Chapter 6: French And Fears
[3rd Person POV]
In which conversations provoke emotion, and nationality becomes an issue
Meanwhile, Peggy was racing as far from Alex as possible, embarrassment stabbing her senses. Once she knew that she was a fair distance away, she hurriedly pulled out her phone, fingers dashing rapidly across the screen.
Laurens
P - Where are you??
L - In my dorm room, chilling. Why?
P - What number is it?
L - 047.
P - K. See u soon. 😃
"Great," she muttered under her breath, running to a nearby beige building. The dormitories were all located there, which for many, was a curse. An easy way to pull off all sorts of pranks and trickery. But for Peggy at this moment in time, it was a blessing. "Alright, three flights of stairs..." she muttered, continuing to climb. Once the arduous journey was made to dormitory 047, she held her hand at the doorknob, ready to burst in. As much as her impulses begged her to turn the knob, she refrained, as she heard music coming from inside. Peggy wasn't the eavesdropping type, but leaned against the wall anyway, curiosity taking over.
"That's a G..." The voice mumbled from inside, sitting on a beanbag and strumming a note on a guitar. "And then C minor." He strummed again, an ear-piercing sound being produced. "Definitely not!" he exclaimed, further reclining into his beanbag. Peggy decided that this was the perfect moment to burst in, since he was no longer occupied with thoughts.
"Hey, Laurens!' she exclaimed, smiling.
"Gah!" He jumped up in a start, hair flying, "Sorry..." He meekly apologised, grabbing his music sheets, guitar and pick and stuffing them back in their respective cases. "Hi, Peggy. Wasn't expecting such a fast arrival!"
"Nice guitar you've got there." she smiled.
"Thanks..." he trailed off.
"I heard you singing from outside."
"Oh." he paused, attempting to maintain composure, "I was just fiddling with the strings, and I ended up losing myself within it all..."
"It was sweet." she gazed back at him, "I'd like to hear some more."
He glared into her shimmering eyes and nodded, hurriedly grabbing his guitar, along with a bright blue pick and several sheets of sheet music.
"Well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks
And now I'm trying to get back
Before the cool done run out
I'll be giving it my best-est
And nothing's going to stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn
To win some or learn some..."
"May I harmonise?" Peggy chirped.
"Go right ahead!" John chuckled.
"But I won't hesitate..."
"Ta--ate..."
"No more..."
"No more..."
"It cannot wait, I'm yours. Well open up your mind and see like me
Open up your plans and damn you're free
Look into your heart and you'll find love love love love..."
"Loo-oo-oove..."
"Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We are just one big family
And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved loved loved loved. Lo-oved..." He paused, "Now we take a break while the artist performs a bridge." He laughed breathlessly.
"It's a break well deserved." Without hesitation, Peggy latched her lips onto his. It was short and gentle, but overflowing with content. Shock shot Laurens right to the core, freezing him in the moment. They slowly untwined, Peggy, laughing all the more.
"So, how's that for a break?"
"Look, Peggy..." he hesitated, holding a hand at her shoulder, "As much as that gesture was appreciated, I can't accept any more. The truth is..." His eyes darted to the floor, his wavering voice whispering, "I-I'm gay, okay... just... don't judge. Or tell anyone." He chuckled lightly, but his laughter lacked the usual vibrant energy, insecurity hijacking his senses. He shifted away from her as if to expect a barrage of hate or frustration.
"John..." she smiled, bringing her glistening eyes to his, "It's ok. You be you. And remember, that's not a bad thing!" She jumped up on the spot. "I better go now, I hear someone coming."
"Then hurry!" he exclaimed, ushering her out the door and slamming it. "Phew..." He recoiled back onto the beanbag, packing up his equipment once and for all. A split second afterwards, a piercing knock at the door.
"Who is this?" Laurens called out in frustration.
"Come on, John! It's so obvious!" The voice at the opposite end puffed.
"Of course it's you." he groaned, "But why are you here?" He opened the door, to reveal a breathless Hamilton.
"I'm sharing your dorm room with you, silly!"
"That's a pleasant surprise! Come in."
Alex stepped foot into the dorm, which would be newly known as "their" dorm since it's not just "John's dorm" anymore. Light filtered through the large window onto every surface. To the left of Alex, there was a white desk with neatly arranged stationery, laptop and books. The grand cupboards in front of Alex were stockpiled with all the essentials, and the beds on the right of him were nicely made.
"Not like Hamilton would use it much. Studying was at the forefront of his mind, whether it was necessary or not." Laurens mused.
"Nice, hey?"
"Yeah."
"I see you got yourself a laptop!" Laurens smiled, "You'll find it's one of the pleasures of college."
"Right." he thought it was better to cut to the chase, "Now, what were you doing with Peggy?"
"Nothing!" His voice cracked, "Just socialising, calming her cataplexy down..." He plopped back onto his beanbag.
"Really? Again?"
"He bought it!" Laurens thought, "Yeah, but it wasn't anywhere near as severe. Just a lesser mood, is all."
"Hm." Hamilton frowned. "Then how come she sprinted to the other side of the corridor, locked the door, and began squealing like a madwoman?"
John knew all too well what it was, but if he thought it was a secret, then it stayed a secret. "Hyped, I guess... I dunno..." he mumbled.
"You're hiding something. I know it. Just what could it be..." Hamilton smirked, placing a finger at his chin. Prying wasn't something he usually did, but he had the time, and the circumstances were reasonable.
"Can we move on now?!" Frustration ebbed in his voice, as he thrust himself off the beanbag and over to the desk, resting his head on his hands. He let out a sigh. "Calm down, John. Calm down..." he muttered under his breath. Alex watched on, mesmerised.
"Focus on the present... Let everything go... In..." he inhaled slowly, "And out..." he exhaled. He continued with his rhythmic breathing and meditation over the next few minutes. Alex almost fell into a relaxed state himself. The meditation proved to do wonders for both of them.
"Hey, John?" Alex spoke up.
"Yes, Alex?" John replied sleepily.
"Be honest with me..."
"No."
"It's not about this. I promise. Are you afraid of needles?"
His body shivered, posing as stiff as a straight stick figure. "Y-y-y..."
"Ok."
"W-why do you need to know?" He rubbed his eyes, turning to face him.
"I heard a few days ago something happened involving Hercules, you and needles." he recited.
"Yeah. That." He froze once again.
"You mind?" Alex politely asked.
"Alright. It's not that bad, but I've always hated needles. When I was younger, my father always stayed up late, watching so many doctor TV shows. Emergency, Ambulance, Paramedics and every other possible variation. I was often disturbed by this, trying to confront him, tell him to switch it off, but no! He never listened to his own child, did he?" John ranted, "Anyway, whenever we had to get them done, I was shaking, squealing in pain, all that wonderful jazz..." He placed a hand to his forehead, "Even when I look at my left shoulder now, it all floods back. Stupid, really! Herc can be a real jerk sometimes!" he exclaimed.
"I agree entirely!" The pair burst into laughter. After they recollected themselves, John hopped down from the chair and next to Alex.
"What did he do to you?"
"Oh, the same old death threat thingo. Mine was about hurricanes. Oddly specific too. He shouted, "Wake up or a hurricane'll destroy your hometown!" which did happen in Nevis when I was seventeen years old. I have recurring dreams, ya see, and I'm desperate to pull myself out of them. This one was actually really nice until Herc came in and ruined it!"
"I see. I'm sorry to hear that..." he trailed off, placing a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Thanks." he smiled, "I wrote my way out, I was fine. Well, now we know three things. One, I've got a fear of hurricanes. Two, you've got a fear of needles and three, the most important thing, Herc is a jerk!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Laf peeked through the crack in the door.
"How'd you get here?!" Alex exclaimed incredulously.
"I am right next door! With Hercules!"
Alex gasped, exchanging glances with Laurens, who removed his hand from Alex's shoulder and facepalmed.
"Did he hear?" Laurens groaned.
"Non, non, mon ami! Mais, Hercules peut être carrément méchant, et ça fait mal." He spoke, entering the room and crouching down opposite to both of them.
"C'est bien!" Laurens nodded amiably, sighing.
"When did you learn English, Laf?" Alex inquired.
"J'ai essayé d'apprendre pendant threh ..."
"Three!" Alex corrected, placing specific emphasis on the 'ee' sound.
"Threh?" Lafayette tried.
"Non. Three," he repeated.
"Seh? C'est juste un bordel!"
"See!" Laurens exclaimed.
"I'll never learn..." Lafayette muttered, placing his head in his hands. "I can't even read children's books in English. Je suis pathétique!"
"No, you aren't!" Alex clapped a hand at his shoulder. "It takes tons of practice. You'll learn it in no time. It took me... about six months just to get everything down pat!"
"Non! Non! Non!" Laf shook his head vigorously.
"Just listen to us pronounce words, and we'll tell you their meanings if you ask. You're already off to a flying start, if you know words like 'children' and 'learn'." John encouraged him.
"Ok..." Lafayette conceded. "Teach meh."
The trio spent the next half an hour revising some of the basics that Lafayette already knew, and another half an hour after that focusing on pronunciation. It was evident that these activities took it out of him, so they whittled the pace down and lightened the load.
"That reminds me!" Alex smiled, after Lafayette correctly pronounced the word, 'locker'. "Phonetics. Particularly on the single or double 'e' ending."
"Ok, try this," John instructed. "Li--"
"Just a notice!" Alex interrupted. "This content might come easy to you, but we don't know how your mind works. Everyone works differently. I might find something difficult that you find eas--"
"Alex, stop blabbering!" he pouted, "Try this. Listen to me." He spat a little whilst enunciating.
"Listuhn to meh."
"Laf, it's an 'en' sound in 'listen' like 'hen' or 'pen'," Alex stated.
"Lis..." Lafayette opened his mouth, pausing.
"Keep going..." John whispered, hopeful.
"Uhn." he finished. "Aww...." he frowned.
"One more time!" Alex attempted to hearten him.
Lafayette stood up on the spot, clenching his fists, knuckles protruding white. A fixed rage suddenly cascaded over him. It was a bottled up emotion, that he'd locked tightly in a box for several years. The feeling of not being able to be understood.
"Listen to me!" he belted. The room was stunned with silence. "Yes, yes, yes!" he screamed, jumping up and down on the spot. "I did it!" Ecstasy emanated from him.
"Awesome!" John exclaimed.
"Let's go again!" Alex insisted.
"S'il vous plait, non!" Lafayette yelled. "I've been through enough..." he muttered under his breath. "Au revoir." He waved a tired hand goodbye, trudging out of the room as if all the energy inside him had been drained. Clusters of white dots illuminated the sky, which had turned into a sea of murky purple.
"At least we helped him." Alex chuckled.
"You shouldn't have pushed him..." John trailed off, "But we'll leave it at that." He stood up, rummaging through the cupboard and pulling out a pair of flannelettes. He walked over to another white door, which Alex originally didn't notice, as he thought it was a part of the wall.
"This is the bathroom if you were wondering..." he trailed off, closing the door behind him.
"Good to know..." he muttered under his breath, realising he wasn't at his bed. "Which one is yours?" he called out, voice bouncing off the walls.
"To the left," he responded, opening the door a short second later.
"That's obvious..." Alex's thoughts drifted off. "That's 'cuz it isn't by the window. Privacy is of the utmost importance to Johnny boy." John plopped onto his bed, quickly adjusting the covers. Alex did the same, except his body 'smashed', rather than, 'plopped'.
"G'night, Alex." John yawned.
"Same to you."
Alex lay awake in bed for some time as he watched his friend fall asleep within fifteen minutes, snoring lightly. His mind was abuzz, so he picked up a pen and began writing. It wasn't college work, exactly, but a mind journal, as he liked to call it. He jotted down events of the day, just as he did as an orphan. That was one of the first things he noted:
Friday, 1st September 2018
No longer an orphan. Isn't that awesome? Started college, too. Living on campus, which I've taken for granted. What else have I taken for granted? Everything, but nevermind about that. Been acquainted with some good people. Genuinely good people, as well as the obvious, spiteful, hotheaded, arrogant, sassy sours. (I know well who I'm mentioning).
As much as today was filled with optimism and opportunity, it was equally filled with a perpetual heavyweight. Just jump off a bridge, Alex, really...
But! Today's only the first of many, so don't doubt. Don't stop. Be yourself, even if that means you annoy others. Continue to write your way out.
Note to future self - Remember to kick Jefferson's ass!
Signed, A.Ham.
Alex let out a quiet chuckle, so as not to disturb his neighbour, before drifting off to sleep.
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