Alex walked up to the imposing building before him. It was his first day at a new school, and he'd never been more nervous. As he walked the halls, he smiled shyly at some people who scoffed and turned away. He stared dejectedly at his feet, making his way to his classroom. He sat next to a boy with more freckles than Alex could count and curly dark hair tied into a bun. "Um... hi..." he said nervously.

The boy turned around, flashing Alex a smile. "Hey! I'm John, what's your name?" He asked.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Alexander Hamilton..." he replied, "you can call me Alex though."

"It's nice to meet you, Alex," John stated with a smile. "Are you new here?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah. I just moved here from the Caribbean, actually." Alex played with his hair nervously.

Suddenly, two guys sat down behind John and Alex, a girl sitting across the aisle from him. "These are my friends," John stated, "guys, this is Alex, he's new here."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hercules," said the one guy.

"I am Lafayette. I'm still fairly new here as well," he stated.

The girl looked up from her book for a minute looking Alex up and down. He could see a thousand different thoughts and feelings in her dark eyes. They landed on his, cold and calculating, and seemed to dismiss him. "That's... Angelica. She's not exactly the warm and fuzzy type at first," John explained, "she'll warm up to you, don't worry."

"Bonjour, class. Welcome to French as a second language," said a voice suddenly. A teacher had walked in, standing in front of the class.

"You're French, why are you taking this class?" Alex whispered in perfect French.

"Same reason as you, my friend; it's an easy A," Lafayette replied.

Alex laughed, turning his attention to where the teacher was explaining things he'd learned when he was six. This was gonna be an easy class.

After French he had AP English. He sat down in a desk at the front. A guy sat next to him. "Hi," he said.

He gave Alex a bad feeling. "Hello..." Alex replied. He pulled out a book, not bothering to look up.

"I'm Thomas. What's your name?" He asked. Alex ignored him. "I said," Thomas stood up, towering over Alex. He kept a neutral expression, letting his eyes travel lazily up to meet Thomas'. "Who are you?"

"Alexander Hamilton," Alex replied, trying to keep his cool. "Sit down, please. You're weirdly tall and it makes me uncomfortable."

"I'm tall? Maybe you're just a midget," Thomas stated, leaning closer.

"First of all, breath mint," Alex stated, leaning away from Thomas' face. "Second of all, a midget is classified as anyone under 5'3". I'm not even that short. I'm 5'7" so yeah, you're weirdly tall."

"And you're an annoying smartass," Thomas replied. Alex smirked, loving how much this kid was overreacting. "you know what? Just stay out of my way, Hamilton, and we'll get along famously."

"Works for me, whatever your last name is," Alex said, turning his attention back to his book.

"Fine. And, it's Jefferson for the record," Thomas replied. Alex didn't reply. He honestly couldn't care less about what his name was.

Alex wandered around the school grounds alone. He was starving, but he'd had to choose between eating lunches or paying rent, and being kinda hungry sounded a lot better than being homeless. He saw John sitting on a set of stairs in the back of the school. There was a girl in blue playing with his hair as he drew.

-

Eliza fiddled with John's wild, curly hair. John hadn't been having a good day and sitting here, away from all of their other friends helped relax him. "So this guy, the one you're drawing, you just met him today?" She asked, pulling John's hair out of its messy bun. Honestly, with the amount of hair John had, it was a mystery how he still didn't know how to do it. She pulled it back, twisting it into a bun and putting two elastics back in.

"Mhmm," John replied, focused on his artwork. He was drawing a boy with long dark hair pulled into a ponytail. John was using a reference, a candid photo he'd snuck during French, to make sure he got every detail from the shape of his soft-looking lips to the way his hands held the book he was so engrossed in. But the thing that struck Eliza most was his eyes. Even distracted by his book they looked guarded, closed off, as if he were trying to hold back his thoughts. She wondered what was behind those eyes.

"Um... excuse me?" Came a voice that made both of them jump, John slamming his sketch book shut and hiding his phone screen. Looking up, Eliza saw him. The boy John had been drawing. "Would you two mind if I sat with you?" He asked.

"Uh-I-" John stammered, "s-sure."

"I'm Eliza," she said.

"Alex," he replied, sitting on the steps next to her.

"So, Alex, John told me you're from the Caribbean? What brings you here?" She asked.

"Long story..." he said, "I'd rather not share..."

Eliza nodded. "That's understandable." He could keep his secrets. Eliza just wanted to know him. He had this sort of energy, it drew her to him like iron to a magnet. Something about him just made her want to be closer.

John fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, something he only did when he was either lying or nervous. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something when suddenly. "John! Eliza! Mes amies, what are you doing over here?" Lafayette asked. He was carrying two pizza boxes while Herc walked beside him holding enough pop for the whole group.

John forced a smile. She could tell it wasn't genuine by the way both corners of his mouth went to the same height. His real smile, one he so rarely used these days, was lopsided and goofy and almost too wide for his face. It was it made you want to smile with him. "You guys are insane, we wanted some peace and quiet for once!" He replied.

"Ouch! John, that stings," Lafayette joked, holding a hand over his heart. John stood up.

"Can't keep them waiting. And hey, free pizza," he stated, putting his hands in his pockets, "you two coming?"

Alex nodded, getting up and walking next to John. Eliza trailed a little behind, worrying to herself. John hadn't been feeling 100% for most of the day, but he still forced himself to do all these things and be around people when Eliza knew it was the last thing he wanted to do. She turned a corner to see their group sitting in their usual spot and the nervous feeling vanished. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison sat chatting idly with Angelica and Peggy. The two weren't as close in the group as the others, but Laf was friends with Thomas, and Thomas was friends with James, so they let them stick around. "Pizza's here!" Hercules shouted.

"And the party's not far behind!" John called, running over. Alex stayed behind, letting Eliza catch up.

"John seemed a little out of it..." he stated.

"John's got..." Eliza paused, trying to find the right way to put it. Clinical depression that's been diagnosed by multiple psychiatrists and is still being swept under the rug by his family, leaving him without anything to help him seemed a little too blunt. "Some personal problems. He doesn't really like to talk about it, and it's not really my place to say..." she explained.

Alex smiled sadly, looking at where John was joking and laughing with the others. "I understand," he stated.

They went over. "Alexander Hamilton!" Thomas called, "What are you doing around here?"

Alex ignored him, sitting down. He didn't take any pizza, but he looked like he wanted some. "You hungry?" Hercules asked.

"Oh," Alex put a hand up, "i-it's alright. It's not gonna kill me to skip lunch today..."

"No, but it will affect your learning for the rest of the day. Not to mention the fact that being hungry sucks," Hercules replied matter-of-factly. "Don't starve yourself." He grabbed a box, bringing it closer.

Alex gave in, taking a piece. "Thanks. I can pay you back..." he said, taking a bite.

"No way. It's what we do around here. It's Angelica's turn to buy tomorrow, that's how we pay each other back. If you can't spare the cash, don't worry about it. It's my treat," Herc explained, handing Alex a can of Pepsi.

Alex smiled. "Thanks..." it was like he'd never been given anything for free in his life. Maybe he hadn't...

-

John took a deep breath. "Breathe..." he whispered to himself. His day had been terrible. His fingers itched to have a blade in them, to run it over his skin and watch the blood collect on his arm before it dripped onto the cold bathroom tile beneath his feet. But he'd been clean for three months, he couldn't relapse now. He wouldn't be able to stand the look on Eliza's face if she found out. Suddenly, he realized someone had been talking to him.

"Earth to John," Alex called, waving a hand in front of his face. "Come in John."

John blinked. "Uh, sorry. I spaced out there..."

"No problem man, I do it from time to time," he stated, "you heading this way?" He asked. They were standing at the entrance to a subway station. John nodded. They got on the train, John fiddling with the worn out sleeve of his sweatshirt. "You do that a lot..." Alex stated.

"Do what?" John asked, looking at him quizzically.

"Play with your sleeve. I notice things like that, I dunno why. Always have," he explained.

John stopped doing it. "Sorry, nervous habit..."

"Hey, don't apologize. We've all got little fidgets like that. I chew my lip a lot when I'm bored," he explained. Suddenly, the train came to a stop. John stood up, Alex following his lead. The got off, climbing the steps. They continued walking the same direction. John stopped when he got to his apartment building, unlocking the door. "You live here?" Alex asked disbelievingly.

John nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just kinda crazy 'cause I live here too," he stated.

John gave a small laugh. "Small world," he stated. The two went inside, walking past the perpetually broken elevator and heading for the stairs. John stopped at the third floor.

"No way..." Alex said.

"Lemme guess, you're on this floor?" John asked, a smile creeping onto his face. A real one this time, which was weird, usually only Eliza could make him smile like this.

"I swear if we're neighbours..." Alex trailed off, walking down the short hallway next to John. He stopped at his apartment. Alex let out a wheezing noise, laughing. "I live literally right next door!" He cried.

John started laughing too. "That's just too crazy!" He howled. After they'd both had a good laugh, John unlocked his door. "You wanna hang out with me? It's just me right now, but we can play video games or whatever..." he offered.

"That sounds fun," Alex replied, following John inside. It was the same layout as his, two small bedrooms on either side of a living room that was joined to a tiny kitchen. There wasn't enough room for a table. They sat and talked for a while, playing Mario Kart, meeting John's pet turtle, just hanging out. Eventually, John's parents came home.

"Who's your new friend, John?" His mother asked.

"I'm Alex," he said, shaking her hand, "it's nice to meet you..."

John's mother smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Alex. I'm Eleanor, and this is Henry."

"Hello," Henry grunted, turning the tv to the hockey game.

Eleanor was pulling out some food, turning on the stove. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" She asked.

"I really shouldn't... you don't have to go to the trouble..." Alex replied awkwardly.

"Oh it's perfectly alright, I can give your parents a call to let them know..." she insisted.

"I actually- I mean I'm- I live on my own..." Alex said, chewing his lip.

"Oh. Well then, I guess it's entirely up to you. I'm sure living on your own, paying for school and rent and all those other expenses can't be easy... what do you normally eat for dinner?"

"I get take-out or pizza or one of those microwaveable meals... or whatever's there... really, you don't need to-"

"Please, let me cook you a meal that's not made entirely of processed crap. You've got to be careful about what you eat, especially at your age," Eleanor interrupted, pulling out some chicken. She'd pulled out some extra food for Alex.

"Dude, relax. It's not the end of the world," John stated, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Alex seemed to give in, his tense shoulders relaxing. "A-alright..." he stammered.

Eleanor's eyes lit up. "Great! Henry!" She called.

"Mm?" He'd been so focused on his game he hadn't noticed.

"Alex is going to be having dinner with us..." Eleanor replied, her face falling. She pulled it back into a smile when she saw Alex's concerned look.

"Mhmm," Henry mumbled. John had moved to an arm chair, his head resting on one arm and his legs hanging over the opposite end. He was drawing, glancing at his phone every now and then. Alex walked over to him, leaning on the back of his chair.

"Watcha drawing?" He asked.

John jumped, slamming his sketchbook shut as his phone went flying. Alex laughed, picking up the phone which was still on. The screen showed a picture of Alex, a book in his hands and hair falling in his face. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- I just wanted to- I needed a-" he stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.

"No problem," Alex replied, handing the phone back to John.

"That's what I was um... drawing..." John added, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

"That's cool," Alex stated, moving back to John. "Can I see it?" He asked. John hesitated. "Oh, come on. You're drawing me, you should at least let me see it," Alex insisted. John sighed, slowly opening the sketchbook to the page he'd been working on. It wasn't finished, the shading wasn't quite complete in some areas, but it was still pretty fantastic. He'd drawn every detail as precisely as possible, and he'd gotten almost everything right. "That's..."

"Terrible, I know," John finished, closing the book again.

"I was going to say incredible, actually," Alex replied indignantly, "you're really good."

"John! Grab Alex and yourself a plate, please!" His mother called. John nodded, setting down his sketchbook and doing as he was asked without complaint.

The smell of food cooking was wafting throughout the room. It reminded Alex of a time before he'd moved to America. He was six years old, his mother was cooking dinner. He knew his father wasn't going to be joining them, he only visited after he'd eaten dinner or on some weekends. Alex had never understood why until years later. Alex and his mother were a dirty secret his father had to hide from everyone. Alex and his mother had had no idea until Alex was ten years old, when his father stopped visiting.

"Earth to Alex!" John called, a smirk on his face. "Come in Alex!"

Alex shook his head. "Sorry..." he mumbled, taking a plate of chicken and mashed potatoes from John.

"It's nothing special, but I hope you like it..." Eleanor said apologetically, handing a plate to her husband, who still hadn't said a word to her since they'd gotten home.

John made his way to his room, gesturing for Alex to follow him. They sat down on his bed, which had a simple blue comforter on matching sheets. It wasn't a large room, but John did what he could with the space. His bed was shoved up against one wall, a wardrobe taking up most of the wall where the door was. An old, worn out looking desk was crammed into a corner, a small tank took up half the space and housed John's baby red-eared slider Shelly, who was about seven inches long. She was currently sitting on a rock, basking in the dying sunlight.

Drawings and posters covered the walls, which were a simple blue-grey colour. They started eating. "This is great," Alex stated.

"Yeah, my mom's a pretty good cook," John responded, smiling.

They finished their meals, setting them down on the desk. Then, they laid down, staring up at the ceiling in silence. Alexander's mind began to wander. To warm sunny days on the beach when he was eight, salt in the air as he wandered to shore, his mother laughing behind him. To hearing his mother cry through the thin walls of their house when he was ten, how she took him on her knee and explained that dad wasn't coming home anymore. To holding onto his mother as she burned up with fever when he was twelve, begging her to not leave him alone, or screaming for him to go with her as he coughed up blood on his mother's lifeless form. To coming home from school only a year later to find his cousin hanging from a ceiling fan, his neck at a strange angle and his face blue. To the sound of his wall cracking as the screaming wind ripped it down, tearing him away from all he knew like a rip current, thunder roaring in his ears and fat raindrops blinding him as they stung his skin.

"Alex?" John asked. That was when Alex realized he was crying. "Alex!" He shouted.

Alexander sat up, curling into a ball. He should've known better than to think about his life before he'd come here. It was a dangerous pit, and he'd fall in if he got too close. He'd just gotten too close. "I'm sorry I-" he sobbed, "I should go..." he moved to stand up, but John grabbed his arm.

"You don't need to..." he said, looking at Alex worriedly.

Alex pulled away. "I... I've already overstayed my welcome..." he said, standing up. He went back to his apartment, going to bed.

--

Alex stormed down the hall, not looking where he was going before slamming headfirst into none other than Thomas Jefferson. "Watch where you're going, Hamilton," Thomas stated, grabbing Alex's shoulders to steady him.

"Don't touch me," Alex snarled, shoving Thomas off and continuing down the empty hall.

"You know, I'm kinda curious. Why exactly did you come here, of all places?" Thomas asked. Alex stopped.

"Why should I tell you?" He asked, not facing him.

"If you're not gonna tell me, I guess I'll just have to start speculating." Hamilton kept walking. "Scholarship? No, I know who all the scholarship kids are," Thomas mumbled to himself. He'd started following Alex, maintaining a good four metres between the two. "Maybe it's got something to do with the hurricane that hit Nevis?" Alex stopped. "Bingo. But what happened to mom and dad?" Thomas asked.

"You shut your mouth, Jefferson," Alex snarled.

"Sensitive topic? Does someone have daddy issues? Or is it mommy issues? Did mom and dad not get along before they died?" Thomas guessed.

Alex whirled around. "You have no right to speak about my family. Mind your own damn business and keep your pompous ass away from me," he threatened.

"Make me," Thomas challenged, smirking. With that, Alex lunged at Thomas, knocking him to the ground and punching him repeatedly. Thomas grabbed Alex's shoulders, forcing Alex off of him before throwing him down the hall. Alex ran at him again, grabbing Thomas' shirt collar and punching him anywhere he could land a hit. Thomas retaliated whenever he got the chance, landing an especially good punch to Alex's cheek.

"Mister Hamilton!" Shouted a voice from down the hall.

"Thomas!" Shouted another voice. Alex felt someone pulling him away from Thomas, and he struggled against whoever it was, screaming curses. Lafayette had grabbed hold of Thomas, who promptly stood up and dusted himself off. He smirked, bowing mockingly before turning and walking in the other direction. Lafayette shot Alex a look that was a mix of frustration and concern before running off after his friend.

"Let go of me!" Alex demanded.

"I don't think so, Alexander," replied the person holding him. Alex realized with a shock who it was.

"M-Mister Washington?" He stammered nervously.

"Yes. You just attacked a fellow student-" Washington began, letting Alex go and helping him stand up.

"He started it!" Alex cried.

Washington raised an eyebrow "...which would normally result in suspension. But, since it's your first offence, I won't report this incident. But if it happens again, I will have no choice but to suspend you, as well as mister Jefferson," he continued. He tucked his arms behind his back, walking away.

John was standing at the door to his apartment, Eliza behind him. They'd gotten home a bit earlier, because Alex had gotten into an argument with Thomas Jefferson. They'd left before it ended, but according to Lafayette, the fight had turned physical and he and Mister Washington had had to break it up.

Eliza smiled, waving as she saw him stomping down the hallway. "Hey-" Alex slammed the door to his apartment, ignoring John and Eliza. "-Alex..."

"Bad day, I guess..." John remarked, looking at the scuffed wooden door as the muffled sounds of Alexander's screams came through the thin walls.

"He's got quite the temper..." Eliza added. John nodded in agreement as they went inside. Eliza sat down on the couch, John resting his head on her lap as he laid down. He pulled a sharpie out of his pocket, rolling up his sleeve and doodling over the scars on his arm. Eliza frowned, looking at the thin white lines that were layered overtop of one another. John noticed her expression, covering them hastily.

"Sorry... bad day..." he explained, folding his arms across his chest and drawing his legs up close to his body.

"It's alright," Eliza replied, playing with John's hair absentmindedly. John got up, curling up on his arm chair and pulling out his sketchbook. Eliza felt her phone buzz. She pulled it out to see who had texted her.

Alex: hey, sorry about earlier, that was really rude of me...

Eliza: don't worry about it

Alex: I'm worrying about it, I was almost as much of a jerk as Thomas.

Eliza laughed.

Eliza: he is a bit of a jerk. But he's not all bad...

Alex: pretty sure the only people who actually like him for some reason are Laf and James. I think everyone else just tolerates him.

Eliza: fair point

Alex: he's just impossible, he tells me to stay out of his way, then he picks a fight with me every chance he gets!

Eliza: you sure you're not the one starting those?

Alex: oh no. Not you too... whenever I try to tell Washington that Jefferson started it he doesn't believe me! I'm telling you, Thomas provokes me just so he can get me in shit with Washington.

Eliza giggled again. "Who are you talking to?" John asked.

"Alex," Eliza replied, smiling as Alex sent paragraphs upon paragraphs ranting about all sorts of things. She could barely get a word in edgewise because he texted so quickly.

"He's right next door you know..." John stated, "we could just invite him over..."

Eliza laughed. "Nah, I'm hanging out with you," she replied, leaning back to look at John.

They sat in comfortable silence, Eliza playing some music as John drew. Neither of them said anything, there was no need. The pair were satisfied just being around each other.

Suddenly, the music was cut off abruptly, replaced by Eliza's phone ringing. "It's my dad..." she explained as John looked up at her. She answered the call. "Hello?"

"Eliza, it's time for you to come home," her father replied.

"I know, I was just leaving," Eliza lied, winking at where John was stifling a giggle.

"Where are you anyway?" Her father asked, "you didn't specify which friend's house you were going to."

Eliza bit her lip. "John's house," she explained. She could practically hear her father rolling his eyes.

"You spend all your time with that boy, and you know I don't have a problem with him, but if you're-"

"Dad don't even start," Eliza cut him off. Her father was convinced that she and John were dating behind his back, "I've told you, he's gay, and even if he wasn't I wouldn't date him... he's like my brother, it'd be weird," she explained for what felt like the millionth time. John was going red trying to hold in his laughter.

"I know, I know," Eliza's dad said, "I'll see you when you get home, sweetheart. Drive safe. I love you."

"Love you too, dad," Eliza replied, hanging up the phone. John started howling with laughter.

"He still won't give that up, will he?" He asked.

Eliza smiled. "Nope. But, I've gotta go. I'll see you later John," she replied, grabbing her coat and waving goodbye. John sighed, continuing with his drawing. He felt his phone buzz.

Alex: heard your door close. Eliza left, I assume?

John: yeah

Alex: what are you doing?

John: drawing

Alex: me?

John blushed. He had been drawing Alex. He'd started drawing him all the time. He just couldn't get Alex's face out of his mind. But, no matter what happened he couldn't get it right. Physically, the drawings were as accurate as John could make them, but it just didn't feel like Alexander.

Alex: I'll take that as a yes.

John: ...maybe

Alex: awesome! Can I see?

John: maybe some other time... I have to go

John put his phone back in his pocket, sighing. He flipped through his sketchbook. Almost every page was covered in Alex. His smile, his eyes, his hands. It never stopped. Alex, Alex, Alex. God, what was wrong with him?

A/N HOLY HECC I DID IT?!?!?! AND IT LONG?!?!?! I AM EXCITE BC I DID IT AND IT LONG

...

Sorry

But yeah, I'm not so sure about the cover, but I don't really think I could pull off drawing it myself... so if anyone wants to send me an edit or drawing for the cover, go right ahead and DM me on insta. My Instagram is kawai._.artist._