Belong - an adopted by Hamilton fanfic [Hamilton]

7. To accept

I mixed up the colours of my dotted jumpers that morning the day after. I started pulling my hands through my hair, tearing the jumper off, and on, seven times. Glad that the new girls in my room had left, I hadn't prioritised getting to know them, and I wasn't planning to neither.
Walking out from breakfast, ms Abbott caught me before running back to the room.
"You have four meetings today. You're off school because of that. 9:30. 11:00. 13:00. 14:45. I'm not telling you the times again", she snorted, letting my arm go.
9:30. 11:00. 13:00. 15:15 Don't mess the times up, Ruth.
Tap the door knob 23 times, just to be sure of that.

When the clock stroke 15:14 I stood outside the office room, I'd been in 3 meetings including polices asking me about the incident a day earlier and one where mr Chang swooshed by for five minutes, at 9:30. After the big two meetings with the police I was shaking, and even though it'd been about thirty minutes since the last one, I couldn't control my hands. Ms Abbott stood beside me, grumbling about how everything she did was difficult, since her back's been getting worse over the past month. But mostly of that I didn't hear, as I obsessively touched the doorknob 23 times. Then blinked 7 times.
What if there's another meeting of people asking me questions I couldn't bring myself to answer?
Ms Abbott shoved me inside, holding her hand on my shoulder as she lead the way to the old table in the middle of the room. I was looking down, silently wishing for her not to force me to say anything I wasn't comfortable with. And when I refused, she would take me out in the corridor afterwards and shout at me.
"Hi Ruth!", someone said, and I couldn't help but realise that I knew that voice.
"Hello, hello, hello!", another excited voice said. And so, I looked up, as I sat down in the chair. I almost cracked a tiny smile, but not so they could see it. Two humans sat in front of me, both smiling eternally.
Lin & Vanessa.
"Hi?", it was supposed to be a happy, normal, greeting, but it came out more like a question. Because, I couldn't piece it all together. Why were they here? The phone calls yesterday?
"Hello, mr & mrs Miranda, I'm Yvonne Abbott, I'm in charge of this home, I'll leave you to speak with her alone since I need to get some documents done, if that's okay?", she said looking at both of them, awaiting an answer.
"For us? Yeah, yeah, sure. Ruth, are you okay with it?", Lin's question surprised me. I nodded, no one had never asked me about if I had anything against it. Best to nod, so I wouldn't disturb ms Abbott.

"Are you okay?", Lin asked as soon she'd left the room. I nodded shyly. The little table, they across it, suddenly felt much smaller in the tiny room they'd managed to fit it in. I didn't think they believed me, seeing their unchanged face expressions.
"We got so worried when we heard about the police, we've been talking to the System every day since you were at the theater again", Vanessa said, filling in the silence. I looked up, and then looked down again. "And we really just wanna see how things are going with you, because we can see that you're not okay. The bruises, they don't help your cover of being 'fine', Ruth", her sometimes serious voice, looking at me kindly. I still didn't answer.
"It would all be a lot easier if you would talk, Ruth", Lin said, trying to find my eyes that covered the side of my head.
"W-why did you want to speak with me?", I finally said, almost regretting my question as soon as it came out of my mouth. I hesitated for a bit. "Not that it's a bad thing! I, um, you two are better than most police", I spoke quickly.
They both smiled at my statement.
"Well, we've been doing some thinking and writing and reading", Lin said excitedly.
"Planning too, of course. But it can't be done just yet! And we need to ask you, you don't have to say it, you really don't have to Ruth, you just have to nod or shake your head, even though we already know the answers", he continued, his kind eyes narrowing staring in mine, making me feel safe as I was fully looking up now. Vanessa had moved seats, sitting directly next to me, putting her hand on my right shoulder. Lin moved his chair and sat beside me too.
"Did you like your last family?", and without even thinking about it I shook my head. I couldn't lie to their kind eyes.
"I-I hated it", I whispered, like someone outside was going to hear me.
I was still sitting up straight, on my own, Vanessa's hand on my shoulder. She took her arm around me, like she was hugging me, empathy running through her body to mine as she let my head rest on her shoulder.
"Did they hit you?"
Her question ran through my mind like a train, echoing afterwards in the tunnel it's been through. I couldn't allow myself to cry. Instead, I stared out in blank space, as I realised what I was saying.
"Y-yeah", I let the word out slowly after I'd taken a deep breath. They were going to kill me when I got back.
"Aw, sweetie", she said, hugging me. I sat stiff, unfamiliar with the feeling. Lin squeezed my hand tightly.
"Yes! The planning, and the reading and writing. We've been trying to get you outta your last foster family, because we knew something wasn't fine", he said, smiling, like he couldn't wait to say those next few lines. In my head, I couldn't seem to understand, everything was passing by so fast. "Well, you handled that part yourself, but lemme tell ya, you're not going back"
I looked at him with a kind of confused look.
"W-wait what? They were going to take me back on, on, Monday next week, I promise, that's what they said, a-and they'll get angry if I'm not coming back", hesitating on the last sentence, not mention the killing me part I'd already visualised in my head.
Vanessa hugged me softly again.
"We might or might not have fixed that", she said, and her arm left my shoulder.
"Well, there's not a lot more to say. We've talked to the foster system and they're okay with it this far, so it's only you left now. We're going to foster you", Lin said, smiling brightly.
I got back to staring into blank space again, trying to comprehend his words.
Did they really want to do this? Or did they just pity me? Was I enough for them?
"Th-thank you, so so much", I decided to say after a long ten seconds. "But you really don't have to, getting out of that place was enough", not mentioning the chances of coming in another family that was similar.
"Ruth, we want to", Vanessa said, her nice smile making me feel safe.
Accept this, you idiot.
"Yeah, yeah. Of course it's okay", I said, not a single stutter, happily realising that my ping pong-ball situation sometimes could be great.
Vanessa was the first one to hug me. Lin joined in.
I felt happy, for once.
"I know the time's only like twenty to four, but wanna go for pizza?", Lin said after pulling away, looking at his phone. "There's a little place just around the corner"
I nodded, feeling like I finally had accepted my position in this life.
And not a single touch of tapping under those twenty minutes.

One big pizza slice to each and everyone of us, standing outside, under an umbrella as the rain fell down in late November after I'd got permission from ms Abbott.
"Pizzas the best way of celebrating, my friends, I promise you", Lin said, eating his slice like it was the most precious thing in the world.
"So, well, you're going to move in at our place, but that's in two days because the system has to take another look at the apartment", he continued. I nodded.
Two more days in hell, two more days til a better day.
"Well, we want to get to know ya. Any hobbies?"
"Um, I really don't have one? I like making stuff though, like drawing, writing, or something like that", I said, shaking my shoulders.
"You've already won my heart, little one, but you just made me more fond of you", Lin said, giggling like he couldn't help himself, even though I didn't quite hear his giggling.
Vanessa giggled too as she asked the next question.
"You like school?", and as I shook my shoulders again in a gesture of 'well', she asked me the next one. "What's your favourite subject?"
"Pre-calc. I suck at it though. But I like the numbers. I guess maths a hobby of mine then?"
"Another math-lover, you seem to get everything right this day, miss Rue", she replied, and I placed my head on her shoulder again.
Rue?
Rue.
-----
Hiya!
Hopefully y'all had a great Christmas, and if you don't celebrate it, I hope you had a wonderful few days💕
This chapter, is probably crap, but hopefully not to boring. Did you like it?💭
But hey, stuff is happening!🙈
Ruth's getting a place in the world, and I am going to try to update as soon as I can!🌈
Please tell me what you think of this lil fanfic in the comments, it all means so much to this nerd here🌵
I got a new phone this Christmas, so hopefully you all will see more chapters come to life, since I have a lot more GB now🎉
Please leave a vote or a comment💓
Sincerely,
C

Published; 27th of December, 2016