"Dad?" I called up the stairs quietly.

"What? Geez." He said angrily. There was the sound of angry clicking from his computer.

'What did I do this time?'  I thought to myself.

I didn't say anything, I just walked into my room- my very small room- and sat on the bed. I brushed my hand over the red quilt covering it and felt a tear fall down my cheek. It was the only thing that hadn't been ruined when our neighborhood was flooded twelve years ago. The flood also took my mother and I was too young to understand it at the time. Being a four year old, I was told that Mom went to live in the sky with Grandma.

I want to live in the sky.

I didn't stop the tears as I covered myself with the quilt and fell asleep.

"Dad, stop!" I yelled.

He looked me in the eye with such rage that I couldn't move. "You think that I'm going to listen to someone as pathetic as you?" He let out a laugh that was so extremely cynical, " You are not my son."

He threw the bag out the door and slammed it shut, leaving me outside. Alone.

Tears fell down my cheeks and I picked up the bag, now wet from the puddle on the ground and started walking.

"John!"

I shot up in bed, screaming. It was dark.

"John?"

"Alex?"

I could see his dim laptop screen.

"You were screaming,"

"I'm fine."

"You're sweating."

"I'm fine Alexander."

"Okay." He got up and returned to his laptop. Typing away.

Morning came and I got up quickly, pulling on my jeans and a clean shirt. I brushed my hair and tried flattening it- with no success. I grabbed my things and ran out the door to Professor Washington's class.

When I got there, Alex was already situated in a seat, with his laptop at the ready. I sat in a seat away from him, but not too far as to seem like I'm avoiding him again. Which I wasn't.

"Alright you guys, midterms are close! And I want all of you to pass them. I mean all of you," he made deliberate eye contact with Samuel Seabury, who never payed attention, John noticed- while not paying attention. "I've printed a study guide and its on the desk next to the door. Feel free to take one on your way out." He said.

At this point, John checked out of class mentally and began staring at anything.

I didn't realize what I was staring at until Professor Washington's voice broke into my thoughts, "Mr. Laurens, Hamilton talks highly of you but perhaps you could watch me and not the back of his head."

A couple of kids laughed and I ducked my head behind my laptop screen and began typing- anything to stop thinking about it. I could feel my face was hot and I knew it was very red. I looked up at Alex quickly and saw him staring daggers at me, his face was flushed. I looked back at my laptop and didn't look up the rest of the lesson.

I opened the door to the dorm and shut it quietly. "Alex?" I called, walking over to the carpet and dropping my bag, "Hey, I'm sorry about Washington,"

I saw him at his laptop typing furiously. "I'm sorry that he called you out too."

He stopped typing; he turned in his chair and played with the sleeve of the sweatshirt he was wearing. "I'm not upset that he called me out. I'm upset that now the whole class knows that I talk to Professor Washington about you." He said.

He was wearing my hoodie and I don't think he realized it because I smiled at him and he just looked down at his lap. That's when he noticed, his eyebrows raised and his neck and face flushed red. "I- I"

I started to laugh at him, "Alex,"

"I'm so sorry, I just-" He looked up at me with wide eyes, "I thought- I really just,"

"Alex," I said while laughing, "It's okay."

"I thought it was mine this morning. It was really early and I didn't want to turn on a light because you were sleeping and I-" He said really quickly.

I cut him off, "Alexander, it's okay."

"I can take it off if you want,"

Before I could answer, he was already pulling the back of the hoodie over his head. He wasn't wearing a shirt under it.

"No, no no, its fine." I said before he could pull it the rest of the way off. He stopped trying to take it off and sighed.

"I'm stuck."

I smiled and walked over, pulling down the sweatshirt so he wasn't half naked anymore.

"Alex, don't wake up so early, it's giving you bags." I said sitting next to him.

He laughed, "Look at yourself, you look like you were hit by a truck."

I looked at the floor.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean you look ugly."

I shook my head, "Don't worry about it." I stood up and started walking to the door, "I'm going to see Peggy anyway." I slammed the door to the dorm and started walking towards the courtyard.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Peggy's number.

It started ringing.

Once.

Twice.

"John?"

"Hey, Peggy, can you come to the tree. Like, now." I said walking out of the dorm building.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon."

"Okay cool."

I ended the call and made my way to the tree that we normally met at.

I saw Peggy walking across the courtyard. I stood up, tears forming in my eyes and she started running. I hugged her as soon as she got to me.

"John, what's wrong?" She asked me, rubbing my back.

"Alex was wearing my hoodie." I sobbed.

She laughed, "Awww! That's cute!"

"On accident, and I told him to sleep more and he said I looked awful."

"Shhhh."

"I had the nightmares again, Peggy." I said, letting go of her.

She nodded and sat on the grass with me.