Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN

Starlet

I was risking everything by sitting in that janitor’s closet with Milo. I didn’t even know why I’d done it. If anything, I should’ve reported his inappropriate actions to the front office and had them discipline him. Yet something in my gut didn’t want him to be seen in that fashion. I didn’t know him, but I felt it was my job to protect him. To help him get through whatever he was dealing with.

Plus, the hurt in his eyes…

What are you doing, Star?

My whole future was being jeopardized, everything I’d worked toward, for a mere stranger. If I were caught in the broom closet with this guy, it’d be the end of any part of me that wanted to be a teacher. My dreams would be tarnished within a moment’s time due to a rushed decision to shove Milo into a closet.

What happened to him? I knew he was a lot, and I knew he had a handful of pain based on his brownish greens, but that day felt different. Especially with the few clues I’d received about him mentioning his father’s drinking. Was he in a safe situation? What struggles did he face alone, and why was he using drugs to push those struggles down?

I texted Mr. Sloan that a personal situation had arisen and that I wouldn’t be able to make it to class that afternoon. Another bad decision. What was it with me making bad choices when it came to being around Milo Corti?

Stupid, stupid girl.

Hours passed as I gave Milo water to sip, and when he was good enough to sit up straight, I offered him a half grin. “You’re going to be okay,” I swore to him, hoping I wasn’t making myself a liar.

His hand pressed to his forehead, and then he raked it through his hair. “Yeah, all right.”

“I should get going before someone heads in here. You can leave a bit after me if that works?”

He nodded.

Before I stood, I placed a hand against his knee. “Milo, I know you don’t want to talk, and that’s fine. I’m not going to ask you or make you. But you do need to talk to someone soon. Confide in them because whatever scars you’re carrying around with you, they aren’t healing. They’re raw and messy and harming you in all those different ways, and you don’t deserve that.”

“What if I don’t deserve to heal?”

“Everyone deserves to heal. Especially you.” I slightly squeezed his knee before I stood and smoothed my hands over my pantsuit.

“Hey, Teach?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this, all right?”

“Of course not.”

“I mean it. I don’t need the principal to know about this situation. It would ruin everything for me.”

I smiled. “What, do you want my pinky or something?” I mocked how he’d asked me that same thing weeks prior.

The corner of Milo’s mouth twitched up.

He almost smiled.

That made me breathe a bit easier, thinking he’d be okay.

As I left the janitor’s closet, I rounded the corner and ran into Principal Gallo, which sent a wave of anxiety coursing through my system. I tried my best not to showcase said panic.

“Ms. Evans, there you are. I’ve been looking for you,” he said as he approached me. “I wanted to talk to you about Milo. Can we go to my office for a bit?”

I swallowed hard, wanting to run away from the confrontation I was about to find myself in. My mind began thinking of ways to express my deepest apologies for what had gone on. That had to be why he was calling me into his office, right? Because he knew what had gone down with Milo that afternoon. There was no other reason. Especially with his somber expression.

We walked to his office, and he shut the door behind him. He gestured to the empty chair in front of me, inviting me to take a seat. I did as he requested.

Principal Gallo sat in his chair, swiveled a bit, and then paused his movements. “How are you, Starlet? How are things going with Milo?”

I wasn’t sure if it was a trap he was trying to get me to walk into. “Good, good. He’s been getting his work in, and I believe our study sessions have been going well.”

“Good. Yes. Wonderful. I’ve spoken with a few of his teachers, and they said they’ve received old assignments, and he’s been showing up to class.”

Except for today.

Then again, I didn’t show up, either.

I remained quiet, not quite sure what I was supposed to say to him.

He smiled before a weighted sigh fell from him. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sorry, Starlet, can we just be real for a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Milo is my nephew, so this situation is quite personal.”

Oh.

Well.

That added a few missing pieces to Principal Gallo’s and Milo’s puzzle.

“Don’t get me wrong, I care about all of my students, but Milo has been through a lot over the past year, so I worry about his well-being. So if he gives you trouble at any point, please let me know. The last thing I want is to add any stress to your life. I should’ve written you about missing today’s appointment with him, too, seeing how it’s the first anniversary of his mother’s passing today, my sister Ana.”

There it was.

The reason for Milo’s spiral.

My stomach knotted up as my heart somewhat shattered for him. I knew how hard that had to be for Milo. I wished I hadn’t known, but I did.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Principal Gallo.”

His eyes flashed with the same emotions as his nephew’s had in the janitor’s closet. It amazed me how different individuals could hurt, and the sadness still appeared the same in their eyes.

“Thank you,” he muttered. Principal Gallo cleared his throat and clasped his hands together, shaking off his feelings. He sat straighter. “I know Milo’s a hard one to crack, but he wasn’t always so tough and cold. I do believe that beneath his harsh exterior still lives that sweet, kind boy who misses his mother.”

“I won’t stop tutoring him, Principal Gallo. Now that I know these things, I can tackle the situation from a different angle and make sure I’m making his life easier, not harder. I lost my mother, too, so I know how challenging that can be.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, too, Starlet.”

I nodded. “It’s been a few years now, so I’m okay.”

“I’m learning that time passing doesn’t make it easier. Sometimes it just makes the grief quieter.”

That was the truest thing I’d ever heard.

“I’ll update you on how everything is going,” I promised him.

“Please do. Day or night. Please.”

Principal Gallo truly cared about Milo. I could see it in his eyes. It pained him to see his nephew struggling so much.

I nodded and stood. “Thanks again for meeting with me.”

He stood, too. “Of course. Thank you, Starlet. Have a good afternoon.”

I started walking off but paused and looked back at Principal Gallo. “I do have a question. Milo mentioned a letter…is that something I should know about?”

Principal Gallo blew out a sharp breath. “His mother left him a letter. I’m supposed to give it to him on his graduation day. I told him he has to attend every tutoring session and graduate in order to receive the letter.”

“Thank you for explaining that,” I said.

“Of course. Have a good afternoon.”

After the meeting with Principal Gallo, I headed back to the janitor’s closet to check and make sure that Milo was all right. When I opened the door, a slight ting hit my stomach.

He was gone.

***

Starlet: Okay?

I shouldn’t have texted him that night, but for the past few hours, all I could think about was Milo. I could hardly focus on my studies because he kept popping up in my mind. Whitney was at her night class, which worked out well for me because if she had been in our room, she would’ve instantly known something was wrong.

I had no poker face. Every emotion, both good and bad, I ever felt was shown against my expressions. I got that trait from my mother. You always knew what she felt once you looked at her. Dad said it was the easiest guide to knowing when he’d messed up.

I stared at my phone for the longest time, seeing no reply.

My mind began to spiral. What if something bad happened to him?

What if he used more after leaving that closet?

What if he needed real help, and I made the bad decision of not reporting him to the principal?

I swam in a pool of guilt until I received a text message from him around eleven o’clock.

Milo: Okay.

I exhaled deeply for what felt like the first time that night.

Okay.