A/N: Aww thank you for the review! Please review more on this chapter! I don't post on a regular schedule, but I will post when I can. I have no internet in my summer home, so I can only post when I am at my house in town. I can write on my phone offline and when I am at my usual home I will update what I can and as much as I can! Thank you for your support! This fic is most likely to be complete and not discontinued! Love yall!

I lathered my concealer over my freckles just like every other day. Francis, my only friend from South Carolina said my freckles looked stupid. My father, well, he said I looked like a train wreck with my freckles. If Father were to ever catch me without my makeup on, it was an extra-long beating.

"Laurens, I'm going to take the other kids to their schools. Can you meet me after school in the library? I told Father that I got a job there so I can go there after school."

"Martha, of course, I'll meet you there." I hugged her.

"Laurens, I wish you would stop wearing that concealer. Your freckles are cute." Martha pouted.

"Mar, you know Father would beat me extra long if he caught me without it."

"I know. Why can't you just wipe it off at school?"

"I would end up using extra makeup and I would go through it faster and Father would get suspicious. Besides, Francis said that everyone at our old school says they look stupid."

Martha was silent for a moment. "...Okay. Bye, Laurens. See you after school."

"Bye, Mar." I kissed the top of her head before she left with the younger kids.

I walked a couple of blocks to the Revolutionary High School and spotted Peggy before she spotted me, surprisingly. "Peggy! Angelica Eliza!"

"Laurens! Hi!" Peggy ran over to me and gave me one of her signature tight hugs. She let go while we waited for her sisters to catch up.

"Hey, Laurens!" Eliza gave a small wave.

"Laurens! What's your schedule like?" Angelica pulled out a paper with her schedule.

"I, uh, don't know yet," I said.

"Did you stop by the office to grab your schedule?" Eliza asked.

"Oh, no, I haven't. I don't really know what all I'm supposed to do. After all, I am still new here." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, right! You moved here this summer! It seems like we've known you forever!" Peggy exclaimed.

"Can you guys show me where the office is?" I asked, already knowing Eliza couldn't say no to being nice.

"Of course!" Eliza said. "Follow me."

Eliza led the way while Angelica, Peggy, and I all followed. Once we got my schedule, I found out we had a couple of classes with all three of the Schuyler Sisters. Math came and went. I shared that class with Peggy and Gilbert. English came and went. I shared that class with Alexander Hamilton, even though I didn't get to talk to him. Music came and went. I shared that class with Gilbert, Peggy, Angelica, and Eliza. Homeroom came and went. I shared that class with Alexander and Eliza. Once again, I didn't get to talk to Alexander.

Now it's lunch. I stuck with Eliza. We walked to lunch talking about Music class and if we liked our teachers. We agreed that Mr. Washington is the best teacher and that we are lucky to have him for homeroom.

Alex POV

I walked with Herc out of homeroom. "So, how does it feel to be back at school?" Herc asked.

"What do you think? More school means more homework which means a better chance of getting into King's College! I'm happy!" I explained.

"SNORE. Boring! What about your friends, Alex?"

"Yeah, yeah. Friends are fun too," I said as we sat down at our table with the group: Angelica, Peggy, Laf, Aaron, Theodosia, James, Maria, Thomas, and Herc. This year, Thomas and I agreed that if our friends can get along with us, then we can get along too. "Hi, guys. Where's Eliza?"

"I don't know. She's not in my homeroom." Peggy said with a mouthful of her salad.

"You tiny little bookworm! Friends are better than schoolwork!" Herc grabbed my hood on my sweatshirt and pulled it over my head, pulling the stings making my hood cover my entire face.

"Herc! What the heck?" I said trying to find the tiny opening to enlarge the hood again.

"Hi, Eliza! Hi, Laurens!" I heard Angelica say. I have heard Angelica, Eliza, Laf, and Peggy always talk about this "Laurens" person. I crossed my arms.

"Herc! Stop tying the strings on the back of my head!" I yelled, ignoring Angelica. This Laurens could be just like Thomas, considering my luck.

John POV

"Hi, Eliza! Hi Laurens!" I heard Angelica say. I gave her a small wave.

"Herc! Stop tying the strings on the back of my head!" I heard a boy say. A boy, Herc, I assumed, had pulled the other boy's hoodie tight and was tying the strings. It made me kind of sad that he didn't care that I was here.

"Hi, Laurens!" Peggy said with a mouthful of lettuce from her salad. I gave another wave.

"Hey, I'm Hercules. Herc is easier, to be honest." The boy tying the strings said. He went back to tie the strings in a knot.

"Bonjour, Mon Ami!" Gilbert called.

"Hi, Gilbert," I said.

"The name's Aaron Burr," a bald kid said.

"Hi."

"Hi, I'm James," a kid with somewhat normal hair said.

"Hi. I'm Thomas," a boy with frizzy hair said. "By the way, stay away from Alex. He's boring."

"Hey!" The kid with the hood over his head said. Well, it came out muffled because of the hood in his face, so it sounded like "Hymph!" He pulled the strings back out straight and whipped the hood off. "Now I'm not boring, Thomas, and remember! We agreed that we can get along this-" the kid stopped ranting and stared at me. I realized- this was Alexander Hamilton. My neighbor Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton from the coffee shop. "- year." He finished his sentence breathily, as if in shock.

We kept eye contact for what seemed like forever when Peggy - of course - spoke up (she had finally spoken without food in her mouth), "So, what are you guys going to do this summer?"

"We-ell, Jemm- er, James and I were going to apply to colleges together and then do the same old thing we do every year - sleep all day," Thomas spoke up first.

"Yeah, you are gonna be sleeping because you and James are tired from your make-out sessions," Alexander huffed under his breath.

"Hamilton, I'm this close to letting your secret out," Thomas pinched his fingers close enough to almost touch, but ever so slightly apart.

"Hey! We have an agreement!" Alexander ranted.

"Yeah, and you insulted me first!"

"Thomas, Alex, how you say - chill out!" Gilbert scolded, crossing his arms.

"But Laf-" Thomas started.

"I'm going to participate in the Pride Parade in June and apply for college!" I blurted. It was stupid to say that, I realized. But if you were in my situation, you would be pretty uncomfortable watching people you barely know having an argument.

"Oh, cool! It's nice to know you support Pride!" Angelica exclaimed, "it's so hard to bring a subject like that up nowadays. It's like you never know if they are against it or not!"

"Oh, good. I didn't know if you supported them or not," I said, relieved.

"Eliza, Angelica, Laf and I are all probably going to hang around the mall again this summer," Peggy blabbed, mouth full of cookies this time.

"I'm going to go off to tour colleges all summer long. I might go with the triplets and Gilbert to the mall every now and then," Herc said.

"Theodosia and I are probably going to plan for college together," Aaron said, lacking enthusiasm.

"Yeah, Aaron and I might join you guys at the mall, too," Theodosia quickly saved her summer from boredom.

"What are you doing this summer Alex?" Eliza asked.

I looked at Alexander. He looked around the table at everyone before looking away for a bit. He seemed nervous, almost as if he were hiding something.

"I'm going… going to the Caribbean for the summer, apply for college later, and I might attend the Pride Parade in June before I go to the Caribbean," he hesitantly answered.

"Nice!" Peggy exclaimed.

We talked about last summer and our future summer for the rest of the lunch. Except… I would sneak glances at Alexander, who was keeping to himself unnaturally. He would only answer questions with a simple answer like "yes" or "no" before hanging his head down low and eating in peace.

The rest of the day went by in a slow haze. History came and went. I shared that class with Herc, Aaron, Thomas, and James.

Science came and went. I shared that class with Aaron and Theodosia.

Physical Education came and went. I shared that class with Thomas, Eliza, and Theodosia.

Walking out of the locker rooms last period, let me tell you, stinks. Literally. Everyone is rushing to leave and they trample you on your way out.

Walking to the library to meet Martha there, I saw Alexander walking there, too. He entered the building, said hello to the librarian, and headed off towards the back table in the corner. I noticed Martha wasn't here yet, so I decided to go and check out the books in the corner Alexander was in. So what if I was trying to pretend we ran into each other and start up a conversation and break the awkwardness between us.

I studied the bindings of the books, looking for the one I wanted. I found a book on famous artists that I probably won't read, but in Alexander's corner, there were only biographies.

Bzz. I heard a phone vibrate and I checked my phone. Nothing. Wierd… I thought. I picked my head up to see Alexander texting someone. He turned his phone off and opened his laptop. Huh.

I grabbed the biography on famous artists and tucked it under my shoulder when I saw a book on the bookshelf in front of Alexander on other artists. It was risky to walk out in front of Alexander because I'm not sure my vibe is one that would study dead people but this did honestly look like a good biography.

Clutching the one biography in one arm and backpack slung over my shoulder, I headed over to the other bookshelf. I made it there safely and grabbed the colorful book. Vincent Van Gogh. One of my favorite painters.

"Laurens?" Alexander.

"Alexander?"

"You're not really someone I would assume to like biographies," he observed.

"Oh, um, I like art and Vincent Van Gogh is my favorite," I showed him the biography, walking over to his table.

"Oh. You like art?" He asked, cocking his head to the side like a little dog.

"Yeah, I like to draw."

"Van Gogh [insert Van Gogh fact here]." Alexander gently grabbed the book out of my hands and observed the cover as I took a seat across from him.

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons why I like his art."

"Cool." He slid my book back to me across the table.

"What are you doing? We weren't given any homework on the first day of school and you don't seem to have any library books with you."

"Oh, uh, well… you see… I like to write," he stuttered.

"Oh, okay." Bzz. This time it was my phone to bing.

Marmar: I'm in the library now. Where are you?

TurtleBoi: I'm in the back corner with my friend Alexander by the biographies.

Marmar: why by the biography section? That's the most secluded space in this facility

Marmar: ohh are you trying to like ya know talk to your crush?

TurtleBoi: Mar, no I just ran into someone I met at lunch who seems nice

TurtleBoi: and besides we have to talk about more important matters

Marmar: I'm fine if you want to talk tomorrow

TurtleBoi: Mar no

TurtleBoi: we have to settle this situation as soon as possible

Marmar: do you think your friend could help us?

TurtleBoi: idk I just met him, he seems a little secretive about something idk what tho

TurtleBoi: besides, he probably doesn't want to help us I just met him for crying out loud

Marmar: look I was just throwing the idea out there I don't know him I just thought maybe he could help us

TurtleBoi: sorry I snapped at you like that you didn't deserve that. I'm just scared on how father would react

Marmar: me too. We should be hurrying tho

TurtleBoi: kk be right there

"Hey, I gotta go. Nice talking to you!" I waved at him before peering down each row of books. I saw Martha reading To Kill a Mockingbird. She always loved classic books. "Past, Martha," I whispered, aware of the other people looking at the bookshelves.

"John! Hey," she whispered back to me, "here, let's go over there." She pointed to a corner somewhat like Alexander's corner, secluded and full of books students hate - this time the bookshelves were full of textbooks.

"How can we keep living like this? The young ones can't handle being abused earlier than us," Martha rested her forehead on the heel of her palm. "And tell me again why we can't tell the authorities?"

"If they left Father alone with us to 'apologize' then he would just give us a big fat beating worse than all of the other ones combined. I can't see you suffer worse than we are now," I said, getting choked up.

"John, I don't care. It's better for me to get a worse beating than the younger kids do."

"Can you stop calling me John? You sound like Father."

"I'm sorry. I'm just scared and I don't know what I'm saying sometimes."

"Mar, it's okay. The kids will be fine. We will figure this out soon enough." I stood up from my spot at the table and engulfed her in a hug. I could feel my shoulders get a teensy bit wet from her tears.

"I-I'm not sure I'm ready for this, Laurens. The kids can't live like this. We are too young to be going through this," Martha had gotten good at keeping her crying quiet, for Father would beat her harder if she would cry.

I planted a long, chaste kiss on the top of her head, hugging her tighter.

Alex POV

I heard Laurens' hushed voice over a couple of tables away. "-kids will be fine. We will figure this out soon enough." I heard the word "kids" and that got my attention. Does Laurens have kids? In high school? I peeked over my shoulder to see Laurens hugging a girl around our age. She was pretty, but not necessarily my type.

"I-I'm not sure I'm ready for this, Laurens. The kids can't live like this. We are too young to be going through this," the girl said. A pang of jealousy went through my body. I know I should not be jealous of a boy I just met, but he seemed nice and interested in some sort of nonfiction and tried to start a conversation with me. No one did that here, besides my friends I've known forever, thanks to Ellie, Pegs, and Angie.

I should text him tonight. Yeah, I'll pretend I saw him in his window and ask why he looks so down.

I pulled out my phone. This was a bad idea. Only Ellie knew that I was bisexual, and she would ask me questions if I liked Laurens. Worth it, though. His friendship means everything to me. He wanted to talk to me outside of Ellie.

NonstopHamMan: el I need Laurens number, please

EllieInTheNarrative: sure I'll ask questions later tho ;3 [555-5555]

NonstopHamMan: thank youuu

EllieInTheNarrative: np :)

I typed in the number, writing and deleting everything I tried to say. Wait until you see him in his window, idiot my brain said. Thanks, mini-me.

All I have to do now is wait. Something I hate doing.

John POV

That night I looked out my window and saw Alexander at a desk typing on his laptop. Again, like the night before. And the night before that, and the night before that, and pretty much every night he was on his laptop.

I wondered if he was playing video games. No, he was always typing, not using a mouse or the arrow keys. Was he writing a book? Or was he writing a paper due for class? He couldn't be writing for school, we weren't given any homework on the first day! The most likely answer was he was writing a book. I wondered why he never told any of us. Maybe he already told the others and forgot to tell me. Yeah, that seemed logical.

Standing up from my desk, I walked over to the bathroom that Martha and I shared (because we shared a room). I grabbed a washcloth, running it under warm water. Dabbing it on my face to remove the concealer, I could hear Father getting upset with Martha.

"What in the actual-" he started swearing. He never swears, I thought. This is getting worse every day. "- did you think you were doing?" I could hear a slap. No. Nononono. Martha is so much younger than I was when I first got slapped. This has to stop.

"STOP!" I ran in between Martha and Father. "STOP IT! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" I yelled, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He shoved me into the stove, my hand landing on a burner, still hot from Martha's dinner. One slap, two slap, left slap, right slap. I counted the slaps as an old Dr. Suess rhyme.

"Dare says another word and you will pay!" Father punched my gut, a new move. I stumbled backward as my hand found the railing on the stairs to my bedroom. I bolted up the stairs, taking three steps at a time. Father caught up just as fast. He punched my gut a couple more times before leaving me alone. "Take this as a warning. I am capable of more."

I saw Martha come out of hiding behind the bathroom door. "Laurens."

"He was going to hurt you more than you deserve."

"No. He was going to take it out on me and I was going to take it. I'd rather it be me than the younger kids."

"Mar-"

"No. Stop being brave. Stop it. I don't like seeing you get hurt because of me."

"I'm not hurt."

"Then what are those tears for? How is your - oh my god. Your hand!" Martha gasped in more fear than I've ever heard. I picked my hand up and studied it in horror. I burned my hand. My hand got burned. I collapsed on my leg that was throbbing with pain after Father's fight. All I remember is Martha frantically calling 911 and the rest black.

A/N: Ahah! A cliffhanger! Sorry for that though! I might post another chapter today or tomorrow, no promises though. Please review! I enjoy any kind of review, even if it is kind of mean! Constructive criticism, as I like to call it :)

ALWAYS FIND THE GOOD IN A BAD SITUATION. STAY HEALTHY, STAY STRONG, AND WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS PANDEMIC TOGETHER. (well, maybe except astronauts) tell me if you get the joke XP

Love yall!