Secrets of a Schuyler Sister {Angelica Schuyler}

16

You were right, Lafayette.  We should have listened to you.  I'm sorry we didn't listen ...

I'm sorry we had to go and make fools of ourselves.

And I'm sorry, Eliza, for keeping this from you.  My beautiful Sister.

Both my beautiful sisters.  You have no idea what's going on.  And since when?

Since when did we start keeping secrets? From each other?

It's my fault.  I ruined us.

Yes ... I ruined us.

:::

Angelica wasn't there when Mr. Washington arrived at the scene.  She was told later that he had shouted "What is the meaning of this?" and ordered both boys to the clinic, while the entire grade watched from the sidelines.

Angelica had begun to make her way home by foot, when she heard her name being called behind her.

"Hey! Angelica!"

"ANGIE!"

Angelica turned around and saw Eliza and Peggy running down the empty sidewalk towards her, skirts swishing.  It was late evening, but to Angelica's amazement the streets were quiet.

It was never this quiet downtown.

"Where are you going?" Eliza asked, catching up to her eldest Sister.

Angelica stopped walking, but really couldn't look either of them in the eye.

"Away," was all she answered. "I'm just going away."

She turned and started walking again.

"But - wait! Wait, Angelica ..." Eliza's voice rang on in the eldest sister's ear, as she tried to catch up. "I don't understand ... I don't understand what happened."

God.  Please, Eliza, just go away.  I don't want to talk to you about this, Angelica thought.  I don't have the heart to tell you about this.

"Yeah! Me neither!" Peggy exclaimed. "I mean, I knew Alex and Thomas hated each other, but ... not so much that they would give each other broken ribs."

Angelica whirled around at this.

"They broke each other's ribs?" She shouted.

"What? N-No, no! I mean ..." Peggy looked away, nervous. "Well ..."

"It wasn't really clear," Eliza answered for her, locking gazes with Angelica. "There was just blood ... it could have come from anywhere."

Angelica looked away and glued her eyes to the sidewalk.  She just stood still now, like one of the tall sad lampposts.

"This is all my fault," she said to the sidewalk.  Her hands climbed up her cold arms and stayed there, trembling. "This ... is all my fault."

A hand laid on Angelica's shoulder.  It was Eliza's, "No, no.  Don't say that ..."

"But it is ..."

"How?" Peggy demanded.

"I ... I ..." Angelica closed her eyes.  She didn't want to say it.  She didn't want to confess.

But she had to.  She had already put this off for so Long.  Months.  Now was the time.

Angelica felt tears biting her eyes.  They quickly turned into sobs, and then suddenly - there were too many. 

She reached up and covered her face with her hands, as now the tears were spilling quickly one after the other and her face was red.  The sobs broke out in heart-wrenching sounds, scattering the clouds above to show dark grey-blue skies.