I am so sorry for not updating. My phone wouldn't charge for 3 days straight and there's a big essay due me please forgive ime for updating this 4 days after it was supposed to. Btw this chapter is mostly about James's childhood. 

** James's POV **

It's now been 2 months since Mia and I have broken up. We're still friends like before we started dating in the first place. The only thing that bothered me was that Julian took Mia back. A month after we broke up, she came to tell me something. She called me one afternoon.

"Hey Mia"
"James, I need to talk to you"
"Okay what about?"
"Can I just come over? Is Dustin there right now?" She sounded serious.
"No he's not. But I what do you want to talk to me about?!?"
"I'll tell you when I get there, bye" she hung up. I sat on the couch and watched tv. I had an apartment now. Dustin came over all the time. After prison, I couldn't go back to college so I guess I'm stuck working at Dutch Bros for now. Actually I wasn't complaining. I love working there. All my friends from school work with me and it's really fun. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I never have. My dad owned a diner downtown before he died.
(Remember people this isn't true. They have a dad and he's alive) I remember when I was about 6, and he would take me down to the diner after school and I'd sit at the stools and watch him grill the burgers. He'd ask me how my day was. "Good" I always replied.

** James's POV ( when he was 6 )**

"What did you learn today?" My dad asked in his old raspy voice.
"Hmmm... I don't know" I cheered. I spun around in the stool and looked around. The diner was empty right now.
" 7 hours of school and you didn't learn a thing?"
"Well I learned about the different clouds!"
"Oh yeah? Can you name some?"
"Yep! There's a cumulus, a stratus, and a cirrus!" I felt proud of myself for remembering that. I had a big grin on my face.
"Good job!" He gave me a high five. The bell on the door jingled and the door squeaked. My head turned sharply to see who it was. It was a man. I recognized him. He comes in everyday. I didn't know his name though. He seemed to know me. I think he's a friend of my dads.
"Hi James!" He called out to me.
"Hi!" I seemed happy and I waved, but I really didn't know who he was.
"James can you move for Ryan?" My dad said in a voice not like he was asking, but he was telling.
"But I'm sitting here" I whined.
"James" he sounded angry. Not yelling or anything but he seemed annoyed. I raised an eyebrow. " I have a better place for you" I was now immediately interested.
"Where?!?" He picked me up. I wasn't a tall kid or a short kid. I was average. But for a 6 year old I was definitely very small compared to my dad. He felt like a giant. He set me down right next to him and the grill. I looked up at him amazed that I was standing next to his grill. His grill. He gave me a spatula. I grasped it in my tiny hand a examined it front and back. Then he set a giant chefs hat on my head. I was speechless. He took my hands and put oven mitts over them. They were warm.
"Ooh! And you can't forget this" he pulled something red out of the cabinet. It was an apron. He tied it around me and stood back. The end of the apron dropped to the floor because of course, it was way too long.
"It's red" I pointed out.
"What's wrong with red?"
"I like green better!"
"Red's a great color! It's my favorite color. And you know what?"
"What?"
"That apron was mine when your grandpa taught me how to grill"
"Woah!"
"Yep! And now it's all yours"
"It's too big!" I tried making excuses why I should get a green one. A cooler one.
"You'll grow into it" he turned away and put a patty on the grill. I couldn't see. I stood on my tippy toes and peeked over the counter.
"Oh sorry" he picked me up and sat me on the countertop. I watched him grill patties for hours. I didn't talk, just stared. It was now 8:00pm and I was still watching him grill. I don't know why I found this so interesting. I was mesmerized by him lifting the patty, and flipping it back onto the hot grill. I felt a jerk around my waist. My dad picked me up and put me on his shoulders.
"Ready to go little buddy?"
"Yep!" I sat on his shoulders as he ducked down to get through the door without hitting my head. I loved when he gave me piggyback rides. I felt like I was him. I felt like I was older. I gripped on to his hair. Sometimes he would let go of my feet. I never liked it when he did that. I always thought I would fall.
"Daddy!"
"What?"
"Hold on!"
"James, you're not going to fall"
"Yes I am!"
"Don't worry I won't let that happen"
"Hold on!" I screamed.
"Okay, okay" he held on to my velcro shoes. Now I felt safe. When we got onto the porch, he didn't set me down. He opened the door.
"Daddy!" Sarah screamed as we walked through the door. She was almost 5 years old.
"Hey little Bep!" He gave her a little pat on the head. He always called Sarah a little Bep and me his little buddy. I was still on his shoulders. Mom was cooking. He walked up the stairs and it was a little scary. We finally entered his room.
"One..."
"Daddy? What are you doing?"
"Two...."
"Daddy?"
"Three!" He threw me off his shoulders and I landed a soft landing on his bed. It was fun, but for some reason, I overreacted. I started crying.
"James?"
"That hurt!" It really didn't but little kids have to make everything dramatic.
"I'm sorry" he pat my back. "I won't do it again"
I pushed him away and ran to my room. I slammed the door on his face and wiped my nose with my sleeve. I heard a gentle knock.
"Come on out little buddy I promise I won't do that again"
"Fine" I slowly opened my door and looked up. He was standing wise and tall. He pat my head and I stepped out.
"You have school tomorrow go take your bath"
"Okay" he went downstairs and my mom came up. She turned the water on, making sure it wasn't too hot or too cold. I unchanged and got in the tub. My mom was pretty in my opinion. I looked up to her. And to me, she was the best mom on earth. Mostly because she was my mom, the only mom I have ever been with.
"Close your eyes" she scooped out water and poured it over my head using a glass cup. Now she got the shampoo. Her hands scrubbed it into my hair as I played with little bath toys.
"Close your eyes" she said again. I tilted my head back and she washed all the soap out of my hair. Later, I finished my bath and my mom wrapped me in my tiger towel. It was my favorite towel. It had a little hood with tiger ears on it. I used it as a cape. Whenever i ran, it flew behind me. I waddled back into my room and changed into my pajamas. I waited on my bed for my parents to say good night. My mom came in.
Sorry the picture is so big

"Goodnight little goose" that's what she called me. She kissed my forehead and turned out my light.
"What about the nightlight!?!"
"Oh sorry" she bent down and turned it on. It was a Spider-Man nightlight. I sat and waited.
"Aren't you going to get in your covers?"
"No. daddy has to tuck me in!"
"Okay he'll be up in a minute"
"Yay!" I loved my mom but I had a special bond with my dad. He came up.
"Daddy!"
"Hey little buddy" he walked towards me. I stood on my bed and then jumped up on to him.
"Woah there!"
"Can you tuck me in please!"
"Of course" he pulled back my blankets and sheets while I was still clinging onto him. He grabbed me and laid me down into my race car bed. He covered me with blankets and kissed my forehead.
"Where's Quincy?"
"He's right here" my dad handed me my tiger stuffed animal. I hugged it.
"Goodnight James"
"Goodnight daddy!" I went to sleep.

Again, sorry it's too big
** James's POV ( in the present ) **

I heard a loud knock. I snapped out of my thoughts and answered the door. It was Mia.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah" we sat on the couch.
"So James... do you have a girlfriend yet?"
"What! No! Never! Why?"
"I don't know but why would you never have one?"
"Mia, I love you!"
"I'm sorry James..." my heart was hurting again.
"Mia! Please! We were so happy together!"
"I'm dating Julian!" She yelled. I was shocked.
"What?"
"I'm sorry!" She curled up in a little ball and didn't look at me.
"What..." I moved towards her. She flinched.
"Mia, I'm not going to hurt you. Why'd you flinch?"
"Please don't be mad!" She begged.
"I'm not mad"
"You aren't?"
"No... I'm just disappointed"
"I'm sorry"
"It's okay it's just that now I'm back where I started"
"What do you mean?"
"Before you knew I liked you, you were dating Julian and you didn't like me and I loved you. It's the same situation"
"I feel bad now"
"Don't pity me. Just go"
"Are you sure this is okay with you?"
"Yeah just leave"
"Okay..." she left. I couldn't believe this. He took her back? Wow Julian.. I thought we were friends.

Hey guys! Are you guys liking the story? By the way the childhood writing is probably the influence of this book I'm reading called the ocean at the end of the lane. It's more of a harder book to read if you're not in middle school. It's really confusing and weird but I like it. So if you like weird supernatural stuff then you should read the ocean at the end of the lane. Btw there are going to be a couple more of those flash backs to James's childhood in future chapters. Hope you liked it! Next update will be on Tuesday 6:00pm pacific time. Do you guys like my art work?