Stay Alive (Hamilton AU)

Chapter 1

"Dude, what are you doing?" John's roommate, David McCollum, asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Uh, studying for finals..." John looked at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Psh. Screw that. Come with me tonight. Jenny's throwing a party! Everyone's going. What do you say?"

"I say that if everyone's going, then I'm going to be the only person to actually pass their tests." 

"Dude. Take one night to take a break from school and just have fun. You've been studying for days!"

"Well..." He thought about it for a moment. "I guess I could go for an hour or so..."

"Yes! C'mon, get dressed. We're gonna have so much fun!" David cheered, happy John was actually going out for once.

John sighed and closed his textbook. Standing up from his bed, he walked to his closet. He opened it and took a look at his wardrobe before selecting a teal flannel shirt and a nice pair of jeans before quickly changing. He had no idea why he agreed to go, but there was no backing out now. He looked in the mirror and decided to let his hair down for the event. So he pulled out the ponytail and let his hair fall to his shoulders. He came out of his room, and David looked at him.

"Whoa. Dude, with that style, you're gonna get laid."

"No I'm not. Because I have no intentions of having sex."

"Man, you're just no fun."

"Hey, I'm going to the party, aren't I?" John raised his eyebrow at his friend.

"Yeah, lets go! It starts in, like, five minutes!"

Again, John sighed, but followed David out the door. Why exactly was he doing this? Well, one party couldn't hurt, right? Surely, he was allowed to have at least a little fun. College wasn't all about studying and classes. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't at least a little excited as they neared the door with music blaring so loud, that it could be heard from the far end of the corridor.

David grinned at him. "I think you'll enjoy yourself. Just relax and be yourself."

John nodded and watched as his roommate knocked on the door. A girl with long, brown hair and bright blue eyes opened it with a grin, the music automatically getting twice as loud. "David, hi!" She turned her attention to the other boy, and her eyes widened. "Whoa, you actually convinced him. Well shit, I owe Becky ten bucks. Come on in, guys!" She opened the door a bit wider and gestured for the boys to step inside, which they did.

Looking around at all the people in the room, John's excitement started to vanish, and he started to wish he had declined the invitation. He was never one to fit in with people. He admitted that he was a bit of an introvert, but had decided to shake things up a bit today. He observed all the people dancing, drinking, and smoking. He was going to just turn around and go back to the dorm when David grinned at him and brought him over to a group of friends.

"Hey guys!" he chirped happily.

"Whoa, how'd you get him to come, David?" one of them asked. John recognized him as Carlos, a scrawny kid with sandy blond, short hair, and dull green eyes. He had... quite a unique personality.

"I dunno. I just asked him, and he said yes for once!"

"Well it's great to see him here," another friend John had never met before said.

"Yeah, you know, without a book in his face, he's actually kind of cute," a girl that John remembered as Meghan giggled, twisting one of her red curls on her finger, sea blue eyes sparkling. He knew her from the countless "study groups" David would hold in their dorm.