Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

4. To run

Ruth's point of view
Two weeks had past, I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, my eye swollen after Rick, the guy threw doors down, had punched me for refusing to buy his drugs.
I didn't regret it, but my eyes were red by crying.
There, right by that moment, I whispered.
"I don't want them to see me vulnerable. I don't want to be here", under my brunette hair, the uneven bits of blonde only giving me bad memories. Rachel'd been dyeing her hair blonde, when she's decided to throw some of the bleach on me. The scar it also had left on my right shoulder, made me decide.
I was going back to theirs, I thought.  Anything was better than the guy 3 doors down pressing me up against a wall, saying I had to buy his cookies. Anything was better than this hole in the universe.

A few days earlier, Becca had left. I'd been instructed to stay on my top bunk. Twitching my head in stress, counting to ten, I silently watched as Quinn and Nico walked over to the box Becca had left by when she packed for her new home.
"Ey! Let's see if there's anything we can sell!", Nico shouted happily.
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what they were saying. But I couldn't protest, I just didn't have the guts. They cleared through the box, taking a look at every little part.
Suddenly, they were up and gone 3 doors down, selling the leftovers for a cookie or two.

I walked out from the bathroom, breathing heavily. Grabbing my backpack, that I'd packed every little piece the girls hadn't stolen in. My winter coat, even though it was only November, was my life line. A still smashed phone, and I took my way to the office ms Abbott had.
I sneaked my head in, after touching the door knob fifty seven times, and asked her, what I'd been wondering every day the past weeks.
"You've heard anything from my case workers yet, ms Abbott?", she shook her head, fake empathy smiling at me.
"Oh, okay", I answered, closing the door.
Touch the door knob 57 times, just to make sure everything goes the distance.
Of course, I did that.

Walking for an hour, taking my time, until I reached the lonely brick house I'd spent almost 6 months in.
Now they were going to be six months, not five months and two weeks.
I knocked on the door, seven times, and smiled shyly as mr Lovell opened. Suddenly, I felt all my confidence just dripping down from me, almost like a washing sponge before cleaning up the mess.
I backed three steps, trying to catch my breath. His eyes were raging, he almost looked gone, but as I saw the green beer bottle in his hand, I backed one step more. He twitched his head, almost challenging me to say something.
"So! Hey! What the hell do you want?!", walking up to me, placing his hand on my throat, pressing it tighter anfd tighter, choking me. But, all of a sudden he let me go, and I was gasping for air as I ran down the street. Finally stopping at a bus stop, only to breathe when everything alreadt felt so blurry.
How could I've been so stupid? How could I ever thunk that they'd just let me inside?
The questions had a mental war with themselves in my head, every thought being cut off.

As the clock stroke 8, I realised that I couldn't head back to the placement home. And, under the lamp post, its calming light only hitting an area of a meter or two, I stood shaking. Nor was I afraid, only disappointed in myself.
Run up and down those stairs four times, otherwise they'll find you.
Tripping up and down on shaky legs, running away from what had been my home, asking myself if this was how it should end?
Until a massive, muscular, man grabbed my waist as I'd finally hit the roads near Times Square, smiling evily at me.
"Oh, so what's your name then, pretty girl?", he sluddered. I gasped when I saw his eyes, trying to break out from his tight grip. Collecting my little remaining bravery, I stood up arrogantly.
"A-Ansel, doesn't your Dad know about your trips at nights? With your friends?", stuttering, I kneed him right on his crotch, making him lay down double in pain. I ran as fast as I could, away & away. His voice disappearing the further away I got.
"No! He doesn't! But he'll sure hear about this, Ruthleigh!", his nickname for me making me shiver.
And I fell down by exhaustion in the fourth alleyway from the park, crying, hiding behind the rubbish bin. Hugging my backpack, as I swiftly drifted into sleep.