"But Mama!" Eliza howled, tears spilling from her eyes. "Why can't I go?"
"I have been to a party hosted by General Washington before." Mrs. Schuyler answered firmly, shrugging on her coat. "It is no place for you, Eliza. There will be drinking and gambling. I don't want you getting caught up in that. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on Peggy."
"But Angelica is going!" Eliza cried. "Couldn't I just stay with her? I promise I wouldn't cause any trouble. I just want to see Alexander!"
"Angelica is only going because the invitation was issued directly to her. It would be unforgivably rude to arrive without her." Mrs. Schuyler answered.
"But Mama." Eliza wasn't like Angelica. She wasn't angry. She was just heartbroken. She stared at Angelica pleadingly, silently begging for assistance. Angelica looked away, feeling just about as terrible as she ever had.
"That's enough, Elizabeth." Mrs. Schuyler commanded. "This is not up for discussion. You will stay here and watch Peggy."
Mr. Schuyler shepherded Angelica out the door while Mrs. Schuyler ticked off instructions for Eliza.
"Mama, you should have let her come," Angelica said on the car ride to Alexander's house, once it was impossible for Mrs. Schuyler to change her mind. She was hoping to dispel some of guilt built up on her stomach.
"Is she dating that Alexander boy?" Mrs. Schuyler asked.
"Not yet." Angelica answered, looking down at her shoes. "But she likes him."
There was no point in hiding that fact from Mrs. Schuyler. She would find out eventually. Eliza couldn't lie and Mrs. Schuyler somehow knew everything. Maybe that was why she looked at Angelica out of the corner of her eye, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"I thought you liked him."
"We're just friends, Mama." Angelica's tone was hardly convincing.
"Of course." Mrs. Schuyler crooned, turning to face the road again. "I don't know what I was thinking."
They pulled into the long driveway of the Washington mansion. There were valets standing around, taking keys from guests to park their cars. It was far more lavish than Angelica would have expected from Alexander or his household. She took a moment to wonder if she was underdressed.
Still, she abandoned the car along with her parents and made for the front door. There, they were greeted by Martha Washington herself.
"Angelica, I'm so glad you could make it. Alexander has been pacing the floors waiting for you." It was hard to hate Martha for proving Mrs. Schuyler's point even further. She was just a sweet woman. "Mr. Schuyler, I think George has been pacing the floor waiting for you. He's in the card room with Mr. Jefferson. I'm sure he would love your company. Mrs. Schuyler, always a pleasure."
Mr. Schuyler stepped into the mansion and immediately headed for the card room, leaving Angelica alone with Martha and Mrs. Schuyler. Martha was smiling excitedly; she apparently did not know Mrs. Schuyler well enough to know that she should have run away by now. Luckily, Angelica did know.
"If you'll excuse me, Martha," She put on her best smile. "I just have to get a better look at that cake. Is it supposed to be a hedgehog?"
Martha had set out a spread of refreshments across the room. Mrs. Schuyler had always taught Angelica to compliment the hostess' food the moment she was able to do so, and this was her golden opportunity. She was using her mother's etiquette rules to escape her clutches.
"Annie, you made it!" Alexander found Angelica the moment she left her mother's side. Angelica allowed Alexander to steal her away to the side of the room. She pretended not to notice her mother watching her. "I was starting to think that I invited Jefferson for nothing."
"Not nothing. This could have been your moment to realize that you're not so different after all. This could have been your new beginning as best friends." Angelica teased, following Alexander through the crowded halls of the mansion. She didn't know where they were going, but she didn't really care, either.
"Look at him." They stopped momentarily in one of the rooms. A bunch of teenaged boys were crowded around a pool table. Jefferson, Madison, and Aaron Burr were among the boys. Lafayette was entertaining Jefferson and Aaron while Madison, Laurens, and Mulligan watched them with clear disapproval. "Who wears a hoodie to a party?"
"Yeah…he is kind of a terrible dresser, isn't he?" Angelica couldn't help but laugh.
"How is he a vain douchebag and an underdressed hillbilly all in one?" Alexander continued. "I know that you like him, Annie, but really. Maybe you should get him a blazer or two for Christmas. Otherwise I might be tempted to send him one myself."
"Maybe you should. You've got better taste than me." Angelica suggested, unable to resist looking Alexander over with a smile.
While Jefferson was most certainly underdressed (as usual), Alexander was almost certainly the best dressed person at the party. He was sporting a dark blue velvet blazer that made his eyes look cobalt instead of lavender. He had on dark trousers that made his admittedly short legs look just a little bit longer. His shoes were dark enough to blend in without drawing much attention to himself. His hair was meticulously styled, as always, but his entire appearance gave off the idea that Alexander was naturally handsome and had put in the bare minimum attention to dress himself appropriately.
"Now I know that's not true at all." Alexander's eyes flicked over Angelica while she checked him out. "Besides, if I were put in charge of such a task, I might be tempted to sabotage my own efforts. If I must consider Jefferson an opponent, why would I give him the necessary equipment to destroy me? I don't want to make him more appealing to you."
"Maybe I like his hoodies." Angelica remarked playfully. "Maybe that's what I'm really into."
"Is that right?" Alexander asked with a grin.
Angelica shrugged. "Could be. It's anyone's guess."
"Well, Annie," Alexander ran a hand through his hair and leaned against the doorway. "You leave me guessing more than anyone else. I just can't figure you out. If you liked hoodies, I'd wear one. If you wanted me to give up Taco Bell, it would be gone."
Angelica wrinkled her nose. "That's too easy. If I told you what I wanted, I wouldn't have the fun of watching you try to figure that out. We would have so much free time on our hands. People like you and me, we don't do well with free time."
Alexander laughed. "Then what would you have me do?"
"Just enjoy this party with me." Angelica told him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Stop worrying about the perfect formula to impress me or anyone else. You'll drive yourself crazy with that nonsense."
"As you wish." Alexander pretended to bow. "Where should we start - making fun of Burr's new haircut, or hiding Laurens' cigarettes in one of the coats in coat-check?"
"Cigarettes." Angelica decided. "Burr's hair is going to look bad for a while."
"Good call." Alexander agreed. "Okay, how are we going to do this? Laurens is attached at the hip to his cigarettes and I'm not a great thief."
Angelica thought about it. It was nice to be able to think about something tactical around Alexander. It was helpful. It was giving her something to focus on other than the darker shade of his eyes, or the way that he kept licking his lips.
"I'll take the cigarettes. You can be a distraction. Grab a drink or a piece of cake or something and then come back in here. Someone will ask you where I went. Turn around and pretend to look for me. While you're turning around, spill whatever it is you have on Thomas. Laurens won't be able to stop himself from turning around to make fun of him. That's when I'll get the cigarettes."
"You don't think the others will stop you?" Alexander asked dubiously.
"Madison will be running around trying to find something to wash off his jacket with. Burr might see, but he doesn't like Laurens, either. So he'll just let it happen. Hercules likes to think that he's the ultimate prankster, so he'll think it's funny and will let me get away with it. Lafayette is really the only one who might say anything. That's why you'll get him out of the way first. Enter the room and immediately tell Lafayette that Martha is looking for him. He'll run off and he won't be a problem anymore." Angelica explained as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Alexander shook his head, grinning. "Annie, you're a wonder."
"So, hop to. I'll go wait until I hear Thomas crying over the loss of a precious hoodie." Angelica quirked a smile at Alexander before guiding him out of the room.
"Yes ma'am." Alexander chuckled, parting ways with Angelica as they reached the hallway. Alexander walked in the direction of the buffet that Martha had laid out. Angelica hovered outside of the room where the boys were playing pool.
"Angelica Schuyler?" Abigail Adams, the wife of one of Mr. Schuyler's political colleagues, approached Angelica with a huge smile on her face. "Honey, how are you? I haven't seen you in years! Oh, you've gotten so big! What are you doing here?"
"At present?" Angelica poked her head into the room where the boys were playing pool before looking back at Abigail. "Alexander and I are plotting to steal John Laurens' cigarettes."
"Henry's son?" Abigail turned to look at Henry Laurens, the current Speaker of the House. "I didn't know that he smoked. He shouldn't smoke. Doesn't he know that it'll kill him?"
"We've told him as much." Angelica confirmed, feigning a grave attitude. She really didn't care about John Laurens. Not in the least. At present, he was nothing more than an instrument to have fun with Alexander. "But he just won't listen. So we're stealing them from him at every chance we get."
"A noble pursuit." Abigail seemed to see right through Angelica's lie. That was the great thing about Abigail, though. She might have been from stuffy New England, but she knew how to have fun from time to time. "Let me know if there's anything that I can do for you."
"Of course. Thank you, Mrs. Adams." Angelica smiled her most polite smile.
"Hey, Lafayette, I think Martha is looking for you." Angelica heard Alexander say in the other room. She smiled at Abigail one last time before ducking into the room. She was sure to stay low and unnoticed. Even Jefferson didn't see her as she crouched down behind an overstuffed chair just next to Laurens. She wondered if she should be insulted that one of her few boyfriends didn't notice when she walked into the room.
"What for?" Lafayette asked, concerned. He was the sweetest kid in school, hands down. The teachers all adored him. Girls flocked to him in droves. He wasn't devastatingly handsome like Alexander and Laurens, but he was so wonderfully kind and smart as a whip that it was difficult not to like him.
"Oh, uh, I don't know." Alexander was a crummy liar. "She just asked if I could send you over to her when you get the chance."
"Then I suppose I had better go. Laurens, do not move a single ball on the table. When I return, your allowance is mine." His French accent was still so thick. He had come to the States to study freshman year of high school and his accent had never lightened. Seeing as he was to return to France once he graduated, it likely never would.
"I wouldn't dream of it!" Laurens called after him, his tone unconvincing.
"Hey, Hamilton," Jefferson never failed to follow Angelica's expectations. "Where's Angelica? Wasn't she with you just a minute ago?"
"Huh?" Angelica watched Alexander whip around, dumping his large piece of cake - covered in white icing - all over Jefferson.
"What the hell, Hamilton!" Jefferson shrieked.
"Oh, no. Your nice hoodie." Alexander said, his tone monotonous. He was very clearly not sorry. Angelica did her best not to laugh as she crept nearer to Laurens. She could see a pack of Camel cigarettes jutting out from his back pocket.
Laurens and Hercules howled with laughter. Madison immediately scrambled around for napkins. Burr leaned against the pool table, watching the scene unfold with an amused smirk. Angelica crawled forward on her hands and knees. In a $2,000 dress that her father had bought her for the State of the Union dinner a few months earlier. Alexander glanced down at her and winked, a devious twinkle in his eyes.
While Laurens was wracked with laughter, Angelica managed to lean upwards and slip the pack of Camels from his back pocket. She smacked her head on the side of the chair as she tried to quickly hide herself once again. Alexander's eyes widened a little bit. Angelica clutched her head and crept behind the chair as quietly as she could manage.
"Don't believe this." Jefferson snarled, storming out of the room.
"Ah, Hammie, please tell me that you did that on purpose." Laurens laughed. "Did you see the look on his face? A $20 jacket and he acts like you've ruined a priceless family heirloom. What a jackass."
"I would never do something like that on purpose." Alexander's tone was no more convincing than it had been when Jefferson had been in the room.
"Could you maybe have been trying to impress Angelica Schuyler?" Hercules asked knowingly.
"J'accuse!" Laurens yelled, his tone full of laughter.
"Can't a guy spill some cake without being accused of trying to impress somebody?" Alexander asked jokingly.
"C'mon, buddy. You're among friends here. Is tonight going to be the night?" Laurens asked.
"The night for what?" Angelica asked, tucking Laurens' cigarettes in her purse before standing up and aiming a smirk at Laurens.
"What the hell?" Laurens turned to look at her, his eyes wide with surprise.
"The night for you to finally induct Alexander into your harem." Hercules didn't shy away from the question. He said it with enough of a smile that Angelica didn't mind so much. Had it been Laurens, she might've slugged him in the mouth.
"I didn't realize that he'd put in an application." Angelica turned to look at Alexander teasingly.
"Yes, you did." Alexander didn't even try to pretend that he wasn't trying everything in his power to become one of Angelica's weekend boys. "You're a terrible liar, Annie."
"Look who's talking." Angelica bit back.
Aaron looked from Alexander to Angelica, a knowing look taking hold of his handsome features. Angelica loathed that look. She had received that look enough for one lifetime. "Don't you both have enough on your plates as it is?"
Alexander looked over at Aaron, exasperated but not angry. "Which one do you want to be, Burr, the pot or the kettle?"
"But I'm not adding anyone else to the party." Aaron protested.
"Not for lack of effort." Angelica reminded him.
Aaron frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Why am I suddenly becoming the one that's criticized? Angelica is the one with a long-term boyfriend she's still pretending to love. Alexander is the one who has fifteen dates in the next month, most of whom are underclassmen who have been in love with him for years."
"I'm still seventeen. It's not like I'm doing anything illegal." Alexander frowned.
"No, just immoral. You're preying on girls who don't know better instead of girls your own age." Aaron smirked. He had done exactly what he had wanted to do; put Alexander on the defensive.
"Since when do you care about Alexander's love life?" Angelica didn't like standing up for Alexander's romantic extracurriculars. She would've much preferred if Alexander moped after her and only her, like the rest of her weekend boys. But he didn't, and she had to pretend that was okay. "Are you jealous, Burr?"
"Of course I am. You like him. You don't like me. How could I not be jealous?" Aaron responded with a small smile. He knew better than to go up against Angelica. Not only did she outsmart him; she was infinitely more popular than he was. She could turn the social tides against him faster than he could blink.
Alexander sighed, cramming his hands in his pockets. "This is boring. You're boring, Burr. If you want Annie, do something about it. I certainly intend to. Annie, you want to go get some food and tell me more useless facts about the Wizard of Oz?"
Alexander's mention of the Wizard of Oz brought Eliza to the forefront of Angelica's mind. Eliza. Oh, poor Eliza. She was probably still at home crying over a missed opportunity to see Alexander. And here Angelica was, flirting with him like she was still planning on giving him a chance. She needed to isolate herself. She was misbehaving so badly. But he was so addictive; it was all too easy to say that she could control herself, that she could manage to be friends with Alexander without her feelings deepening.
"Okay," She said slowly. "I think I actually need to talk to you about something."
"It's the night." Laurens murmured to Hercules.
"Shut up." Angelica said as they exited the room.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Alexander asked as they navigated the halls of Mount Vernon, which was apparently the official title of the mansion.
Angelica frowned as they reached the buffet. She piled her plate high with breadsticks. To compensate for the amount of carbohydrates she was going to consume, she also added two baby carrots to her plate. Alexander took a finger sandwich and a few pieces of celery. He looked at Angelica's plate and smiled.
"I wanted to talk to you about Eliza."
"Okay." Alexander agreed, not knowing what was in store for him. "Let's go over here. There's some chairs here. Plus we have a good view of the party. Do you like people watching?"
Angelica smiled just a little bit. "I love people watching."
"Good." Alexander brought them over to the chairs. Angelica took a seat next to Alexander, thinking very carefully about the words she would say. "So, what'd you want to talk about Eliza for?"
"Well, I know that you haven't really talked to her a whole lot, but she's -"
"Oh my god." Alexander interrupted Angelica, laughing. "Look at Jefferson! He had to borrow one of George's shirts!"
Angelica turned to look in the direction that Alexander was looking. Sure enough, there was Jefferson sporting a shirt that was far nicer than his pants. The pants were still streaked with white frosting. The shirt was very obviously too big for Jefferson. He looked ridiculous.
"Oh, he's got to be mortified." Angelica put a hand over her mouth.
Jefferson didn't care too much about his clothes, but he did care about his social standing. He didn't just look like a jackass wearing George Washington's shirt around a party - he looked like a jackass wearing George Washington's shirt around Mount Vernon. Extremely important people were all around. People that he would interview with in just a few short years. People who knew the admissions board of all of the Ivy League schools. When wearing a hoodie, Jefferson was flying under the radar. He matched Washington's visiting stepson, Jack. When wearing a shirt that didn't fit and pants streaked with frosting, though, he was like a fish out of water.
"Yeah…my god. I'm sorry for interrupting you, what was it that you were saying about your sister?" Alexander returned his focus to Angelica.
"Nothing." Angelica said. She couldn't do it. Not yet. She wouldn't let herself betray her sister's trust any further; she wouldn't kiss him, she wouldn't go up to his room with him, she wouldn't tell him that she loved him. But she wasn't ready to give Alexander up. Not just yet. "Forget about it."
"Okay." Alexander didn't seem to think anything of it. "What do you think I should say about Burr's haircut on Monday morning?"
"Ugh, I don't know. Don't make me look at it again." Angelica pretended to cringe as Aaron walked into the main staging area.
Alexander laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. I forgot to consider your delicate sensibilities before subjecting you to that. Would you like to watch Jack Custis try to carry on an intelligent conversation instead?"
"Oh, god, yes." Angelica grinned deviously.
Jack was a few years older than them; he had been a senior when Angelica was a freshman. They had been on the Mock Trial team together. He and Angelica had faced off against each other when competing for the position of the lead attorney. Angelica had wiped the floor with him.
"Look at him," Alexander jerked his head in Jack's direction. He was talking to a kid. Literally, a child. Angelica turned to look at Alexander inquisitively. Alexander smiled and explained. "That's John Quincy, John Adams' oldest son. Ten years old, and he's leagues ahead of Jack. Fluent in French, reads and writes like a dream, and does math at a high school level."
"Oh, god. It's like watching my dad cry." Angelica pretended to cringe as she watched Jack struggle to keep up with little John Quincy. "Oh, I just want to go help him."
"Do you really?" Alexander asked, turning to look at Angelica.
Angelica smiled sheepishly. "No, but for a moment, I felt like a better person for saying so."
"Aha." Alexander chuckled.
Angelica glanced around the party, looking for more to talk about with Alexander. She liked doing this; she liked being the one person that Alexander talked about everyone else with. She liked being on the inside. "What do you think about Madison's new girlfriend?"
Madison's girlfriend, Dolly, was currently trapped in a corner with Abigail and Martha. Her prospects for escaping seemed minimal. Madison was doing nothing to help. He was talking to Jefferson and his father, apparently too immersed in the conversation to even notice the pleading looks that Dolly was casting him.
"I think she's too good for him." Alexander answered, glancing at Angelica before settling his gaze on Dolly. "But I don't begrudge him for that. I sort of admire it. He knows that she's better than he is, but he doesn't stay away from her because of it. He just tries to be better for her."
"I thought you didn't like Madison." Angelica said, surprised by Alexander's lack of venom.
Alexander shook his head. "No, I don't like Jefferson. My only problem with Madison is that he believes Jefferson is right. And I don't guess I can even fault him for that, really. He's a good guy. Just a little bit of a follower."
"You used to be friends." Angelica suddenly remembered.
The ghost of a smile flashed on Alexander's face. "I never stopped being his friend."
"But he turned you in for academic dishonesty." Angelica reminded him.
She had only heard bits and pieces of the story, but it went something like this: Jefferson saw Alexander copying what he believed was someone else's homework. It was really an old document that Alexander was copying for private use. Jefferson brought Alexander in front of the student honor board. It was the first step in an academic dishonesty instance. First the honor board would determine if there was dishonesty. If and only if it was determined that there had been dishonesty, it would then reach the headmaster's desk. Alexander had been counting on his friend, James Madison, to know better than to accuse him of dishonesty. Jefferson had entered the picture, though, and convinced Madison to vote against Alexander. From that point forward, Alexander and Madison were no longer friends. Jefferson and Madison became inseparable.
"He didn't turn me in for dishonesty, Jefferson did. He just allowed himself to be convinced that I had committed an act of dishonesty." Alexander protested.
"You're defending him." Angelica said, amazed.
"I'm giving him the benefit of the truth." Alexander corrected her.
"So we can't talk about him?" Angelica asked, her mouth curving into a smirk.
"No, we can still talk about him." Alexander disagreed, also smiling. "What do you make of him and Jefferson?"
"What do you mean?" Angelica asked.
"They seem…pretty close. Think there's something there?"
"You think that because they're good friends, they're an item?"
"Sure."
"You and Laurens are good friends. Are you an item?"
"We have been."
Angelica raised her eyebrows. "You're gay?"
Alexander looked at her with an amused grin. "Are you really asking me that?"
"Well," Angelica bumbled. "I know that you date plenty of girls, but the fact that you dated Laurens is kind of damning evidence."
"Ever heard of this funny little thing kids are calling bisexuality?" Alexander asked, his tone playful.
"Really?" Angelica couldn't help but smile. Everything about Alexander was so unpredictable. He wasn't just another high school horn dog. Well, he was. But he was a horn dog to both girls and boys. It was equality at its finest.
"Really." Alexander confirmed easily enough. "I didn't know it would be such a talking point with you. I could have brought it up sooner."
"So what do you think about Jefferson?" Angelica leaned closer to him conspiratorially. She elbowed him playfully. "Would you or wouldn't you?"
Alexander wrinkled his nose. "Being bisexual doesn't make me devoid of taste. I didn't like Jefferson before you found out that I was bisexual. Why would I like him now?"
Angelica shook her head. "I don't mean as a person. He's an asshole. I know that. I just mean purely on physical appearance. What do you think? I just want to know if I have good taste or not."
"I don't know, Annie. It's hard to judge. I've thought he was an asshole for so long that I can't look at him objectively." Alexander responded. "Why do you care, anyway? Were you hoping that I could take him off of your hands for a minute while you were dealing with Church?"
"Not at all. I was just hoping that I could finally have someone to talk about guys with. That's Church's one imperfection. I can tell him just about everything, but I can't tell him that I love the way Thomas looks in his Mock Trial suit." Angelica joked.
"That's Church's only imperfection?" Alexander asked dubiously.
"Anyway," Angelica rolled her eyes. "What about everyone else here? Give me a rundown. A list of who you would do at this party."
"You."
"Who else?"
"No one else."
Angelica tried to glare at Alexander but couldn't resist smiling. "You're a shameless flirt."
"I know what I want." Alexander responded.
"No, you don't." Angelica's smile faltered.
"I don't think that's for you to say." Alexander argued.
Angelica smiled, just slightly. "Maybe not. But I can voice my opinion. And anyway, I don't think you're being completely honest with me. You're telling me that if you had a chance with the Honorable John Adams, you wouldn't hop right on that?"
Alexander laughed. And just like that, they were back on track.
They spent the entire party together. They stayed in their chairs and talked about just about everyone at the party. They compared stories about personal experiences with each other's friends. They threw food at Jack Custis when he wasn't looking. They rated everyone's clothes on a scale from 1 to 10. They laughed, they punched each other's shoulders, and they agreed to spend every party from this point forward judging everyone together.
When it was time for Angelica to go home, Alexander spent ten minutes begging her to stay. He then begged her to come along with the rest of the government class to the movies on election day. He begged her to spend more time with him. Angelica relented and agreed before running off to meet her parents just outside of the Mount Vernon mansion.
It was election day and Angelica was surprised to see Eliza standing out in the parking lot when she escaped government class with Alexander, Laurens, Hercules, Lafayette, Jefferson, Madison, and Burr.
"Eliza?" She glanced back at her friends before approaching her sister. Everyone else remained behind, watching her curiously. "What are you doing? You should be in class! You're going to -" She looked around the parking lot frantically. "What if the newspapers find out? Papa will kill you if you draw attention away from election day."
Eliza shook her head, a huge smile playing on her lips. "Mama wrote me a note, excusing me from class."
"Why did she do that?" Angelica had never known Mrs. Schuyler to allow her children to be excused from class without good cause.
"So that I could go to the movies with you and Alexander!" Eliza was beside herself with joy. "I told her how important it was to me, how much I liked him, and she let me go!"
"Mama is letting you miss school on election day?" Angelica asked dubiously. "Really?"
"Really." Eliza looked so happy that she might cry.
"Hey," Alexander chose that moment to mosey over, a friendly smile on his face. "Eliza. I didn't know that you were coming with us."
"I didn't either." Eliza beamed up at Alexander, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Not at all. The more, the merrier." Alexander said. "So, uh, Annie, you and Eliza can go in your car. I'll just grab a ride with Laurens, Hercules, and Lafayette. Sounds like Jefferson, Madison, and Burr will be tagging along, too. Unfortunately."
"What about John?" Eliza turned around to look at Angelica in surprise.
"Church had practice after school, so he decided to just stay put." Angelica explained, a twinge of guilt wracking her stomach.
"Oh. Okay." Eliza was so trusting. "What movie are we seeing?"
"Does it matter?" Laurens tossed out with a devilish smile.
Angelica rolled her eyes. "We haven't decided yet. Come on, Eliza. You'll ride with me."
Eliza spent the entire car ride talking about Alexander. She started with how handsome he looked that particular day. Alexander always looked handsome. Then she moved on to the friendly smile he had afforded her when he noticed that she was tagging along. She was so fascinated by his friendliness. She was amazed that someone like Alexander, an orphan, could have such impeccable social skills. She confided that she hoped to get time with Alexander - one on one - at some point during the afternoon.
When they got to the movies, Angelica wasn't too surprised to hear that the boys had decided what movie they wanted to see - some horror movie with terrible reviews. Angelica was forced to sit between Jefferson and Alexander. Eliza sat on the other side of Alexander, making nervous conversation before the movie started. Angelica pretended not to notice the looks that Jefferson and Burr began casting her when they caught on to the fact that Eliza was hopelessly in love with Alexander.
The movie started and it soon became clear that it was neither Angelica nor Eliza's cup of tea. It was violent. It was graphic. It was incredibly gory. Within the first ten minutes, Angelica had counted six organs appearing onscreen.
"Whoa-ly shit!" Alexander whispered about thirty minutes into the movie. Angelica looked over and was horrified to realize that Eliza had fainted.
"Oh my god." She murmured, leaping out of her seat and kneeling in front of Eliza. She rubbed ice cubes from Alexander's soda on the back of Eliza's neck. Within seconds, Eliza's eyes fluttered open. She looked like Sleeping Beauty.
"Angie?" She asked groggily.
"Oh, honey." Angelica whispered, laughing with relief. "We'd better get you out of this movie. I think that it's just a little bit too much for you."
"I'll take her." Alexander offered. "I chose the movie, it's my fault. You shouldn't have to miss it because I didn't think to ask Eliza if she would be okay with violence."
"Alex, you don't have to -"
"Angelica." Eliza interrupted her. She smiled bashfully. "It's okay. You should enjoy your movie. Really."
Angelica lowered her eyes and nodded her head. Right. Eliza wanted to be alone with Alexander. This was a golden opportunity presenting itself. Eliza, the damsel in distress. Alexander, the knight in shining armor. It was like a perfect fairy tale. Angelica, the witch-like sister, would only tarnish the story if she intervened now. She had no choice but to stand back and watch her sister win the boy.
"Okay," The words tasted like dirt in Angelica's mouth. "But Alex, you better come and get me if it happens again. I'm holding you responsible for my little sister's health."
Alexander grinned. "You got it. C'mon, Eliza. Let's get you something to eat."
The movie felt like it lasted forever. Jefferson kept trying to put his arm around Angelica's shoulders. Angelica was tense, she didn't want any sort of physical contact. She just wanted to run out of the movie theater and see what Alexander and Eliza were doing. She wanted to know what they were talking about. She wanted to know whether Alexander was in love with Eliza yet.
As the credits rolled, Hercules and Laurens talked about reuniting with Alexander. Angelica inched closer to them. She had never really gotten along with either of the boys, but she needed to find Alexander and Eliza. She didn't want to text Eliza, because she didn't want to act like she was trying to encroach on her little sister's impromptu date, but she absolutely wanted to encroach on her little sister's impromptu date.
"Huh." Laurens looked down at her phone, an amused smile playing on his thin lips. "Okay. Hammie says that he and little Schuyler are having lunch, and that he'll just meet up with us later."
"Her name is Eliza." Angelica reminded him irritably.
Laurens turned to look at Angelica, not seeming to repentant. "Yeah, okay."
"Angelica." Jefferson tapped Angelica's elbow, drawing her attention away from Alexander's friends. "We're going to grab something to eat. You want to come with us?"
"I don't know…" It made more sense for Angelica to go along with her friends, but if she tagged along with Alexander's friends, she had a better chance of finding Alexander and Eliza.
Lafayette seemed to realize Angelica's dilemma and, being the kind boy that he was, immediately sought out a solution. "Thomas, would you mind if we went with you? I am not familiar with the restaurants in the area."
"It's a mall." Jefferson reminded him. "You just walk around until something looks good."
Lafayette just stared at him, waiting for a more definite answer.
"Fine." Jefferson sighed. "Anyone who wants to eat can come along. Angelica, are you coming or not?"
"Sure." Angelica smiled at Lafayette before following Jefferson and his company out of the theater. Laurens and Hercules reluctantly tagged along.
"So, what's everyone feeling? Italian? Burgers? Taco Bell?" Jefferson asked, glancing back at the gaggle of teenagers following behind him as they walked through the mall.
"Not Taco Bell." Angelica said firmly.
"Burgers make me sick." Madison contributed.
"We just had pizza for lunch." Laurens complained.
"What about this place?" Lafayette pointed towards Noodles & Co. Angelica wouldn't have cared about the suggestion, if she hadn't followed Lafayette's stare. Through the glass walls of the restaurant, she could see Alexander and Eliza sitting at a table. Alexander's jacket was draped over Eliza's delicate shoulders. There was a plate of breadsticks between them. They were sharing food. Alexander was looking at Eliza like she was the cure for cancer; like she was something he had to memorize before she disappeared. And Eliza, well, it looked like her eyes were cartoon hearts. She was so in love that Angelica couldn't help but feel happy for her, even if it was at her own expense.
"Ha-hey, there he is!" Laurens thought nothing about walking into the restaurant and stealing Alexander's attention away from Eliza. Everybody else shuffled into the restaurant after him. Alexander smiled at everyone, but looked back at Eliza every few seconds. Eliza didn't look away from Alexander. Angelica wasn't sure that she had even noticed everyone entering the restaurant.
Laurens took a seat in the booth behind Alexander and Eliza's table. There wasn't enough room for anyone else at Alexander and Eliza's table. The rest of the herd followed suit and sat at Laurens' booth. Angelica paused at Alexander and Eliza's table.
"Is she…" She glanced at Alexander before focusing her attention on Eliza. "How are you feeling, honey?"
"Good. Really." Eliza was practically glowing. "Much better than before."
"Good." Angelica smiled back at her. She glanced at Alexander. "Thank you for taking care of her."
Alexander hardly looked away from Eliza as he spoke. "It was my pleasure."
"Okay." Angelica forced herself to smile before slinking away to joining Laurens and the rest of the non-Alexander crew.
Alexander remained at Eliza's side for the duration of the afternoon. As they walked through the mall, he kept himself beside her. He frequently asked her if she was okay. When he wasn't asking if she was okay, he was creating comfortable conversation between the two. They were talking about childhood pets. Angelica may have been eavesdropping.
When they all agreed that it was time to go home, Eliza bounced over to Angelica's side and asked her if they could give Alexander a ride home. Alexander smiled at Angelica like nothing had changed between them. With a heart halfway to breaking, Angelica said that yes, they could give Alexander a ride home.
The car ride was no better. Alexander insisted that Eliza ride up front with Angelica, despite Eliza's numerous offers to ride in the back with Alexander. Alexander just poked his head and carried on a pleasant conversation with them both.
"Angelica, do you like dogs?" Alexander looked at Angelica like he had always looked at her; like she was the only person in the world who could possibly understand his words. He looked at Eliza differently. He looked at Eliza like she was a piece of art that he couldn't get enough of. Angelica was Alexander's equal. Eliza was Alexander's God.
"I do." Angelica answered, trying her very best not to look at Alexander.
"She helped me hide a dog from Mama for two weeks." Eliza, meanwhile, could not resist looking at Alexander.
"Does your mother not like dogs?" Alexander seemed surprised that cold Mrs. Schuyler did not like animals.
Eliza, respecting their mother infinitely more than Angelica, just smiled and shrugged her slender shoulders (which, Angelica noticed, were still covered by Alexander's jacket). "Mama likes order. She dislikes the chaos that animals bring into the household."
"Didn't four children bring equal chaos into the Schuyler residence?" Alexander teased.
"Some of us still do." Angelica joked. "But Eliza tries to round us up and keep us in line when Mama isn't looking."
"I can see that." Alexander grinned at Eliza playfully.
"Oh, I don't think that anyone could keep you in line, Angelica." Eliza smiled at Angelica, unaware of what she was doing to her poor sister's heart.
"Yeah, I can see that, too." Alexander turned to look at Angelica.
Angelica just wanted to throw Alexander out of the car, drive home, and sit in her room by herself for a few hours. Having to share Alexander with Eliza was torture; especially when Alexander was treating Eliza as though she mattered to him just as much as Angelica did. Angelica wanted to be special. She wanted to be the only one that Alexander wanted to talk about.
"Well," Blessedly, they were finally at Mount Vernon. "Here we are."
"You live here?" Eliza had never seen Mount Vernon before. She was suitably impressed.
"I do." Alexander responded. "Would you like to come in?"
"I -"
"I really need to get home and start my homework." Angelica cut Eliza off, looking at her sister apologetically.
In reality, she just couldn't stand it anymore. She could handle giving up Alexander for Eliza. She could survive the loss of Alexander. She might even grow to be okay with it. She could not, however, watch Alexander fall in love with Eliza and out of love with her. That was too much for any human being to withstand.
"Oh." Eliza's face fell. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I guess you do get an awful lot of homework. Maybe some other time?"
"Definitely." Alexander agreed with a kind smile. "I'm glad you could make it today - both of you. Annie, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Betsey, I'll try reading Wizard of Oz. Maybe you're right; maybe it will resonate more with me if it's in words. Have a good night, my two dear brunettes."
He winked at them both before exiting the car and walking up the walkway to the mansion.
"He calls me Betsey." Eliza told Angelica as she began to drive in the direction of the Schuyler mansion. Angelica glanced at Eliza. Eliza's face was flushed and her smile was huge.
"Alexander likes nicknames." Angelica said, trying to downplay the situation.
Eliza nodded. Her happiness did not diminish. She just sat there, grinning to herself like someone who was truly and deeply in love.
OKAY GUYS. HERE IS THE DEAL.
Some of you are like VERY into Hamgelica. Some of you are VERY into Hamliza. I also like both, but I faced a difficult situation in choosing one over the other, so that's not what I'm going to do. You're going to get Hamgelica AND Hamliza. The story takes a turn in the next chapter, but there will be two versions, kind of like a "choose your own adventure." The first Hamliza-based version will appear on top. The second Hamgelica-based version will be on the bottom, entitled "Rewind" to show you what would have happened if Angelica had just told Alexander how she felt. We'll all get our preferred ship.
Also, I started a forum! It's called "Them Ruffians" and if you want a place to talk about Hamilton, I'll be around. Just type in "Them Ruffians" in the search bar and you'll most likely find me. If not, send me a message and I'll be happy to send you a link!
Hope you're enjoying this angsty mess so far!