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Long summers always invited mischief. Monty, now a whopping 11-years old, was going to spend the day with his best friend Victor Vincent. They grew up together, lived next door to each other, and had been inseparable since they met in pre-school. Victor told Monty to wait in his room while he grabbed something. Victor ran downstairs and put a candle in a cupcake and brought it upstairs.
"Keep your eyes closed Monty!" Victor commanded.
Monty covered his eyes with his hands and sighed, "Why Vince? What're you doing?"
"Shut up Monty!" Victor could be such a jerk. Not because he hated Monty, but because they were basically brothers. When you're family with someone you don't feel the need to act polite.
"Fine!" Monty pouted.
Victor walked up behind him, "Okay, now turn around." Monty spun around, "now open your eyes!" Monty opened his eyes and gasped. Victor smiled at him, "Blow it out before the candle melts in the cupcake doofus!" Monty blew out the candle then Victor grabbed the cupcake and shoved it in Monty's face. "Happy Birthday!" Victor laughed.
"Vince!" Monty cried.
"Oh, stop being such a baby, Monty," Victor grabbed the cupcake and shoved it in his own face, "See, now we're the same."
Monty spent the night with Victor. They would lay next to each other in the bed and talk all night. But this night Monty was quiet.
"What's wrong?" Victor asked.
"Nothing," Monty deflected.
"Would you just tell me! Did you have a bad birthday?"
"No! It was great! Perfect! You're the best Vince!"
"Yeah, I am," Vince smirked.
"Mom and dad are sending me to a boarding school..."
"What?" Vince sat up, "What do you mean?"
Monty wiped some tears from his eyes, "Mom and dad want me to go to a boarding school."
"That's crap! You go to school with me!"
Monty's voice cracked, "I know Vince."
"Stop crying, Monty!" Vince grabbed the sides of Monty's face and looked in his eyes, "We'll always be together! Nothing will keep us apart! Nothing!"
Monty stared in Victor's eyes then reached up and kissed him. Victor lay next to Monty the rest of the night playing with his fingers.
The day Monty was supposed to leave Victor wanted to say bye. When he got to Monty's house the family car was already pulling out. He chased the car, waving his arms in the air hoping Monty would see him, but he didn't. Victor probably never cried that hard again in his life. He would never see his best friend again, and he didn't get to say goodbye.
***
When Monty turned 16 his parents gave him a choice. He could either keep attending a private boarding school, or he could go to public school. The choice wasn't hard for him. All those years he waited until the day he could see Victor again. It's hard to kill friendships like that. When you love someone like that it sticks with you, and it certainly stuck with Monty.
Monty was, of course, "ill-equipped" for public school. At the boarding school, he used his intellect to sheathe himself in a social armor that kept his feelings from getting hurt. But who knew how these public school kids would treat him. He walked up to his locker, but he couldn't get in because some jock was blocking it while talking to his girlfriend. The back of his letterman jacket read "Spencer".
"Excuse me," Monty murmured. He was insecure and new. The last thing he wanted to do was make enemies on the first day. However, Spencer ignored him. "Excuse me?"
Spencer turned to him and sneered, "What is your problem freak?"
"You're... in front of my locker."
"What's that? I can't hear you, dork!"
Monty raised his voice, "You're in front of my locker."
Spencer grabbed Monty by his shirt, swung him around, and slammed him against the locker. "What's that you said?" Monty averted his eyes too afraid to look directly at Spencer. "I didn't think so!" Spencer punched the locker behind Monty's head and walked off. Monty grabbed his chest gasping. He just wanted to see Victor again. Was all this really worth it?
His PE class was just as horrible. He had PE with Spencer, and during dodge ball, Spencer convinced all the students, on both teams, to pelt Monty with the ball instead of playing the game properly. When it was finally time to go home, Monty hurried to his locker, put his books up, and rushed to leave; however, before he was able to flee Spencer approached him with a group of jocks.
"You going somewhere?" Spencer asked.
"I just want to go home," Monty gritted his teeth. He was scared again.
"What's that? Wimp?"
"I just want to go home!" Monty screamed.
Spencer jerked his neck back then scowled at Monty, "Did you just yell at me?"
"No, I'm sorry, I just-"
Spencer grabbed Monty by his shirt, "Did you just yell at me?" He screamed in Monty's face.
Monty started crying, "Please, just stop! I didn't do anything to you!"
"Stop what?" Spencer shook Monty, "I haven't done anything to you yet!" Spencer's friends started laughing. Monty used his backpack to shove Spencer off him. This only infuriated Spencer who grabbed Monty again and punched him in the face.
Monty hit the floor and grabbed his face. He'd never been in a fight his whole life. He was terrified. Spencer then kicked Monty in the stomach. Monty's mind buzzed with horrifying scenarios. Was Spencer trying to kill him? He curled up in a ball trembling and peed himself.
"Are you kidding me?" Spencer cackled as a chorus of laughter from his friends ensued. "This is pathetic. See you tomorrow fruit cake." Spencer walked away with his friends leaving Monty in the puddle crying.
He ran home, and (although Monty's parents were the overbearing sort) he retreated to his room and hid the rest of the night. When his mother pressed him about dinner he jumped in the shower and pretended not to hear her. Then he went to bed so they wouldn't see his black eye.
The next day he scuttled off to school hoping he wouldn't run into Spencer and his goons again. Unfortunately, Spencer was blocking his locker again. He walked up and thought of asking Spencer to move, but when Spencer and his girlfriend looked at Monty and started laughing he decided to go to the bathroom instead.
Monty threw water on his face and looked at his black eye. Spencer and his goons walked in the bathroom and cornered Monty. They grabbed Monty and dragged him outside intent on throwing him in the dumpster.
"Hey!" A familiar voice bellowed interrupting Spencer and his goons. They turned around as Victor approached. Monty adjusted his glasses. There was no doubt about it. It was Victor, "What're you doing to him, Spencer?"
"None of your business Vince!" Spencer growled.
Victor dropped his backpack and got in Spencer's face. Spencer's friends backed away. Victor wasn't the smartest guy, but he was brave. It didn't matter how many goons Spencer had around. Victor recognized Monty immediately. A love like that sticks with you. He wasn't going to let Spencer hurt Monty. "I asked what you were doing, Spencer," Victor sneered.
"I'm about to dump this fag in the dumpster," Spencer seethed.
"I don't think so," Victor asserted, "I think you're going to put him down, apologize to him, and leave."
"Are you seriously defending this loser?"
"He's not a loser. He's a bigger winner than you'll ever be, Spencer."
Spencer looked back at Monty then faced Victor, "What're you going to do if I don't?"
Victor smiled and headbutt Spencer. Spencer fell to the ground with a bloody nose. "Ow!" Victor whined grabbing his forehead. Monty ran behind Victor while Spencer's friends helped him up.
"This isn't over Vince!" Spencer snarled.
"Let's hope so," Victor laughed, "You only have one nose for me to break." Spencer and his goons fled. Victor turned to Monty, "Monty!" Victor smiled.
"Vince!" Victor hugged Monty. Monty buried his face in Victor's shoulder and smelled his letterman jacket. Clean clothes. Victor always smelled like clean clothes.
"Look at what a nerd you've turned into!" Victor laughed.
"And look how handsome you are!" Monty blurted covering his mouth immediately after he said it. Victor raised an eyebrow then touched the side of Monty's face.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Victor said.
"I came back for you."
Victor laughed, "So uh, you owe me."
"What do you mean?"
Victor put his arm around Monty and started walking back to school with him. "Protection fee. I keep Spencer and those gorillas off you and you gotta' do something for me."
"Like what?"
"My homework."
"I'll do anything for you, Vince. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, buddy."