𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 || 𝐀 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐔

🖇 || Prolouge

A/N: I just want to thank you for picking this book to read!! Chances are that you chose it at random, but it still means a lot to me, thank you for all the support, and please enjoy! Mwah ~💗

"Yes, I'm looking at the email right now, John. What did you say your's was? ...How'd you find that??" Alexander questioned, his arm aching from holding his phone for so long. John called him an hour and a half ago and talked strictly about their impending first day of college, him being super excited. Alex, on the other hand, was mostly looking forward to moving out of his adoptive parents house. He's going to enjoy living mostly on his own, he already has a job at a small coffee shop close to the school, Boisson au Café. In fact that's where he's seated right now.
I might have to get another job to afford everything... Maybe I could work with Lafayette? I don't really know how to bake pastries though. I could be some sort of janitor I guess–

He's pulled out of his thoughts when John's voice comes blaring through the phone, "122! So we aren't in the same room, but really close!" Alex flinched, worried about disturbing the other people in the shop, and scrambled to remember what they were talking about, "That- that's good. I wonder who my roommate is, I wish it were one of you guys," He says, exiting out of his emails and pulling up his pages program.

He didn't really expect to get one of the few friends he has as a roommate. He understood that's how it is, even if he's jealous that they like their roommates, whereas Alex hasn't had time to find out who his was. "I'm sure they'll be great, you probably should make some more friends anyway." Alex furrowed his eyebrows, slightly offended, but he knew John was right. "It's a small town, John. There's not very many sensible people here."

Alex lifts up his current cup of coffee, the third one he's had today, to takes a big gulp. He had gotten a little bored around 6:30 and doodled some turtles on the coffee sleeve. "You're right but you should still try, you never know who you haven't met," There was some shuffling on the other end of the call and then a loud thud. "L-Listen Alex I gotta go, can I meet you at that café near Princeton in.. half an hour?" He said, sounding rushed.
Alex set his coffee down and moved his phone to the other ear, "Yeah sure. Don't take too long though, my shift starts in three hours." Laurens chuckled and hung up.

Alex's arms dropped to his sides, exhausted. He's only had those long calls with John. He always seemed to be able to make any subject interesting. It was his special ability. If he wanted, he would be amazing in debate class, simply because he can keep people hooked in conversations for however long he wanted. Alex couldn't help but be a little jealous about that, but he'd never admit it.

🖇

Alex had just finished making a list of topics that would most likely be mentioned in class and listing what his main convincing factors would be in his argument when he checked the time. 7:45 am. He sighed and picked up his coffee to swirl it around in small circles, watching the last of it slosh around at the bottom. Most of it just being left over coffee grounds at this point.

Where's John? He's not usually late and it's been 50 minutes...
Alex stared mindlessly into his nearly empty cup, his mind roaming to every possible out coming, rational or not.
He's probably fine... I'm overreacting.
He downs the last of his coffee, saves his progress, and pulls out his messages.

Alexander the Great: Where are you?
ᵈᵉˡⁱᵛᵉʳᵉᵈ

He slides his phone back into his pocket and gets up to order another coffee and a bacon and egg wrap. The barista seemed somewhat concerned.
Alex taps his foot anxiously and checks his phone immediately when he gets back. To his delight, there is a message.

✔︎ Johnny Boy: i can't make it, sorry 😓

Alex set his phone down and sighed before taking a sip of his new coffee. It's still quite hot and burned his tongue, but he's learned to like that over the years, enjoying the tingle feeling it leaves and slight bitter taste seared into his taste buds along with it. He slid his computer neatly into his backpack and gathered all of his other things, relieved to know that John's okay. Hurriedly finishing the bacon and egg wrap from the café, he walks along the side of the building towards his dorm. He already ditched the recently emptied coffee cup in a trashcan a while back.

Alex rounds the corner on his dorm building and runs smack into someone, falling to the ground and grabbing for his bag. "Watch out! ...Hey look, another twink," one of them says.
Alex looks up to see a guy in very nice clothing with a smaller guy behind him. The first guy holds his hand out. Alexander knows what will happen next. He remembers it from high school, but he's too out of it to get himself up, and too scared of what they will do if Alex just don't stand up. He knows this situation all too well.
So he takes his hand.

The stranger pulls Alex up and immediately smashes him up against the nearby brick wall. There's immense pain in the back of his head before everything goes dark.

🖇