Chances Are

Chapter 9 A New Friendship Formed

The next few days went by in a flurry as Milton and Kristina never had the chance to see each other again. One day, Kristina finally took matters in to her own hands as she found Milton in the library with John Dylan. The two best friends were doing a project when Kristina approached them. "Hi Milt? How are you?" John Dylan spoke first but this time his tone was a little friendlier than the last time. "I know you and Milton have developed a special bond over the last few days before Milton got back to school. Do you want me to leave for a little bit so that you two can talk?" Milton was surprised by John Dylan's sudden change in tune towards Kristina. He then realized that JD was really a good friend because he was willing to step aside to give him what he truly needed. "You don't have to go anywhere JD, if Kristina and I are really becoming friends. Then you're now part of that friendship." "Of course you are JD, I just came here to invite you guys to meet outside of school. It has been really tough trying to see you when everyone in my clique is watching my every move." "Yeah being the queen bee really has its downsides." Milton jokingly said. Then the three budding friends decided to see each other in one of the secluded parks outside the city.

Kristina, Milton and John Dylan met at Durham Park the next afternoon. The park was just outside the city that they could hangout without anyone they knew seeing them. Kristina felt a little guilty that she was hiding their friendship but she also knew that it was easier this way. Meanwhile Milton and JD just felt happy that they could be with a new friend. They really were the kind of people to accept anyone without any judgment or malice. At first Kristina was having a hard time trying to see eye to eye with the interests that Milton and JD shared. But as soon as she let go and just went with the flow, she realized that the things the two young men loved were also things that she could be interested in. The two young men shared their love for Harry Potter to Kristina and helped her see the beauty and imagination of the wizarding world. They geeked out about the Harry Potter universe and its escapist nature until Kristina learned to love it as well. She even surprised herself with how much she became invested in their interests. Slowly she began to open her eyes to the things that mattered more than just the superficial things she used to spend all her time with. Aside from Harry Potter and other geeky things that they'd usually talk about, the trio was also able to share their ideas about the world and their place in it. As she got to know them, she became more and more impressed by the amount of depth the two young men had; completely different from the other boys she used to hang out with.

They saw each other periodically over the next few weeks and Kristina learned so much from the friendship that Milton and JD shared with her. She immediately saw the difference between her friendship with Milton and JD compared to her other 'popular' friends. The friendship that was forming between the three of them seemed deeper and more real than the shallow nature of her friendship with the populars. She never admitted it to herself, but she knew that she hated what she was when she wasn't with them. Slowly she began despising the popular friends she hung out with and would count the hours and the minutes until she could once again be with the two remarkable young men that she was becoming so attached to. They had secret names on each other's phones and would communicate with each other constantly with a secret language that only the three of them could understand. She realized that as soon as she was able to tap into her geekdom, she would be so invested with so many of the similar things that the two young men were interested in. But beyond all that, she realized that being with the right people was far more important than being with the 'popular' people.

When Kristina came to the library to meet them that faithful Friday, Milton had no idea the level of friendship that would form between the three of them. Milton understood Kristina's sincerity, but he had no way to anticipate that John Dylan would be so on board with his friendship with Kristina. Day by day JD would always surprise him of how good and true of a friend he really was to Milton. At first it was a little awkward that the three of them were hanging out as it was Milton and Kristina that really bonded when he was still at the hospital. But in due time the three of them developed a quick friendship that made him so happy that he now has two friends by his side. Kristina impressed the two so much because of the level of geekdom that he was able to absorb in such a short amount of time. Milton's first impression of Kristina many weeks ago when they bumped to each other was farther from the truth. She wasn't the shallow airhead that he thought she was; in fact he realized quickly that she had layers to her that surprised him every day that they were together. As he got to know her more and more everyday they were together, he became more impressed by her patience and enthusiasm to be more than just the pretty queen bee. JD meanwhile just felt lucky that he was able to spend as much time with his best friend and the new girl that came to their lives. He also didn't know what to expect when she inserted herself to their duo, but he was nevertheless grateful that he was included and was equally part of the friendship.

Even Kristina's father was noticing her improvement and felt so happy that she was no longer spending all her time on those vapid populars that provided no substance. He also noticed that she was gaining a deeper appreciation on all the things that she forgot about once she became one of the populars. In his mind, his daughter was finally returning to the thoughtful, appreciative and precocious little princess that he loved dearly. So he encouraged his daughter to continue to see the young men that was having such a good influence on her. He even told her that they could hang out at his house whenever they want.

When Milton was released from the hospital, a lot of things changed in the dynamics of his home life. No longer was he forced to be the 'servant' of the house. He didn't have a curfew anymore and he was able to come and go as he pleased. Denise was even very civil with him and didn't flinch when he called her mom. This infuriated Jean so much because she was jealous of the attention that her brother was now receiving, when she thought that all the attention should still be on her. She hated the fact that she could no longer openly show her true colors towards Milton as she knew she no longer had any allies when it comes to her hatred towards him. Matthew was the biggest culprit when it came to Jean's jealousy towards Milton, as Matthew showered him with love and attention unabashedly then after. In her own selfish mind, she still wanted to make his brother's life miserable and was thinking of ways to do so when one evening, she accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation her parents were having. "Matt love, I'm so happy that Milton is okay as I felt guilty about all the things I put that boy through." "I know love, I'm just so thankful that we can let go of all the negativity that plagued this house when you were still so against that boy that came to our lives all those many years ago." "Yes I had such a hard time accepting him because he wasn't my own flesh and blood but seeing him suffer in the hospital for so long forced me to have a change of heart, now I truly feel like Milton is my son." "I'm so happy to hear that from you love, he may not be our own flesh and blood, but he is our son now and we have to do everything in our power to keep it that way." "I understand you now and I'm so sorry for all those years I made life miserable for you and Milton." Matthew then just kissed his wife on the lips as the conniving Jean fell a few steps away from her parents' door, clearly taken aback by this new information. This was it, she thought. This was the smoking gun that would clearly ruin Milton's life and blow away the proverbial house of cards in which he was hanging on to by a precarious thread. As soon as she went back to her room, she immediately thought of ways to tell him this new information in the most painful and devastating of ways.