i like you a lot ; lams

you

tw: verbal abuse / gay slurs

alex wandered down the street with his tattered hoodie rapped around him, shivering profusely. after living here for a year, he still wasn't used to the drastic climate change from the carribean.

he was sent by peter to get alcohol from the store down the road. alex was 17, but the people at the liquor store all knew alex was related to peter and didn't really care. they sold alex whatever he wanted.

he bought the six pack of beer and headed out of the store back to his apartment, bumping into a taller kid on the way back. he had a backpack on, so alex assumed he was a college kid. the boy's curly hair jumped up as the two of them crashed into each other, the backpack slipping off one of the college boy's shoulders.

"watch where you're going!" the kid shouted before looking at alex and squinting his eyes. "you don't look old enough to have beer." he decided, crossing his arms. hamilton didn't know why the college kid cared. the college boy didn't either.

alex just fiddled with his hands and looked away awkwardly. he didn't know how to explain the fact that he didn't talk without, well... talking.

"you gonna talk or are you mute or something?" john asked impatiently, tapping his foot on the pavement.

and alex sat silent, staring at his scuffed shoes. he decided to try and save so he could buy some new ones. but he knew that, as always, peter would just take his money. he didn't mind though, as his shoes still fit anyways.

"wait, are you mute?" the college boy asked, tiling his head at alexander.

alex nodded, a dark blush staining his cheeks like paint was spilled on a canvas. he could practically hear the sympathy drip from the college boys voice, and alex despised sympathy.

"oh, i-i'm sorry! well, i'm john. um, i know my asl alphabet if you want to spell your name out for me?" john asked, this time coming across with empathy instead of the dreaded other. alex was pissed, knowing john wouldn't care if he wasn't mute. people always felt bad for him, and alex knew that empathy was covering the other choice.

alex knew he needed to get back to his cousin, but was intrigued by the boy in front of him. he set down the bag quickly and signed his name for the college boy.

"alex? nice name. anyways, here's my number. you seem nice. call me." he said after writing it down on a sticky note and handing it to the shorter kid.

alex stuffed it in his pocket and continued walking to his shared apartment at a quick pace after grabbing the bag with the beer inside. he wanted to call john, but he did not want to get the college boy mixed in his train wreck of a life.

once inside he shut the door quietly and set the beer on the counter, desperate to slip unnoticed throughout the apartment into his room. he failed miserably, and he heard his cousin's voice ring through the apartment.

"alex, bring me a beer. don't act like you can slip around this place doing whatever you want. i let you stay here so you'll be at least somewhat more of a grateful bitch and bring me my fucking beer," he shouted at alex, who recoiled immediately. alex stood still for a minute.

"hurry the fuck up alex!" peter screamed loud, his drunken state obviously not making him consider the fact that they were on the first floor of a thin-walled apartment building. alex practically ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer off the counter, careful not to leave fingerprints on the glass. he walked to the table besides the couch and set it down carefully, before quickly disappearing into his bedroom, not missing his cousins dismissing final words to him.