Chapter 9: Adoption Celebration and Reconnection

"Wake up Rose," a cheerful voice said as I felt like I was being shaken awake from a deep sleep. What happened last night soon became a blur as I groaned awake

Once I kissed him, he kissed me back, the kissing lasted so long that someone ended up knocking on the car window telling us to get a room. After which Ric drove me back to the theater and that was the end of the night.

Once I turned around and sat up, I saw Renée holding a package, "Who's that for," I asked tiredly as she chuckled

"It's for you," she began

"Why," I asked her as his smile only widened

"You're officially my daughter," she said as I checked the date on my new phone. "Alexis, your father, and I signed the papers yesterday after the show while you were out with Ric. Today is to celebrate your adoption and the whole cast is taking part in it since you are also apart of the Hamilton family," she explained as realization dawned on me and I grinned

"Thank you, Renée," I said

"You're welcome, now open," she said thrusting the red wrapped package in my direction

I chuckled as I heard two sets of footsteps approaching while I grabbed it, "Good morning Jazzy and Pippa," I said as I started tearing open the package

"Good morning Rose," Jazzy said with a smiled

"Congratulations on your adoption," Pippa said afterward as I finished tearing the wrapping paper off

"Thank you," I said as I looked at the box, "can I have something to open this with," I asked one of them. Pippa turned around as she grabbed a pair of scissors that were on a desk that was put in the room last night after I left, and gave them to me. Once I grabbed them, I opened the box; inside it were two other boxes one wrapped in light blue while the other was wrapped in yellow, a cute pink dress with a wrap and black heel that looked like they were one and a half-inch. "These are the Schuyler Sisters colors," I said as I grabbed the light blue package first. Once I opened it, I saw that it had a jewelry case that had a sapphire necklace and earrings. Pippa smiled with Jazzy and Renée as I grabbed the yellow package; once opened I gasped to see a rose gold bracelet with gemstones the colors of the three sisters. "Thank you," I began, "they're beautiful," I added as all three of them grinned

"I'm guessing that you figured that all of this wasn't from me alone," Renée began as I nodded looking at the jewelry. "Who do you think got what," she asked me

"Pippa got me the necklace and earrings," I began as Pippa nodded with her traditional grin. "Jazzy got me the bracelet that has all of your colors," I continued then looked at Renée. "You got me the outfit," I finished, "thank you again," I added as both Renée and Jazzy smiled

"You're welcome," Pippa and Jazzy said in unison as Renée hugged me

"You are to wear that outfit the whole time, the pink is to represent that you are now my daughter," she said. "The other sister's colors are going to resemble how Pippa and Jazzy are part of your family as well. Once you're dressed and ready for the day wait in here for me to text you; you can check all of your social media if you remember the passwords," she added as my grin widened

I jumped out of my bed and grabbed a piece of paper that I slid in my backpack after my third house, "I don't remember all of them but thankfully I wrote them down before I ran from my first foster home."

"If you had that all this time why didn't you use it," Pippa asked me dumbfounded

"I haven't been able to get to a computer that didn't have any social media blocked and none of the families had internet after I got here my phone was turned off," I explained as they all nodded

"Well then," Renée began with a smile as I set the paper down and walked to the three women. "You can check it after you're done getting ready, we have a surprise for you," she finished as I smiled in excitement

"I can't wait to see it," I said as all three women smiled before they left the room. Once the door closed, I took the dress out of the box and hung it on the back of the door in the bathroom before I took a shower. Once I was out, I slid the dress on and started working on my makeup and hair. Soon I was finished and at the desk putting in the password for my Facebook account into the app. Once I was signed in, I had a ton of notifications and messages many of which were asking where I was, why I wasn't answering, and if I was okay. Many of the notifications were of tags from old memories that people like Cassidy and Maria tagged me in. To answer all of the questions I updated my status

Rose Stevens updated her status in New York City

Hey guys, I am fine and safe if you want to talk to me please message me because I can't make anything public right now.

Once I posted it a message popped up on my phone from Cassidy, the friend that I got into that fatal crash with. We both put nicknames in our chat so when I opened her chat I chuckled when I saw that her name was Weirdo #1.

Weirdo #1: WHERE IN GOD'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN YOUNG LADY??????? ARE YOU OKAY? WHY HAVEN'T YOU ANSWERED ME FOR THE PAST FOUR YEARS?????

Weirdo #2: Jeez Cass, chill out, I have been in New York since the second family forced me to move. They cut off service to my phone when I got here and I haven't been around the internet or had any phone service until now. I'm with my sixth family and I'm somewhere that will make Mike very jealous.

Weirdo #1: Thank god you are okay; I don't know what I'd do if you weren't. Who are you with?

Weirdo #2: I'm with the cast of Hamilton, Renée Elise Goldsberry is adopting me and I'm trying so hard to freak out. As for the okay part I haven't been as good as I am now with some of the foster homes but I'd rather not talk about it since I'm celebrating my adoption today

Weirdo #1: I'd probably drive over there if you weren't okay. Is that why Michael and Maria sent me a link to a Hamilton interview saying that you were in it? I am telling them that it was real and not edited

I smiled once I received that message

Weirdo #2: Go ahead and yes, I just got the new phone yesterday before the interview and then hung out with a guy named Ric afterward.

Weirdo #1: Lucky, I gotta go. I have to get back to work so I can get over there and see you again

Weirdo #2: Okay lol, talk to you later then

Once I sent that last message my grin widened once I got a message from both Maria aka Drama Queen and Michael who is also known as Mr. Irritating. Once I sat down on the bed, I looked at Maria's message first since I was living with her for sometime before CSB put me in a foster home.

Drama Queen: OMG YOU'RE ALIVE? I DON'T USUALLY DO THIS BUT THANK GOD YOU ARE!!!! WHERE IN THE WORLD HAVE YOU BEEN?

Drama Princess: Yes, I am alive. I am in New York City as the post says with the Hamilton cast. After the first family put me back into the group home, I was put into a second home that forced me to move here with them. I was then dropped off at the nearest group home.

Drama Queen: LUCKY, I WANT TO BE WITH THE HAMILTON CAST! ARE BEING ADOPTED BY SOMEONE IN THE CAST???

Drama Princess: Yeah, Renée is adopting me. She and her husband signed the papers yesterday after the interview. Today is supposed to be in celebration of that. Why are you talking in all caps? Is your keyboard broken on your phone and laptop?

Drama Queen: YES, IT IS AND I HATE IT!!!! I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE ADOPTED, CONGRATULATIONS, I WISH I COULD TALK TO YOU LONGER BUT I HAVE TO GET TO CLASS SO I'LL TALK TO YOU LATER.

I chuckled at the caps lock key being stuck

Drama Princess: Pro tip with combating a broken caps lock key, hold the shift key while typing on a laptop; Idk how to combat it with a phone…have fun in class.

Next, I answer Michael who has been blowing my phone up ever since I started talking to Maria

Mr. Irritating: IS WHAT CASSIDY SAID TRUE ABOUT ME AND MARIA TELLING HER THAT YOU'RE ALIVE WITH THE INTERVIEW WITH HAMILTON?

Miss Weirdo: Yes, it is lol

Mr. Irritating: ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH, GOOD GRIEF

Miss Weirdo: Lmao, I should call you Charlie Brown

Rose Stevens changed the name for Michael Lee to Charlie Brown

Miss Weirdo: You're a good man, Charlie Brown lol. Btw I'm being adopted by Renée too

Charlie Brown: -_- if I'm Charlie Brown then you Lucy Van Pelt

Michael Lee changed the nickname for Rose Stevens to Lucy Van Pelt

Charlie Brown: LUCKY!!!!

Lucy Van Pelt: I'm not complaining, I like all of the female names in the Peanuts. You'll live

Charlie Brown: Oh shoot, I guess I will gotta go Rose I'll ttyl congrats on adoption btw

Lucy Van Pelt: Thanks Mike and ttyl, you blockhead

Charlie Brown: lol

Right after that last text, a knock sounded at the door as I found myself lying on my stomach in the middle of the bed. "Are you ready Rose, it's time for you to see your surprise," Renée said through the door

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute," I called out as I slid off the bed. Once off the bed, I put my phone on silent, fixed my jewelry, and dress before putting on the wrap and heading out. Once I opened the door a piece of paper fell to the floor, I picked it up and walked back into the room since the whole stage was in darkness aside from the light from my room and a spotlight on the stage somewhere. I held the note in my left hand while my right held my phone, the note said

Dear Rose,

You are to go to the center of the stage where the spotlight is and sing one of Pippa's songs from the musical.

Love you

Renée

I set the note down on the bed before I retraced my steps to the stage from the interview. Once I got there, I saw that even the house was covered in darkness, thanks to the night vision that I had from previous shows I navigated myself to center stage without running into any of the set. Once there, I began to sing Burn, it was the first time that I sang in a long time so I was nervous but once I started, I felt like I was in my world. I missed singing so much that I failed to notice the lights changing for the song or the music that accompanied me. I only noticed these things once I finished the song which is when Jazzy, Renée, and Leslie came up

"That was beautiful my dear," Renée began, "would you mind singing Pippa's part in Schuyler Sisters," she asked

"No, I wouldn't," I said with a grin as she copied it

"Sweet, let's do this, Lac you ready," she asked the conductor who was underneath the stage

"I'm ready Renée," he replied then she turned to Leslie and Jazzy

"Burr, Peggy, are you ready," she asked

Jazzy nodded as Leslie smiled saying, "Certainly," before taking his place on the stage

Once he was there and I was next to Renée she smirked before saying, "Let's do this," then we started singing. The whole scene played out as how I remembered it while watching the Tony Awards. By the time the song finished, I was back center stage with Renée and Jazzy who quickly stepped back as the lights came up to show the whole cast with gifts wrapped in every color of the main characters in Hamilton.

"Welcome to the Hamilton family," everyone said as I realized that everyone was here including Vanessa and Alexis.

A tear ran down my cheek as I spun around in a circle looking at everyone who had presents around them. "Thank you," I choked before I cried my first happy tears in a long time.

"I hope those are happy tears," Daveed began with a yawn, "because a lot of us pulled an all-nighter planning this."

"They are," I said with a smile, "I haven't had happy tears since my eleventh birthday which was with one of my best friends."

"Well then, now you get to talk to them," Lin said as Vanessa smiled, "by the way, this is my wife Vanessa she helped Renée and Alexis with all the papers."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Rose," she said, "I've heard great things about you; I even helped them get rid of the must foster for a year rule too," she added giving me a wink.

"Wait there's a rule that we needed to foster her for a year before we adopted," Alexis asked as he stood there dumbfounded. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well Rose, my name is Alexis I am your father," he said and I smiled

"There was a rule but Vanessa helped us work around it," Renée said pecking him on the cheek making me wish Ric was here to see this

"Sorry, am I late for the surprise," a voice asked from behind and I spun around as the tears of happiness continued. Ric stood there in a light blue shirt with a jean jacket and jeans. "Congratulations on your adoption, I may have known about it during last night," he said with a faint blush as he held a gift in his hand. "Before I left my mother wanted to give you something, she only said that it's to help hold your memories in," he added as I grinned and attacked him with a hug

"Thank you," I screamed, "for being here," I added once I ran into him, the tears coming faster.

"You're welcome," he said as I heard awe come from behind me

"You two are beautiful," Renée began, "can we get to opening gifts since we have a show to do later on today."

I pushed away, now blushing a little, before nodding, "Yeah," I said as Ric handed his first

"I was told that this would be the first step in an order that Renée and Lin had set up," he said with a smirk

I smiled looking into his ocean eyes that sparkled with happiness, "Well," I began. "I guess I'll have to open yours first," I finished as I grabbed the grey wrapped package from his hand. Once I unwrapped the package, I opened the jewelry box that was inside. I gasped as I saw what was inside, "How," I gasped, "this must've been expensive," I said before taking it out of its box. It was a rose gold ball about the size of the Snitch in Harry Potter but without the wings.

"Twist the bottom of it," he said with a grin and I looked at him with a small glare. Once I turned the bottom of the sphere my jaw dropped as it fell to the ground with several little picture frames. "You can put pictures on both sides of the frames," Ric began. "It looks like my mother added one to it," he added as he took a step closer, "what picture is on the first frame?"

I grabbed the frame and looked at the picture in it, "It's of you in your tuxedo from last night," I said with a smiled as he chuckled

"My mother tends to be this sneaky," he said, "why don't you open more presents? The cast can't hold the show up the whole day," he said as everyone chuckled

"You're right," I said as I collected the frames, "sit with me?"

It was more of a statement than a question but he smiled at the pout that came with it and followed me centerstage. I opened every single gift from the cast and their families; I got more pictures from the cast along with playbills, clothes, jewelry, stuffed animals, money, and gaming systems. Renée approached me with two children next to her

"This is your brother and sister, first is Ben who is our son biologically and this is Brielle. She usually goes by Bri and she was adopted from Africa," Renée said to me as I smiled and knelt to meet them. "Children," she began and looked up at her, "This is your big sister, Rose."

Once she said this, their smiles widened and they both attacked me with big hugs, these hugs held so much impact that I fell onto my butt. "It seems like you have been told a lot about me," I said with a laugh as the two children climbed on me to give me their biggest hug possible

"Mommy told me that you're one of the strongest teenagers that she's ever seen," Bri said. "If mommy admires you then so do, we," she added as Ben started roughhousing with me

"So, your mother admires me," I asked as she nodded with a smile before burying her face into my side as Ben put me in a chokehold. "Ah," I screamed playfully, "I'm going down," I said before leaning over and falling on the side that didn't have Bri snuggled into it making the two giggle.

We played for about a half an hour before it was time for the show, Vanessa and Alexis left as Lin pulled me aside. "There is one more surprise for you," he said as I followed him to the edge of the stage. "You see those middle seats in the front row," he asked as I nodded. "Those are for you and Ric, you are being asked to keep this dress on as he is changing into a dress shirt and slacks; you will being seeing the show today with an ending surprise," he finished and my heart melted

"Thank you, Lin," I said before wrapping my arms around his neck

"No problem," he began, "there is one thing I would like for you to do if you wouldn't mind."

"What might that be," I asked him as I looked at him with an arched eyebrow

"Could you sing Satisfied in the Ham4Ham today," he asked as I thought for a minute and nodded. "Great, all of the other parts will be acted out by their characters you will just be singing Renée's part; wait for me to knock on the door for your entrance," he said as he led me to the back of the house

"I will do just that," I said as he grinned, stopping before the door

"Make sure your warm up a little more because I don't want you hurting after this," he said as I nodded before he left

"Hello," he said to the crowd as I began doing some lip trills, Pippa winked at me as Anthony flashed a smile before going onto the stage with Lac as Lin introduced them. "Now, you may be wondering," Lin began as I got ready behind the door, "why is there only one Schuyler sister here with Laurens and Hamilton," to this question the crowd went crazy as I smiled. "That is because we have a special guest joining us today who will be singing," he paused as the audience continued cheering. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, "you may have seen her during the interview or walking around New York but let me proudly introduce to you, Rose Stevens."

With that, he knocked on the door and I stepped forward to see the crowd screaming in excitement. "Good evening guys," I said once I was given a microphone, "how are y'all doing today," the crowd cheered in response as my smile widened. "Lin do you have any last remarks before we begin," I asked as he grinned

"That I do," he began, "ladies and gentlemen if you look at Rose's outfit today you will be able to guess who in the Hamilton family is adopting her. With that let's begin," he finished as Pippa gave Anthony the microphone, and Lac started playing. By the time the song was finished, I was both out of breath and awestruck, "You can say it this time," Lin whispered in my ear as I smirked

"Thank y'all for coming," I began, "good luck with the lotto," I finished before turning around going back into the theater. Once I was inside all four of them looked at me with smiles, "What?"

"That was amazing," Pippa said, "I didn't know how talented of a singer and actress you are."

I smiled as both Anthony, Lin, and Lac nodded, "Thanks guys," I said with a grin, "now please go, I don't want you to be late for places."

With that, they nodded as I got the chance to walk around the house for the first time. I checked my phone to see that I had about half an hour until curtain so I messaged Renée to ask if it was safe for me to step outside and wait for Ric. She said it was okay so I slid on a coat after fixing my makeup and then walked out of the room with the tickets that Lin had left me. Soon enough I found myself at the edge of the curb looking for Ric

"Hey there," a voice asked from behind me as I turned in shock, "are you, Rose?"

Once I calmed down, I turned and saw a beautiful girl who looked to be around my age. She had light brown, almost hazel, eyes with blonde hair that matched mine, she was wearing jeans and an orange winter coat zipped up to her chin. "Yes, I am," I finally replied, "sorry it took me too long to reply you scared me."

The girl blushed, "Sorry about that," she began, "My name's Samantha Edwards. I go to a high school near here and I want to say congratulations on your adoption and great job with the song," she said. "Would you mind if I send you a friend request, you could have another person to show you around if the cast is busy," she added and I smiled

"No, I wouldn't mind at all," I began, "what's your name on Facebook?"

"Sammy Ed," she said as I smirked, "it used to be Sammy Edwards but someone took ahold of my phone and shortened my last name."

After her explanation I smiled, "I like it," I began, "it shows how unique you are," I smirked. "Stay that way," I added pressing the send friend request button on a profile that had the face of a beautiful smiling face. "You going to see the show," I asked and she shook her head

"I was just here to watch the Ham4Ham, I stayed behind to congratulate on your adoption and praise your singing. I also wanted to know," she began, "is Renée going to be your mother?"

I smiled just as Ric came up, "That is for you to find out at a later time," I said with a wink and she sighed as I chuckled

"Who's this," Ric asked, "is she hurting you?"

I shook my head, "No," I began, "Samantha Edwards, meet Richard Ashely, my boyfriend," I finished. "Thank you for the congratulations, Sammy, I wish you luck on the rest of your school year and I hope to see you again someday."

She smiled, "I hope to see you again too," she said, "it's nice to meet you, Richard," she added before leaving.

I then turned to Ric after checking the time, "Ready to see a show," I asked and he nodded with a smile

We entered and took our seats, while we waited for the show to start, I looked through Samantha's profile. She didn't seem like she'd hurt me and I was sure that Renée would like me to go to a different school come the next year.

"What are you looking at," Ric asked me making me jump

"Oh, I'm looking at her profile," I began, "usually the best way to know a person is to look at their profile. Besides I think Renée wants me to switch schools next year so I might ask about the one she goes to or the one you go to," I explained and he nodded

Right then the lights flashed, "Good thing to keep in mind," he said with his handsome grin. "Think about that later, we have a show to enjoy."