If There's a Reason He's Still Alive

vingt-et-un

Quick A/N: If something is in italics in the middle of the chapter, it's a flashback. I'm not putting in the word flashback this time.

Alex POV

John looks at me quickly before turning his head away. His eyes widen. I can almost see the memories flooding back. Then he shakes his head just a tiny bit. I get what it means.

I don't know you. You don't know me. 

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Judging by John's ring, I'm guessing that this, well, isn't exactly the case for us. 

"Hello," John says, "Alexander Hamilton, yes?"

Two boys in the doorway of a college dorm: one has curly, light brown hair, and the other has straight, dark brown hair. 

"Hello," says the one with lighter hair, "You're my roommate, right? Alexander Hamilton, yes?"

"Yeah," says the one with the darker hair, "You must be the famous John Laurens, or so I've been told."

"Ah," I say, "Yes, I'm Alexander. You must be John Laurens, or so Thomas has told me."

"Yes, I'm John, leader of the young adult group here at the hospital," he says. 

The tension in this room is so fucking thick you could cut it with a knife. I'm surprised Thomas hasn't caught on yet. Or maybe he has. 

"Oh," says John after a short pause, "Do you want me to come with you guys on your tour? I mean, no offense, Thomas or Alex, you guys haven't been out on the ward a lot."

Alex and John, sitting on a small grey couch in a dorm room. 

 "Oh!" exclaims John, popping out of his seat. "I should take you on a tour, this is your first year here, yeah?"

"Oh, um, thanks, that would be nice," mumbles Alex.

'Sophomore, right?" says John.

"Yeah," says Alex.

Thomas looks at me for the 'okay' signal. I nod.

"Oh, um yes, we're both new to the ward, so thanks, that would be nice," Thomas says.

"You've been here for a little over a year, right Alex?" says John.

"Yeah," I say.

"Well," John says, "When would you guys want to go?"

"Now, I guess," I say, and Thomas looks proud of me for being so friendly and polite to a 'complete stranger'.

If only he knew. 

Thomas opens the door and has a short conversation with Charles Lee before waving John and I through. John leads Thomas and I down the hallway to a new hallway, one I've never been down. He scans the door with his I.D and we walk in. 

Our first stop are the dorm-style rooms. John explains that I'll probably have a roommate. 

Next he shows us the 'community area' where I'll have pod meetings. 

Then he shows us the meal hall where I'll be eating my meals from now on. 

Our last stop are the community rooms, which are basically where people watch movies, read books, learn (if they are an older high schooler or if they want to take college classes) or just exist in a chair. 

As we walk back to the therapy rooms, John tells us about what I'll be doing in group therapy.

"Anyways," he says, stopping at the door to the group therapy room, "I think you're going to love it here, Alex. You're going to make so many new friends tomorrow."