Eeeeyyyyyy it's our favorite ga- guy. Our favorite guy. LAURENS! Anyway, I usually have my brother review these and his verdict was: It's not as good as the first chapter. Well, I agree with him, and I've tried my best to make it a little more interesting, but I still think it isn't as good as it could be. But onto the story! Hope you enjoy. :)
John Laurence/John Laurens
John met a new friend that Monday. His name was Alexander Harriston. They found out they had Social Studies together and just never really noticed each other.
Alexander didn't have many friends. In fact, John suspected that Burr was his only friend. So it came as a surprise to him when he started seeing him hanging around the Student Council president more often, looking like his right-hand man.
Of course, he was happy for Alexander. He wouldn't stop him from making new friends when he knew how much fun it could be to meet so many different people.
He was thrilled when Lance and Herc almost immediately hit it off with Alex. He'd also like it if there'd be more than just five of them in their little group soon. He especially enjoyed it when they shared stories. He felt like the stories they told could become something to remember them by even when they weren't there.
A week after meeting Alex, he came to school with a bounce in his step. Today would be great. Ever since he'd calmed down with some of his violent tendencies, people he used to fight with found him more agreeable.
He was proud of that achievement, and so were his family and friends. That was the first time he'd felt so confident about wanting to change for the better. After that, he grew to love having more friends than enemies.
When he arrived at his Chemistry class, Lance had already reserved a spot for him. He sat down, throwing a grateful smile at his friend's direction.
"Oui! Mon ami, John, how have you been?" he asked. John laughed, "Pretty great! How've you been, Lance?" The Frenchman shrugged. "My *sœur wants me to do her art project for her. Does she think I'm her butler? *Bonté, non! I already have enough to deal with at school and my fencing lessons," he ranted.
That got another laugh out of John. "Man, was it your older sister or the younger one?" he asked. Lance looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. John, meanwhile, resisted the urge to snort.
"Amelia. The older one," he grumbled. John put an arm around him, poking him good-naturedly. "Are you their babysitter or their brother?" he teased. Lance tried to glare at him and not smile, but failed miserably.
"Ah, you always know how to make me feel better," he said, putting his own arm around John.
"Haha, yeah-"
His vision was consumed by wooden tables, chairs, and barrels of beer, while his ears were flooded with rambunctious laughter and carefree declarations.
"Oui, oui, mon ami, je m'appelle Lafayette!"
"Who's the best? C'est moi."
"Who are you?"
"I dream of life without the monarchy."
"But I will gladly join the fight!"
"If Alexander can get married~"
"You are the worst, Burr."
"-n, John!"
"-Oh! Y-yeah? What is it?" he stuttered. Lance gestured behind him. Before he could turn around, a hand slammed onto his desk. He looked up to see his teacher's stern face.
"Mr. Laurence, I'd appreciate it if you didn't doze off in class," she said. He gave her a sheepish smile, although it didn't look that apologetic at all. "Yes, ma'am," he replied.
When she turned around, Lance blew a raspberry and almost had John choking on his own spit. "What?" he asked innocently. John opened his mouth to answer, but found their teacher glaring at him from her table.
Lance snickered, and he tried not to smack him.
"Finneas was removed from his position! Well, I can only hope whoever takes his place is better than he is, but obviously not better than me," Alex rambled. John chuckled.
"What?" Alex asked. John smiled at him, and he might have just been imagining it, but Alex looked like he was blushing. John looked away. "Uh, yeah, it's just cute how confident you are," he answered.
"Oh."
John wasn't sure if he wanted to take it back because it suddenly got awkward, but Alex looked so embarrassed it was funny.
"So what do think about Lance and Herc?" John asked in an attempt to ease the tension. Alex looked surprised that he even tried. His expression then turned thoughtful.
"I think," he started, "Lancelot is very intelligent, despite what his actions may lead you to believe." John nodded, agreeing while signaling him to go on.
"...And Hercules acts an awful lot like a mother, though he disagreed when I brought it up," he finished. John let out a short burst of laughter. "I didn't know you actually said that to him!" he exclaimed.
Alex grinned. "I'm not one to sugar-coat my words," he stated. John's smile grew, and he casually put an arm around Alex. He felt him become tense, which made him wonder if he shouldn't have done that, but Alex relaxed almost immediately.
"You just transferred this year, right? It's pretty amazing how you got a position in the Student Council already," John complemented. Alex laughed, and John wasn't sure he liked the way it made his gut twist.
"Gregory was surprised as well when I applied for a position. I'm just glad he gave me a chance," he said. John silently agreed with him.
They walked in comfortable silence for a while before John decided to bring up their earlier conversation. "So, you like Lance and Herc, right?" he asked. Alex nodded.
"You want to know what I think about you?" he guessed. John pouted and jokingly asked, "How'd you know what I was thinking?" Alex looked at him strangely for a moment before replying.
"We've been friends for a long...time," he muttered, his voice becoming too soft to hear.
"What?"
"Oh, I meant to say that I'm very observant," he said. John didn't believe him, but decided not to prod when Alex looked away.
"About what I think of you- well, I like you a lot, John," he said, finally answering John's original question. Although Alex wasn't facing him, John thought he looked a bit wistful.
He was in a bar, the same one he was in when he was talking to Lance. Sounds of drunken men cheering buzzed in the back of his mind.
"If you stand for nothing, Burr, what'll you fall for?"
"I am not throwing away my shot!"
"There will be a revolution in this century."
"I will lay down my life if it sets us free."
"Laurens, I like you a lot."
"And when our children tell our story-"
"Cuz I've seen wonders great and small!"
"Laurens, do not throw away your shot."
Someone was shaking him.
He flailed as he tried to push off whoever was holding him.
"John! It's just me, Alexander."
He stiffened, then slowly relaxed when Alex's familiar voice washed over him. "Alex? What- what happened?" he asked. Alex looked like he had something to say, but he was biting his lip. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"...No," was his answer. John furrowed his eyebrows and grit his teeth. Ever since they'd met it seemed Alex had something he wanted to say, but couldn't (or wouldn't) for some reason.
He forcefully removed himself from Alex's grip. The other man looked surprised, but he quickly masked his emotions with a calm expression.
"I don't have anything I'm not saying," he assured. John took a few calming breaths. "...Okay. I- I gotta go," he muttered. Alex gave him an apologetic look. John didn't face him, turning to the opposite direction instead.
"John, wait, you're going to-"
He was about to walk away when someone bumped into him, said person stumbling back a bit but fortunately not falling down. John apologized, a bit flustered and confused.
"Sorry, I was just..."
When she looked at him, John couldn't help but feel a pang of resentment, but just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. When he actually saw who he bumped into, he thought he might have a heart attack.
She also seemed to have been in a trance, but she snapped out of it before he did.
"Oh, it's no big deal. What about you, are you okay?" she asked, smiling kindly. John's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.
"I'm fine," he answered lamely. Her smile brightened (How was that even possible?) and he felt conflicting emotions swirling in him. "I see... Aren't you from my English class?" she asked.
John nodded. "Yeah. You're Elizabeth Skyler, right?" She laughed; it was pleasant, like the sound of twinkling bells. "It's a bit strange for people I barely know to know my name," she said.
John shrugged, relaxing as the conversation went on. "That's usually the case for most people. But, you're a Skyler sister, right? Your family is one of the richest and most influential in town," he said.
Her expression changed into an embarrassed one. "I was only adopted five years ago, so I'm not as used to it as I could've been," she explained.
"Huh."
"You can call me Eliza. Oh, since you know my name, maybe I should know yours?" she asked, her smile becoming more of a sly grin. John laughed. "Ha, you're pretty smooth, aren't you?" he complemented.
Eliza rolled on the balls of her feet. "Not as smooth as my sister," she commented.
"Um, hello? Aren't you guys forgetting someone?"
John jumped in surprise. He hadn't noticed how quiet Alex had been, since he wasn't really a quiet person to begin with. He'd assumed that he already left. "Hello," Alex greeted, nodding to Eliza. For a moment, she seemed to freeze, staring at Alex with a strange look in her eyes.
Suddenly, her eyes widened in recognition. "You're the one from the cafeteria," she gasped. Alex's lips quirked up. "Yup," he confirmed. "You're looking better than before," Eliza said.
John looked between the two of them, a bit confused. The unpleasant feeling from earlier returned to his stomach. Alex looked oddly... comfortable talking with her. Actually, it wasn't just him, Eliza also looked completely at ease.
"I met your sister, Angelica last week. Even though I politely asked her to, she still hasn't contacted me," he joked. Eliza smiled, although she looked troubled by something.
John was about to ask, but Alex spoke before he did. "Though I must say, had I spoken to you first, I might not have been able to wait even a day to talk to you again," he said. Eliza playfully glared at him.
However, she was red to her ears, which made her glare less effective. "Are you implying my sister isn't a pleasant person to talk to?" she teased. Alex laughed, waving his hand in dismissal.
"Nonsense! You both have your charms, but yours is looking to be the one that sweeps me off my feet, Ms. Skyler," he dramatically swooned.
John wasn't sure if he imagined the relief in Eliza's laugh.
Alex looked at her, his eyes strangely soft.
John quietly slipped away.
John was waiting in line at the cafeteria. It was extremely boring... and tiring. Alex said he proposed a plan that could make lunch in the cafeteria flow better, but he was still waiting on the higher-ups' approval.
"Hey," Herc whispered from behind him. "How much money do you have?" He asked. Laurence shrugged. "I dunno. I'll count," he said. Herc nodded and settled back.
And count his money, he did. "$20, huh," he mumbled. He held the two ten dollar bills in his hand. With nothing else to do in line, he resorted to playing with the money.
"...Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Harriston," he snickered to himself. "A.H. That's a pretty funny coincide-"
Before he could finish, his surroundings were bathed in darkness, his body became numb, and the voices of the people in the cafeteria were drowned out.
"Let's raise a couple more to the revolution!"
"So there will be a revolution in this century!"
"Have another shot!"
"I promise that I'll make you all proud."
"Strong words from Lee, someone ought to hold him to it."
"Alexander, you're the closest friend I've got."
"I'm satisfied!"
"...Raise a glass to freedom..."
Suddenly, thoughts, words, and feelings shot through him all at once like a bullet. He could see friends and enemies long gone, familiar voices, fleeting moments, conflicting thoughts and feelings, conviction to complete a mission, love, loss, acceptance, and finally...
A blue sky. Dark, red blood.
Death.
Then he finally opened his eyes to a new world. A world where slavery was abolished, where discrimination was looked down upon, and friendship was encouraged. A new world. Not perfect, but better. He knows now.
John Laurens. He would've been proud.
Of course he would've, after all, that's how John Laurence felt. He abandoned his place in the line, off to find Alex.
"-?! Wait! The money?!" Herc yelled. John replied with a shout of, "$20!" His friend called for him to come back. "Sorry, man. I have something I need to do!" He could apologize later. He laughed as Herc cursed at him for abandoning their lunch date.
"Not a date! Don't flatter yourself!"
"There you are, John! I've been looking everywhere for you- umph!"
John couldn't help it. He enveloped Alex in a monster hug that almost sent them both crashing onto the ground. "Whoa!" Alex exclaimed. "What happened?"
John felt tears in his eyes. He stammered, "I- I just remembered a lot of things and it's kind of overwhelming me-"
Alex wrapped his arms around him.
"I know."
He knows.
At that point, he didn't mind the people that gave them weird looks. He just cried.
He cried, and Alexander was there with him until the very end.
What'd you think? Is it good? Okay? Crap? Regardless, I'd be thankful if you reviewed. Next chapter stars an unexpected character! With that out of the way, lemme talk about a few things:
Yes, there is Lams, but it's only a minor thing. And also the end goal is still Hamliza. But! If you've got any idea on who to pair him with, let me know.
The story is a bit of a slow burn, so for those who don't have a lot of patience, maybe this isn't for you. That's okay, though! Go read the things you like. :)
I update every Saturday OR Sunday, not AND. So yeah, it's a weekly update thing.
*sœur means sister.
*Bonté, non means goodness, no
I just threw these words in google translate so... For those who speak French, sorry for the crappy French. Seriously.
Lastly, please leave a review of you can, they really help boost my energy in writing. Let me know what I'm doing wrong and what I can do to fix it or improve. Thank you for reading!
AK_Ulti, signing out!~