Too Young and Blind (High School Hamilton)

Best Dad

Alexander

I sat with the twins in my room, they were absently playing with Rebel as John was out with the Schuyler Sisters for some reason. We'd been here for some time as they explained their home life, refusing to keep eye contact for long with me or each other. I was shocked to only now be learning the extent of the damage. I was told their parents were neglective but I didn't know they crossed the line into borderline emotionally and verbally abusive.

"Well, it's obvious what we have to do now." I said and they looked up, confused, "You can't live there anymore." I would be the definition of the worst friend in the world if I returned the two of them to such terrible living conditions.

"Well then where?" Nate asked, handing Rebel to Tori who put him in her lap and watched him slowly try to escape even though he never really could because she would stop him.

I motioned around the room, "Here. With me and Laf and John and father too." It was obvious to me, it's what happened when I was neglected, when Laf needed a home, and when John was abused.

"And Rebel." Tori mumbled, petting the turtle. Well, if we count Rebel then we also have to count Sanders.

"But that doesn't work like that?" Nate looked confused. What doesn't work like what?

I went to ask him what he went when there was a knock on my door, "Be right back." I got up and opened the door, "Father?" He stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and disappointment across his face. I swallowed the nothing in my mouth. Why was he disappointed in me? I didn't want him to be, it made me feel like shit whenever father was upset with me.

"Alexander." His eyes searched inside for a moment, I looked to see what he was interested in and remembered the twins were there. I turned back around, father's eyes were already resting on me, "You're adept at sneaking around but you've forgotten about the cameras." Oh yeah...the same cameras that made it so my biological father had to stop being an absolute snake.

"O-Oh right." I looked back at Tori and she shrugged. It's not like she could've answered for me anyway, "It...was important though." I turned back to him. Sure, he knew the first time I'd sneaked Tori in but I've been doing it continually the past few weeks whenever she texts me saying she can't stay at her house for the night.

"Important?" He furrowed his eyebrows, "With a girl?" Why is it that whenever a girl and guy are alone together it instantly means they're trying to fuck? I think that's a very weirdly specific trope that almost every parent seems to adhere to.

"Um I'm with John." I reminded him quietly because I wouldn't cheat on John. Plus, I just wouldn't fuck Tori that's just...ew! She's one of my best friends! "And...we need to talk to you." I decided now was the time to get the twins the ability to move in.

Father's look changed to confused, I was just glad he didn't look disappointed in me anymore, "Talk to me?" I nodded and lead him inside my room, he looked between the twins and me. Tori was still only looking at Rebel and Nate was looking around the room awkwardly, "About what?"

"They gotta move in." I said hastily, father looked back at me a bit shocked, "They can't stay with those assholes!" I could've explained better but I just needed to say it, and their parents are most definitely assholes!

"Language." Father said with a warning tone and I stopped myself from from crossing my arms and pouting.

"We don't have to if it's too much." Nate said quietly, picking at my blanket. He held the thread in between his thumb and index finger before he's pull it slightly and then repeat.

"You three need to tell me what's happening." Father said evenly, lightly guiding me to the bed. He looked expectantly at all of us, I was happy father was such an understanding and patient man.

I plopped next to Tori so she was between Nate and I, we looked up at father and tried to keep our eyes on him as we brokenly explained the twins's living situation. Father's face didn't change the whole time and that sort of encouraged us I think. People reacting while I speak about something like this makes it harder, but, seeing Thomas Jefferson's face fall in debate is something I live for.

At the end of our explanation Father closed his eyes and sighed deeply with a single nod, "Alright." He said finitely, "Come with me kids." He motioned to the door and walked out with the twins, they left Rebel with me. I watched Rebel crawl around my bed, he was quite a happy reptile as far as I knew. John was very protective over him though and refuses to let him anywhere near Sanders.

A few minutes later, well, about half an hour later father came back into my room without knocking, "Seems like I'm becoming a hotel of sorts." He said, he sounded a bit amused by this fact.

"Hotel? But nobody pays." I said and grinned, he ruffled my hair. When his hand moved I fixed my hair, it was supposed to flow, not go diagonally across my face.

"You've all payed in some way." He replied with a nonchalant shrug, "Can't wait to send you all to college. Yah little monkeys." Did that mean he would pay tuition? Not that I cared if he did or not, but I'm just trying to be economical.

I laughed and leaned into his touch slightly, "But you'll still be there when we're in college." I think I was more hoping he would be rather than knowing he would be. I can't imagine a life without him now that I've spent so long with him.

He nodded and smiled slightly, "I'll always be here. You're my children, I'll never leave you." Father then put a hand on my shoulder and his expression changed slightly but he kept smiling, "Alex I need you to come to me when these things happen instead of sneaking around." His voice was deeper, he always managed to change his voice pitch when talking about something important.

"I will now, I promise." I felt a bit odd as I realized I was telling the truth. I'd never gone to somebody else with things, especially these things. But, I still knew there were some things I knew that I couldn't go to him about, I knew I couldn't tell him absolutely everything but then again I knew I could go to John about any personal issues and that reassured me for some reason. However, I couldn't tell John about what happened with Tori at Wal*Mart because she trusted me and I wasn't going to betray her trust.

"Good." Father said and I nodded at him absently, still thinking about what had happened recently, "Now get to bed. I managed to persuade Mrs. Johnson to let you keep your role in the play despite missing a lot of the rehearsals because of all of the." He shrugged to end the sentence, I understood, neither of us really wanted to talk about some of these things nor name them.

I nodded and crawled under the covers of the bed, bundling up and looking at him, "Goodnight dad." I thought back to the last person I would call dad and then to now and smiled a bit at my luck.

"Goodnight Alex." He waved slightly and left the room, shutting the door securely behind him. It made me weirdly happy that he shut the door behind him instead of leaving it open so I'd have to get up and close it, he just cares about the little things as much as he does the big things in life.

I closed my eyes but found it hard to fall asleep, thinking about everything that was happening. It was all so much, a bit too much. I think if I didn't have John and father I'd have sunk already, the others help massively as well but John and father will always be the most important to me. It's hard to word, because I'd fight to the death for Laf and Herc, the Schuyler Sisters, the twins, Aaron and so on but I still felt closer to John and father than I did to anybody else.

As I thought back to where I started I realized how truly lucky I am to be where I am now. Things can look like shit sometimes but if I had my friends, family, and especially my boyfriend I know I could always get through these things. Yeah, I can't get through everything easily, but, life's a struggle and I'm willing to fight to the end.

I sighed contently and allowed myself to succumb to sleep, I was exhausted after these past few weeks jam packed with emotions.