White Space Season 1

his backpack onto the passenger floor. Thanks would have required more kindness from him than he felt, so Milo said, “Why are you here?” instead.
    Beatrice said nothing. Probably pissed because he wasn’t falling all over himself to worship Her Royal Highness for taking time from her busy day of stuffing shopping bags and signing her name to pick him up from school.
    Beatrice put the truck in reverse, then pulled from the parking lot, not checking her mirrors and making Russ Harvey dart out of the way as she backed the BMW from its space. Harvey dropped his bag on the asphalt and scowled at Beatrice, turning his palms to the sky in a what in the hell?
    “Woah, Bea,” Milo said. ”This is school, not the Speedway. Kids everywhere. You wanna watch out?”
    Beatrice said nothing, just stared straight with her eyes on the road.
    Great. Now she’s gonna be a bitch all afternoon.
    Milo figured he’d get the silent treatment for correcting her, like always. Beatrice hated to be corrected, especially in public, which he’d not done. The few times he had, came with a high cost later.
    One time Other Mom and Dad had thrown a dinner party with a few contenders for the crown of Island’s Most Boring. Beatrice told Milo he had to play nice during the meal, even though he’d rather have been playing Grand Theft Auto 6 in his room. He said fine, and was genuinely trying, until midway through the lobster manicotti when Beatrice started mouthing off about the time Milo went on the Timberhawk at Wild Waves and pissed on himself.
    Beatrice loved the story since she had told him to use the bathroom right before they’d started standing in line and Milo refused, not realizing how badly he had to go until the metal bar was locking him in place. The coaster was on its way downhill when the dam burst. The girl beside him screamed and turned to Milo in horror. He asked her what her problem was, even though the problem was soaking his side of the seat too. She called him a pervert and told him he should ask his mommy to buy him some diapers.
    Milo took the story like a sport, mouth full of enough sauce and cheese to hide his scowl. He even let Beatrice make it through all the way to the end. But once she did, he lost it, reading her the riot act across the table, yelling that the story wasn’t appropriate dinner discussion, and that she had no right to embarrass him in front of strangers.
    Beatrice smiled, dabbed linen at the corners of her mouth, then laughed her half-cyborg cackle and told Milo he was right. But once company was gone, she started screaming while his father pretended to scroll through the headlines on his tablet, too preoccupied to notice.
    “I don’t mind being spanked, Milo,” she growled, like a female dog. “But if you ever spank me in public again, I will find new ways to make you sorry.”
    Beatrice didn’t talk to him for two days, not once responding to anything he needed. Like that was supposed to discourage him? He could make his own damn lunch, Fuck you very much.
    But even ignoring him was better than this. Milo didn’t understand the silence beside him, which was creepy more than anything else. Beatrice didn’t seem angry, so much as not quite there. Kind of like yesterday, when he’d come home and was just staring at the TV and then went to the fridge and put food in her purse. Perhaps it was time to adjust one of the many medications she was on.
    Just as well, Milo told himself. If she was being her regular non-bitch mode self, he’d either be listening to crap from the stereo or crap from her mouth. And without some Maroon 5’s Greatest Hits grating his nerves through the speakers, he could sort through the confusion that came with the call from Cody.
    Could Milo trust a guy he didn’t know, saying stuff he wasn’t sure he believed? According to Cody, Milo had no choice. According to Milo, the whole thing was ridiculous conspiracy theory sounding bullshit. What Milo needed was outside perspective.
    He considered calling Alex, but wasn’t sure he was ready to rip the bandage from that particular wound. Every time he thought about Alex, the lump in his throat came back, wondering what he could possibly say.
    Milo started to sweat, trying to keep his mind from Heller’s hand, heading inside the briefcase.
    Heller looked down at his desk, then opened his briefcase with a loud snapping, staring for what felt like eternity. He finally pulled out a pistol. Manny laughed. Amber Riley,