Hero's Call

Chapter Twelve

Milo was worried about the rumors that would spread around the school when word of Devon's injuries spread around and everyone noticed Milo was also conspicuously missing as well. Bill had informed him that the other students were, in fact, spreading a rumor that the two boys had gotten into a fight and Milo had been the one to run Devon down the a car and put him through the Culpepper's house. It was eerie just how close the rumor was, but Milo played it down without a second thought. He told Bill that he hadn't seen Devon once since the day at school when Milo had gotten Devon suspended with his tape recorder scheme.

The only other news Bill could provide was about Calliope herself. It seemed she had been fairly distant toward him since Milo had left. He rarely saw her even though their lockers were only a few feet apart, and one or two days she had shown up late to school looking a bit flustered and a little terrified. Cali wouldn't tell Bill why she had shown up late, but he knew it had to be serious. Cali wasn't late to school for anything. Milo and Bill had joked that she would still show up early for school even if it was on fire. When Bill had told him that, Milo couldn't help but be concerned for his friend. They both worried that Cali's parents were on the verge of divorce and their split was taking its toll on their daughter. They weren't exactly the happiest couple in the world, so Milo wasn't going to be surprised if that was the case. He had tried emailing her a few times before he'd got that news from Bill, and only received replies that consisted of a few half hearted words that yielded no real conversation. Initially Milo had thought she was buying into the room about him and Devon and she was really mad at him. But when he thought about the alternative, it seemed much more plausible.

Milo had just finished typing up and sending an email to Bill about doing something special for Cali when he came back to school when a knock came at his door. Without waiting for Milo's reply, his mother opened the door and stepped into his room, closing the door quietly behind her.

"What's up, mom?" asked Milo. Brook had moved to the bed and faced him, a look of pitying knowledge on her face. It was the kind of look she gave him when she'd caught him in a lie and was going to call him out. Milo's heart jumped into his throat. He'd admit that he wasn't sick, but he sincerely hoped she wouldn't ask him about why he'd been faking sick. He'd do his best to avoid the topic, he decided.

"How long have you been home with me, Milo?" she asked him. Her voice was calm and collected with a hint of sympathy.

Milo thought for a moment. He was trying to affect an air of casualness that he didn't feel. He knew exactly how long he'd been trapped in that room. He had practically been counting the seconds.

"A couple days," he shrugged. "I've kind of lost count. I'm feeling better though. I could probably head back on Monday."

His mother nodded slowly. "That's good. I'm glad you're getting back to normal."

She looked at him expectantly, and he knew what she was trying to do. It was a tactic she'd used on him many times to great success. All she had to do was sit and look at him with that merciful look in her eyes and he'd crumble, tell her everything she wanted to know. Not this time though. His transgressions went way beyond broken lamps or scratches in his father's car. He'd put a kid in the hospital, almost killed him. That's not something he was willing to just admit freely. It was a real, honest-to-god crime. With his and Devon's history, no one would ever believe it was an accident. Maybe not even his own mother.

"Were you able to keep up with your school work?" asked Milo's mother. Her eyes never moved from him.

"Just one or two more assign..." Milo began, but quickly broke under his mother's gaze. "Fine! You've got me. I've been faking sick. I feel just fine. I could have been in school this whole time. Do whatever you're going to do and stop looking at me like that."