Trusting Milo

V

I N D I G O

Finally lunch time arrived and I met the girls out at the oak tree they told me about. We laid in the grass and they started talking about boys. My heart began hammering in my chest as my mind willfully drifted to Milo. He was so easy to talk to, to be myself around. He made me forget about the hell I call home.

"What's up with you and Jake?," I asked Vera, her eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.

"What?! Nothing!," she shrieked.

I noticed Em roll her eyes as she mouthed 'yeah okay' in my direction. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Ugh, okay so I may have a crush," Vera blurted out.

I snapped my head up to focus my attention on her. She wouldn't tell just anyone that. Maybe we are friends.

"Why don't you tell him? It's clear he likes you too," I stated firmly, remembering the way they acted at Cora's coffee shop.

"What? How would you know that?," she asked as her cheeks began to redden.

"The way he looks at you," I said while shrugging my shoulders as if to say it was so obvious.

"I-I never noticed," she stuttered out. This girl who always oozes with confidence was clearly nervous and I felt like I needed to help encourage her self esteem. Nobody should feel less than what they are, and Vera was a beautiful soul.

"Vera, you're extremely pretty. To add onto it, you have a wonderful personality. Any guy would be lucky to have a girl like you on their arm. And if Jake doesn't think so then he's a total idiot," I smiled at the end of my rant knowing that all of it was the truth.

"Wow... thank you, Indie," she replied, smiling like a kid who just got a cookie.

"Now that we've covered your love dilemma, let's move on to hers," Em stated while pointing at me.

"What?! What l-love dilemma do I have?!," I squeaked out.

"Really?," they both asked in unison.

"Babe... you and Milo," Em said in a 'duh' tone.

I blinked at her a couple of times, trying to convince myself I didn't hear her correctly. And then, I started to laugh. Almost hysterically. There were tears rolling down my cheeks due to how hard I was howling at this point.

When I was done with my moment, I looked up to seeing both girls just stating at me with their mouths hung open.

"Holt shit... you're serious?," I asked, not understanding why they would even think such a thing. Milo is a perfect ten, while I am a pathetic one. And that's being generous on my part with a scale of zero to ten.

"Indie hun, I don't understand. I thought you liked my brother, at least a little..." Vera said, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh no, I do. How could I not? He was created by the Gods themselves. And he's funny, charming, kind--" I stopped when I realized what I was saying out loud.

"So, then why'd you laugh like that? It was almost like the idea was completely absurd?," Em asked, sounding as if she was trying to figure out the answer before I could even tell her.

"Because it is, Em. No guy like Milo would ever want a piece of shit like me," I spat out, the harshness in my voice was beyond evident.

"Oh Indie..."

I didn't want to look at them. Truthfully, I wish I never came to this damn tree. Vera and Em... talking to them, it's like I have no filter. I forget to think before I speak, and eventually it's going to get me in trouble.