!", I whispered as we joined the group to make room for the next preformers. He surprised me by pulling me in for a hug. Butterflies! I was stunned for a second, before I hugged him back. He pulled back from the hug, grinning from ear to ear. "Hell yeah", he whispered back. And for something that probably felt like a lot longer than it actually was, we just stood there looking at each other, smiling like idiots. We realized at the same time how stupid we both must have looked, and both turned to watch the rest of the group do their performances. The teacher pulled us both aside on the way out after class. "Hey, Maya and Monty. Once again, great performance you guys. I am impressed", she said ecstatically. "Looks like Maya was able to teach you a few tips and tricks, huh?", she grinned at Monty. "Yeah", he smiled, shooting me a quick glance. "I had a gut feeling the two of you would be a good match. Maya, you did a great job helping him. He's already on a level that takes most people months to reach" "It wasn't really much to help with. He's a natural.", I admitted. He blushed again. "Well, I can't wait to see both of you evolve. Have a great weekend and I'll se you again on Monday"

"I better get going. I have a bus to catch", I told him as we stood outside the theater. "Okay, see you Monday", he replied. "See you Monday". I turned and walked the short distance to the bus-stop. I was waiting for the bus, playing a game on my phone, when I was interrupted by something blocking the sun. I looked up and straight into a rolled down car window with a familiar face behind it. "Hey, do you want a ride?", Monty smiled. I smiled back and got in. On the drive home the conversation flowed naturally and we were cracking jokes and laughing. It felt like I had known him my whole life. There was no awkwardness at all, like I had expected it to be. He pulled up to my house and I picked my bag up from the floor of the car. "Thanks for the ride", I said, and got ready to leave. "No stress. Thanks for… the advice. I couldn't have done that today if it wasn't for you", replied. "No stress", I mimicked him, making him laugh. "Bye". "Bye", he smiled back. Another one of those moments went by where we were just looking at each other like idiots. I snapped out of it and left the car. I walked inside and watched him drive off from my living room window.

Yep, I'm definitely falling for him. Shit!

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[trustmemonty-blog]

4 Falling

"Maybe it's time we start emphasize the acting part a bit more.", I suggested as we paired up as usual. "One of the main rules of good acting is that it's better to over do it than to under do it, so keep that in mind, okay? Ready?" "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?", he suddenly exclaimed, grabbed my hands and pulled me close to him. "It is the east…", he continued while looking me straight in the eye, holding a serious face. Our faces were very close and our bodies were touching. "…and Juliet is the sun", he finished, slowly dipping me like we had just finished a dance. I was baffled. Where did this come from? "Like that?", he grinned, lifted me back up and let go of me. "Yes, just like that", I said putting on a smile, but he could probably tell I was a bit taken back. "That was actually really good. And that's not even our scene. I'm impressed, Monty", I continued. He didn't reply but I think I think I saw some pride in his face. That class we really bonded. We want all in on the acting, laughed and I actually had a lot of fun. It's like his whole wall just disappeared and he forgot all the other people in the room. I felt like I had know him for years. Maybe this is who he really is? What if this is the real Monty?

"Hey, Monty.", I called for him as he was about to leave. "We're almost done with the assignment so I thought maybe we could meet up a hour earlier before the next class and go through the whole scene a few more times?", I asked. "I can't. I have practice that day", he explained. I nodded and expected for him to turn and leave. "I don't have any plans this evening, though. Maybe we could meet up later?", he suggested. I didn't expect that. "Erm… sure", I said without even thinking. He handed me his phone. "Alright. Give me your number and I'll text you", he smiled. I typed it in and saved it in his contacts. He threw me a quick goodbye and left. Montgomery de la Cruz just asked for my number…

I was standing in front of my mirror, just looking at myself. Is this really happening? Am I just now waiting for Monty to text me so we can meet up, or is this another dream? I fixed my hair and makeup and decided to distract myself with some TV. 20 minutes into my distraction my phone buzzed. It was and unknown number and it couldn't be anyone else. "My parents have filled the house with people. Could we be at your place?", It said. And before I had the time to really process what was going on I had texted him my address. "Hey, Mom. I'm having a friend from acting class over", I yelled from the living room. "sure, honey", she yelled back from I don't know where. Half an hour later I heard the doorbell. I ran from my room hoping to reach the door before anyone else, but I was too late. In the hallway I found my mother, with a wide grin, and Monty. "Montgomery is here to see you", she said, like none of us had no idea he was coming. "Figured", I replied. "Hi, down the hall and to the right", I said to Monty, and he nodded. He gave my mum a smile and headed in the direction I had told him to go. "He's cute", my mum whispered to me. She was looking at him as he walked away from her like he was lunch. I sighed and followed him, turning my head to give my mother a stern look, but it had no effect on her. I followed him into my room and closed the door behind me. "Sorry about that. I tried to beat her to the door", I explained. He laughed. "It's alright. Somehow I have a feeling you don't have a lot of boys over", he said, giggling. "You think", I joked and threw a pillow at him, but he dodged it. "Feisty one", he said laughing.

We rehearsed the play for good hour and a half. I was actually super impressed. He's really talented. "You are really good. How come you haven't signed up for the acting class years ago?", I asked. "I don't know. I just… Didn't have an interest for it, I guess", he said, looking at the floor, fiddling with one of my teddy bears. We were both sitting on my bed. Him in the foot end leaning against the wall, and I cross-legged right beneath my pillow. "My mum kind of forced me to go. She thinks I have to focus on other things than just baseball. "All you think about is that damn game. Baseball is you life. You need a hobby" she said. But I kind of get where she's coming from. And it's  pretty fun", he said. That smile of his. It makes my heart skip a beat every time. It makes me forget what an asshole he really is.

I might actually be falling for him…

[trustmemonty-blog]

3 Insecure

I was watching them from a far in the hallway again. They were pushing another poor dude around. Throwing his books around, tossing his lunch on the floor and shoving him up against the lockers when he tried to protect himself. Then they all just turned and walked away from him, laughing, leaving him to clean up the mess that they had made. How come there's never any teachers around to see them doing this?! I didn't have any classes with him that day. To be honest I was kind of trying to avoid him anyway. Not that I know why, because he obviously never notices me anyway. I decided not to tell Jenna about it. She was never interested in hearing about my acting class anyway.

I managed to dodge running into him the following day too, but in the evening it was back to acting class. I was kind of hoping he wouldn't show up, but as I walked from the bus-stop I recognized his car driving past me. The only reason I recognize his car is because I needed to know that part of the school parking lot to avoid. He walked through the door right as I sat down and joined our circle. "Welcome back. Today I was thinking we would just continue where we left of last time, so find your partner and keep rehearsing. Do not be afraid to come to me with any questions you might have. Good luck!", she said, and everyone disappeared with their partners. I saw Monty already sitting in the same place we sat the last time with his scrip in front of him, and I walked over. "Hi", I greeted him as I sat down across from him. "Hi", he greeted me back, actually looking up from the paper this time. "So I was thinking, this time we should try to loosen up a bit. I notice you are a bit...closed off, and that is to be expected. It's only your second time and you don't really know me, but just try to breath, relax and just let go", I advice him. "I'll try", he replied, but nothing really changed. We read the lines back and forth a few more times, but he was still so tense. What could I do to loosen him up?! I've seen him at school. I know he's not really like this at all. "What is your safe place?" I asked, interrupting our reading. He looked at me confused. "My safe place?", he asked back. "You know, the one place that you feel you can be yourself. Where all worries disappear and you're free and calm and comfortable". He was still looking at me confused. "Come on. We all have one.", I smiled. He seems to think for a second. "The field, I guess. I play on my schools baseball-team", he told me. I decided to pretend that I didn't know. "What is that like?", I asked. "It's fun. Running around, playing my favorite sport with all my friends. Winning". For the first time I saw him smile a genuine smile. His face looked so kind and mild compared to the one I was used to seeing. I smiled back as he told me about playing baseball. Not because it was interesting, but because I could really see something pure and genuine in his eyes. I wasn't sure he had something like that in him. "What about you? What is your safe place?", he asked. "This. This place. Acting class. This is the only place I can truly be myself."

My plan to loosen him up worked. He seemed a lot more relaxed and confident throughout the rest of the reading. There was even moments of eye contact. The class finished and as I was putting my script back in my bag someone passed by me and mumbled bye. I looked up just in time to see him disappear around the corner to leave the theater. I caught myself smiling. Who is this guy really? Who is the real him? Is it the school bully or is it the insecure guy from class? I thought back to the dream I had and couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had an evil twin. I just couldn't understand how this was even possible. And I was really scared he would turn into school-Monty as soon as he got comfortable in the group.

Somehow I managed to keep dodging him at school for the next couple of weeks. Every class I had with him I was first in and last out, unlike him who was usually last one in and first one out. He never really paid attention in class either so the few times where I actually had to speak up in class he didn't even turn to look at me. The benefit to being invisible. But I knew it was just a matter of time before he would recognize me. At some point there will be a group project and I'll get paired up with him, or a presentation where I have to get up in front of the whole class, and I have no idea how he will react to that. In class he kept getting better. He got more comfortable as we got to know each other better and it seems he might actually have a talent. I managed to add some more theatricality to our readings and it was a lot of progress. He even cracked a few jokes.

It was beyond surreal watching him push people around in the hallways without him even knowing I existed, and then meeting him at class a few hours later where I was the only one he actually knew.

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