worlds pass by | dear evan hansen

Chapter 14

The Dear Evan Hansen cast invited Kasey for dinner as a sort of 'initiation' before she started in the show. There was only a week until Laura left, and Kasey replaced her as Zoe Murphy. The excitement was really starting to build. Kasey had yet to announce that she was replacing Laura, but she was going to do it after the dinner. 

"So, Kasey, tell us about yourself," Jennifer said, while they were waiting for their food. "I know the basics, but now that we're going to be sharing the stage, I think it's time for the really important things. Like, if you had to get rid of one season, which season would you get rid of?"

Kasey laughed. "I don't know, maybe summer? It's a little too hot. And it makes me really, really lazy. So summer, probably."

"Interesting," Michael Park rubbed his hands together. "I like that answer. Good job. You can be in the club."

"It's a little late for that," Rachel commented. "Are you enjoying being a dual citizen?"

"Definitely, it's nice not having to jump through as many legal hoops," Kasey answered. "But I'm getting a bit paranoid that my accent is disappearing, so I keep watching videos to remind myself of what the accent sounds like."

"Your accent is plenty strong, don't worry," Phoenix said. "I love it, though, so keep watching those videos.

They fell quiet as their food arrived and everyone dug in. "So, are they letting you style any of your costumes? I think they let me pick some accessories?"

Kasey quickly swallowed her bite of salad. "Um, they let me customize some of the costume, like the bracelets and necklaces, but all of the shirts and pants are the same. For continuity. They said if I had any good ideas they'd consider adding other elements, but I didn't suggest anything."

"That's cool, though."

"Yeah, I liked how they styled Laura anyway, so I'm happy to wear what they chose," Kasey said.

"Here's a real question, what shows do you watch?"

"Not many, I don't have a lot of time, with the wedding planning and everything. I've gotten into The Crown recently, and that's amazing."

"Good choice," Mike nodding approvingly. "I respect that, for sure."

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

The apartment without Kasey felt too empty. Jace hated being alone- when he was left to his thoughts, doubts started to creep into his mind. Thoughts that he knew could lead to nothing good.

After an hour of trying to distract himself at home with his script, he gave up and headed outside, setting off down the street, no destination in mind. 

He still hadn't told Kasey how bad Spongebob was getting.

His cast members kept the insults flowing incessantly. There wasn't a day where he wasn't harassed by at least one of the leading members. They did it under the radar, though, so the directors didn't know about it.

But Jace knew that if he reported them, the badgering would only get worse. And he couldn't quit now, not with the wedding not far away. He refused to let Kasey support both of them. His pride didn't allow for that.

"Jace!" 

He turned around, a frown on his face. Christy Altomare was speed-walking toward him, her bag on her shoulder, hair frizzy and loosely curled from her show.

"Christy," he said, slowing down so that the smaller woman could catch up to him. 

"How is everything? Are you okay?" Christy asked, gazing up at Jace with a concerned frown.

"It's fine," Jace answered. "Everything's wonderful."

As much as he tried, he couldn't stop the sarcasm from creeping into his tone. And Christy heard it- she was too smart to miss the resentment coloring Jace's voice.

"Don't lie, Jace, it's not good for you. You need to tell Kasey soon. Please. No one should go through something like this alone, and definitely not you. You have a beautiful fiancee, you shouldn't be keeping things from her," Christy said, her eyes wide. 

Jace couldn't look at his friend. Maybe it was because everything about Christy reminded him of Kasey. Her height, her hair, her eyes. It was too much like talking to her.

"I can't."

Christy was quiet. "If you don't tell her soon, I will."

Jace whipped around, grabbing Christy's shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. "Christy, please, don't tell Kasey. She doesn't need to worry about me, not with the wedding in a month. This isn't what I want her to be thinking about. She deserves happiness, and I refuse to ruin this for her."

"You deserve to be happy, too. She's perceptive, anyway. If you keep hiding things from her, she'll start noticing. She won't be happy that you're not telling her what's going on. I can tell it's serious," Christy insisted, refusing to be intimidated. "I consider it my job, as your friend and hers."

Jace gave a frustrated sigh. "When will you stop meddling in my life?"

"When your actions stop hurting the people you care about. If you're going to get married, you're going to need to start being more open to her. You might as well start now," Christy said, her voice hardening. "Talk to her, or I will."

With that, Christy walked away, disappearing around the corner within seconds, leaving Jace staring at empty space.

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

Kasey composed her Instagram announcement after she got home from dinner- Jace had left her a note, saying that he went for a walk, so she had time before he came home.

@KaseyWinslow: dear laura dreyfuss, thank you for opening the door for me to play zoe murphy. i am so honored to be taking over this wonderful role, and look forward to starting on october 4 :)

Just then, Jace stepped inside. Kasey set down her phone, sending something was off.

"What's wrong?" Kasey asked him.

Jace turned, and taking a deep breath, said "Kasey, we need to talk."