Chapter 14

Astronauta

Milton

"Someone stop me. Please."

Milton walked in straight line. His lanky arms dangled. He was only a few steps from the entrance of the school. He prayed for someone to convince him to stop. He rubbed his fingers together nervously.

He reached the door.

"No, please." He muttered.

His fellow classmates past him in a flurry. Milton froze. He stared at the fleeting lights of the sunset; melancholy and somber. He focused on its beautiful color, prolonging the inevitable.

He was going to push the door open. He was going to walk to the bus stop. He was going to ride to the bus station. Then he was going to leave.

"Move, Krupnick."

A lone Black Dragon shoved past him. Less students were passing him now.

"God, if you love me then stop me." He murmured.

He stopped thinking and started walking. He slowly made his way down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he balled his fists to stop them from shaking.

"Milton?"

He whipped around so quick, he hurt his neck.

"You're Milton, right?"

Milton had never seen him before, yet here he stood smiling at him like they were old friends.

"Yeah. And you are?"

"Sorry," he scratches his scruff, "I'm a friend of Lori."

"Oh, okay."

Not what I was expecting but...

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to weird you out. It just, Lori's not really talking to me at the moment and... I just want to help."

"Help with what?"

"You looked stressed, I thought I'd help you with... the dance, your fall dance. You going?"

"No. I mean I was, but my friends aren't so..."

"Well, you think of going with a girl? Preferably, one that's shown some interest in you."

"There's Julie, but she said she was going to study that night. I don't blame her, school dances are a distraction."

"Distraction?" He questioned.

"Yeah. School work, productive after school clubs, studying; these are all more important than some lousy dance."

"Oh, Milton," he swing his hand over Milton's boney shoulders, "the only people who say things like that are people who really, really want to go."

Milton shook his head. He knew what he wanted and it did not include going to the dance. He shrugged, uncomfortable at the sudden contact of his new 'friend'.

"Yes, you do, Milton."

Flashes of a hand connecting hard to his shoulder rattled him. He stepped away suddenly.

"You alright?"

"Yeah," he pauses to calm himself, "I never caught your name."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'm Walter."

./.

"So, everyone is blaming this mess on Jack.?"

"Pretty much."

"I'd hate to be him."

Milton laughed, much louder than he intended to. He bent over and held his stomach. Tears began to clouded his vision. It reached the point where he forgot what he was laughing at. It just felt so good to laugh.

"You alright, Milton?"

"Y-yeah, I'm good."

"You got really red, I thought you were gonna choke."

"I'm good," he glanced over and noticed the brusie on his cheek.

Walter caught him staring.

"Sorry."

"No, it's cool. Just some jerk trying to come between me and my girl."

"Oh, well... I don't have any expertise in that area, but I have a friend, or used to, that's a black belt."

"I told you, Milton. Its handled."

They pull up to the mall parking lot. Milton's fear take over, running all the worst case scenarios in his head. All of them included his friends... old friends. He still had to get used to calling them that. He would have to get used to the solidarity he had felt years before the Wasabi Warriors. And no one was to blame, but him.

He pushed Eddie away. He didn't intervene to stop the arguing. He didn't push aside his own feelings to help his friends. He didn't...

No.

It wasn't all his fault though. Eddie has always had a copacetic attitude toward everything. Jerry's happy-go-lucky spirit is could have surely softened the harsh blows of their crude words. Kim's selflessness could have caused them all see how selfish they were being. And Jack, he could have been the fearless leader he is and saved them. It was not all Milton's fault.

He solemnly remained still.

"You're zoning out again."

"Sorry." He wrapped his fingers around the car door handle and pulled. He stepped out cautiously, surveying his surroundings.

"Come on. I want to actually make it into the mall before it closes." Walter joked.

Milton followed behind him with his head low. He prayed silently that they wouldn't venture toward the east side of the mall, where the dojo is. They walked into a tux shop near the south entrance.

"I love Oxford Style, man. Its so sophisticated, so classy. Only real gentlemen come here and buy. Everyone else are pretenders."

Milton felt like a pretender.

"So, which type is for you? Modern, Traditional, or slim? Let's go with slim."

Walter ambled on ahead, excitedly. Milton sighed. His new friend, most likely, would be paying for this ultra expensive suit. He didn't even like tuxes like that.

"I don't think this looks right." Milton knew that voice anywhere.

He ducked and peeked around the rack. Jack stood in a beautiful dark blue tux with a black bow tie. It was slim and it made him look a size bigger than he actually was. He rubbed the back of his stared into the mirror.

"Come on. I think you look good."

"Yeah, you said that about the last three."

She laughed. Milton frowned. That wasn't Kim, it was Donna. He knew her over-the-top flirty laugh anywhere.

"Milton!"

He ducked back behind the rack and hushed Walter.

"What?"

"I'm avoiding that guy over there."

Walter almost peeked around the corner, but Milton pulled him back.

"Sorry. I got your tux, come on."

He followed him to the other side of the store. An elderly man in an all black suit handed him an all black suit. Walter smiled and nodded as he walked into the fitting room.

"This is the style of tux, this kind man is going to take your measurements."

"Stand here and hold your arms out."

Milton held his arms out and frowned. Another man walked in with body measuring tapes. He worked fast; tugging and pushing Milton every which way, while stopping periodically to record his measurements. Finally, he finished and stepped back.

"Done." He handed the slip of paper to the elderly man, who hurried off.

"When you're done, come out so I can see you." He nodded and left.

Milton stepped down and sighed. He really wanted to go home.

./.

Milton was finally going home. He closed his eyes while Walter went on and on about the smell of Lori's hair. He made it seem like she was in love with him, though she had never mentioned him. He had also mentioned a few times when they were... intimate. Whenever, he would start to go into explicit description of their 'time' together, Milton would make a fuss. Sometimes that wouldn't even do it.

"Here we are. The Martinez residence."

"Thank you, Walter."

"Anytime, Milton. You call me if you're in any trouble, alright?"

"Agreed." He managed a smile.

Walter disappeared down the street at an alarming speed. Milton trudged up the steps of Jerry's porch. He heard the lively sounds of the smaller Martinez children before he even knocked. He rung the door bell and waited. Rico answered the door, disheveled hair and missing his pants.

He smiled wide, "hey."

"Hello, Rico."

"You staying over, again?" He tilted his head.

"Yes-"

"Rico, who is at the door?" Mrs. Martinez yelled from the living room.

"Mil."

"Who!"

"MIL!"

Milton laughed lightly at his nickname while poking his head into the house.

"Hello, Mrs. Martinez."

"Hi, Milton. Rico, pants now. Come in."

Milton stepped in the house and closed the door behind him. He slipped off his sneakers slowly.

The TV was on, while Maria jumped up and down in front of it. Mrs. Martinez sat on the couch with little Mateo, who contently played with his mother dark hair. Rico pulled on his pants as he ran to join his sister in front of the TV. Milton checked his watch, it was a quarter till nine.

"Hey, who wants Mil to read them a bedtime story?" Milton asked.

Both stopped and ran to him, "say goodnight to your mom."

"Buenas noches, mama!" They screamed simultaneously.

"Night night." She smiled at the three.

Milton walked them upstairs and put them in bed.

"Milton, why won't you go home?"

"Rico! That's not nice."

"No, it's fine."

Milton was in the middle of his scientific version of Snow White.

"I can't go home right now."

"Why?"

"It's a secret."

"I can keep a secret. Ask Lucas or Gino or-"

"Okay, Rico, okay."

Both sat up in their beds.

"I'm on a mission to save the moon."

"Really?!" Rico believed.

"No, you aren't." Maria was skeptical.

"Yes he is." Jerry stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Where's your rocket?" Maria asked.

"At my school."

"Maria, he is. He's going to save the moon. We know a astronauta!"

"I show you later, but for now you have to sleep."

"Okay!" Rico exclaimed while throwing the covers over his head.

Maria shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Goodnight."

When Milton turned, Jerry was gone. He sauntered to his room silently. He opened the door to find him sitting on his bed.

"When are you going home?"

He was taken back slightly by his question.

"I honestly don't know."

Jerry was silent for long time. He stared at the floor hard.

"I called your mom today."

Milton went silent.

"I told her... I knew. She panicked and starting threatening me. Then I told her that if she didn't handle him, I was going to go the police."

Tear fell freely down Milton's cheeks, but he remained silent.

"She's here now."

Milton turned to leave, his heart dropping to his stomach and jumping up into his throat.

"Milton, I know you're mad, but nothing good ever came from hiding. The Wasabi code taught me that. It taught us that"

Milton smiled at him through his tears.

At that moment, he was a peace.

Happy Holidays!

Hope you all doing well.

Got a job, so I haven't had nearly enough time to update as I wanted. But, please Review, Favorite, and Follow. Even, if you don't like it.

All constructive criticism is welcome.

I wanted to have a whole chapter just for Milton. I feel like I have been neglecting him.

Young Volcanoes by theScribblerWP made me cry, laugh and secretly wish I had the ability to write that well. You will be missed. :'(

Well, bye, lovelies.

- Angel