Secrets of a Schuyler Sister {Angelica Schuyler}

6

Angelica's eyes were darting, back and forth, back and forth, between Alexander and Thomas.  They were facing off now right in the middle of the Humanities classroom, debating their hearts out as passionate as anyone had ever seen them.

It was the roughest debate that had ever occured.

"You must be out of your goddamn mind!" Alexander was shouting loud, roaring. "If you think the President is gonna bring the nation to the brink of meddling in the middle of a military mess, a game of chess! Where France is Queen and Kingless..."

Angelica could only watch, stunned, as the political words came tumbling out of his mouth like an angry waterfall.  There seemed to be something more buried in his words, as if it was more than just a debate.  She averted her eyes to Thomas and saw that he was leaned back and watching patiently.  There was a small smirk on his face, but no other sign gave away his opinion on things.

Alexander was the complete opposite.

"Enough," Mr. Washington's voice sliced the air, and Alexander fell silent. "Alexander, tone it down.  Like I said, this is still a classroom."

Alexander closed his eyes briefly to this remark.  He was breathing heavily.

"Class is dismissed," Mr. Washington said, and the students dispersed from their divided groups.  Alexander walked in a straight line to his desk and swiped up his books and laptop within the minute, beelining for the door.

"Alexander."

Angelica watched as Alexander paused in his tracks.  She turned then and realised that she wasn't the only one watching.  More than half the class's eyes were focused on the Hamilton boy, after his uproar and clearly fiery temper.

Mr. Washington looked over the top of his glasses.  There was a meaningful look in his eyes, "A word, please."

Alexander grit his teeth.  He stood back and held the door open while students reluctantly filed out, having wanted to hear the conversation but having class to get to in five minutes.

Angelica was one of them.  She didn't want to leave.  She wanted to make sure Alexander was okay.

Angelica took her time packing up her stuff, deliberately trying to be the last person out of the classroom besides Alexander.  She held her books to her chest walked slowly towards the door.  She paused when she was level to him, and their gazes locked.

"Will you be okay?" She asked quietly.  She saw his hand hanging limply at his side and had a strange longing to reach out to it, hold it for a while as reassurance.  But she knew she could do no such thing.  Just the day before, she had managed to convince Eliza that Alexander was just figuring things out, and that she should go easy on him.  What a fool Eliza would look, to have believed Angelica only to find she had been doing hanky-panky with her boyfriend behind her back.

The borderline surface of Alexander's eyes cracked.  A wave of pain and longing brimmed his irises before he nodded.

"Don't worry about me," Alexander said back, in the same quiet tone. "I can take the big man on campus."

"Angelica, don't you have class to get to?" Washington's voice broke the delicate moment the couple had been caught in. "It's half past."

"Yeah, sorry," Angelica said.  She turned and walked out the open door.  There was a soothing slide of it being closed, and then she was alone.

Or moreover, she thought she was.

"Took you Long enough," Thomas's voice behind her made Angelica nearly jump out of her skin.