"Will Mama let you go to my play?" Eliza asked as Angelica drove the two of them to school. Angelica looked away from the road to smile at Eliza sympathetically.

"I don't know, honey. She's pretty mad."

Eliza nodded. She had a quiet, thoughtful look on her face.

"Do you love him?" She finally asked.

"Who?" Angelica pretended not to know.

"That boy. Alexander." Eliza persisted. "It just seems like you two were so…" She couldn't seem to find the right words. "I just wondered if you and John were having trouble."

"Oh, no," Angelica lied, shaking her head. She knew that Eliza liked John. In the years that they had been dating, John had adopted Angelica's protective attitude towards Eliza. He was always stopping her in the halls to ask her about her day, walking her home when she stayed at the library past sunset, and tutoring her when she had trouble with her classes. Angelica couldn't bear to disappoint Eliza. "No, of course not. Church and I are fine. Alexander and I are just friends."

"Oh." Eliza was quiet again.

Angelica turned her attention to the road, trying not to think about Alexander. Every time she thought about the past Friday night, her heart leapt. When she thought about seeing him again, there was a nervous twinge in her chest. Would he talk to her the way that he had when they were alone on the roof? Or would he pretend that they were just the acquaintances that they had been when they left school on Friday afternoon? Would he tell his friends about their conversation, or would he just make innuendos or laugh? Would Church hear about Friday night before she could tell him that they were over; that she was leaving him for Alexander?

"Here we are." Angelica announced as she pulled into her assigned parking spot. She immediately put the car in "park" and scrambled for her backpack. Eliza - ever the picture of elegance and grace - grabbed her backpack in one smooth movement and exited the car.

"Tell me if you find out your audition results, okay?" Angelica called as Eliza began to walk in the direction of her classes. Sophomores were in the older wing of the school. Angelica, a senior, belonged in the newer wing. The two sisters rarely saw each other between classes. They would only be temporarily reunited for lunch.

"Okay!" Eliza called back, smiling widely. Angelica smiled back before walking into the new wing of school.

As she walked into homeroom, she was greeted to the familiar sight of all of the cliques huddled together. There was Jefferson's clique: Aaron Burr, James Madison, and, of course, Thomas Jefferson. There was Alexander's clique: John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, Robert Troup, Lafayette, and, of course, Alexander Hamilton. The other cliques really didn't matter.

Church, meanwhile, was sitting apart from the cliques, waiting for Angelica. Church didn't belong to one group or another. He drifted from clique to clique with ease. Both Jefferson and Alexander liked Church, despite hating each other. Maybe they both realized that Church was a harmless ally to keep at bay.

"Angelica," Church smiled as Angelica entered the room. Angelica forced herself to return the smile as she walked towards her usual desk at Church's side. She glanced at Alexander as she moved. He was saying something to Laurens, but he was staring at her while he spoke. "How was your weekend? I was sorry that we couldn't find time for each other, but I thought that maybe after school, we could go get a late lunch at that Thai place you like."

"I'd love to, Church, but I'm grounded. Indefinitely." Angelica responded, struggling to keep her eyes on Church when her mind was so wrapped up in Alexander.

"Grounded?" Church sat up in his chair, surprised. Angelica was not the type to find herself in trouble. It wasn't that she was a trouble maker - there was no bigger trouble maker than Angelica Schuyler - she was just too smart to get caught misbehaving. "For what?"

Angelica rolled her eyes. "I was out past curfew."

"Doing what?" Church didn't look suspicious, just confused. Angelica had lied and told him that she would be busy studying all weekend long. It was the only reason that he had stayed away from the Schuyler mansion for two days in a row.

"Taking Alexander Hamilton home. We were working on our government project - you know, the one I told you about on Saturday - and by the time we were done, it was pouring rain. He lives a couple of miles down the road. He would have caught hypothermia if I had let him walk all that way. So I gave him a ride and wound up being out for a little bit past my curfew. Mama went ballistic."

"Aw." Church believed her. Of course he believed her. He would have believed a can of soup if a can of soup were able to talk. "That's terrible. Can I at least come over? If we can't go get Thai food, I could bring the Thai to you."

"I'll have to ask Mama." Angelica said, for the sake of silencing him. "But you know how strict she is."

"I know." Church allowed. "But you would think that she would let you take someone home at night."

"You would think." Angelica shrugged with a small smile.

"Did I hear that you took Alexander Hamilton home Friday night?" Aaron Burr leaned into the conversation.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "Isn't Monday morning a little early to be eavesdropping, Aaron?"

"It's never too early to eavesdrop." Burr didn't mind the disdain in Angelica's voice. He scooted his chair closer to Angelica and Church. Jefferson and Madison looked up from their conversation, clearly checking whether there was some better conversation that they needed to be a part of. Seeing Burr's smirk and Angelica's frown, they decided that it was just Burr flirting with Angelica again and resumed their conversation.

"So I gave Alexander a ride. What about it?" Angelica asked impatiently.

"Isn't it obvious?" Burr asked, glancing back at Alexander before grinning at Angelica. Angelica couldn't help but follow his eyes. Alexander noticed both of them looking at him and stared back inquisitively. Both Burr and Angelica turned their attention back to each other.

"Isn't what obvious?" Angelica sighed.

Church, blessedly, remained quiet.

"Hamilton is after you." Burr said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Angelica asked as though it were the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Burr's face lit up. Apparently, this was like Christmas to him. "You don't know? He requested you as his partner for the government project before class."

"He did?" Angelica asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Why would he do that?" Church questioned.

"Aw; you're so naïve. I almost don't want to tell you." Burr said with a patronizing smile. "Hamilton is an orphan."

"So what?" Angelica demanded, offended on Alexander's behalf.

"So he doesn't have the connections that your family has. He's only got his foster dad, and old George Washington is off serving as a general. There's no one to make sure that Hamilton knows all the right people to get into all the right schools, to get all the right jobs."

"What does that have to do with Angelica?" Church asked.

Burr laughed. "What do you think, genius? Everyone knows that the Schuyler family is connected. Angelica's dad is already in the senate. Hamilton needs connections and the Schuyler family has connections. Do the math."

"You think Alexander is whoring himself out for connections?" Angelica asked dubiously.

Burr shrugged, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "You're right. It would be completely out of character for Hamilton to seduce a gorgeous girl in order to climb the social ladder. I don't know what I was thinking."

He turned around to rejoin the conversation with Jefferson and Madison, evidently satisfied with the doubt that he had placed in Angelica's head.

He had every right to feel satisfied, too. Angelica shifted in her seat, ignoring the words coming out of Church's mouth as he tried to change the subject. Church always changed the subject when he could tell that Angelica was unhappy.

While he chattered on about his math homework, Angelica fought the urge to bite her nails and look at Alexander. Could he really only be using her for her connections? He seemed so charming, so sincere on Friday night. But Alexander was known for being charming, even to those who didn't deserve his charm. And he was enlisted to attend prom at all six private schools in the county. Maybe he was using her. Or, at least, trying to.

"Angelica?" Church stared at her expectantly. Apparently somewhere in the rambling, there had been a question.

"I'm sorry?" She blinked, trying to chase the bad thoughts out of her head.

Church smiled, silently forgiving her for taking him for granted. He was really too good for her. "I was asking you if you wanted me to skip study hall and get Thai for lunch, since you're grounded."

"You know what?" Angelica was supposed to spend study hall working on her government project with Alexander, but she no longer felt inclined to help Alexander with anything. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun."

"Great." Church pecked Angelica's cheek as the bell for first period rang. "I'll meet you in the parking lot."


"Emma, huh?" Angelica was stuck sitting next to Aaron Burr during literature. He had craned his neck to get a look at the book that she had chosen for her senior paper. Jane Austen's Emma. "That's fitting."

Angelica sighed and slammed her book down on her desk. "What could you possibly have to say about Emma?"

"Hm. A smart, gorgeous girl making a series of romantic blunders…I wonder how I could possibly relate this to you…"

Angelica wished that she could roll her eyes harder. "Are you still talking about Alexander? I'm starting to think that he means more to you than he does to anyone at this school."

"I didn't say anyone's name." Burr reminded her smugly. "For all you know, I could have been talking about Jefferson. Or any of the guys at this school, if we're being honest…"

"Not you." Angelica smirked back at Burr.

"And whose fault is that?" Burr reminded her. He had been the bane of her existence ever since freshman year of high school, when his hormones apparently kicked in. Every word he said to her had a flirtatious tone to it. But that wasn't saying much. As bad as Alexander Hamilton was with dating anyone and everyone, Aaron Burr was just as bad. And only slightly less good-looking. Still, Angelica had never been interested.

"Yours." Angelica answered, returning her attention to her book. "If you weren't so terrible, maybe you would have had your chance."

"Why am I so terrible?" Burr asked, unhurt. "What's the difference between me and Alexander Hamilton? No, really. If it's the womanizing, I can step my game up. I can probably hunt down four girlfriends by the end of the month. Would that be enough for you?"

"Get lost, Burr." Angelica said, flicking through the pages of her book without actually reading the words.

"Is it the arrogance? I could be arrogant."

"You're already arrogant."

"Not as arrogant as Hamilton."

"You're right. You're somehow more arrogant than Alexander."

"I don't believe that," Burr said with a shit-eating grin. "Not for a second. Don't tell me I have to take it upon myself to imitate him. I don't want to have to do that, but if that's how I'm finally going to win you over -"

"No one is winning anyone over." Angelica told him, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Alexander is not winning me over, and neither are you. I'm with Church."

"Ugh." Burr slumped down in his seat. Though everyone in school knew that Angelica wasn't all that crazy about Church, they knew that it was game over when she insisted that she was. She only told the boys that she disliked that she was happily taken. The boys that she did like…well, they were assured that they did not need to worry about Church.

At present, Burr was told that Angelica was happily taken. Angelica wasn't sure what to tell Alexander just yet.


"I missed you during study hall." Alexander's tone wasn't reproachful. In fact, he was smiling. Granted, it wasn't the ray-of-sunshine smile that he usually employed around girls, but it was small and begging for a sign of good will.

"I had a long lunch with Church." Angelica said shortly, avoiding Alexander's eyes. They were lavender and enchanting and Angelica knew that she would get caught up in them the moment that she let her guard down.

"Where did you go?" Alexander asked instead of getting angry.

"The Thai place down the street." Angelica answered. "You ever been?"

Alexander shook his head with a bashful smile. "Nah; my stomach can't handle those spices."

"Lightweight." Angelica couldn't help but tease him. Their repertoire was so organic. It took no effort at all to concoct witty banter with Alexander. And he always dished it out just as well as he received it. Had Angelica not been paranoid about Burr's suggestion that Alexander was just using her, Angelica would have gladly dragged Alexander out of AP Government and taken him to the Thai restaurant. Or to the back of her car. Whichever.

"I'd bear the consequences if you would go with me." Alexander suggested. He looked down at his watch. "We still have a few minutes before class starts."

"I already skipped study hall." Angelica responded, trying very hard not to smile. "I can't skip this class, too."

"Then how about after school?" Alexander suggested, slipping into the seat next to Angelica. It was Jefferson's seat, but Jefferson wasn't in the classroom yet. He was probably outside talking to Madison.

"I can't." Angelica finally tore her eyes away from her notes to look at Alexander. "I'm grounded."

"Grounded?" Alexander jerked his head back in surprise. "What for?"

Angelica quirked a smile. "I was out past curfew on Friday night."

Alexander's face fell. "Oh, shit. Annie, I'm sorry."

Angelica shook her head and waved off his apology. "Don't be. I knew when my curfew was; it's my fault."

"I don't guess I'll be visiting the Schuyler house anytime soon." Alexander looked remorseful. It gave rise to Angelica's suspicion that maybe Burr was right. Maybe he really had asked to be assigned to work with Angelica in order to get closer to the Schuyler clan.

"No, I don't guess you will." Angelica agreed. "But maybe we can work on the project after school tomorrow at the library? Eliza will probably be staying after for the school play and my mom will let me stay here so I can drive her home."

"Yeah," Alexander smiled. He still looked sad - it might have been guilt, but it also might have been his plan to get connections failing - but he was doing his best to hide it. Had Angelica not been so willing to see it, she might have been able to overlook it. "Yeah, that'd be great. I really think we're on to something here."

"You're in my seat." Jefferson had arrived. Standing by his side were Madison and his girlfriend, Dolly.

Alexander turned to look at Jefferson, his mouth curving down into a harsh frown. He glanced at Madison for just a fraction before returning his attention to Jefferson.

"There are plenty of other seats, Thomas." Alexander reminded him curtly.

"So why don't you take one of them?" Jefferson countered.

"We're sort of in the middle of something right now." Alexander said, gesturing towards Angelica. Jefferson turned to look at Angelica critically. Angelica just smiled and shrugged, neither accepting nor denying Alexander's claim. She had gotten in the middle of too many of Jefferson's feuds as it was. She didn't need another testosterone match in her life.

"Trying to sell Angelica Girl Scout cookies to afford tuition?" Jefferson asked in a condescending tone, cocking his head to the side and grinning like a Cheshire cat about to devour a canary.

Alexander's expression turned murderous. Angelica couldn't help but be drawn into the drama - she had never seen Alexander so angry. He always seemed affable; he always bore Angelica's snarky remarks with a smile and a good-natured comeback of his own. Jefferson didn't seem concerned about it, though. From what Angelica had heard, he spent a majority of his time baiting Alexander. It was only natural that he would have seen such a reaction a few times before this one.

"Aren't there under aged girls for you to be harassing?" Alexander countered, his tone venomous.

Alexander was referring to Sally Hemings, Jefferson's summer romance from months before. It surfaced that she was only thirteen, while Jefferson was seventeen. Jefferson had neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, but Angelica knew they were true. She'd met Sally a number of times. She was cute, but very obviously too young for Jefferson. The poor girl was lovesick over Jefferson, the way most young girls are when they meet their older brother's cute friends. The difference, though, was that most girls' older brothers' friends knew better than to encourage the affections of a thirteen year-old girl. Jefferson did not know better. And he paid the price by being the talk of the town for months to come.

Jefferson clenched his fists hard enough to make his knuckles crack. "Listen, you son of a whore -"

The bell rang. Just as the teacher entered the classroom, Alexander rose with as much grace as was possible in the situation. He returned to his normal seat among his gaggle of friends. Jefferson took his seat next to Angelica, still seething from the interaction.

"I ought to kill him," He mumbled under his breath as the teacher begin drawing a flowchart of the structure of the government.

"No, you shouldn't." Angelica said as though they were maintaining the most dull conversation in the world. "If you kill him, you'll go to prison. If you go to prison, no good schools will accept you. Is a petty comment really worth ruining your future for?"

"Hm." Jefferson sneered at Angelica. She did not care for that look at all. "I should have guessed that you would take his side. Aaron said that you two had quite the weekend together."

"We worked on our government project on Friday night." Angelica stated plainly. "I don't have to justify that to you. Or anyone else, really. Do whatever you want with Alexander. Just keep the drama and that attitude of yours away from me."

Jefferson glared at her. Angelica ignored him, pretending to focus on the teacher's drawing. Jefferson spent the better half of a minute scowling at her before finally giving up and taking notes of his own.


The bell rang, excusing students for the day. Angelica leapt out of her seat and threw her books into her bag. While Angelica gathered her belongings, Jefferson stormed off. He was still in a snit over his little spat with Alexander. It wasn't a big deal. Jefferson had always been a little bit high-strung. He would call her later that evening to discuss some obscure news story, the argument forgotten.

"I'm sorry about what happened with…" Alexander materialized by Angelica's side the moment that Jefferson was gone, gesturing towards the doorway through which Jefferson had disappeared.

"Don't be." Angelica threw her backpack over her shoulder. "He started it. He usually starts things like that."

"Yeah." Alexander nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I guess I shouldn't ask why you hang out with him so much."

Angelica crooked a smile. "No, you shouldn't."

Alexander laughed and glanced in the direction of the doorway, his head hanging slightly. "Well, don't let me hold you up. It looks like you've got somewhere to be."

Angelica glanced towards the doorway before smiling at Alexander. Maybe he was using her, but god, he was cute. "Nowhere exciting; I'm grounded, remember? I'm actually on my way over to the old wing to see if Eliza got her role yet."

"Oh, yeah. She was auditioning for Dorothy, wasn't she? You'll have to let me know how that goes."

"I could call you." Angelica suggested wryly. "Or you could just come with me to ask her."

"How about both?" Alexander suggested, gesturing towards the door way. "Does your Mama let you use the phone when you're grounded?"

"She does. If I'm in the house, she doesn't care what I'm doing." Angelica said decisively.

Okay, so maybe she was falling back into his trap, but really, what was the harm in that? So he got a few connections out of her - was that really so bad? So he only liked her for what she could offer him - she could live with that. She liked spending time with him. Maybe that could be enough.

They began to walk through the halls of the school. They had to struggle against the currents of students dashing for the exit. A few girls made passing comments at Alexander, which Angelica pretended to ignore. In his defense, Alexander didn't shy away from it. He smiled and spoke to anyone who spoke to him, looking from the girls to Angelica as though they were all friends.

Finally, they reached the old wing. Eliza was standing at her locker, her face hidden. Angelica felt her heart drop in her chest. What if Eliza hadn't gotten the part? What if she had flown too close to the sun and had been excluded from the play as a whole because of it? What if Mr. Beezer had decided that it was all or nothing - if Eliza wasn't good enough to be the lead, she couldn't play anything at all? What if she had gotten her hopes up and was now a tree?

"Eliza." Angelica's voice was shaky as she touched her sister's slender shoulder. Eliza turned around, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. Suddenly, Angelica's heart leapt right back up into its usual place.

"I got the part." When Eliza was excited, she whispered. She grew less and less audible as her excitement mounted. Angelica wished that she had her sister's quiet, demure demeanor.

"You got the part?" Angelica asked incredulously. "Eliza, that's amazing!"

"Congratulations." Alexander said from behind them, his smile sincere.

"Thank you." Eliza looked down, blushing a furious shade of scarlet.

"Ugh, I'm so proud of you!" Angelica pulled Eliza into a hug that was probably too tight. Eliza didn't protest. She just nestled her head into Angelica's shoulder. Her whole body was trembling. She was so excited; so happy. Angelica's heart felt like it would burst with happiness for her younger sister.

"This calls for a celebration." Alexander decided.

"Alexander, I'm grounded." Angelica reminded him, releasing Eliza from her hold and shaking her head. She couldn't help but smile. "We have to get home before Mama loses her mind."

"Then I'll meet you there." Alexander said. "I can get some carry out and bring it over."

"Mama won't let you in the house." Angelica told him.

"Not even if I was there to see Eliza?" Alexander asked, feigning innocence. "You aren't grounded, are you, Eliza?"

Eliza shook her head, smiling. She turned to Angelica. "Can he come over? Please? We could have a little picnic in my room and watch the Wizard of Oz together! Mama wouldn't mind, not if I told her that he was my friend."

Angelica smiled good-naturedly. She didn't have it in her to tell Eliza no.

"Fine." She said. She spoke especially to Alexander. "But you have to go home before it gets dark outside. There's no way that Mama will let me drive you home again."

"You've got yourself a deal." Alexander agreed with a toothy grin. "Only…"

"What?" Angelica asked, pretending to be impatient and failing miserably.

"Do you think you could give me a lift to pick up the food? And to your house?"

"Really?"

"What?" Alexander shrugged, still smiling. "I don't have a car. How do you expect me to get the food if I don't have a car?"

"Fine." Angelica knew that she would most likely get in trouble for showing up with Alexander in tow, but there was hardly a thing she could do about it. It was hard enough to tell Eliza no; when her pleas were combined with Alexander's, it was damned near impossible to resist.

"So…how about Taco Bell?" Alexander suggested as they walked to the car.

"Absolutely not." Angelica shook her head adamantly. "I'm on a diet. A no-Taco Bell diet."

"You think you're too good for the Bell?" Alexander asked, as though personally wounded by Angelica's rejection of Taco Bell.

"I know I'm too good for it." Angelica answered. "How about something less likely to give us all food poisoning? Maybe Indian food from the sketchy gas station down the road?"

"Very funny." Alexander smirked at Angelica. She smirked right back at him. "Eliza, what do you think?"

"Oh, I don't…" Eliza's eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. "I don't really have a preference."

"Eliza doesn't want Taco Bell, either." Angelica supplied. "Her pallet is too refined for that. I'll have you know that she is a gourmet chef."

"She is not." Alexander argued, looking at Eliza with an impressed grin.

Angelica could never resist the opportunity to brag about his little sister. Alexander seemed to realize that.

"I wouldn't say gourmet…" Eliza's face had never been so red.

"I would. She makes this swordfish steak that is better than anything I've ever had in a restaurant before." Angelica said, putting her arm around Eliza's shoulder as they neared the car.

"I've never had swordfish steak." Alexander said.

"I could make it." Eliza responded so quietly that Angelica nearly missed it. "If you want."

"You should!" Angelica answered, delighted. Eliza only made her swordfish steak on special occasions, like a birthday or election night. The opportunity to have it on a regular night was too tempting to resist. "We can stop by the grocery store on our way home. Alexander, sit in the back. Clearly the lead in the Wizard of Oz deserves to sit shotgun."

"I couldn't agree more." Alexander grinned, opening the passenger door for Eliza before clambering into the back seat of the car. Eliza smiled to herself and looked straight down into her lap, her face red and her eyes gleaming.


"How did you make this?" Alexander demanded, his mouth full of food.

It had been difficult to smuggle Alexander into the house - Mr. Schuyler was still at work, but Mrs. Schuyler was there to interrogate him the moment he set foot through the door. Eliza had stepped right up to the plate, though, assuring Mrs. Schuyler that Alexander was only there to learn her swordfish recipe for Home Economics. It was the first time that Eliza had lied to Mrs. Schuyler since Angelica had broken a family heirloom playing hide and go seek.

From there, it was only a matter of sneaking into Eliza's room to watch the Wizard of Oz with her and Alexander. That wasn't difficult to do. Angelica spent so much time alone in her room that no one would go looking for her for at least a few hours.

"It's a secret." Eliza said with a playful smile.

Alexander shook his head, smiling from ear to ear. He swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking. "Doesn't matter. I'm terrible at cooking, anyway."

"Everyone is terrible at cooking compared to Eliza." Angelica smiled at Eliza proudly.

"Do you like cooking?" Alexander asked Eliza.

"I do." Eliza flushed with pride.

"Eliza is the only person I know who actually enjoys cooking and cleaning." Angelica cut in. She could hardly help herself. Bragging about her little sister was one of her favorite hobbies.

"Good for you." Alexander agreed pleasantly. "I wish I liked those things. In the most practical ways, I'm useless. I forget everything, I can't even boil a pot of pasta, and my room is constantly a mess."

"It really is." Angelica agreed with a sideways smirk at Alexander.

"Well," Eliza said. "I guess you'll just have to find someone who enjoys cleaning to offset your messiness."

"Or you'll have to start picking up after yourself." Angelica contributed.

"Or I can just wade through the mess." Alexander grinned.

Angelica rolled her eyes and forced herself to look away from Alexander. She couldn't wipe the stupid smile off of her face. Try as she might, she could hardly help herself from falling for Alexander time and time again. Alexander watched Angelica for a few seconds before returning his attention to the Wizard of Oz.

"Is the school going to follow the script verbatim?" Alexander asked a moment or two later, looking at Eliza.

"I'm not really sure," Eliza replied thoughtfully. "I was so worried about getting the part that I hadn't given much thought to what would happen once I actually got it."

Alexander laughed. "I guess that's one way of handling it."

"We don't all take steps three at a time, Alex." Angelica told him with a playful smile. Alexander grinned back at Angelica, and she could have sworn that as much as she loved him in that moment, he loved her more, still.

"Don't you?" He challenged.

"I do." Angelica agreed. "But Eliza is just smart enough to learn from my mistakes and perfect each step before facing the next."

Eliza blushed, smiling from Angelica and Alexander.

"Well, Eliza," Alexander put his plate down for the first time since he had first tasted Eliza's swordfish steak. "If you act as well as you cook, you'll be on Broadway in no time at all."

"Thank you." Eliza seemed practically paralyzed with joy.

A knock jolted them out of their cozy atmosphere.

"Angelica?" Mrs. Schuyler's voice could be heard down the hallway, outside of Angelica's room. Angelica and Eliza exchanged panicked looks. Angelica didn't worry so much about being punished for disobeying her own punishment; she just didn't want to get Eliza in trouble. She didn't want Eliza to bear the consequence of her inability to stay away from Alexander Hamilton.

Angelica immediately darted toward the window. Eliza realized what she was up to before Alexander and leapt to her feet.

"Angie, no!" She whispered sternly. "You'll die!"

"Drama queen." Angelica teased with a shit-eating grin. She threw open the window and stepped out onto the balcony just outside of Eliza's room.

"Why can't we just tell Mama that you were only in here to say goodnight to Alexander?" Eliza reasoned, following Angelica out onto the balcony. Alexander followed Eliza out, his arms folded across his chest. He was watching Angelica with a certain intrigue that only made her all the more daring.

"Because Mama will never believe me." Angelica answered, climbing up onto the railings of the balcony.

"Whoa-oh!" Alexander shouted, alarm evident in his voice. He ushered forward towards Angelica. She just smiled at him before standing up straight, holding both arms out to keep her balance. "Annie, get down from there."

"Don't tell me the fearless Alexander Hamilton is afraid," Angelica teased as she walked along the railing towards the railing of her own balcony. She didn't dare look back at Alexander. "From what I've heard, you've had plenty of similar adventures yourself. Surely you know that the key to success in these endeavors is confidence."

"This isn't funny, Angelica." Eliza sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

"I'm not trying to be funny." Angelica protested. "Don't worry about it. I've done this hundreds of times."

"That doesn't make me feel better." Eliza pouted.

"Go inside if it bothers you so much." Angelica suggested, reaching out towards her own balcony. There was about a foot and a half between Eliza's balcony and hers. It was a treacherous distance, but not an impossible one.

"Jesus, Annie." Alexander said in wonderment. "Don't look down."

"Oh, no," Angelica called back sarcastically, just as she moved from Eliza's railing to her own. "I climbed all the way over here specifically to look down!"

"I can't look." Eliza's voice wobbled. "Tell me when she's safe."

Angelica leapt down from her railing, landing safely on the balcony outside of her bedroom.

"Son of a bitch," Alexander's smile was dizzy, like he was lightheaded from relief. He shook his head, his hands planted squarely on his hips. Eliza, who had been covering her eyes with her hands, finally snuck a peek by cracking her fingers apart. "You're a marvel, Annie."

Angelica curtsied the way that Mrs. Schuyler had taught her when she was younger before blowing Alexander a kiss that was accompanied by a devious wink.

"Angelica, you open this door right this second!" Mrs. Schuyler was still knocking on her door. Angelica smiled at Alexander and Eliza for just a second more before rushing into her bedroom and throwing open her bedroom door. Mrs. Schuyler was standing on the other side of the door, looking thoroughly unamused.

"Sorry, Mama." She rubbed her eyes and pretended to yawn. "I guess I must have fallen asleep doing my homework."

"Did you really?" Mrs. Schuyler didn't believe her, but didn't have enough proof to accuse her of anything.

"Yes, Mama." Angelica smiled, knowing that she would get away with her bad behavior.

"I don't suppose that you've spoken to your friend Alexander tonight?" Mrs. Schuyler asked.

"Of course I have, Mama. I drove him and Eliza here after school."

Mrs. Schuyler's eyes narrowed. "Don't be smart, Angelica. You know what I mean."

"I've been doing homework all night. I thought that Alexander would have gone by home by now. It's almost dark, and since I'm not allowed to drive him home…"

"No." Mrs. Schuyler remained firm on the issue. "I don't want you even thinking about it."

Angelica frowned. "Yes, Mama."

"Goodnight, Angelica."

"Goodnight, Mama."

Angelica watched her mother walk into her bedroom and close the door. She then waited about fifteen seconds before slipping down the hallway and entering Eliza's bedroom again.

"She lives!" Alexander said with his usual dramatic flair. Angelica rolled her eyes before sprawling across Eliza's bed.

"You two are just a bunch of worry warts." She told Alexander and Eliza.

"And you're too reckless." Eliza countered with a fond smile. "You could have gotten yourself killed."

"At least I would have died having fun." Angelica said with a sheepish smile.

"And on that note," Alexander grabbed his jacket off of the back of Eliza's desk chair. "I should probably head home. It's starting to get dark out, and you never know who you're going to see on the streets. Eliza, thank you for dinner. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a meal so much. And Angelica…thank you for the fear of God that I'd almost forgotten existed."

"Hey," Angelica said with a grin. "Why don't I walk you home?"

Alexander looked at her inquisitively. It was clear that he was tempted by her offer, but thought better of accepting. "You don't have to."

"I know I don't. But I just got away with all of the rules I've been breaking tonight, so I might as well break a few more and see how much else I can get away with." Angelica said with a grin.

"Far be it from me to tell you to think better of breaking rules." Alexander said in that flirtatious tone of his.

"Good. Then let's get going." Angelica spared a quick glance at Eliza, who was looking very much like the third wheel. "Eliza, are you coming?"

Eliza shook her head, red in the face. "Mama would kill me."

"Okay." Angelica said cheerfully, knowing better than to argue with Eliza. She had already broken enough rules for the night. "Then I'll be back in a half hour or so. If Mama asks, I went for a walk. If she doesn't believe you, just let me handle her when I come home. You've lied enough for me for one night."

Eliza smiled. She turned her huge, doe eyes to Alexander. "Okay. It was nice seeing you again, Alexander."

"You too, Eliza. Let me know when the school play is. I'd love to see this," He gestured towards Eliza's TV, where Dorothy was currently meeting with the Wizard. "With someone I actually know in it."

Eliza nodded, her massive smile producing two dimples in her cheeks.

Alexander turned to Angelica. "You ready?"

Angelica grinned back at him, shrugging on her coat and scarf. "Always."


"I don't know what to make of you, Annie." Alexander cast her a sideways glance as they walked through the quiet streets of Albany.

"What do you mean?" Angelica asked.

"I'm not sure I know that, either." Alexander admitted with a laugh. "You're just…I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, before. You're so smart, but you do stupid things like climbing over balconies. You're gorgeous, but you're with John Church, of all people -"

"Hey! Church is a nice guy." Angelica couldn't help but defend Church. After all, he wasn't here to defend himself.

"He is." Alexander agreed without hesitation. "Too nice for you, I'd say."

"Oh, you think I deserve to be with an asshole?" Angelica challenged him.

"No! No. I just think that someone like you ought to be with someone that calls you out instead of letting you get away with murder. Someone who wants to be a part of the story instead of just listening to it on Monday morning. Someone like -"

Angelica's phone rang. She glanced down at the caller ID. It was Jefferson. After he had stormed off at the end of government, Angelica felt obligated to answer.

"I'm sorry, do you mind?" She asked Alexander, already reaching to answer the phone. She didn't actually listen to whether or not Alexander minded, she was only being polite. She was still going to answer the phone. Jefferson was, after all, one of her weekend boys. She did notice, however, the look that crossed Alexander's face when he saw Jefferson's picture pop up on Angelica's phone screen.

"Hello?" She sighed, wondering whether she was going to get pouty Jefferson or apologetic Jefferson.

"Hey," Jefferson said, his voice soft. Apologetic Jefferson. "It's me."

"I know it's you, Tom." Angelica couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Jefferson was never one to beat around the bushes. "I know I was wrong. I know that it's none of my business who you spend time with; I just…I don't like that Hamilton kid. Something's not right about him."

Angelica didn't have her phone on speaker, but in the dead silence of the night, Alexander could plainly hear Jefferson's words. He looked down at the ground as they continued to walk. His blush was visible even in the dark.

"Tom, I don't -"

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm supposed to be apologizing. What you think about Hamilton is none of my business." Jefferson was saying just as they neared Alexander's front door. Alexander was no longer looking at Angelica. Angelica couldn't look away from Alexander. She felt terrible for what he had overheard; it was clear that he suspected her of sharing Jefferson's opinion of him.

"You're right." Angelica replied firmly. "It is none of your business."

"Do you forgive me?" Jefferson asked.

Angelica frowned, still looking at Alexander. "I'll think about it and get back to you tomorrow."

Without another word, she hung up on Jefferson. Alexander still wasn't looking at her as she put her phone in her jacket pocket. He was already reaching for the doorknob of his front door.

"Well, thanks for walking me home," He mumbled, his tone nowhere near as self-assured as usual.

"Alex, wait." Angelica commanded. Alexander reluctantly looked away from the doorknob towards Angelica. Angelica seized the opportunity before she thought better of it - she moved forward and kissed Alexander squarely on the lips.

His posture went rigid. He didn't seem to know what to do for the first few seconds, but soon enough, he melted right into it. His right hand ghosted over Angelica's waist as he leaned forward and kissed her right back. He was a good kisser, too. Definitely better than Church. Possibly better than Jefferson.

But Angelica still had some principles, and she knew better than to kiss Alexander for more than a few seconds during their first kiss. She had to leave him wanting more; give him a reason to grovel a little the next time that he asked her out.

"Annie, I -"

"I don't care what Tom says about you." Angelica said simply. She smiled as she spoke. A goofy smile spread across Alexander's face, too. "I like you."

"And I -"

"Goodnight, Alexander." Angelica cast him one last smile before starting off for home. She glanced back at Alexander when she reached the end of the neighborhood. He was still watching her.

"Go home." She told him with a laugh. Alexander shook his head, also laughing, before opening the front door and walking into his house.

Angelica wrapped her coat tighter around her and quickened her pace, eager to avoid getting caught disobeying her punishment by Mrs. Schuyler. If anything was going to happen with Alexander, she needed to avoid being grounded again. Spending a night in a crowded room with Alexander and Eliza was nice in its own way, but if Alexander was going to get more than one kiss out of Angelica, he would have to take her somewhere else; even if it was just on the rooftop outside of his bedroom.


"You made it." Relief was written plain across Eliza's face when Angelica walked into her bedroom, having successfully made it past both Mr. Schuyler's den and Mrs. Schuyler's bedroom.

"I told you that I would." Angelica reminded her fondly. "You worry too much."

"Someone has to worry about you," Eliza countered. "Because you don't worry nearly enough." She tugged one of Angelica's curls. "Was it windy outside? Your hair is a mess."

"Just a little." Angelica frowned, trying to comb out tangles with her fingers. She winced at the pain.

"Come here. I'll braid your hair for you." Eliza rolled her eyes and pulled Angelica back into her room. Angelica willingly subjected herself to the treatment - Eliza liked taking care of people. There were worse things to enjoy.

As Angelica sat on the floor with Eliza sitting behind her, brushing and braiding her hair, Eliza was talking. "I heard that you and John went to the new Thai restaurant during study hall. Did you like it? I've heard mixed things."

"It was good." Angelica answered thoughtfully. "But I don't think that you would like it. It was pretty spicy."

"I don't like spicy foods very much," Eliza allowed pleasantly. "I'm glad that you and John enjoyed it, though. For a while, I was worried that you two might break up. You know how everyone at school talks."

Eliza refused to believe that Angelica was interested in anyone but John. Angelica didn't argue with her, because she liked the warped perception that Eliza had of her. She wished that she was the hero that Eliza thought her to be.

"You shouldn't believe everything that you hear." Angelica said weakly.

"I know." Eliza sounded reassured all the same. "But your friend Thomas had me worried for a little while. You wouldn't believe the things people say about him! And then everyone started to say that you and Alexander…and, well, he does seem to like you…"

"Alex?" Angelica pretended to be surprised. "He's a friend."

"Really?" There was an element of hope in Eliza's question that extended beyond sisterly concern. Angelica took her hair out of Eliza's hands and turned around to look at her curiously.

"Of course. Why?"

"Well," Eliza blushed a furious shade of red. "Have you ever met someone and just…known?"

"Known what?" Angelica asked, her stomach sinking.

"I can't explain it," Eliza shook her head. Her tone was now giddy. There was no longer any doubt in Angelica's mind: Eliza's crush on Alexander was not the innocent crush of a sophomore girl talking to a senior boy. She really thought she felt something for him. Whether or not she actually felt anything real no longer mattered. If Eliza wanted Alexander, Angelica knew that she would had no choice: Alexander would be Eliza's. "I just…every time I see him, I just get this feeling in my chest. I've just never met another boy like him!"

"He is very handsome," Angelica agreed, feeling like she might just throw up. "And very smart."

Eliza waved off Angelica's remarks. "I don't care about either of those things. I mean, he is handsome, and he does seem really smart, but he's just always so nice and polite. Have you listened to the way that he speaks to Mama? He doesn't even try to run away from her; he just talks to her like she's as pleasant as anyone!"

"Well, Eliza," Angelica frowned. "There might be a reason for that. He's an orphan, you know, so he doesn't really have the same connections that we do through Papa. Aaron Burr thinks that he might be trying to incorporate himself into the family to elevate his status."

"No." Eliza said firmly. "Alexander isn't like that."

"I don't know, Eliza." Angelica didn't enjoy the idea any more than Eliza did, but she felt obligated to protect her sister from Alexander's interests. It was fine if Alexander tried to use Angelica - Angelica was a big girl, she could handle herself - but Angelica would be damned if Alexander was going to use her little sister. Eliza was too trusting, too kind. She would never think to protect her heart from someone with less than pure intentions. "I think that he'll do what it takes to survive."

"I trust him." Eliza said stubbornly.

"Okay." Angelica said, accepting the inevitable with as much grace as was possible.

"So will you help me?" Eliza asked, settling onto the floor in front of Angelica. Her face was full of hope. She did not suspect that her question had the potential to break her sister's heart. "I don't know what to do; I've never felt this way about a boy before, and Alexander just seems so crazy about you…"

"Just be yourself, honey." Angelica replied, her voice unusually quiet. "And he'll have no choice but to love you."

"You really think so?" Eliza asked.

"I really do." Angelica answered, standing up and smiling down at Eliza. "But we should both get some sleep. We have big days ahead of us."

Angelica walked out of Eliza's room before she could say anything else to betray herself. She crossed the hall into her own room and locked the door behind her. She threw herself onto her bed and assured herself that it would be okay. She didn't even know Alexander that well. Cutting him off at this point wouldn't be so bad. She didn't even know his middle name. She didn't even know his favorite color. All she knew was that he was smart.

And handsome.

And funny.

And ambitious.

And he had a way of looking at Angelica that made her feel like coming home on Christmas Eve.

Okay, so maybe giving him up would be harder than she originally thought.

Just as Angelica was realizing the impossibility of the situation, her phone rang. Expecting it to be Jefferson, going off on some kind of insecure tangent, she retrieved it from her jacket pocket and looked down at it unoptimistically. It was Alexander.

"Hello?" She asked, her heart sinking down to her toes. The very last thing that she wanted was to talk to Alexander right now, knowing that he was now off-limits.

"Annie." Angelica could practically hear his smile.

"Hey." She tried her best to sound unaffected. Tears pricked her eyes.

"I just wanted to make sure you got home alright." He said.

"Yeah, I made it home just fine."

"Good." Alexander approved, his voice warm. "Goodnight, Annie."

"Goodnight, Alex." A few tears escaped Angelica's eyes as she hung up her phone.