Notes: Hello everyone! Here is the second installment of the series my friend girlinblack137 started! (While her story isn't necessary to this one, it's super good and you should read it. The Story of Tonight by girlinblack137. #spon) I apologize for 1. neglecting my multichapter to write this and 2. the fact that this is probably horrible, as it it unedited and written in a tense/style I don't normally use. So, please, let me know if there's anything I need to fix (pronouns for Laf and Pegs especially) and love you all! Comments and faves are appreciated as always! :D
The Schuyler siblings were some of the most vibrant characters King's College had to offer. Always grouped together but never mistaken to be the same, almost everyone in the school had respect for them, if only because of their rich politician father.
Angelica, a senior, was the oldest of the bunch, arguably the wittiest (although the others in no way lacked smarts), the most confident, the most gossipped about, and the most ferociously protective and loving sister anyone could ask for. She'd always been like this. Fiery in personality and cool in mind, she was the kind of person who'd be seen reading Pride and Prejudice one second, and partying at a club the next. A mix of sexy and intelligent, Angelica's spunk, sass, and love for her siblings makes her the obvious queen of the Schuylers.
Peggy, a freshman and the youngest sibling, had more of a story arc than the others. Starting as the shy one, the goody-goody, the "boring" and "spoilsport" third wheel of the family didn't make for a great childhood. It wasn't until they came out as agender and pansexual to their sisters and friends in eighth grade that Peggy came out of their shell, quickly becoming the loudest LGBTQ+ voice in the school. Their past shyness was attributed partly to their sisters' shadow and partly to gender dysphoria, and with those out of the way, Peggy had totally transformed. Now, with confidence to rival Angelica's and average weekly alcohol intake to rival their partner Lafayette's (which was saying something), the previously lesser-known Schuyler truly knows who they want to be.
Eliza was a junior, the middle sibling. Always there to support the others. She wasn't the oldest or the youngest, wasn't as popular as Angelica or as cool as Peggy, and even if she has something she wanted to boast about, she had never been the type to try and grab the spotlight. Unlike Angie and Peggy, who always flew full force into their dreams until they achieved them, Eliza kept her many bubbling fantasies inside her head, because then when they came true, they were so much better than she'd expected. And she was fine with being the quietest one ever since Peggy had come out. She liked it. Besides, she wasn't shy. She just knew her role was to support her siblings, who would, in turn, love her. It was how the family system had always gone. Eliza: the humble caretaker who just wanted everyone to have enough. Wanted to be enough.
Eliza walks down the hall, watching James Madison closely. She had been obsessed with him lately, constantly trying to get him alone so she could ask him out, but there was never a time when he wasn't trailing Thomas Jefferson. In her heart, Eliza knows he's probably not into her. She's seen the pictures of Dolley Payne, a girl from Boston Academy, and they look to her like a lover's possession. But she'll try to ask him out, nonetheless. Sometimes she wondered why she was so set on asking James out. There was really no reason to believe they had anything in common, other than the fact that they both seemed to have the role of supporting others. James is Thomas's right hand man, and Eliza, of course, is the "Sunshine Schuyler", as her sisters sometimes say. Besides, Eliza already has a crush on someone- someone she's pretty sure she can't have. It was obvious to her that Alexander Hamilton was head over heels in love with John Laurens. Yet she's set on succeeding in her quest to date James. She pushes aside her doubts as she approaches him.
"Hey, um… James?" Eliza's sing-songy voice travels through the hallway to reach James Madison's ears, just before he enters his Geography classroom. He is alone, without Thomas or Aaron Burr, for once. "Er… I was wondering if you maybe wanted to… go out with me?" She smiles awkwardly as she asked. Asking people out had never been her strongsuit- usually she was the one being asked. She found it easier to say "yes" or "no" than to fear being rejected.
"Well, um… sure, I guess." James shrugs his small shoulders.
"Thanks! I mean, er, sounds… good?" She stutters, beginning to walk away. As she turns to go all the way down the hall, she sees but doesn't let herself look at the dark-haired girl clad in a gorgeous red dress. The dark-haired girl sees but doesn't let herself look at the quirky yet pristine beauty of Eliza. This, of course, has happened before, and will happen again, many times. Neither pays it much attention- like so much, it's just a routine.
For the next three days, neither Eliza nor James speaks more than ten words to the other. They barely make contact. There is no spark.
"Hey Angie!" Eliza is unusually chipper as she slides into the seat next to her exhausted-looking older sister at the Liberty Coffee Shop. Eliza knows about Angelica's stressful date that she had last night. She knows about their parents' meltdown after Peggy came out to them on Saturday. (Personally, Eliza thinks their father is more in shock about Peggy's nine-year-long lie to him than their actual gender identity. Or he's just insanely conservative. That's also true.) She's not trying to be disrespectful with her happiness, just to lighten the mood. Besides, she's got news that shouldn't be as good as it is. Angelica hands her a scone, which Eliza refuses. She wants a scone, but she's going to buy her own in a second. Angelica groans, looking up to see Eliza's happy demeanor.
"Ugh, how can you be so happy all the time?" Angelica blinks, stretching her neck.
Eliza giggles. "I'm not, you know. But I broke up with James, and-"
"You what?!" Angelica half chokes. She's not distressed, though. Eliza can tell she's relieved.
"Yeah, and I've never felt more free. I don't even know why I wanted to date him so badly either. I knew it would never work. I mean, I think I'm just desperate. I've been sort of wanting a relationship, and I was thinking of asking Alex, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me, and I think I'm getting over my crush on him anyways-"
"You should look into girls," Angelica tuts with a sly smile. Eliza half-bushes. She's not sure if she's bi or not, but she doesn't really want to start a fire by dating a girl, especially not after their dad's reaction to Peggy's coming out. An image of a girl in stunning red with dark hair flashes into her mind- which she promptly pushes away. Angelica can see Eliza thinking and shaking her head, and so continues. "Well, if you're thinking of asking Alex out, you should talk to him. Even if he says no, he'll probably have some good advice. Better than anything I could give you," Angelica remarks, rolling her eyes in the direction of her boyfriend, John Baker. Eliza nods, standing.
"Be right back, then," she mumbles, digging in her purse for a pen and paper, finding them, and promptly writing on the paper:
Alex,
I don't have the confidence to tell you this out loud, so I've written it here. Ever since you moved here a few months ago, I've had a crush on you. It got even worse when I realized how smart and kind you were. Do you like me? Check yes or no.
Love,
Eliza
Yes, that was good. Stretching the truth a bit, but making her remember how much she really did like Alex. She just doubts if that like is still a crush or merely friendship. Another flash of the beautiful girl in her head, and she's suppressing it as she marches to the counter.
"Hey Alex," Eliza smiles at Alex. She's remembering more and more why she crushed on him for so long. How nice it would be to date him. Smart and kind and- no. She wouldn't get her hopes up. She still has no idea if this is what she wants or just a stab at finding someone to love.
Alex looks up, his eyes dreamy. Eliza wonders if that's because of his previous customer, John Laurens. He seems to suddenly remember what he's doing, and smiles back at Eliza. "Hey Liza. How's James…?" He's asking politely, unsurely.
"Angelica told you, didn't she?" She can see that Alex was trying to allow her to be separate from her sister, and her heart swells a bit with.. love? Appreciation? Maybe. "Well, I broke up with him this morning. He was smart and stuff, but he was quite obviously into Dolley and there was no spark anyway. Large green tea and rosewater scone, and a strawberry garden salad to-go." She sighs as she finishes, knowing she seems like she's actually upset about James. Really, the sigh was her way of signaling that James was already in her past, unimportant. Of course, it didn't sound like that to anyone but her, but she didn't really care.
"Your total is $9.17. Sorry about James." Alexander finishes. Eliza shrugs, glad for his sentiment but not really caring about James anymore. She counts out the money, taking a shaky breath as she slips in the note between two bills. She watches him but doesn't meet his eyes as he finds it and reads it. She looks down more when she sees his face fall.
He hands it back, and she opens it up. Blank. She knew this would happen. She doesn't even feel that sad, that rejected, but she had hope that someone so amazing as Alex would be the one to fill the hole inside of her, the hole longing for someone to be in a real relationship with. A tear impulsively leaves her eye. Alex's face saddens.
"You left it blank."
"Betsey, you know I love you. I always will." She knows now that he doesn't mean it like that, but it makes her happy anyway to hear him say it. "But only as a friend. I really want you to find someone who will make you happy and I don't think I can give you that. You deserve someone who will love you with all their heart, someone as perfect as you are. And I'm so sorry that this is hurting you. But, if we're being honest, I'm not really into girls. And there's someone I sort of have my eye on…"
Eliza nods. She feels no hurt now. She sees, from this fact, that her connection to Alex really had become platonic, and she likes it like that. Besides, she knows who Alex really wants to be with. "John Laurens," she announces with a smirk. Alex turns red. Eliza's grin grows. "What? It's kinda obvious from the way you were making gogo eyes at him and you guys just stood there, staring at each other. You look at him the way I look at you." She had meant it just as admiration, but she can see that Alex feels another stab of guilt. She tries to show that it didn't mean what he thought it did, but he can't tell.
"I'm so sorry, Liza. I love you, you're like my sister. You know that. All I want for you is to do everything you want to do and to find the right guy. Or girl," Alex stammers. Eliza bites her bottom lip. Angelica must have told Alex that she was bi. She remembers again the beautiful girl that she's been glancing at for ages, trying to deny the possibility of bisexuality by forgetting. But damn, that girl was fine, and if there's someone Eliza could always trust for relationship advice, it was Alex, so…
"Well, there is someone, but she's had boyfriends for years, so I'm not going to try to go for her. She's probably straight. Plus, what'll my dad do if he finds out? He's super pissed at Peggy, and they didn't even do anything that Dad would consider 'wrong'. He'd kick me out for sure, and where would I go? Plus, I've always been his favorite, and I don't know if I'm ready to lose that." The person she thinks of is the girl with the dark hair, who she's never met but desperately wants to meet. If she's going to admit she's bisexual after so long, she would like to finally chase after the girl. Or, at least, talk to her. There is still the problem of Eliza's dad's conservative outlook, but that's not a problem unless the girl is gay or bi, and is interested in Eliza, and if Eliza is brave enough to talk to her or ask her out-
"Betsey, whatever happens, I know you'll get through it. You have a great job set up when you graduate, right?" Alex is patting Eliza's shoulder. Yes, she has a wonderful job as a kindergarten teacher ready for her. But...
"Yeah, but that's years away." As she wants to focus only on school while still studying, the job only starts once she's done with college. Meaning, in the meantime, she'd have no steady income if she was kicked out of her house.
"Just get a part time job, it'll be fine. Plus, if all else fails and he does kick you out, there are tons of people who'd be willing to let you crash with them. Take risks, live your life. You deserve to be happy." Eliza nods. She's just thought of something she wants to do, because she knows where the girl's first class is, and she knows that the girl goes there alone. This could be her shot. She can feel her face warming as she quickly finishes the conversation. "Thanks, Alex. I gotta go. I kinda want to talk to someone before class." With a smile and a wave from both of them, she's gone, and on her way to Mr. Arnold's Statistics class. Breakfast could wait.
It's with regret that Eliza re-enters the Liberty Coffee Shop that afternoon. She hadn't reached the class in time to talk to the girl, only to hear the girl's laugh as she entered the room, a laugh that was full of some sort of sorrow. She'd thrown away her shot at a conversation, knowing that the next day, she might not be brave enough to try talking to the girl again. She's meeting her friends Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan as well as Peggy, who also happened to be Lafayette's partner. Yet she doesn't know how she's going to make it through the afternoon when she's so distracted by thoughts of the girl that she's finally letting in.
She sits, welcomed by the group, before politely excusing herself to go talk to Alex, who she's noticed is aggressively scrubbing an already-clean countertop with a rag. Something's not right with him, and she can tell. She approaches him, carefully laying one of her soft hands on his callused one.
"Alex, are you alright?"
"I have so much work to do," he says, waving her off with the rag and then proceeding to clean the countertop for what seems like the millionth time. Eliza turns away, wondering what's up with him. Probably has to do with John. She sits back down with her friends, but is mostly absent from the conversations. Alex is probably fine. Eliza is too busy dreaming about someone she barely knows.
It's 9:45 PM as Eliza Schuyler is walking through the town surrounding King's College.
She'd gone out to be alone with her thoughts. Eliza likes to walk through the town at night, when even the humans are quiet, if they're even there at all. The only noises she hears are machines, wind, or far away music playing much too loud, and it's perfect. No human sounds, just Eliza and her thoughts. Just the way she likes it.
Until she hears a piercing scream coming from her left. Quickly, she turns, and starts to run towards the yell to see a college-age boy in a dark blue t-shirt hitting a girl- the dark-haired girl. As Eliza rushes closer, she sees that the boy is the girl's boyfriend. A million words rush through Eliza's mind- abusive dick, asshole, he'll pay, he'll burn, no- but her mind is shocked into silence when she hears a final thud, the girl falling unconscious to the ground. No. The boy starts to leave the alley, and she can hear him mutter something that sounds like, "That little bitch. What a whore. Maria Lewis- such a whore." Then, to Eliza's horror, he laughs before running away into the darkness.
She knows she can't stop him. She also knows it's more important to help the girl, who must be Maria Lewis. Most importantly, she knows she can't do that alone, and she certainly can't carry Maria to safely, so she's going to have to get help and come back fast. There's only one place she knows she can go, which is the coffee shop. She knows Alex will be there, and Alex will know what to do, he always does in situations like this-
Closing off her anxious thoughts, she starts to run at breakneck speed towards Liberty Coffee. Running. Running. Literally running out of time. The shop seems farther than she remembers, and as she runs, everything clicks. Alex has talked about a Maria Lewis before, a chick he had a drunk one night stand with when he first came to America, before he got accepted into the school on a full ride scholarship. Maria, according to him, turned out to be quite nice, and they had stayed acquainted. His social life had turned to shit after that night, though, as she told him about how her boyfriend James Reynolds would abuse her, causing James to blackmail Alex into both giving him money and not telling anyone about the abuse. If Alex didn't pay from his limited amounts of cash, James threatened to tell everyone he knew about the one night stand. Alex, not having enough money to pay James off, was forced to face the consequences of James' rumors, including the loss of his love interest Cornelia and humiliation. Thankfully, the rumors faded and Alex assumed that all was well, not hearing from Maria again nor thinking she and James were still together. But Eliza recognized James- vaguely, as he'd matured a lot in appearance since she'd known him in high school. It only now occurred to her that he was the same person as the mystery boyfriend of the beautiful girl. Alex and Maria had completely different schedules, so Alex never saw the couple together. It made sense.
Eliza reaches the door of the coffee shop, breaking away from her thoughts. She has to hurry- there's a life to save. She bursts through the door.
"Alex, John, you guys have to help me. Well, not me, but help me help someone else." Judging by the boys' reaction, she must look insane. But that doesn't matter right now.
John stands up, putting up a hand. "Woah, slow down. What happened?" Fear is in his voice, though he's trying hard to mask it with confidence.
The breath Eliza takes is deep and shuttery, and she can taste the salty tears running down her face. "I was walking past an alley, and I heard a scream. I went to see what was happening and, oh my gosh it was awful. It was Maria Lewis, you guys know her, right?" Alex's face pales a bit. Eliza must be right about his past with her. "Well it was her and her boyfriend James." Alex pales greatly- he definitely remembers the events involving James and Maria now- but stays quiet. "He was hitting her really hard and she passed out and then he just left and she needs help but I can't move her. John, come help me bring her here, Alex, make tea and warm up something to eat and get ice. Charge it all to my account."
No one hesitates as Eliza instructs them. John grabs his keys and rushes to his car, Eliza in tow. It only takes about two minutes by car to get to the alley as Eliza dictates where to go, but those minutes seem to last for an eternity. Once they reach the alley, both hop out of the car and run towards the motionless body. Blood is flowing quickly from the Maria's head in an alarmingly fast fashion, and Eliza reminds herself that it's a head wound, head wounds bleed a lot, Maria will be okay, everything will be okay. John helps her lift Maria into the backseat of John's car, John not caring if blood leaks onto the seat and instead handing Eliza an emergency first aid kit. Eliza thanks him, pulling out antibiotic, bandages, anything she thinks might help. It only has to last until we reach Alex, she thinks. Alex knows how to bandage wounds. He's good at this. It'll be okay.
Another eternity later, the car is back at the coffee shop. Alex comes out to help carry the poor girl in, and Eliza is grateful to see that Alex has made a makeshift place for her to lie down out of some tables and some cloth. A clock ticks all too loudly as they set Maria down on the tables and Eliza slides into the booth seat right next to her.
Eliza is scared, and she's not afraid to admit it. She would be alarmed in any situation where she saw someone getting beat unconscious in an alley. But, though she's never spoken to Maria, she has seen a lot about her, and lets herself remember all the sorrowful laughs and awkward hugs she's witnessed over the months, maybe even the years. She doesn't even realize that she's whispering it's okay into Maria's unhearing ear until the girl's eye twitches. Eliza sits up, hopeful and terrified, as Maria's eyes slowly blink open, revealing wide brown pupils that look like chocolate syrup.
Suddenly Maria sits bolt upright, then bows her head, wincing in pain. She notices Eliza, then the two boys, then the setting and then the bandage on her forehead. "Where am I? Who are you?" Her eyes are wild, but she doesn't protest as Eliza carefully lies her back down and pours some tea into her mouth. Eliza can see that it instantly relaxes Maria.
"My name is Eliza. These are my friends, Alex and John. You're at Liberty Coffee Shop. Do you remember what happened?" Eliza is quiet as she asks. She knows from her training to be a kindergarten teacher that one should be gentle when speaking to someone who is upset. She can tell that it's working, that Maria feels more and more safe.
Maria closes her eyes, and Eliza guesses she's trying to remember what happened. When she opens her eyes, she once again looks frantic and afraid. "I was out with James. He's not here, is he?" She looks around wildly, for any sign of her boyfriend. Eliza shakes her head and eases a slightly calmer Maria back down to the tables. "He-he hurt me. And then I passed out."
Eliza feels nothing but rage toward James, but reminds herself that she can't do anything about him right now. Instead, she strokes the crying girl's hair, which is still silky and soft despite the events of the night. "Shh, it's alright Maria. We rescued you. You're safe now." Out of the corner of her eye, she swears she sees John and Alex glance at each other slyly, but she chooses to ignore it, just keeps soothing Maria. She can see her calming.
"Mary," says the girl.
Eliza is confused, and starts to worry that something's wrong with Maria. "What?" She asks, slightly afraid but refusing to show it.
"My name. It's Mary. He wanted me to change it to Maria. Because it's a nickname for Mary and all." Ah. Eliza breathes out a sigh of relief. She also internally glows, because Maria- no, Mary- has told her something she's probably not told anyone at school! Elia knows it's silly, maybe even cliche, and that everyone else would probably know soon, but it made her feel special in a way she hadn't felt since… well, since she met Alex when she had a crush on him! Suddenly she realizes that Mary is probably waiting for a response, so she awkwardly states, "That's a nice name."
Mary smiles, and it seems as though she's about to giggle but winces instead. "So's Eliza. Is that short for Elizabeth?"
Eliza nods. "Yes, it was my mother's middle name."
Mary sits up again, and is able to do it without wincing this time, but it's obvious to Eliza that it's hurting her to have no back support, so she asks, "Do you want to move to the booth with me?" Mary nods, and Eliza helps lift her down from the table onto the floor. She's rested a bit now and is, of course, conscious, so she's able to support herself mostly, but Eliza still keeps an arm around Mary. For support. And for an excuse to hug Mary, but that's beside the point. Mary turns to give Eliza a grateful look, and Eliza feels warm inside. As they slide into the booth seats, their bodies are so close and everything seems right, and the world seems to burn.
But Eliza barely knows anything about Mary, and she expects it's the same vice-versa. So they talk, and they talk, and they talk, and they talk. It's almost midnight, and the two girls have never felt more drawn to another person, because they feel they can tell each other anything, because they've seen the other so much but never gotten to know them, because even when Mary was being abused and diminished, Eliza cared more about the girl inside. They stop when the clock strikes twelve, and their eyes are beginning to droop.
"Do you think you can walk? We can head back to my place if you'd like, it's not too far," Eliza suggests. Mary pales. "What, what's wrong? I didn't mean it like that or anythi-"
"No, it's not you, it's James. He'll be expecting me back at the apartment."
"Are you kidding? He left you unconscious in an alley!"
"He always expects me back, and if I'm not, he'll make me… do things. Pretend to be drunk at parties so he can blackmail people. It's what happened with…" She trails off, but Eliza knows she means with Alex.
"But- wait, you mean he's done this before?!" Mary nods. "Mary, I- how could he?! Why didn't you tell anyone?!"
"He said he'd hurt me even more if I did. Even if he was arrested or something, he has friends. They can hurt me, or my friends, or anyone, really."
Eliza can't believe it. She just can't. But she does know that she sure isn't letting Mary go back to James' apartment. "Mary. Don't go back."
"He'll find me, he'll hurt me-"
"You'll have to stay home from school to heal anyway, you won't have to see him, and you'll be home with my dad, he works from home, he'll keep you safe-"
"I can't, I'll have to go back eventually, or-"
"Mary, we can deal with that when it comes, maybe you can be homeschooled or something for a while-"
"But I would have to tell someone about James, and then he'd get back at me-"
"Mary- please," Eliza's voice is not harsh, but soft, pleading, caring. "I know it'll be hard. But we can make it through this. We'll work something out. But for now… just be safe, that would be enough. Please."
Mary's wide brown eyes meet Eliza's dark, almost black ones. In both sets of them, there is fear, hope, and something that might almost be love. "Okay," Mary whispers. Eliza nods, solemnly.
Eliza stands up first, looking towards the back of the shop to see what Alex and John are up to, and notices them locked in a passionate kiss. She smirks, and Mary looks on from behind her with an amused expression. "They're cute, aren't they," Mary muses.
Eliza giggles. "Sure are. I'll just leave them a note, I guess," she says, pulling out some paper and a pen to explain to Alex and John where they were going. After writing the note, she and Mary start to walk out the door. When Mary staggers a bit, Eliza pulls her into a hug and supports her.
Everything feels perfect as the two girls walk the short distance to the Schuyler house. Sure, they are tense, looking out for James or other people they didn't want to see, but Eliza can't help thinking that both her and Mary are so lucky to alive, and how beautiful Mary's hair looks in the early morning darkness against her red shirt, and…
Her thoughts are interrupted when they reach the driveway of Eliza's house. She stops walking for a second, prompting Mary to do so also.
"Um, Mary, just letting you know- my dad is a great guy, but he's sort of really, really conservative, so you probably don't want to mention anything having to do with sexuality- I mean, I don't know if you're straight or not, but if you are gay or bi or something, it's probably not a good idea to say anything about it to him- I know it's none of my business, but-"
Mary smiles, and Eliza's face grows even more red than it already was. She's been rambling, she knows. Still, when Mary laughs, she's reassured that she hasn't been annoying her. Not too much, anyway.
"It's alright, I'm bi. God, it feels so good to say that! The only other person I've mentioned it to was- him, and, well, that didn't go too well…" Mary's previously cheery face has grown dark, and Eliza reaches out to pat her shoulder. At first Mary flinches, and Eliza draws her hand away, but Mary reaches back and hugs Eliza lightly to show that she didn't mean anything by the recoil.
Eliza's heart is going a mile a minute. Her mind is full of red alerts, screaming SHE'S TOUCHING YOU! and SHE'S BI! and SHE TRUSTED YOU EVEN THOUGH THE ONLY OTHER PERSON SHE'S TOLD BETRAYED HER! but the only thing she can manage to do is smile awkwardly and manage to get the words, "Me too, I'm bi too!" out of her throat. Oh, she knows now how helplessly in love she is with Mary. She kicks herself inside her head, reminding herself that she still barely knows Mary, but it's no use. She looks into Mary's eyes again, and she can't stop her heart from going boom.
For a few seconds, there is silence, but it's the comfortable kind. It lasts until Eliza feels Mary shiver from the cooling night, looks at her watch and realizes it's almost 2:00. "We'd better go in, I guess," she sighs. "But yeah, maybe don't mention being bi to my dad. At least until you have another good place to stay- I'd let you stay here, but, I mean, that'd be kind of hard, plus with Dad and all his uber-conservative drama and stuff-"
"It's cool. Let's-" Mary yawns. It fills Eliza with a weird, warm, tingling feeling. "Let's go."
Eliza digs in her purse for her key, then unlocks and opens the door for Mary, who walks in and begins to marvel at the expensive-looking interior of the large house. She's about to follow her in when her phone rings, starting to play What the Heck I Gotta Do, her ringtone for Alex. I'll be one second, she mouths at Mary, who nods as Eliza fumbles for her phone. "Alexander," she begins.
"I don't wanna leave," comes Alex's voice from the phone. He sounds… slightly tipsy.
"Alexander," Eliza repeats, slightly more forcefully.
"Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now!"
"Alex, are you drunk? How many drinks did you have? Where did you even get alcohol from?"
Alex gurgles something, and the only word Eliza can make out is "John".
"Did John bring it? Is he there?" She's a little worried, but no too much. Alex gets drunk with no warning quite a bit, although not nearly as much as Peggy or Lafayette. Besides, he wasn't usually a dangerous drunk, unless he was around Jefferson, which she assumes he isn't because of how calm he sounds through the phone. No, he was more of the philosophical and emotional type, who would reveal his biggest secrets and tell the deepest and strangest thoughts from his mind even when just slightly gone. Nevertheless, she wouldn't put it past him to end up doing something he regrets.
"Yeah, but John had more beeeeeeers! No one's at the coffee shop, so it's okay, Elizaaaaa!" Alex sounds ecstatic, and his words slur together.
Eliza rolls her eyes. "Do you need me to pick you up?"
"N-n-n-nooo," he mumbles, but Eliza can tell he's pretty wasted, so she gathers herself.
"I'm coming, stay there. Don't argue." She assumes he's taken that as "don't speak" because for once in his life, Alex is silent. The things alcohol can do to a person.
Eliza goes back into her house to find Mary standing in the foyer, looking slightly uncomfortable. She's healed pretty much entirely, the head wound having been extremely minor after all, but could probably do with some rest. Eliza sighs. "I have to go pick up Alex and John, they're at the coffee shop and they seem to be very drunk. I could probably set up a room pretty fast or something, I dunno. Sorry…"
"It's okay. Actually, can I come with?" Mary asks, her soothing voice sounding exhausted but somehow also eager.
"Really? Mary, you should go to sleep. You need it."
Mary shakes her head. "No, it's alright. No offense or anything, but it'd be a little weird to be home- here- with no one else I know? And no one else who actually knows I'm here? Plus, we should probably go quickly to pick them up, in case they do anything dangerous."
God, she's so beautiful, Eliza thinks, then remembers that they should probably get going. "Ok, then sure, I guess. We can take Angelica's car, she probably won't mind."
"Angelica?"
"My sister."
"Oh. Alright."
They hustle out the door and into the eggplant minivan, which Eliza has a spare key for on her key ring. While Eliza hops slides into the driver's seat, Mary hops into the passenger's seat, and they're off. It doesn't take much time at all to reach the shop, and when they do, it's clear that Alex and John are still there. As soon as they open the door, they can hear the obnoxiously loud singing of Alex, echoed by John's slurred responses. In fact, it's not even that surprising to Eliza when she sees her friend standing on a table, sobbing his eyes out silently while he sings. She almost doesn't want to interrupt their "beautiful" song, especially when she sees that Mary is just as amused by it as she is.
"Raise a glaaaaaaas to FREEdom!" sings Alex from the table.
John answers with "Something they can NEVER take away!" followed by an enormous laughing fit. Eliza and Mary share a look, rolling their eyes but obviously enjoying the spectacle. Eliza knows that Mary is tired and hurt, though, so they need to get home soon.
She walks over to Alex and links arms with him, gently trying to escort him down from the table. She can't really hear what he's saying, but it involves a lot of blubbering and sobbing, so she assumes it's his normal drunk emotional babble. Mary is standing near John, who's still bent over in laughter, but she evidently doesn't feel comfortable leading him around so she just stays there awkwardly. Eliza notices this, and beckons Mary over to her. The other girl smiles gratefully.
Eliza leads Alex easily to the car and gently sits him in the back seat. "Can you watch him?" She asks. Mary nods. Eliza re-enters the shop, pulls the hysterical John back out, and lets him down next to Alex. They snuggle together. It's cute. She then gets in the car, as does Mary, and they drive back to the Schuyler house with only the sound of Alex's bawls and occasional hiccups from John filling the car.
Once again, they enter the large mansion-like home, but this time through a back door that seems like it could have been a servants' entrance in the past. "It's quieter," Eliza explains to a slightly confused Mary, who then nods. The entrance leads to a flight of stairs that exit into a small room with one bed. "Can you help me lift them?" Eliza whispers, and Mary nods yes. They each lift the boys onto the bed, and Eliza pulls the sheets over them.
"I doubt they'll mind sleeping in the same bed together," muses Mary with a smirk.
"Quite right," responds Eliza, giggling a bit.
The two girls, led by Eliza, exit the bedroom into the hallway. Eliza considers locking the door to make sure Alex and John don't cause havoc, especially considering her father's likely view on their relationship, but her father usually leaves early for work and doesn't care much about the happenings in the house. None of them have classes the next day- or rather, later that day, as it's 3:00 AM- until Eliza's 8:00 PM English, so Eliza knows she can take care of Alex and John in the morning. It'll all work out somehow.
Eliza no longer thinks this once she notices that they have no guest rooms that aren't in an odd state of remodeling. Which means that her and Mary will have to share Eliza's room. Which has only one bed.
Actually, Eliza knows she could figure out someway to get around this predicament. Maybe let Mary sleep in her bed while she uses a sleeping back? But, as embarrassing as this is, it's strangely appealing to her. On the other hand, Mary might not feel comfortable with it, having just left an extremely abusive relationship. Still, it's a big bed. It's worth a shot.
Quickly and awkwardly, blushing at every word, Eliza explains the situation to Mary, although she leaves out the part about liking the idea of sharing a bed. Mary seems to be a little thrown, but all in all tells Eliza, "Sure, I guess. I mean, it'll be nice to be with a friend."
This makes Eliza feel extremely warm and fuzzy inside, but she suppresses it. "We just met! Why am I already your friend? Not that that's in anyway bad, of course," she flusteredly continues. "I love being your friend." And I wish we could be more. "But why do you trust me so much?"
Mary doesn't seem offended at all, but appreciative. "Because, Eliza, being in a relationship like that one makes you regret trusting someone for certain reasons. Everything you've done, is exactly what he wouldn't have. Besides," she turns redder and lowers her eyes. "I've been… observing you for a while. That sounds creepy, but I just mean… I've seen you around."
Eliza doesn't respond to this. It is, of course, exactly how she's been with Mary. She gives Mary a quick grin to show that everything's cool and closes the door, and they flop onto Eliza's queen-size bed, neither bothering to change into pajamas. They each take a separate side of the mattress and settle in, quickly beginning to drift off. It isn't cuddly or anything, but it's close in heart.
Until someone comes into the room.
"Eliza?" A small voice snaps Eliza back fully awake. It's too dark for her to tell if Mary is still sleeping, so she silently blinks and sees Alex, still red-faced, standing at the foot of the bed.
"Alex, what are you doing? You need to go go back to sleep."
"No."
"Alex, it's getting light outside."
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
"I won't go back to sleep until you and Mary kiss."
This startles Eliza. She can tell she's blushing furiously in the dark room. Alex doesn't seem to realize the significance of what he's just said, but he doesn't seem to be leaving, so Eliza sighs.
"Why, Alex? Why?"
"Because everyone deserves their true loves in life!" Typical drunk Alex. His voice is raising, so Eliza shushes him.
"Alex, I can't kiss her. I just… can't."
"But you love her!" He's getting more upset, and it's worrying Eliza. Mostly because her dad might be woken up to find her sleeping in a bed with another girl, and to find John and Alex in their house as well. But also because he has some truth in his statement.
Eliza whispers furiously. "I… okay, I do like her, alright? It's like… I look into her eyes, and the sky's the limit. But she definitely doesn't like me back! Not to mention that she just came out of an abusive relationship, and probably doesn't want to start dating someone else! Besides, there's also my dad, and that I've only really known her for a day-"
"Kiss her! Or I'm not leaving." Alex stomps his foot, and Eliza can see no way out. She knows he needs rest, knows she should get up and make him go back to bed, but most of all she knows that she can not kiss Mary. No. Not now.
And then Mary is grabbing her by the shoulders and pressing a long, passionate kiss to her lips, which she is gladly returning. She doesn't want it to end. How could anyone ever say no to something as great as this?
The kiss lasts an eternity, and yet somehow it seems as though no time has passed at all since it began. Once it's over, Alex begins to cry. And then walks out of the room, presumably back to his and John's bed, leaving both girls in Eliza's bed, looking at each other with eyes that have finally adjusted to the darkness, trying to figure out what just happened.
Mary is the first to break the silence. "Should we… go after him?"
Eliza considers it, but decides not to. "Nah, he'll be fine. Most likely."
Mary giggles. There's a little more silence before Eliza talks again.
"Were you awake, when I was, um, telling Alex about… liking you?"
"Yeah. For all of it, I think.
A bit more time passes before Mary asks the biggest question, the one they both knew was coming.
"And, it was okay, me kissing you?"
"Mary, nothing has ever been better."
The rest of the night is spent asleep, as it should, but in a different way than before. It's still not a touchy bed share, but the girls are closer. Their arms touch. Their shoulders touch. They lean in so that their heads touch.
They still have a lot to figure out, but for the night- or, rather, morning- it's ok. Alex has John, and John has Alex. The boys are happy. Drunk, and soon to be extremely hungover, but happy.
Mary has someone she can finally trust after all those years of having James. She has someone she has only just met, but already loves. She has someone who she considers flawless and perfect in every way, forgiving and kind and caring and beautiful.
And Eliza? Eliza has Mary. Someone who she knows will appreciate her for her supportive personality. Someone who won't judge her based on the past. Someone who sees through the facades of both of their lives to find comfort in Eliza. Eliza has Mary, and that's all she could ever ask for.