You are cordially invited to...Philip Hamilton's welcoming party!
The invitation came a week after my first clue. Mom made me go; apparently the Hamiltons were related to Philip Schuyler, the senator. She said to "dress nicely" because it was probably super fancy. She bought me a new (ew) pink dress.
I got dropped off around five, and there were literally cars lined up around the block. It was crazy.
Mom handed me my present wrapped in blue paper and kissed my forehead. "Have a good time, sweetheart. And remember to be polite," she leaned in and whispered, "even if he seems a little...well, snooty."
I giggled and nodded, and then walked up to the door and knocked once.
I heard kids laughing and then saw a pretty woman open the door. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and a nice smile. "You must be Theodosia! Philip was so excited to hear someone from his school was coming!"
I hear a loud, "MOM!" come from behind her, and then see a curly haired, freckle-faced kid walk over. "Hi, sorry about her. I'm Philip, nice to meet you." He holds his hand out to shake, and his mom laughs. "You can call me Eliza. Or Mrs. Hamilton. I don't really mind."
I shake Philip's hand, blushing slightly. Surprised at the fact that he was actually cute...
He leads me to the back door where I see kids and adults talking and laughing, playing on a giant blown up bouncy house. I was surprised that fourteen to fifteen year old's were having fun on a bouncy house, when I saw small kids running out. Then I look to the right and see a collection of people my age. Oh. So that's where they are.
A small boy comes up to Philip and hugs him tightly. "Thank you SO much for having this party! You're the best brother ever!" He giggles and runs off again.
I turn to Philip. "Wow."
He nods and smiles. "Thanks. So, how old are you anyways? I'm almost fifteen. Apparently my soulmate has curly hair, is younger than me, loves animals, and is a super good singer."
I let out a slight gasp. "Really? Well, I just turned fourteen. I also love animals, but I don't sing in front of anyone, so I guess you're safe. Mine lives in NYC, that's all I know."
He lets out a low whistle. "That's a hard one. There are so many people here. If you hadn't told me otherwise, I would've thought that it was you. You almost fit the description perfectly, look-wise. I know she has brown hair, brown eyes, and is 'cute' to a lot of people."
I laugh. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm 'cute.'"
He smiles at me. "Well I would."
My face burns, and I give him a slight smile while my heart is beating rapidly in my chest. I have the sudden urge to kiss him on the cheek because he is so sweet. But obviously I don't because I just met him and what the heck is going on with my mind?
The adults go inside to "talk about adult stuff" and when they do, the group around my age comes over. They whisper in Philip's ear, and before he says anything, we're whisked away to a small pool house where a group of people are sitting in a circle with a small bowl and slips of paper.
Oh, crap.
They all grin except for me and Philip. He's pale. One girl with shiny blonde hair and a confident look stands up and winks at me. "So, people! In case you didn't know, we're playing '7 Minutes in Heaven. How it works is you'll walk up to the two bowls. One bowl is boys, one is girls. Girls pick from the boy bowl and vice versa. Whoever's name you pull out is who you go into the closet with and do...um, things of your choice. Once you're done you leave their paper out of the bowl so it doesn't get picked again and sit back down. Okay?"
Everyone smiles and nods.
The blonde haired girl turns to Philip. "Birthday boy, you go first!"
He slowly walks up to a bowl and picks up the top piece of paper. "Theo? Theo Burr?" He looks around, and one girl (Natalie) pushes me to the front. I give him an awkward smile and wave. Everyone giggles and we walk to the closet.
He closes the door, and we sit with our knees pulled to our chests, facing each other. "This is a very weird coincidence," he nervously says, and I nod.
He scoots closer and says, "Just want to say that you seem super sweet and I'm sorry this had to happen the first time we met."
I smirk. "Bet you weren't sorry."
He nods. "Fair point. But I still-"
"Wait, what? I was kidding, but...really?"
He nods. "I mean, yeah. I would totally kiss you if we hadn't just met." Then he blushes and looks away.
I tap my chin, and then smile. "Hm, what about on the cheek? That doesn't really count. Natalie and her friends greet each other with a kiss on the cheek, so it's not that big a deal-"
"Yeah, sure."
He puts his face a little closer and plants a kiss on my cheek. I do the same. We smile at each other, and then walk out of the closet.
"Again, sorry," he says.
I grin.
"I'm not."
..
Hi! Sorry it's been awhile. Our school is performing Hamilton on february 19! It's just going to be recorded from the school while we're onstage, but still!
I love you guys <3
-dia
