And Peggy [Modern Hamilton AU : Complete]

Someone Ate Twenty-Eight

Math class. The almighty.

I sat near the back, next to John, with Alexander on the other side of me. Not a good seat, as the two were constantly talking and flirting right over my head. I did a pretty good job of tuning their voices out most of the time. Not today.

Eliza was sat on Alexander's other side, and she kept talking to him when he was trying to talk to John. He didn't object, which is what made me so confused.

Then the teacher went and walked out of the classroom. Chaos reigned. I just stayed in my seat, but Alexander didn't, John didn't, Eliza didn't and the rest of the class didn't. Maria didn't.

Alexander seemed to be arguing with John, but I couldn't tell what about. Eliza was probably getting involved, but I wasn't listening. It was only happening right next to me.

Maria approached my desk with a smile. "Hey there," she said, leaning forward and planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Maria, we're in math class!"

"Oh, I know. So teach me a thing or two."

I was screwed. So, so screwed. Why did I agree to a relationship with this deadly woman? Suddenly there was a huge slapping sound from behind me.

I span, and saw John with a hand on his cheek, looking shocked. Eliza's face was hard, Alex's angry.

"What just happened?" Maria asked, chill as life would allow.

"S-She slapped me!" exclaimed John.

SMACK!

It was Eliza's turn to hold her face in pain. "Y-You slapped me!" She turned on Alex.

I decided to stay out of it.

SMACK! Maria had joined in, and slapped Alex. I wasn't sure why.

SMACK! Thomas Jefferson hit Charles Lee for some unknown reason. SMACK! Angelica hit Thomas.

SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!

Soon, the classroom exploded into a cascade of people slapping and punching and hitting each other for not much reason. Maria span to slap someone next to me, and I stood up to stop her.

"St-" I broke off. Maria Lewis had just slapped me in the face.

"I-I'm sorry," she began, but I grabbed my bags and ran out of the classroom, running as far as I could go and further. Her apologies meant nothing to me, not now anyway. She had no right, no right to slap me if to slap whoever I stood up to protect. I wonder who it was...

I finally stood, panting against a tree in the corner of the school field. It was a pretty cool tree. I started to climb, one foot after the other, one branch then to another, higher and higher and higher.

It was calm in the tree.