Life As A Motto. Sequel to Bad Things Happen!

First Day!

James Reynolds came back to the dorm the night before. He didn't bother the sleeping Laurens. He was sad to leave Maria and the baby, but he wanted to be successful. That started with college. The morning of the first day of school was different for each of them.
Alexander was excited, yet still dreading his annoying roommate.
Jefferson was the same actually.
Lafayette was nervous.
Eliza was anxious.
Alister was new, so...
And Peggy was dead asleep.
No one really knew how Laurens was feeling the night before.

The morning came and most of them met at the coffee shop.

"Morning!" Peggy smiled as she walked over to her boyfriend.

"Hey. You excited?" Laurens asked.

"Yes. I'm going to be the most successful marine biologist there is." She smirked.

"Wish I had your confidence." Laurens laughed.

"You're gonna do great!" Peggy blew him a kiss before running off.

Laurens sighed. Many thoughts running through his head. What happened yesterday? Did my father mean everything he said? Is he sucking up for the cops? Many memories of the first five years of his life popped into his head.

Flashback.

Little Laurens sat at the kitchen table. He needed help with his school work, but he didn't want to bother his dad. He didn't want him to get mad at him. But he still needed the help. He decided to give it a try.

"Daddy?"

"What Jack?" Henry spat annoyed with a beer bottle in hand.

"C-can you help me?"

Henry sighed. "Jack, you need to learn how to take care of yourself. To look out for number one! Don't ask me for anything again!"

Laurens went back to the table and tried to work out how to spell his name.
After a few minutes, little Laurens gave up and went to talk to his father again. He didn't feel like it, but the last time he handed in an incomplete assignment, his father almost broke his arm. So close in fact that he had been able to dislocate his shoulder ever since. Might as well give it a shot.

"D-d-daddy?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"WHAT DID I SAY TO YOU!!!" Henry screamed. He walked over and grabbed John by his hair and dragged him to his room. He gave him a couple more bruises and a split lip before leaving. "STAY IN HERE UNTIL YOU LEARN YOUR PLACE!"

Laurens laid down on his bed and began to cry. He kept his voice down, not wanting to alert his father. Henry thought crying made someone weak. A thought came into his head.
Leave! Run away and never come back!

Laurens grabbed his backpack and another bag he had hidden under his bed. He climbed out his bedroom window and ran down the street.
Where do I go from here?

John just kept walking for a few minutes, not caring if anything happened to him at the moment. As a five year old, you don't really worry about anything bad happening to you like that. Unless it happens. After a few hours, a woman approached him.

"Are you lost, buddy?" She asked sweetly. She noticed the blood on his face and the bruises on his arms. "What happened to you?"

"I fell down." He lied. His father always told him not to tell anyone what he did to him. "I don't have a mommy and I don't know where else to go." Laurens cried.

"It's ok. Come here sweetie." She scooped him up and carried him over to her car. He sobbed every step of the way.

Laurens went home with the woman. "Why don't you stay here for the night? Is that ok?"