Sorry we haven't updated lately, this was a really special episode; Season Finale! Duh! So, we put it into two parts. We realize that you have been anticipating this chapter, but we hope you really like the things we were able to do with the extra time.
Also, we had midterms, before-vacation-tests, and not-being-here-during-vacation-syndrome.
Enjoy.
"I have no idea where he is…I know, I know. I just keep thinking he's all right and, um, he'll show up any minute and walk through the door…" her mom said into the phone. Savannah looked at Miles as he walked into the house. Her mother had been deeply worried about him. So worried that Savannah had had to convince her to call his friends before calling the police.
And Miles, poor, sweet Miles, just traipsed through the door as if nothing had happened. She felt like questioning him. She felt like badgering him. He looked so down; she wanted to know everything that was on his mind; for his benefit of course.
They all knew that he'd had some kind of dealing with the "Nim's" that had attacked. But he was her brother…she knew shouldn't badger him when he was already tiered and worn out. Perhaps all he needed was time. Yeah, time brought everyone and everything together and suddenly made things okay.
"Miles?" Savannah heard her mother say. "Miles." Her mother hugged him tight. She didn't even look angry at all. She looked relieved, as if a huge rock had just came crashing down, and missed her. "Don't ever leave like that again." More than a little annoyed at how Miles had been getting away with so much lately, Savannah left the room.
But it didn't end there. Savannah, playing the ever understanding, loving sister had told Miles to stay at home until things blew over. Miles on the other hand had another idea. One that involved going to school, and still not talking about the issue that was at hand. She wondered what was on his mind. He looked… so… dead. "Are you sure about this?" she asked him, truly concerned.
Miles looked at her just as serious. "What am I gonna do, stay home from school for the next 3 years?" Savannah responded in a calm and sincere tone. "Well, mom and dad seemed fine if you wanted to stay home."
She wanted to shake him and ask him what he knew. She'd been denying it for a while, but all the later signs told her that Miles might know about the kiss. The kiss. The dreaded words. She'd denied them completely, and she still was going to. When Miles found out, she'd tell him it didn't mean any thing, and it was a complete accident.
Miles turned to her in the car, "relax, I feel fine." Fine! How on earth could he be fine! He'd just made the regions news paper, and she was supposed to be completely fine with the fact that he was acting weird, possibly knew about the kiss, and wanted to go to school!
Phil stood in the breezeway of his school's entrance, watching Miles and Savannah pull into a parking space. He had planned this perfectly: he always met Miles in the school, so Miles wouldn't be suspicious, and Phil could also watch Savannah without anyone noticing. Not that it should have mattered, he was not about to date his friend's sister; he just had a small, miniscule, insignificant crush on her since the kiss.
Well, okay, maybe he was being boarder-line stalker-ish, but if nobody noticed then nobody cared…
He watched Greg walk up to the car and greet her.
Dude, he was so not good enough for her.
Phil had given this some serious thought the past few nights…and days…and had come to the conclusion that he, Phil, would be a much better boyfriend, being-friends-with-her-brother aside.
Greg was a jerk, anyway. He was such a bastard to Miles and all his friends (probably why Miles had got out of the car immediately).
On the other hand, he lived right next door, which would make for an easy entrance and escape anytime, in case Miles didn't give his permission to date Savannah and Phil had to sneak in.
Not like any of this mattered. This was a totally stupid little crush that would pass in due time. There were plenty of other girls that Phil could surely score a date with if he ever tried.
Savannah continued to badger Miles into rethinking the position. Going back to school where people would make fun of him and potentially ruin the rest of his life, was not a good thing. Then came Greg, who had just called Miles a mutant upon supposedly greeting her. And Miles left, doing his runaway-and-act-as-if-nothings-happened scheme all over again. She looked back at him and nearly screamed. Instead she turned to Greg, who was feeling satisfied for having insulted her brother. "Lay off of him, okay?" She said flatly. He looked at her with utter disbelief. What did he think she liked his stupid ploys of making fun of people all the time! Was this a boy thing? Phil never did this…Phil? Where had that come from! "Okay? pause get my books" and she turned to start walking…fast.
"Oh my God, look, that's the freak."
Phil turned to see two girls whisper and hurry off as Miles drew near.
Savannah walked of with the jerk –or Greg– to join her friends.
Miles glanced at the two girls and then walked up to Phil. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself. How you doing?" Phil responded as they walked to Miles' locker. Every kid in the hallways turned and stared at them, backing away and leaving a clear path down the hallway.
Miles looked at Phil with a face that read, what do you think? before stating, "My parents were okay if I wanted to stay home today."
"Should've taken them up on the offer, Dude."
They kept walking to Miles' locker, growing more and more unnerved with each step as every person backed away. Phil made a mental note not to ever befriend a sea monster again; it just wasn't worth it.
On the plus side, since Phil seemed to be the only person willing to even be near Miles, Miles probably wouldn't want to push him away. He considered telling Miles about the kiss.
These thoughts shriveled up and rotted away double-time as they reached Miles' locker.
"Dude, what's that smell?" Phil asked.
Miles opened his locker to reveal a dead fish. "Don't tell me," he said, "it's gonna be a long day."
Phil would never ditch a friend, but he considered screaming to the nearest exit.
Lunch wasn't that much better, from the bully and peer-pressure side of things.
"Where do you wanna sit?" Phil asked Miles as they walked out of the lunch line with their trays.
Phil noticed Savannah instantly. He wished she would just look at him, or acknowledge him, or something!
Savannah was sitting at lunch with her friends, when she heard Amber say, "Well that's depressing, getting punk'd even by the geeks."
She looked p to see Miles and Phil being brushed off by their usual friends. Savannah felt sorry for them.
It wasn't there fault in the first place. If Nim hadn't healed Miles, Miles wouldn't be alive. If Miles hadn't found Nim, they wouldn't know what was going on with the world. They owed him for a ton of things. He'd saved their butts on more than one occasion.
"Yah, well, losers value their lives as much as normal people." She heard Greg say. She turned towards him in disbelief. Hadn't she already told him to lay off? At least for the week? She'd even said that she wouldn't tolerate anything this week because she was in a pissy mood. He'd asked her if she was PMSing and she'd shoved him jokingly, thinking he understood.
"Shut up, Greg." She responded, her face showing annoyance.
"What did I say?" he asked her, and she gave him a look that clearly said he was treading on very thin ice. He looked bask at her smiling, mischievously. She knew instantly that he was going to push her buttons.
Miles looked at Phil as if he was crazy. Why wouldn't they sit where they always did?
"Where we always do." Miles replied, heading towards their usual table. As they approached, the kids already there shifted, effectively taking up any possible seats without so much as looking at either of them.
"That may not be possible, Holmes." Phil attempted, casting a glance at Miles. He was clearly angry, but Phil thought he noticed a small, hurt look, also. Not that he blamed Miles. Up to then, they had some pretty amusing conversations with those same people. Hell, Phil was even feeling some hurt. In an attempt to save face, he offered to Miles, "Outside?"
"Yeah," Miles glowered towards everyone at the table and then turned to the exit.
Phil could feel everyone's eyes on them as they walked by. As they passed Savannah and her friends, he couldn't help but look over at her. She was staring at him and Miles, looking like maybe she wanted to get up and talk to them. He wished she'd talk to him. Not that he knew what he'd say, but maybe the chance to talk with her, alone, would help that. Perhaps a "madam, I beseech thee…" while sweeping a heavily plumed hat…
Phil didn't notice the chair coming out.
Miles flew forward, landing on the floor and spilling his lunch tray. Phil froze, taking in what happened, then looked at Greg, the bastard, as he stood up from said chair, exclaiming, "Sorry, bro. You okay? Here, let me help you," extending a hand for Miles to grab.
Phil gaped. Greg, being nice to Miles? Something had to be wrong.
Sure enough, just as Miles was halfway up, Greg let go of his hand. "Psyche!" he shouted. "You kidding me, you freak."
And why is Savannah dating him again? Phil thought as he helped Miles up.
Savannah had no time to react before he pulled out his chair, right into Miles.
She sat there while Miles fell, she sat there, while Greg pretended to help Miles, and then pull another prank. Finally, she got up, fuming.
Greg was a bastard. He had no brain, no common sense; he was a master. Why hadn't she realized before how he'd been so crude, and rude. He belonged in a dumpster.
Savannah stood up and faced Greg. "Hey, butt-wipe," She said it with a very strong, straight face, holding her ground." We're through."
"C'mon, Savannah, it's just a joke", she hears behind her. She turned back around before she helped Miles pickup his lunch.
"It's not a joke, Greg. It's my brother. Go find another geek to geek-off."
The two boys began picking up Miles' food when they heard, "Hey, butt-wipe. We're through." Phil looked up to see Savannah shove Greg's shoulder. This could not be happening; it was just too good. Not Miles being picked on, that was. Savannah breaking up with Greg.
Phil subtly looked up at the ceiling, thinking, "Thank you! Thank you! I'll never steal a car again!"
Phil noticed Miles didn't even look up. Phil wasn't sure how much more his friend could take before he snapped. And who knew what Miles was capable of with his new Nimrod-superpowers. He picked up the remnants of his lunch tray and stood up, Savannah joining them.
Once out of sight, Savannah paused to play the observant sister, but in her head she was screaming.
What had just happened? Had she just broken up with Greg? She was so doomed. Had she played it cool enough? How had she looked? Oh God, that made her available? And now that she was, would she give Phil a chance if he asked her out? So many things were going off in her head, she thought she was going to explode, and people would notice. Oh great, more publicity.
As if her family wasn't famous enough already.
With her luck, she could get away with a simple "sigh" from her parents. They'd been bugging at her for some time that Greg was a nice 'boy'.
But Greg never acted like a bully around them. She had been persuaded by him that he was a good boyfriend, and had forgotten to look into her own morals. Greg was a full out bastard, only satisfied when he'd had the chance to humiliate geeks like her brother. But he should have realized long ago that because Miles was her brother, he was not to be treated like the other "geeks".
That wasn't the case with Greg's puny, little, tiny, microscopic mind that had no idea how to comprehend situations.
"Miles, you all right?" Savannah asked, putting an arm around his shoulder while the three walked outside.
Okay, dude, just stay cool, Phil told himself. Savannah is just Miles' sister, you never kissed her, and if you did, that's not what's important right now. This is about Miles. Not Savannah. Miles. Phil told himself.
"I'm fine."
"Look, I'm sorry. Greg's a jerk."
Yet you were dating him. Phil wanted to point out, but didn't.
"I've been getting it from everybody.
"Do you want to go home?" Savannah asked.
"I'm fine."
"We can always check if he's "fine" by getting him some Playboy Magazines, if he's scared, or creeped out; he's fine." Phil attempted.
Savannah stayed with them for the rest of the period.