Clem's POV
Believe it or not, I was actually having fun. Louis, Violet, Marlon and I were sitting an old wooden table with a packet of cards each. AJ was sitting at the other table a few feet away from us with Ten. I was glad they were getting along. AJ needed a friend his age, and Ten seemed perfect for him.
We placed our cards down and pulled the top one up. I internally groaned knowing that I was going to be asked a question. Being with people wasn't really my thing anymore, apart from AJ. I hadn't socialised with anyone my age in ages.
"I win!" Violet exclaimed as she held up her card.
"Ask away," I sighed. I guess it would be good to get to know them though, and for them to get to know me.
"Okay...what's the deal with you and the kid?" She asked, looking towards AJ and then back at me. "He's not your brother, and you're not his mom.....are you?"
"No," I chuckled, watching everyone else sigh in relief, "I've been with AJ since the day he was born. Long story short, his dad was murdered and his mom died of exhaustion a few days after his birth. They were great people though; I think about them sometimes. Wonder what they'd say if they saw AJ now."
I didn't realise I was smiling.
"Wow, so did you like, raise him? Teach him to walk? Teach him to talk?" Louis asked, intrigued.
"Pretty much. I had help when AJ was a baby to a toddler from a friend who was with me for most of the apocalypse, but he died in a car accident. I was driving," my smile vanished.
"That sucks," Violet mentioned.
"I think Violet means 'tough'. Sorry Clem," Marlon pitched in.
"We've all lost people, I'm not any different."
"Say, what does AJ stand for?" Louis asked, lightening the mood with a smile.
"Alvin Junior," I smiled back, "after his dad, to remember him."
"That's cool," Marlon smiled.
I used to tell AJ stories about his parents when he was littler, whether he remembered them or not I didn't know. AJ would probably ask me about them as he got older and I didn't know if I should tell him that I was the one who shot his mom. To be fair, it was to protect him and she'd already turned.
"I guess you did an okay job of raising him," Violet flashed a smile.
I chuckled a little. I just raised him like Lee did to me.
