Favorable (Jamilton)

32. Hamilton

The first time around, the couple just ignored the comment, but after he came around a second and third time, each with a new comment, Hamilton was getting fed up. It was after the fourth comment that Thomas pulled his hand away. 

He skated ahead and left the rink, leaving Alex on his own. Alexander scanned the rink for the man with the obnoxious opinion and noticed him heading for the exit as well. 

"Oh hell no," Alex muttered. 

He turned and skated the opposite way since it was closer to the exit, dodging other skaters as he approached the cut-off. He caught up to the man and, since it was easier to do on the hard floor, picked up his feet to jog next to him. 

"So, you wanna tell me why you chased off my boyfriend with your unnecessary opinion?" Hamilton said as soon as he was next to the guy. 

"Because unless you're a really ugly lady, it's wrong." 

"Oh, I've never heard this before! How's it wrong?"

"I don't owe creatures like you an explanation," the man growled. "Now leave before I catch whatever it is you have."

Alexander clicked his tongue in a disapproving way. "See, you actually do owe me an explanation. . . What's your name? Harold? You look like a Harold. Anyway, Harold, it's only 'wrong' because you read a book that's probably been processed by the government that said an almighty god said so. Really, there isn't any real law that says it's wrong, in fact, I could go and propose to my super hot boyfriend right now!"

"The law of God is real, and that's what it goes against. Country laws are below the Bible, always." 

"They aren't, though. You have a choice to follow God's laws. Country laws aren't exactly optional. And anyway, doesn't it say in the Bible that women should obey their husbands when it comes to sex? You know, like a man can take what he wants when he wants it. So, by the law of God, rape is okay. By country laws, it isn't. Which one will you listen to Harold? And before you decide, there is a right answer to that." 

The man looked ready to argue but he closed his mouth and stormed away. Or at least he tried to, he looked more like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum in his skates. Hamilton had to stop himself from laughing as he looked for Thomas, who he found sitting at one of the benches taking his skates off. 

"You forgot something, you know," Alexander said, joining Jefferson in taking his skates off and trading them for actual shoes. 

"Sorry, that guy was just getting on my nerves," Thomas muttered. 

"I can tell, but he's just one of those people blindly following the Bible without giving it any real thought." 

"Please tell me you didn't go talk to him."

"I would never!" Hamilton threw a hand over his heart and faked a gasp. "Why would you think I would do that!"

Thomas didn't even have to say anything because the look on his face was enough to say "really?" in the most sarcastic way possible. 

"So maybe I talked to him a little, no harm in that. His name's probably Harold." 

"I swear you're going to get us kicked out of every place we go," Thomas laughed as he got up. 

Alex followed him out the door, checking his phone as they walked. It was still somewhat new to him to not have to worry about how illegal the next job was going to be, so getting a text from John was a wonderful relief. He told Thomas that he was going to spend the night there and after five reminders to call, the couple went their separate ways. 

Alex was almost to the apartment building when two people came up next to him. John Adams and James Reynolds.

"Hey! Look what we have here James!" Adams said, throwing his arm aggressively around Hamilton's shoulders. "Haven't seen you in a minute, where you been, Al?"

"Don't call me that." Alex tried shrugging his arm off but his grip was too tight. Adams redirected the group away from the original destination.

"Adams! You know he's still sensitive about his cousin!" James gasped. "The poor guy just found him dead on the couch, show some respect."

Alexander froze. "There's no way you could know about that." 

"Right, and there's no way we could know that you found him the day after your mom died. Honestly, Ham, you should know by now that King has his ways of getting his hands on important information."

Once he realized where they were, Alex tried to duck back and run away, but someone else was behind him, already pushing him up the stairs and into the house. The same house that he'd been avoiding. 

"Welcome back, Alexander!" King shouted in the same obnoxiously happy voice as always. Alex noticed a couple new faces sitting with the rest of the group, one of which stood out like a sore thumb. 

"John. . ." he breathed. 

Laurens shrunk back into the couch, a guilty look glued to his face. Alex scowled at him as he felt a new kind of betrayal.

"Oh, yes, he's been such a help here." Hamilton's attention was turned back to King. "Now, I'm a man of my word, and if I remember correctly, I told you to watch your back."

He took a few steps forward and roughly grabbed Alexander's face between his thumb and index finger. 

"You should have listened."