young, scrappy and hungry | a hamilton story | √

Chapter 39

Carleigh, Kasey, Brooke and Patricia sat down to open presents after dinner. Kasey felt a little awkward, despite how nice Carleigh, Brooke and Patricia were being. Sitting in an unfamiliar house, with people that weren't her family- it was unusual for Kasey. 

Her last Christmas had been spent with Wendy and Paul, and the many Christmases before that, too. She'd had more holidays with her foster parents than her real family. And now, those days were over. It seemed like Kasey was in an endless loop, where she would gain family just to lose it.

At this point, Kasey could barely remember her parents or her brother. They were all distant memories, of something she knew she missed, but she wasn't sure why. Sometimes she remembered Derrick as a sixth year, bringing her to her to class, or her mother making cookies, but their faces were gone. Her family was more like a concept to her. A perfect life, a happy one. It was something she knew she would never have.

And that made her sad. 

"Who wants to go first?" Patricia asked. 

"Me," Carleigh and Brooke declared at the same time. Patricia sighed, but there was laughter in her eyes.

"Girls, we go over this every time. This year will be based on... alphabetically, by first name," Patricia told them, smiling. 

"It's always alphabetically by first name," Carleigh complained. "Brooke goes first all the time."

"Well, just deal with it, Carleigh," Patricia said, rolling her eyes. "Who wants to give her their gift first?"

"I will," Kasey offered. She stood and grabbed the silvery wrapped gifted and handed it to Brooke. "I wasn't totally sure what you like..."

Brooke opened it and pulled out her gift. It was a ticket to Hamilton. "You didn't have to do this," she said instantly.

"Each cast member has a certain amount of tickets for family... And since Carleigh said you adopted me, well," Kasey said, shrugging.

"You're too sweet, thank you."

~~~~~

Before Kasey knew it, they were back onstage. Christmas break was over- she'd spent the break with the Bettiols. At first, she'd felt a little awkward butting into a time usually spent with family- but Brooke, Patricia, and Carleigh treated Kasey like she'd always been a part of their household. It was a nice feeling, Kasey decided. 

They were sitting at one of Carleigh's favorite cafes. Kasey had her binder of American History out and was studying, while Carleigh was scrolling on her phone.

"Oh," Carleigh said quietly. Kasey looked up. 

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've just received notice that I'll be playing Eliza... on January 10," Carleigh told Kasey, sliding her phone across the table. 

"That's fantastic!" Kasey exclaimed, then noticed her friend's expression. "What's wrong?"

"January 10 has been a hard day for me for a while now. That's the date my father died," Carleigh said softly. 

Kasey exhaled slowly. "It'll be okay."

"It's... I don't know, I just never thought I'd have to stress about two things at once.

"If anything, January 10 is the perfect date to play Eliza. It's such an important milestone in your life, and even if your father's not here, that doesn't mean he's not watching you. I know you'll perform with him in mind. Don't think of your father's death as something that will hold you back. Let it make you a better actress. I think channeling his energy will make the night even more special to you," Kasey told Carleigh. "And you were so amazing when you did it before."

Carleigh sighed, rubbing her face with her hands. "It's so hard, Kasey, and I know I shouldn't be complaining to you, of all people, but-"

Kasey slid Carleigh's phone back across the table. "Carleigh. We've all been through a lot. Just because I've lost more than most doesn't mean that you can't talk to me. And I understand what you're going through, and I honestly believe that this was meant to happen."

"I just don't want to disappoint my father," Carleigh admitted.

"You won't, trust me," Kasey promised. "If anything, he's going to look down on his daughter and say to himself 'that girl is the most perfect girl that has ever walked the planet', and I made her. Don't worry."

Carleigh hugged Kasey. "I'm sure your parents and Wendy and Paul are saying that right now, too," she said. "You should be proud of yourself. You're a strong person. I look up to you, you know that, right?"

Kasey hugged her friend. "Thank you, Carleigh. Same goes for you."

"Quick, when did the Battle of Yorktown take place?" Carleigh asked suddenly a minute later.

Kasey blanked for about ten seconds. "1781."

"I was concerned for a second there," Carleigh laughed.

"You can't just spring that kind of stuff on me!" Kasey complained.

"Kasey, you literally sing it every night!"

"That doesn't mean I actually process it anymore," Kasey said. "I mean, I do, but sometimes I just autopilot."

"That's true," Carleigh relented. "But here's a good one- what event caused America's entry into World War II?"

"Pearl Harbor," Kasey said instantly. 

"How do you know that better than the Battle of Yorktown?" Carleigh demanded.

"I was literally just looking at the notes," Kasey said. "Trust me, in about a half hour all I'm going to know is World War II."

"When is your test again?"

"It's in two weeks, so a few days after you play Eliza," Kasey said.

"You'll be alright," Carleigh reassured her.

"I hope so."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

update: thanks to @skyflapple for the writing mistake :)