Chapter Text
Three Days Earlier
John Laurens noticed that Eliza had left something behind when she disappeared into the school building–– a sky blue notebook with flowers sketched across the cover.
He flipped it open to a random page to see which class it was for, hoping it wasn’t for the one she just went to. As long as it was after lunch, it’d be fine. He’d see her at lunch, either in the cafeteria or library.
He scanned the page, which was absolutely full of black inky words.
Sometimes I feel like a fall leaf, decayed by winter’s snow and ice, ready for the worms of spring to break me down into the nothing I already know I am… How can I ever compare to Angelica? So intelligent, beautiful, witty. Or Peggy, so sharp, adorable, funny. There are more than enough kids in my family that they certainly wouldn’t notice or care if I was no longer there…
John dropped the notebook. He had to find Eliza.