“He’s just shy,” his mom insisted at a conference with the school counselor but nobody bought that version of the story. There had to be something else. Something more.
Not that he remembered... but something twisted inside him when his parents nodded along to a list of questions.
He cooperated so poorly with testing the specialists were forced to deem the results inconclusive. There’s a discussion about the possibility he exists somewhere on the spectrum or that it might be something else entirely. ADHD. Social anxiety. Depression. Hard to tell with a kid like him.
Milo told his best friend he spent the day trying to find a dog. It was the first time he lied to someone he loved.
His parents argued who stressed him out the most growing up. No, wait… was it all genetics? Or did they fuck up by asking too many questions? Was this someone’s fault? Or was it just him? It’s not like any of their four other kids came out this way. What the hell happened with this last one?
Why did she even talk to his dad anymore? He hated it. He hated he wasn't normal. Milo hated being Milo. So much.
Asperger's Syndrome was now technically classified under Autism Spectrum Disorder. He didn't like the word disorder. He didn't want his father to be right, even after all this time.
"I'll just say Asperger's if I tell anyone. If that's cool."