[lemme just say, 1k, hey that's wayyy more than I thought, and I love y'all💗]
Most people would say that it was mental, that you just didn't move in at someone's house without really knowing the people who lived there. At least, that was my reality, all and every bit of the last few years. It was unusual, weird, but not the slightest of mental. It was only me that thought this was just like everyone else.
And Sherlock, for that matter. He thought it was totally fine for John to move in, then and there.

"So you'll get the guest room, we haven't really had time to decorate though", Vanessa said happily, a bit worried, as they showed me the room.
Five minutes earlier I hadn't even seen the apartment where I was going to live. With them.
I glanced at it, the bed in the corner, white and blue-dotted bedding, a bookshelf over it. Next to the bed stood a desk, right by the window looking out over New York City. White walls, a pastel red rug, big wardrobe, a new-looking marine blue armchair.
The tiny room - a perfect size - making it feel cosy.
"It's lovely, I promise, decorations are not needed. Thank you", I couldn't ask for more, it was more than I ever needed.
I placed my two bags next to the bed, noticing their smiles as I turned back.
"Sorry to break this to ya, but we're gonna redecorate", Vanessa said, giggling.
"O-okay", I said, honest, accepting her statement.
Maybe it wasn't a normal teenage girl's room. But, it was enough. Although, I wouldn't mind to put a few things of myself in there.
Now it was Lin's turn to giggle.
"Well, make yourself at home, my friend, and well Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone later?"

I didn't unpack.
It felt wrong, like every single time I moved in.
It would probably take too long, and then they'd get annoyed because it took too long, and then I'd feel bad about it.

I took a shower.
First time when warm water hugged my body in a few weeks. Or months. Two minutes of hot water, I couldn't break that border. It should always be 2 minutes.

I put my pyjamas on, and a hoodie. I tried to ignore the unpacked bags on the floor, telling myself that I could do it in a week or so. At night.

When I came out to the living room - about 15 minutes after they'd told me to 'make myself at home' - I saw Lin drinking coffee, tweeting, while the film menu was showing on the TV. Vanessa and Sebastian walked into his room, when Lin stopped.
"Wait! I'll tuck him in tonight!", excitedly shouting his command, Vanessa laughing as she sat down on the sofa, right by me.

And the nice evening turned into a nicer evening as we sat there, watching Harry Potter, the world phenomenon that I'd always related to.

I walked away when the film ended, saying 'good night', and quickly tip toed into my room, not really wanting to bother them more today.
My alarm on my phone was set on 5:45. Like always.
I closed my eyes, trying to sleep, as the door peaked open and a light reached inside.
"We did good, right, V?"
"Yeah. Yeah. I think so"
You did.

My alarm took off as it always did, I blinked my eyes open almost immediately and pressed it off. My sight started off blurry, but soon was able to see the dark room. The world outside wasn't light yet, like it always was in late November.
I couldn't hear a sign of movement, the quiet filling the whole room.
Maybe I shouldn't get outta bed just yet.
Wait until they are awake.

I looked up at the ceiling, counting for no reason. Just laying there, waiting.
I blinked one eye seven times. Then the other one.
Both 23 times now, or your eyes might get too dry.
I sat up and grabbed my phone, while counting my blinks. In the search bar, I wrote: 'what happens if your eye gets too dry'.
Reading all the different websites, I started to worry. Could I get that syndrome?
And then you'll make Lin & Vanessa's life even harder.
A non-stop, frantically blinking, 23 ones in pairs, until I finally felt that it would be alright after 7 minutes.
Did you press your alarm off?
So I checked that 7 times.

Soon I could hear someone walking around, at about 6:30. I sighed in relief, I wasn't too early then.
I decided to finally leave the room after a few minutes, took my little time in the bathroom, checking that I really had locked the door 7 times, covering up my still showing bruises.

Vanessa smiled as I entered the kitchen later, Sebastian by her side, as she tried to make him eat some porridge.
"G'mornin! You're up early", she said, pointing at the table. "Take what you want! There's porridge on the stove, and then we have yoghurt, sandwiches, cereal...", but at that I cut her off.
"Okay", smiling as I poured up cereal, some sort I'd never tried before, touched the packaging 7 times like I'd always do with new things I haven't tried.
Lin walked in as I sat reading some angry texts from ms Abbott, he looked over.
"Wifi password on the fridge", laughing as I almost directly looked at it. "See, V? I know this generation's mind"
I looked at the time.
"I-I've gotta go, school", grabbing my backpack, going to the door.
"Hey, wait a lil, Rue! I'm driving you", Lin running after me.
"Oh, okay", I said, a bit surprised. Taking my usual time as I put my shoes on, left foot first.

The drive wasn't silent, it was a nice drive talking to each other.
"So, school, eh?"
"Yeah - so, Hamilton, eh?", I said, imitating his question. Lin laughed.
"Well. Okay, not talking 'bout school, then. But, after school, you do know the way to the theatre right?", I nodded. "Then you'll come there after school, okay?"
"Okay"
"We can't pick you up at school, that's why"
"I-I didn't ask"
"I know", he concentrated something crazy on the road, as he smiled.
"So, you totally can read this gen's mind?", smirking, I laughed. The car stopped suddenly, as Lin laughed but soon focused on the taxi in front of him.
"Driving isn't my best feature"
"Not mine either", I sarcastically said.
"You can't even drive!"
"Exactly - so between you and me, you are definitely the better driver"
Lin got quiet, but soon burst out in laughter, as we casually kept on chatting.

Suddenly it got to me that people would freak out if they saw Lin outside their school, so I frantically started tapping.
He parked right outside, and I quickly got out.
"T-thanks for the ride!", the first stutter in a long time got out from my mouth.
"See ya!", his excited face made me smile, and he drove away after I'd entered the big school building.
Inside, people stared at me, if not more than yesterday. I could already see Rachel, leaning to some girl, whispering. I almost ran to my locker and took my stuff, kept on walking fast to my first class, English.
My English teacher, ms Hudson, nodded at me as I entered way before anyone else.
I opened my folder, seeing Georgia and her friend came in, and she decided to sit down right next to me.
She talked quietly, with an attitude that made me feel lowkey like she really didn't want to talk to me.
"Hey, Ruth, is it true that you trashed Ansel Lovell's house last weekend?"
And I suddenly understood all the looks. Ansel was blaming me, still.
"No?", the answer coming out more like a question.
If you knock on the table 7 times she'll believe you.
"Thought so", she snapped, walking back to her friends as the rest of the pupils sat down on their desks. Ms Hudson stood up, clapped her hands to silent the class.

Walking down the hallway, I could feel Ansel approaching me from behind as I got to my locker.
Open and close the locker 4 times, just to make sure that it's open.
In panic, feeling Ansel's stare from behind, I did my routine of opening and closing, grabbed my APUSH folder and did the same while closing the locker.
Otherwise it won't be locked and people could open it and steal your things, Ruth.
As I turned around, everything went by in slow motion.
Ansel's calm eyes, angrily narrowing into mine, punching me in the face, while whispering in a way like he almost threw the words at me.
"You freak, couldn't you just lie at the hearing with the police, huh?", I was shaking, looking down, as the pain continued to spread across my face. He pressed me up against the lockers, while I'd almost stopped breathing out of fright. "Now we have to pay, Ruthleigh, and it's all your fault"
The last few words echoed in my head, as Ansel let go and left me on the ground, walking down the hallway with his group, like nothing ever happened.
All this while people we're watching, but no one had the guts to say anything as they clearly got back to what they were up to, whether it was talking to their girlfriend or running to a class.
Your fault. My fault.
I stood up, feeling my cheek pulsating from pain.
I took up my hand, feeling my bottom lip and saw the blood come off.
Instantly I regretted not bringing my makeup to school.

I knocked on the door to the Richard Rogers Theater, texting Lin.

<-I'm outside

But before I could send it, the door swung open by Oak.
"Oh, hi Ruth!", he said, letting me inside, as I tried to hide my cut lip that finally stopped bleeding on the way here, but now had decided to swollen.
"Hi!", doing a little wave. I walked behind him until I got to backstage, seeing Lin in rehearsals, I placed my things on a table. I pulled my math folder out, and soon the numbers all melted together in front of my eyes. I separated them all, only making every number seem like they stood for their own rights and shouldn't be formed into a 3 instead of a 87.
I'm definitely failing maths this year.

So I went for what a four-year-old would call an adventure.
Looking around, saying hi to everybody, but soon found myself stuck in the girls' dress room.
"Pippa! Come over here girl, look who finally had time for us!", Jazz shouted at the empty hallway, but soon an excited Phillipa Soo came running in full costume.
"That's actually a lie, I was in school 'til now!", I said, protesting.
"Hiii!", Pippa squealed, hugging me. "Oh my god, what happened to your lip?"
Think of something quickly.
"Um, I cut myself while trying to pin up the hoodie I'm making in needlework, like I'm the clumsiest person ever", rambling on words, she gave me a look of 'I'm-not-buying-that'. "Really, like needlework is hardcore you guys!", although, that made them laugh and quickly changed subject to what at-the-time-cool stuff they'd done. To be honest, their accomplishments would've been cool now too, probably.
While the 3 girls kept on chatting, I could see Thayne sneaking up behind Pippa. Putting his finger to the lip, forming his mouth into a 'shh', as he saw that I had detected him, and Renee and Jazz for that matter who just kept talking. He screamed in the loudest way possible, making Pippa jump a few hundred meters in her mind, shouting.
"thAYNE!", as he sprinted away, laughing, with Pippa right behind him.

And there I sat, in the little comfy chair I'd found, taking part of every little conversation.

All of a sudden, Lin's hyped face looked inside.
"Ha! Thought I heard you!"
"Yep", nodding.
"How was your day?"
The casual conversation, and for once I could answer this one honestly.
"Great!"
"Well, V will be here in twenty minutes or so, but Tommy's demanding  me to go back to rehearsals and therefore", he gives me a tight, loving hug, "and see you maybe later tonight, maybe not, Rue", smiling, turning to the sisters in his show. "And you - take care of her, I see you", making a gesture that he was watching them, backing out from the room, leaving. Suddenly he looked inside again, kept on making the movement with his hand, and left us laughing.
"He's definitely had too much coffee today", Renee said in the most ironic voice ever, only to let us hear Lin shout something clear & loud.
"I heard that!"

Twenty minutes later I sat in the car, but now it was Vanessa driving as she'd casually stolen Lin's keys from his desk, leaving a little note.
"I'll walk to school tomorrow, this just seems so complicated, you guys", I said after we'd gone by the usual, daily, conversation. Sebastian sat in the back, loudly humming with the songs playing in the cutest way possible. He happily cheered as I'd joined the humming party for a few minutes earlier.
"Maybe"
It went silent, only the humming in the backseat breaking it.
"So, um, Pippa told me about your swollen lip and bruised cheek. She didn't really buy your story, neither did I, my friend", her serious, soft, tone talking making the place feel safe.
She knows, you are such a bad liar, Ruth. Tap your knee 23 times.
"Rue, be real, what happened?"
Her words were so worrying, so caring.
"S-someone was pissed off and punched me in the face, nothing major, nothing to worry 'bout"
Her decision of not pressure me for more information made me feel safe.
Instead, she said something completely different.
"Thank you, Rue, thank you for being honest"
-----
Hello, hello, hello from quite a long chap🍃
1k, 1000 reads?? in what, like a month?? this is all just flippin crazy that people actually wanna read my story💓
So yeah, a long, kinda boring chapter today. Was it boring? Or just long?👀
Maybe leave a comment with critique and feedback, and a lil vote too?💗 it means everything to me!💞

Well, been sick and still am, bUT THERE IS FINALLY SNOW HERE YAAAS. Been waitin' for too long🎆
Also school starts on Tuesday which means ~*^=less updates=^*~ cuz I'm a perfectionist and can't stand publishing a bad chapter... and hopefully that's okay with you guys, bc, in the end, it's always about the quality🌬

Also, do you want me to do some like Q & A for Ruth?? Like you leave questions for her, and then I answer in an A/N in the end of a chapter?? ...v inspired by Abi_Fanzel woo🎈

Hopefully you've had a decent 2017 so far,
Sincerely,
C

Published; 6th of January, 2017