"Hey Alex." I hear Jak call my name but I don't turn round. I don't need a traitor as a brother. "Alex, please." He grabs my arm but I wrench it from his grip and glare at him. "Seriously, I don't even like them."

"Why do you hang with them then? Why do you laugh with them and sit on their table at lunch. I don't care anymore Jakob; I really don't give a SHIT!" As I yell the last word, I turn and run off, my feet pumping the ground like a heartbeat. I keep running until the anger stops pounding through my veins, until I'm panting from exertion instead of rage. Slowly, I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on the floor when I at last can rest my head in my hands and breathe.

"Ms Taggart, It's principal Saunders. I'm afraid…Alex has gone missing."

"You what?" I say, sinking into the seat at admit.

"Well, a student claims to have seen an argument between Alex and Jakob, in which Alex took off shortly before lunch. This student didn't come straight away to me because he wasn't sure if Alex was gone for good." She didn't sound too convinced but carries on. "Unfortunately, it appears he ran out of the back gate which was unsupervised for a short length of time."

"So my son escaped from school though a gate that should have been supervised?" I ask sharply.

"Erm…yes, unfortunately so." She does sound really sorry but I can't help worrying. If he went shortly before lunch that means he hadn't eaten for a good few hours and his blood sugar would be dangerously low. I just hope he had some change and found himself near a shop with enough sense to buy something.

"If you can make it down here…"

"I'll be there in ten minutes." I drop the phone into its holder and run to the locker room.

"What's the rush?" Abby asks, sipping some coffee.

"Alex has run away from school." I throw my coat round my shoulders and begin winding a scarf around my neck.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Is he okay?" I shrug.

"I don't know. All I'm worried about is his blood sugar."

"Oh yeah! Jeez Sam, I hope he's okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No but thanks though. I'll quickly find Luka and tell him."

"Let me, you go." I hug her quickly and run out.

"I'm Samantha Taggart. Alex's mother." I cling to the reception desk as Betty buzzes Principal Saunders.

"Go right through." I don't stop to thank her.

"Luka, Sam had to go to Alex's school."

"Are the boys okay?"

"Alex has disappeared." My jaw drops and I rush towards the locker room.

"I have to go up there."

"She didn't want me…"

"But I want to be there. He's my son too." I see Abby look at me. "I adopted him." Now it's her turn to look shocked.

"Wow, Luka. Maybe this isn't the time but that's amazing!" She quickly throws her arms around me then shoves me out the door. "Go find your son!" She calls, and the whole ER grinds to a halt.

"You'll pay for that!" I laugh then stop as I imagine Alex…my son, somewhere.

Oh God, if it's 1.30 now, the school would have left it about half an hour before ringing Sam. That means he disappeared sometime before Lunch, which means he hasn't eaten since 8am. I just hope he has the sense to get something to eat from the money I gave him this morning.

"I'm Luka Kovac, Alex's father."

"Oh, I'll…erm…just call through to the Principal." After a pause she smiles. "Go right through."

I sit in the Principals office staring at my nails. Sam is on my left, biting hers and Luka is on my right, drumming his on the table.

"So Jakob, what were Alex's last words to you." I blush. I can't tell this room full of adults, all looking menacing, that Alex swore at me.

"Erm…" Sam reaches out for my hand, like a peace symbol. She's probably the only one I could swear to.

"Can I whisper it to Sam?" Principal Saunders raises an eyebrow then nods.

"He said…I don't care anymore Jakob, I really don't give a shit." I whisper and Sam smiles.

"That is so Alex." Luka cocks his head. "Apparently…"

"It's true!" I'm afraid she doesn't believe me but she squeezes my hand and continues.

"…He said- I don't care anymore." Everyone looks thoroughly disappointed that he hadn't screamed something about going to England on a yacht made of cheese puffs.

"Nothing else?" Luka asks, looking directly at me.

"No. I promise that was all he said."

"Okay, it's fine. Jak-don't feel guilty." I look up sharply.

"How can I not feel guilty?"

"What happened?" I bit my lip. It was silly, trivial. Nothing.

"Since I came here I've…got a lot of attention. Today a few people asked me to sit with them, but they said they didn't want Alex to come because…they think he's weird."

"And how is that your fault?" Sam asks softly and I shrug.

"Because I let them, I suppose. At first, I just let them."

"At first?"

"After we fought I went back to them and said I didn't want to sit with them anymore, that Alex meant more than them-he's my family."

Suddenly the receptionist exploded through the door, her chins wobbling in a rhythm of their own.

"A small boy, matching the description of Alex has been taken to County General Hospital. I don't know his condition."