How Green Becomes Wood

Milo squinted at Alec but said nothing. In his estimation, yes, some teenagers made stupid choices, but there was important development that happened in later years, and their discussions of we're already adults, basically sounded like when actual adults told teenagers they were so mature for their age just to take advantage of them. Some adults being dumbasses didn't turn teenagers into adults.
 
Alec noticed Milo staring at him and glanced down at himself before looking at Milo. "What? What'd I say? I'm not saying we're full grown and awesome right now. Or is there something on me?"
 
"I don't know..." Milo said slowly, turning his head away, "I just think---we're not mature for our age, that's just something adults who want to take advantage of kids say and it's part of why traumatized kids get retraumatized. The existence of immature adults doesn't make teenagers not also immature."
 
"I did not expect that," Alec admitted. "You do have a grim point. However, while both mature adults and immature teenagers most certainly do exist, as do immature adults, I do think that there are such things as mature kids, and not just as a way for-"

"Both of you, pin it for later," Xander warned. "Class is starting, and I doubt a full-on discussion is going to get a pass even on the first day of school."

Alec pouted a little since he didn't get to finish making his point but settled down.
 
Even had Alec been able to finish his point, Milo had already decided he wasn't going to respond to it. The most mature teenagers still weren't adults, and he didn't want to spend all day going back and forth about why actually some sixteen-year-olds were basically adults. Every teenager considered themselves more grown than they were, it was a pointless conversation, and he didn't need to be lectured about it.
 
The last class went well, and Alec stretched happily when they were done. "Finally! All done! And no one gave out homework this year. That's always cruel. Say! Why don't we go out for ice cream or something to celebrate surviving the first day with only minimal drama and trauma?" He looked between Milo and Xander hopefully.

Xander shrugged. "I don't turn down ice cream, but what about you?" he asked Milo.
 
"My idea, my treat," Alec told him. "Seriously! I mean it."

"I don't think I've ever seen him offer that, so you'd better accept," Xander told Milo with a little smirk. "I can drop you off at your grands after if it'll make it easier. It's not out of the way."
 
"Nope. It can fit in the back," Xander told him.

Alec hesitated as he tried to cram his books back into his backpack. He turned to Milo worriedly. "Unless you don't want to. I know it's been a busy day, and maybe your social battery is dead, so if you just want to go straight home, I won't be offended."
 
"No, it's okay, I just, you know, I hadn't planned on it, right? So I'm trying to reorient everything in my head, so it's okay, I'm just, redoing everything." He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm okay though, really."
 
"Alright, but only if you're sure," Alec smiled. "Let's just take our time leaving, though. The crush out there is insane!" He went to check out the door as his fellow students slowly trickled out.

Xander glanced at Milo. "Want to call your grands once we get out of here?"
 
"Good idea," Milo mumbled, looking at the surge of students slowly making their way out. Crowds remained loathesome and he had no desire to join it, waiting was absolutely the preferred choice. "I'll probably just text them, I hate talking on the phone."
 
"Didn't realize they could text. Nice," Xander nodded in approval.

"It's starting to ease up a little!" Alec reported. "Oh, wait, no, that was just a break in the wave. Never mind."
 
"And a lot of old people don't like to text or won't learn how to text," Xander said, giving Milo a look back. What was with the jump straight to Amish? He chalked it up to Milo being tired.
 
"They're not that old, they're like... In their 60s, I think. And like, cellphones came out in like, the 90s, so they were like... 30 when it started." Milo replied with his hands in his pockets.
 
"You didn't offend me, but you would've offended them, had they heard that. They're really weird about not being actually that old." Milo said, heading towards the exit with his head down.
 
"I'll make note of that," Xander said.

"Make note of what?" Alec asked, walking next to Milo.

"That Milo's Grands aren't that old."

"Oh. Aren't they... 70?" Alec asked with increasing uncertainty.

"60," Xander replied.

"Oh, that's hardly old at all!"
 
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