Favorable (Jamilton)

23. Hamilton

Alexander didn't really want to go anywhere, but with the text that he got during the meeting, he decided that it was important. He stopped by the dorm only to grab a pair of shoes and a sweater because of the cold weather. He didn't pay attention to which sweater he grabbed, and he didn't care. Had it been the middle of summer, he probably would have just went barefoot without anything over a short sleeve shirt. 

The text message wouldn't leave his mind. It was like any other text that he'd gotten for a job up until this point, but somehow it set him on edge. Probably because it didn't give him a real job to do. He just had to meet someone at a place and that was it. The place, obviously, being the Hip Stir. That just seemed like the designated meeting place for anyone on campus.

Hamilton went in and nervously looked around. Nobody seemed to be too suspicious, but they all had something in common. 

"Drinks," Alex muttered to himself. He made his way up to the counter to get a drink that he didn't even plan on consuming. He only wanted it so he wouldn't look suspicious to anyone because he was just sitting alone in a cafe with nothing in his hand. 

When he was at the counter, he remembered that John worked there. 

"Oh, hey Ham," John said softly. He looked down at what Alex was wearing in almost a sad way before focusing in on his friend's face. "How you doin'?"

"I'm fine, thanks. It's not like I didn't see it coming anyway," Hamilton muttered back. It's not like it was a total lie. 

John smiled sympathetically. "Well, you still have your cousin, right? That's a plus." 

"Actually, he uhm. . . He passed on, too." Alex looked at the menu to avoid eye contact and use gravity against the inevitable tears that he was waiting for. 

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't-- I didn't know. . ." 

"No, you're right, you didn't know. It's not your fault, John, but I could really use some caffeine right now." 

John nodded and handed Alexander the cup. John already knew what to make since Alex never ordered anything else. 

"I got it, you just go relax or something," Laurens offered when Alex pulled out his wallet. He cut in again before Alexander could refuse it. "Really, Ham. You need it, and I have no problem paying to feed your caffeine addiction." 

Hamilton smiled gratefully and took the cup. He stepped out of the line so the next person could step up and looked around for a table that wasn't around anyone. He got a few worried looks as he walked by and he honestly had no clue what they were for, the jobs or the fact that he looked like walking death. He didn't care too much to find out. 

He sat down at a table that was at the very back of the place, near the bathrooms. Alex focused on reading various people's shirts, still having no interest in the drink. It was surprising. No matter how much sleep he'd gotten in the last week, he still felt like he was going on two hours, yet knowing that there was caffeine in his drink just made him want to throw up. That really applied to anything that he could eat or drink, there just wasn't any appetite for anything. 

Hamilton was about to fall asleep on the table when someone sat down suddenly in front of him, making him jump. He almost jumped even higher when he saw who it was. He knew it wasn't who he was waiting for, but that didn't have any effect on the fear and guilt. 

In front of him were the older two Schuyler sisters. 

"Hello, Alexander," Eliza muttered. She sounded like she was trying to be angry but it was slipping away. 

"Eliza," he said. It was more like breathed it like he was seeing a ghost of someone he loved. In some ways, he was.

"We heard about your mother," Angelica murmured, reaching across the table to pat Alex's hand. "We know how close you were to her."