Jump (Dear Evan Hansen)

The Principal's Office

The room is stiff, and awkward. Fear nibbles away at me, making me feel pale and empty. Jared and I sit across from the principal and the Spanish teacher stands in the corner of the room.

"Any explanation regarding this?" The principal asks, making me flinch as he holds up the half sheet of paper with rips along the top. The note makes me feel ill; thinking about it, looking at, sensing its presence. Because of that flimsy piece of nothing; Jared is mad, the principal and the Spanish teacher know that I'm friends with Connor, Connor is probably going to get questioned, my mom might get called, Jared's parents will probably get called, Connor's parents might get called, rumors could spread, Zoe's going to think I'm a creep, mom is going to start asking things, and Connor might hate me. I go numb at the sickening ideas that creep into my head. Jared lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Mr. Levenson... a joke just happened to get slightly out of hand and-"

"Slightly out of hand?!" Señora Thompson says, cutting in, "Jared, mocking Evan, or people at all isn't right. Handing them notes about homosexuality isn't right. For all we know, Evan could be-"

"Thank you Senora! That is enough," I sing loudly, cutting in.

"Well, Evan. Do you have something to say?" Mr. Levenson asks.

"Um... for therapy I have to write letters and but they are to myself you see and I was pretending to write one as if Jared was writing to me and-"

"So Jared would say that to you?"

"He did! I mean no, why would he do that?"

I laugh nervously and Señora Thompson rolls her eyes before saying, "Mr. Levenson, maybe you and I should discuss matters for a minute." He nods, and agrees. Jared and I head out to the reception area and sit. I pull the gray hood of my hoodie over my head, and slouch down. My fingers fidget and I put all of my focus on them. The wait feels like forever. Feet enter the room and I continue to look at the floor.

"What are we going to do with you Connor," I hear a voice say as I feel a tense grip on my right shoulder. I yelp, and my lip quivers in fear. My face whips towards the voice, Mr. Murphy is towering above me. "Oh, Evan," he mutters, removing his hand from me. "I thought you were Connor, my apologies."

"T-that's okay Mr. Murphy," I spit out as I rip the hood from my head. Mrs. Murphy comes trailing into the office seconds later.

"Oh, hello Evan," she says tiredly. I give a small wave in return. She ignores it, and takes a seat next to her husband, who has sat in a small row of chairs on the next wall over. I awkwardly introduce them to Jared, but otherwise the room is silent. Mr. Levenson occasionally peers out through the shades of his office, but doesn't call us in. Suddenly, more feet enter the office and Mr. Levenson comes rushing out.

"Hello. Thank you for coming. I assume you're the Murphys and you must be Ms. Hansen. I'm Mr. Levenson, pleasure to meet you. Please, come into my office. Evan, Jared, you two sit tight, okay?"

I gulp. Mom is here? Why isn't Connor here? I look up only to see nightmares coming true. My mom is walking into Mr. Levenson's office with the Murphys to discuss Connor and I being sexual together. And the Kleinmans will be here shortly, I'm sure; which is only going to make their summer barbecue even more awkward for me. 'Look, it's the kid that Jared wrote about in that letter!' Jared begins to play with his backpack and it feels like a ticking time bomb. Tap, tap, tap, tap. The noises engulf me.

"Can you stop that," I whisper-shout, annoyed. Jared gives me an annoyed look and begins to tap on his backpack even louder. I pull my sweatshirt back over my head and scurry over to the chairs that the Murphys were sitting in. Jared creeps his way over to the chair next to me. "Stop. It. Please, Jared."

"Well, I'm sorry. Maybe you could stop being such a bad lier! Please tell me that you told your mom I was nice to you the other day. I need some sort of money or I might as well give up driving," he whisper screams back at me. A voice catches our attention.

"Ahem," it says sternly. We turn around and I see two people, the Kleinmans; who might I add look very upset. The change in Jared's facial expression is extreme. A new side of Jared shows; one that is actually fearful. He turns back towards me, collects his thoughts, and the show begins.

"And that Evan, is why you should be nice to Connor. You get me? He's an innocent kid and sure you both have your ins and outs but-"

"Oh come on Jared," his father says. "I think we've heard enough for-"

"Hello Evan! How is your mother?"

"She's good Mrs. Kleinman. Actually, she's here," I say nervously.

"Oh, I'll have to say hi to her."

"Yes, I believe you will- I mean- should."

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Kleinman; Mr. Levenson. The Murphys and Ms. Hansen are already in my office. Evan, Jared, now would be an excellent time to join us."

"G-great," I squeak out, beginning to sweat. My voice cracks on the singular word as I tug at my collar and cling to the seat as if it is my savior. Jared strolls in like he's already made his case, and I sit for a minute. I let fear chomp at the bit instead of seeing what happens. I find myself alone as I lean forward to take deep breaths. A body walks in and I fall to the floor, feeling the need to take shelter. A familiar voice calls my name and I look up to see Connor. Desperate, I leap up and wrap him in a sweaty hug.

"Evan, what happened? Do we need to go chat in the bathroom because I'm chill with ditching this meeting," he offers. I shake my head and bury it into his shoulder. He holds the back of it with his hand, inviting me in. I feel my face turn red. "Let's sit down over here, okay?" I nod and he guides me to the chairs. We sit, and he puts his arm over my shoulders. "Breath, Evan." I do as he suggests, and he continues to sit. He continues to care.

"I was s-sitting in Spanish class. And I started writing a letter to myself. And Jared took it. He read it, and then ripped it. And, and then...

Connor's sympathetic eyes followed my every word. He nods occasionally, but doesn't cut in or challenge my thoughts. It feels nice, being able to just let myself spill. No questions, no tests. Just talk.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he ran," we hear a deep voice say as the door opens. Mr. Levenson stands in it and I spot Mr. Murphy peering out from behind. "Oh, Connor, you're here," Mr. Levenson says surprised. "And Evan, who never came in." Connor and I give a small nod to each other, stand up, and walk into the office. Mr. Levenson's hand motions towards two empty chairs, and we sit. "What an interesting tale this has shaped up to be," Mr. Levenson starts in. Mr. Murphy gives Connor a stern look, and Jared mirrors it onto me. I gulp.

Here we go.