Disclaimer: Not mine, not that I wouldn't mind Josh, though…I've been good!

Notes: Here it is, finally! I hope you like it; I'm not so sure about this one, so let me know…feedback would be a lovely present!

Just to make this clear: this story is an alternate "25 Things" universe, where Josh beat his cancer and is therefore still alive, per requests.

MORE COMING SOON!

Original Notes: I've decided to do each one chronicling a day/event in JJ's life, usually from one perspective. The title will begin with his age, so you'll have a frame of reference. This one is sweet and simple; it will get a bit angsty as the years go on, I think. I'll try not to make it too bad! I can't seem to keep away from it, though. And the letter will resurface, I promise…I couldn't do this universe in such a terse format, unless I'd tried describing photographs or something, which I didn't want to do.

"Absolutely not, JJ."

"Dad, come on. I worked my ass off this year."

"Watch it with the language, okay? Your sister might hear you. And the answer is no. End of discussion."

"That's so unfair."

"Joshua Josiah, you are not driving across the country in a Jeep. And you are not going to bash your brains out rock climbing as long as I'm around. Got it, pal?"

We are, as you might have gathered, having an argument. A colossal one. JJ's got this harebrained idea that we're going to let him go on a cross-country trip with two of his friends to go rock climbing. Unsupervised. Never mind that he's certified, and works in a climbing gym. I am not letting my sixteen year-old put himself at risk that way. The idea of it scares the shit out of me. What if something happened to him?

"You are going to stay here and take trigonometry, like we discussed," I state firmly. "If you had applied yourself, we wouldn't need to be having this discussion."

"Yeah, you would have just found some other way I don't measure up," he mutters.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Dad, you know I hate math. Nothing I end up doing will have anything to do with math. Why are you pushing so hard for the accelerated track?"

"How do you think you're going to have a chance at getting into Harvard without calc? It's only been what you've wanted since, I don't know, forever?"

"No," he says, with an exasperated laugh. "Correction. It's what you want. And, since you ever so kindly announced the fact that I planned to follow in your footsteps at my Bar Mitzvah, everyone thinks it's what I want, too."

"But, we talked about it…"

"You talked, I listened, and I said I would think about it. Which I have, and I do not want to go there, okay? I don't know how else I can say it."

"Fine," I say. I hate that the hurt is audible in my voice. What's wrong with Harvard? "But that doesn't change the fact that you're staying here and taking trig."

"Jesus, Dad," he explodes, "don't you get it?"

"Yeah, I get it, and I'm not going to let you screw around with your future like this."

"But Dad, it's not my future. You won't let me be my own person. You want my future to be your life."

Our voices are scaling steadily. "You don't know what you're talking about," I say icily.

"Oh, really? This has nothing to do with the fact that Santos lost the election, and you've been scrambling around for a way to redeem yourself ever since? And now you want to pass the torch on to me? Well, you can take your torch and shove it!"

I'm breathing heavily, just on the edge of losing it. "That is complete bull, and… don't talk to me like that. Do not speak to me like that, get me? You'll be lucky to see the outside of these four walls at all this summer, otherwise."

"Oh, like that'll be a change," he says sarcastically.

For some reason, my anger chooses this point to boil over. I feel like throwing something, but punch the wall instead. "Listen, you punk…"

"Daddy?"

JJ and I look towards the entrance to the living room. Suzy is hanging on to the doorframe, her blue eyes wide as saucers. Her lip is trembling as she says, "You were loud. I could hear you in my room. Is JJ in trouble?"

Glancing at me, JJ crosses the room and picks up his little sister. "Don't worry, Tulip. Dad and I were talking, and we got a little angry, that's all. Everything's fine, okay?"

She's not convinced. "But Daddy hit the wall. Daddy never hits things."

"Sometimes, when people get mad, they do silly things like that. Right, Dad?"

I find it difficult to speak around the lump in my throat. "Right," I rasp. "And they always feel sorry afterwards. I look at JJ as I say this, but he doesn't quite meet my eyes. He tickles Suzy's tummy, makes her laugh. They go upstairs.

How did things get like this between us?

Oh, God. He must hate me. What have I done?

And what do I do now?