Ruth's pov
I opened the door with the keys that Lin & Vanessa finally had let me use, after many persuasive words from me.
You need to open and lock the door seven times before going inside.
The silent apartment met me, as I took my shoes off, dashing my backpack to the floor.
Left foot first. Place the shoes right next to Sebastian's other pair.
Hang the coats in colour order, otherwise it's wrong.
Wrong. You can't live with wrong.
Tap the door before opening it.
I walked to my room, not stepping on a single crack, looked over at the couch in the living room, seeing Tobi's little head peaking up.

>> you home yet?

I giggled at Lin's text, just as one from Vanessa came too. Tobi ran to me, hopping up and down on my legs as I went through the doorway.
"Tobi, hiii, calm yourself, it's just me", while she just ran around me.
I petted her soft fur, trying to reply.

>> You are home now, right?

Taking out my Biology folder, successfully placing it right next to my APUSH folder & not messing up the order in my backpack.
Tobi soon got bored of me not giving her the attention that she wanted, and tip toed away.

<< Yeah, guys, I am.

Replying in a group chat, almost hearing Vanessa face palm and Lin laughing.

>> Look V, we jinxed

>> Rue, I'm pretty sure I married a five-year-old.

<< Positive.

>> Hey! I'm still here, y'know

I left my phone on the desk, looking around the room. One month had past, everything had changed so much. I could still imagine what it was like before, but rather the placement home as a fading memory.

For hours, I tried my best doing homework.
Every person I met seemed to be doing it so fast. How? How can you not be afraid of what may happen?
And then, a few years ago, it came to me as a realisation that how I was wasn't normal - that I was abnormal.
And then I told myself it.
Hide it.

I decided to scroll through my twitter feed, getting overwhelmed by the amount of notifications I was getting.
Good, that I turned them off, then.
One certain tweet caught my eye, as I looked through what Lin had been tweeted in the last few hours.

Lin had laughed when I said I only joined twitter because him & V seemed to spend so much time on it.
"Aw, cutie, you need to have a mind of your own, Rue!", he'd said.
And what if I didn't have a mind of my own?

The tweet included an article. A few others had tweeted it too, while others were speculating about it.

Who's this girl that's been seen with Lin-Manuel Miranda?

The title seemed so amateurish that I almost cracked a laugh in all of this seriousness.

Lin Manuel Miranda, creator and star of Hamilton has lately been seen with one particular girl, in her teens, often accompanied by his wife, Vanessa Nadal, and sometimes his son, Sebastian.
The girl appears to have been seen regularly with the star since late October, and appearing often in the cast's Snapchat since mid November.
Fans of the Broadway show has been digging into the subject, even though Miranda himself have tried to even out the rumours by not publishing anything with her in it.

Right there I stopped reading. Why would someone write an article about me?
Yes, sure, they didn't know it was me. But, still.
Sending the article to Lin and Vanessa, to the little group chat I'd created earlier, I happily realised that Vanessa & Seb soon would be home.
As I closed the door to my room, I put my headphones in. Loud music blowing up, and still I couldn't hear it as clear.
The volume was coloured in red, and it only hurt in my left ear.
I picked up my pencils, sketching out the pieces of a nature doodling project in art, the only subject I'd left to finish off with since it made my mind blank and focused.
Every little leaf on a rose joined the paper, every bit of it neatly decorated.
But every 23rd minute you have to go check evrything again, just to be sure that the door is locked. Seven times you have to open and close it. Then you can move onto going back.
Then you're safe. Just after tapping a few things, too.
Then you're completely safe.

"Um, Rue, you in here?", Vanessa's lips seemed to say, as she started laughing from seeing my surprised face.
My left ear hurt like hell as I took my headphones on.
"Hi", I said, "Art homework"
Vanessa nodded, letting Tobi inside, who jumped on my bed and let her head rest on my lap.
"Aw", I said, petting her.
"Could you stay up til Lin's home today?"
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
She nodded, smiling.
"Oh and I think Tobi wants you to take her for a walk", giggling, and only now I realised that Tobi's little face was bragging for me to follow with her to the park.
"Okay", I said, and the excited pup jumped off the bed as I started walking too.
As always, going to the hallway had its interruptions, and Vanessa watching when I tied my shoes almost made me quit the walk.
Left foot first. Then, carefully tie it. Otherwise someone will get hurt, you got that?
"Be safe, it's NYC, sweetie", informed Vanessa, and I nodded. "Be home in, I don't know, take your time"
"Okay, see ya", waving her goodbye, as I left the apartment with a hyped pup next to me in a leash.
We stepped down the three stairs.
Touch that wall.
Tap that door.
Tap that street lamp.
Touch another street lamp.
And that one too.
Or someone will die.

When we reached the park, we peacefully walked down the path, meeting other dogs and owners who, to my surprise, always wanted to have a little chat.
I found Tobi's ball in my pocket, and unleashed her as I threw it away.
"Catch, Tobi, catch!", I shouted, letting her run after it, as I carefully kept an eye on her.
The little pupper jumped high up in the air, succeeding in catching it, as another dog joined.
"Gideon! Stop, you silly one", a guy shouted, laughing from behind me.
Tap that advert poster.
Tobi peaked for me, her tail waving from side to side as I squatted down. She put her front paws on my knees, dropping the ball in my lap.
The fluffy and bigger dog, came right after, running right by me, to its owner, as the darkness fell over New York, to a grey, smokey city after a day full of rain.
I stood up, a hand tapping on my shoulder. I turned around, seeing the guy who'd shouted for the fluffy dog, which I suspected to be named Gideon.
"Hiya! Sorry 'bout Gideon, even though he's an old man, it doesn't stop him from playing", he chuckled. "I'm Carson, by the way", said the guy, Carson, as he petted Gideon.
Is all dog owners this talkative?
"Oh, t-that's okay, uh, I-I'm Rue. Formally Ruth", I nervously said. He gently gestured towards Tobi. "And, yeah, this is Tobi. Formally Tobillo"
He laughed.
"I just love how you managed to introduce yourself the same way as you introduced your dog. Hi, Formally Ruth & Formally Tobi", Carson said, shaking my hand. I got surprised by his actions. "So, how are you doing?", he said, as I threw Tobi's ball with the little strength I had in my arms.
"Uh, yeah, I'm fine", I awkwardly told him. "Y-you?"
Both Tobi and Gideon made a dash for it, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm great, moving into my granny's house at the moment, as I came out to my Dad a few hours ago", he kept on talking, happily.
"Oh", was all I said. "Um, I'm S-"
"Scratch that, he'll get over it. GIDEON, YOU SILLY ONE, THAT IS TOBI'S BALL. NOT YOURS", he seemed to have a laugh about it.
"It's okay, they can play", I said, giggling as Carson shouted at his grey and white, fluffy, dog.
"And if you're not liking my talking, I'm quite outgoing, please tell me. I can shut up", he said, but soon took Tobi's ball that Gideon dropped at his feet.
"Please don't", I let out, as he handed the ball to me.
"I'm liking you. You're a likeable person"
I smiled a little, letting my cheeks poof up.
I threw it again, when I saw Carson pick up his phone, seemed to be reading a text.
"Gideon! Come back!", he cried, probably as loud so that everyone in an area of 1 km could hear him. Both of the dogs came running back. "I swear, that dog won't realise that he has to come back to get the ball thrown again if I don't tell him", the sarcasm is strong.
Tap your leg 71 times.
"So, favourite film?", he suddenly said, after throwing it away again, most noticeable longer than my weak try.
I twitched by surprise.
"Huh?"
He chuckled.
"Fave film?", he asked again. I had to think for a while before answering.
Touch the bench.
"The perks of being a wallflower. You?"
"I have endless faves, Rue. Why wallflower?", he continued.
"It makes me both sad and happy at the same time", and he smiled.
Tap, tap, tap.
"You are most definitely likeable", after hearing his phone beep again, reading the text.
Carson made a disappointed face, and sighed.
All of a sudden, I noticed that the dogs was in front of us, Tobi's eyes begging for me to threw the ball.
I realised that Carson was trying to hand his phone to me.
"Put in your number. I'll text you, you seem fun", he said, and I backed away.
"Y-you could be anyone!"
He laughed.
"Really? After all we've been through?", chuckling. "Rue. I'm very, much & such gay and can't take my eyes off from that man running over there, plus I have to come back home to my granny, and I kinda need to give him my number. I also just decided to share my life story with you so now you have to put your number in my phone"
I laughed, reaching for the phone, as a thought popped up.
Tap the phone 4 times before taking it.
Like I always did when I picked things up, or sat down on chairs.
Tap. Tap. Ta-
Carson let go of his phone, dropping it to the ground.
In slow-motion it hit the ground, and I could feel my heart drop.
"Oh, I-I'm so so sorry, I'll pay for-"
Carson lightly picked it up, inspecting each side, with a concerned face.
He probably doesn't want to be your friend now.
Blink your eyes 56 times. In the rhythm.
Suddenly he rolled his eyes, and broke out laughing.
"IT SURVIVED, silly! I drop it at least twice a day. You just helped me with this one, Rue", leashing Gideon. "Go. Number. Now"
I tapped it once, making it a four, feeling the concern in my gut, anxiously tapping my number.
I handed it over.
"And we are good to go. See ya!", said Carson, running away with the racing dog right next to him. I did a little wave, mumbling.
"See ya"

Me and Tobi walked back to our apartment, looking around and Tobi sniffing every piece of the green park, as I noticed a much known figure walking towards us. I accelerated, almost running while he picked up on us.
"Ruthleigh! You f*cking bastard. Come back, I just wanna talk to ya!", Ansel's strong voice shouted, scaring me to death, as both me and Tobi was dashing through the park. I squeezed my eyes now & then, tapping a house or two, and a lamp post, trying not step on a crack on the dirty sidewalk.
Tap that bus stop.
And touch that car.
Tap that flyer three times.
I ran, and ran, as I coordinated my way through NYC to Lin & V's apartment. My home. My safe spot.
Suddenly I could barely hear Ansel from behind me, and I looked back, seeing him standing still. But I couldn't stop running, even though Tobi wanted to. I was stuck.
Blink your eyes 71 times.
Tap that wall. And the window.
Scared, almost coughing up my lungs. Oh, how unfit I was.
I soon reached home, racing up the stairs, as I stopped for a while to breath, unlocking and locking the door seven times before actually walking inside.
"We're back!", I happily shouted, trying to hide the fact of how frightened I really was, unleashing the pup. I was finally safe, behind a locked door, in an apartment with Vanessa, who smiled as I walked by the kitchen and cheerfully greeted me, and Sebastian, demanding me to play with his trains.
Oh, you're getting good at hiding.

Lin's pov
I opened the front door, and tiredly headed to the livingroom, from where I could here happy talking. As I walked through the doorway, I saw Rue all curled up on the couch, reading my old copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets, with Tobi on her lap, sitting next to Vanessa who were watching Friends.
"Hiya, hello, hi", I said, kissing Vanessa on the cheek, as Rue did a little wave, but soon dissolved into the world of magic again. I laughed.
"Rue, um, yeah, sorry about that we have to take this now, hopefully it's alright", Vanessa lovingly said, smiling, as Rue put the book to the side.
"So 'bout the article. We didn't really want to put your face on the internet, just so, y'know, could have a normal few weeks. I'd love if people didn't care about me, lastly my family, but, well, it's getting a bit out of hand", I said, and Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Since the last rumour was about you being my long gone call of duty teammate, competing for the team named Lininator, which is hilarious-"
She shrugged her shoulders, but giggled at the CoD-part.
But what made me the most angry out of all of those newspapers I'd read, was her being the girl that I was cheating on. How could people even make something like that up? She's fourteen! She doesn't even look fourteen! She looks twelve!
"Aw, you guys", Rue said. "I'd love to be your long gone call of duty teammate"
Suddenly I noticed her blinking in a special way.
Vanessa spoke.
"So what we're basically try'na say is, we need to make this official, before it all will get a bit too much. But, we need to know if you are going to be fine with it?"
Rue nodded, and did a little smile, as she put up the Potter-book again, swooshing her eyes over the text.
"Also. Harry. Potter. Good choice, niñita"

Later that night, as soon as Rue went to bed, after bragging us to stay up and read more, I tweeted a bit.

@Lin_Manuel :
People. Say hello to Ruth, or Rue if you'd like. A fourteen year old girl, which is the girl y'all been going crazy 'bout, and I can't say I'm fine with what has been >>

I attached a picture of Rue, playing with Sebastian.

@Lin_Manuel :
>> Me & my wife, @VAMNit, V, are fostering Rue, and the story behind why is long. She's not my long lost CoD teammate. Please stop digging into our private life, it's rude>>

@Lin_Manuel :
>> We just wanted her to have a calm first weeks, and now I'm going to bed. G'night, friends. Take care of each other.

@Lin_Manuel :
And yeah, all is well.
Rue is well.
Seb is well.
V is well.
I'm well.
Make tomorrow an all-is-well-day.
Friends, goodnight.

-----
Hiya, peeps💓
How have you been? Happy? Sad?

New chap! A long chap! 2700 words, be happy! And yeah. Hopefully y'all enjoyed it🎉

OKAY. DO YOU LIKE OUTGOING CARSON CUZ CARSON IS A CHARACTER I'VE WANTED TO INCLUDE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
so, doooo youuu liiike caaarson???
ps. think of him as Ezra Miller woo

And yeah, Rue's not getting any better. I feel kinda sad that I make her do all these things - but she's a special character.
Rue. Give your opinion on Rue. In the comments. Yay!

And I'm keeping the questions up, ask Rue anything!
in the comments🍃

It's morning. Almost continued the chapter last night, but realised that I was too t i r e d.
School in a few mins, planning on writing a doctor who fanfic in English. Wish me luck.

Have a lovely day,
Sincerely,
C💞
ps. I'm bad at tweets. hopefully those I've written were alright

Published: 2nd of February, 2017