The Unspoken Introduction of Hercules Mulligan

Chapter Three

     After school, I got a ride home in John's car. He did all the talking, mostly about Alex, which was fine by me. The alternatives were to talk about Martha, which I did not want to do, or to talk about me, which I REALLY did not want to do. I think he preferred talking to Laf about this kind of thing-- Laf was far more romantically and emotionally connected, what with the whole French lovey-dovey thing going on. But John and I had been better friends, for longer. Since we were nine, and this guy made fun of John for still carrying stuffed turtles with him everywhere he went, so I hit him over the head with an electronic pencil sharpener. Laf wasn't in the picture until sixth grade, when he was first an exchange student.

       I was the first person John came out to. John was the first person I felt 100% comfortable telling about my life.

      John hit the palm of his hand on the steering wheel in agitation. "He's just so...god. Amazing. I mean, really. He's amazing, right? Smart. Brilliant! You know what I mean?"

     I did know what he meant. There was just something about Alex Hamilton. We had all noticed it, from the moment he showed up. Most of us had been together since elementary school; New York was a big city, but most people stayed in the same areas all throughout school. He moved here freshman year, from somewhere in the Caribbean. I don't think anyone was completely sure where, still.

      Besides the fact that he seemed to have an absurd sort of animal magnetism that made everyone even remotely interested in guys throw themselves at him constantly, the guy was kind of a teenaged force of nature. John was right, he was brilliant. He had been the treasurer in student council for all four years-- and has wanted to get to president. He hadn't quite made it, but only because of Tom Jefferson. Asshole. He was insanely ambitious, and knew how to get what he wanted. He was also arrogant and didn't know when to shut his mouth, which is what originally made me dislike him. This changed when I realized, not only was he a pretty nice guy in actuality, we also shared a common goal: knocking Tom, James Madison, and Aaron Burr off of their superior little pedestals. 

     But mostly just Tom. He was an asshole. Did I mention that already? Whatever. 

     Asshole.

     Once we pulled up at my dad's store, I fist bumped John and hopped out. "Good luck with Martha, if you do it."

     He sighed. "Yeah, thanks bro. I'll need it."

     I went up to the building, and walked around back, unlocking the back door that lead to the staircase up to my apartment. As soon as I pushed the door to the apartment open and stepped inside, I was forcefully attacked by two twin balls of energy: my little sisters. Daphne and Virginia. They were identical, but I could always tell them apart, even when my dad couldn't. Virginia ran in circles around me, chanting HERC HERC HERC HERC. Daphne clung to my leg and looked up at me with huge brown eyes. "Play a game?"

"Not til after work, Daph. You know the rules."

"Yeah, you know the rules." Virginia was in her bossy phase.

Daphne sighed and unwrapped herself from my leg, like a baby sloth releasing a tree trunk.

"Dad's in his office."

"Thanks, V."

They scampered off to play, and I dropped off my bag and walked down the hall to my dad's office. I knocked twice, then stuck my head in. "Dad?"

He didn't look up. "You're late, Hercules."

I took out my phone and glanced at the time. Talking with Laf and Alex after the bell rang had cost me about five minutes. Not a big deal. Unless it was my father we were talking about.

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry."

He still didn't look up. "How many times do I have to tell you, son? Punctuality is key if you want to expect a full time job here, after graduation."

"I know, I know. It ain't gonna happen again."

"And for God's sake, Hercules, use proper grammar. The customers will think you're a drug addict."

"Yeah, Dad."

Now he looked at me. "Go downstairs. Get on your shift, I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

I started to go. As I was heading out, he called, "How was school?"

I hesitated, testing him, even though I already knew what his answer would be. "It was shitty."

He was already absorbed in his work. "Good, son. That's good."

I shook my head and headed down the hall.