I Don't Want Them To Hurt You Again

Julian had been apartment hunting on the sly and he signed the lease without telling anyone in his family  the day of his eighteenth birthday. His move-in date was set for that weekend so he would be able to pick up the keys then. 

He was forced to endure an awkward dinner where only his father half-heartedly wished him a happy birthday and gave him a card with $500 in it to buy whatever he wanted. Everyone else remained silent, as expected. That was how most of his birthdays went. 

He didn't care though. He had already celebrated his birthday with Izzy and Roz earlier where he was given another impressively decorated cake, a shirt with a chemistry joke on it, and a framed picture of the three of them from his graduation. It already sat in a place of honor on his dresser.