Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Alexander Hamilton. An orphan since the age of fourteen, was now waiting at a bus stop, waiting for the school bus to take him to his new school. Alexander had been the new kid more times than he could count but it wasn’t always his fault! But Mr. Fredricks, Alexander’s orphanage’s owner, didn’t see it that way.

Alexander had light skin, slick brown hair that was down in a low ponytail, and inquisitive brown eyes. He wore a white shirt, dark blue jeans, very old white high-tops, and a brown jacket.

Another boy walked over to the bus stop. Alexander glanced at the boy and then did a double-take.

“Aaron Burr?! THE Aaron Burr?!” Alexander cried. The boy jumped slightly and looked over.

“Maybe,” he said. “Who are you?”

“Alexander Hamilton!” Alexander shook the other boy, Aaron Burr’s, hand excitedly. “It’s so great to finally meet the child prodigy that is Aaron Burr!”
“Nice to meet you too?” Aaron Burr pulled his hand out of Alexander’s grip. Aaron had dark skin, extremely short black hair, and smart brown eyes. He wore a white button-up, blue blazer jacket, black pants, and black boots. “And you know me from-?”

“I read about you in the news!! The youngest kid to go to high school!” Alexander said. Aaron smiled slightly, a proud look on his face.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Aaron said. Just then, the bus pulled up. Alexander followed Aaron onto the bus and sat with the younger boy.

“Do you have any pointers? How did you do it?” Alexander asked.

“It was my parents’ dying wish…” Aaron said. He looked down and Alexander put a hand on the boy’s back.

“I understand,” Alexander said. “My mother died when I was pretty young too...”

“Really?” Aaron looked up. “And what about your dad?” Alexander’s face darkened.

“Abandoned me and my mother,” Alexander said.

“Oh…” Aaron said. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay. Wasn’t your fault,” Alexander said. “So, do you have any pointers?”

“A few,” Aaron said. “Talk less,”

“E-Excuse me?” Alexander asked.

“Smile more,” Aaron used the back of his hand to lift Alexander’s chin up slightly.

“Okay…” Alexander said.

“Don’t let anyone see what you stand for,” Aaron said. The bus arrived at the school and the two boys got off the bus.

“Do you know where the front office is? I need to-” Alexander stopped when he heard loud talking, laughing, and...rapping? Alexander looked over and saw three boys at a picnic table. One boy had caramel skin, very bushy brown hair that was up in a bun, and brown eyes. He wore a white shirt, a black leather jacket with the French flag on the back, slightly ripped blue jeans, and black high-tops. He seemed to be in the same year as Alexander. The second boy looked to be slightly younger. He had light caramel skin, big brown eyes, longish brown hair, and freckles dotting his face. He wore a dark blue hoodie, black pants, and black and white high-tops. The third boy was definitely bigger than the other two. He had dark brown skin, short black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a black hoodie, black ripped jeans, grey combat boots, and a dark grey bandana around his head.

Aaron ducked and tried to sneak past the group but the smaller one spotted him.

“Hey!! If it isn’t Aaron Burr!!” the boy with freckles said. Aaron sucked in a breath and stood up straight.

“John, Hercules, Lafayette,” Aaron said.

“Hey! Who’s your friend, Burr?!” the larger one called. Aaron and Alexander walked over to the trio.

“I’m Alexander Hamilton!” Alexander said.

“John Laurens,” the smaller one said, shaking Alexander’s hand.

“Call me Lafayette. Everyone does,” the French boy said. Alexander nodded and looked to the larger boy.

“Don’t let Herc scare you!” John said. “He’s a softie once you get to know him!”

“Hercules Mulligan,” the larger boy said. He shook Alexander’s hand and patted the shorter boy on the back, temporarily knocking the breath out of Alexander's lungs.

“Nice to meet you,” Alexander said.

“So, Burr! You hear about the new principal?” Lafayette asked.

“No,” Aaron said. “Who is it?”

“You’ll never believe this!” John said. “It’s Mr. King!”

“George King?” Alexander asked.

“Yeah,” John said. “You know him?”

“Oh no…” Alexander said. Then, Alexander’s luck got worse.

“Hey, boys!” a voice called. Alexander tensed and turned to see two people behind him. One boy had frizzy black hair, brown skin, and deep brown eyes. He wore a white shirt, dark red jacket, blue jeans, and black sneakers. The other had dark skin, very short black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a white button-up, grey blazer jacket, black pants, and black shoes.

“Thomas Jefferson,” Alexander said with a scowl. “James Madison,”

“Alexander Hamilton?!” Thomas asked. “I cannot believe this!”

“How do you know each other?” John asked.

“Long story,” Alexander and Thomas said, glaring daggers at each other.

“Okay…” Aaron said. “Anyway, the bell is about to start so we should get going,”

“Yeah,” John said.

“I wanna see if these two start a fight!” Hercules said.

“Come on, mon amí,” Lafayette said.

“Alexander?” Aaron said. Alexander stopped glaring at Thomas and followed the others inside.

Alexander found his locker and put his stuff inside. He shut it and looked at his schedule. Homeroom was first. He walked down the hall and found the classroom. Alexander took a seat and looked around the room. Students were talking and laughing. He didn’t recognize any other people other than Thomas. Great. Alexander thought. He’s in my homeroom!

“Alright, class!” Alexander looked to the front of the room and saw the teacher walk in. He had tan skin, blue eyes, and no hair. He wore a white button-down shirt, blue blazer jacket, black pants, and black boots. Alexander already felt like he was going to like this teacher. “I am Mr. George Washington and I will be your homeroom teacher,”
Alexander sat back and listened to the teacher go over the rules. Finally, he heard something interesting and paid more attention.

“Now, I know many of you wish Mr. Philip Schuyler as our principal but I would like you all to be kind and polite to Mr. King,” Mr. Washington said. “Finally, I know we have a new student,” Mr. Washington looked at Alexander, causing the teen’s heart to skip a beat. Alexander stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. He really should’ve been used to this by now.

“I’m Alexander Hamilton. I just transferred here from Harbor Bay Academy,” Alexander said. Murmurs went around the room. Dang it! Alexander thought. He’d hoped his reputation had stayed at his old school.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Mr. Washington asked. A boy raised his hand.

“Are the rumors true?!” the boy asked. “Did you really-”

“Now, Mr. Eaker,” Mr. Washington said. “It does not matter what rumors say, we will be accepting towards Alexander,” Alexander sighed in relief. He looked around the room and saw Thomas’s smug face grinning at him. Alexander walked back to his seat and sat down, trying his best to ignore Thomas Jefferson.

It had only been a matter of time before he was called to the principal’s office. Alexander plopped down in the chair outside the office, another boy, Charles Lee, sitting in the chair next to him, John sat on Alexander’s other side, and Aaron Burr sat next to Charles.

Charles Lee had light skin, slick black hair, and dark blue eyes. He wore a white tank top, ripped black pants, and black combat boots.

Alexander glared at the older boy who glared right back. Alexander thought back to why the four of them had been called back.

John, Alexander, Lafayette, and Hercules were hanging out under a tree in the quad when they overheard a conversation.

“I don’t have any money!” a voice cried. “Leave me alone!!”

“No! You little rat!” another voice shot back. The four friends looked over and saw Charles Lee bullying a Freshman. One in John’s class.

“Hey!” Alexander watched as Mr. Washington walked over to Charles and the freshman. “What seems to be the problem here?”

“Nothing, sir!” Charles shoved the freshman away.

“I should hope so,” Mr. Washington said. “This would be your final warning, Mr. Lee,”

“I know, sir,” Charles said. Mr. Washington looked at the two again, nodded, and left. Charles Lee walked over to his friends.

“Dude! Washington’s the worst!” one boy said.

“I know!” Charles said. “The guy is such a buzzkill! He thinks just because he came from the army, he can just boss us around like that!” Charles laughed. “The best thing he could do for this school is go back to his stupid family’s farm in Mount Vernon!”
John growled and Alexander looked to the other two boys.

“What’s wrong, John?” Alexander asked.

“Mr. Washington is John’s hero,” Lafayette explained.

“I heard he changed John’s life first day of middle school,” Hercules said.

“And I’m not going to let Lee talk smack about him!” John growled.

“John! We can’t start a fight!” Lafayette said. “You know what’ll happen!”

“I’ll come,” Alexander said. “Mr. Washington's pretty cool. Let’s defend him!”

“Please don’t get suspended,” Alexander jumped and saw Aaron Burr standing behind the group.

“Burr?” Lafayette asked.

“Yes. Listen, Lee is a friend of mine. Please do not start a fight you cannot win,” Aaron said.

“Fine,” John said. Aaron raised an eyebrow but walked away anyway.

“Come on!” Alexander said.

Now, Alexander, John, Charles, and Aaron were all waiting outside the principal’s office.

“Alright, come in,” a voice said. The four boys walked into the office and sat down. Alexander did his best to stay out of sight of Mr. King.

Mr. King had pale skin, neat platinum blonde hair, and blue eyes. He wore a red and gold suit and looked at the four boys with a frown.

“Now, please tell me what happened,” Mr. King said. “Starting with Mr. Laurens,”

“Okay, so Charles Lee was bullying a student and-” John began.

“Bullying? This would be your final warning, correct Mr. Lee?” the principal asked.

“Yes sir,” Charles said.

“Continue, Mr. Laurens,” Mr. King said.

“So when Mr. Washington made Charles stop, Charles started talking bad about Mr. Washington. So, Alexander and I-”

“Alexander?” Mr. King spotted Alexander and frowned. “Mr. Hamilton,”

“Mr. King,” Alexander said. He and the principal stared at each other for a long time before Mr. King broke off. He pressed a button on the intercom.

“Will Mr. George Washington please report to my office, immediately?” Mr. King said. He turned off the intercom and turned back to the boys.
“Continue, Mr. Laurens,” John did.

“So when we went to confront Charles, he wanted to fight. Then, Aaron Burr tried to stop it and here we are,” John said.

“I see,” Mr. King said. Mr. Washington walked in and saw the four boys.

“You needed me, sir?” Mr. Washington asked.

“Yes. It seems you were the reason for these boys fighting,” Mr. King said.

“Excuse me?” Mr. Washington said.

“Mr. Hamilton and Mr. Laurens started a fight with these other two because they were…” Mr. King looked to Alexander and John.

“Charles Lee was talking smack about you, sir,” John said. Mr. Washington nodded.

“I see...well, George, I can handle these four boys from here,” Mr. Washington said. Mr. King waved his hand dismissively.

“Be my guest,” Mr. King said. Mr. Washington nodded and led the four boys out of the office.

“Alexander, John. Come to my classroom. Charles, this is your final warning. One more offense and you’re suspended,” Mr. Washington said.

“Yes sir,” Charles said through gritted teeth, not looking up at the teacher.

“And Aaron,” Mr. Washington said. “This is your first warning,”

“Of course, sir. I apologize for the inconvenience,” Aaron said. He and Charles left. Alexander and John followed Mr. Washington to his classroom.

“Sir, I-” John began but the adult held up his hand.

“Thank you for wanting to defend me, John. But you cannot start a fight just because you’re upset,”

“Yes sir,” John said. Then, Mr. Washington looked to Alexander.

“And, Mr. Hamilton,” the teacher said.

“Yes?” Alexander said. Mr. Washington put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I don’t care what happened in the past. I want to get to know you. Not the you in those rumors. Prove those rumors wrong and make me proud,” Alexander looked up at the teacher.

“Y-Yes, sir…I will,” Alexander said. Mr. Washington nodded.

“Now, off to class with you both,” Mr. Washington said, straightening up and putting his hands behind his back. The two boys nodded and left. Alexander stopped in the doorway, however, and looked back at the teacher. Mr. Washington smiled slightly and Alexander smiled back, rushing off.

~~~~

Aaron Burr knocked on the door and a male voice answered.

“Come in, Mr. Burr,” Aaron opened the door and looked nervously at the principal but he tried hard not to show it. Aaron noticed Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were sitting in the room.

“Is there a reason you called me here, sir?” Aaron asked.

“Yes,” Mr. King’s British accented voice drawled. “I need you three to tell me everything you know about Alexander Hamilton. And if you leave anything out, the rest of this school year will not be pleasant. I’ll make sure of it,” Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison all tensed, suddenly all feeling very uncomfortable and slightly scared.

Chapter Text

“What do you mean WHO is Philip Schuyler?!” Aaron Burr almost choked on his drink as Hercules Mulligan and Lafayette almost flipped the table. The five boys were sitting at a table at a cafe near the school.

“I mean, who is he?” Alexander replied.

“Have you been living under a ROCK?!” Lafayette cried.

“Guys, chill,” John said. He laughed slightly. “Philip Schuyler is a very smart professor who used to be the principal at our school,” John explained to Alexander.

“Did he retire?” Alexander asked.

“Nobody knows,” Lafayette said. “Some say he retired. Some say Mr. King had some dirt on him and forced him to leave!”

“I wouldn’t put it past the pompous Brit,” Alexander grumbled.

“What was that?” Aaron asked.

“Nothing,” Alexander said.

“Hey, Lafayette!” Thomas Jefferson and James Madison walked over to the group. Alexander’s face darkened.

“Ouí?” Lafayette responded.

“Am I driving you home?” Thomas asked.

“Nah. I’ll walk,” Lafayette said. Thomas shrugged and left, James Madison following behind closely.

“Why would Jefferson be driving you home?” Alexander asked.

“Really?” Lafayette looked at his friend. He set his drink down and stood up, hands on his hips. “You can’t figure it out?”

“No…” Alexander said. Aaron Burr facepalmed and Hercules stifled a laugh. John rolled his eyes.

“Are you blind ?!” Lafayette asked.

“No,” Alexander said. He looked at Lafayette closely. Lafayette took his hair down and Alexander gasped.

“Now you see it!” Hercules said.

“You-You look like Thomas!” Alexander said.

“Yeah. We’re related,” Lafayette said. Lafayette put his hair back up in a bun and sat back down.

“How did you not know?” Aaron asked.

“I-” Alexander trailed off when he saw three girls walk into the cafe. The rest of the boys looked over and John smirked. One girl, the oldest Alexander assumed, had dark skin, long very curly black hair, and brown eyes. She wore a black and white top, a pink letterman jacket, light blue jeans, and black ankle boots.

The second girl, the second-oldest Alexander thought, had light skin, long brown hair that was put up in a half-up-half-down hairstyle, and bright brown eyes. She wore a blue dress and black shoes. The top of the dress looked like a simple blue button-up and the bottom was a white and blue plaid skirt.

Finally, the last, and possibly youngest, one had caramel skin, bushy dark brown hair, and brown eyes. She wore a white tank top, yellow flannel over her top like a jacket, blue jean shorts, black Kapri leggings, and black ankle boots.

“Alex? Hamilton!” Lafayette waves his hand in front of Alexander’s face. Alexander shook his head and looked at his friends.

“What?” Alexander asked.

“Bro, what’s wrong with you?” Hercules asked.

“Oh! I know!” John said snickering. “The Schuyler Sisters!”

“Schuyler? Like that guy, you guys were telling me about?” Alexander asked. 

“Yeah! His three daughters!” John said.

“Where is Professor Schuyler anyway? His daughters are never let out of his sight!” Aaron asked.

“Yeah,” John said. The boys watched as the three girls ordered something and sat down.

“Let’s go say hi!” Hercules said.

“Wait! Herc-” John tried to stop his friend but Hercules walked over to the girls. The other boys followed him.

“Hey! I’m Hercules Mulligan!” Hercules said. The three sisters looked at him and then at each other.

“Hi,” the one in yellow said. “We’re the Schuyler Sisters,” 

“Angelica,” the one in pink said.

“Eliza,” the one in blue said.

“And Peggy,” the one in yellow said. 

“Nice to meet you!” Hercules said.

“Hey, aren’t you Aaron Burr?” Angelica asked.

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “Angelica Schuyler?”

“Yeah. Our dad talks about you,” Angelica said. “He liked you as a student,”

“Your dad...talks about me?” Aaron’s face lit up. 

“Yeah,” Eliza said.

“Cool,” Aaron said.

“So what are you three doing without your dad?” Lafayette asked.

“We don’t go everywhere with our dad,” Angelica said.

“Oh really?” John asked. “Name one time you’ve gone somewhere without your father,”

“Now,” Peggy said, taking a sip of her drink.

“Other than now,” John said. All three sisters thought for a moment.

“This is why I told you we had to come here alone,” Angelica said.

“But won’t daddy get upset?” Peggy asked.

“Daddy doesn’t need to know,” Angelica said dismissively.

“We should probably just go home,” Peggy said, standing up.

“You’re free to go,” Eliza said. Peggy huffed and sat back down.

“If I get in trouble, I’m blaming you two,” Peggy grumbled.

“Well, we’ll see you around,” Aaron said. He waved and walked off. The others followed, all except Alexander.

“Hi. I’m Alexander Hamilton,” Alexander said, introducing himself.

“Hi there,” Angelica said. Alexander felt his cheeks get slightly hot.

“Hamilton! Come on!” Hercules called. Alexander looked back at his friends and then at the sisters. 

“Well, see ya!” Alexander waved to the sisters. The three waved as Alexander hurried over to his friends.

Angelica and Eliza looked at each other and Angelica saw a look in her sister’s eyes. Oh no. Angelica thought. Oh no.

“Angelica…” Eliza said. “He-I-”

“I know, Eliza,” Angelica said, putting her hands on her sister’s hands.

“So you’ll help me?” Eliza asked.

“Of course,” Angelica said. She didn’t show it, but Angelica was slightly upset. Because she knew the look in her sister’s eyes. Angelica had gotten the same look but it had extinguished as soon as she’d looked at her sister’s face. Angelica was willing to do anything for her sister. Including pushing her own feelings for the boy aside to make her sister happy.

“Thanks!” Eliza hugged her sister tightly. Angelica hugged her sister back and Peggy also joined the hug.

“Girls,” all three girls sat up straight and looked up at their father.

“Hi, daddy…” Eliza said.

“Come on, girls. Time to get home,” Philip Schuyler said. The three girls looked down and followed their father out of the cafe.

Alexander watched the three girls follow the man out of the cafe. The man had light skin, dark brown hair, and serious brown eyes. The man wore a white button-down shirt, black slacks, black dress shoes, a dark blue blazer jacket, and a black tie.

“Who’s that guy?” Alexander asked.

“Professor Schuyler!” John said happily. He hopped up and hurried over to the door to the cafe, his friends following closely behind him.

“John! Wait!” Aaron called but John either didn’t hear him or was ignoring him.

“Professor Schuyler!” John said. The man turned and saw the boys.

“John Laurens?” Professor Schuyler asked.

“Yeah!” John said. Lafayette, Hercules, Aaron, and Alexander caught up to their friend.

“Sorry, sir,” Aaron said.

“No need to apologize, Mr. Burr,” the professor said.

“Oh! Uh, my dad was Mr. Burr...You can call me Aaron, sir,” Aaron said.

“It is nice to meet you. And it's nice to see you both too,” Professor Schuyler said, looking at Lafayette and Hercules. 

“You too, Professor,” Hercules said. Then, the professor looked to Alexander.

“And who might you be?” Professor Schuyler asked.

“Alexander Hamilton, sir,” Alexander said.

“Ah, Hamilton?” Professor Schuyler asked. “From-”

“Yes, sir,” Alexander looked down. “But I’m trying to put that past me…”

“I see. Good on you, son,” Professor Schuyler said. He patted Alexander’s back. “Well, I must be off. It was nice seeing some former students,”

“It was nice seeing you too!” Hercules said. Professor Schuyler smiled and got in his car with his daughters and drove off.

Peggy Schuyler laid in her bed, phone in her hand. She opened her Messages app and created a new message thread.

Hey. Thanks for giving me your number!

A few minutes later, her phone lit up and she looked at the text reply.

No problem, Peggy!

Peggy quickly texted back.

Wanna hang out tomorrow?

Can’t. Wrestling tryouts.

I’ll come watch then!!

Great!! See you then!!

Chapter Text

“Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, please report to my office at once,” the British voice of Mr. King announced over the PA system. Aaron sighed and got up, heading to the office. This was the second time this week. He’d already told the principal everything he knew about Alexander. What more did he want?!

“Thank you, boys,” Mr. King said as all three boys walked into the office and sat down. 

“What did you need, sir?” Aaron asked.

“What do you know about Hamilton’s past?” Mr. King asked.

“He doesn’t talk about it, sir,” Aaron answered.

“And you two?” Mr. King looked at the other two.

“We know a little bit. Why?” Thomas replied.

“I was curious,” Mr. King said.

Aaron Burr walked into his bedroom and sat down at his desk. He opened his laptop and clicked on the search bar. He typed in: ‘Alexander Hamilton’ the first result that popped up was a collection of news articles. Aaron clicked on the link and read the first article to himself.

‘Alexander Hamilton, a 14-year-old boy, lost his mother tragically due to a terrible illness. The boy claims he never knew his father. Authorities are now taking the boy to an orphanage. If you know this boy’s father, please let the authorities know at once,’ 

Aaron finished reading and sighed. 

“Nothing,” Aaron said. He clicked on the next article.

‘Weston Middle School student Alexander Hamilton picks a fight with Senate High School freshman student Thomas Jefferson. The fight had started as simple smack talk but evolved into something much more. The police had to be involved and both boys were suspended.’

“Oh,” Aaron said softly. “So that explains some of why Alexander and Thomas don’t like each other...but what about…”

Aaron went back to search and typed in: ‘George King’ . He clicked on a list of articles and skimmed through them for the name Alexander Hamilton.

Aaron stopped, seeing his friend’s last name in big bold letters. Aaron read the article and his eyes widened. He downloaded the article onto his computer and quickly texted Lafayette, John, and Hercules.

“This changes everything,” Aaron said as he stood up, going to meet with his friends at the cafe.

Peggy Schuyler walked into the gym and looked around. It was wrestling tryouts and she had come to support her friend. Peggy went to the bleachers and put her bag down, getting her phone out of her pocket.

You here? I’m by the bleachers. 

Peggy waited. Then, she got a reply.

Yeah. I’m almost there!

Peggy grinned and sat down, getting a book out of her bag. After a few minutes, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Peggy looked up and grinned.

“You’re here!” Peggy said happily.

Aaron, Lafayette, and John sat at a table in the cafe. Aaron had already shown the two what he’d found and now they were waiting for Hercules.

The large high schooler hurried into the cafe and over to the trio.

“Sorry! I had a thing!” Hercules said. “What’s up?”

“This,” Aaron showed Hercules a printed-out copy of the article he’d found. The headline read: ‘George King claims to be the father of the recently orphaned Alexander Hamilton’

“Woah!” Hercules sat down. “Mr. King is Hamilton’s dad?!”

“But how? Mr. King’s name isn't Hamilton,” John said.

“And why would Hamilton hate Mr. King so much?” Lafayette asked.

“He did say his dad left when he was very young,” Aaron said. “But this next article is what’s so worrying,” he showed the group the second article. It read: ‘George King admits to having lied about Alexander’s parentage. The now high school-age boy claims that he was abused by Mr. King. This is found to be untrue’

“Abused?” Lafayette sat up straight.

“Do you guys think he did it?” John asked.

“This article says that Mr. King was found innocent and Alexander was taken out of his custody. The reason some people believe Alexander was telling the truth is that bruises and scars were found on Hamilton’s body,” Aaron said. 

“So if Mr. King did it, does that mean he could still be upset with Alexander?” John asked.

“I don’t know. But Alexander hates Mr. King and there are these articles,” Aaron said. “I think we should be careful around Mr. King,”

“What a great idea, Burr,” Aaron jumped slightly as he whipped around to see Alexander Hamilton standing behind him. “Whatcha guys talking about?” Alexander asked. “And why wasn’t I invited?”

“Nothing! Boring school stuff,” Hercules said. Lafayette grabbed the articles and shoved them into his pocket.

“Guys…” Alexander said. “Are you hiding something..?”

“Alexander!” the boy looked over and grinned. Angelica Schuyler walked over. “Look I don’t have much time but I wanted to ask you a question,”

“Shoot,” Alexander said.

“Eliza really likes you and wants to go out with you but she won’t ask you herself because she’s a little shy,” Angelica said. Alexander blushed slightly.

“Sh-She does?” Alexander asked.

“Yeah,” Angelica said.

“Tell her I said yes,” Alexander said. Angelica grinned and nodded.

“I will! Thank you,” Angelica said. Alexander smiled and hugged the girl. Then, Angelica hurried out of the cafe.

“I guess I have a date,” Alexander said. He seemed to completely forget about his friends’ suspicious behavior as he left the cafe excited.

Peggy Schuyler took a deep breath as she walked towards her father’s study. It was just one question. Why was she so nervous? Peggy knocked on the door of her father’s study.

“Come in,” Professor Schuyler’s voice said. Peggy walked in. “What is wrong, Peggy?”

“I-I was wondering if I could…” Peggy clenched her fists determinedly. “Gotomyfriend’shouse!” Peggy said quickly.

“Which friend?” her father asked, raising an eyebrow.

“M-My boyfriend…” Peggy practically mumbled.

“And who is this ‘boyfriend’?” Peggy’s father asked, standing up. Professor Schuyler had always towered over his daughters and he had that serious steely look in his eyes that could intimidate even the toughest of people.

“One of your former students,” Peggy said. “He’s-”

“Bye, dad!! I’m going to meet up with Alexander for our date!!” Eliza’s voice called down the hall. Professor Schuyler looked up and hurried out of the study.

“Elizabeth!” the girls’ father called.

Chapter Text

As Alexander Hamilton gathered his things, Mr. Washington walked over to the boy’s desk.

“Alexander,” Mr. Washington said. The boy looked up at his teacher.

“Yes, sir,” Alexander replied.

“Mr. King would like to see you in his office after school,” Mr. Washington said. Alexander’s face fell. 

“I see, thank you, sir,” Alexander said. He finished packing his stuff and swung his backpack over his shoulder.

“You’re welcome. Have a good day, Alexander,” Mr. Washington said. Alexander nodded to his teacher and hurried off.

He saw his friends in the hallway and told them about the post-school day meeting.

“Well, good luck, Alexander,” Aaron said, patting his friend on the back.

“Yeah,” Alexander said. “See you guys Monday,”

“Yeah,” John said. The four boys parted ways and Alexander turned towards the direction of the principal’s office. To get his mind off of Mr. King, Alexander thought about the date he’d had with Eliza last night.

“Eliza! There you are!” Alexander said happily. Then, he saw Professor Schuyler. “Professor Schuyler,” Alexander said, nodding to the adult.

“Daddy, I’ll be fine,” Eliza said. “I’ll call you when we’re done,”

“You’ll be done at 10,” Eliza’s father said.

“Yes, daddy,” Eliza said. Her father looked Alexander up and down a few times and walked off. “Sorry about him,”

“It’s alright,” Alexander said. “It's great you have a dad that cares so much!”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Eliza said.

Alexander arrived at the principal’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in, Hamilton,” the British voice said.

Aaron Burr and the other three sat in John’s bedroom and listened closely to the recording coming from the device Aaron had slipped into Alexander’s bag.

“Come in, Hamilton,” the voice of the British principal said.

Alexander walked in and looked at the principal. 

“What do you want, SIR?!” Alexander spat.

“Sit. Please,” Mr. King said. Alexander sat down and plopped his bag onto the floor beside him.

“Okay. Now, what do you want?” Alexander asked.

“I want to know how you’ve been adjusting to school,” Mr. King said.

“Fine. The teachers are okay and I have friends,” Alexander said.

“Good. I’m glad,” Mr. King said. “You need to stop the rumors now,”

“I have no control over the rumors,” Alexander said. “Why? Is there truth behind them?”

“You know good and well there is no truth behind them,” Mr. King said. “Stop them,”

“No. You don’t tell me what to do,” Alexander said. “If you expel me, the rumors will only grow,”

“Alexander, listen,” Mr. King said. “You will stop these rumors,”

“Or what?!” Alexander challenged. The two just stared at each other for a few seconds. 

Then, Mr. King stood up. He walked over to Alexander and the boy stood up as well.

“Look, sir,” Alexander said. “I don’t care what you do. I don’t care that you think you can control me because you can’t,”

“Oh, Alex...I don’t need anything on you. I do have something on each of your friends, however,” Mr. King went to his filing cabinet and pulled out four folders. Alexander tensed.

“What do you mean?” Alexander asked.

“John Laurens. Vandalism,” Mr. King said, setting one folder on his desk. “Marquis De Lafayette Jefferson. Lying to authority figures, cheating on tests, and faking sick days,” Mr. King set another folder on the desk. “Hercules Mulligan. Starting fights, also cheating on tests, and oh...oh my…” Mr. King set a third folder on the desk. “Finally, Aaron Burr. Fighting, lying to authority figures, and snooping around prohibited areas of the school,” Mr. King set the final folder on the desk. “If you do not do what I say, your friends will be ruined. And it will be all your fault,”

Alexander was speechless. For the first time in a long while. He glared at the Brit standing in front of him. 

“Give me those!” Alexander reached for the folders but Mr. King put his own hand over the teen’s.

“Do what I ask and these will never reach anyone else’s ears,” Mr. King said.

“Does anyone else know about these?” Alexander asked. Mr. King went to Alexander’s backpack and picked it up. He reached into the front pocket of the bag and pulled out a small listening device.

“Nice try, Hamilton,” Mr. King crushed the device.

Aaron, Lafayette, John, and Hercules couldn’t believe it. Mr. King had dirt on all of them.

“Nice try, Hamilton,” Mr. King’s voice said and the feed from the device cut out, turning to loud static.

“No!” Aaron growled.

“He knew it was there?!” Lafayette cried. “How?!”

“I don’t-”

“Yo!! Lafayette!” Thomas Jefferson burst into the room. “Mom said you need to come home. Say goodbye to your friends,”

“Fine,” Lafayette said. “Bye guys,”

“Bye!” Hercules said. Lafayette left John’s apartment and with his brother.

“We’re screwed,” John said, collapsing onto his bed.

“Not quite. We could show this to Mr. Washington,” Aaron said.

“And say what?” Hercules asked. “Oh, hi Mr. Washington. Sorry to bother you during the weekend but we were spying on our friend and we found out the principal knows about the stuff we did that we don’t want anyone knowing about!” Hercules looked at Aaron.

“Good point,” Aaron said.

“Well, I guess we wait until Monday and talk to Alexander,” John said.

“We could go see him tomorrow,” Aaron said.

“How?” Hercules asked. Aaron pulled up the address of Alexander’s orphanage. “Oh,” Hercules said.

“That’ll work!” John said. 

Chapter Text

Mr. George Washington adored Alexander Hamilton. The boy was hard-working, smart, and wasn’t afraid to stick up for himself and others. He reminded Mr. Washington of himself. Mr. Washington arrived home and smiled at his wife. Martha Washington smiled at her husband and the two sat down. 

“How was your day?” Mrs. Washington asked.

“Nice,” Mr. Washington said. “Alexander worked very hard today and I could tell he wanted to please me,”

“You just have that effect on teens, dear,” Mrs. Washington said. “They like you and they want you to be proud,”

“And I am,” Mr. Washington said.

“I know,” Mrs. Washington said. “George, how about you invite the boy over?”

“That’s a wonderful idea, Martha!” Mr. Washington said. Mrs. Washington smiled and kissed her husband’s cheek.

“Of course it is!” Mrs. Washington said. Mr. Washington smiled and held his wife close.

Alexander was nervous, to say the least. His teacher had asked him to come over. Had Alexander done something wrong? Had Mr. King said something? Alexander rang the doorbell and waited anxiously.

Mrs. Washington answered the door and grinned.

“Alexander, right?” she asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Alexander said. Mrs. Washington held the door open.

“Well, come in,” she said. Alexander walked in and looked around. Mr. Washington had a nice house. Not just nice, possibly the coolest house Alexander had ever stepped foot in. Mrs. Washington closed the door. “Follow me,” she said. Alexander followed her to the kitchen where he saw Mr. Washington drying his hands on a towel. Mr. Washington turned and saw Alexander.

“Ah, good evening, Alexander,” Mr. Washington said.

“Good evening, sir,” Alexander said.

The three ate the food the Washingtons had prepared and Alexander adored it. Thick juicy steak with creamy mashed potatoes and asparagus, which Alexander had never eaten before. It was all incredible and Alexander wished he could do something nice for the Washingtons as a thank you.

When the three finished eating, Alexander helped clean up.

“That was amazing,” Alexander said with a big grin. Mrs. Washington smiled.

“I’m glad you liked it, dear,” Mrs. Washington said.

“I do have a question though,” Alexander said.

“What would that be, son?” Mr. Washington asked.

“Why did you invite me over?” Alexander asked.

“I wanted to get to know you better,” Mr. Washington said. Alexander smiled.

“Well, I assume your parents want you to come home now,” Mrs. Washington said. Alexander looked down and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

“I-I don’t have any parents,” Alexander said. “My mom died when I was younger and my dad left…”

“Oh, you poor dear!” Mrs. Washington hugged Alexander. Alexander was slightly surprised at first but loved the hug. The warm embrace of the woman felt good and it reminded Alexander of his mother. Alexander’s mother had been so full of life. Always doing her best to give Alexander the best life he could have.

Alexander noticed tears welling up in his eyes. He wiped the tears away and composed himself.

“Thank you so much for dinner,” Alexander said. Mrs. Washington let go of Alexander and nodded.

“Our pleasure,” she said.

“And feel free to stop by anytime,” Mr. Washington added. Alexander nodded and left the house.

As Mrs. Washington was closing the door, she spotted a pair of eyes watching her from the bushes. She walked out and looked closely. A small tomcat wandered out of the bush. Mrs. Washington extended her hand to it and the kitten drew back. Then, it nudged her hand with its head, and she caressed the small tomcat.

“Martha!” Mr. Washington found his wife kneeling next to a bush and walked over. He saw the kitten and smiled.

“George I-”

“Let’s take it inside,” Mr. Washington said. Mrs. Washington smiled and scooped up the kitten. The two walked inside and closed the door.

While Mrs. Washington gave the kitten some food, Mr. Washington had a funny thought.

“Alex,” he said.

“What was that, dear?” Mrs. Washington asked.

“Let’s name him Alex,” Mr. Washington said.

“I love it,” Mrs. Washington said.

Chapter Text

John Laurens, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and Hercules Mulligan arrived at the orphanage where Alexander Hamilton lived.

“Yorktown Orphanage,” Aaron Burr read the sign over the door aloud. “This is the place,”

The building was a boring brick building with a wooden door and a few windows. Aaron knocked on the door. The door opened and a man stood in the doorway, surveying the teens in front of him.

The man had light skin, very neat jet black hair, and steel-blue eyes that seemed to stare into your very soul. The man wore a faded purple button down shirt, black pants, black dress shoes, and a black blazer jacket.

“Yes?” the man looked at the teens.

“Are you the person who runs this place?” John asked.

“Yes. I am Mr. Fredricks. What do you need?” the man asked.

“We’re here to see our friend,” John said. Mr. Fredricks sighed and moved aside, letting the four boys into the building and shutting the door behind him.

The group stood in a foyer-like room. There was a staircase directly across the room that led up to a platform and then split off in two directions. The room also had a few doors on the walls. Some doors were open while others were not.

The group heard laughter and watched as two children ran into the room, giggling and laughing. The two seemed to be twins.

“What are you two so happy about?” Mr. Fredricks asked.

“We pranked Al!” one of the kids laughed. Mr. Fredericks sighed.

“Fine. Just go elsewhere,” Mr. Fredricks said. The two ran off. “Sorry about them,”

“It’s no problem,” Aaron said.

“Now, who were you looking-”

“Mr. Fredricks!! Mr. Fredricks!” a girl ran in and tugged on the adult’s jacket.

“Yes, Thea?” Mr. Fredricks replied.

“It’s Al and Sam! They’re fighting again!” the girl said. Mr. Fredrick’s face hardened and he hurried up the stairs. The four boys followed curiously.

They arrived in a large room. The room was full of toys and games and children but most of the children were surrounding two boys. Mr. Fredricks stormed over to the boys and the crowd of kids moved aside.

John gasped when he saw the two boys. “Alex?!” John cried. Alexander Hamilton looked up.

“Hey, guys!” Alexander said. Then, Mr. Fredricks grabbed Alexander’s ear and the ear of the other boy and pulled the two to a corner of the room. “Ow! Ow! Ow!” Alexander cried.

“You two-” Mr. Fredricks scolded. 

“Sir, let us explain-” the other boy started. He had a British accent. The boy had light skin, short light brownish-red hair, and green eyes. The boy wore a black oversized jacket, white bandana around his neck, a white shirt, black pants, and black boots. He had a slight black eye and he was massaging his neck.

“Don’t interrupt me, Seabury,” Mr. Fredricks said. “Hamilton, you have visitors. Seabury, come to my office,”

“Ooh!!” the other children in the room teased.

“Don’t!” Mr. Fredricks snapped. The children dispersed quickly. Alexander hurried to his friends.

“Hey, guys! This is a surprise!” Alexander said.

“Dude! Did you beat that guy up?!” Aaron asked.

“No,” Alexander responded. “And Sam started it!” 

“Did not!” the boy hissed as he left the room, bumping into Alexander on the way. 

“What’d he do?” John asked.

“He thinks that just because his uncle is the British idiot that calls himself our principal he can-”

“He’s Mr. King’s nephew?” Lafayette asked.

“Yeah. The brat’s probably getting adopted later,” Alexander said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Alexander had been at the orphanage for a while. Even before his mother had died, Alexander had lived in the orphanage since his mother was in the hospital. The other boy, Samuel Seabury, had come a year after Alexander had and had always gotten on Alexander’s nerves. But Samuel was still everyone’s favorite orphan because his parents had been murdered so people took pity on him.

“Alex, we need to talk,” John said. Alexander led them to a room lined with bunk beds.

“Talk,” Alexander said, sitting down on his bunk. His friends sat down around him.

“We heard your conversation with Mr. King,” Aaron said. Alexander tensed and he massaged his forearm.

“And?” Alexander asked, not looking at his friends. The floor had suddenly become very interesting.

“We want to help,” Lafayette said. “He can’t just be able to get away with this!” 

Just then, Samuel hurried in. He seemed very excited. Alexander scowled.

“What are you so happy about?” Alexander asked.

“I knew it’d happen!” Samuel said. “I’m getting adopted before you!”

“You’re leaving!” Alexander said, a sarcastic tone in his voice. “We should celebrate! This is the happiest day of my life! You’re finally going to be gone for good!”

“Shut up, Al!” Samuel shot back. “You’re just mad I’m getting to move on with my life and you’re not! I get to move forward in this game we call life and you’re still trapped on square 1!” Alexander growled and stood up.

“You watch your mouth, or I swear I will SeaBURY you alive!” Alexander growled.

“You will do no such thing,” a man walked in and Alexander’s rage grew. 

“Uncle George!” Samuel said. “I’m almost ready!”

“Good,” Mr. King said. “It’s about time you got out of this dusty child-infested mud hole,”

“Hey!” Alexander snapped.

“What are you going to do, Hamilton?” Mr. King asked. “You won’t do anything to me. Not without-”

“Hey! Back off!” John cried, going over to Alexander and glaring at Mr. King.

“Oh. Your little pack is here,” Mr. King said. “No matter. We both know what we know, Hamilton. Remember that,” with that, Mr. King spun around and he and Samuel left the room. Alexander growled and punched the wall.

“No punching the building, Al!” Mr. Fredricks’ voice called.

“Sorry, sir!” Alexander called back. Alexander rolled his eyes.

“Do not roll your eyes at me!” the adult called back. 

“How-?!”

“I’ve known your family for years, I know how you are,” Mr. Fredricks called. Alexander huffed.

“What were you guys saying?” Alexander asked.

“We heard your conversation with Mr. King. We know he has dirt on all of us,” Aaron said.

“Yeah,” John said. “We wanna fix this,”

“We can’t,” Alexander said.

Mr. Fredricks sighed as he walked to his office. Alexander Hamilton was an interesting kid. Mr. Fredricks had known Alexander’s family for years. He’d been friends with the Hamiltons. He really did want what was best for Alexander but the boy seemed to always be working against him. Mr. Fredricks sat down at his desk and did some paperwork.

The door to the office opened and Mr. Fredricks looked up.

“Hello. We’d like to adopt a child,”

“You’ve come to the right place,” Mr. Fredricks said.

“Is this where we can find a boy named Alexander Hamilton?”

Chapter Text

Hercules Mulligan fidgeted in his seat. He and his friends were at lunch at school. Hercules hadn’t eaten much.

“Hey, Herc,” Lafayette said.

“You haven’t eaten much, buddy,” John said. “You feeling alright?”

“Yeah,” Hercules said. “I’m fine,”

“You sure?” Lafayette asked.

“Yeah,” Hercules said. “Look, I gotta go,” Hercules got up and hurried out of the cafeteria.

He turned a corner and pulled out his phone.

“Who are you texting?” Hercules almost launched his phone into the ceiling, slightly startled by the sudden voice. Hercules turned and saw James Madison.

“Oh, James…” Hercules said. “You startled me,”

“Sorry, bud,” James said. “So, who is she?”

“Wh-What?!” Hercules fumbled to turn his phone off. 

“I know you’re texting a girl...just tell me,” James said.

“She doesn’t want anyone to know yet,” Hercules said. He tried to walk past his friend but James stopped him.

“You can trust me, Herc,” James said. 

“Fine…” Hercules said.

Alexander watched his large friend dart around a corner. He could tell something was up.

“Hey, guys?” Alexander said. “I think something’s up with Hercules,”

“Me too,” John said. “Should we check on him?”

“No,” Lafayette said. “I’ve known the big guy almost my entire life. If he wants to tell us what’s up, he will,”

“Okay…” Alexander said.

Hercules waited nervously at the back of the school. He looked around but didn’t see her.

“Guess who!” a pair of hands covered the teen’s eyes. Hercules smiled and leaned forward, causing the person behind him to squeak in surprise as they were lifted off the ground slightly. The hands lifted from his face and Hercules turned.

“Peggy!” Hercules said happily. He scooped Peggy up and twirled her around.

“Herc!” Peggy giggled. “Put me down!” Hercules set her down and Peggy smiled up at him. “Hey,”

“Hey,” Hercules said. “It’s good to see you,”

“You too!” Peggy said. “We need to talk…” Hercules faltered. What did she mean by that?

“W-We do?” Hercules asked.

“Yeah,” Peggy said. “It’s my dad...he wants to know who you are,”

“Yeah,” Hercules said, slightly relieved. “My friends are getting suspicious too,”

“I think it's time we tell everyone,” Peggy said.

“Only if you want to,” Hercules said, booping Peggy on the nose. She giggled slightly.

“I think it's the right time,” Peggy said.

“Okay,” Hercules said. He kissed Peggy gently. She kissed him back.

“Whaaaaa-” the two whirled around and saw Lafayette and Thomas.

“Uh…” Hercules said.

“You have some explaining to do, mon amie,” Lafayette said. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“This should be good,” Thomas said, looking intrigued.

“I’ll explain everything,” Hercules said.

“You better!” the brothers said.

“Tomorrow,” Hercules said. Thomas and Lafayette looked disappointed.

“Fine,” Thomas said. “Come on, Lafayette,” the two brothers turned and left.

Hercules looked at Peggy and sighed.

“Tomorrow’s good,” Peggy said. “Don’t worry,”

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!” Everyone covered their ears as Eliza and Angelica squealed with delight. The group was at Hercules’ house hanging out in his bedroom. It was crowded for sure since Thomas, John, James, Lafayette, Aaron, Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy were all there. Alexander apparently had something come up at the orphanage and hadn’t been able to come. 

“Our little sister has a boyfriend!!” Eliza said happily.

“We’re so proud!!” Angelica said. The two hugged Peggy.

“Thanks!” Peggy said. “I’m glad you guys are okay with this,”

“Of course we are! Does dad know?” Eliza asked.

“He knows I have a boyfriend...he just doesn’t know who,” Peggy said.

“When are you gonna tell him?” Angelica asked.

“Later today,” Peggy said. Hercules nodded. 

“Later today,” Hercules repeated with a nod. 

“Well done, mon amí,” Lafayette said, putting his arm around Hercules’ shoulder. 

“When’s Alex gonna find out?” John asked. “You know, since he isn’t here…” Just then, John’s phone rang. John saw that it was Alexander. 

“Speak of the devil,” Thomas said. 

“What’s up, Ham?” John answered. 

“John! Are you with the others or alone?!” Alexander asked. 

“With the others,” John said. He put the phone on speaker so the rest of the group could hear. “You’re on speaker, Al!” John said. 

“Hey!” Alexander said. He sounded really excited. 

“Hey!”

“Bonjour!”

“Hello!”

“Greetings,”

“Still hate your guts,”

“Sup?” 

“Hey, Al!”

“Hello, Hamilton,” the group greeted. 

“Hate you too, Thomas,” Alexander said. “Look, I have BIG news!”

“What is it?” Hercules asked. “Because we have news too,”

“You tell me first,” Alexander said. 

“Peggy and I-” Hercules began.

“Are together!” Peggy finished.

“Congratulations!” Alexander said. “I’m happy for you guys!” 

“Thanks!” Peggy said. “What’s your news?”

“Well, I-” Alexander began.

“Alexander?” a woman’s voice was heard on Alexander’s end of the call. “Who are you calling, honey?”

“Just some friends, ma’am!” Alexander answered.

“You don’t have to call me that, Alex,” the woman’s voice said.

“Sorry! Habit!” Alexander apologized. 

“Well, when you’re done, come to the dining room, okay?” the woman said. 

“Yes, ma’am-I mean mom!” Alexander said. The group’s jaws dropped. “Anway, guys! As I was saying-”

“Have you been adopted?!” John exclaimed. 

“Yeah!” Alexander said. “Look, I gotta go! But I’ll see you guys later, ‘kay?”

“Okay!” John said. 

“Bye!” Alexander said. The group said goodbye and Alexander hung up. Aaron was still shocked. He knew that woman’s voice. 

“I wonder who adopted him!” Hercules said.

“I’m just glad he was adopted!” John said.

“Oui! This is very good for our friend!” Lafayette agreed. 

“Well, we gotta go,” Thomas said, standing up. “Come on, Laf,”

“Coming! Coming!” Lafayette groaned. 

“I should go as well,” James said. One by one, the group left leaving Hercules and the three sisters. 

“Want us to drive you to our house?” Angelica offered Hercules. 

“Sure,” Hercules said. The four got up and left.

Chapter Text

Alexander grinned widely as he practically skipped into school. He put his things away and waited for his friends. Before long, Hercules, Lafayette, Aaron, and John arrived. 

“Hey, Alex!” John said.

“You’re here early,” Aaron noted. 

“Yeah,” Alexander shrugged. “Follow me!” he led the group down the hall and into a classroom.

“Hello, boys,” Mr. Washington greeted. “How are you?”

“Fine,”

“Good,”

“Great!” Aaron, Lafayette, and Hercules answered. 

“So, why’d you bring us here?” Aaron asked. 

“I wanted to tell you guys something important!” Alexander answered. Mr. Washington got up from his desk and walked over to the group. 

“Are you sure, Alexander?” Mr. Washington asked. 

“Yes, sir!” Alexander answered. Mr. Washington chuckled. 

“Well? What is it?” Hercules asked.

“You all know that I was adopted, right?” Alexander asked. 

“Yeah,” John said. 

“Well, meet my adoptive father!” Alexander motioned to Mr. Washington. The others’ jaws dropped. 

“No!” John cried. “No way!”

“Yes, way!” Alexander replied. “He and Mrs. Washington came to the orphanage and adopted me! That’s why I was busy this weekend!”

“That’s true,” Mr. Washington said. 

“That’s incredible!” John cried. 

“Nice job, man!” Hercules said. 

“I never would have guessed…” Lafayette remarked. 

“I thought I recognized Mrs. Washington’s voice,” Aaron said. Mr. Washington chuckled. 

“Always so astute,” Mr. Washington chuckled.

“Of course, sir,” Aaron said. 

“Alright, boys. Get to class,” Mr. Washington said. The four nodded and left. 

“Bye, dad!” Alexander called as he left. He smiled widely. He never thought he’d get to say that. Not since his birth father had abandoned them like a coward. 

Thomas stood with his mouth open as he watched Alexander and his friends leave Mr. Washington’s classroom. Alexander had called Mr. Washington “dad”! He had to tell Mr. King! Thomas grabbed James’ hand and rushed off.

Mr. Washington took a deep breath as he walked out of the building. It was the end of school and now, he just had to find Alexander. Mr. Washington turned the corner and saw Alexander waving goodbye to his friends.  

“Ah, there you are,” Mr. Washington said. 

“Hey, dad!” Alexander said. Alexander felt a small giddiness in his chest. He had a dad. Finally! 

“Mr. Washington,” Mr. Washington turned to see Mr. King walk over. Alexander almost growled if it hadn’t been for Mr. Washington’s hand firmly on Alexander’s shoulder. 

“Mr. King,” Mr. Washington said. “How are you?”

“Oh, I’m doing just fine!” Mr. King said. He looked from Mr. Washington to Alexander. “How were your weekends?”

“Fine,” Alexander answered curtly. 

“Quite nice,” Mr. Washington answered. 

“Good, I’m glad,” Mr. King said. He smirked.

“What are you-” Alexander started but Mr. Washington put his hand on Alexander’s shoulder again, getting the teen to calm back down slightly. 

“Is there something you need, George?” Mr. Washington asked Mr. King. 

“I heard a rumor floating around the school that Alexander was adopted,” Mr. King replied. 

“Yeah, I was,” Alexander responded. “Why do you care?”

“Mr. Hamilton,” Mr. King feigned surprise. “I am shocked. I care about the wellbeing and home lives of my students,” Alexander scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Alexander,” Mr. Washington said under his breath. Alexander bit his lip and looked away from the principal. Mr. Washington kept a hand on Alexander’s shoulder but looked at Mr. King. “If you’ll excuse us…” Mr. Washington turned to leave. 

“Did you adopt Alexander Hamilton?” Mr. King asked bluntly. 

“Yes,” Mr. Washington answered. “But why does that matter to you?”

“I just wanted you to know how…difficult he can be,” Mr. King answered.

“I don’t care,” Mr. Washington said. “Martha and I adopted him because we wanted to,” 

“Please,” Mr. King scoffed. “You clearly don’t know how much trouble he is,”

“Do I look like I care?” Mr. Washington challenged. “He is my son,”

“Fine. You may want him now,” Mr. King said. “But you’ll soon see that I’m right,”

“I doubt that,” Mr. Washington said. He turned to Alexander. “Go wait in the car, Alex,”

“But-” Alexander protested.

“Now,” Mr. Washington said. Alexander huffed and left the two adults. Mr. Washington turned to face Mr. King once Alexander was out of sight. “Look, I don’t understand your problem with him, George. He’s just a kid who’s done nothing wrong and yet you seem to dislike him,”

“Nothing wrong?” Mr. King scoffed. “Did you hear what he did at his last school?!”

“I did. But I’m not going to make assumptions about someone I’ve yet to fully know or understand,” Mr. Washington snapped. 

“How much about his past do you know, George?” Mr. King asked. 

“Enough,” Mr. Washington replied.

“Did you know that he almost ruined my career?” Mr. King asked. 

“Oh, I’ve heard about that,” Mr. Washington replied. “The only one ruining your career, George, is you,” Mr. King took a deep breath and looked at Mr. Washington. 

“Living with that boy is like living in a hurricane,” Mr. King said. Mr. Washington sighed and turned away from Mr. King. 

“And yet, in the eye of a hurricane, there is quiet. And inside that teen are layers of trauma, broken promises, fake friends, and bad relationships. I’m going to help him in any way that I can. No matter what. So you better stay out of my way and stay away from Alexander,” Mr. Washington said, his back to Mr. King. “Because at the end of the day, you have no control who lives, who dies, and who tells your story,” Mr. Washington walked away, leaving Mr. King shocked and angry. 

“Nobody tells me what to do,” Mr. King grumbled. He stormed off. 

Alexander spotted Mr. Washington walking towards him. Mr. Washington walked over to Alexander and saw that Alexander was very obviously hiding something. 

“What are you up to?” Mr. Washington asked, raising one eyebrow and smiling slightly. 

“I was going to the car like you said to but then I found something!” Alexander explained. “Can we keep him?” Alexander showed Mr. Washington a tomcat kitten that had wandered into the parking lot. Its fur was matted and it was very dirty but it otherwise looked harmless. Besides being a cat. And Washington knew Martha had always wanted a cat. 

“If your mother’s okay with it,” Washington answered. He let Alexander bring the cat home. 

“Mrs. Wash-Mom! We’re home!” Alexander called. 

“Oh, good!” Martha Washington walked in and kissed George on the cheek and then kissed Alexander’s head. “How was school?”

“Good,” Alexander said. “Hey, I have a question,”

“Go right ahead,” Martha said. 

“Can we keep him?” Alexander showed her the tomcat he’d found. The cat looked up at Martha and meowed softly. Martha smiled and picked the cat up gingerly from Alexander’s hands. 

“Let me see him,” Martha said. She held the cat up and looked at him. His fur was matted and dirty and his claws needed trimmed. He also looked like he hadn’t eaten in a long time. “We can take him to the vet and if he’s healthy, we’ll keep him,” Martha decided.

When the family got back from the vet, they now had their new pet, a litterbox, litter, cat food, bowls for the food, a cat bed, animal shampoo, cat toys, a laser pointer, and all the basic necessities the cat would need. Including a shiny royal blue collar with a name tag. 

“Welcome home!” Alexander said. The cat meowed up at him. 

“What should we name him?” George asked. 

“Oh, I have the perfect name!” Martha said. 

“Me too!” Alexander said. “On three! One, two three!”

“Hamilton!” the two said excitedly. They looked at each other and laughed. George chuckled. 

“Hamilton it is,” George said. He put the collar on the cat.

“Now, we need to give him a bath,” Martha said. “Poor thing’s fur is all matted and dirty,”

“That’s a good idea, Martha,” the two adults took the cat to the sink to bathe him.

“If this cat’s like me, this should be fun to watch!” Alexander giggled, following his adoptive parents.