Desperate measures
Milo and his group of friends were on their way to their first class of the day. Unlike most students who dreaded the Monday morning associated with the start of a long school week, Milo took it in stride. After that gruelling business at the bowling alley, where he was ganged up on by a mob of fan girls, who only dispersed when Sara threatened to send them to the ER if they didn't leave Milo alone, he was eager to return to normalcy. Milo had been attending weekly therapy sessions with Amanda's mother to help with any anxiety issues, and he was almost back to his normal self. He still expected a mob to pop out from behind a corner from time to time, but at least, in a school setting, he felt perfectly safe. Or, as safe as his condition allowed him to be. The group went into the classroom and took their seats.
"I still don't get the point of Social Studies. I never needed help talking to people," Zack commented.
"I think it helps us understand people, especially those in different walks of life," Milo responded.
"Not to mention all the other subjects covered. It isn't just people we study here," Melissa added.
"We have history, geography, political science….." Amanda listed off the wide variety of subjects taught in the class.
"OK, I get it, but why can't we study these things separately?" Zack inquired.
"Because the human race likes to categorise things too much," Shane answered.
"Wonder what we're doing this time," Mark mused. Just then, the teacher, Ms. White, came in to teach.
"OK, class. Today, we're going to be starting a group project. You'll use this week to form groups and come up with a topic for your project. The deadline for topic submissions is fifth period on Friday. Remember, the topic has to be relevant to the subject, and must be approved by me before you can proceed. Four students to a group, and no two groups can choose the same topics. Partner up, class," Ms. White instructed. Milo, Melissa, Zack, and Amanda formed one group, while Shane, Mark, Hannah, and Rebecca formed the other.
"Yay! I love collaborations. They're so much fun. It's always nice to work with others on something special," Hannah said with delight.
"Just remember we need a topic by the end of the week," Rebecca reminded.
"Well, considering what's been going on with you lately, Milo, I thought we could use this opportunity to delve into the subject of teen mental health and how it can affect the rest of their lives," Amanda suggested.
"How thoughtful, but you do realise I don't wish to divulge anything I've said to your mum in sessions," Milo replied.
"Of course not. I was speaking in a general sense. The topic seemed relevant at the time," Amanda responded sheepishly.
"No, wait, maybe Amanda's right. This subject might make those mobs back off once and for all, if they knew how much their behaviour was harming Milo," Melissa backed Amanda up.
"That has merit. Fangirls may be over-enthusiastic, but we're not heartless. This could be a chance to open a dialogue with them," Hannah interjected.
"Well, Milo, what do you think?" Zack asked. Milo gave it some thought, but his attention was diverted to a sight out of the window. Milo wasn't a window starer in class, he was able to keep his focus on his school-work. However, this was a notable exception. Zack turned to see what Milo was staring at, and it all made sense immediately.
"Errrr, Ms. White?" Zack raised his hand to get the teacher's attention and then pointed at the window. Ms. White turned to see a mob of fangirls gawping at Milo. She then approached the mob.
"Considering I don't recognise any of you, I'm going to assume you don't go to this school and that you don't have hall passes. Get off school grounds or I will call Principal Milder!" Ms. White demanded. The group dispersed.
"Still think you can reason with crazy?" Zack asked Hannah, who could only shrug her shoulders in response. Milo was still shaken by this development. He once thought of his school as a safe haven from this whole mess. This place, along with his home, were the few places Milo thought those mobs couldn't reach him. Now he was not so sure.
Things didn't get much better during gym class, where Coach Mitchell was getting out the equipment. Milo was thankful there weren't any mobs in the changing rooms where he, along with the other male students, were getting into their gym gear, but that didn't stop him from having a near-panic attack at the mere thought of them busting in at any moment. Milo was especially grateful for Zack, Shane, and Mark leading him through some calming breathing exercises that Amanda's mum had taught him to help cope with his anxiety.
"OK, it's dodgeball today, and thanks to these new flame retardant balls, we will not have a repeat of last year's incident," Coach Mitchell briefed.
"I remember that well," Milo reminisced. He had flashbacks of flaming balls flying everywhere, students running for cover, and Coach Mitchell trying in vain to operate the extinguisher, only for the fire department to arrive and put out the flames.
"To this day, no-one knows how the balls caught fire," Melissa stated.
"Everyone split up into teams and start on my whistle," Coach Mitchell instructed. The students all got into teams of eight or so and took ready positions. "OK, three, two…" but before Coach Mitchell could blow his whistle, chanting came from the bleachers.
"M-I-L-O! Go Milo, go Milo, GO!" a cheerleading squad chanted. This angered Melissa greatly, as this was no doubt another mob. Normally, Milo would find this very motivational, but now it was annoying and anxiety-inducing.
"Don't you girls have anything better to do?!" Melissa interrogated.
"No, not really," they all replied at once.
"Coach, you're going to have to give me detention," Amanda seethed.
"Why?" Mitchell asked. Amanda then took a dodgeball into her hand.
"For this!" Amanda answered and threw the ball at the head cheerleader. She was downed immediately, but Amanda didn't stop there. She grabbed the basket full of dodgeballs and lobbed ball after ball at the cheerleading squad before they all left the gym in a panic. Amanda made to give chase but was stopped by Melissa holding her back. When all was said and done, Coach Mitchell had a burning question.
"Someone please tell me what's going on here?" Mitchell inquired.
"Let me, Coach," Zack piped up, seeing as Melissa was still restraining Amanda and Milo was too shaken up to say anything right now. Zack explained to Coach Mitchell about what happened in Social Studies class, and about everything else, including Milo being mobbed multiple times and his need to attend therapy. Coach Mitchell got the gist right away.
"Despite your suggestion, I will not give you detention, Amanda, since you acted in defence of Milo. However, I will ask that you two sit this game out in the stands. Something tells me he could use some relaxation time. After class, I'm going to speak with Principal Milder about this issue. This cannot continue, because Milo is right, school should be a safe haven for him," Mitchell resolved. Amanda and Milo nodded in response before going to the side to sit and watch. There, Amanda and Milo got some well-earned privacy.
"I swear, if I ever see those vultures again, I'm going to start breaking legs," Amanda growled. Milo chuckled weakly.
"Bring Melissa along, she'd want to help," Milo replied. Amanda then embraced her beau in a comforting manner. This calmed Milo immensely, knowing that he had Amanda made all of this worth it.
"My father is pursuing every legal avenue he can to stop this. We won't rest until this ends, Milo. I promise you," Amanda vowed. Amanda's father was an attorney and was present during the bowling alley incident. Ever since, he had been looking into ways to make every one of those mobs back off for good. As an added bonus, he was also looking into who nominated Milo for his 'cinnamon roll' award in the first place alongside Milo's dad, as this was the mobs' main motivation for their activities. So far, leads had not been forthcoming, but he persevered undauntingly.
Milo's mood did not improve come lunchtime. In fact, he was so nervous about showing his face, that he took his meal underneath the table, to avoid being seen by anybody. The others hated seeing Milo like this, so much so that they couldn't decide on a topic for their upcoming project. Milo did, however, provide a cardboard cut-out of himself for the others to talk to, but it was not the same as having the real thing out in the open.
"I'm not even going to ask where you got that cardboard version of yourself from, or why you carry it around with you," Hannah remarked.
"Come on, Milo. I don't see any mobs around. Come up and talk to us, please?" Rebecca pleaded.
"They could be anywhere, disguised as lunch ladies, volunteer cleaning staff. They are persistent," Milo rebutted. Melissa had had enough of this. The time came for action.
"OK, enough's enough. We're going to Principal Milder and ending this right now! I am not talking to Cardboard Milo," Melissa asserted.
"I still think we should find the leader of the pack and break every bone in her body," Amanda suggested.
"No, Amanda, I would rather not have to visit you in juvie. I'd still love you even if you were put away but please don't get yourself locked up for my sake. I couldn't live with myself if you did," Milo begged.
"And I'd rather not have to go through the headache of having one of my students in juvenile hall," came a voice everyone recognised. Principal Milder approached the group, visibly puzzled by the presence of Cardboard Milo. "OK, where's real Milo?" Milder probed. Melissa and Zack subtly pointed below the table. She bent down to find real Milo having lunch.
"Hi, Principal Milder, what brings you here?" Milo asked. Milder sighed heavily.
"The situation must be worse than I thought. Come on, Milo. No-one will bother you while I'm walking you and your friends to my office. You have my word on that. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to get a handle on this whole 'fangirl mob' mess," Milder assured. After finishing their meals, everyone made their way to Principal Milder's office. As she said, the trip went without incident. As there were a limited number of seats, Zack, Melissa, and Amanda accompanied Milo inside, while Shane, Hannah, Mark, and Rebecca waited outside with baited breath. Milder spoke first.
"I have been made aware of some….disturbances in your classes, Milo. I want to make it clear that I am as unhappy about this situation as you are. Is there anything anyone wants to contribute that you feel I should know?" Milder probed. Milo didn't feel like speaking at this time, so Melissa volunteered instead.
"Principal Milder, it isn't just school that these mobs have shown up. We've dealt with them at conventions, on dates with Amanda, anywhere Milo shows up, they do as well, except at his home and at the clubhouse we have in the woods," Melissa replied.
"That's because A: my sister threatened to get out her baseball bat if they ever showed up at our doorstep, and B: they don't know where our clubhouse is. To make sure they don't, we've limited our time there," Milo added.
"I see, and when did this start?" Milder asked.
"Round about the time Milo got his 'Danville's sweetest cinnamon roll' award," Zack guessed.
"Just out of interest, did you nominate him for that, Principal Milder?" Amanda inquired.
"No, only because I didn't know that was a thing, though he's certainly deserving of such accolades, in my honest opinion. But it's clearly having an adverse effect on him," Milder replied.
"It's not the award that bugs me, but the attention it draws. If anything, I'm touched the city considers me worthy of such an honour," Milo clarified.
"And you should be, but that doesn't excuse what these mobs are doing. Coach Mitchell told me they've driven you into therapy with Amanda's mum," Milder reasoned.
"Yes, I have a session with her today," Milo confirmed.
"Are these sessions helping?" Milder asked with great concern.
"They are, but incidents like this are driving all progress I've made backwards," Milo answered.
"Doesn't this school have any security?" Amanda queried.
"That's what I've been looking into. My PA's talking to the Finance Officer as we speak," Milder notified. Just then, her PA came into the office.
"Principal Milder, I've just been told that our allotted security budget went on the new home cinema and surround sound system for the teacher's lounge," her PA informed. Principal Milder's face reflected a lot of suppressed rage at this statement.
"Really?" Milder said with great restraint. She took a deep breath, then addressed her students. "Please excuse me for ten seconds, kids," Milder requested. She then left her office, went into a nearby janitor's closet, and all anyone in the immediate vicinity heard for the next ten to fifteen seconds was one loud uninterrupted scream.
"I know that technique, it's the Scream of Anguish, otherwise known as venting all your stress with one long scream. Just don't do it within earshot of anyone," Milo commented. Principal Milder then came back into the office and turned to her PA.
"Please inform the Finance Officer that he is now out of a job and inform the faculty that we'll be getting our money back for that system and spending it accordingly," Milder ordered.
"I did press them about security, they said they'd rather not turn this school into a youth prison," her PA replied. Milo then raised his hand.
"Yes, Milo, you have something to add?" Milder probed.
"Normally, I would agree with the sentiment, though not with the frivolous spending of school funds, but in this case, I have to say that I would rather be in a youth prison where those mobs can't reach me than in an open-air school where they can readily sneak in," Milo stated. The others were taken aback by Milo's words.
"Yikes, that's a little extreme," Zack remarked.
"Yes, I have to agree. I also have to say that I'm not used to seeing you like this, Milo. Where is that chronically cursed boy who always had a smile on his face whenever I saw him? I'd like to see him again," Milder wondered.
"So do we, Principal Milder," Melissa agreed.
"Tell you what, Milo, why don't you and your friends take the rest of the day off? It's clear you're not in the right headspace now. I'll see about doubling, no, tripling security around the school so it can be safe for you again. You lot get him to his next session unharassed. I'm going to speak to the cops about this incident, see what they have to say," Milder resolved
"Thanks, Principal Milder, we'll do that," Amanda said gratefully.
"I'm also going to arrange appointments with the school counsellor for you. As you said, I don't want your progress being halted or reversed by incidents like this," Milder added. The students took their leave and the group waiting outside accompanied them.
"Looks like Mrs. Lopez is seeing me sooner than she thought," Milo observed.
"I'm sure mother won't mind, especially when she hears about today," Amanda responded. They got to the school entrance when Melissa spotted another mob waiting outside.
"Ugh, they are relentless," Melissa groaned.
"Box formation?" Zack suggested.
"Yeah, let's do it," Melissa agreed. They formed a huddle around Milo and moved in such a way that Milo himself was obscured from view. It seemed to work, and they were almost out of sight when the mob started walking in their direction.
"Dang it, they must know that everywhere Milo goes, we go too," Melissa cursed.
"Hold on," Milo urged. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out a handful of smoke bombs. He let a few off, covering the region in dense smoke that no-one could see through, and using the cover, everyone made their escape.
"That backpack will never stop being a lifesaver," Zack complimented.
"And in our hurry to get away, we ended up at Amanda's mum's office," Milo added. Coincidentally, they did end up outside the building where Amanda's mother saw her patients. Mrs. Lopez stepped outside to greet them.
"Milo, Principal Milder told me you'd be coming my way sooner than expected. One of my other patients just cancelled, so I can squeeze you in. Come, we'll get started right away," Mrs. Lopez pressed. Amanda then took Milo's hand.
"Text me once you get out. I'll walk you back to your place," Amanda offered.
"Hey, I should be doing that for you," Milo playfully bantered.
"Or maybe we could sneak into the cabin later, just the two of us," Amanda tempted.
"Amanda, that's for everyone," Milo teased.
"Let me make you forget your troubles for one night, please?" Amanda playfully begged.
"OK, OK, just for you," Milo conceded. Amanda then pecked him on the lips before setting off with the others. Milo then stepped into Mrs. Lopez's office to begin the session. Before Mrs. Lopez, Milo had never set foot inside a therapist's office. It was well kept, with a chair for Mrs. Lopez and a couch for the patients to make themselves comfortable. She kept an assortment of psychology textbooks on a bookshelf right by the wall, and in one corner, there was an assortment of toys and activities. This, Milo surmised, was for her significantly younger clientele. Milo then lay down on the couch, safe in the knowledge that none of his stalkers found him here.
"I take it you know the drill by now?" Mrs. Lopez started things off.
"Yeah, nothing goes beyond these walls unless I will it. Anything I want to keep confidential will remain so, and any topic is open for discussion without judgment," Milo recited. In his first session, Mrs. Lopez gave him the rundown on how therapy worked. She made it clear that she was here to listen to Milo's thoughts and worries without forming any bad opinions about him or revealing what he said to anyone unless he gave consent and would dispense professional advice as she saw fit.
"OK, then. As I said earlier, Principal Milder told me what happened in school today, but I wanted to get your perspective. Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened from your point of view?" Mrs. Lopez requested. Milo took a couple of deep breaths before answering her.
"I'm not sure I can tell you anything Principal Milder has not done so already. They came for me in Social Studies and Gym class. What really baffles me is how they managed to get onto school grounds without anyone noticing," Milo vented.
"Yes, I asked Milder the same thing. She told me it was down to security failings," Mrs. Lopez replied.
"More like no security at all. Did Milder tell you the school's allotted security budget went on a new sound system for the teacher's lounge?" Milo wondered.
"No, she did not. As a parent of a child that attends this particular school, as well as your therapist, I am seriously disturbed by this. I'm sure your parents would be beside themselves if they knew your school was ill-equipped to deal with trespassers," Mrs. Lopez replied.
"My dad would probably pull me out, which I don't want. If it helps, Milder fired the Finance Officer who authorised the purchase and she tells me she'll speak to law enforcement about this matter," Milo assured.
"Very good on her part. Out of interest, what does Milder know about your sessions here?" Mrs. Lopez probed.
"Just that I am seeing you, nothing more," Milo answered.
"OK, and going back to the incidents at school, how did they make you feel?" Mrs. Lopez inquired. Milo paused at this question. He never did like showing weakness. The first few sessions, he had trouble opening up to Mrs. Lopez about what was going on inside his head. However, as their rapport developed, he found the question of his emotions less daunting.
"Like one of my safe places was violated. It got worse. I started thinking that if those mobs could reach me there, where else could they find me? At home? At the cabin? It's made everything more strained, even my relationship with your daughter," Milo confided. This disturbed Mrs. Lopez.
"Really? How so?" Mrs. Lopez asked.
"I've been less eager to take her out on dates as I was when we first started seeing each other. I want to, but the fear of being mobbed always haunts me. The bowling alley incident comes to mind every time. My friends had to use decoys to keep them away, for crying out loud, and when that didn't work, well, you know what happened next," Milo responded.
"I do. That must be heart-breaking," Mrs. Lopez consoled.
"I love Amanda more than anything, but she shouldn't have to go through this because she is with me. She deserves better," Milo continued.
"OK, Milo, I'm going to stop you right there. Amanda is happier than she's ever been with you. Losing that would break her beyond repair. If you feel like this is your fault, let me assure you that it is not. Nor is it Amanda's. Ending the relationship because of the actions of others would be wrong, and you would regret it for the rest of your life. Have you spoken to her about this?" Mrs. Lopez inquired.
"No, but I can see what it's doing to her. She's even contemplated violence as a solution," Milo replied.
"Yes, Principal Milder did tell me Amanda threw dodgeballs at a cheerleading squad that wasn't supposed to be there. Can't say I approve, but it is understandable," Mrs. Lopez commented.
"Go easy on her, this is taking a toll on everyone, not just me," Milo requested.
"I will, and you're right, this is not just affecting you anymore. Given what you've just said to me as well as my conversation with Milder, I would like to see your friends about this issue. Would you be comfortable bringing them to our next session?" Mrs. Lopez asked.
"I can see them agreeing to it, although most of them have never been inside a therapist's office before. I think Zack has at one point, but I can't speak for the others," Milo replied.
"Very good. Same time next week?" Mrs. Lopez finished the session.
"Fine by me," Milo agreed. Mrs. Lopez then used her computer to set up the appointment and showed Milo out. Once Milo was outside, rather than texting Amanda, he checked his phone for any received texts instead. He found one and read its contents. He sent a reply, then went in the opposite direction from his house. Milo took great pains not to be seen by anyone that even remotely looked like a fangirl, which was not easy. Milo kept expecting to bump into them at any moment, but to his surprise, none came at him. After a good long while of wandering the streets, Milo found his destination, the local police station. He saw a familiar-looking officer step outside to get into her patrol car.
"Officer Kayleigh, congrats on the promotion," Milo piped up.
"Thanks, sugar. What brings you here? Is it time for the annual Murphy's Law briefing again?" Kayleigh asked.
"Something like that," Milo answered.
"Well, don't scare the rookies too much. Force is understaffed as it is without greenies getting spooked," Kayleigh advised.
"I won't. Good luck on patrol," Milo wished his friend well before she set off on her rounds with her partner. Once the patrol car was out of sight, Milo got another text. Once he read this one, he took a deep breath.
"I hope this works," Milo said to himself before mustering all the courage he could muster to walk through those doors, uncertain as to what awaited him after he did so.
At the Murphy house, Martin, Brigette, and Sara were awaiting Milo's return from the shrink's office. Amanda made sure to tell them that Milo got to her mother's office safely and without incident. Milder had told Martin and Brigette about what happened at school, and suffice to say, Martin wasn't pleased. He resolved to double his efforts to find out just who it was that nominated Milo for that award the fangirls are stalking him over. While Brigette tried to assure him that they probably meant well, Martin and Sara were quick to remind her that this was doing him more harm than good. He had appealed to his bosses at City Hall to give him a name many times, but every time he asked, they said to him that the nominator submitted the request anonymously, so by right and law, they could not divulge the name. Sara was busy checking message boards on her laptop for any clues.
"Surely someone on here knows who sent the nomination," Sara said with fervour. Out of a morbid curiosity, Sara checked several Milo Murphy fan pages that have cropped up since Milo's award. She was disturbed to find out that they had quite an extensive knowledge of Milo's birth date, his favourite foods and drinks, his favourite hangouts. They even had details on his height and weight. The members of these fan groups even posted works related to Milo, whether it be artworks of him, or fan stories of Milo paired with the author. These came in various ratings, from kid-friendly to….one category Sara wished she could unsee.
"Don't these people have lives?" Sara muttered to herself. Before she could inflict more self-trauma, the doorbell rang. Brigette opened it to find Zack and Melissa standing in the doorway.
"I'm sorry, Milo's not here right now," Brigette told Milo's friends.
"Would it be alright if we stayed to check on him? School was a bit hard today and we wanted to see that he's OK," Zack asked.
"So I've heard. It's sweet of you to drop by. Come on in, Milo should be on his way home by now," Brigette allowed them entry. Zack and Melissa made their way inside and saw Sara doing research.
"Any luck?" Melissa asked.
"Nada. Not one of these site moderators knows who sent Milo's nomination. I would ask on the forums, but you need member access, and there's NO way I want to be associated with these nutjobs," Sara asserted.
"It can't be that bad. I mean, it's just a few…HOLY COW!" Zack reacted upon seeing the fan page for himself.
"I know, right," Sara said.
"How do they know this stuff? Look at this! Milo's complete sleep schedule!" Zack read on in bewilderment. Melissa then wanted to see what the fuss was about. She was inspecting all the 'works' that had been posted on these sites.
"Wow, this stuff makes Hannah seem tame," Melissa remarked.
"I will never complain about her fanfiction ever again," Zack promised.
"Alright, I think I've seen enough," Sara rebuffed. She started taking screenshots of everything related to this site. "This can be used as evidence of cyberstalking, right?" Sara inquired.
"Let me see," Martin pressed. He too was disgusted by what he saw. "Yeah, I'm taking these to a buddy who works in cyber-security. He owes me a favour. I'm done being patient with these people. Flattering as it may be that these people love my son so much, it is time for them to learn that these actions have consequences," Martin vowed. He took Sara's flash drive and put it into his pocket for safekeeping. He was about to call his friend when Martin's phone went off.
"Hello? Yes, this is Martin Murphy. What?! You're kidding, right? Is he there…what am I saying, of course he is, where else would he be? No, neither do I. I can explain all of this, I'll be right down. Thank you for telling me, see you soon," Martin said to the person on the other end and hung up.
"Dad, something we should know?" Sara inquired.
"That was Officer Duskerton. He works reception at the Danville Police Station. He just had Milo up at his desk," Martin briefed.
"Oh, finally! Does this mean Milo's making a formal complaint?" Melissa probed.
"Does he require evidence? Better bring those screenshots," Sara added.
"We can tell the cops what happened at school today," Melissa suggested.
"He…..didn't go there to make a complaint," Martin clarified.
"Then why is he in the cop shop?" Melissa asked, fearing the answer. Martin took a moment to collect himself, took a deep breath, then responded.
"He went there…to turn himself in. As of this moment, Milo is in police custody," Martin finished, to the shock and horror of the entire household.
Author's note: This story idea has been making the rounds in my head since before I started The Second Cipher War. I just wanted to finish my Cipher Arc before I got around to this. Readers of my one-shots of MML will know the general gist of the background behind this story, but those that don't know should check those out first. I will freely admit, I'm getting the shakes writing this. This is going to be a fun one for me, I can tell. The general plan for this story is all in my head. I just need to put it to words. The usual disclaimers, I own nothing, MML belongs to Dan, Swampy, and Disney. Enjoy, and keep up the fight for Season 3!