Chapter One - I'm Milo
Milo P.O.V -
"That dog was on my bed again." Mum complained as she picked the plates off the table beginning to wash them in the sink.
I glanced towards Buddy who was chewing on a toy oblivious to our conversation. "I keep telling him not to."
"Well it's not working." She mumbled crossing her arms.
"You should just lock your bedroom door." I suggested with a shrug.
"Fine." She sighed before glancing towards the clock. "Anyway it's time you went to school."
I nodded grabbing by rucksack slinging it over my shoulder. "Bye mamma." I gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking towards the door.
"Don't forget your basketball kit!" She calls after me.
I turn and see her holding the bag in her hands. "Thanks." I smile taking it from her and leaving the house.
I began my walk to school reaching the building in just less than ten minutes. The large building bustled with teenagers chatting away to their friends.
"Milo!" I turned when my voice was called to see my friends standing near a pickup truck in the car park.
"Hey guys." I walked over to them a smile on my face.
"I can't believe you missed the party on Saturday." Oliver told me.
"Sorry, I was at my dad's." I shrugged.
"I have to talk to you about something later." Lucy, Oliver's girlfriend and my best friend since preschool, spoke in a cautious tone.
I looked at her confused but nodded anyway. "Sure."
"I'm so excited for the game today." Oliver grinned before beginning a conversation about basketball.
***
"He slept with Connor?" I asked shocked.
"Yeah, sorry Milo." She frowned.
"Nate can do whatever he wants, we're not together anymore." I mumbled the last part.
"I just thought you should know." Lucy smiled weakly.
"Thanks for telling me." I smiled slightly at her.
I broke up with Lucy's cousin, Nate, two weeks ago when I caught him cheating on me. We had been dating for two years and I believed I was in love with him.
"On a lighter note, I met this fit guy at the mall the other day. I could try to find out if he's gay and set you two up on a date." She suggested.
"If he gave you his number then he's probably straight." I informed her.
"He didn't, but he did tell me that he always hangs out with his friends at that bar opposite the bowling alley." She told me.
"How old is this guy?" I questioned confused.
"He's eighteen, but apparently he knows the owner so they serve him alcohol." She shrugged. "He said he can get me drinks if I wanted."
"He sounds pretty straight to me." I said. "Oh and don't tell Oliver about this guy, he'll be furious."
"Obviously, guys hit on me all the time but I always turn them down. There's no point bothering Ollie about it." This made a lot of sense. Lucy was a very attractive girl, probably the hottest girl in our school.
She continued to talk. "His friends were hot, one of them might be gay."
Knowing she wouldn't stop talking I gave up. "When do you want to go?"
"Tonight. I'll pick you up at six." She smiled before turning her attention to the teacher.
"If there isn't one gay guy there tonight I'm going to be pissed." I muttered to her. She just laughed shaking her head.
***
"Let me get this straight." My mum pinched the bridge of her nose, she spoke with a strong accent. "You want me to let you, my seventeen year old son, go to a bar on a school night so you can drink with some guys you have never met."
"Yep." I nodded stroking Buddy's head.
"Be back by twelve, don't get to drunk and have fun bambino." She sighed.
I stood up placing Buddy on the floor. "Thanks mamma you're the best." I hugged her running upstairs to get changed.
Once I was dressed I grabbed my phone which had been on charge along with some money.
"Bye mamma." I kissed her cheek before walking away.
As I closed the door she yelled. "Home at twelve o'clock."
I closed the door to find Lucy already waiting outside in her car. I knocked on the window making her jump before she finally let me into the car.
"You idiot." She slapped my arm. "You scared the life out of me."
"Sorry." I laughed.
She started the engine beginning to drive. "I invited Oliver."
"You did?" I asked while playing with the radio.
"Yeah, I felt guilty keeping this from him so I told him." She told me.
"And his dad is letting him go to a bar?" I spoke confused.
She laughed shaking her head. "Of course not, he's sneaking out."
"His dad will kill him if he finds out." I said amused.
Oliver's dad has very strict rules, I'm not sure if it's because of his parents or because he was in the army. I hardly ever go to Oliver's house mainly because his dad terrifies me. Oliver doesn't like his dad, especially since he shouted and swore at Lucy when he caught them making out in Oliver's room.
We soon arrived walking into the bar. It was slightly dark and my trainers were sticking to the wooden floor.
"I already regret agreeing to this." I muttered as a group of boys around our age turned to look at us.
"Come on it'll be fun. That's my friend over there." She looked over to one of the boys looking at us.
He had blonde hair, blue eyes and he appeared quite tall and muscular. He got up walking over to us with a huge grin.
"Hey." He greeted us.
Lucy wasn't lying this guy was incredibly attractive, probably the best looking guy I've ever seen in person.
"I'll get you both a drink." He walked over to the bar ordering something.
"Oliver is going to be so jealous." I told her.
"You think?" She bit her lip.
"Once he sees how hot he is he'll want to fight him." I answered honestly.
She groaned. "I have to get him drunk so he'll calm down."
The guy walked back from the bar holding out two drinks to us. Lucy took it from him drinking it immediately while I looked at it a bit more hesitantly.
"You're smart not to except drinks from strangers." He took it from me drinking a big gulp. "Does that reassure you?"
"Slightly." I mumbled watching him cautiously while taking my first sip of the drink.
"Well I'm Wyatt." He held out his hand for me to shake.
"I'm Milo." I went to grab his hand but a voice stopped us.
"Wyatt!" One of his friends called, he stood up from the table walking over to us.
I may have thought Wyatt was attractive but he was nothing compared to this guy. This man was easily ten times more attractive than anyone I've seen, this includes those who I've seen online.
"Who are your friends?" His eyes lingered on me before looking towards Wyatt.
"This is Lucy and Milo." He gestured to us. "And this is Lincoln."
"Hey." Lucy smiled at him, I nodded slightly in greeting.
"Hi." He replied his eyes darting between us.
He was about to speak again but my phone began to ring in my pocket, I looked to see that it was Ollie calling me.
"Hello." I answered walking away from Lucy and the two guys.
"Come out back." Was all he said before hanging up.
I sighed pulling the phone away from my ear and stuffing it into my pocket. I walked over to Lucy to find her talking to Wyatt while Lincoln stood their silently.
"I'll be back in a minute." I told Lucy in a quiet voice passing her my drink before making my way out of the bar and round the building.
I heard angered voices and as I turned the corner I saw Oliver arguing with Nate.
"Oliver?" I asked him confused.
"Thank god you're here." Relief washed over his face.
"What's going on?" I took a few more steps forward standing next to Oliver while glaring at Nate.
"I need you to stop me." He told me balling his hands into fists.
"Wha-" I was cut of by the sound of Oliver punching Nate in the jaw.
I grabbed Oliver's shoulder pulling him away and pushing him against the wall slightly. I glance at Nate who was rubbing his chin although he didn't seem to be that effected.
"Let's go." I told Oliver shoving him around the corner. "What was that?"
"You should've heard the things he was saying about you." Oliver spoke through gritted teeth his body tensing up.
"Of course he's going to say things, he's angry about the breakup." I told him calmly although I was slightly mad.
I dragged him into the bar passing him my drink that I had given to Lucy. "Drink it all."
"Punched someone?" Lucy asked annoyed, she was stood next to me her arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes at Oliver. She didn't like the violent streak in her boyfriend.
"Yup." He responded his head drooping down so he was staring at the floor. "Nate."
I could see the fury in her eyes but she wanted to enjoy her night. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."
She hooked her arm around his waist snuggling into his body seemingly already forgetting that he punched her cousin. They walked over to an unoccupied table, Lucy sitting on his lap.
"Your such a third wheel." I heard a familiar voice remark from behind me.
"Nate, you should probably leave." I turned towards him.
He shook his head. "And leave you to get drunk alone, never."
He sat down at the bar patting the seat beside him, I reluctantly walked over sitting beside him.
"Four shots of vodka." He told the bartender.
Nate always got away with buying alcohol because he looked around the right age.
"Do they always ditch you?" He asked looking over to Lucy and Oliver, Lucy now had her head buried in his neck most likely kissing it.
"Well I used to have someone else to talk to." I muttered drinking one of the shots.
"You broke up with me." He scoffed drinking both his shots, one after another.
I looked at him in disbelief. "You cheated on me, I wasn't going to stay with you."
"That's fair enough." He mumbled. He passed me the final shot and I drank it immediately. "Well I'm going to leave."
He sighed standing up and walking out leaving some money to pay for the shots. I watched him leave. When we broke up I thought I would be mad for a long time but I already felt like I was over it. Staying mad would achieve nothing so I should just decide to let it go, although I will never date him again due to a lack of trust.
"Who was that?" Lincoln sat where Nate had been.
"Oh just a guy from school." I told him, it wasn't technically a lie.
"What school do you go to?" He questioned.
"Lakeside high, you?" I replied.
"Eastwood." He answered surprising me.
I knew that Eastwood was a school nearby yet I had never met someone from that school, I had also never head anything about it.
"That school is shrouded in mystery." I laughed slightly.
"I don't know why everyone says it's a secret, it's the same as your school." He watched me amused.
"Apparently all the kids there are super weird." I told him.
"Wow, I'm offended." He held a hand over his heart in mock offence.
I smiled. "If it makes you fell better you don't seem too weird, although you and your friends all seem to be weirdly attractive."
"Why thank you." He mused. "You're quite attractive yourself."
"Quite?" I crossed my arms and arched an eyebrow. "That's all I get."
"Fine, you are incredibly attractive." He corrected. "Happy now?"
"Very." I laughed.
My head was filled with thoughts. If he's willingly calling me attractive then does that mean he's gay? No way would I be so lucky to find the most attractive guy in the world and for him to be gay as well.
"Another drink?" He asked gesturing to the empty drink.
"Yeah thanks." I smiled.
***
We spoke about random topics, TV shows, friends, music, until finally it was almost midnight and it was time for me to go home.
Half way through my conversation with Lincoln I switched to water, I wanted to remember everything about this night and I wouldn't want to embarrass myself.
"So that's how Wyatt dyed his hair pink." He finished telling me a story from his childhood.
I laughed before checking the time on my phone with a frown.
"Sorry, do you want to leave?" He asked slightly sad.
"I don't want to but I promised my mum I would be home by twelve." I confessed.
"Do you have a ride?" I glanced over to Lucy and Oliver who were currently making out with each other.
"Not anymore, but it's not a long walk." I told him.
"I can drive you." He offered.
"Uh, you may seem nice but I'm not getting into a car with a stranger." I spoke cautiously not wanting to offend him.
He nodded slowly. "That's smart, so I guess you won't let me walk you home either?"
I shook my head. "If it makes you feel better then I can text you when I get home."
He had given me his number earlier. He seemed to like this idea as he grinned and nodded in response.
"Okay then bye." I spoke slightly awkward.
"Goodbye." He smiled warmly.
I stood up and walked out of the bar. I stood outside the door for a moment an empty feeling in my chest before sighing and making my way home.
I checked the time before walking in. It was 9 minutes after twelve, my mum's rule is that if you are ten minutes late then that's one day of being grounded and every minute after that is another day.
I stepped in to find my mum watching a movie with her boyfriend, Mark. I only met him two weeks ago but he seemed nice. My mum doesn't usually introduce me to her boyfriends so I know she must really like him.
"Hi Milo." Mark noticed me before my mum, they both looked over to me.
"You're cutting it close." My mum glanced at her watch.
"Yeah sorry, the walk was longer than I thought." I told her.
She nodded. "Did Lucy get home safe?"
"She still there with Oliver." I shrugged.
I pulled my phone from my pocket sending Lincoln a text.
'Hey it's Milo, I'm home so you don't need to worry'Â I stuffed the phone back in pocket looking back to my mum.
"What are you watching?" I asked walking over to them.
"Some stupid rom-com." Mark groaned leaning his head on the back of the couch.
I laughed, mum loved these movies for some reason.
"Shut up, it's almost finished." She slapped his arm with a giggle.
I rolled my eyes at them. "I'm going to go to bed."
They didn't even hear me so I just slipped out of the room making my way up the stairs. I was laying in bed when my phone dinged.
'Okay, goodnight.' Lincoln had simply replied.
"Who's that?" I jumped slightly spotting my mum standing in the doorway.
"Oh just Lucy saying she got home safely." I spoke a bit too quickly.
"I can tell when you're lying." She smiled. "You don't have to tell me who it is, don't worry."
"Thanks." I mumbled placing my phone on the bedside table.
"I just wanted to check you didn't drink to much." She analyzed my face looking for signs that I was drunk.
"I had three then I switched to water, I'm fine mamma I promise." I spoke honestly.
She seemed satisfied with my response. "Goodnight Milo." She smiled.
"Goodnight mamma." I replied.
She switched off the light and closed the door. Soon after I was asleep.