Adopted by Dear Evan Hansen: Could we go on For Forever?

When You're Broken on the Ground, You Will be Found

**Ryder's POV**

I set myself a mental reminder to never, ever, sleep on the streets again if it could be avoided. I was woken up at morning's first light by the bright sun rising over the New York skyline. As soon as I gained full consciousness, I realized two things:

1) I was somehow able to sleep through the ever-present New York traffic and,

2) There was a blanket that I didn't recognize and a note taped to the wall over my head.

The blanket was black and blue striped and I sat up and picked the note off the wall.

Dear kid sleeping on the street,
We saw you last night as we left the theatre and didn't know what to do. We hope that the blanket was helpful. Don't worry about returning it because we do not need it and you looked like you could. We will be back around eleven o'clock tomorrow morning and want to find you there again. We just want to check in and make sure that you are okay.
Sincerely,
Us

I was confused, to say the least, but I had hope that I knew who wrote the letter based on how they signed off. I looked at my watch: 7:00, three or so minutes after sunrise. I had about four hours until I would meet the people who gave me the blanket. I barely use my phone for anything other than music because no one cares enough to text me so I had a solid 65% left in my battery with a portable charger and cord in my backpack that I'd stolen from a group home. I try not to resort to pick-pocketing and thievery, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do and this girl needs to keep herself alive until she can age out of the system and start herself a life.

I pulled myself onto my haunches and opened up my backpack. Everything I'd had the night before was there, which gave me mixed feelings. I liked that nothing was stolen, but I wouldn't have been too sad if someone had taken my chem book. Today was Saturday so everything would have to wait until Monday to get everything from my locker. The only things that hadn't been transferred were a toothbrush and an old comb that I'd found in the Girl's Locker Room at school, neither of which I was attached to. Everything deeply valuable had been moved in the first couple of trips with my few changes of clothes, journal, and the two stuffed animals I'd found comfort in ever since before my parents died.

I dug through my backpack and found enough room to stuff the blanket in among the school supplies. I fished my light blue knitted beanie out from an outside pocket, then zipped up everything. I tucked the beanie over my head, allowing some of my dark brown hair that was tied up in a sloppy braid to hang out of the back. I set a timer on my phone for three hours, then walked down to Times Square. I found a statue in the middle of the crowd. A boy who'd been like a brother to me sat there with a cased guitar.

"Hey," Oliver Patrickson greeted me when I got closer, "I was worried you weren't going to show."

"Have I ever let you down?" I asked him, taking the guitar case.

"I guess not," Oliver's large, goofy smile reached his two different colored eyes. The left was brown and the right was green. "What are you playing today?"

I shrugged, settling myself on the concrete pedestal of the large statue, "You know me, Oliver," I gave him a smile of my own, "I never know what I am going to play - it just comes."

"It just comes," Oliver repeated, setting his New York Yankees baseball cap on the ground for people to drop cash.

I pulled my lucky pick from my front pocket and uncased the guitar, settling it on my left thigh and plucking a few strings. After a quick tuning session, I allowed my fingers to play what they wanted. I'd never taken guitar lessons, except sitting in the living room with my dad at our house in his lap with my hands on his as he played. 

I hope everyone is doing okay considering the pandemic. I know first hand how hard it is to have family and friends on the front lines as my mom is a doctor. I hope all of you are staying inside, staying safe, and checking up on your friends and family often. In times like this, it is important to look out for and support each other in any way possible. Take care of yourself and those who you love.

                                  -Spaceheater1