The Story of Tonight

Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks for the love on chapter one!

Coffee in hand, Vanessa headed down her apartment hallway towards Emilia's room. She hoped the caffeine would be the cure for not only her sleep deprivation but the slight hangover she was fostering. The mornings always came too fast, especially for someone who had been up past midnight watching interviews of a certain playwright. She had only meant to do a quick google search, but a few articles later and her thoughts, and bottle of merlot, kept her up most of the night. Hamilton had only opened on Broadway less than two months ago, and the buzz surrounding it was growing exponentially by the day.

Her theory was only verified  when she approached Lia's door and heard the cast album playing from inside her daughter's room. From the hallway, it was only a faint sound but his voice was prominent. She could single it out anywhere. Whenever she would hear it, her mind instantly transported her back to being a lovestruck nineteen year old, along with all of the heartache and joy that came with that year. She would constantly replay that last conversation: the one that had changed everything.

She took a deep breath before lightly knocking on the door. She waited for a response before heading into the teenager's cave.

"I figured you'd still be in bed."

Lia looked up from her desk and biology notes, already dressed for the day, ahead of even her mother. "Just reviewing. Ms. Campbell is known for her pop quizzes."

"Well, good thing you'll be a step ahead." Vanessa smiled, taking a sip of her coffee, "Did you finish all of your history reading last night?"

"Yeah," Lia had stayed up until midnight finishing up all of her assignments, and was only going off of four hours of sleep by the time she had woken up to start studying. Hunter had turned her into a coffeeaholic, "I have no doubt Mr. Martin is still going to ask questions about it that will leave me absolutely clueless."

Vanessa shook her head lightly at her daughter's attitude "Ever the optimist."

Lia closed her biology book and notebook and brought it over to her backpack. "Just a realist," She replied with a shrug of her shoulders, she pulled out flashcards before zipping her bag closed. The girl seldomly took a break when she was stressed over her grades. "I'd be a lot more optimistic if we could finish up this boring stuff and move on to the history that's actually interesting."

Vanessa laughed, "Which is what?"

Lia rolled her eyes, a habit Vanessa was keenly aware was increasing each day, "Hello?" She held her phone up towards her mom, as the music played from it, "There's no way that I could fail with the greatest musical study guide ever created."

Vanessa mustered up a smile, "Well, the Revolutionary War isn't too far off from the Boston Tea Party."

"How do you even know that Hamilton takes place during the Revolutionary War?" Lia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I have caught a lyric now and then considering it's been the only thing you've played lately. Besides, I didn't fail history." She finished her backtracking off with a hint of sarcasm, glad to be met by the expected eyeroll which meant she wouldn't get asked any further questions on the topic. The last thing she was going to admit to were the opened tabs on her phone of her late night search on the historical accuracy of the musical. "I'm going to go get dressed and head out pretty soon. I have a hearing at ten, and then some meetings this afternoon. You're coming to the office after school, right?"

"Yeah." She threw her backpack over her shoulder and made sure to grab her headphones. They were an essential part of her school day.

"If you decide to make plans with anyone or join anything, not that I'm telling you to," Vanessa emphasized the point knowing either suggestion would only be met with annoyance, "But if you do, just text me, okay?"