A/N: So unlike most of my Chapter previews, this one starts in the middle of the chapter not the beginning. With this chapter I have felt it has been easier to write the second half first and then go back to the first half. I hope this tides you all over until I can get the full chapter together! 
Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger 😈

"Blaire slow down!" David chuckled as he and the rest of the family struggled to catch up with me. I knew my way around this place so well I could do it blindfolded. I stopped and turned around.
"Sorry, I forget you guys haven't been to Portland before..well I mean you have." I said remembering the last time David and I were in Oregon. It wasn't a happy memory.
"But this is different. This is the saturday market and there is so much cool stuff to see!" I beamed.
"Well, what would you recommend for food? because the pregnant girl is starving." Emma said.
"OH there is this truck that has the best quesadillas!" I said and turned around to start walking and ran right into someone.

The man dropped what was in his arms.
"I am so sorry!" He said as I started helping him pick up what he had. I recognized his voice and looked up at him and the first thing I saw was a pair of big brown eyes, that were magnified by large circle glasses that were almost too big for his face.
"Milo?" I asked.
He looked surprised and then smiled.
"Blaire! How long have you been back in these parts?" He asked.
"Oh, I'm just visiting with my family." I said.

"Whos this?" David asked. Milo stumbled with rolled up parchment in his hands and extended his hand to David.
"Milo Thatch sir." He said.
"David Nolan." David smiled and shook his hand.
"How do you two know each other?" Emma asked.
"Milo was a student teacher at my school, but he taught me more than the actual teacher did." I smiled.
"Oh.. now thats not entirely true I'm sure." Milo laughed nervously.
"It is! Our History teacher got sick and Milo took over in his absence. He made learning history fun and you have got to see the Maps this guy makes!"
"Cartography?" David asked.
"Yes." Milo nodded. "You know map making?"
"I've dabbled." David shrugged.
"We were about to get some food, would you like to join us for lunch?" David asked.

"Oh, I really need to be going." Milo said.
"Just 20 minutes? We need to catch up." I smiled. Milo chuckled.
"I suppose I can spare 20 minutes." Milo said "You can introduce me to your family."
"Yeah." I smiled. "Do you remember where that quesadilla truck is?" I asked.
"Of course!" Milo said. "Follow me."

Emma hung back to walk with me as we followed Milo.
"Something tells me, Mr. Jones is not your first brush with a student teacher relationship." She whispered.
"Can you be any louder?" I hissed.
"Can you avoid the question any more obviously?" Emma asked.
"It was nothing Em. Besides, Milo was a student teacher...Not my actual teacher." I sighed.
"But you said he took your teacher's place and I can tell something happened with you and him."
"It was just a stupid crush, Emma. That's all." It wasn't as simple as that, but nothing in my life was really simple.

Ruby and Will fell back and joined Emma and I
"What are we being secretive about?" Ruby asked.
"Nothing." Blaire sighed. Ruby was the only one of the four of us that didn't know about my relationship with Killian just as well..it was over anyways.
"Nothing is always something." Will conclude. "At least with you."
"Look, theres the truck." I said changing the subject.
"Are you kidding me with that line?" Emma groaned. "This better be the best damn quesadilla I've ever had."
"Well in my experience, long lines mean good food love." Will said.
"Don't call me love." Emma sighed.
"Your hormones are making you mean Em." I said. "And Will is right. Long lines mean good food and trust me. It's worth the wait." I grinned as we caught up with David, Mary-Margaret, and Milo.

"I'm sorry I totally forgot to introduce you guys, Milo, this is my Uncle David, My aunt Mary-Margaret, and my Cousin Emma. And this is my best friend Will, and Emma's best friend Ruby." I said.
"It's nice to meet you all. I have to admit..You..look just like your brother." Milo said and looked at David and smiled nervously.
"We are twins." David smiled. "By the look on your face I'm taking it you've met him."
Milo swallowed hard.
"I..I have." He said.
"But we totally don't have to talk about that." I said. "Look the line is moving." I said. David gave me a look. He knew something was up. I could see it in his eyes. There was a very fierce protectiveness about his stare and I knew, David was about to grill the absolute shit out of Milo.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 years ago Blaire, Age 15


"Absolutely not Blaire." My Dad said as he was making breakfast in the kitchen.
"Why not? Mr. Thatch just wants to take me to the saturday market so I can see about putting some of my art in a gallery over there."
"Because it's inappropriate for you to go anywhere alone with a teacher, Blaire."
"But he's a student teacher." I sighed.
"Who is taking over your actual teacher's class while he is out sick. I said no, now eat your breakfast." Dad said as he put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me.
I grumbled to myself and started eating and then I got an idea.
"What if you came too?" I asked. "The gym is closed for remodeling and it's Saturday so the garage is closed too." I shrugged.
Dad sat down in front of me and sipped his coffee.
"You said it would be inappropriate for me to go alone. So come with us?" I offered.
"I can think of at least a couple hundred things I'd rather do." He said.
"Fine." I mumbled and pushed my eggs around the plate.

Dad sighed heavily.
"You really want to go?" He asked.
I looked up at him and nodded.
"I really do." I said.
"Finish your breakfast, and call your teacher and tell him to meet us there." Dad said.
"Thank you!" I grinned and shoveled the rest of my scrambled eggs into my mouth.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dad parked the truck and I looked around and spotted Milo.
"Look, there's Milo!" I said and got out of the truck.
"You mean Mr. Thatch?" My Dad asked.
"Well, I mean yeah everyone kind of got used to just calling him Milo." I shrugged.
"That doesn't seem very appropriate." Dad said.
"It's fine Dad, things you did way back when, are not the same now, the world is evolving." I sighed.
"Way back when huh?" Dad said and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know if my old bones can keep up with you today."
"That's okay, you can just sit outside the shops and I'll just point to the decrepit old man sitting outside and they'll give me your senior discount." I smirked and started walking away.
"Now you're just pushing it." Dad chuckled.

We approached Milo and he gave me a friendly smile and then looked at my father and his smile turned into a nervous grimace. I couldn't blame him, my dad always walked around with a look on his face that screamed 'I'll fuck you up and smile in my mug shot'

Milo extended his trembling hand.
"Milo Thatch."
"James Nolan." My dad said and gave him a handshake and by the look of pain on Milos face, it was an excessively firm hand shake.
"You look nervous Milo." My Dad observed
"I...uh get that a lot." Milo said.
"You've got nothing to worry about, I look rough around the edges but I'm just a big teddy bear." My dad said.
A teddy bear stuffed with razor blades. I thought.
"Oh, Well that is good, I suppose." Milo said. "So being that it's your first time at the market, I'll show you both around and then we will go to the gallery I was telling Blaire about."

"Sounds good." I said and we started following Milo.
"So, I've heard you have taken over Blaire's class." Dad said.
Here we go. I mentally sighed.
"Oh, not permanently, I'm still just a student teacher, but I'm acting as a substitute until they can get an actual teacher." Milo said.
Dad nodded and then shrugged.
"You're teaching her history class right?" My Dad asked.
"Yes, that is correct." Milo said.
"So as a history teacher, why make a special field trip for Blaire, to put art in a gallery." Dad pressed.
"Oh, uh.." Milo started stammering. "I noticed her drawing in class one day and then she showed me more of her work and I have a friend that runs a gallery down here that fits her style of art so I asked if she would be interested." Milo said.
"Ah." Dad said, that was usually his response when he wasn't happy with the answer he received.

Things were getting tense. Milo was getting nervous. I used to stay after class to talk with Milo, we could talk about anything and everything and he was very supportive of my artistic talents. It felt to me like there was something brewing between us and I was positive my father was suspicious.
A suddenly delicious scent blew through the area in the breeze.
"Oh my God what is that smell?" I asked.
"That is the fried Elephant ear stand across the way." Milo said and pointed to a small food truck across the road from us.
I gave him a strange look.
"Oh! It's fried dough dusted with sugar. Not an actual elephant's ear." Milo said with a nervous laugh.
Dad looked at me, I was practically begging him with my eyes. My Dad did not like me having too much sugar but a giant chunk of fried dough sounded heavenly.
Dad sighed heavily.
"You can have one. Just one. Your mother is pulling a double and I'm not dealing with your hyper ass all night." My Dad said and pulled some cash out of his wallet and handed it to me.
"Thank you!" I said and ran across the street to the truck.
Saved by the smell. I thought.

We had walked around the marketplace, stopping into a few shops here and there as Milo gave us the tour.
As much as I hated crowds of people, I was actually really having a good time chatting with fellow artists, whether it be crafts, paints, street musicians or photography, I finally felt like I fit in somewhere.

We stopped in front of a large gallery of art covered by two tents. My eyes widened.
"Whoa." I said and stepped in the gallery and looked around at the fully colored graphic novel panels.
Milo approached me with someone else with him.
"Blaire, this is the friend I was telling you about." He said. The other man extended his hand and I shook it eagerly.
"Blaire Nolan." I said.
"Eddie Newman." The man smiled.
"Are these your pieces?" I asked.
"Yes, These are all mine, though I invite other artists to bring some of their art to display, Milos got a couple of maps around here." Eddie replied.
"Your work is amazing! Someday I want to make my own graphic novel."
"Milo tells me you have some art of your own to display?" Eddie asked.
"Oh, I do! Though its nowhere near the level that your artwork is on." I said and opened my messenger bag and pulled out a few of my horror movie scenes that I had done in graphic novel format.

"These are sick!" Eddie grinned.
"Really?" I asked with a small smile.
"Yeah!" Eddie said and held up the Nightmare on Elm Street scene that I did. "I want to buy this one for my personal collection. How much you wanna sell it for?" Eddie asked.
No one had ever asked to buy my artwork before. I looked at my Dad, giving him an excited smile. His facial expression was completely unimpressed and it hurt my feelings but there was no way I could let him know that.
I turned back to Eddie.
"Uh..I don't know no one has asked to buy my artwork before." I admitted.
"Well then they're crazy. Hows 150 sound?" Eddie asked.
My eyes widened.
"One hundred fifty??" I asked.
"Do we have a deal?" Eddie asked.
"Yeah!" I said. "I was honestly thinking of giving it to you for 20. Are you sure you want to pay 150?" I asked.
"Of course. You are way underselling your talent kid. This is the kind of stuff thats going to make a comfortable career for you." Eddie said and opened his wallet and handed me 150 dollars cash.

My Dad scoffed at Eddie's compliment and I tried my best to ignore it.
"I'm going to hang this beauty behind the register where I keep my not for sale art. These other ones I'll put on the other side where all of the other artist works are. Come back next saturday to see if they've sold, I take 5 percent to display, but the rest of the money is yours."
"I will for sure!" I said. "Thank you very much."
"Anytime kid. See you next saturday." He said.
"Yeah." I smiled.

We left the gallery.
"You see I told you, you were talented." Milo said with a smile.
"Thanks Milo." I said. "This meant a lot to me."
"Of course." Milo said. "Looks like you have a bright future ahead of you."
Dad scoffed.
"She's not going to get anywhere drawing silly cartoons." Dad said. "Blaire is going to be a world champion boxer, and She's going to help me run the car garage. She won't have time to sit and doodle." My Dad said.

"Forgive me if I am over stepping...but have you actually asked Blaire what she wants?" Milo asked.
My Dad took that as a direct challenge to his parenting.
"I think I know my own kid well enough to know what she wants. Right Blaire?" He asked.
"Yeah..." I nodded. "It is kind of a silly dream." I shrugged. Milo looked bewildered at my answer. He knew all too well, that I didn't want to spend my life boxing, or working in a car garage as an underpaid Mechanic. But to tell my Dad that? I simply couldn't.

We walked to the parking area.
"I've got to use the bathroom really quick." I said and hurried over to the little building with bathrooms.
Once I got in the bathroom and made sure I was alone. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. I was never going to get anywhere with my lack of a support system. My Dad was completely against the idea of me doing art for a living and my mom while she was a bit more supportive, she was skeptical.
I was going to be stuck in a shithole town in Oregon for the rest of my life.

My phone pinged in my pocket and I took it out of my pocket and looked at it.

Dad: In the truck waiting.

I sighed and grabbed some paper towels to wipe my eyes and try my best to look like I wasn't having a breakdown. I walked out of the bathroom and ran straight into Milo.
"Oh you're still here." I said and sniffled.
"I wanted to check on you." Milo said. "I had a feeling you were only telling your Dad what he wanted to hear."
"You would be right." I sighed. "Its best to leave it that way." I shrugged.
"I don't understand a lot about the world we live in Blaire but I do understand passion, and you have it. Don't let your father steal that from you."
I looked up at Milo, and he had a soft smile on his face.
Its now or never Blaire. I thought and then I leaned in and planted my lips on his.

"What the fuck are you doing?"
I pulled away and looked at my Dad. Dad went straight for Milo and pinned his scrawny self to the wall with one arm.
"Whoa! Dad stop!" I shouted.
"Blaire go wait in the truck." Dad said.
"No, you're going to hurt him!" I said.
"You're damn right I'm going to hurt him." Dad said and raised his fist. "Shes fifteen you sick little fucker." He punched Milo in the nose.
"Dad stop!" I shouted.
"I'm going to have your job. You will never be able to teach again."
"Dad please, I kissed him. Leave him alone." I begged.
"This whole thing was a set up for you Blaire. He doesn't give a damn about your talent, he just wanted to get you alone! Fucking kid toucher."

"Please let me explai-" Milo started and got hit in the face again. Dad let him go and he slumped to the floor.
I ran to help him but Dad grabbed me before I could.
"Lets go Blaire." Dad said.
"But Dad you don't under-" I started.
"Now!" Dad barked leaving me no choice. I had to leave Milo.
"I'm sorry." I mouthed at Milo before my Dad practically dragged me away.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday morning I walked straight into my history classroom before classes even started to see Milo packing up his desk.
"I'm so..so sorry." I said. "I never meant for this to happen."
Milo looked up.
"You should not be here Blaire." He said. "They are being gracious and letting me stay in the student teacher program but if they see you in here..." He said and then looked at the sad look on my face and sighed.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize here Blaire. I should not have gotten as involved in your life as I did and that is my fault for giving you the wrong impression." Milo said. "You're young, and your emotions are very fragile. I should have realized I may have been sending you all the wrong signals."

"So..you don't feel the same way?" I asked.
"No. Blaire, I don't. I'm so sorry that I confused you." Milo said.
"It's okay." I said. "I'm sorry I read the signs wrong and got you in trouble..and I'm really sorry my Dad hit you."
"It's alright. I should be going and you should be getting to class." Milo said as he walked to the door.
"And Blaire." He said
"Yes?" I asked.
"Don't forget about what I said. Do not let your father steal your passion."
"Okay." I said and smiled as Milo walked out of the classroom. I felt a couple of tears slip out of my eyes as I watched him leave. I quickly wiped them away and tried my best to get on with my day.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Present Day

We sat down at a picnic table when we got our food.
"So Milo. you seemed to have made a really good impression on Blaire as a teacher, do you still teach?" David asked.
"Yes, I do, I teach at Portland University. I teach History, and I do have a group of students that are interested in Map Making, and we meet every Saturday afternoon here." Milo smiled.
"I'm glad you got to keep teaching." I said and smiled at Milo and then instantly realized what I said.
Way to go Blaire. Foot meet mouth.

"What does she mean by that?" David asked and raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. That was the look my Dad gave me every time I got into trouble.
"Oh well..Its..just." Milo stammered.

I was responsible for holding onto so many secrets so at this moment I decided to just let this one go given that nothing actually happened between Milo and I.

"Okay, so we can stop grilling Milo, I will just come out with it." I said. "A few years ago Milo offered to take me to the Saturday Market to put some of my art in a Gallery here. My Dad was completely against the idea of me going alone with Milo."
"I don't think we can really blame him there Blaire, you were what? Fifteen?" David asked.

"Right. So Dad went with us. We toured the market, and Milo introduced me to his friend that runs a gallery here, and my Dad did what he's best at and said I would never make a career out of drawing silly little cartoons, and that I was to be a World Champion Boxer and help him run the car garage when I wasn't busy with Boxing." I said.

"Uncle James sounds like a dick." Emma blurted out.
"Emma!" Mary-Margaret scolded.
"What? Blaire walks around with a vocabulary that could make a sailor blush and she gets away with it because its how she was raised?" Emma scoffed.
"Jesus can some one get prego a snickers?" I sighed.

"Anyways.." I continued. "We got to the parking lot we had parked in and I told my Dad I had to run to the bathroom so he got in the truck and waited for me. I went into the bathroom and started having a massive panic attack and then Dad was texting me basically telling me to hurry up. When I got out of the bathroom Milo was there, and he told me that I should stick up to my Dad, and not to let him steal my passion and given that I was Fifteen and..not all there, I took Milo's friendliness and his encouragement as signs that you know... he liked me..like liked me and I kissed him. My Dad caught us, and freaked out, blamed Milo for the whole thing, called him a bunch of unnecessary names and then punched him a couple times."

"Well that definitely sounds like James." David sighed. "So nothing happened besides that?" He asked.
"No, I went to school Monday and saw Milo packing his desk. He apologized for giving me the wrong signals, they let him stay in the student teacher program but he wasn't allowed to be at my school anymore. That is exactly what happened." I said.

David looked at Milo and Milo nodded.
"She's right." Milo said. "That was exactly as it happened."
"Well, Okay. I'm glad that you were responsible enough to know you may have crossed a line." David said "And I'm glad my brother didn't completely ruin your teaching career over an honest mistake."
"Me too." Milo smiled nervously and looked at Me. "Your uncle seems much...much more reasonable." He said.
"Oh. He is." I chuckled.

"Well at least when you visit your dad this evening, you can rub it in his face that you got a full scholarship to that art school in New York." David smiled.
Milo grinned at me.
"A full scholarship to the school of Art and Design in New York?!" Milo asked.
"Yep. Starting this September." I smiled. "I always kept your advice in mind and I refused to let my Dad steal my passion."
"I am so proud of you Blaire Nolan." Milo smiled.
"Thank you. Milo Thatch." I smirked.

"I really do need to be going." Milo said. "But before I do that, I need to steal Blaire for just a moment. We will be right over there in plain sight I just have something personal I want to talk to her about." Milo said.
"Alright. We will be here." David smiled. I got up and followed Milo to the trash can.

"What's up?" I asked as I dumped my empty plate into the trash.
"I think you are in danger." Milo said and the seriousness of his tone made me feel frozen with fear.