It was a typical day at Jefferson County Middle School- well, typical for anyone who wasn't Milo Murphy. For Milo, chaos was just part of his entire routine. However, today's chaos wasn't exactly caused by Murphy's Law... this time, it was Zack Underwood.
In Ms. Murawski's classroom, the students were working on a group project when Bradley Nicholson, who had been acting unusually confident lately, decided to make his move on Melissa Chase.
"Hey, Melissa." Bradley said, leaning on her desk with what he thought was a charming grin. "You know, you've got a really... unique way of organizing your notes. Maybe you could, uh... show me sometime? Over lunch?"
Melissa blinked. "My...notes?"
Zack, who was seated a few desks away, froze mid-sentance. His grip on his pencil tightened as his eyes narrowed at Bradley. Milo, who always seemed to sense tension before it exploded, noticed Zack's face turning red. "Uh-oh," Milo mumbled to himself.
Bradley, oblivious to Zack's glare, continued. "I mean, you're probably the smartest person in this class. I'd be lucky to..."
"OH COME ON!" Zack suddenly burst out causing the entire class to turn and stare in his direction.
Melissa's eyes widened. "Zack?"
"Why are you even talking to Bradley? He doesn't even like group project! He thinks graphs are boring! He doesn't even-"
"Woah buddy, Milo said, stepping in between Zack and a very confused Bradley. " Let's keep the 'sudden emotional outburst' meter at a five, okay?"
Zack ignored him. "And besides, Melissa and I always work on the projects together!"
The class fell silent. Everyone stared at Zack. Even Ms. Murawski lowered her cup of chamomile tea, intrigued.
Melissa's faced turned a shade of pink. "Wait... Are you jealous?"
Zack's eyes widened as he realized what came out of his mouth. "What? No! I mean... maybe a little...but...I-"
Milo awkwardly patted Zack on the back. "You know, feelings are totally normal. But maybe we can express them with less yelling and less glaring?"
Bradley raised his hands. "Whoa, man, I was just asking for notes. No need for-"
"Bradley, you're not helping," Milo cut him off.
Melissa, still processing, glanced at Zack. "Wait... Do you actually...like me?"
Zack's face brightened red. "Uhh..I-"
Before he could respond, the classroom door suddenly bursted open and a delivery man rolled in with a large crate labeled "Live Armadillos- Handle With Extreme Caution."
Milo's eyes widened. "Oh no... I forgot I ordered that for biology class."
Within seconds, the crate tipped over and the Armadillos scattered everywhere, sending the students climbing onto desks and running for cover.
"Classic Milo," Zack muttered, relived that the chaos shifted the spotlight away from him.
As students scrambled to catch the Armadillos, Melissa leaned closer to Zack and smiled. "We're...definitely talking about this later."
Zack gulped. "Yeah...Okay." Milo, already trying to herd the armadillos back into the crate, grinned. "See, everything works out in the end!"
Bradley groaned, "I'm never going to understand this group."