NYC, Five Years Before (read a/n )
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.

      "Alex, hurry up..."
John Laurens muttered impatiently, tapping his shoe persistently at Alexander's front door. Anxiety was drenched in his stomach, along with his heart pounding and a mind swarming with thought.

      "Alexander, can you answer the door?" His best friend's mom asked loudly from the kitchen in a kind tone.

      "Coming!" He shouted, darting over to the door, unlocking it and scurried through. He leaped onto his miniature deck before his front door after making the sure it was shut.

"John? What's happening in the b****?" Lex shouted with a big grin.

The uneasiness tingling in John's stomach began to fade as he giggled at Al's greeting. "Ally, we're like eleven, no swearing!" He finally smiled.

"Sorry I had to. Anyways, I didn't know you where coming." Alex let out a chuckle. "Short stack."

That was Alex's little nickname for him. For all the years they've known each other, he was always taller than him by just an inch, and always decided to tease his shorter freckled friend, likely to grow taller than him when the boys hit the devil's time, also known as puberty and emo fazes.

John's face flushed in embarrassment, slightly frowning. "Leave me alone, uh.... Alligator Ham Sandwich!" He threw out a random nickname.

Alex covered his mouth for a few seconds, holding back a few huffs of laughter until bursting out in chortles. "Okay, whatever Pancake. What are you doing here anyway?"

John's heart slightly sank again. He anxiously scratched at his right arm with his head hanging. "I came here because I wanted to tell you something important."

"Me too!" Alex chirped, hopping up and down in excitement. "Why don't we reenact all the movies where they tell each other their news at the same time?"

John frowned in impatience, his gaze held upon Alex who was beaming at him with a huge smile, standing taller than him. "Usually they have complete opposite news."

"Ah, whatever! Let's do it! Three, two, one..."

        "I got Call of Duty 3!"
        "My neighbor's son drowned."
They blurted out at the same time.

       Alex's pride dimmed then vanished. "Huh?"

       "My neighbor," John started,
   "my mom's best friend. He is moving to a small town in South Carolina, and it was supposed to be with his son... his son was all he had. No wife, no parents, no siblings, no cousins. He did have some friends like my mother and I who knew him pretty well, but now he's going to be there all alone, and I knew how much he loved kids. I feel bad... his son mostly lived with his ex-wife so I only got to meet him once, he was a great person. His dad was going to take full custody of him in Charlestown because of the things his mother did, but I guess when the tides of Lake Michigan knocked him out on the rocks, he wasn't able to get a breath to save himself."

     Hamilton looked slightly shocked and confused. He never even met the poor kid, but the two of them both felt strong sympathy for both John's neighbor and his son.

     Charlestown was where his Dad lived.

      Stepping down the deck, he stood next to his best friend's whose eyes where all watery and puffy. Just being eleven, Alex didn't know how to comfort his heartbroken friend other then pat his back and offer to go out to the nearby park and maybe get his mind off it.

       "Not today... I don't feel up to it." John murmured with pity in his eyes.

       "Then we can play my new game..?"

      John rolled his eyes and simpered at him, feeling a bit better. "You and killing non existent people. I'm not too into that."

     "Jeez, your such a girly girl! If Jar Jar Binks offered you a rose you'd fall in love and keep its withered petals till you're like infinity years old!" He remarked in annoyance.

      "Um I don't think 'infinity' is a number." He retorted. "Also I would keep them for a while! My mama's a florist and my dada's been gardening before you where walking! Flowers are our thing."

      "Haha, I know dude. That's fine. Weird, but hey, it's like 2892! You do you!"

      "It's 2007..." John corrected him.

        Usually he wasn't this easily offended or annoyed and played along with Alex's jokes, but sadness refused to let him.
        "Well, I should get going now..." he released a sigh.

        "Oh come on, you should stay!" Al insisted, grabbing John's shoulders and shaking him.

        "No, no, no.. I want to go home." John repeated, pushing his best friend away from him.

         "Aww.. okay fine. Feel better. Text my mom's phone so we can chat, ok? I might get one soon."

          "Okay, bye..." John waved at him, his lips curving into a slight smile before he turned away and headed off.

       That was the day Alexander ever saw his best friend.

A/N (Please Read!): sorry, this chapter was kind of sloppily and lazily made. The beginning of this story is going to go slow, but the pace is going to be picked up soon. The story is slightly complicated and I wanted to put out background knowledge before we get really into it. I have all of the plot laid out, so I mostly know what I'm doing... kinda... I'm not feeling the best, but I'm going to try and put out as much as I can before I go back to school and the complications begin. Please stick around, the ending won't disappoint you!