"That's a terrible thing to say, Elliot." Melissa glared as she turned to leave with Milo.
"Yeah, that was pretty cold." Zack agreed, following close behind them. Melissa went up Milo to start to talk to them, before all of them stopped in their tracks when they heard music playing. It wasn't uncommon in Danville for people to start musical numbers, causing music to play out of the ether. But who was-
If Milo weren't around, if he wasn't here
If that Murphy kid would only disappear
I'd stop to sing and dance (Something I can't decipher)
Put on my party pants, I wouldn't shed a tear
"What on earth is wrong with him?" Melissa admonished, her glare intensifying. "Come on, Milo." She tried to pull Milo away, but he was firmly planted to the ground, staring at Elliot.
The world would be a safer place
Without his little infrastructure crushing face
I'm only thinking of the human race
And how great it would be if Milo were in spaacccee
"Come on, Milo, you don't have to stand here and listen to this." Zack said, trying to pull to. Eventually Melissa and Zack started to pull him away, well it was more of a drag, really.
"Yeah, Elliot's being a jerk today."
Everyday the sun would shine
We'd hear the bells of safety chime
I'd retire this caution sign
Be in periless jeopardy (Something else I can't decipher)
In a world without Milo!
In a world without Milo!
As Elliot entered the end of his little ditty, Milo's feet finally seemed to catch onto whatever was going on in his head and he abruptly turned around and started speed walking away to the school.
"Milo!" Melissa called, trying to follow her friends quick pace, Zack close behind her. As soon as they were in the building, Milo made a bee-line for the bathroom. "Shoot, alright, Zack, you go in after him while I get to class." She said as they arrived at the bathroom.
"What?"
"Well, I can't go in there, and we need to make sure Milo is okay." Melissa said, putting a hand on her hip. "Plus, I don't want to be late."
"Alright, we'll see you in a few minutes." Zack sighed, entering the bathroom. Even if he hadn't seen Milo come into the bathroom, he would knew he was there because of the broken faucet, the ceiling panel that had fallen over, and the stall doors that had fallen off their hinges, all of this destruction centered around the center stall. Zack walked up to the stall and knocked on it. "Milo?"
"Zack, uh…" Milo's voice came from stall, a little softer then it normally was. "Sorry I bailed on you guys, my stomach turned. I think I got some food poisoning from breakfast." He then made some very unconvincing vomiting sounds. "It's really bad, you should go to class."
"Milo, you're not fooling me, what's wrong, man?" Zack asked, leaning next to the stall door.
"…I should really invest in some acting lessons."
"Milo."
"I'm fine, really, I just need a minute." Milo sighed, and Zack could hear Milo shuffling around on the toilet seat.
"You know what Elliot said is wrong, right?" Zack asked, and there was silence for a second.
"But what if it wasn't?" Milo murmured, voice getting ever softer. "I mean, it makes sense. Without me around, there would be a lot less disasters. Like that time last month, when all the door in the left hallway fell down and that sixth grader broke his arm? Or just this morning with the blimp-"
"And each time something would go wrong, who was there to help?"
"…Me. But if I weren't there-"
"What's with the 'if', what ifs aren't like you." Zack questioned, raising a brow Milo couldn't see, because, y'know, he was in a stall. "What's up with you today?"
"I'm sorry, murphy's law has been really active today, and not in a cool, adventurous way, in an annoying hindrance on my day, sort of way. When I woke up this morning, a basketball broke through my window and hit me in the head, then breakfast caught on fire three times, the wolverines came back, you were there when those squirrels started chasing us, then the whole thing with the blimp, then Elliot said… that, it's just been a rough morning, and it's only 7:30." Milo said, finally opening the stall door. While he didn't look bad, his eyes were just a little puffy, in the way that told Zack he had probably been crying, though not very heavily.
"Look, Elliot was way out of line when he said that about you." Zack put a hand on his shoulder. "What does he even know about you anyway? And after you saved us all from being crushed under that blimp, he must just be in a bad mood this morning."
"You think?"
"Yeah. Now, come on, if we are too late Melissa going to get worried and come after us. You think you're going to be up for band practice this afternoon?" Zack asked, giving a sympathetic smile.
"Let's see how many things catch on fire the first four periods before I commit to anything." Milo smiled, tilting his head.
"There's my friend!" Zack smiled back at him. "Come on, splash some water on your face and let's get going, class is going to start soon. And try not to think about what Elliot said, he doesn't know what he is taking about and it'll only get you down."
"Right. Thanks." And so the day went on.
The day didn't really lighten up on him much. There was four fires, a helicopter crashed in the football field, the strap on his accordion snapped during band practice and he dropped it on his foot (though thankfully his foot didn't break), a stampede of goats ran through the halls of the school, and well, the list goes on but I'm sure you get the point by now, right? So by the time Milo got home, he was pretty tired. He had tried not to think of Elliot had said this morning, honest he tried, but with murphy's law being so active around today, it was hard not to. Was what he said true? And just what did he do to attract his ire that morning? He was just trying to get to school, it wasn't his fault the blimp popped, and then he saved them.
"Hey, sweetheart, you're late back from school, are you okay? You look tired." Mrs. Murphy asked as Milo walked in the door.
"The pack of the squirrels that chased me this morning because their tree caught fire came back for revenge when I was walking home." Milo sighed, just as soon as he finished his sentence, the scratching of angry squirrels could be heard at the door. "I really seem to be attracting lots of hostility today."
"It sounds like something else happened today that's bothering you." Bridgette said, sitting on the couch and patting the spot next her.
"It's that obvious?" Milo asked, taking his seat next to her.
"It sort of is, honey." She put an arm around Milo. "Tell Mom what happened."
"Well, we were walking to school after losing the squirrels at the County Creek, and just as we got through the crosswalk cage that Elliot had set up this morning-"
"Elliot the weird safety kid that Sara went to high school with? The one that pretended to be a hall monitor when the high school didn't even have that position?" Bridgette questioned.
"That's him." Milo nodded, looking down at the floor. "So, he was walking us across the street when a blimp started to loss altitude then popped and landed on us, you know, normal Thursday stuff. So, I took out the blimp scissors and cut us out, so we could finish crossing the street. Then Elliot was like, 'your safe, Elliot Decker is here', and so Melissa pointed out that I was the one with the blimp scissors; and then Elliot was like 'we wouldn't need blimp scissors without a Milo', Melissa asked what he meant, then he said…" Milo paused, squirming on the spot. "He said, yelled, really, that I was a menace, and that world would be a better, safer, place without me… and then he sang a song about it."
"Oh, honey." Her heart broke for her child, swooping him into her arms for a hug that Milo readily returned. "That's terrible, did you at least tell Principal Miller?"
"No…" Milo murmured into his shoulder. "I'm pretty sure this crossing guard thing is all he has, and I don't want to ruin his life, or make him anymore angry at me then he is."
"You're really such a sweet boy, you know that?" Bridgette rubbed Milo's back in little circles, something she'd been doing to calm Milo down since he was a little thing. "You what he said was wrong, right?" Milo was silent. "Right?" She prompted again, and that's when she felt tears start to soak her shirt. "Milo?" She pulled away to get a look at Milo's face. Tears were running down his face, and he had a look on his face like he was both incredibly sad and upset with himself for crying.
"I'm sorry…" He said, sniffling, but the tears didn't stop, if anything they started running faster.
"It's okay, Milo. What he said was wrong, and you know it, I don't know what my life would be like without you, and neither do your sister or father." She continued to rub the circles on his shoulders, still trying to sooth him as his breathing started to hitch over and over like he going to start to hyperventilate.
"But, with murphy's law following me everywhere, I make the world more dangerous, right? If weren't around, that blimp wouldn't have fallen, things wouldn't always be falling apart around the school, there'd be less murphy's law incidents at home." Milo sniveled, refusing to look his mom in the eyes. "I know there is still dad, but without me around there would be less, right? There'd be less fires and asteroids, and animal attacks, and things crashing through the ceiling, not to mention the time when the house blew up, and dad wasn't even home that time-"
"Milo, stop that." Mrs. Murphy said, lifting up Milo's chin so that their eyes met. "You are a good boy, you understand me? Those things aren't your fault, and they aren't even who you are. I know sometimes it seems like you and your father are defined by your condition, and people have to treat to differently sometimes for your safety and the safety of those around you, but that doesn't make it who you are. You like Doctor Zone and action movies, that has nothing to do with murphy's law. You play the accordion and that has nothing to do with murphy's law either. You're a sweet boy, and you can be a bit of dork sometimes, but it was nothing to do with murphy's law. Now say it with me, murphy's law might affect the way I live, but…"
"It doesn't make me who I am, I do that." Milo finished, smiling a little, tears slowing down.
"That's right." She pulled him into a hug, giving him a nice firm squeeze as he started to calm back down.
"Thanks, Mom." Milo breathed into her shoulder, reflexively wiping his tears off on her shirt.
"Your welcome, sweetheart. Now, why don't you go lay down, it seems like you've had a long day, and I'm sure you'll feel better after some sleep."
"Yeah." Milo nodded, getting up jogging up to his room, Diogee hot on his heels, ready to leap into bed with his owner and help him feel better.
Author's Note:
This was going to be longer, but I decided this was long enough. Seemed a decent enough place to end it… Yeah. Tell me your thoughts or something, reviews make me happy XD