but, he did. the painting was going to take a few days at least, which means i'd have to go back to this idiots house. but the bigger problem was, i wasn't going to be able to afford to eat for a few days.

i tried to ignore the stomach cramps i had, hoping that i wouldn't pass out or anything. how long had i been here? at least four hours. alex wasn't as terrible as i thought, his talking was almost a nice distraction from the constant worrying of what i was going to eat next.

"are you hungry? kinda want burger king. you could use a break, too." he says with a yawn.

"uh, sure." i say, trying not to sound too desperate.

he sits up and waves me over. "lets go!"

"oh like now?" i put my brush down.

"yeah, c'mon!" alex shouts with even more energy. i really hate how excited he is. he's like a puppy.

i grunt and get up, following him because i didn't know how to get out of this huge ass house. i hoped this kid had a car.

he takes me outside and walks me to the drive way. there was a decently nice car parked and he opened the passenger door for me.

"oh, uh, thanks." i say, surprised by the gesture. alex gets in the driver seat and starts it up. the car smells faintly of fast food and cologne. he starts driving down his street, turning the radio on.

we listen to some shitty pop song in silence. i wasn't good with talking to people, especially people who didn't have anything in common with me.

"so, what do you do for work?" he taps the steering wheel.

"this, pretty much." i sigh, looking out the window. unlike mine, his car windows were clean, so i took the opportunity to admire the buildings that passed.

"that's cool. do you like it?" alex sounded genuine when he asked, like he actually cared.

"i like to paint. i'm good at it. i just wish it paid more." i answered honestly. after i finished the dumb mural, i wouldn't see this kid again, so i don't see the harm in sharing a little more than i usually do.

"i get that. it's rare that people get to do what they love and get paid for it." i don't know how to respond, so i don't.

"what do you want?" he asks me.

"oh, whatever you get, i guess." i don't know how to act like i know what this place even sells.

"you've never been here before, haven't you?" he catches my bluff.

"i haven't." i admit as he pulls into the drive through.

"can i ask you something personal?" he says after a few moments of silence.

"no." i respond bluntly.

"oh, that's cool." he pulls up to the window and orders, i wasn't paying attention. he was buying me food, and he was paying me 10x too much for some shitty painting, i could at least be a little nicer.

"yeah, you can ask me." i mumble after he pulls up behind the car in front of us.

"are you, y'know, homeless?" he fiddles with his fingers.

i take a deep breath. "yeah, i am."

"well, do you need a place to stay?" alex speaks quietly.

"that's pretty much the definition of being homeless." i say, snapping. alex immediately retracts, almost as if he was hit. "shit, sorry."

"you're fine!" he gives me a fake-ass smile and a thumbs up. there was something up with him, but it wasn't my business.

"you could always stay at my place. i know i don't know you and you probably don't trust me, but it's better than sleeping on the streets." he clears his throat slightly. i wait until he gets the food and pays before responding.

"no offense, you seem, like, super nice, but if i'm going to die i don't want to get murdered."

"for the record, i would not murder you." alex says, seriously.

i couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips. the sound was unfamiliar to me and it sounded wrong, but once i started, i couldn't stop. the situation was just funny to me. i repeat what alex said, making him laugh too.

it was nice, having a laughing fit over something that wasn't even that funny. it was nice to hear someone else laugh with you.

"no, but seriously," i start. "you're already doing so much, you don't even know me."

i thank him as he hands me something warm, wrapped in paper. he also hands me a carton of fries. i try to pace myself, even though i wanted to inhale the food.

"i don't pity you, but i like to help people." alex shrugs.

"i can deal with that." i say with a small grin. i was starting to like this kid.

"how about this." alex stops his sentence to swallow his burger. "you stay until you finish the painting."

"okay, fine." now i really had to be nice to him. part of me knew though, that it wouldn't be an issue.

"i should probably tell you something then." he looks at me anxiously. "i kinda do youtube and stuff."

"of course you do." i sigh. his personality fit it perfectly. but i mean, he's lucky. "so you'll be screaming all the time?"

"yeah basically." alex has a nervous smile on his face.

"that's fine." no it's not.

"what content do you make?" i couldn't find a reason to why i was asking or why i even cared, but i did.

"gaming." he answers. "i live stream too."

"what's it like?" i ask quietly. youtubers and content creators don't have very good reputations. most of them are loud, annoying, rich and rude. but from what i've seen, alex is only three of those.

"honestly, it's awesome. i've met some of the best people this world has to offer." there's a sudden change in the atmosphere. i could tell alex wasn't a very serious person, but it was clear he was thankful for everything he's gotten.

maybe i could deal with him for a day or two.