worlds pass by | dear evan hansen

Chapter 17

The second act went equally as smoothly as the first- of course, there were little things that Kasey wished that she'd done better, but overall, nothing was noticeable to the audience. It seemed like no time at all before they were taking their bows- for Kasey, her first.

As soon as they walked offstage, Kasey was mobbed by her costars and the standbys, too.

"CONGRATS!" Mike shouted, hugging her tightly. "You were awesome!"

"Thanks, Mike," Kasey laughed. 

"You're a great Zoe Murphy," Michael added. "I'm so glad that you made it through that audition process!"

"So am I!"

After her debut, Jennifer took Kasey out for coffee, as kind of a one-on-one mother-daughter bonding process.

It was strange, how Kasey found mother figures in almost every show she'd been in. She'd been the mentor in Frozen, but in Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, there were women who'd effortlessly filled the mentor role without even trying to. She could sense this happening with Jennifer, too.

They placed their order, sitting in comfortable silence for a minute before Jennifer spoke. "I know the show is a hard topic for everyone, so if you ever need to hang out, talk, vent, whatever, just knock on my door."

"Thanks," Kasey said gratefully. "I don't think I will... but you never know, with a show like DEH."

"Exactly," Jennifer agreed. "But I definitely want you to feel like you can talk to me. I know we don't know each other well yet, but I really do hope that we form a close bond. It doesn't have to be like the show, when I ignore you all the time."

"Trust me, you'd have to try to make me feel unwelcome. You've done so much already," Kasey laughed. "You've been amazing. I still can't thank you enough."

"It's not a big deal- you flatter me too much. That's just what people should do- look out for each other."

"You're definitely right," Kasey agreed. "I've started to really find out just how intricate Broadway can be. There's sides of it that I love, and sides that I just... can't get on board with."

Jennifer turned, frowning at Kasey. "What? Who?"

"It's not my problem, it's Jace's. He's been struggling with his cast for a long time. He just recently told me how bad it's getting. I don't understand how human beings can be so cruel to one another, when they're both rooting for the survival of the same show," Kasey said angrily. "I just am not sure if it's the best thing for Jace to stay, at this point."

"Casts like that are just toxic. But you can't force him into anything," Jennifer said after a beat. "I know it's hard to just stand by and wait, but sometimes, that's the best thing to do. It's a conclusion he has to reach on his own. Having you constantly at his shoulder will just make him even more determined."

Kasey ran a hand through her hair. "I'm afraid of what will happen if he doesn't leave. He's struggled a lot, even when he was a kid. I'm scared that it will get bad."

"Honestly, I have no experience with that sort of thing. All I can do is just tell you to be there for him. If he needs it, maybe he'll talk to you. Make him know that you care."

She nodded. "I know. It's just hard."

"Oh, Kasey, I get it," Jennifer said, clasping Kasey's hand in hers. "Just keep being your optimistic self, and be happy. Your wedding is soon. Don't fret."

"I'll try," Kasey laughed a little. 

"Good. Now, tell me how you met Jace."

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

Kasey's first week of DEH was surreal. The cast was amazingly welcoming of her presence. They all sent her flowers on opening night. Mike was always in Kasey's dressing room, chatting with her and telling dumb jokes. 

Fans seemed to accept the fact that she was replacing Laura pretty quickly, especially since Kasey made it a point to distinguish herself from her friend. It was clear, though, that DEH fans were drastically different from the fans Kasey had before. They bonded over something even deeper than Disney. 

She still made it a point to have at least one meal a day with Jace, to make sure they stayed on the same page. She didn't want them to fall apart right before their wedding. Every night after her shows, they'd work on wedding planning. The date was drawing even closer now.