catboy

Chapter Three

To awfuckidk for making me remember this story. Oops. Sorry guys, I did move literally across the country, and I've been working on my Heathers AU. Should have that and my Youtuber AU published soon. Love y'all!

the one alexander is smol and socially awkward

Alexander's POV

I was sitting in my homeroom, in the desk Mr. Washington had told me to sit at. I wrote in my notebook, concentrating on pouring all of my overflowing thoughts on to this paper. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, as something hit my desk. I jumped and looked up.

"Why hello there!" a voice said. They appeared to be female, with frizzy copper curls and deep black eyes. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face, and went to tuck it behind her ear, but stopped. I realized suddenly that this was because she couldn't. Two rabbit ears stuck out from her frizzy mess of corkscrew curls.

"Um... hi?" I asked more than said. If there was one thing I was bad at, it was communicating with people.

"You must be the new kid!" the girl said. Well no shit, Sherlock.

"Uh... yeah, I'm Alexander. Alexander Hamilton." Part of me wanted to continue my speech about who I was, but I was afraid that I had already made a bad impression. I turned back to my notebook, hoping she would take it as a sign I wanted to be left alone.

"I'm Peggy Schuyler. Well actually, it's Margarita." I looked up at her, slightly shocked. She really couldn't take a hint, could she. She laughed

"I know, it's annoying." I was confused for a second as to how she was reading my thoughts -did Animalics have some psychic connection?- before I realized she was talking about her name. No, it wasn't annoying. I had heard worse.

"So that's why people call me Peggy. And that's John Laurens." She pointed at a boy standing next to her that I didn't notice before. Instantly, I noticed his freckles. They covered his face, making his cocoa powder skin look darker. He also had a mess of curls, although he was lacking in animal attributes. Had Miss Schulyer not stated their last names, I would have thought they were twins. Their closeness suggested more than friends, although Mister Laurens blushed slightly and gave an small, awkward wave when introduced

No. Not Miss Schulyer and Mister Laurens. I know that is how I adressed everyone on the island, but I had to. Although I never thought of myself as such, I was still an adolescent. I was to treat everyone with respect. But here, there was no such boundries. It was almost always first names. I would have to get used to that.

"Can he speak for himself?" I asked, mentally scolding myself for how asshole-ish this sounded.

"Yes, I can. As you can see, Peggy can get a little chatty." He explained. I nodded slightly, turning my attention back to Peggy.

I stared at her, my eyes flickering up to her ears no matter how hard I tried to force them to stay on her face. I though of how back on Nevis, being Animalic was considered a handicap, and how I would often have to hide my ears and tail. This didn't seem to be a problem here, and I thought for a moment what it would have been like to grow up like that. So... free.

"Wow." John said, sounding annoyed. I turned to look at him.

"What, John?" Peggy asked innocently.

"Nothing." he said, trying to blow it off but I wondered more about that more than friends thing, and if he was protecting her.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Peggy and John." I said robotically, forcing a smile onto my features. I almost never smiled, and I'm sure this was evident, although neither called me out.

"Nice to meet you! And if you need anything, we'll be around. Just ask!" Peggy chirped. I gave a stiff nod. As she ran out of the room, I watched forlornly as she passed.

"My god." I muttered. "She's Jallie."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I had forgotten about probably-overprotective-boyfriend-John over here. My eyes widened, and I looked back at him, mentality preparing myself to get beat up.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb, Alexander. What's that supposed to mean? 'She's jelly'." Oh, he misheard me. I rolled my eyes.

"Not 'jelly'. Jallie! Jallie Midless. She was a friend of mine. Think your Peggy, but without the ears." I had to physically stop myself from calling her Miss Schulyer.

"Are you trying to get yourself beat up?" John asked me, glaring down, and my ADHD brain made me want to stand up and see if he was really that much taller than me or if it was just because I was sitting down.

"How am I 'trying to get myself beat up'?" I asked.

"No one insults Peggy on my watch." I forced myself not to laugh. If all Americans, wait nevermind that. If all people my age were this dumb, I was going to get bored fast.

"Insults? I never meant to be insulting, I assure you. Must I remind you that I am Animalic myself, or can you just use your eyes?" Wow, I sound so much like an asshole. If I was John, I would punch myself in the face.

"Why are you being like this?"

"Like what?"

"It's your first day at the new school. You couldn't at least pretend to be nice? To care?"

Me. Caring. Haha, that's a good one Mister Laurens.

I stopped caring a long time ago.

Because when I care, things happen.

Dangerous things.

I had cared for my father, and he left us all, with no explanation of why.

I had cared for my mother, but then I got sick, deathly sick, and she caught it and I got better but she didn't.

I had cared for my brother, but he left me at her funeral, screaming how this was my fault.

I had cared for my cousin, until he decided he didn't care anymore, and tied that goddamn rope around his neck.

I had cared for Jallie. Jallie and her sister, my sweet precious Amala, my last lifelines, my last bits of sunshine, until the clouds of the hurricane stole more than their lives. They stole my last hope.

"Laurens, I've tried being kind. It doesn't nothing for you other than to get yourself stepped upon."

And with that, I turned my face back to the paper, hoping that he didn't see the tears swarming my eyes that I refused to let fall.

And a voice whispered in my ear, one that sounded so, so much like Amala's, reinforcing the truth I already knew.

You don't care. And you never will.

Not anymore. Never again.

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