Rumours Only Grow [Jamilton]

Scene Nine {Thomas}

Alexander Hamilton Almost Gets Me Into Trouble, Volume One

Whenever I woke up in the morning, I was shocked to see the absence of Alexander. Because of how late I typically slept in on weekends, I was used to waking up to the obnoxious clicks from the keys of my roommate's keyboard as he worked nonstop being the cause of my awakening. In fact, I'm obliged to admit that his absence made me worried. This confession may seem major, but I think it's because I would be a bad roommate for having no concern for my missing roommate. To distract myself from my worries regarding my roommate, I cleaned our entire dormitory and took our dirty clothes basket down to do laundry. Whenever I returned, Alexander was observing his side of the room. 

"Do you like it?" I asked. I returned the dirty clothes basket to its spot outside of the bathroom, setting the basket of clean clothes on my bed.

"What did you do?" Alexander ran his fingers over the top of his dresser, pulling them off and rubbing them together. He must've noticed that I dusted. 

"I cleaned." I shrugged. "Your side was a mess."

"But why did you clean it?" Alexander began looking through his belongings, most likely to get a sense of where I moved everything. 

"I felt like it." I looked over to Alexander. "Do you have a problem with our room looking presentable?"

Alexander chuckled. "Alright. I guess it looks pretty nice, Thomas."

"That's what I thought." I nodded. "Where were you earlier?" The question had been pestering me while I waited for his arrival. 

"I went out to the arcade with the squad." Alexander paused, turning to face me. "Why? Did you miss me?" He winked. 

I felt my face turn scarlet. "Get your head out of the clouds." I rolled my eyes, handing him his stack of clean laundry. "How did you manage sneaking out? That's not allowed."

"It isn't, but there's no punishment if you aren't caught." Alexander hummed. 

"And the fact that you're the principal's adoptive son." I added. 

Alexander ignored my comment. "Have you ever left school property during your time here? Without permission?"

I made my way to my dresser, beginning to put away my clothes. "Never. If I was caught, they'd call my parents."

Alexander began putting away his own clothes as he replied. "I didn't think you were a goody-two-shoes, Thomas."

"I didn't think you were a rule-breaker, Alexander." I replied. "Besides, I was raised to follow the rules. If not, I was slapped and yelled at. After that, I would have to skip a certain amount of meals based on the severity of my disobedience."

"Your parents are cruel." Alexander shook his head. "I mean, damn."

"Eh, you get used to it." I muttered. 

"You know what? I'm taking you out to get pizza." Alexander decided. 

I would argue with him, but I've seen him debate. Once you get him started, he doesn't stop. In fact, I think he's incapable of stopping himself. His self-motivation is remarkable. 

I sighed. "You're sure I can count on you to make sure we won't get caught doing this?"

"Absolutely positive." Alexander promised. "Don't worry about it. You'll have a lot of fun sneaking out. There's a rush of adrenaline when you realize you're breaking the rules."

"Yeah, but do you know who runs detention? Mr. King." I grabbed my phone from the bedside table, putting it in my pocket. 

"Do you have a problem with him?" Alexander asked.

"Yes. He's the worst teacher on the planet." I could already feel the resentment rising in me. Mr. King and I do not get along well. 

"I agree. But we won't get caught, I promise." Alexander watched as I took my wallet off of my bedside table and slipped it into my pocket. "So you're going?"

"I guess. You make it seem like a worthwhile way to spend my free time." I remarked. 

~~~

"Principal Washington really needs to hire less gullible receptionists." I took a sip of my water, watching as Alexander stirred the sugar into his pink lemonade. I was a little concerned about how much he was using, but it's not like I was his father, so I left him alone. 

"There is no way that I would tell him about how easy they are to fool. Sneaking out is far too much fun." Alexander took a sip of his lemonade. 

"Well, wouldn't it be worse for him to catch you sneaking out?" I tilted my head. For me, I would think disappointing such a nice guy would be far worse than missing out on breaking rules. 

"He'd never catch me doing this." Alexander shook his head. "I'm far too good at it."

"Are you positive?" I raised an eyebrow. "There's a first time for everything."

"That's what Madison said too." Alexander observed our fellow diners at the restaurant. "Is that a gay thing?"

I was silent for a moment before it clicked. "Virginian and gay are not interchangeable, Alexander. We discussed this the other day."

"But you're gay and Virginian." Alexander chuckled. 

"I am gay and Virginian. But Madison is just Virginian. You don't have to be both and not everyone is both. Are all Caribbean males bi?" I asked. 

"No. Point proven, Thomas." Alexander set his drink down as the pizza was set down on the paper with the bill. 

I pulled out my wallet, grabbing my debit card and setting it on the bill at the same time that Alexander put down his cash. We both looked at each other, almost as if we were having a silent disagreement. Finally, I decided to speak. The tension was becoming unbearable. 

"I can pay. It's no problem." I insisted. 

"No, I can pay. It was my offer." Alexander shrugged. 

I felt like there was a mutual understanding between us that these smiles were being used as a persuasion method. Our intense staring continued for a few more seconds before I pulled my card away, putting it back in my wallet.

"Fine. But I pay the next time, got it?" I began serving myself some of the pizza, since I didn't want Alexander's money to go waste. 

"Got it." A victorious grin appeared on his face. 

END SCENE NINE