The Teenage Panic Room: A Scene.

The front door of the house opens and Milo walks into it. He runs up the stairs to the second floor and opens the door into the rest of the house. He drops his book-bag at the floor near the door. A woman in the kitchen with her hair tied up in a red, messy bun, Jennifer, peeks over her shoulder and watches Milo come into the house.

Jennifer: Hey, hey! What did I say about leaving your bag near the door?

Milo: *runs* Gotta use the bathroom really bad!

Jennifer: Milo, that’s–

A shutting door is heard.

Jennifer: *sighs* Your room.

In Milo’s room, he turns on his desk lamp and looks in his phone, waiting for a notification to come through. He begins to get discouraged that the girl he likes didn’t follow him back on Instagram, but, can you blame her? Milo barely has anything posted on his Instagram page; this girl isn’t going to know who the hell decided to follow her.

He leans back on his chair and swirls around it. He looks at his keyboard standing the other end of the room, and decides to start playing some tunes on it.

Milo: *sings* Pretty girl, what has you so down? Your smile lights up the city, and the powers been down since then…

He gets lost in the music and completely forgets about his surroundings. Milo finds himself always getting lost in the music he plays and writes; it’s like his surroundings don’t exist and there’s nothing but his instruments and the sounds they make when he plays them. He closes his eyes as he’s pressing the keys on the keyboard.

A knock on the door startles him. In comes Jennifer.

Jennifer: Milo, I told you to get your bag and bring it into your room.

Milo: Sorry, I just lost track of time.

Jennifer: Do it before your father gets home; you know he doesn’t like it when you leave it there.

Milo rolls his eyes. Jennifer catches it.

Jennifer: Don’t roll your eyes at me, you know the deal.

Milo walks out of his room and takes his bag into his room. The front door opens and an older man, Milo Sr,, walks into the house.

Milo Sr: Hey, kid.

Milo doesn’t say anything, he walks past both Jennifer and Milo and goes back into his room, closing the door behind him.

Jennifer: Talk to your son, Mi.

Milo: *laughs* He’s a teenager, he’s going to be moody no matter what we say.

Jennifer: I don’t care if he’s a grown adult, he still knows better.

Milo: Left his bag near the door?

Jennifer: When doesn’t he leave it there?

Back in the room, Milo tosses his bag across the room, not caring if anything falls out of it or not. He sits back down at his desk and starts to write in one of his notebooks. A little after that, his phone vibrates. He mindlessly checks his phone and sees a message request from “leespohie”.

leespohie: Milo?

Milo is at a loss for words.

A couple of months ago…

In the busy hallway at school, Milo is seen walking among the other students. He has an guitar case on his back and his books in his hands. Without even realizing it, he bumps into a girl and drops everything on the ground.

Milo: Oh my God, I-I’m sorry, I

He looks up to a girl with straight black hair. She puts her hair behind her hair and begins to pic everything she dropped off the ground. He picks up everything he dropped on the ground and quickly gets up. The girl doesn’t say anything, she just continues to go to class. Milo just stands there for a moment, and then proceeds to go to his class.

Upon opening the notebook in his hands, he’s realized something is different about his notebook: The name on it reads, “Sophie Lee”.

After-school…

Milo sits on the stairs of the school fidgeting with his fingers. Everyone had left to go home, and yet Milo was still at the school, waiting for something. He looks down at his phone until he hears a voice.

Sophie: Thanks for waiting.

Milo looks up in awe. She has her hair up in a ponytail, her glasses slightly falling on the bridge of her nose. She wears a jean skirt with a blouse and cardigan and sneakers. Milo forgets how to blink in that moment.

Sophie: … my notebook, please?

Milo snaps out of it and gives her the notebook. She puts it in her bookbag and takes out his.

Sophie: You should really take notes for your mathematics class.

Milo cocks his eyebrows up in surprise; he wasn’t expecting her to be so honest. But he also didn’t realize she said some words weirdly.

Milo: I would rather be doing anything else than math.

Sophie: It’s your grades, mate.

Milo smirks at the odd nickname.

Milo: Are you Australian? “Eyy, mate!”

Milo laughs, but Sophie doesn’t. When Milo notices she’s not, he stops.

Sophie: I’m from the UK for your information.

Milo feels like a jerk. He readjusts himself and clears his throat. Sophie turns around to walk away, but Milo gets up and grabs her by the arm. It startles Sophie.

Sophie: What in bloody hell are you doing?!

Milo quickly lets go of her arm. She power-walks away from Milo as he stands there.

Back in the present…

Milo locks his phone screen and puts it on his desk when he hears a knock on his bedroom door.

Milo: What is it?

His father walks into his room, holding a notebook in his hand.

Milo Sr: *holds item up* This must’ve fell out of your bag when you left it near the front door.

Milo gets up from his chair, annoyed. He tries to get the notebook from his father.

Milo: I moved my bag already from the door–

Milo Sr. holds it up higher than Milo.

Milo Sr: Not so fast, kiddo.

Milo: *annoyed* Dad!

Milo Sr: *stern* Milo.

Milo gives up trying to get the notebook. His father lowers the book and sits on his bed.

Milo Sr: What is this that I hear about you failing your math test today?

Milo: *defensive* I didn’t mean to fail it! The teacher didn’t even teach us what was on the test anyway!

Milo Sr: So you’re trying to say everyone in your class got the same grade as you?

Milo: Maybe, I don’t know!

Milo Sr: Milo.

Milo doesn’t say anything. He sits back at his desk chair and faces his dad.

Milo Sr: You know application season is right around the corner.

Milo: I know.

Milo Sr: We just want you to achieve what you set yourself to achieve.

Milo: *annoyed* I know, dad. Is that it?

Milo Sr. gets up from the bed and places the notebook on it. He walks to the front door of Milo’s room and opens it.

Milo Sr: I’m just saying. Only you are willing to do the hard work.

Milo Sr. walks out of the room. Milo turns back to his desk and grabs his phone. He unlocks the screen , tapping on the notification on his phone.

milolani: hey scout.