Don't Fear the Reaper

Summer Kick-Off

     Milo Belladonna had everything a monster could want. They had money, fame, immortality, a job they loved, adoring fans, and loyal friends- what more could they ask for? However, despite their perfectly curated persona, one thing was missing from their afterlife: love. They had tried the whole online dating thing, and it never really worked out for them. Too often would small talk lead to nowhere, or they'd find out that their prospective partner was secretly an obsessive fan. So, Milo had put their love life on the backburner indefinitely. That was, of course, until they met you.
       The bus to Camp Spooky was hot, crowded, and loud. Milo had arrived fashionably late but managed to secure a seat in the back between the window and their good friend Damien LaVey. Pulling out their phone, Milo saw the perfect moment to take a choice selfie: what better way to kick off summer camp than by capturing the first moments of their journey and sharing it with their adoring fans?
       "Damien, be a dear and look cute for this one- it's going on my main."
       "HRRRGH- kinda hard when you're in a FUCKING headlock!!" The prince of hell replied through gritted teeth as the buff blue demon on his other side tightened her arm around his neck.
       "HAHA AW DAMIEN C'MON," she bellowed, "NOW THAT I'VE DECLARED YOU AS MY RIVAL, YOU NEED TO BE READY FOR MY ATTACKS AT ANY TIME!!!!"
"That's Dahlia for you," Milo thought as they stuck out their tongue and snapped the pic. This summer was going to be nothing if not interesting, that was for sure. Milo sighed, putting in their earbuds and scanning the bus for a distraction from the uncouth ass-kicking that was starting to jostle them and make it hard to live-tweet the bus ride. That's when their eyes landed on a group of monsters a couple rows up who seemed to be having an animated conversation.
       "Okay, okay, I think we can agree to disagree on that one," A tall-looking zombie guy butted in, trying to diffuse the argument that was going on.
       "Right. Anyways! Next question:" A Frankenstein's Monster girl with a bubbly disposition continued, apparently reading something off a list on her phone. "If you could only listen to one genre of music forever, what would it be?"
Milo watched passively as the group went around, sharing their answers. Lo-fi, Metal, 8-bit, and Jazz. Wait, Jazz? Milo loved jazz! There was just something about the fluidity and freedom of expression that spoke to their stylish and passionate soul. Milo jumped on the chance to talk to another monster with such a refined palette as theirs. They stood up, slid out of the crowded and rowdy corner, and walked over to the group.
You and your friends were passing the time on the bus ride to camp spooky by answering dumb icebreaker questions that Vicky found on a sketchy Buzzfeed knock-off. After a particularly heated discussion in which she and Amira went toe-to-toe on what the best book to bring to a deserted island would be, you all moved onto the topic of your favorite genre of music. It was as you were talking that you felt one of your phobias tap your shoulder.
     Looking over, you were greeted by a lean-bodied chest with a glowing pink heart in the center of a tattooed rib cage. An open button-down shirt and golden scythe necklace adorned the view you were taking in, as your eyes drifted up to the monster in front of you. You recognized them, as the two of you had shared an art history class this past year in spooky high. Their name was Milo Belladonna, and they were one of the most aesthetically pleasing monsters you had ever met. You were crushing hard from the first day of class, but you never quite worked up the confidence to ask them to hang out. Before you knew it, the school year had ended, and the two of you parted ways. So, the fact that they were approaching you now and even remembered your name was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.
"Oh, you like jazz, Oz? Sorry, I don't mean to butt into your conversation, but it's my favorite as well."
The two of you share a brief back-and-forth about your favorite songs, artists, and aspects of the genre before Milo proposes something to you.
"Anyways, I was just listening to Duke Ellington– would you like to share an earbud and listen with me?"
Huh? Did you hear that right? Did THE Milo Belladonna, one of the most gorgeous, popular, and charismatic monsters in all of spooky high, just invite YOU to sit next to them for the rest of the bus ride? Hell. Yes.
"O-oh! I'd love to!! If you guys are cool with that, that is...." you glance back to your friends, feeling guilty for taking up the chance to ditch them without a second thought. However, they didn't seem to care, giving you an enthusiastic go-ahead. You stood up to follow Milo back to their seat. Amira even gave you a suggestive smile and a wink as you walked by, causing your face to heat up. Apparently, you weren't as secretive about your little crush as you thought you'd been.
Thankfully, Damien had moved seats to avoid Dahlia's tormenting, so there was an open space next to where Milo sat down. However, there still wasn't much room, so you had to sit quite close to the reaper- not like you minded, anyways. As they handed you an earbud, the smooth sounds of jazz filled your ears, and the two of you had quite the relaxing rest of the ride. Once the bus came to a stop and all the campers piled off to get their luggage and find their cabins, Milo stopped you for a second before parting ways.
"Hey, Oz, I had a really nice time just now. It's not often I get to chill with someone and let my guard down like that. If you're free sometime within the next couple of days, let's meet up again, okay?"
You give them an enthusiastic yes and exchange numbers before the two split off to your respective friend groups. It was times like this you were glad you didn't have a mouth, as you were sure the dorkiest smile would be plastered across your face for everyone to see. Nevertheless, you felt a newfound excitement for the upcoming weeks at camp. As you and your friends set off to find where you'd be staying for the next couple of weeks, you couldn't take your mind off Milo. You were beginning to get the feeling that this summer was going to be pretty great.