Author: liz

“Yes, mum, I’m with Milo,” I answered on the phone; my mum had called me wondering why I wasn’t home yet. It was getting colder, which means that the days were shorter and 5 o’clock felt more like 9 o’clock at night. I looked over at Milo, who was looking at me. He looked nervous; I know he got nervous every time my mum would call me when I was hanging out with him. “We’re about to get to his house, can I please stay for at least another hour?” I asked my mum. I know she was going to come and pick me up as soon as I told her I was at Milo’s house. To be honest, I wasn’t ready to go home and end my hang-out with Milo; who knows when will be the next time I’ll get the chance to see Milo again.

I hung up the house once I said bye to my mum. I looked over at Milo who was waiting for me to say something.

“My mum said I can stay for another hour and then she’ll come and get me,” I told Milo. He nodded his head as we continue to walk down the street before getting to his house.

“I’m glad she’s warming up to the idea that you have friends,” Milo teased. I nudged his arm as he laughed. “Plus, I know Jennifer wouldn’t mind a guest at dinner today.”

We finally stop in front of Milo’s house. He walks up the front steps to the front door; I trail behind him getting nervous with each step made closer to the door. Milo opens the front door to his house; he waits for me to walk in before closing it behind us. We start talking up the stairs to Milo’s apartment; I’ve only ever been here a couple of times before in the past. Milo’s family never made me feel weird or uncomfortable when I came over, but it also wasn’t always like that at first. Sometimes I feel like Milo’s family is only nice to me when I’m there but once I leave, they say bad things to Milo or disapprove of me.

We finally get to the door that leads to the apartment. Milo opens the front door and walks through it, looking at me to walk in as well. I slowly walked into the apartment, and Milo closes the door behind us before saying anything out loud.

Almost immediately, Mr. and Mrs. Kamalani walk into the main area where Milo and I are standing; they look concerned.

“Milo? Is that you?” I hear Mrs. Kamalani say as she and Mr. Kamalani walk toward us.

“Yeah?” Milo answered; he looked confused. The two adults stop once they get closer to us and they immediately look at me and take a deep breath. Oh no.

“Milo, have you heard from Mollie today?” Mrs. Kamalani asked Milo. Milo took his phone out to check his messages.

“No, the last time I heard from Mollie was last period in vocal,” Milo answered. I look at Mrs. Kamalani’s face; she looks worried as she brushes her red, curly hair away from her face.

“She didn’t text you or anything letting you know where she was going?” Mr. Kamalani asks Milo. Milo shook his head no.

“No? What’s going on?” Milo finally asked. I feel like something was happening that I wasn’t supposed to be here to know about. “Dad? Jennifer?”

Mrs. Kamalani walked away from us and toward a room down the hallway. I look at Milo, who now looks just as worried as everyone else. It’s like he doesn’t remember I’m here.

“Mollie never showed up,” Mr. Kamalani began. “We thought that maybe she was with you.”

“Me and Mollie haven’t hanged out after school for a while now,” Milo explained. “She’s either too busy with her other things or I was busy doing other things.” Milo turns around and acknowledges my presence; for once I wish I was able to disappear.

“But today there was no rehearsal for anything and it’s not Tuesday,” Mr. Kamalani clarified. “She’s not answering her phone when we call her; have you texted her since vocal class?”

“Yeah,” Milo answered. “She never answered back. I figured she was home sleeping or something. Mr. Kamalani sighs and puts his hands on his hips.

“I’m going to check on Jennifer,” he said before he notices me standing next to Milo. “I’m sorry, Sophie; we’re just going through a lot right now.” I felt my face getting hot; I felt weird knowing that Mr. Kamalani was basically telling me that I shouldn’t be here today. I simply nodded my head until Milo jumped in.

“Sophie’s mom is gonna pick her up,” he began to say. “It’s my fault; I told Sophie to hang out after school and lost track of time.” Mr. Kamalani nods his head and walks towards the hallway that Mrs. Kamalani went down. Milo walks me to the living room and sits on the couch, scrolling through his phone trying to figure out where Mollie is.

“This isn’t like Mollie to not text me back,” Milo began. “Like sure, she’ll leave a message on read from her parents, but she wouldn’t just leave me on read.” I looked at Milo, nodding my head as he explained the situation. I felt bad for Mr. and Mrs. Kamalani, especially Mrs. Kamalani. Mollie is Mrs. Kamalani’s youngest sister, and ican only imagine ho worried she is that her and her family haven’t heard from Mollie since school.

“Maybe she’s hanging out with her other friends?” I suggested. I know Milo and Mollie were always together, but it’s only natural that they hang out with other people…

I’m sure that Mollie does.

“Mollie doesn’t have other friends,” Milo confidently said. I looked at Milo, not really agreeing with what he said. I’m sure that Mollie and Milo’s friendship is strong, but for Milo to think that Mollie isn’t capable of having other friends made me feel annoyed. “She literally is too busy to have other friends that aren’t our friends.”

“Maybe you’re wrong,” I blurted out, not really thinking about hat I was saying. Milo tuned his head to face me. “Maybe she hangs out with other people that you don’t have as friends.”

“So now you know Mollie better than me?” Milo spat out; he seemed a little anoyed that I was disagreeing with him. I scruched my eyebrows together, getting mad at Milo.

“No, Milo, but just because you’re able to have friends outside of Mollie doesn’t mean she doesn’t,” I responded. Milo sighed and got up from the couch, walking towards the dining room table to sit. Instead of texting Mollie, he calls her. He sucked his teeth once he realizes the phone goes straight to voicemail.

I got up from the couch and started to walk towards the front door where my belongings were. Milo turned around to look at me.

“Where are you going?” Milo asked.

“I’m just going to wait downstairs for my mum,” I said in a panic. I felt like there were tears forming in my eyes and I didn’t want Milo to see me so upset. But, Milo jumped off of the stool at the dining room table to walk to me.

“Scout, wait-” Milo said as I started to put my winter coat on. I didn’t want to hear it; I felt embarrassed anyway being here during a time where the family was going through something serious. I shouldn’t have gotten on that bus with Milo. I stop once I feel Milo’s hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face him; his face was now more gentle than it was before. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean for it to come off the way it did.”

“I’m just saying,” I started to say. “I know you and Mollie are best friends but you’re underestimating her. She could simply be with friends that she hasn’t introduced to you yet.”

“Have you seen Mollie hanging out with other people?” Milo asked. I bit my lip, not really knowing how to answer him. If the person as anyone else, I would’ve told him who it was, but how do I tell him that the person I’ve seen Mollie hang out with the most around school is the same person that caused him to lose his dual major status? I know that Milo hates Aaron, and telling him that Mollie has now developed a friendship with him is going to make his blood boil. I don’t want to be the person to break up a friendship like Milo and Mollie’s, but maybe that’s the person Mollie is with right now, and I would also hate to keep a secret like this if it’s the reason why Mollie hasn’t answered Milo or her family.

Before I can say anything, both Mr. and Mrs. Kamalani come walking through the hallway and into the living room where Milo and I were. Milo turns around to face the two adults. They seem a lot calmer than they were a couple of minutes ago.

“She’s home,” Mr. Kamalani said. “Lydia called to let us know she got home ot too long ago.” I see Milo finally exhale the stress that he was keeping inside his body. I also feel at ease knowing that Milo isn’t worried or anxious like he was. I didn’t have to say anything about Mollie and Aaron. Mr. Kamalani puts his arm around Mrs. Kamalani and looks at me. “We’re sorry about tonight, Sophie; perhaps we can invite you over for dinner another night.” I nodded my head.

“Of course, Mr. Kamalani,” I answered. My cellphone started to ring in my coat pocket; I see that it’s my mum calling me. “It’s my mum, I should get going before it gets too late.”

“I’ll walk you downstairs,” Milo insisted. I didn’t say anything back to him. We started to walk down the stairs towards the front door of the house. I wait for Milo to open the front door for me, but he takes a second to look at me before doing so.

“I’m sorry, Milo,” I said. I didn’t know what else to say in that moment, but I felt like I needed to say sorry for getting into his business with Mollie.

“I’m the one that should be sorry, Scout. You did nothing wrong,” Milo emphasized. “Mollie is supposed to be my best friend and… I don’t know; it feels like we haven’t been best friends for awhile now.”

“But you guys have been best friends for years,” I responded back.

“Yeah, but something has changed about Mollie,” Milo admitted. I raised my eyebrows, kinda shocked that Milo was talking to me about Mollie in this way. “It’s like she let high school get to her head or something. She never really hangs out with me anymore so for her to just do what she wants to do without even telling me feels like a stab in the back. We’re suppose to always keep each other posted, no matter what.”

“I understand,” I simply said, not wanting to get too deep in this conversation. I don’t know Mollie well enough to have any type of judgement about her, but I still wonder if Milo is noticing this change because she now spends her free time in Mr. Kamalani’s vocal room hanging out with Aaron.

At that point, I think about telling Milo. If Milo and Mollie are best friends, then he deserves to know that his best friend has been hanging out with Aaron. Maybe Mollie thinks Aaron is a nice guy; maybe he is when he wants to be. But something tells me that if Mollie wanted Milo to know, then Milo would already know. This is making me feel like I’m keeping the biggest secret between two best friends, and I absolutely hate this feeling.

Shortly after, my mum drives up to the front of Milo’s house. I grab my bookbag and look at Milo. He smiles at me. That smile. I can’t help but smile back at him. As I walk don the front steps towards my mum’s car, I stop when I hear Milo call my name.

“Hey Scout,” Milo called out. I turned around to look at Milo. “Thanks again for being here for me tonight. I appreciate it.” I smiled back and turned away, walking to my mum’s car. The smile fades as I turn around and walk away. I’m nothing but a horrible liar.

“Was that right?” Aaron asked as the band was rehearsing a song in the studio. The older guy in the room, probably their manager, was taking notes as they rehearsed. The guy smiled and nodded and gave some tips for Aaron and the rest of the band.

I sat on a chair next to Aaron’s stuff, feeling a bit uncomfortable just sitting in a band rehearsal. I thought maybe he and his bandmates do this type of thing; they bring their friends or girlfriends to rehearsals and all know each other or hang out–

Girlfriend.

It’s hard to know what Aaron and I are; sometimes I really think he and I are a couple, but then Aaron will talk to me like I was just one of his friends. It’s like the kiss at his showcase never happened; we never even talked about it after it happened, and sometimes it makes me feel bad. Did I ruin what was a good friendship assuming Aaron wanted to be more than friends?

I look at the guys playing their next song from beginning to end; they sound insanely good like they’ve been doing this type of thing together for years. The older man stands up from his seat.

“Alright guys, 10-minute break, and then we will rehearse the last two songs,” the guys said. The band took off their guitars from their backs and placed their drumsticks on top of the drums. I looked at Aaron, who began to walk in my direction.

“You’re okay, Mols?” Aaron asked. I nodded before I said anything else.

“You guys are super talented,” I began to say. “I didn’t know you guys had a manager and everything.”

“Yeah, Willis gets us the gigs,” Aaron explained. “He’s been with us since the beginning.” I nodded my head once again, taking in what Aaron was saying. He looked at me and smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“What?” I genuinely asked. Aaron was always unreadable; you could never tell what was going through his mind and what he was deciding to say out loud.

“Come,” Aaron said as he grabbed my hand to get me out of the chair. He walked me toward the band equipment and I was getting nervous. I was afraid of getting too close to the instruments like God forbid I bump into something and make it fall and break it? It’s bad enough that I don’t think his bandmates liked me being around as much as I am.

Aaron placed me in front of the microphone, in which I looked back at him.

“What are you doing?” I asked him in a panic. Aaron puts his guitar around his neck and faces me before saying anything.

“Sing something,” Aaron demanded. “What’s your favorite song to sing?”

“I don’t know,” I said in a hurry. “What if the band comes back and sees me near their stuff?” Aaron walks to me without breaking eye contact with me. Gosh, he looks so hot with his guitar in his hands looking at me.

“Well good thing you’re standing where I normally stand,” Aaron answered back. He was right; Aaron was the lead singer in his band, and the microphone is technically his spot so I’m not touching anything that doesn’t belong to him. Aaron starts to play the chords of a song that he’s been practicing for the last couple of weeks; I only know of the music because he is constantly practicing it. He looks at me and smiles as he plays the song.

“I’m not singing, Aaron,” I stated. As I was about to walk away from the microphone, Aaron steps in front of me.

“Can’t seem to get my mind off of you,” Aaron began to sing as he played the guitar. I looked at him, not budging. He wasn’t going to get me to sing in a studio where any one of his members can walk in at any moment. “Back here at home, there’s nothing to do,” he continued to sing. “Now that I’m away, I wish I’d stayed,” The temptation is killing me, and I’m just talking about his angelic voice and charismatic smile.

“Tomorrow’s a day of mine that you won’t be in,” I started to sing. Aaron looked like he had just won the grand prize lottery or something. The song was just too good to not sing, and I mean, everyone is on a break, why not just play around before they come back? I grabbed the microphone off of the stand and started to bounce around in place. Aaron completely stopped singing and continued to play the song on the guitar; I was the one singing the lyrics. I looked at him as he looked at me, enjoying just playing around and singing along to songs like it was just us in a rehearsal room back at Waverly.

Aaron always made me feel the most comfortable when it came to singing. I mean, sure, I sing in front of my friends and family, but Aaron always makes me feel like he’s listening to me when I sing; plus, it’s nice to have Aaron playing the guitar as I sing. Aaron continues to look at me as I sing the lyrics to the song. It’s like the world is our stage.

I immediately stop singing once I see the door to the studio room open. Aaron’s smile fades and turns around to face the door. The rest of his bandmates stand at the door, looking at Aaron and me. I run away from the microphone stand and back to the seat I was sitting at. Aaron looks at me before looking back at his bandmates.

“Sorry, we were just joking around,” Aaron said as he adjusted the strings on his guitar. His bandmates don’t say anything back, but they continue to look at me with weird expressions on their face. I would do anything to hide under a rock right now.

“Yo, you sing?” one of the guys finally said; I believe it was Xavier that did. I look at Aaron, who is looking at me to answer or something.

“Uhm… yeah,” I answered softly.

“You got some crazy vocals,” Xavier responded. He turns his head to talk to Aaron. “You guys go to school together?”

“Yeah,” Aaron finally spoke. “We’re both in the vocal program at Waverly.” The other bandmates look at each other, clearly shocked to learn this new information. Shortly after, the band’s manager walks into the studio space.

“Alright guys, let’s get to work,” the guy says, going back to where he was sitting. The band members go up and walk to their manager.

“Aaron’s girl got pipes, bro,” Xavier started to say. Aaron’s girl. Does he talk about me as his girlfriend to his bandmates? “Like insane pipes.” I looked at Aaron; he was looking at the manager as he let his bandmates speak. The manager looks in my direction and I can feel my face get really hot, so that must mean that it’s tomato red.

“That’s Mollie,” Aaron finally said as he looked in my direction. I waved nervously. I saw Aaron smile. “She knows the songs better than I do at this point.” Their manager nodded his head as he was listening to the guys speak.

“That song you were singing,” the manager begins to say. “Would you mind if you sang it with the band one time?” Me? Sing with Aaron’s band? I looked at Aaron before answering the manager back; I didn’t know how to feel about randomly singing for a group of people I didn’t know. But, isn’t that what I’m supposed to do and want? I mean, I am a vocalist at Waverly High; the choirs perform in from of dozens of strangers for each performance and do it without any nerves showing. Besides, this is just for fun; and Aaron looks like he doesn’t mind me joining in on a song in a rehearsal for fun anyway.

“Of course,” I answered back.

“Alright then,” the manager began to rearrange the rehearsal formation and took another mic stand to place up front. “Xavier and Thomas on the right, Jordan in the back, Aaron on the left. Mollie, front and center.” The band got into their places, which made my stomach turn into knots; like this was actually happening right here, right now. I walked slowly to the microphone; my heart kept pounding the closer I got to it. I don’t look up from the ground or else I would run out of here as fast as I can.

“Hey,” I felt Aaron whisper next to me as he touched my shoulder. “You can do this. Pretend it’s just you and me in the room rehearsing.” I looked at him as he walked back to where he was standing. I faced forward and looked at the mirror in front of us. It was crazy to see myself front and center in front of a band as a lead singer. It felt almost natural to be standing there like I belonged in the band or something. I looked at Aaron through the mirror one more time before looking at the manager and smiling.

“I’m ready,” I finally said.

I kept looking down the blocks the bus was going down, not recognizing any of the stores or buildings that passed by. I know I should’ve gone home after school; I wasn’t planning to get lost in the city with a boy that my mum already has second opinions on. But, I also really wanted to hang out with Milo. I feel like it’s been ages since we saw each other in school, and with him not being in band class anymore, it was nearly impossible to see him at school.

“You’re okay Scout?” I heard Milo ask me. I turned my head, trying to hide the fact that I was nervous. If anyone was able to read through me, it was Milo. He looked away for a slight moment before looking back at me. “Tell me about your piece for the showcase,” he smiled as he said.

“My piece?” I asked. Milo gently nodded. “Well, we’re doing two pieces; one piece from the year we were born, and the second piece is the string orchestra’s cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which is the song I have the small solo in.” Milo kept his eyes on me as I spoke, which was comforting. He smiled as I spoke about the string orchestra; no one ever smiled whenever the string orchestra was being talked about unless it was something negative. It really made me think if going to Waverly was the best decision or if I should’ve just gone to a regular high school where I wasn’t surrounded by other talented students. But then when I sit here and see Milo excited about string orchestra for me, it makes it all worth it. At least I have someone supporting me.

“Mama, just killed a man,” Milo began to sing, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Even when Milo was joking around, his voice was angelic. It wasn’t your typical top-40 boy band singing voice; it was high-pitched but so controlled and smooth. Milo doesn’t sing often outside of school but, I’m always happy when he does.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you have an amazing voice?” I asked. It was a stupid question; of course, he’s literally in the vocal program, Sophie. “I mean, you probably get told that a lot.”

“Actually,” Milo began. “Not really, and family doesn’t count.”

“Did you get your singing ability from your family?” I asked. Another dumb question, Sophie.

Milo’s family was big and unique; he is the oldest of his siblings and his dad is married to Jennifer. Milo once told me he felt like an outsider in his family since Jennifer isn’t his biological mother. But every time I go over to Milo’s house, I see just how much of a family Milo has. To have both parents in the house that love each other and are supportive of their oldest son and younger children, sometimes makes me jealous. It would’ve been nice to have a sibling to talk to about things that I can’t talk to anyone else about. It would’ve been nice to have both of my parents still here with me; instead, our family dinners happen over a zoom call every other Saturday.

“I did,” Milo began to say. “My dad was a dual major when he went to Waverly; vocal and band, like me. He was in a band and everything. Jennifer was also a student at Waverly; she was just in the vocal program though. They were in a band together with their other friends, and Jennifer was the lead singer.” It was so interesting to learn about Milo’s background. I knew he had a passion for music, but I never realized that it was because he grew up with music all around him. I wonder if he really wanted to be a dual major, or if he wanted to be one because his father was one.

“How about your mum?” I asked. Milo didn’t talk about his biological mum a lot, but whenever he does I try to listen to every word he says. I know Milo talking about his mum isn’t easy, so I’m glad that he feels comfortable talking about her with me. He nodded his head before answering back.

“She also went to Waverly,” Milo began. “She was in the string orchestra, I think.” My eyebrows went up; I was surprised to hear that his um was also a member of the string orchestra. Maybe that’s why he actually appreciates the sting orchestra.

“Is that how your dad met your mum?” I asked.

“Sorta, one of my dad’s friends introduced them to each other,” Milo looked out the window briefly. I didn’t push him any further; maybe the conversation was getting too uncomfortable for him. He turned back to face me, quickly smiling at me. I know he does that when he doesn’t want me to worry about him.

“You don’t have to talk about it anymore if you’re not comfortable,” I suggested. Milo shook his head so that I wouldn’t worry or feel bad for asking him these questions. I know Milo Kamalani; he’s not going to tell people that some of the things others say or do actually affect him. “I mean it, Milo.”

“Nah, it’s just that sometimes I wish I was able to explain why I do certain things that my dad doesn’t do… I wonder if that’s because some of the things I do or say or think are just things I take after my mom.” Milo shared. I realized that I was able to relate to Milo in a way. There are some things I do or think that my mum wouldn’t understand, but know that my father would. That’s the thing: I know that there are some things that I take after my father because I know him. I grew up with my father in my life, and I know that some of his mannerisms reflect my own because I picked them up as I got older. Even though my father isn’t here with my mum and me, I know him well enough to know that these are some things I have because of him. But Milo, he’s never met his mother. He doesn’t know if the things he says and thinks are because he takes after his mum. Milo’s mum passed away when Milo was just a baby; he doesn’t remember her well enough to know if he takes after his mum. All he has is his father’s word that some of the things he sees in Milo remind him of his mother. He doesn’t really know that for himself.

I don’t say anything back out of fear that I would say the wrong thing. The bus stopped in front of a bus stop, and Milo gets up from his seat to exit. I followed him out of the bus; at this point, I have no idea where in Brooklyn we’re in. I guess I’m following Milo wherever he’s going.

We walk out of the bus and start to walk down the street. I keep looking at Milo, who continues to look forward as we walked. Did I upset him? I didn’t know what was going on in Milo’s mind. We kept walking until we hit a dead end of a street.

“Milo?” I called out his name. I was getting nervous now. “Where are we going?” Milo looked at me. He didn’t say anything but instead flashed a smile.

“I want to show you some of my favorite places,” Milo answered. I tilted my head; I was confused. Didn’t we do this back in middle school for our Teenage Tell-Tale project? He grabbed my hand and we continued to walk down the side of the road, away from the dead end. What was Milo’s favorite place that he didn’t show me before?

After a short walk down the road, we stopped at a really tall gate. I looked around, not really understanding why we were here in the font place. This wasn’t a park or a treehouse area or anything that shows civilization or interest to Milo. He looked at me and I looked at him, waiting for him to explain where we were.

“This might be weird, but…” Milo drifted off before he was able to finish his sentence. He took a deep breath as he looked toward the gates. “I want you to meet my mom.”

It quickly clicked: we were at the cemetery.

Jennifer paces back and forth in the garage as Nicki sits and tones the strings of her guitar. She watches Jennifer grow frustrated as time passes. Jennifer huffs and stops pacing, now looking at Nicki.

Jennifer: Is he seriously gonna do this?

Nicki: Maybe something happened at home, Pep. You know Milo is usually the first at practice anyway.

Jennifer: Yeah, which pisses me off even more since we have a show in less than a week!

Jennifer takes out her phone and flips it open. She sucks her teeth as she closes her phone ; she puts it back in her pocket.

Jennifer: He’s not even signed on AIM.

Nicki: He’ll be here; this is literally his band–

Jennifer: *annoyed* OUR band.

Nicki: You now what I mean. Seriously, Pep; you and Milo really need to have a conversation and work whatever issues you guys are having. You’re supposed to be best friends.

Jennifer: Yeah, well he’s acting like a real asshole lately, and I don’t appreciate it.

Shortly after, Milo walks into the garage; the girls look at him as he walks to his spot and begins to et up without saying a word. Jennifer rolls her eyes and gets into position as well.

Nicki: *to Milo* Are you okay, Milo?

Milo: I’m fine.

He continues to set up his guitar; no one says anything back. He turns back around once he is finished setting up to look at the girls.

Milo: So, we’re gonna start off our set with “Get What I Want”, then our intro and then we’re going to play something new I wrote-

Jennifer: Something new? Dude the show is literally in a week; we don’t have time to learn a new song.

Milo: Yeah, we can, it doesn’t have any vocals.

Jennifer scrunches her eyebrows; she’s pissed. Nicki tries to intervene before Jennifer can say or do anything.

Nicki: Alright, I’m tired of you two fighting like this! *to Milo* You need to stop being a dick to Pep just because she doesn’t hate Danny. I get that you’e just trying to be a good friend and protect her, but in the long run all you’re doing is hurting your friend.

Nicki turns to face Jennifer.

Nicki: You need to stop being so defensive and just talk to Milo! You snapping at him is just going to ruin the friendship! Both of you need to cut it out and speak like actual human beings for once in your life!

Both Milo and Jennifer don’t say anything, but they look uneasy. They both know that Nicki is right. They look at each other.

Milo: *sighs* Nicki’s right, Pep. We’re supposed to be best friends and we haven’t been acting like it. But you must understand that I didn’t trust Danny after everything he did to you last year. I just don’t want you getting hurt or anything.

Jennifer: I get it, but you have to trust me, and I feel like you don’t.

Milo: I trust you, but I don’t trust him.

Jennifer crosses her arms across her chest. Milo sighs.

Milo: I’m sorry for hurting your feelings, Pep. That wasn’t because I was mad at you; I was just mad at the situation.

Jennifer: I’m sorry for being defensive and for not letting you voice out your opinion. I just felt attacked whenever you would shut any idea of mine down and, like, I know this is still a weird topic but I really do think Danny would fit right in with the band.

Milo doesn’t say anything back. Nicki turns her head toward Milo.

Nicki: Milo, are you willing to give Danny a chance by auditioning for the band? Remember that this is our band and if Pep feels like someone would be a good fit, then we should see it through.

Milo doesn’t say anything back right away.

Nicki: Milo?

Milo: Fine, he can audition for the band. But that doesn’t mean he’s automatically in it. He has to audition like anyone else.

Jennifer: That’s fine by me.

Nicki: *to Jennifer* Pep, are you willing to listen to Milo and his concerns not because he doesn’t think you’re capable of making good decisions or anything, but because he is trying to protect his best friend from any danger?

Jennifer nods her head. Nicki smiles.

Nicki: Awesome! So now can we finally have like 15 minutes f rehearsal before Mrs. Castro kicks us out?

The friends laugh and go into their positions to begin the rehearsal.

Jennifer: Alright! 1! 2! 3!

Before the trio begins to play, Jennifer’s mom is heard calling out her name.

Lydia: Jennifer!

Jennifer rolls her eyes and huffs. She walks out of the garage with Milo and Nicki, heading to the main part of the house.

Jennifer: Mom, it’s not even 5 o’clock yet, we have at least–

Jennifer stops at the doorway going into the kitchen; Milo and Nicki stop behind her. Lydia looks at Jennifer, but Jennifer is looking at the stranger sitting at the dining room table.

Lydia: Pep, I told you that we were having company over and that you would have to reschedule your band practice.

Jennifer: I don’t remember you telling me that.

Lydia: I told you on Friday before you went out–

Jennifer: Who is that?

Jennifer points at the stranger at the table; her eyes cannot stop looking at the man. The man gets up from his seat slowly and walks towards Lydia. Jennifer’s eyes widen as Milo and Nicki stand back, watching the interaction happen.

Lydia: Pep, I want you to meet someone…

Lydia smiles up at the man, who smiles back at her. He turns his head towards Jennifer.

Lydia: This is Justin.

The man puts his hand out to shake Jennifer’s hand.

Justin: Hi, Jennifer.

Jennifer stands there for a slight moment before she runs out of the kitchen. Milo and Nicki follow her.

The bus was taking longer on this particular day after school. Not only was the weather getting colder as the days pass, but today was the day I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. I sighed and decided to text Mollie to see what she was up to.

milolani: wyd?

I looked at my phone for a moment to see if Mollie read my message. Typically she writes back within a couple of minutes; if anything she’s probably on her way home or something–

“Hi Milo,” I heard a voice speak near me. I looked up and see Sophie standing there. She smiles at me, which makes me instantly smile back. I feel like I never get to see Sophie these days, so I was surprised to see her standing at the bus stop.

“Scout,” I answered back. “Whatcha doing here?” Sophie sat next to me on the bench.

“Well, Mr. Kamalani told me that you had left once the bell rang,” Sophie started. “I figured that you were waiting for the bus to go home,” I smirked, knowing that she went to my dad to ask where I was after school. I then remembered that she was probably wondering where I was since today was band rehearsal, which is something I’m not a part of anymore. Fuck, Scout doesn’t know that.

“Yeah, just waiting for the bus,” I answered, not really convincing. The air is awkward now; I can feel Sophie’s eyes look away from me and out toward the street. If anyone deserved to know, it was her. “Scout, I know there was a band rehearsal today.” Sophie immediately turned her head to look at me.

“You haven’t been in band class for the week,” Sophie admitted. “I was wondering if maybe you didn’t-“

“My dual major is suspended,” I finally confessed. I saw Sophie’s eyes widen in shock. “I got into a fight with Aaron at the dual major rehearsal.”

“Is that why…” Sophie asked as she pointed toward the cut on my face. I simply nodded at her. She looked like she was at a loss for words, and I don’t blame her. I wish I was able to tell her sooner, but I felt ashamed that I lost my dual major over someone that wasn’t even worth it. I was avoiding Sophie, but something in me is happy that even after not seeing her this week, she found me. It was a different feeling. I looked at Sophie; her shock turned into anger.

“Why would they only suspend your status and not Aaron’s? That’s completely unfair!” Sophie spat back.

“That was technically his first warning; I got mine when my dad sent me to the principal’s office…” I said as I tried to not look at Sophie. I felt ashamed to admit these things; things that not even Mollie knew about me. I looked down at my phone, wondering if Mollie ever texted me back. Nothing.

“‘I’m sorry, Milo,” Sophie said. “I hope that this suspension doesn’t last long. You deserve to be in band just as much as Aaron, and it’s unfair that Mr. Harrison would just throw you out of band like that.” I didn’t say anything back; I didn’t know what else to say about this besides the fact that I wanted to punch Aaron’s face at any given time I see him in vocal class. I simply sighed, wanting to just change the conversation.

“At least I’ll get to see you perform at the showcase,” I mentioned, smiling at Sophie. I’m glad I was able to at least make her smile still. I missed Sophie so much. “I’ll be the loudest in the audience!”

“You’re too sweet, Milo,” Sophie said as she laughed. “At least someone will stay awake for the string orchestra performance. I feel like we’re just there to put everyone to sleep.”

“That’s not true,” I reassured Sophie. I know that there were people talking about the String Orchestra and how their set for the showcase was boring. It makes me think of what Aaron said about Sophie at the dual major rehearsal. It angers me, but I wonder if she heard those same words go around in band class. Sophie looks at me, not convinced by my words.

“Every time we have our rehearsal, Mr. Harrison is constantly yelling at everyone else to be quiet because they all talk through it,” Sophie explained. “Today, it was so bloody loud in that auditorium that I kept messing up the notes. It didn’t help that people would point and laugh as they watched.” I saw Sophie’s face drop. She was getting lost in her thoughts, second-guessing every decision she has made up to this point.

I saw my bus come from down the block, moments away before stopping at my stop. Sophie looked up and saw the bus as well. She gets up from the bench once the bus slows down to stop in front of us. I didn’t want to leave Sophie here by herself. I didn’t want to leave Sophie; period.

“Well, here’s your bus,” Sophie pointed out. The door of the bus opened up. Before getting on the bus, I turned around and grabbed Sophie’s hand. She looked at me, confused about what I was doing.

“Come with me,” I said. Sophie didn’t know what to say; she looked nervous.

“I-I don’t take this bus,” Sophie said in a panic. I smiled, pulling toward me and the bus.

“I know,” I answered. “We’ll get you home before it gets dark.” I pulled Sophie in front of me so that she was able to get on the bus first. Sophie turned around to look at me; she smiled as she swiped her student MetroCard. I missed Sophie so much.

At the end of the day, I walked into our vocal room for class, looking around to see if Aaron was in class already. Of course, he was; he even had his sheet music on his desk. I look at him and smile. I guess he saw me stand there because he smiled back at me. Before I can even react, I hear Milo walk into the classroom fast. I look at him and follow him to our seats. Milo sighed loudly, clearly annoyed at something.

“What’s got you all pissy?” I asked Milo. He rolled his eyes at my question. “Well, shit; I didn’t do anything to you.”

“I’m not in the mood, Mol,” Milo spat back. “I just want this day to end so I can go home.” I didn’t answer him back. It’s been a couple of days since I last saw Milo; I knew that he got injured in one of his classes, but shit; I thought maybe he’d be happy to see his best friend or something.

“How did you get hurt in band class? Drumstick hit your face or something?” I asked. Milo finally turned his whole body to look at me; he looked pissed.

“Can you just leave me alone, Mol? Please?” Milo said, louder than I think he thought he said it. My face flashed red out of embarrassment. He didn’t even bother apologizing, he just faced back forward toward the blackboard and pretended I wasn’t even sitting there. Ouch. I sank into my seat, waiting for Mr. Kamalani to start class.

“Alright class,” Mr. Kamalani began. “The showcase is less than a week away, so I expect everyone to be on time for rehearsal starting tomorrow. This is your first showcase as Waverly High student; the first of many while you’re here. Let’s get started on practice; everyone please stand in your assigned position.” We all got up from our seats and went to stand in our positions. I rolled my eyes at the fact that the person standing next to me was Laurie. She flips her hair when she sees me standing next to her.

“Try not to sing off-key this time, Mollie,” Laurie whispered in my direction. I rolled my eyes at her, not really wanting to answer her.

“You might be listening to yourself sing, Laurie,” someone behind me responded. Laurie turns around to see who said it. I then feel someone place their hand on my shoulder; I looked up and see that it was Aaron. I smiled and felt a little better afterward.

…

The bell rang, which meant that the day was now officially over. I look over at Milo, who runs past me to leave the classroom while everyone starts to pack their things. I rolled my eyes, annoyed that Milo is acting the way he was. I packed my bookbag at my desk and hear someone’s voice close to me.

“Hey, Mols.” I looked up and see Aaron standing there. He smiles down at me; I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Hi,” I calmly said, happy to see Aaron standing there. He ruffled his hands into my hair, which also made me laugh. “Whatcha doing after school today?”

“I have band practice,” he answered. I couldn’t lie, I was a little sad that he had plans considering that today was one of the only days I had time to hang out after school. “Do you want to come with me?” I looked at him, and I guess I gave myself up when I smiled the biggest smile I could possibly make. He laughed and placed his arm around me. “Let’s go.”

…

Aaron and I got on the 3 train and took it into the city for his band practice. I can’t lie, I was nervous to be going to this practice with him. Would his bandmates not like me being there? Will Aaron become a different person when he’s in practice? After his showcase and everything that happened that night, nothing was ever really spoken about. Aaron and I went on like nothing happened, and I don’t know if I did anything wrong or maybe he’s changed his mind or–

“What’s on your mind, Mols?’ Aaron asked. I looked back up towards Aaron, who was standing near the door, holding onto the pole next to him.

“Oh, uhm, nothing really,” I answered, trying to gather my composure again.

“You sure? You look like a lost New Yorker on this train,” Aaron teased, to which I rolled my eyes and huffed.

“Please, I was born and raised in New York,” I responded. “I just never had any reason to take a number train somewhere.”

“What trains do you live near?” Aaron asked.

“The R,” I answered. Aaron scoffed and laughed under his breath. “What?”

“The R is like the slowest train out of all of them,” Aaron teased. “It takes like an hour to just get into the city on the R train.”

“Well it’s better than taking a number train any day,” I fought back. Aaron laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh either since I know taking a number train is probably the quickest way into the city. Aaron smiled and walks to stand next to me. He placed his hand into mine, which took me by surprise. Yep, I can definitely feel my face getting hot.

“Are you gonna tell me what’s really on your mind?” Aaron nearly whispered to me. I looked at Aaron, who is staring into my eyes, waiting for an answer. There was something about Aaron that felt… different. I’ve had crushes on boys in the past; I remember having my first crush in the 3rd grade. I mean, sure he did nothing but chew gym and trade lame cards with his friends and didn’t really pay attention to anything else, but he was still really cute… even if he thought my name was Maggie. And then there was Theo who ended up being the biggest jerk in 8th grade for using me for a bet. Aaron pays attention to me. He listens to me when I speak and he actually likes to hang out with me and truly wants to hear what I have to say. Aaron really made me feel like any bad day can be turned into good.

“I’m a little nervous about meeting your band members again,” I admitted. How was it so easy to be honest with another human being? Aaron nodded his head, understanding my nerves and possibly why my palms were sweaty.

“What’s making you nervous?” he asked. I took a deep breath and exhaled before I answered.

“I don’t know,” I began. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. They seemed like cool guys when we met back at Aaron’s showcase a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I felt like I didn’t fit in. Aaron was another person when he was on that stage, and I can only imagine he was that person around his band members.

“Don’t be nervous,” Aaron began. “The guys are cool, and they don’t mind you being at our practice.”

“They know I’m coming?” I asked, getting even more nervous than before. What if they gave him a hard time for bringing someone to their practices? Did they get mad at him?

“Yeah,” Aaron answered. He quickly spoke right after looking at me: he probably sees the nerves written all over my face. “Breathe, Mols. You’re gonna be fine.” Aaron squeezes my hand; I almost forgot he was holding my hand in the first place. It was like it was supposed to be there all along. He smiled at me, waiting for me to smile back. I couldn’t help myself; I smiled back.

Suddenly, he moves his head toward the temple of my head, gently kissing it and looking outside the train window like what he just did was nothing. It was like it was natural for him to do such a thing. I might as well paint my face red permanently.