The End

Chapter 5

The two boys chatted some, and Milo cleared up many things about Smith's state, answering question after question.

"So, to clarify, you've lied a ton and now we have to pretend like we have a project to work on together?" Smith stared at Milo with no particular emotion, awaiting yet another answer.

Milo, however, looked queasy and uncomfortable, sitting on Smith's bed so gingerly. Everything about his being there felt like he was intruding.

"Uh. I- I- mean when you put it that way, I suppose-" Milo squeamishly attempted to make it sound better than it did, but there was no way to do it.

"I'm not mad." Smith said each word with the same inflection. Milo didn't have a hard time believing him, it didn't seem like he could even get mad, or happy, or sad for that matter.

"Are you sure? I feel really bad about all this." Milo's palms started sweating as he dodged Smith's intent gaze.

"No, I'm sure. You're not solely at fault here, I played a part in this too. I shouldn't have followed you." Smith said all of this without blinking and Milo wasn't sure if he should be more or less scared. Milo knew Smith was trying to be comforting, but there was something about the way he said things that just didn't get that across.

"Can I ask you a question, now?" Milo looked away from Smith again, not because of discomfort this time, but out of shyness.

"Yes." Blunt, simple, of course. What was Milo expecting? Milo realized he had no reason to be so nervous around Smith, because he took everything with the same expression. Even if he did upset Smith, he wouldn't see it on his face. Smith sat looking at Milo waiting for his question so patiently. Milo wondered what it was he was thinking about, or if he was thinking at all.

"Uh. I don't mean to make things awkward, or at least more awkward than they already are, I guess I can't really make it awkward now if it was already awkward." Milo chuckled nervously and looked back up at Smith who had the faintest smile on his face, which was oddly comforting. "Why did you follow me home?"

Smith's ears twitched and his jaw clenched a bit. "Actually I'm still not sure, I was hoping you'd know."

"Oh right, sorry I forgot you might not remember everything," Milo fidgeted, there was something else that was making him nervous. It wasn't the situation, it wasn't Smith himself. No, maybe it was Smith. Well whatever is what Milo didn't have the time to analyze his feelings now.

"No. I remember, I just-" and then Smith stopped, looking upward, as if he were literally looking for words in the air. "Something doesn't feel right. I thought you might have felt it too."

"Oh." So he can feel, Milo thought.

___

Tanner Prakash was at his place of residence, he called it that rather than home. His father lived there as well, but he wouldn't have called it home either. Tanner sat in his room listening to the rummage of his father outside his door. He was drunk, again, and Tanner was hiding in his closet.

"Come on Tannaboo," Tanner winced. That was a nickname he used to cherish, but now despised since his father started using it. "Come ON. GET OUT HERE RIGHT NOW." There was clashing from the kitchen. Tanner didn't dare move from his spot in the closet. He moved various clothing items over his body to disguise himself, hoping that his father was drunk enough to believe he was gone.

The door handle to Tanner's room twisted slowly as his father attempted to open it. Tanner closed his eyes and smiled, trying to escape the moment.

The door swung open with a crash as Tanner's father poured his drunkenness into the room. "Gotcha! Oh, where are you?" He laughed and stumbled. Tanner heard things breaking, but he just kept smiling. Tears rolled down his face as he awaited the opening of his last defense: his closet door. His silent cry was enough to ward away his father for the time being as he left Tanner alone in the room.

Tanner lived like this daily, but recently his father had been getting worse. Tanner didn't know what to do anymore, but he knew he couldn't ask for help. People, especially Milo offered, but he always had to refuse. It was his duty to bear it, which Milo disagreed with.

Milo and Tanner had a similar backstory, which helped them understand each other. Milo, at least Tanner thought, was really good at running away from his problems. It wasn't in Tanner's nature to run, he couldn't bring himself to, but he didn't exactly face his problems either. Instead, he hid from them, as he did in that moment. Sitting alone in his closet, crying, waiting for the storm to pass. It never did.

Tanner heard a knock on the front door and instinctively held his breath. He wasn't ready to deal with strangers today and he assumed it'd be better if they didn't ask why his eyes and face were red. Something made him want to look out into the living room, something that was stronger than his fear. He heard his father answer the door and the voice that responded told Tanner why.

It was his brother, Tucker.

Tucker ran away years ago, leaving everything behind, including Tanner. The last thing Tanner remembered hearing him say was "you'll never see my face again". It was so clear, he could hear him through the whole house. Tucker reminded Tanner a lot of Milo, bold and brave, able to take action. Except he'd never admit it, cause even in his desperation to see his brother again, he hated Tucker.

Tanner was a pacifist, a soft kind soul who couldn't utter a bad word against anyone, not even his torturous father. But Tucker committed such a horrendous crime in Tanner's eyes that he could genuinely say he hated him.

Their father had always been an alcoholic. Tucker and Tanner grew up in that house together. Tucker had faint memories of their mother, who he said was caring and loving, and he would tell Tanner stories of her to help him fall asleep when their father was screaming. But one night Tucker got in a fight with their father. Tanner didn't remember all that was said, but he had vivid memory of the blood he had to clean up after, and of Tucker's empty room he had to clean out. Tucker left everything. Tanner couldn't forgive him for that.

He was crying again, but for a different reason now. Tanner realized that his brother was probably long gone by now. He couldn't imagine that he came for dinner. But as soon as he thought that he heard a clash of glass breaking in the kitchen.

Tanner was forced into a flashback of the night Tucker left.

It started similarly. Glass shattering in the kitchen. Their father had asked for a beer and Tucker smashed it to the ground. He yelled but Tanner didn't hear any words, he just watched Tucker's mouth move. Their father got up from the table and swung at Tucker, he swung back. Tucker stepped on the shards of glass he created and screamed in pain. His face was swollen up, and blood fell from his nose and mouth, falling on the whole linoleum floor. Tucker turned and bolted to the front door, just before he left he turned back and said "you'll never see my face again".

Tanner snapped out of his vision and realized he had stood up and exited the closet. He had flashbacks to that night often, but never as clear as that one was. Shivers ran up his spine as he went to open the door to his room. However, before he got there the door handle moved itself. The door opened and Tucker was standing in the doorway.

"Hi Tanner."