Rumours Only Grow [Jamilton]

Scene One {Thomas}

An Introduction To Me... And My Wonderful Roommate

I pushed open the door to my dormitory, being greeted by the roars of laughter from my roommate and his friends.

"That's hysterical, Alex!" John laughed, scooting closer to his best friend. 

"I know, right?" Alexander chuckled, pocketing his phone. "It's probably the best video I've watched in a while." 

Hercules was about to speak, before spotting me. He nudged John and Alexander, who both looked at him confused before also spotting me. 

"Erm, je ne parle plus l'anglais." Lafayette explained as he rose from his seat. He brushed past me, briskly leaving the dormitory. 

"I have to sew something." Hercules muttered, standing up and walking towards the exit. He also brushed past me, following the Frenchman. 

"Frances said he needed help with his biology." John chuckled. He didn't bother to hide his distaste for me in his tone. After rising to his feet, he walked my way. He gently pushed me out of his way, leaving the room to Alexander and I.

"Way to go, Jefferson. Do you always have to ruin everything?" Alexander rolled his eyes. 

Ladies and gentlemen, my roommate, Alexander Hamilton. He's a sleep deprived teen male orphan of Caribbean origin. He loathes me with the passion that fuels his nonstop writing. He also happens to be the roommate I was placed with this school year. Ever since I set foot into this school last year, we've had a riveting rivalry. Of course, the one engaging in most of the public fighting was Alexander. I hated public speaking, so I would allow myself to be pelted with false accusations and insults. It was only behind closed doors that I would release my hatred upon him.

"It seems your friends don't know anything of loyalty either." I chuckled, throwing myself upon my bed. I pulled my laptop out from underneath my pillow, opening it. 

"Wow. Quoting yourself again?" My short roommate lazily stood up from his bed, moving over to his writing desk and seating himself. 

"I'm think quite a wise man, Hamilton." I shrugged with a nod. I didn't think that at all, but was I going to let this man think that I was dissatisfied with the amount of wisdom. If I knew anyone that was wise, it had to be my two friends, Aaron Burr and James Madison. 

"Your ego is suffocating me." Alexander made a terrible attempt to imitate a choking noise. "I can barely breathe."

"If you're going to make a choking noise, you don't want to inhale. Whenever you choke, you're usually trying to get something out of your airway." I explained. I am quite talented in theatre, if I say so myself. I played the lead role in the school play last spring, and I plan to do so whenever the time comes for auditions this spring. 

"I thought Burr said I talked too much." Alexander remarked, leaning back in his chair. "If only your mouth could run so much in front of a crowd, when you aren't focused on being someone you could never be."

"I could be those people that I played, if I was equipped properly." I said defensively. 

"And you can easily do that, can't you? Your father owns Jefferson Jewelers and Jefferson Industries. You're filthy rich. Yet, you still can't be your characters because you lack their morality." Alexander chuckled. 

"I forgot. I have to go talk with Aaron and James." I muttered. I shut my laptop, returning it to its home underneath my pillow. I stumbled out of bed, grabbing my phone off of the dresser. "I call first shower tonight."

"No fair. You take forever." Alexander complained. He turned to face me as I approached the door. 

"Life's not fair, Hamilton." I let a light chuckle escape my lips, opening the door. "I get first shower."

"Fine. Whatever you say, Jeffershit." Alexander huffed, turning back to his desk and picking up a pen. I was sure it was likely that he was writing about his dissatisfaction with his irritating roommate. 

About ten minutes after I made it to the dormitory of my two best friends, Aaron looked over to me. 

"You're worrying again." Aaron sighed. "Thomas, how do you worry so frequently?"

"I never stop worrying, Aaron." I leaned back against the wall. I ran my hands through my curly locks to calm myself down. "It's lifetime job. Sometimes I even have nightmares because of how much I worry." I admitted. 

"Like I said, Thomas. You should get tested for anxiety. You're always worrying." James looked over to me. "If it's bad enough, you could get a prescription for some medicine. It might help."

"I hate relying on people, James. It's worse to rely on something that isn't even alive." I shook my head. "You wouldn't understand how it is, to be in my mind. Besides, if I had anxiety, my father would kill me. I'm the heir to Jefferson Jewelers and Jefferson Industries. That's a cash cow. I could be rich. I know how to do business from all of the classes I've taken. If my father manages to find something wrong with me before he declares me as the future owner of these assets, I don't know what I'll do."

"Why don't you just pursue acting and violin playing? You already write lyrics and music and are in theatre. You're amazing at Thomas. I've seen it." James insisted. 

"I'm not good at it, James. I just happen to be one of the only people you're acquainted with that perform it. You don't have anything to compare it to." I looked up at the ceiling, letting out a heavy sigh. "If you don't have anything to compare it with, you're just going to conclude I'm the best at it. It's not right."

There was silence for the rest of our assembly. James took his allergy medicine and began texting Eliza Schuyler, his crush. Aaron began working on a few assignments he hadn't finished before my arrival. I pulled my tangled earbuds out of my pocket, plugging them into my phone and drowning myself in the music. 

END SCENE ONE