October 14th 2002

The past week went by in a blur for Alex he hadn't talked to anyone; not Izzie, Jo, not even Jackson. On the Monday and Tuesday everything seemed normal – apart from the fact Aaron wouldn't talk. Alex took his siblings to school and picked them up, he made them breakfast and dinner, helped Amber with her homework – the usual. It wasn't until Wednesday when he pulled up at home that he saw the social worker had showed up, with his mother being in hospital, an unfit father and only a seventeen year old brother, he knew it would only be a matter of time. He just didn't think it would be so soon.

He didn't get any say, but being the seventeen year old high school student he expected as much. That didn't stop Jimmy from going crazy on him once he finally came home to an empty house on the Friday night. The fact that you weren't even here all week, you had no idea mom had gone and that they had gone shows how much you don't give a crap – Alex had told his father, and after a hefty row Jimmy then began to use his fists.

The last time he would, Alex thought. He was leaving that night, packed his shit up and jumped in his car all the while Jimmy was drinking his troubles away in the kitchen. Serves him right, I hope he dies lonely and bitter. The social worker had agreed that he could see his siblings whenever he wanted, and that the odds were high that the two would be adopted soon – everybody loves a boy and girl pair, and Alex had realised that was something he didn't fit in. He didn't want to ruin their chances, he took the worker's number as she told him to call whenever he wanted to see them.

Alex decided he would visit as little as possible, let them live their life, have a happy home with two parents who can love and care for them – and when they want to seek our their older brother, he'd be right where they left him.

As Alex sat in his truck on the Friday night he thought about where he could go, there was Izzie's; she wouldn't turn him down but he doesn't know if he could tell her what exactly is going on, and Izzie would nag and nag and nag – he was not ready to live with his girlfriend. Or there was Jo; no parents to worry about, someone he could talk to and someone who would listen, but the sexual tension…that was the only problem with Jo, he was just too attracted to her for a guy with a girlfriend.

Alex decided he was just gonna' have to control himself, keep it in his pants – he was going to Jo's.

"Alex, oh god..what happened?" He told her everything, why he hadn't talked to her all week, how he lost his family, how he was done with his father. Jo just listened, she listened to everything – Alex had been there for her when her life felt as if it was falling apart and now she would be here as his did. Getting everything off his chest felt great, the heavy weight that had been pushing down on Alex's shoulders finally felt as if it was gone.

When Jo had finally thought that Alex had got everything out she held her hand up in a fist, "Welcom to the trailer for the homeless," she smirked, it was a shit joke at a shit time but he gave her a fist bump. Jo was trying to make a crappy joke to make everything less tense, she knew Alex would have had enough of tense.

"Can I stay here?" He asked her as if he didn't know he already was, Jo gave him a look that told him not to be stupid. That is how they found themselves in this position the next morning, both on opposite ends of the only bed in the trailer, thinking about how their crappy lives had landed them in the place that they are today.

"You gonna' call Izzie?" Jo broke the silence. Fuck, Alex hadn't even thought about Izzie since deciding to go to Jo's – it's not like he had ignored her, they spoke everyday during school and everyday Izzie would ask Alex the same question, 'what's going on Alex? Your being weird, stop'. He hadn't spoke to her outside of school, when she would ring; he would ignore it and when she would text; he would delete it. He just wasn't in the mood to be grovelling about his behaviour, he had a damn good reason.

Jo could tell by Alex's look that the answer was no, "maybe you don't give her enough credit? She might surprise you?" Jo questioned Alex, for someone who was always singing the other girls praises when she wasn't around her friends he didn't seem to have much faith in telling her his deepest darkest secrets.

"If you want me gone Jo, just say," Alex was fed up of maybe's, this past whole week has been filled with 'maybe this could happen' or 'maybe if I do this' but no, nothing ever did work out how he secretly hoped. Jo never told him to go to Izzie – Jo didn't even like Izzie, to Alex this sounded like a way to get rid of him.

"Aleeex," Jo gave him a small laugh, thinking that he was just joking or at least got the wrong end of what she was trying to say. Of course she didn't want him to go, Jo appreciated Alex's company. He had quickly become her best friend and besides Steph there was very few people she liked to spend so much time with. She realised when Alex got up to get his bag full of stuff, he wasn't in a playful mood.

"Your right, I'll go talk to Izzie. She might give me a place to stay without trying to kick me out the next morning," Jo frowned, what the hell.

"Shut up Alex. I'm not asking you to leave, I'm giving you advice. Which is what I thought you came here for," Alex's bad attitude was putting her in a foul mood, "you're the one that claims that Izzie is some angel sent from the Greek gods when she's being herself, so why not tell her Alex? She's so great, right?" Jo ended what she had to say in a mocking tone, and she was going to continue if Alex hadn't of butted in.

"So is that the problem? You're jealous of me and Izzie?" Jo started to laugh, how could he get this so wrong. She wasn't jealous, what they have is completely..so..vapid. Izzie had as much depth as a ruler despite what Alex claims and Alex, well Alex was too busy trying to look for something in Izzie that he liked that he's forgotten how to think. Relationship wise, anyway.

"Oh my god, Alex. You've lost that many brain cells from spending time with Izzie that you actually believe the bullshit that she is spewing at you," it was Alex's turn to laugh at Jo as she got up from where she was sat on the bed and made her way over to Alex so she was stood directly in front of him.

"You lonely Jo? Is it cause right now I'm the only real friend you have? Stephanie's not been here since you told her everything, has she?" Alex sucked in a breath before continuing, "so when I'm spending time with Izzie, you've got no one. Well tough shit, I've got my own life."

Alex didn't care for an answer off Jo, "I was there for you, happily. But at some time or another you're gonna' have to be on your own. I just got rid of baby sitting three people, I don't need you too," He wasn't giving her a chance to get her say in, everything he had been feeling these past few days – they had finally reached boiling point.

"You should be ok at being alone, Jo. It's what your used to." Jo understood that Alex was angry, angry at his father, angry at his mother and angry at life for the shitty hand it has given him. Shaking her head, she didn't know how to continue this – Jo could argue, she was pretty damn good at it. Jo was stubborn, but with Alex..it was different. She didn't want to argue, but when he's trying to reflect all his feelings on to her..she couldn't take it.

"You're a lot easier to read than you think, Alex" he frowned, "at least to me, you are. I get that you're angry but don't..don't take this out on me. If you miss your family, even your father..it's ok," Jo's voice was a lot softer than it had been a few moments ago.

"Just because you miss your crappy father and a mother you never met don't try to pin the feelings on me," Alex did not miss his father. No, he did not. He didn't miss how when he was four and his dad was in a good mood he would take Alex to the fair that had stopped in town. He did not miss how when his mother was happy she would make the best homemade brownies. He did not miss Aaron and Amber's giggling as they played 'who can annoy Alex the most'. He didn't miss his family.

"I do miss my father, well..parts of him and I guess, I've been thinking about it a lot lately and I think it's ok," Alex can't believe what was coming out of Jo's mouth, her father wasn't only physically abusive but he was emotionally also, at least Jimmy never cared enough for Alex's emotions to play with them. "You need time to think and-"

"I don't need time to think. I know how I feel, and right now I feel that I have to get the hell away from you," Jo moved her hand to Alex's bicep to stop him, and there it was. That feeling. Alex ignored it, the feeling that he couldn't explain – and although it made him falter his steps towards the door, it didn't stop him. "I should be with my girlfriend, not you," Alex spat as he grabbed his stuff and went to change out of his pyjamas.

"You go Alex, but if you expect..if you expect me," Alex rolled his eyes,

"I don't expect shit from you. All you do is take. Sure, you had a crappy mother and an even worse father. You aren't the only screwed up kid around here! Maybe you are like your mother, selfish!" Alex hadn't expected himself to go in that direction, but he was pissed. Pissed off with himself, and taking it out on Jo seemed like the easier option. He knew this was something Jo was insecure about, being compared to her mother – one of the first things he learnt about her, she despised it.

"I have tried to be there for y-..fuck you, Alex." Jo decided to ditch the calm act, that wasn't her. "Get the fuck out of my house! Alex, Go!" She didn't give the boy a chance to change as she pushed and punched at his chest with her little fists in the direction of the door. He had crossed a line, Alex was someone she thought she could trust and he had just threw what she confided in him in her face.

"YOU SAY YOUR NOT ANYTHING LIKE YOUR FATHER! BUT THAT WAS SOMETHING I'D ONLY BELIEVE YOUR FATHER WOULD SAY," Jo shouted at Alex as he made his way up to his car, he gave Jo one glance before turning his head back around and continuing to stomp up to his car.

Jo had sat with Alex all night last night, listening to him talk, cleaning up his injuries with the first aid kit she bought when she was ten, dabbing at his bruises ever so gently so she didn't hurt him. Alex had done a lot for Jo, and she finally felt as if she was paying him back – helping him out when he needed someone the most. Maybe they were never meant to be friends, maybe they were too similar. Jo had never felt this aching feeling that was in her chest as she heard the sound of Alex's ignition. She had never felt as if she was losing someone as she heard him rev his gas. She had never felt that she had someone to lose, until she felt she lost Alex.