It was another perfectly chaotic day in Danville, courtesy of Milo Murphy and his ever-present Murphy's Law. The school bell had just rung, signaling the start of lunch, and Milo, Zack, and Melissa were making their way to their usual table—well, after narrowly dodging a collapsing bulletin board, a rogue janitor's cart, and an inexplicable flock of pigeons that had somehow entered the cafeteria.

Milo, as always, took it in stride. "You know, that's actually the second time this week a bird has tried to steal my sandwich," he mused as he unwrapped his peanut butter and pickle combo.

Melissa just shook her head with a fond smile. "I'd be worried if that wasn't normal for you."

As they all sat down, Milo couldn't help but notice something. Zack and Melissa had been sitting very close lately—like, closer than usual. Zack had leaned in when talking to her, and when she laughed at one of his jokes, she had playfully nudged his arm. At one point, he even instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders when a stray meatball rolled too close to them.

Milo wasn't oblivious. If anything, he was great at noticing patterns, and the pattern here was clear: Zack had a crush on Melissa.

So, later that day, as they were walking home—after narrowly avoiding a sinkhole that opened exactly where they had been standing two seconds ago—Milo decided to bring it up.

"Hey, Zack," he said casually.

"Yeah?" Zack replied, kicking a small rock along the sidewalk.

"I've noticed you and Melissa have been spending a lot of time together. Sitting close. Hugging," Milo said in his usual cheerful tone. "You like her, don't you?"

Zack nearly tripped over his own feet. "Wha—what? No! I mean—what?"

Milo just smiled knowingly. "Zack, I've survived countless disasters, but even I couldn't miss how obvious it is."

Zack rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "Okay, maybe I do. A little. A lot. But… it's Melissa! She's been your best friend forever. I don't want to mess anything up."

Milo stopped and placed a reassuring hand on Zack's shoulder. "Zack, Melissa is amazing. She's smart, tough, and honestly the reason I'm still in one piece most of the time." He laughed. "But if you like her, you should tell her. I think she might like you, too."

Zack's eyes widened. "You think so?"

"I know so," Milo said with confidence. "And even if she doesn't feel the same way—though I really doubt that—you guys will still be friends. Melissa wouldn't let anything change that."

Zack took a deep breath. "Okay. I'll think about it."

Milo grinned. "Great! Now let's hurry up before that storm cloud over there turns into a—"

Before he could finish, a sudden gust of wind knocked over a street sign, sending it tumbling toward them. They barely managed to jump out of the way before it crashed onto the sidewalk.

"—tornado," Milo finished, as if nothing had happened.

Zack shook his head with a chuckle. "I have no idea how you stay so calm."

"It's all part of the adventure," Milo said, beaming. "Now, let's go find Melissa. You've got some talking to do."