Never Be the Same: Act I (A Hamilton AU) **ON HOLD**

Not Throwing Away Our Shot

    "I AM NOT THROWING AWAY MY SHOT!" Alex practically screamed, scaring the daylights out of Burr and I; and quite possibly the trio that had approached us. "Yo, I'm just like my country: young, scrappy, and hungry; and I am not throwing away my shot!"

    Next thing we knew, he was on top of the bar. Burr and I recoiled away instinctively, and the revolutionaries jumped back. "Oh dear God," I thought, "What is this man doing?! He had one beer..."

    "Imma get a scholarship to King's College! I probably shouldn't brag, but dang I amaze and astonish. See, the problem is I got a lotta brains but no polish. I gotta holler just be heard; with every word, I drop knowledge!"

    As if to prove his point, everyone else in the bar had turned their heads to see what all the yelling was about. There were low mumbles, but otherwise Alex had grabbed the spotlight. He continued on, unfazed by the attention, and I started to zone out until-

    "But damn, it's getting dark, so Evie help me spell out my name!" he jumped off the bar and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

    "I am the A-L, E-X, A-N, D," we sang; though I was only partially aware of what was happening. "E-R! We are meant to be-" Alex let go of me, then began to rant about how the king was treating us like garbage, and that a revolution was no doubt on the horizon.

    As he spoke, I noticed that the revolutionaries were completely transfixed on him. Especially Laurens. They slowly began to not their heads to the rhythm of Alex's speech. Suddenly, they began to join in.

    "I dream of life without a monarchy!" Lafayette cried out, hopping on top of the table. "The unrest in France will lead to onarchy! Onarchy? How you say-? How you say-" Mulligan whispered something. "Oh, anarchy!" Laurens and I muffled a few giggles. "When I fight, I make the other side panicky with my shot!

    "Yo, I'm a tailor's apprentice, and I got y'all knuckleheads in loco parentis!" Mulligan boomed, gesturing to Laurens and Lafayette, who laughed and pretended to act innocent. "I'm joining the rebellion, 'cause I know it's my chance to socially advance, instead of sewing some pants. I'm gonna take a shot!"

    Lastly, Laurens jumped from his seat, a determined look on his face. He placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, and pounded his chest with his fist.

    "But know we'll never be truly free until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me!" he declared. We all nodded and hummed in agreement. "You and I, do or die! Wait til I sally in on a stallion with the first black battalion!"

    "Geniuses, lower your voices!" Burr groaned walking over to us. "You keep out of trouble, and you double your choices. I'm with you, but the situation is fraught! You've got to be carefully taught. If you talk, you're gonna get shot!"

    "Burr, check what we got," Alex responded, motioning to our little group. "Mr. Lafayette, hard-rock like Lancelot! I think your pants look hot! Laurens, I like you a lot!" He winked at Laurens, causing the poor boy's face to turn red, and he averted his eyes. Alex smirked and turned to me.

    "And Miss Evie Shelby's got a voice hotter than a black, melting pot!" he announced. Now it was my turn to blush.

    "Oh, stop it you..." I mumbled, looking down at the floor.

    "What are the odds the gods would put us all in one spot?" Alex asked rhetorically. "Poppin' a squat on conventional wisdom, like or not. A bunch of revolutionary manumission abolitionists? Give me a position, show me where the ammunition is!"

    Whether it was because he realized that he couldn't hear anything besides his own voice or he noticed our bewildered, blinking expressions, Alex suddenly became aware of himself and shut up. His cheeks turned pink and he shifted nervously.

    "Oh, am I talking too loud?" he whispered. "Sometimes I get over-excited; shoot off at the mouth. I've never had a group of friends before... I promise that I'll make y'all proud."

    He looked up at us, eyes full of hope, and I felt a pang in my heart. I knew what it was like to not have friends, yet want them more than anything. So, I gave him a reassuring smile just as Laurens let out a yell:

    "Let's get this guy in front of a crowd!"

    Next thing I knew, we had maneuvered our way outside to the town square. Hoots and hollering filled the air, and we were in the center of it. In the commotion, someone bumped into me and knocked me to the ground.

    "Oof!!!" I cried out.

    "Hey, watch it! You could've hurt her!" someone berated. I looked up to see Laurens standing over me. "You ok?" he asked. My Lord, he was tall.

    "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," I replied.

    "Well, you know what they say," he chuckled, offering his hand for me to take. "When you're living on your knees, you rise up!"

    "Can't argue with that!" I laughed, letting him pull me to my feet.

    "Your name's Evie, right?"

    "Yes, sir! And you're John, right?"

    "Yes, ma'am! Heh, it's nice to meet you, Evie. Is it true that you're a singer?"

    "Ha ha, sort of... A girl can dream, can't she?"

    "She sure can...."

    We made it to the center of the square where Alex was standing on a wooden box, shouting to the heavens:

    "I'm past patiently waiting! I'm passionately smashing every expectation! Every action's an act of creation! I'm laughing in the face of casualties and sorrow; for the first time I'm thinking past tomorrow!"

    "And I am not throwing away my shot!" we all sang, "I am not throwing away my shot! Ay, yo I'm just like my country; I'm young, scrappy, and hungry. And I am not throwing my shot!"

    The sound of the chant echoed throughout the crowd, as well as shout of, "We gonna rise up!" Mulligan and Lafayette carries Alex on their shoulders as we made our way back to the bar.

     The crowd poured in; I couldn't tell if the staff looked surprised or afraid for their lives. Burr, who hadn't left at all, climbed over the bar with his book and disappeared under the counter. As overwhelming and chaotic as the situation was, at the same time, it was also kind of beautiful.

    "What a lad," I thought as I looked up at Alex. "And he said I was gonna go far! Ha ha, look at him now..."