Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

50. To turn: fifteen

A/N: I hope you're up for a roller coaster ride. I'm so proud of this fanfic. 67k reads. 50 chapters. Thank you. Why do you stick around for more? Why do you read this little fanfic?💓
Now, read!

I felt someone lightly and carefully shake me awake from a brief sleep.
"Hi, Niñita...", Lin's quiet morning voice said as my eyes flickered open. I could just barely see his face's outline in the dark.
"Hi...", I said, squishing my eyes as the little light streamed from the window and onto my face. It seemed to be quite misty outside.
"Are you up for a birthday morning walk in the park?", Lin asked, still whispering calmly.
Birthday. Right.
Whatever that meant.
"Mkay", I said sitting up straight, rubbing my eyes a little. I glanced at my bedside table quickly, getting a sight of the time. "It's 6 am, Lin", I concluded. He laughed at me.
"...which is the best time for a dog walk. And aren't you the morning person of the family?"

Soon, the two of us were walking next to the river, somewhere in New York, wearing pyjamas and coats.
It was, indeed, the best time for a promenade. The fog of a somewhat cold April morning hadn't lifted from the ground, and the sun was just about to rise.
If there was someone that was enjoying it more than me - it was Tobi. She was marching in front of us, looking awfully proud, almost telling us where to go, as we were talking about everything.
"So, this is what you usually do on a Birthday?", I asked, fiddling with the jacket's buttons on the arm, buttoning it up and down.
"We can make it a tradition", Lin replied, smiling.
I laughed.
His phone was out, taking pictures of the morning, me and Tobi.
"I haven't celebrated my own Birthday in years. Think I've forgotten how to do it", I said, looking down at my feet as I indirectly didn't step on any cracks. He put his arm around my shoulder.
"That'll change"

"Mornin'", I said, beaming towards Vanessa, who looked like she'd just gotten out of bed.
"Morning, Birthday girl", she told me in a soft way, hugging me quickly while I was passing by to get some every day clothes on.
I looked at my room, eyeing everything that might be wrong. I quickly fixed that. And again. Thrice, to be precise.
I got some jeans on, and an oversized, striped, sweater - clothes on the go.
Just a moment after I stood, facing myself, in the bathroom mirror.
In my hand, I held three pills. I downed them, not even giving them a thought - only because I knew I wouldn't be an obstacle today.

"Halfway to thirty, I hear", Carson said, grinning with that savage look on his face. I laughed a little, accepting his gift, as we stood by my locker.
"Thank you, Cars. I'mma ignore your comment and remind you that you're older than me", I said, smiling towards him as I carefully put the gift in my locker.
"What? Open it! I can't go into advanced math without you opening it, Rue!", Carson exclaimed, putting on his puppy eyes.
"Okay, okay", I said, giggling towards his impatience. I gingerly loosened up the royal blue bow, to then carefully opening the present.
I was met with four books. Four. He knew I liked it to be four.
Perks of being a wallflower. Pride and prejudice. Pippi Longstocking. Peter Pan.
"Aw, thanks, Cars", I said, eyeing the books that looked that they needed to be read; they were demanding it, they were that new.
"Okay, so I needed you to open them because I need to explain why they all start with a P", he began; and so I looked up at him with a wondering look. "There's no reason whatsoever. I just know that you've never read them, so therefore I'm passing them over to you"
He sounded mildly proud with himself.
Maybe he thought I needed to read Wallflower instead of only watching it every time I needed to relive it. Or that I needed to get more educated when it comes to classic books. Or just read the childhood books that I never got to read as a child. My voice sounded breathy, full of warmth.
"Thank you"

At lunch I sat with Carson, and with the people I now considered being my friends. Stella was laughing at Parker, them being cousins.
"What the fluff, Rue? It's your Birthday?", I somehow just wanted to melt through the table, and then the floor and then down to the core of the Earth. "Oh, seriously, we are so singing for you!", Dominic shouted, beaming at me with the biggest smile. "Come on, everyone, it's her Birthday! Stand up and sing!"
Confused people stood up at the tables around ours, singing with Carson who'd taken the lead.
The murmur of mixed voices in a choir reached me.
"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to RUE, happy birthday dear Rueeee, happy birthday to YOU!", Carson sang, loudest of all and happily changing up the lyrics. The students around us looked from one another to me, probably wondering whether if it was an April Fools or not - which, you couldn't blame them for. It's April 1st, after all.
Still, I could find myself smiling.
This is fine, this is nice, I told myself.
I loved Carson, and I think I liked Dom too. Stella and Parker was clapping along too as the song ended.
I didn't know it was this easy to start over.