Helpless- A Lams Modern AU Fanfiction

Chapter One

Peggy's Perspective

It's a Monday morning in mid-September, and I'm sitting in the Jackson High library surrounded by books about molecular structure and genetics. I hate homework. I'm too busy with dance competitions and rehearsals and mandatory piano lessons to write five hundred words on the structure of uranium isotopes.

I hear footsteps and look up to see a boy of average height. He has a light tan and freckles, big brown eyes and curly hair pulled back in a ponytail. As always, he has some sort of conservation shirt, and he's got a chipper smile on.

It's my boyfriend, John Laurens the adorable.

I wave cheerfully, shoving a pile of biology notes off of the chair beside me and pat the leathery seat as an invitation. Happily enough, he accepts my invitation. I give him a kiss on the cheek, my day made better just by his presence.

"Hi babe, how are you?" He holds my hand and smiles at me. Somehow, John always manages to cheer me up and make even things like homework just a little less boring.
"I'm good, just doing the world's most annoying essay. How was class?"
"It was alright. I get to do a project on turtle evolution!" His face is really excited and he looks like a little puppy who's been offered a Milkbone.

I shake my head, laughing. "Only you could get that excited about science class."
"I know I'm a dork," he says, shifting in his seat and dropping my hand.
"Hey, Angelica is throwing a party tonight to celebrate school being back in session."

"On a Monday?"
"Don't ask me how her mind works. Anyway, you're still coming, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he says, raising his eyebrows.
I fling my arms into the air. "Hallelujah! Now I won't be alone when Angelica drunkenly debates with Aaron Burr and Eliza goes upstairs to hang out with Maria halfway through the party."

Parties are always awkward at my house. I'm the youngest and the least popular, so I usually sit on the couch trying to talk to someone who turns out to be ignoring me because I'm just that little sister in the corner.

"There's this new kid I saw on my way to math class, so I invited him, too. He's kind of cute- not as cute as you, of course."
John smiles half-heartedly. "I have to go, sweetheart. I'll see you at lunch!"
I wave to him and then put my pen to the page of my notebook.

Uranium isotopes are just variations of themselves, created by....

John's Perspective

I'm walking to lunch after math class. I really, really don't like things like algebra and trigonometry. Peggy thinks they're fun, she likes to name the numbers and make up stories about how they get condensed to one figure. But then she's a bit strange.

I'm so busy thinking about my geometry homework that I'm not looking where I'm going. I crash, face first, into a pile of papers.
When I stand up, I notice that there's a boy behind the pages.

He's a little taller than me, with a natural tan and dark hair pulled back into a small ponytail. His eyes are dark but flashing with excitement and brilliant light. He clearly loves whatever his papers are about.

"Sorry," I say, trying to pick up the scattered history notes and half-finished essays that I've knocked on the floor.
"It's alright," he says, smiling at me kindly. He reaches down and helps me up, his eyes meeting mine for a split second. "What's your name?"
"I'm John. John Laurens," I say, stacking the homework and handing it to him.
"Alexander Hamilton," he says, taking the pages. "You must be in a rush to get somewhere."

"Just to lunch," I laugh, dusting off my sweater. "Are you new here?"
"Is it that obvious?" Alexander laughs. "Yeah, I am. I transferred here from Nevis, and today's my first day."
"I just wanted to know if you had someone to sit with for lunch."
"This perky girl in a yellow dress offered me a seat at her table. She talks- a lot."
"That she does," I agree. Peggy doesn't know when to close her mouth. "That's Peggy Schuyler. She's my girlfriend."

We walk into the cafeteria, spotting Peggy instantly. She's flagging us down like she's trying to land an airplane.
"Hi, guys!" She's sitting there smiling brightly and tossing her hair. She's sitting with two boys, one who is eating about three lunches and one who is gesticulating wildly and speaking a strange mashup of French, English, and something that sounds oddly like Portuguese or Spanish. This is Lafayette, our French exchange student, and Hercules Mulligan, football player and head of the Fashion Club.

As always, Herc bought about twenty dollars of food, Lafayette has an elaborate meal that has several baguettes involved, and Peggy's got a sandwich that she'll eat the middle of and leave the crust, like a first grader, and some chocolate milk that she'll end up spilling.

"Hi Peggy," Alexander says, with a charming grin. He sits down beside the other two boys, leaving me next to Peggy.
"Alex, these are my other friends- the Marquis de Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan."
"Salut, mon ami," Lafayette says, waving a hand in greeting.
"And I take it you've met John already?" She adds.

We share a conspiratorial wink.
"You might say we...ran into each other," Alex suggests, and I snort with suppressed laughter.
"I'm glad you two think you're funny," Peggy says, and then begins the arduous task of slicing her sandwich into little cubes. "How old are you, Alex?"
"I'm sixteen. I skipped a grade," he admits, and I smile. We're in the same grade!
"I skipped a grade back in middle school. I'm a sophomore, but I'm only fifteen." Peggy picks at her food, as though lunch is just a chore.

"Just a small bean," Alex says.
"I'm John's small bean," Peggy quips, looping her arm through mine.
I sigh. "About that....can I talk to you for a minute?"

The two of us walk over to an unoccupied corner of the lunch room. I can't believe I'm about to do this, but it has to come off of my shoulders someday.

"Peggy...I think I'm gay."