Lams College AU

Alex

As Alex walked through the halls, he saw people whispering and giving him dirty looks. Gossip and rumors were spreading around the campus like a plague, and it seemed that Alex was the host. He was puzzled. There was nothing he had done that he could think of to make his classmates react the way they were.

In class, he decided to take his seat near the back. Everyone there clearly had negative opinions of him, and they were looking for a reason to hate him more. It was best not to draw attention.

Of course, that option was put into jeopardy when, near the end of the period, Thomas Jefferson sidled up next to Alex and sprawled out on the seat beside him. Alex used all his will power to ignore the disgustingly confident diva beside him, but Jefferson wasn't having it. "So there's this rumor I've heard."

Alex exhaled loudly and threw his hands up. "Fine. What? What is it? What lies did you spread?" Thomas gave a small victorious look, pleased that he got a rise out of Alex. "I didn't spread any lies, I don't lie to people. What do you take me for?" "You don't wanna know what I think of you," Alex said, half under his breath. Jefferson heard, and scoffed. "You may want to check up on your boyfriend though. He's the one who told me you've been awful."

And that was the thing that truly grabbed his attention. "What?" "You've been leaving him by himself, completely self-centered. Huh, I guess not only am I the superior debater, but I'm also the better partner. I've never heard James say that I was, and I quote, 'not being a great boyfriend'. Laurens said some other things as well, but I'm sure the two of you can get into details later. For now..." He paused for a moment, and the bell rang. "I've got other studies to attend to." He flashed a devious smile at Alex, who was still processing what he had just heard, and left a second later.

Alex bolted out the door right after Jefferson, but he wasn't aiming to fist fight him at the moment. He was much more concerned about the truthfulness of the rumor. There's no way he said that. There's no way he said that. And yet, his analytical mind found it to be a possibility, a probable one. Thomas had actually sounded sincere, and that was rare when he was talking to Alex. It'll all be resolved as soon as I find John.

He didn't know what class he had next, and didn't care. Alex sprinted straight for their dorm, and threw the door open to find John sitting quietly at the desk.

Alex was already riled from his conversation, so he took a moment to calm himself down; he didn't want to yell at his boyfriend for no reason, or even at all. "Laurens?" he said. John had seen him come in, panicked, so there was no reason for Alex to address him, but he did anyway. They stared at one another, both in confusion. "Yes?" "Did you...did you tell Jefferson I was being a horrible boyfriend? That I was being neglectful?" John looked to the side. "No," he said slowly, and Alex sighed in relief. But that calm feeling was soon snatched away when John finished his sentence. "I told James."

His heart jumped into his throat, and he looked at John with wide eyes. "What? You said that to Madison? How could you do this? The whole goddamn school is shunning me because they think I'm a selfish asshole!" John's eyebrows furrowed. "That's the first thing you're concerned about? Your reputation? Not me? I'm not even second, am I? No, that would be your fucking academics. You don't even care why I said that?" Alex threw up his arms. "You betrayed me! You told Thomas Jefferson's boyfriend that I was being a piece of shit, and complained to him about me, and you didn't think it would impact me? At all? You've gotta be fucking joking!"

"THIS IS WHY I WAS UPSET! The only person you're worried about is yourself. Your popularity, your perfect grades, beating Thomas, it's all about you. For weeks now, you've locked yourself away in whatever study corner you happen to be in, and you dive into your work. When's the last time you even bothered to spend time with me? In case you forgot, I'm the person you're in a relationship with. And you wonder why I called you selfish." He barked a laugh. "Oh wait! You didn't. You didn't even ask." Alex was wrapped in his own anger. Hostile, defensive thoughts tumbled around his head. But before he could say anything, John kept going, his words alive with rage. "You think I didn't care about you? About how this would affect you? Why do you think I talked to James in the first place, genius? Because you were so far off the deep end and obsessed with your schoolwork that you were forgetting to take care of yourself! And I was terrified, because you're burning yourself out! So don't say anything about how I 'didn't think about the impact this would have on you'. Look in the fucking mirror, Alex!"

And with that, he walked out the door, and slammed it behind him.

Alex's fury flickered out as soon as his boyfriend left. He leaned against the wall and pressed his hands into his face, running through the fight in his head. He was glad his thoughts were moving so fast he couldn't get a hold of them; he definitely didn't want to think about that fact that John had been absolutely right. Alex stood in his dorm room, completely immobilized by his racing emotions. He didn't want to stay where he was, but didn't know where to go, so he just stood, uncomfortable with himself in his own skin. He felt terrible. He probably was.

Angelica walked in, fuming. Apparently John hadn't locked the door on his way out. She grabbed Alex by the arm, and dragged him into the hallway, heading purposefully to a certain class. "Alexander, congratulations," she said through gritted teeth. "You have invented a new kind of stupid." She yanked him to the left. "I know," he mumbled. Opening the door, she shoved him forcefully into the debate classroom, and he fell, hitting his knees on the floor.

"He messed up and has a lot of things to be sorry for, but you don't have to kill him." Washington helped Alex up, and gestured for him to sit. He was in the debate room, which was honestly the last place he wanted to be at the moment. "I'm getting the idea you both know what happened?" Alex asked. They nodded. "Where's John?" Angelica sighed, reigning in her anger. "With Eliza and Peggy, and Herc and Laf are on their way to see him. How could you-" She stopped herself again, knowing she would start screaming if she didn't take a moment to collect herself. "Walk us through what happened. I heard what John said, and I agree with him, but I want your perspective."

Alex ran a hand through his hair. "No, I agree with you both. I'm in the wrong, and I've been really, really selfish. I think it's because of Jefferson, and probably the Final as well." The Final was the last argument of the year, and it's what caused Alex to overwork himself. He and Jefferson were supposed to have a presidential debate; facing off in the same way presidential candidates did. He'd been working on his campaign, his policies, and his answers to controversial questions, for weeks. But in that time, he realized, he completely ignored everyone around him, including his friends, and the man he loved. And now, he pushed away John when he was trying to help put an end to his toxic working mindset.

"I can't have a student in my class stop eating and sleeping and lose his relationships for a project I assign. That's unacceptable. You need to still be a person, Alex. Work and school are not the only things in your life, and though they are important, they should not be prioritized over the people you care about," Washington declared. Angelica crossed her arms. "He's right," she added. "You need to change the way you think, for John. He is more vital to your happiness than college is. Clearly."

Alex had calmed down significantly since John stormed out. The three of them came up with a plan, hoping to fix everything and put both John and Alex in a better mental state. Alex just hoped John could forgive him eventually; he couldn't stand to lose someone so incredible.