Alex's POV:
I didn't know what to do, or where to go, but I sure as hell wasn't staying there.
So that's why I'm here, sitting in someone I met approximately four minutes ago's car, waiting for him to return with two other people who I've never met.
College! Am I right?
I barely scraped the grades to get into Columbia, how am I ever going to survive four years here?
With all my issues, how could anyone want to even be near me? I mean, just a few minutes ago, I left a girl sitting in our dorm room after she called me her friend, and also after making some flimsy excuse about needing to get something. And with my face like this...
Again, college!! Awesome, wow!
Dear God, if you're listening,
I don't know if you've, like, given up on me or something, but I figured I'd hit you up anyways. I just have one question, and then you can get back to the busy life I'm guessing you have. Here's my one question, will I ever be able to trust enough to make friends?
With love, always (even if you have already given up), A.Ham
I look up from where I didn't realize I had been looking in time to see that the three people were back and locked out of their car... The car that I am sitting in.
I hit myself on the head before reaching over and unlocking the doors.
"God, it's the exact opposite of hell out there," The one I had met states as the two I hadn't split up, one with his head down heading to the back and the other laughing one climbing int the front seat. The other two nod in agreement, saying various things along the lines of "so fucking cold."
I turn around to face him and say, "Wow, never thought I'd hear God and hell used in the same sentence. First day of college and already having new experiences."
The three guys burst out laughing and I soon find myself laughing with them.
"My name is Alexander Hamilton. You guys can call me Alex, Alexander, Hamilton, A. Ham, anything really."
The God/Hell guy says from the back, "Can I call you Hammy?"
I snort and reply, "Depends on how nickname-worthy your name is."
"Touché. My name is Hercules. Nickname-worthy enough?"
"Eh, we can work something out," I crack a smile.
"Bonjour, I'm Lafayette." His accent brings my attention to the boy sitting next to me, in the drivers seat. Around his neck rests a red scarf, and he holds three cans of Coke in his hands.
"Oo, French!! I ont appris le français pour toute ma vie, ce qu'il est fondamentalement ma première langue." (I have learned french my whole life, it's basically my first language)
"Woah, chill. I moved a few years ago, not fully fluent anymore."
I smile at him, slightly embarassed, before I look towards the last person to introduce himself, only to find him staring at me. I feel my cheeks flush and look away, expecting him to do the same, but he doesn't.
Hercules clears his throat before snapping his fingers in the boy's face, making him finally look down, embarrassed.
"Hi, um, hey. I'm, uh, I'm gay. I mean, Laurens. I'm John Laurens." His voice comes out soft, his eyes crinkling along with his small smile.
The other boys burst out laughing at the nervous guy, John, but I just look at him with a smile.
He has curly long hair, and a smile that must light up every room he walks in to. His eyes are a light shade of brown, and boy, are they pretty.
I shake my head jokingly at the boys and turn back around to the front of the car.
The car falls into a bit of silence, except for John and Hercules whispering in the back. I take the quiet time to think of how I ended up with these three boys, in their car, going who knows where. I had gone on yet another walk, in a different direction than the way I went when I ran into James. Somehow I ended up stranded, way off campus and way lost. I sat on a bench outside a random convenience store for who knows how long, before a guy, who I now know as Hercules, showed up and struck up a conversation.
It was surprisingly easy for me to talk to him, and soon he was leading me to his car before telling me, "I'm gonna go find my friends, you can sit in the car for a bit, yeah?"
I hadn't asked him to drive me anywhere, so I asked Lafayette, who was driving Hercules's car for some reason, "hey, where are we going?"
"Oh, this junior Aaron is throwing a party, we thought you'd maybe want to come with us?" He answered, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to look at me.
"Sounds fun, but, um, I promised my... friend that I'd watch a movie with her tonight. Can I take a raincheck?" My response surprised me, but I didn't take it back.
"Sure! Where's your dorm, I'll drop you off."
"Um, it's by that coffee shop. Not sure the name," I cringe at myself. Who the heck doesn't even know where their own dorm is?
"I know the one."
"Really Laf, you're not even going to ask what movie they're watching?" John pipes up from the back.
"No, because I'm not a stalker, unlike you, mister I-watched-my-crush-every-day-for-almost-a-year-before-asking-him-out."
I turn around to face John and send him a "really?" face. He shrugs, as if to say "what can I say?"
"Well, in case anyone was wondering," I shoot a salty glance to John, "we're watching Monty Python."
"Wow! So romantic!" Hercules sarcastically remarks.
"I don't appreciate your tone, mister. It's a good movie!" I lean back to glare at Hercules and instead come face to face with John, who was leaning forward in his seat to take part in the conversation.
My attention is dragged away from John's eyes to Lafayette, who adds, "Yeah, if you like crappy puns and terrible acting."
"La la la, I can't hear you haters." I say, turning back towards the front and plugging my ears with my fingers.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to once again see John, who says quietly, "I like that movie."
"See! John likes it!" I proclaim, smiling at him before directing my attention elsewhere. It's a mental effort, but I fianlly avert my eyesight to the floor, still uncomfortably angled in my seat.
"Yes, because it is impossible for Laurens here to hate anything. Or even to, like, slightly dislike it. He literally once bought the ugliest sweater ever at a garage sale just because I said it was ugly and he wanted to prove to me that I was wrong. And how many times have you worn that sweater, might I ask?" Lafayette states.
"Never, but only because Madison saw it in my closet and immediately threw it out the window and by the time I got downstairs it was gone," John tries to defend himself.
"Who's Madison?" I ask.
"Oh, I forgot you're a freshman. That would James Madison, one of the nicest people ever." Lafayette explains.
"Why does everyone think he's so nice and perfect?" John complains, for once loudly.. "He threw my sweater out of my window!!"
"Sweetie, that's exactly why he's so nice. He saved all of our eyes from having to see that damn sweater," Lafayette jokes.
"Yeah, except for the fact that he hangs around Jefferson all the time. That guy really bugs me, I just don't know what it is about him..." Herc trails off.
"His constant need to make fun of anyone who's different in any way possible?" Laurens asks.
"His need to know every single thing at every time? The fact that he thinks he's the best person to ever exist?" Lafayette adds.
"Okay, okay I get it. Jefferson is not good. Who else is on this campus with the name James?" I ask, thinking of my run-in with a James earlier.
"There's James Reynolds, I'm not sure of any others. Why?" Laurens says.
"Is he capable of hurting someone? Does he have an ex who's name is Maria?"
"That's the one. Why?" Hercules asks.
"He's the one who fucked up my face. Just because I'm rooming with his ex," I tilt myhead to the side to show the two in the back my face
"Dude! You're rooming with Maria? She's like the hottest chick on campus! Lucky! I have to live with Laf over here, and you get to live with the prettiest person ever? Not fair!" Hercules rants.
"Ham, we're at your building. Have fun with the, what did you say Hercules? Oh yes, hot girl, and don't die from the horribleness of that movie."
"Thanks Laf, both for the ride and the not very good advice. Here, put your number in my phone, all of you," I hand them my phone.
"Nice to meet you Hammy." Hercules says.
"You too Herc. I'll work on your nickname."
"Bye Alex." John pipes up, again quietly from the back.
"See you John. I'll text you guys later, Bye!" I slam the door and wait as long as possible while watching them drive away before walking upstairs.