Jennifer and Milo sit at their usual spot at the pizza parlor; the tension is thick in the air. They sit across from one another, which is out of the ordinary for them as they typically sit on the same side of the booth.
Nothing is said between them until the waiter comes to their table and delivers them their pizza orders. Jennifer is the one to thank the waiter and smile before he walks away from the table. The smile fades once she looks at Milo.
Milo: *sighs* So…
Jennifer: I’m not about to sit here and pry the information out of you, so you might as well just tell me what happened.
Milo takes a moment to look at Jennifer. When she realizes that she is not budging, he gives up and sighs.
Milo: Gwen and I started out as friends in band class. We’re both in the strings section, and we started to talk simply to rehearse our music.
Jennifer: *annoyed* Get to the point, Milo–
Milo: Can you just let me talk everything out?
Jennifer’s hard face softens and doesn’t say anything. Milo looks at her in a pleading way. He nervously fidgets with his fingers, unable to touch his pizza slice.
Milo: We started to get to know each other. We would hang out on the days that we didn’t have band practice or rehearsals at school. Despite what you may think, Pep… I know Gwen.
When Jennifer doesn’t reply back, Milo continues to speak.
Milo: We shared things about each other that were personal because we trust each other, and… things just got complicated–
Jennifer: Complicated?
Milo: Complicated, Pep.
Jennifer stares Milo down, seeing that the expression on his face is serious.
Jennifer: You guys were friends, and then started to get feelings for each other…
Milo nodded. Jennifer bites the inner part of her lip, not knowing what else to say.
Milo: It was during Spring Break, when my parents were away on their business trip. I invited her over to my house and… yeah…
Milo shifts in his seat, seeming uncomfortable. He looks at Jennifer, reads the expression on her face as… sad. Disappointed, even.
Milo: One thing led to another. We weren’t thinking straight and now Gwen is pregnant and–
Jennifer: So what are you gonna do?
The question takes Milo off-guard. He expected screaming, yelling, and arguing back and forth. To see her just sit there and simply talk to him, it makes him nervous.
Jennifer: You’re gonna get rid of it, right?
Milo: What?
Jennifer: You’re not gonna keep it, are you? That would be stupid.
Milo: *offended* Stupid?
Jennifer: Yeah?
Milo doesn’t say anything; he simply leans back in his seat, getting pale in the face. Jennifer doesn’t notice it right away, but when Milo doesn’t say anything back, she widens her eyes in disbelief.
Jennifer: You guys are keeping it.
Milo’s confirmation comes with just a single look at Jennifer. She shakes her head, beginning to gather her things to leave.
Milo: Pep–
Milo reaches out for Jennifer’s hand. She looks down at it, and then back at him.
Milo: Please.
Jennifer is speechless; unable to form a complete sentence.
Milo: You’re the only one I can trust.
Jennifer’s mind is spinning with different thoughts, not able to stay grounded and focused at this moment. She’s holding back tears by tightening her lips together, not showing any emotion to her best friend.
Milo: Pep?
Jennifer: You guys will be stupid for keeping it.
Milo: Wh…what?
Jennifer: You’re 15. You just met this girl this past year and now you’re willing to just ruin your life and bring a kid into the world?
Milo: *defensive* The same way you just met Danny and decided to do what you did with him in the 8th grade?
Jennifer: I wasn’t stupid enough to become a teen parent though.
Milo doesn’t know what else to say. He lets go of Jennifer’s hand and gets up from his seat, throwing money on the table before sliding out of the booth.
Milo: And you wonder why I don’t come to tell you things anymore, because you’re nothing but a lousy best friend.
Before Jennifer can respond, Milo walks out of the pizza parlor, leaving her sitting in the booth by herself.
…
Jennifer enters the house, slamming the front door along the way. Her mom and Justin are sitting on the sofa together, jumping to the thump of the door slamming shut. The adults watch Jennifer walk by them in the living room, wondering what was happening.
Jennifer walks up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut. She slams her body onto her bed, face into her pillow, and screams. It follows with a heaving cry. A cry of heartache.
Letters From Liz. 