525,600 Minutes

Chapter 6 - The Ugly Truth

Thanks to KeSpiration for the beautiful cover and for her support! ❤️

Day 10 - August 25th 2025 (part 2)

How dare he! How dare he threaten me with that! I seethed.

"How dare you!" I hissed at him. Resentment ran through me like venom.

"Montana, I didn't mean - I just can't have you - I'm your friend!" He argued.

You've got to be kidding me. "Friend?!" I spat. "What sort of friend blackmails you like that?!"

Riley stared hopelessly for a moment before plucking courage from somewhere. His eyes darkened, his face filled with hate. "Montana, I know what you and your mom did and still, I wanted to get know you! Still I'm here beside you!"He bellowed. "So excuse me for wanting this one little thing!"

Is he serious? How did he have the audacity to be mad at Me?

"You have cancer Montana. Your mom killed your dad!" he shouted. "And you waltz around like butter wouldn't melt. As if nothing is wrong. So, let's not talk about what's right or not, little miss sociopath." He added.

"Seriously?" I asked, with venom rolling of my tongue. "You think what happened that night doesn't haunt me?! Riley, I wake up in the middle of the night seeing my dad's corpse next to my bed!" I fought hard to stop the tears from coming but it was hopeless. "I still smell the whisky from that night and it sickens me!" I added in a heated heartache.

Riley looked dumbfounded. "I kno-"

"No you don't know!" I hissed at him. "You might know my memories but you don't know how I feel!" I snapped. "THIS CANCER IS KILLING ME RILEY!" I bellowed. "You don't know what it's like. The headaches. The confusion. To have this thing infecting your brain!" The tears were in full stream as I sobbed. "I just want this thing out of me!" I said grabbing my head. "Get out. GET OUT! GET OUT!!" I grabbed the hair at the side of my temples furiously.

Riley looked tearful, he looked at me astonished. "Then why haven't you told anyone?" He asked hesitantly.

I wasn't quite sure why I was confiding in him.

"It's sort of like a mirror." I said. "If a mirror breaks, then everyone will see the cracks." I responded tearfully. "If I crumble, then everyone sees the cracks too. They look at me as the girl who has cancer. The poor sod. I can't have people babying me Riley." I said.

"You really want to know how I feel Riley?" I continued. Riley stared at me, lost in thought. There was a few moments of silence before I continued, closing my eyes.

"When the bullying started, it was like I was put into this hole in the ground. Everyone else was above, while I went down alone. I was already invisible to most people and then it was like.. I had disappeared all together." I began.

I sighed "And then I get diagnosed with cancer... And this hole gets deeper and darker. Even further away from civilisation. The gaps begin to fill, you become even more trapped, the light fades and all hope is gone." My hands were trembling, my eyes still shut.

"Then you get Christmas and the events of that night.... And this hole totally fills in, all light is gone, all hope lost and you just sit there. Alone. You feel dirty, you're drowning, suffocating in this crazy world. I feel like my father wasn't the only who was buried that night Riley. And then, all of sudden. BOOM the dirt collapses, you're told you're going to die and you hurtle through this endless pit of nothingness. Totally gone." My hand rested over my heart and I allowed my eyes to open. Riley looked dumbfounded.

I continued a small smile beginning to appear. "And then I move out and bump into you." I said. "And it sounds crazy but holes began appear in this dirt, I could see light. Some hope was restored. The way you looked at me, the way you made me feel, it changed me." I explained. "You came over, you smile at me every time you see me, you actually talked to me in that bar... And for some reason, the dirt vanished and I could finally breathe again. The dirt was replaced with you, a diamond."

"You saved me Riley."

A smile appeared on Riley's face.

"And then you go and blackmail me."

Both of our slight smiles fade.

"And this freedom, this diamond was all just a dream... You fall further than ever before." I said rather harshly.

"And that's exactly how I feel Riley." I concluded. "This cancer hurts okay? It's killing me in fact."

"But it could never hurt me in the way that you have."

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Unedited - needs improvements and mistakes possible.

Author's notes
Ouch! Right? Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote and comment suggestions/advice. I hope this helps you understand Montana's character better, I'm aware you might prefer action rather than dialogue but I think it was necessary. Update coming very soon.
ALSO THANKS FOR 800+ READS!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!
Skylar xo
Question of the chapter: honest thoughts on this chapter please??