The Married Life of the Hamilton-Laurens

The Meeting of John Laurens and (two of the) Schuyler Sisters

     John Laurens picked up his big black suitcase, swinging it down the steps. Apparently he had forgotten how heavy it was, because he had to grab onto the railing to keep from tumbling down the stairs.

"Joanne! Come down here already, you don't want to be late for your plane flight!" John's father yelled from downstairs. When he managed to lug his suitcase to the first floor, he saw that his father was pacing, checking his gold plated watch.

"You almost forgot this!" John whipped around to see his sister bolt down the stairs, a lime green bag clutched in her hand. "Your toiletries," she explained.

"Well, we ought to be going. Martha, you'll watch your siblings today while I drop your sister off at the airport, right?"

"Yep. See you soon, Joanne!" Henry Laurens threw the suitcase in the bag of the luxury car. He gruffly sat in the front, motioning for John to sit next to him. The car pulled out of the driveway, sliding past a line of newly planted trees. John took one last look at the South Carolinian mansion. He was going to miss this place.

John was off to a boarding school in Upstate New York. His mother and Grandmother had gone to the same school. Now that he was in high school, his father thought it would be appropriate to send him. It seemed like a decent school, John had decided. The only problem was that it was an all girls school.

John's father of course thought that this was no problem. When John had tried to tell his father that he was trans, he had just laughed at him and told him to grow up. John was pretty sure jos exact words were that John should 'stop being such a wimp.' That had been a fun day.

"Before we get to the airport, I've got some ground rules for you," Henry Laurens said as they pulled onto the highway. "No pretending to be a boy. No getting in trouble above the bare minimum necessary. I shouldn't get a single call or letter from your school, escort if you're doing well. No dating. No drinking. Try to keep the swearing to a minimum. You're roommate is a girl from the Schuyler family. They're very important up in the north, so if you ever want to do anything in New York City, don't embarrass yourself. I think that's it. Just be a Laurens, not whatever you're trying to be."

They pulled into the airport, and John's father handed him his suitcase. He didn't even wave as he sped away. John sighed and walked into the cool airport. He checked his baggage and claimed his ticket before walking to the bathroom. He had pulled the Ace Bandage out of his suitcase before he checked it.

He carefully walked into the men's restroom. He slid off his sports bra and wrapped the bandage around his chest until he was satisfied with how flat his chest was. His hair was pulled into a ponytail behind his head and he walked out of the stall. He gave a little nod to the man in the mirror and headed towards the security line.

Security had been faster than usual, though John wasn't one to complain. He found his gate, than headed to a coffee shop near it. He ordered a large black coffee and three croissants. He was fourteen, he ate a lot. The cashier gave him an odd stare, put handed him his order anyway.

The coffee was subpar, though what else could you expect from a store in the airport. He read a National Geographic he had picked up and settled in for the hour until the plane left.

Over all, he had been on worse flights. However, this would definitely be in the top ten. The terrifying turbulence plus the smelly guy next to him made the two hour flight one John was happy to leave.

A car was waiting for him once he got his luggage, and he stepping into the black van. A girl was already sitting in the van. She started jumping up and down when she saw him.

"You must be Joanne! I'm Peggy, I'll be your roommate. I'm so excited to meet you!"

"Hey." He sat in the seat next to her and buckled his seat belt.

"I wasn't really supposed to come pick you up with Ms. Washington, but because I was so excited, she let me come." The girl sucked in a breath of air and the elderly woman in the front turned around to acknowledge John.

"You must be Joanne Laurens. I'm Ms. Washington. I'm one of the two headmistresses at this school, though you'll probably only have to interact with me. We're a very close knit community at Yves, you'll soon learn. It's not at every school that the headmistrss picks you up at the airport!" Peggy and Ms. Washington laughed, and John awkwardly joined in. He did want to make a good impression, like his father had told him too.

"Since you got here a few days early, you can meet the other girls before classes start," Peggy said. "I'm so excited for you to meet Angie. She's my sister. She's awesome." Peggy, John, and Ms. Washington chatted all the way to Yves Boarding School for Exemplery Young Women.

The school was beautiful, John couldn't deny it. The old walls were covered in ivy that climbed across every brick and crack. The driveway was lined with sweet rose bushes, and stained glass windows filled the front hall with playful colors. John was thouroughly impressed.

The trio walked down the hall to Ms.Washington's office. A diploma hung on the wall, and little flower pots sat on the windowsill.

"Ms. Washington's quite the arborist. She planted the roses out front herself," Peggy whispered. Ms. Washington rummaged through her drawer, pulling out a strip of blue paper.

"Here's your room assignment, though, since you're rooming with Peggy, you probably don't need it. Come back tomorrow or the day after for your class schedule and some other stuff you'll need. But for now just enjoy your self." Peggy and John left the room and headed towards the student dormitories.

"I'm a sophomore and you're a freshman, so we probably won't have any classes," Peggy stated,"though you have to join the school newspaper with me and Angie." Peggy unlocked the door.

A girl wearing black skinny jeans and a pink sequined shirt sat on one bed, which was completely covered with yellow everything. Yellow sheets, yellow pillows, a duck stuffed animal. The other side was bare in comparison, but John didn't mind.

"Hi! You must be Joanne. I'm Angie, Peggy's sister," the girl with the pink shirt said, shaking John's hand. "I'm in the room next door if you want to talk to me or anything. I've got to be going though. Maybe we can hang out later, I know the best pizza place in town." She left, and John began unpacking his bag.

"Come on, Joanne, we can do that later. How about we take Angie up on that offer to get pizza?"

"Sounds great." This year was starting to look like it might actually be fun. Go figure. Maybe he could even convince them to call him John....