It was another weekend Jennifer was dreading, as she knew this was the weekend Milo was staying with her family. She hears the bell ring from downstairs, followed by her mom greeting Milo’s mom. Jennifer slowly peaks from the staircase, seeing Milo come in with his bags.
Lydia: *to Milo* Long time, no see stranger!
Milo: *shy* Nice to see you again, Lydia.
The women talk among each other; Milo immediate spots Jennifer at the top of the stairs. She immediately pokes her head away.
Jennifer: *whisper* Fuck.
Before Jennifer can walk any further, Milo walks up the stairs and notices her.
Milo: Hey.
Jennifer: *turns around, nonchalant* Hey.
The two teens stand awkwardly in the hallway.
Jennifer: You could… leave your stuff in my room. Mars is staying in my cousin’s room while you’re here.
Milo: *sarcastic* Yay, gotta love sleeping on a little kid’s bed.
Jennifer: *laughs* At least Mars isn’t a race car bed type of kid.
The two teens laugh; any tension there was is now gone. They entered Jennifer’s room, where Milo left his bag near her sister’s bed.
Jennifer: Where are your parents going this weekend?
Milo: *shrugs* Who even knows, probably some boring island in the Caribbean or something.
Jennifer: I wouldn’t consider the Caribbean as a boring island.
Milo: Everything is boring when your parents are doing in.
Jennifer nods her head, ultimately agreeing.
Jennifer: Do your parents know?
Milo: *confused* That they’re boring?
Jennifer: That you work at the pizza parlor.
Milo doesn’t respond right away. His face turns hot.
Jennifer: Sal thought I knew.
Milo: *sighs* Figures… he offered me the part-time job after I told him about Gwen.
Jennifer: *shrugs shoulders* No judgement here. You have to do what you have to do.
The two teens stay silent for a moment before Jennifer starts up the conversation again.
Jennifer: Are you still able to be a part of the band?
Milo: *confused* Why wouldn’t I be?
Jennifer: I mean, you have, like, no time now that you’re working. Plus… *nervous* I thought maybe you just didn’t want to be a part of it anymore after our last rehearsal.
Milo pauses before he speaks, taking in Jennifer’s confession.
Milo: I would never not want to be a part of the band. It’s something that we created.
Jennifer: Yeah, and we haven’t been great at taking care of it.
Both Milo and Jennifer look at each other, saying a lot more than what was said verbally.
Jennifer: Look, I’m not thrilled to have another person just hanging out at our rehearsals–
Milo: Why though? It’s just Gwen–
Jennifer: Because it’s always been just us.
Milo takes a moment before he responds.
Milo: I mean, it’s still us–
Jennifer: I feel like I haven’t seen you all summer, Mi. Like we usually do all of these fun things together, and now I feel like you’re only here because your parents are forcing you to stay with us.
Milo bites the inner corner of his lip, feeling guilty.
Milo: I… didn’t know you felt this way.
Jennifer: *dismissive* Just forget it–
Milo: Pep.
Milo holds Jennifer by the shoulders, centering her attention. She looks directly at him.
Milo: You’re… my best friend. No matter what bullshit we put each other through. That’s never going to change.
Jennifer: But it feels like they are. I can’t say to stop spending so much time with your girlfriend, but–
Milo: *teases* Stop spending so much time with my girlfriend.
Jennifer looks at Milo; he gives her a reassuring smile.
Milo: I miss hanging out with you too, Pep. Can we at least try to not rip each other’s heads off and spend the last bit of summer together?
Jennifer takes a moment to think. She smiles before answering back.
Jennifer: I’d like that.
Milo and Jennifer shake hands on it before she leans in for a hug, catching Milo off-guard. His face is flustered red. He hugs her back.
…
Jennifer: I’m not ready for the summer to end.
Milo and Jennifer are sitting at the swings in the park, the summer night is humid as it just stopped raining. Both teens are drenched from the rain, not caring that their clothes are wet. Milo looks over at Jennifer and stares at her for a moment; she notices right away.
Jennifer: What?
Milo: Nothing, it’s just… I haven’t been able to do this all summer.
Jennifer: Do what? Get caught in the rain because we were too stupid to not bring umbrellas?
Milo: Get to be a normal teenager.
Jennifer doesn’t say anything back, but she ponders the thought as she slightly swings in her seat.
Jennifer: You were never one to begin with, Milo.
Milo: *scoffs* Well geez, tell me what you really think of me, Pep—
Jennifer: Think about it for a sec. Most teenagers are going to the movies to sneak into rated R films and laughing at the sex scenes. They go on AIM on the computer and IM each other in group chats for hours on end all while looking up new backgrounds for their MySpace pages. They are on limewire burning CDs so that the song that they heard on the radio can be played at anytime. You—
Milo: *interrupts* Got the smartest girl in school pregnant.
Jennifer: *annoyed* You were different even before that happened.
Both teens look at each other and share this personal moment. Milo tries to read Jennifer’s expression on her face. She sighs, kicking her feet forward as she looks on the ground.
Jennifer: You get super scared to sneak into a movie that you don’t have a ticket for. You suck at actually checking your AIM messages. You’ve had the same basic looking MySpace page since you created it and you only go on there when new music drops. You always tell Nicki and me to buy the albums because you have this fear that physical media is disappearing. You care more about your talents than the normal teenager, which is why you’re even in the dual major program in the first place.
Milo doesn’t say anything back to Jennifer. He sits with his thoughts.
Jennifer: You must really love Gwen.
Milo: *caught off guard* Huh?
Jennifer: To keep this baby. You must really love her.
Milo sits with the thought, shifting in his seat.
Milo: *sighs* There’s something about her that intrigues me.
Jennifer: That’s an odd way to say that you like her—
Milo: Something that only I know, Pep.
Jennifer’s smile fades, now looking at Milo’s serious expression.
Milo: You have to promise me that you won’t tell nobody; not even Nicki.
Jennifer: *surprised* Nicki’s our—
Milo: *stern* Promise me.
Milo holds out his pinky finger towards Jennifer. She hesitates before intertwining her pinky with his.
Milo: Gwen has cancer.
Jennifer doesn’t respond, she takes in what Milo has said and swallows hard.
Milo: She still lives her life as if she’s a normal teenager, never knowing if and when she will go into remission or if…
Jennifer: *softly* Yeah.
Milo: I’ve never felt this way about another person before.
Jennifer: “Another person’?
Milo: *nervous* I mean, about a person. I never felt this way about a person.
Jennifer slowly nods her head and looks at the ground, slightly swing now on the swing. Milo watches her intently.
Jennifer: I can’t tell you how to live your life, Mi, but just know that I’m here for you when you need me.
Milo: I know that.
Jennifer: Even when it comes to Gwen.
Milo swallows hard.
Jennifer: That is a decision that you decided to make, and who am I to say that it’s stupid or crazy or whatever I may feel about it—
Milo: But your opinion matters to me.
Jennifer: Why?
Milo: Because it always did.
Jennifer looks at Milo; he tightly smiles.
Milo: Thank you for being here for me through all of this.
Jennifer smiles back.
Jennifer: I mean, ‘when in Rome, do as the Romans do’; amirite?
Milo chuckles as he shakes his head. For once, he feels normal; he feels like the person he always was whenever he was with Jennifer. It’s been awhile since he did, and a part of him misses the feeling.
The two teens look up at the sky as it thunders, queuing that it’s time o head back home.
Letters From Liz. 