Adopted by Lin Manuel Miranda

Freedom

"Go to celebs_exposed on Instagram. Trust me." I see everyone pull out their phones and pull up Instagram. I can tell by their faces that they've found the pictures.

And as per usual, not to feed into gender stereotypes, the men were furious and looking like they're about to kill someone, and the women look sad and mad. But mainly sympathetic.

Anthony on the other hand seems extremely shocked. "What is this, Cori?" Anthony asks me.

"As if you don't know. Anthony Ramos, I'm done with your lies and deception. I'm tired of forgiving you and continuing to be shocked everytime you let me down. I'm done. I can't do this anymore. Can't you tell it's not healthy? We keep fighting, breaking up, getting back together, repeat, and not necessarily in that order. So you can consider this our final and official break up", I say confidently, taking off my once beautiful engagement ring.

I hand it to him and then wait for his response. He just looks at me with heartbroken eyes. "Cori, I love you", he cries.

"I love you too. Or at least I loved a man that I don't know anymore. You've changed. And so have I. I'm not going to keep handing out chances and then watch you pop those chances like a balloon. I'm not going to apologize for your actions again. I'm not going to let you walk all over me like some door mat. I'm actually serious this time.

"Surely us being engaged two times already says something. I'm just now 18. I'm still discovering who I am. I haven't even gone to college. Do I regret our time together? No. Does this need to stop? Yes. Most definitely. This is enough", I rant.

Anthony bows his head in defeat. He knows he can't argue with me. Good. Serves him right. He can't defend himself. That's also good, I guess. I walk up to him and throw my arms around his neck. "Goodbye, Anthony."

And with that, he walked out of the door and left the building.

I felt free and good. Did I say that the last breakup? Yes. But am I going to keep it that way? Yes. Am I ever going to stop asking myself questions and then answering them in my head? Haha, no.

That was 50,000 times easier than I imagined.

I look at the faces of the cast and I see their bewildered looks. Chris was averting his eyes away from the scene awkwardly. Thayne looked serious on the outside, but I feel like he was secretly dying of laughter on the inside.

Jazzy was distressed, like she just saw her OTP go down. Actually, that's probably exactly how she feels. Leslie looks very confused by the entire situation, which might have been enough to make me laugh, if it weren't for the given circumstances.

Daveed, well he looked smug in a way, like he was happy it finally ended, hopefully just because he wanted me to be happy. He also looked guilty that he caused the scene. Bipolar much, Dav?

Phillipa was giving me a proud look. Renée and Jon were holding hands and looking at me wearily with concern. Parents.

Speaking of, my parents were looking like complete opposites. Vanessa, seeing as I already told her about Anthony's cheating, lying ways, looked calm and haply for my freedom from that relationship.

As for Lin, well, he looked murderous. Not like a hyperbole or an exaggeration, but like he might actually kill someone. Someone being Anthony. He also looked betrayed. Maybe betrayed that I didn't tell him or betrayed that his friend could have a separate life without him knowing.

And I'm sure I looked content and smug, because that's how I felt. Content to be out of that tortuous relationship and smug that I most likely severed his ties with all of his closest friends.

Am I a tad evil? No. I'm 500% evil. But in this case, he deserved it. "Cori?" Renée said, cautiously approaching me. The rest of the cast were eagerly waiting up and watching everything go down.

I look up to Renée and smile. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" she asks, examining my face and searching for signs of remorse.

"Yes. At first I was upset, then I was mad, then I was a bit of both, but then I realized with some help", I look at my mom while saying this, "That none of this was my fault. It was his. And in fine with it now. Of course, it's two years of my life I'll never get back, but I grew from it. I'm different now. I am confident in my own skin. I feel good. Happy."

I tear up a bit at the end and glance down at my bare wrists. There were still scars, but they weren't as noticeable, and not as menacing as before. Everyone else hooted, cheered, and congratulated me.

Three years ago if you told me that I would turn 18 surrounded by the cast of Hamilton, broke off an engagement with Anthony freaking Ramos, and felt normal for once (as normal as I could be), I would ask you what you had been smoking and where to get it.

I'm kidding. Gosh people, learn to take a joke.

I look around the room and see everyone I love so dearly. Renée and Jon talking to Sebastian, Vanessa, and Lin. Thayne trying to break Chris's cool exterior with annoyance, and failing miserably. Phillipa and Leslie flirting in the corner and Jasmine observing their conversation. And Daveed observing me from another corner.

Next order of business. Daveed.

I love Daveed. I do. But it'd completely platonic. At the time, I did like him more than that, and I needed him then. Just like I needed Anthony once in my life, but I just held on for too long.

And there are few things that I despise more than people who lead to other people on. And I don't want to despise myself. Again.

I walked over to him and I saw his eyes light up and his posture change. This is what needs to change. And just like all those years ago, like, one and a half years ago, I met him in my dressing room.

"Daveed, sit down please." He did as I told him and took a seat. He followed me around like a lost dog. Better get straight to the point.

"Daveed, do you realize how much you mean to me?" I question. He looks at me hopefully. Wrong way to get straight to the point.

"What I mean is, I love you, in a platonic way. You're my best friend, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But right now, I can't deal with boys. I want to take a break from them. I want to focus getting and education. I was thinking about applying to somewhere. Somewhere a little away from New York."

Unsurprisingly, he didn't interrupt me. "Cori, I love you. Somewhat in the same way as you. Hence somewhat, but still. And I'm going to respect your choices, even though I might disagree with them. Hence might. Are we perfect for each other? Most definitely not. But you made me a better person. And I love you for that. So thank you, Cori." Daveed smiled and stood up and hugged me.

I lost my balance while coming out of the hug, resulting in another one. We laughed and walked out to join the party.

Hello people!

I didn't take more than a week since the last one! Yay!

Sorry if this was kind of anti-climatic but I wanted to show how everyone has, more or less, matured and changed from the better. And sorry for the fluffy ending. Can we just pretend that Daveed is alot younger for the sake of my mentality, because what Daveed should've said was: '"Are we perfect for each other? Most definitely not. But you made me a pedophile . And I love you for that. So thank you, Cori."'

I'm crying right now because of that change on things. He loves her because she made him a freaking pedophile. I'm sorry.

Love you!

-Tara and Ash

Ps. The end is coming.

As you guessed, not proofread.