Whoa, what's this? I've managed to update both of my stories on the same day? It's a miracle (and it probably won't happen again anytime soon). Again, it's kind of a short chapter while I get into my groove, but hopefully it's enjoyable anyway. ~Shaymie

It was two days later that Alexander saw Laurens, and it was in a way he hadn't expected. He was on his weekly visit to his favorite coffee shop (paid for by Lafayette in an attempt to get him some more friends) and found that his barista was none other than a certain John Laurens. He sighed as he reached the counter and quickly spat out his order, not making eye contact. He thought that Laurens was filthy rich. His father was a lawyer, after all. Why the hell was he working at a dingy little coffee shop?

"I would have thought you'd want to talk to me a bit more than that, considering how much you've been texting me these past couple of days." Alex huffed as he dug around in his pockets for the money. Texting was easier than talking. Texting was just looking at a screen. Talking required eye contact which meant that he'd have to look into those distractingly beautiful eyes and he'd forget how to speak and make himself look like a complete idiot. "You know, I'm looking forward to our session tomorrow after school."

"At least one of us is." Alex made the mistake of looking into Laurens' eyes as he paid for the coffee and muffin. His mouth went dry as he stared into those gorgeous green eyes, which had the tiniest flecks of gold and made them stand out even more. A tiny smirk came across John's face as he took the ten dollar bill and handed over the change. Alex exhaled and left the coffee shop before he could embarrass himself further.

Damn Laurens and his stupidly pretty eyes and his cocky smirk and his freckles… He stomped his way to the library, taking occasional sips of his coffee and pushing his way past people idling along on the sidewalk. He was greeted at the door by Burr, who looked less than pleased. He checked his watch (which was a generous donation from Eliza) and sighed. He was late. Of course he was. As if the day couldn't get any worse.

"I'm sorry for being late-"

"You can't stay here anymore." Well, maybe the day could get worse. Alex bit his lip and let Burr lead him into the warm library. He should have known this was coming. After all, he couldn't have stayed in the library forever. He just wished he had a bit more of a warning… Almost like an eviction notice, he supposed. But could it really be an eviction notice when it wasn't his place to stay in the first place? It wasn't like he paid rent or anything.

He did have a bit of money saved up, and with the money he'd get for tutoring Laurens (he'd get over $1,000 a week just for five sessions, almost $2,000 for weeks when he had to tutor on the weekends), he could probably afford an apartment. Scratch that, he could definitely afford an apartment. Nothing too expensive, since he'd need furniture. An actual bed would be nice. He hadn't slept in a bed in years. When he slept over at Lafayette's house on the weekends, he slept on the couch. He refused to take up a guest room, since he was already imposing just by being in his house.

"Okay," Alexander said quietly, already thinking of possible places to live. His new home (home was such a strange concept to him, he hadn't had one in so long) would have to be somewhere close to the school and library. He couldn't risk being late, and he didn't want to spend most of his days walking. He had far too much work to do to waste his time like that. "Do I still have to lock up during the week?"

"Er, I'll take care of that from now on." Burr took his normal spot behind the front counter and watched Alex set most of his stuff down, with the exception of a few notebooks. He took his coffee and muffin to his table near the back and waited for his student to arrive. He didn't really remember who it was, and he couldn't care less. He had so much to do, it was hard to focus on anything else.

It was only after he left work that he realized that he had been focusing so much on what he'd do later that he wasn't focusing on the present. He didn't exactly have anywhere to stay. Lafayette's parents didn't let anyone come over on Sundays, period. He didn't have a clue where Hercules lived, and he didn't want to just show up out of the blue and demand a place to stay. No, he'd have to find his own place to stay. Even a little shack would be good for the night.

Alexander found himself at the apartment complex he had stayed at briefly, before everything had gone to shit. The building had been shut down because of health complaints (it had been infested with rats and management did nothing to fix it), but it surprisingly hadn't been torn down. It was beaten and worn down, and the front door was gone, but it would have to do. He took a deep breath and found the one bedroom apartment he knew far too well. All the furniture was long gone, probably taken by people in similar situations to his. He couldn't blame them.

"Home sweet home." He set his bags down and laid his sleeping bag out, wincing at all the tears and rips in it. The thing had really seen better days. He'd definitely have to buy a new one at this point. Especially since he didn't have the warmth of the library to sleep in anymore. He was going to be cold tonight. The windows in the apartment were rusted open, which meant that the night breeze was surely going to get in. He sighed as he tucked himself into his sleeping bag, using his backpack as a pillow.

Things won't be like this much longer, Alex reminded himself as he drifted off to sleep, shivering in the cold air. He'd make sure of that.