29. THE ONE WITH HAMILTON SPOILERS #2
“Frankie’s gonna be pissed we met the Founding Fathers without her,” Joey deadpans, delivering with the cleanest dry tone.
I burst into laughter, and so does Joey. She reaches out and rests her hand on my arm, sending the happiest wave of warmth through my body.
Laughter and Joey. They’re the only drugs I need.
When we come down from a laugh that has a few people glancing our way, Joey wipes a tear off her cheek. “Fuck, okay we gotta stop. I’m messing up my makeup.”
I stand up, nodding towards the bar through the doors. “Let’s go get a drink.” I hold my hand out to help her up.
She hesitates for a second but ends up taking it. I knew I wouldn’t get lucky enough that she’d hold it again like she’d done in New Haven, but I’ll take what I can get.
That hasn’t changed.
After we get drinks, and I tap my phone to pay for them both, obviously getting a lecture from Joey about it, we end up back in our seats right before they dim the lights.
I wiggle happily like a girl who sees the server bringing their food out.
Before the music starts, Joey leans over to whisper, “the second act is better than the first.”
And holy shit, is she right.
An affair?
He wrote it all down?
His poor wife!
Not his son!
SPOILER ALERT!
Burr killed Hamilton?
By the end of the show, every muscle in my body is sore from the absolute shock I’m in over what I just witnessed.
“That was brilliant.” There are so many details and intricacies I know I missed, but I’m already planning a lazy day rewatch. “No notes.” I twist in my seat to face Joey, frowning playfully at the mascara tears smearing her cheeks. “Joey baby, who hurt you?”
She sniffles and lets out a muted laugh. “Hamilton.”
Bringing my thumb to her cheek, I gently rub the black stains from both sides, getting lost in her eyes. Personally, I’d sit here forever if she let me, staring into the green pools of her soul, but I have to be careful coming on too strong. Joey’s easily scared. “Do you want me to go beat him up?”
“He’s already dead.” She sighs sadly.
I feign shock. “See, he had it coming.”
“Different musical,” she says, and her soft smile makes me want to kiss her again.
“Huh?” I ask, confused, wondering how hard Joey would smack me for trying anything in public.
It’s almost a risk I take, but she taps my thigh and hops up. “I’ll take you to see Chicago next time.” I’m not following, but I like this next time business a lot. “I need to fix my face really quick.”
I wait for her outside the bathroom, getting recognized by a group leaving the merch line. They’re on a family vacation with their grandma, who surprised the family with tickets to my show Saturday night.
I get the chance to meet Granny when she walks out of the bathroom before Joey does.
The old lady’s eyes light up with excitement when she sees me. “Well, I’ll be damned! It’s West Parker!”
I’m absolutely tickled pink… and I’ve never understood what that meant until this very moment.
Joey comes up beside me, and the girl helping grandma sit down on her walker’s seat gasps. “Oh my god, and you’re Hex.” She freezes and then laughs at herself.
I can feel Joey’s unease, but as usual, she does a good job hiding it on her face.
“I’ve been following your account for years. Since I was in nursing school, actually.” She perks up, smiling brightly. “I was having a bad time, looking for some kind of escape. You’re the reason I got into reading.”
Joey’s eyes get glassy, but she blinks until they’re normal again. “I’m really glad you found Hex.”
The family asks to take a couple pictures with me, but when I look back on this night, I think the only moment I’ll remember vividly is the look on Joey’s face when the girl asks if she can get a picture with just her.
She’d taken a few in New Haven, but those hadn’t been with people who seemed to be fans of Hex outside of the virality of our current situation.
“I’d love to,” Joey says, making sure it’s okay to touch her before putting an arm around the girl’s back. I snap a couple on my phone, wanting to make sure this is a memory she has forever.
When she’s feeling down on herself, when it feels like her content does nothing for people, I promise myself to remind her of this moment—and all the others she’s bound to have on this tour.
Joey and I catch each other’s gaze, the rest of the room melting away at the edges until it feels like there’s no one around but us. I don’t say anything, just smile a lopsided grin.
We say goodbye to our new friends from South Carolina and head to coat check.
Meeting the cast ended up being cooler than I expected, and I’ll probably never get over them asking to make a video with me for their socials.
Joey’s fucking giddy about it too, helping map out the vision with the person filming for the show.
At some point, I send Enzo a text and let them know there are about twenty cast and crew members hoping to catch the show Sunday night. He’s always able to figure that kind of stuff out, even if he does it with an attitude.
It’s after midnight when we finally say our goodbyes.
Jules walks us to the back door. “Give Frankie a hug for me. It was nice to meet you, West! I’ll see you both Sunday night.”
Joey surprisingly doesn’t slap my hand away when I help her into her coat. I slip into mine next, zipping it up. “You hungry?” I ask as she opens a text from Frankie, sending a two-word reply:
LIFE CHANGING!
I pretend she’s talking about me and not Hamilton.
Her phone disappears inside her coat pocket, and she nods enthusiastically. “Starving. Wanna grab a pizza and go back to the hotel?”
More alone time with Joey? “I think that’s the perfect idea.”