young, scrappy and hungry | a hamilton story | √

Chapter 56.5

Kasey hadn't had a real birthday celebration in a long time. The last actual one had been when her family was still alive. She'd been a little kid then, not even a teenager. She vaguely remembered the vanilla cake, with the light blue frosting, and the candles. Her parents sang 'happy birthday' and her brother smeared icing on Kasey's nose. 

Then they'd died, and Kasey had been sent to foster care. The first few houses hadn't even lasted long enough to make it to Kasey's birthday. Some of them wouldn't have cared, anyway- they took good care of her, but they didn't love her. They made that clear. 

Wendy and Paul had cared, and they hadn't let the foster people take Kasey away when their time was up. They kept her, but Wendy and Paul weren't really the celebratory type. They really didn't do Christmas, or Easter, or Valentine's Day, or even their anniversary. Everything was toned down when Kasey lived with them. She hadn't minded. They played games, they would joke around and laugh, but they didn't think that growing a year older required celebration.

Kasey suspected that now that she was friends with Carleigh, things were different. One of the first questions Carleigh had asked when they became friends was when was her birthday. It was April 27.

And now the day was here. Kasey was one year older. Another year without her family, one step closer to a year without Wendy and Paul. But two years with Hamilton, two years with Carleigh as her friend. It was bittersweet.

"Happy birthday!" Carleigh exclaimed when Kasey got up. 

"Thanks," Kasey said. 

"What do you want to do today? I know we have two shows, but we can still celebrate. We could go to Sweet Frog, or see a movie between shows if you want."

"We don't have to do anything," Kasey said, shaking her head. 

"It's not everyday that you have a birthday, Kasey," Carleigh told her sternly. "We have to do something! Where's somewhere that you've never been but you've always wanted to go?"

"To be honest? The zoo," Kasey confessed. 

"You've never been to the zoo here?" Carleigh asked, stunned. 

"I only got here sophomore year of college, and right after senior year, I got Hamilton, so no, I haven't had the time!" Kasey laughed. 

"Okay, we're definitely going," Carleigh said, standing up. "Between shows, obviously, but we can go now, eat food, do the show, and come back. Taking breaks is better anyway, because my brain starts to get fried when I look at things too long."

~~~~~~~~~

They entered the zoo, and Carleigh immediately dragged Kasey to see the polar bears, for some strange reason.

"Of all the animals, polar bears? Really?" Kasey laughed as Carleigh watched the polar bears.

"I like them, they're fluffy," Carleigh defended. "What do you want to see?"

"The sea lions," Kasey said immediately. 

"Let's go, then," Carleigh said. She seemed to know exactly where everything was. She didn't even glance at any maps. 

They watched the sea lions for a while. One even got close enough to Kasey to splash her with his flipper, which made her laugh. 

"I got that in a picture," Carleigh called triumphantly. "I'm posting it, punny caption included."

"You're such a nerd, Carleigh," Kasey said, rolling her eyes.

After the sea lions, they went to see the penguins, and then they had to leave to get ready for the show.

Kasey stepped inside the dressing room and was immediately mobbed by the other girls.

"Happy birthday!" Ariana shouted. 

"They grow up so fast," Betsy said, wiping fake tears out of her eyes. 

"Oh, shut up," Kasey laughed. 

They all had gifts for her, which she was surprised about. Ariana got her a pair of Toms with the British flag on them, since everyone in the ensemble knew about Kasey's Toms obsession. Betsy got her a British phone case, Morgan Marcell had gotten Kasey a box of Earl Grey tea...

"I sense a British theme," Kasey commented.

"You're right," Ariana laughed. "We couldn't resist, plus you're such a great Brit that it doesn't matter."

"I'm half-American, now," Kasey reminded them.

"Yeah, you haven't gotten to the American gifts yet," Carleigh told her.

Stephanie Klemons had gotten Kasey American Toms, and Carleigh had gotten Kasey a scarf with fireworks on it.

"Thanks, you guys," Kasey said. "It means so much to me."

"Happy birthday," Betsy said, hugging Kasey. "You deserve it. You're so great."

"I heard it's someone's birthday," Renee said, popping her head in the door. She was holding a box wrapped in dark blue paper. "Happy birthday, Kasey."

Kasey gently took off the wrapping paper and slid what was inside out of the box. 

It was a collage of four pictures- one of Kasey taking the citizenship vow, one of Kasey receiving her blue jacket, and two pictures that Kasey hadn't even known were being taken. One was of her and Carleigh doing each other's hair, and the other was of Kasey in her redcoat for 'Yorktown'.

"Thank you, Renee," Kasey said, throwing her arms around the older woman.

"You're very welcome," Renee replied. 

"I took the one of you and Carleigh!" Alysha admitted. "It was too cute to pass up, and then Renee was going around during shows and randomly interrogating people for pictures of you."

"It was actually scary," Ariana laughed. "I would be about to go onstage and Renee would be like 'if you have any Kasey pictures, I want to see them'. She would pop out of the darkness without warning."

"I don't think it was that bad," Alysha said, rolling her eyes. "It was cute."

"Well, thank you all," Kasey said. "Now, we have a show to do, and I'd hate to be responsible for anyone missing their cues."

~~~~~~~

The whole day was surreal. She was constantly stopped backstage and wished a happy birthday. Once, while she was sitting on stage right, on her phone, waiting for 'Take a Break' to end, she heard someone hissing at her.

"Winslow!" 

Kasey looked around. Oak was pointing his phone at her.

"What?" she asked. 

"Happy birthday! Say 'hi' to my Snapchat!" Oak said.

"Thanks, Oak. Hi, Snapchat," Kasey said.

And then during 'Yorktown', when she passed Anthony onstage, she saw him mouth 'Happy Birthday' before he got out of her eyesight.

Jonathan Groff roped Kasey into filming a video with him since she was his 'loyal British subject', and, of course, Pippa and Jazzy came over during 'Dear Theodosia' to wish her a happy birthday, too.

There were more birthday wishes than Kasey could count, and more than she'd ever gotten in her life. All the gifts, all the love, all the hugs... Kasey didn't think the cast knew how much they meant to her. She'd spent years without a true family, but maybe having a cast instead wasn't so bad. 

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

i'm too lazy to renumber this just so you know i added it last minute