In The Light Of It All

[Laurens' POV]

In which plans are made just as quickly as they are ruined

Far out, Brussel sprouts! The hospital is gone! Nevermore have I wanted to breathe in the breeze, race around like a child on Christmas morning and be in the sun. The sun! Oh, wait... Hating the sun. It's just a 'me' thing, I guess...

"Why the long faces?" Aaron imitated Jefferson's neutral looking face, which could easily be mistaken for a frown. I'd say it was. I mean, he just came out from a crisis...

"I do not look like that!" He switched from mysterious glower to overachieving bratty smile.

"Now that's ugly!" Aaron poked. It felt validating to see all this banter and liveliness. Hope wasn't gone from the world, and I will never understand what desire I had that made me believe that it was. Such lies consume your body. Your life. They drain you. Make you naive... and have instantaneous results. Like a card that is posed against your humanity.

"Let's move along..." Eliza intervened, "The library, was it?"

I shook my head to zone back into the task at hand. "Yeah, but..." I paused, as a tempting but risky thought crossed my mind. "What about we hit the bar, instead? Nothing relieves more stress than a good ol' whiskey!" I clicked my tongue while pointing a finger gun at Eliza. She kept a straight face, but inside, I knew she was bursting with the feeling of recalling memories.

"No, John. We can't have a repeat of last time!"

"Ooh..." Both the other boys drew closer, exchanging 'those' glances. "Spill." They said.

"Eliza, would you like to do the honours?" I walked over and nudged her.

She exhaled sharply and began, "Last time I went to the bar, I got wasted." She batted her eyes several times over, motioning for me to continue. The boys were soaking it all in, mouths agape like gossipy ten-year-olds. I had to take a pause to turn and view the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge that overlooked the glossiest of waters, along with surrounding bushy pine trees scattered at both my sides. The aesthetic soothed my mind, so I took the opportunity to reflect.

"Look around, look around, at how lucky we are to be alive right now!" The words meant so much to me. She said them right there and then. All cute and drunk under the dim-lit rustic light. How could I forget?

"Hey, Houston, is there a problem?" Burr asked, and with that, I shifted back into reality. This typical college conversation.

"Oh, come on! It wasn't too bad! I mean, you were off on a collision course with your tipsy balance and drunken slurs... and then we made out. It was no biggie!" I crossed my arms and smirked. Eliza's furrowed brow only meant one thing. That I would be on the receiving end of her wrath. Her blood boiling, seething anger.

"Ooh! That tea was piping hot!" Jefferson exclaimed, taking on the accent of a stereotypical Western cowgirl. He did a few pretend rodeo loops for that extra crazed satisfaction. "How long ago did it happen?"

"Eh, a week ago." Eliza shrugged, suddenly lunging for my shirt collar. Her eyes were firmly fixed and her voice sharp like a blade, lowered to a whisper, "Did you realise that everything was normal a week ago? That there was no one else to unexpectedly come and change our lives?"

"There was one less person," I confessed.

"And who was that?" Her fingers rhythmically tapped the surface of my throat. They gave me chills, and I forced myself to hold back from reacting too much.

"Hamilton."

"Do you see the way he looks at you?"

My eyes darted away, "Yeah..."

"And have you ever looked back the same way, or have you taken it to the next level?"

"Second part of that sentence!" I admitted a little too giddily, covering my mouth to prevent any further ecstatic laughs and giggles. Eliza huffed in response.

"Does anyone else here know?"

"Nope!" I rolled my eyes.

"Well, tell them!" She released my collar and I gasped for some air. I just had to be relieved of the feeling. Almost choking, being chided and withered down.

"At the bar. Everyone will know and I have the drinks to aid me." I responded, sighing. It's difficult to confess of such a personal matter, but it is what it is.

"Shall we go then?" Aaron intervened, bobbing his head in the bar's direction.

"On one condition." She turned to face him, "My sisters are coming."

"We'll bring along the boys, too. Laf and Herc." I added.

"This has already been said, but Hamilton's out of the equation." Jefferson started, "He'll ruin it all otherwise." He chuckled and winked goofily. I gritted my teeth to absorb the impact.

"Let's set ourselves up for the best time of our lives!" Aaron screeched in delight. "Hook everyone up!" He pointed to Eliza and me and the both of us immediately began to text.

Laf

J - Hey, Laf! Wanna head up to the bar?

L - Uh... Oui! Quand?

J - Now. Meet us outside the hospital. Bring Herc.

L - D'accord. Et Hamilton?

J - Not coming. Better for us.

I have to admit, I have never seen two men race so fast. Phones are revolutionary technology! Or perhaps it was Hercules and his drive for the whole charade. Alcohol, specifically. The next few minutes were occupied with chaotic greetings. The two of them enjoyed spending some of their time in a more secluded environment, but, as expected, Hercules couldn't help but jump into action.

"How you doing!" Hercules exclaimed, hustling over and giving me a high five. His hype was overwhelming, for all I could give back was a sheepish smile. He gave everyone else their varied acknowledgement.

"What's up, Lizi?"

She responded with, "I'm great!"

"Is your hair alright? You must be cold. Burr."

Burr shot back, "That's enough. No stupid puns."

"T Jeffy Jeff in da house!"

A meek reciprocation from him, a ragtag peace sign and susurration, "That's me."

I don't know what it was about the last one, but I couldn't help but stifle some kind of laughter. His polar opposite, Lafayette, was amiable, but his actions were laced with a quiet tentativeness.

"Hello." He spoke. It shocked all of us. No "Bonjour!" Just "Hello." We gave him polite waves, the momentum of the moment shifting as the rest of the Schuylers came out to play.

"Hey!" Angelica waltzed over, Peggy tagging along behind. I noticed that each of them seemed to adopt a signature colour. Angelica's being pink, Peggy yellow and Eliza blue, maybe to make sure they stood out from one another, although they hardly look the same. "I see that someone's nervous!" She commented, clearly looking in Thomas' direction. Angelica held an aura of striking confidence around her. It was a quality that me, and I'm sure a majority of others envied.

"I'm not." Was all he mustered. He ruffled his hair for his comfort and she took his hand. I'm not one to judge, but the sight almost made me gag. She led him to a grassy patch a stone's throw away, and my subconscious thoughts began to tick.

"What if she wants us to see this? Do her sisters know? Because if they don't... Oh God, that spells trouble."

She let go of his hand and they stared into the sunset, their calming breaths being the only thing breaking the silence until Jefferson spoke up.

"I'm so glad to have met you." He uttered. Eliza and Peggy lingered around, but Aaron, Hercules and Lafayette were intent on carrying out the plan that was set in motion, being the hangovers and hallucinations after clowning around and getting drunk off their arses.

"What a buzzkill!" Herc scowled, and off they went. My intrigue hung in the air, forming around this delicate, lust-filled flirting and chatter.

"Really? Why?" She whispers back, playing her way into his heart. I'm sure that from his angle that she comes across as genuinely curious.

"You were a pretty sight back in Paris..." he reflected, "I was just enjoying my petit déjeuner at the nearest Parisian cafe, and I knew as soon as I laid eyes on you. What were you doing in France anyways?"

"They met in Paris?" Peggy wondered aloud, leaning on her sister's shoulder.

"They sure did." Eliza sighed, releasing what seemed to be a collection of dreadful feelings.

"I was taking a History course. Paris does have a beautiful history... I wasn't thinking realistically though... so I switched to Psychology. Better than you, who was holidaying!"

"I know, I know. It was a bit of tradition in the family... Not my choice, but a good choice nonetheless! It was my duty to uphold family values. Also, when you came to visit, you were held in such high regard. I couldn't displease you. Or the family..."

"Oh, Thomas! You've done the exact opposite." The pair locked eyes and there was the passionate embrace. Let me rephrase that. Two sets of lips and tongues slobbering each other once, then again, now a third time, growing in intensity. My gag reflexes were appalled at the sight, and I jerked back to distance myself from this new relationship, one which I never expected Angelica to partake in.

Eliza was more disgusted than I was, along with what appeared to be bursting with jittery and on-edge vibes. She tapped me on the back to catch my attention rather than making eye contact. A signal to leave. I would've most definitely done so, but Peggy was stuck in a trance. Her eyes glinted with awe and her feet were planted like seeds.

She began talking to herself, "I can't believe it. It's so strange. They're cute and all, but there's something behind it I just can't shake... Like I'll never be loved in a way that she is! She is the best sister after all!" She let out an aggressive sigh and crossed her arms.

"Hey, Peggy! Let's go..." Eliza said, straightening herself up and fixing Peggy's hair, then tapping her on the back. She spun around in shock. "You're not like that. You're always loved, no matter what. Don't let her go to your head, or even worse, your heart."

"It's not that!" She pouted, before being handed a tablet which was taken in reluctance.

"We'll take this to the bar, then!" Angelica swooned, being pulled up off the ground and twirled by the disgusting new boyfriend.

"Now that I think about it, he's actually the one that already existed." I shuddered.

"Sure thing, sweetie." And with that, they vanished into the night. We followed suit, the vibrant orange street lights illuminating the now purple crystal sky.

I was left alone to my thoughts.

"Don't forget, there's plenty more where that came from." Immediately remembering the situation I had gotten myself into. I have been thinking about this a while, and now's the time to reveal. Clenching my fists, I braced myself for the bar, along with all the other mishaps that are practically certain to come with it.