"I should get a job or something. Honestly," I sighed to James. The two of us had taken to hanging out more lately, since Thomas was still in the hospital and John couldn't go out much. "I feel so bad with Laf and Herc trying to take care of me."

"Can't your parents give you something?" James sipped his hot cocoa and curled up next to me on the couch as my face twisted into a grimace.

Only Peggy knew anything about my family. I had first started talking to her through a pen-pal project that I had joined, and one of the first things she had asked about was my family. But I hadn't felt close enough to anyone to try and explain my family history.

"Alex?" I snapped back to the present at the sound of James's voice. He had twisted around and was looking at me with a worried expression. "Are you okay?"

Forcing a smile onto my face, I nodded. "I'm good. Sorry. And, no, I can't get any money from my parents, and I don't want to take anything more from mom and George."

I loved the Washingtons, I really did. I appreciated everything they had done for me. They had taken me in when I had nowhere else to go. But I had to learn to live on my own, and besides, I didn't want to continue to take from them.

"'Mom and George'?" James repeated. "Who are they?"

"My... adoptive parents, of a sort." They hadn't ever really adopted me, but they acted like it.

"Why do you call him George?"

"Can we talk about something else please?" I hated to be that way but I couldn't talk about this. Not right now.

James's eyes softened and he leaned back against me. "Of course. I'm sorry."

Wrapping an arm around him, I shook my head. "It's not your fault. Maybe I'll tell you someday."

He nodded and snuggled up to me. "Let's watch a movie?"

"My turn to pick."

"Damn. I hoped you would forget."

I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. Carefully, I peeled myself out of Alex's arms. He had fallen asleep only a few minutes into the movie, so I had shut it off and curled up with him. He looked so much less stressed when he was asleep. The wrinkles on his forehead disappeared, and there was a peaceful smile on his lips.

I started as the phone began ringing again. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, but the screen was blank. After a moment of fishing around, I found Alex's phone and checked the caller ID. It was his mom.

Looking down at Alex, I realized that his sleep was probably more important than this phone call, so I answered.

"Hello?"

"Alexander? Who is this?"

"My name is James. I'm a... friend of Alex's. He's asleep. Is everything okay?"

"Can I talk to Alex, please?" She sounded like she was crying.

I frowned, worried. "Let me wake him up."

There was silence from the other end, except a little sniffle. Worried, I shook Alex's shoulder. "Alex," I hissed. "Wake up!"

I saw him slowly blink awake, and then he sat up, his eyes darting around the room before settling on me. "James?"

I nodded and held out the phone. "Your mom called."

He snatched the hand out of my phone and held it to his ear.

"Mom?"

I studied Alex's face as he listened to the woman. What had at first been excitement faded to worry and then to fright and finally to shock. "I'll be there as soon as I can," he whispered before hanging up.

When he turned to look at me, his eyes were wide and filled with tears. Before he even told me what had happened, I was pulling him into my arms. As I held him tightly, he finally managed to croak out what had happened:

"George had a stroke. He- he didn't- he didn't make it."