Merry Christmas, lovelies! If you celebrate it, that is. If not, then I hope you have a lovely rest of the year. I told myself I wasn't going to update anything the first half of this week, but then I realized that this story was sitting a bit neglected and decided why not. So basically, I'm a liar, lol. On a completely random note, I listened to the Next to Normal soundtrack (after telling myself I wasn't going to get into any new musicals until the new year but, again, I'm a dirty liar), and the song Perfect For You just fits this story perfectly and it's now my theme for it. Anyway, I've been rambling long enough, so I hope you lovelies enjoy the chapter and enjoy the holidays if you celebrate! ~Shaymie

Alexander took a proud look around his new apartment and took a deep breath. He had finally sealed the deal and decided to move into a two bedroom apartment. He was willing to settle with a one bedroom, but his friends had convinced him to go for something a little bit bigger. They were going furniture shopping over the weekend, but for now he was content with his (brand new) sleeping bag. Well, it wasn't brand new so much as just a hand-me-down from Hercules. He hadn't wanted to spend any money on a new sleeping bag when he was getting a bed in a few days. He may have money now, but he wasn't just going to spend it because he could.

I did it, Mom, he thought happily, grabbing his backpack from near the door. The thought was bittersweet. He knew his mother would be proud of what he had managed to achieve… but he wished she was here to share it with him. He almost wished that he had been the one to die instead of her. No, that wasn't it… He wished that they had never gotten sick in the first place. He wished that she hadn't refused to go to the hospital because of how expensive it would have been. He wished that he could have done more to help her.

He sighed and started to head towards the library, locking the door behind him. This wasn't the time to think about that. There was nothing he could have done and he'd have to accept that. He was so focused on his thoughts that he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going on and stepped into a deep puddle.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Alex grumbled, looking down at his pant leg. It was torn and frayed, so most of the water had splashed right onto him. And on top of that, it was freezing cold and he was closer to the library than he was to his apartment. He didn't want to keep John waiting forever. He'd have to suck it up and change at the library. It was a good thing he kept all of his belongings on him at all times. He didn't want to leave them in his empty apartment just yet, choosing to wait until he had actual furniture to store them in.

John was standing near the entrance to the library, smoking a blunt and listening to music so loud it was faintly audible. Alex had long since given up trying to tell him not to smoke around the library. Apparently the no-smoking signs meant nothing to him. His mouth quirked into a tiny grin as he saw Alex. He took his headphones off and looked Alex up and down, blowing out a ring of smoke as his eyebrows furrowed.

"What the hell happened to you, Hammy?"

"I stepped in a puddle." Alex huffed, not even acknowledging the stupid nickname. "I'm going to change and dry off."

"I'll be waiting at our normal table." John threw the blunt into a nearby trashcan and walked into the library. Alex sighed and followed him, giving Burr a half-hearted wave when he passed the front desk. He went into the employee bathroom and blew a bit of hair from his face as he changed out of his damp jeans. He changed into a pair of slightly nicer jeans and stuffed the wet ones into his backpack. He tied his hair back in a lazy bun and splashed water on his face before leaving the bathroom. He went to their table in the back and groaned when he saw Lucy and Thomas Jefferson staring down John. He'd forgotten that he had to tutor her today. Most of his after school sessions had been moved to the mornings or pushed back so he could help John… with the exception of Lucy, who had been busy the past few weeks and who he had forgotten to reschedule with.

"I wasn't aware a delinquent would be joining us." Thomas' voice was snarky as he leaned against the table, pushing back a few papers. He put a hand on his sister's head and looked straight at Alex, his gaze piercing. Alex had to look away. Of all the kids he had to tutor, why was his ex's little sister one of them? He could avoid Thomas at school, but he still had to see him when he dropped his sister off for tutorials.

"You didn't tell me a southern asshole would be here, Alexander." John sounded less than pleased as he leaned backwards in his chair and put his feet up on the table. Alex sighed and sat at his normal seat, flinching at Lucy's glare. Who knew a nine year-old could look so… murderous? It felt like her deep brown eyes were staring right into his soul. He looked down, focusing on a stain in the carpet. This was by far one of the most awkward situations he had ever been in. Any situation involving Thomas was awkward nowadays.

"Sorry, Lucy," Alex said, making sure to not make eye contact with Thomas as he pulled some notebooks from his backpack. He could feel his stare burning a hole into his back. "I forgot I was supposed to tutor you today. Do you mind if John studies with us?"

"Whatever. As long as he doesn't bother me." The girl huffed and blew a bit of curly hair from her face as she looked down at her worksheet. Alex sighed. The Jeffersons sure were a piece of work, weren't they? He was relieved when he saw Thomas leave from the corner of his eye and relaxed. He looked over at John and saw that he was already hard at work, bent over his algebra textbook in focus. Apparently nobody was in the mood to talk, which Alex was perfectly fine with. He could focus on his own homework a bit.

The study session was by far the quietest one they'd ever had. Lucy didn't look up from her homework until she was finished and silently handed it over to Alex so he could check it. She had done her work perfectly, so she spent the last ten minutes of her session quietly reading a book. John, on the other hand, was glaring at his textbook as he tried to work out an equation. He was still on the first problem when Lucy finally left. Alex put the finishing touches on his essay and frowned.

"Do… Do you want some help?" he asked softly. There was still an hour left and at this rate, John wouldn't get anything done. He shook his head and leaned back in his seat, running a freckled hand through his hair. He put his other hand in his pocket and handed Alex his payment. He always paid sometime around halfway through the session so he wouldn't "forget" and blow the money on weed.

"It's so fucking dumb! Who the fuck decided to put letters in math? This shit makes no sense!"

"I should invest in a swear jar." Alex switched seats, moving over so that he was sitting next to John. The rest of the session went on as usual, but there was an unspoken tension between the boys. Alex frowned when John packed his things up at seven o'clock on the dot and left without a word. He sighed as he gathered his belongings and left the library. He wasn't sure why John had been in such a bad mood the entire time. Wasn't pot supposed to make people calmer or something?

I'll ask him about it tomorrow...he decided, shoving his hands into his pockets to warm them.