You've Got To Show Them What It Means To Be Alive (All Time Low)

Make the most of living while you're young and have the chance

Alex likes to think he has perfect memory of every child that's ever lived in his house. For the first five years, he was the only one, so that period of time is pretty easy. By the time he was Nine or Ten, he was one of six.

Of course people came and went. Some children got adopted, some simply transferred to other homes. Some of them Alex was sad to see go, others not so much.

Of everyone, Alex had never known anyone like Jack. And that was why they were best friends.

By law, the Gaskarth's were unable to foster anyone older than their only child, Alex. Consequently Alex was always the oldest by at least a year and a half until Jack turned up. In a way, Alex had enjoyed this- he enjoyed the later bedtimes, the bigger responsibilities, but having a best friend the same age trumped all the other advantages.

Most children would at least be a little resentful that their parents' time was taken up by so many others, but not Alex. In the neighborhood they were in, it was common to see an au pair picking the children up from school, to see parents working later than bedtime. Alex had a full time mother and a father he saw every day, and despite his occasional tantrum, he was more than grateful.

That, and Alex knew how happy it made his mother. She'd never wanted only one child, and until they started fostering, that's what Alex was. Her precious, wonderful, but only, son. Although he only had vague memories, it was all too easy for Alex to imagine how quiet and empty their big house must have seemed. He now had one of the top floor rooms to give him his personal space, as all teenagers need, but the thought of all those rooms empty horrified him. He was so glad he had his siblings.

He was in his room when Jack arrived. He knew of his impending arrival, of course, but the time wasn't set and Alex was far too excited to be waiting downstairs, jumping up at every car that went past. As the oldest, Alex had been told a lot about the knew kid. Mrs Gaskarth wanted to make sure that Alex was okay with the new child being the same age as him, and that he was prepared to help look after him. Alex always treated the others with a warm and caring heart, and always without being prompted. It was in his nature to be kind to everyone.

So rather than waiting impatiently for Jack, Alex used his time constructively. He had homework to do- his GCSEs were this year- and so he settled at his desk. His laptop screen flashed with a message, and he was soon wholly distracted. He may have been one of the top in school, but that didn't mean he wasn't king of procrastination. Talking to Josh and Rian online was much more interesting than analysing poetry. Unlike most people, Alex actually enjoyed poetry. His wall in front of his desk was littered with sheets of paper, and quite a few were lines and verses of poetry. The others were mostly half written songs and ideas, and photos- lots and lots of photos. His favourites were in the centre- one of everyone in the back garden in the summer, a group photo of his friends, his favourite photo of him with Amelia and Grace.

Grace and Amelia had been with them now for a year and a half and four years retrospectively. Alex was still surprised that Amelia hadn't been adopted. She'd arrived as a skinny, bruised toddler, and had grown into an adorable, bright little girl. She was 5 years old now, and Alex's little princess. Grace was currently the baby of the family. Usually babies were almost instantly adopted- most adotive parents wanted to have their child from as young as possible. But by 6 months, Grace was reaching the end of her critical period for attachment, and nobody seemed to want to adopt. The Gaskarths deviated from their usual routine to adopt her. While he wasn't at school, Alex was just as much her primary carer as his parents were. She was his baby, and he was so glad that she couldn't be taken away, in much the same way as he, selfishly, hoped that Amelia would stay forever.

When he heard the door, Alex shot from his room. He typed the briefest of goodbyes to his friends and ran down the two sets of stairs, arriving at the front door as his mother was opening it. On a Saturday, Mr Gaskarth was supposed to be at work, but he was home for the day to allow the whole family to be home to greet Jack. As not to overcrowd the new boy, everyone else was in the front room, and Alex could hear them all talking excitedly.