Lams College AU

Alex

The campus was massive. Alex strode into the building, not knowing what to expect, and was absolutely blown away. Princeton was everything his peers had said and more; it was legendary.

He was brimming with excitement as he sat down in the auditorium, waiting for Freshman Orientation to begin. The school's colors were painted on the walls and there were banners and flags everywhere, making the whole place bright and bold. As the final few students took their seats, a man appeared in the center of the stage, head held high. "My name is Aaron Burr, and I am your dean. Welcome all, to Princeton University." The new collegians cheered, and Alex hollered with them. His future was in his grasp, and all the work he'd put in had paid off. It was perfect. "Today is day one of your four-year college journey. Coming from an alumni, trust me, your education is in very good hands," the dean continued. Another round of applause followed his words. "Your dorm numbers and schedules can be found in your orientation packet, which is being handed out right now." People came around with large stacks of paper, and handed them to each student. Alex flipped through the introduction to the school, and checked his agenda for each day: Literature, Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Lunch, Business, Current Events, American History, Debate.

Almost all Alex's classes pushed him in the direction he wanted to go, as he'd always imagined himself speaking to the world, and changing it for the better. He'd chosen psychology for his mother; she was proud of his unending ambition, but she also told him he could use a little more understanding of how others think. The scholar wasn't looking forward to it that much, but he willed himself to pay attention and excel anyway. That was who Alex was.

The first day was usually just to help new students get settled, so he didn't have any classes. The dean talked for a while about all the opportunities offered at Princeton, and about his own experience there. Alex was beginning to look up to Mr. Burr as he explained his commitment to his studies. Soon, the assembly was over, and the freshmen were to have lunch and then unpack at their dorms, because the keys to their rooms weren't handed out yet. As of now, everyone's bags were in a huge pile in the hallway, and Alex suspected it would be a nightmare trying to wrestle his luggage out of that mess. The student body was dismissed, and as he predicted, it was chaos. Everyone tumbled out the double doors at once, and Alex was lucky not to drop anything as he booked it down the hallway away from the crowd. Eventually he was in the cafeteria, out of breath, carrying seven different things at once, and wondering where the food was.

Over the constant chatter of students, one group was loud enough to catch Alex's attention. Three boys sat on their own, having the best time of their lives, but his eyes were glued to one in particular; the shortest of the trio was the most gorgeous human Alex had even seen. He had long, curly dark hair tied loosely with a strip of fabric, freckles along his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, and sparkling light brown eyes. His smile seemed permanent, and Alex was in awe as he got really into conversation with his friends, his eyes lighting up as he animatedly told his story.

He was only snapped out of his daze by a girl poking his shoulder. She had thick black hair and long eyelashes, and she looked at Alex suspiciously. "You ok?" she asked. Alex blinked and straightened his posture. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks." The girl shrugged and headed off to a different table. Alex was sure he had to meet this boy of interest; there were not many people who could capture his attention so completely.

As he walked to the table, three sets of eyes turned. Alex simply said, "You guys look like the most fun. Mind if I sit?" One of the boys grinned. He had a bun, and wore the most fanciful outfit of the clique. "That depends. Who are you?" he asked in a French accent. Alex smiled and gave a bow, feeling childish for some reason, and told them. "Alexander Hamilton. I'm basically here to write essays and keep the Earth turning, and maybe get drunk a few times while I'm at it." The last person, wearing a bandana and brown sweatshirt, gave a loud, full laugh, before saying, "I'm Hercules. This is my boyfriend Lafayette, and our best friend John. We met in high school."

So he's single then. "It's nice to meet you all." He sat down. Immediately he fit in; Alex was clearly the last piece needed to complete their friend group. The volume increased dramatically now that the four boys were together, and Alex was grateful to be welcomed to his new college in such a fabulous way.

A man walked over to them. "My name is Mr. Washington, and I'll be your debate teacher. These are your dorm keys." He handed one to each of the students. Hercules and Lafayette shared a look; they'd asked to be roommates.

John, probably the loudest in the conversation, slid to Alex's side and showed his room number. "We're sharing a dorm! Hell yeah," he said. Alex grinned. Fate was helping him for once. He slung an arm around John, who smiled warmly. Now I just have to flirt with him for the rest of freshman year. This'll be fun.