The Teacher [ON HIATUS]

5. He just needs a hug :(

Shoutout to that one person on AO3 who just fucking predicted the whole book

Alexander hardly knew what happened next after he threw the punch.

He ended up being dragged off the property by security while kicking and screaming. It was definitely a picture.

After collecting himself and a promise not to do anything rash and/or violent, he was allowed back in only to collect his things and his son.

The first thing he did was go into his classroom. The last thing he needed was to involve Philip in all this. Luckily, he brought his backpack with him today so only one trip was necessary. The inside of his classroom was a mess. The few pride flags he had were either ripped up or missing.

It broke Alexander's heart. No one deserved to grow up in a hostile situation like this where they could be beaten and mentally abused. At least most of the teachers and students weren't like Adams. He was lucky enough to be adopted by the Washingtons. Not everyone was so open-minded and accepting.

"Mr. Hamilton!" Someone called out to him. Alexander turned. It was Suzanna. "I'm so sorry. If I knew he was coming I would've-"

"Hey, it's okay," he said with a bitter smile. "What's done is done and there's nothing either of us can do."

"I'm still sorry..."

"Don't be. You didn't do anything wrong." He patted her on the back and walked off to pick up his son.

-

Eliza was there when the whole scene with Adams was happening. She knew something was wrong when a mess of kids flooded into her room while she was packing up for the day. No one had any valid reason to be there. Except for Peggy, of course. Eliza needed to get home early so she asked her sister to help pack up.

She asked what they were all doing there, especially with Philip. Alexander was so protective of his son. He wouldn't leave Philip alone with a group of irresponsible pre-teens. They all gave vague answers because they didn't know what was going on either. So then, she did the only logical thing she could think of: go out and find what the problem was.

It wasn't regret that she felt. No, not exactly. It was more like... pity? Or rage? It was a whole messy, flurry of emotions. All she knew was that she was ready to storm in and personally beat Adams to a pulp. Eliza was always ready to fight for others and what was right but at that moment, it definitely wouldn't be the best option. It broke her to see the hurt in her friend's eyes as the absolute fucktard of a man spewed hate messages to him. The only agenda Alexander had was to make this school a safer place for the students. That's why he formed the GSA in a school with a bigoted principal. It seemed safe enough. After all, Adams was never on campus.

Eliza watched as Alexander swung his fist at Adam's face. Alexander was never a very strong person but with that much hurt and rage, anyone could have enough adrenaline to hit and wound a man Adams' size.

Eliza saw her friend being dragged off of school property. She saw the way he sobbed in pain, saw that all he needed was some reassurance and a hug. When provoked, he was always aggressive but it was never at a level that it was at then. All Eliza wanted to do was give him a hug but she needed to be there for the other scared kids. For Philip. She decided that getting home earlier was not as important as this. It surely wasn't. Her friend was in pain and she needed to help any way she could.

-

By now, Alexander had wiped off his tears. His eyes were still puffy but right now, he didn't really care. All he needed to do was pick up his son and then he could leave. At least he had the luxury of being able to be miserable for the rest of the day and worry about finances tomorrow. Right now, he just needed to find someone who would be able to watch Philip for the next few days. He knew he wouldn't be able to function enough to take care of him and Philip didn't deserve that. Alexander would never put his son in a situation like that unless it was completely necessary.

In this situation, he would ask his friend, Martha Manning, who was also his neighbor, to watch him. It was ideal. Philip was nearby and if he needed, he could pick him up quickly. But he couldn't at the moment. Martha was going through some of her own stuff and he didn't think her daughter, Frances, could handle Philip. Besides, he would never put that much stress on a 1o-year-old. She already needed to help her mother.

Alexander clicked on one of his contacts. Martha Washington, his mother.

After 2 rings, he heard the line connecting.

"Hey, how's my beautiful boy doing?"

He found himself tearing up at her words. She had barely said anything and he was already getting emotional. Martha was the first person he trusted when he moved to America. Of course, he was in a few other homes before, but his guard was always up. She was the first person he came out to. As both bisexual and transgender.

Alexander let out a sad chuckle. "Hi, Mom. I'm uh, you know, I don't really know..."

"That's perfectly alright, dear. What's up?"

"Can you, um, I'm really sorry that this is so last minute, but could you watch Philip for me?"

"Of course, Alex. You know I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to spend time with my grandson. How long do you need?"

"I-I don't really know. A couple of days, I think."

"Sure! You know your father and I wouldn't mind at all."

"I know... I just... y'know?"

"I don't, dear, but it's okay."

"Thank you so much. I'll swing by soon?"

"Perfect. I love you, Alexander."

"I love you too, Mom."

Alexander hung up and opened up the door to Eliza's classroom. Inside, he saw all of the GSA members, Peggy, Eliza, and Philip. They were all either confused, scared, or a mix of both. Eliza embraced him with a hug. He really needed that.

Wow. He didn't think he could cry this much, yet here he was.

"Yeah, as much as I love this sappy reunion," Alexander started, sniffling. "I gotta get going before they drag me out again."

Peggy bit her lip but nodded, letting go. Eliza gave him another small hug and whispered in his ear, "Call me." When pulling away, he nodded.

Alexander led Philip out of the school and into his car.

Fuck, it was raining. Goddammit.

A/N: ahaha don't forget to click that little star button.