CHAPTER 3

Bart POV

My alarm clock went off. I groaned. My head pounded. I sit up.

Oh no. I have to see Milhouse today.

What is wrong with me?

Why do I care?

I stand up. I put on a white t shirt and an open grey flannel and black jeans. I walk downstairs.

"Morning, sweetie." Mom said brightly.

"Morning." I grumbled.

When I got to school, I wanted nelson to shove me in a locker.

Bang!

My books were on the ground. I look up. Milhouse. I blush. Huh?

"Oh, sorry, Bart." Milhouse says. I pick up my book.

"Um." I say rubbing the back of my neck.

"Oh, uh…" Milhouse said. Then the bell rang.

Saved by the bell

I walked off quickly to my first class and for once I was early.

The whole class I was nervous about seeing Milhouse.

Nervous? Me? Im never nervous. What is going on with me?

I was pulled from my thoughts by a teacher calling my name.

"Bart Simpson!" The teacher called out.

"Y…yes?" Bart asked.

The teacher asked me a question i couldn't answer as usual.

When the bell rang for break, i wanted to go home and hide under my blanket.

I ran before anyone could see me and hid in the bathroom.

Milhouse POV

Bart was acting strange again this morning. Yesterday, i figured he was just mad i was late cause i was with someone else. But i still haven't figured out why that would bother him. And why woukd he still acting strange this morning? I'm just going to try talking to him at break. Yeah.

~break~

I look around the cafeteria but no Bart. Where is he? I look at the table he usually sits at. Nope. Sometimes he sits by Nelson! Nope. I walk up to him, "Hey, Nelson, have you seen Bart?"

"No." He says.

I awkwardly walk away. I sees Lisa.

Ok, I'll ask her if she has seen Bart.

"Hi, Lisa." I say.

"Hello, Milhouse." She says kinda frustratedly.

She probably thinks i'm going to try to ask her out or get her attention.

That hadn't even occurred to me.

"Um, do you know where Bart is?"

"No. That's not like him." Her eyebrows furrow.

"Is…is he ok?" I ask. "Did he seem weird yesterday?"

"Kinda. I'll check on him after school. Do you want me to tell him anything?"

"Just tell him I'm sorry if I did anything to upset him. Ok, bye." I started to turn away.

"Wait, Milhouse." She called out. "You're welcome to join me but don't take it the wrong way. I still don't like you in that way." She said quickly. "Just to be clear."

"Thanks." I say sitting down.

Lisa tells me about the new movie she wants to see and other things.

"I lost Puppy goo-goo again." I said.

"You still have Puppy goo-goo?" Lisa asked.

"Uh." I rubbed the back of my neck.

I didn't see Bart the whole day, on Mondays, I don't have any classes with him so I see him even less. As I walk out the school, I see both my parents' cars in the parking.

Oh no.

"Get in the car, Milhouse." Mom said sweetly.

"No, come here, Milhouse." Dad said.

Ugh

I don't know what to do.

"Um."

"Milhouse, I'll buy you ice cream." Dad said.

"He's not a baby, Kirk!" Mom said.

I go with mom. I sit in the back. I don't feel like talking to her right now.

How could they do this to me?

Why am I just an object to them to use against each other.

I'm their son. A person.

I don't mean anything. To anyone.

Not my parents. Not my best friend.

Does anyone care?

Mom and dad argue in their room again. The doorbell rings, they probably don't hear it over their voices. I open the door. No ones there. But on the porch is Puppy Goo-Goo. So maybe someone does care.

Who found puppy goo-goo?

I see a small piece of paper attached to it.

Hey, look who I found

That's Bart's handwriting!

Thanks, Bart. I smile.

Bart POV

Ugh, today sucked. I'm late at school cause I have detention again. I can't even remember why.

It's finally time to go home. I open my locker.

Huh?

Why is that here?

I pick up Puppy Goo-Goo.

Puppy Goo-Goo. Milhouse's beloved dog plushie. He still has it, which some people think is weird. Usually I would but I think it's quite cute.

Cute?

Did I just think of Milhouse as cute?

What?

I stop my thoughts before I have a meltdown. (which are often caused by Homer)

I stop by Milhouse's and put Puppy Goo-goo on the porch and ring the doorbell. I run and hide. I can't look at Milhouse right now.

I go home.

"Hi, sweetie." Mom says sweetly as I walk in the door.

"Hey, mom."

I lay down on my bed. I put my hands over my face. I sigh.

Lisa walks in.

"Hey, Bart." She says.

I sit up. "Hi."

"Bart is everything okay?"

"Yeah, why?" I say.

"Milhouse asked me about you today."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he wanted to know if you were ok and that he's sorry if he upset you."

"Hmm." I hummed.

"Bart, just tell me, please. I can tell when something's up."

"Fine. Well, uh, Milhouse and I were supposed to hang out yesterday. I waited in the treehouse for like an hour and then I called him. And he was…with a…girl. Samatha." I said reluctantly.

"And then when he got here, I kinda got mad and told him to leave. And today, I hid and felt bad and then thought of him as cute. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"Bart, there's nothing wrong with you. Just try talking to him. Maybe you just want attention from Milhouse." Lisa suggested.

"Maybe, uh, yeah probably." I say. "Thanks, Lise."

The next day, I feel better. I need to talk to Milhouse.

I get to school and see him standing by his locker. "Hey milhouse."

"Hi, Bart."

"Sorry I got upset the other day. I shouldn't have acted like that. I guess I didn't like that you were hanging out with someone else. But that's wrong, you should have other friends too. Or a girlfriend." I gulped.

Why did the idea of a girlfriend make me feel weird. Maybe this is what it feels like to want a girlfriend.

"Hey, you said sorry, not soggy. Thank you, Bart. I forgive you."

We stood there awkwardly for a few moments before Samantha walked up to us.

"Hey, Milhouse, today's my first day."

"Hi, Samantha." Milhouse said.

"Oh, hello, Bart." She said.

"Hello." I said with my teeth gritted.

I felt like I was invading their conversation so I wandered off. I bumped into a girl.

"Oh, oops." I said. "Here," I said handing her her books.

"Thank you, I'm Mary Spuckler." She said extending her hand.

"Bart Simpson." I shook her hand.

"How would you like to be friends, Bart Simpson?" She asked.

"Sure." I said.