War in Broadway High

17. Letter to You

Chapter 17: Letter to You

Evan.

It was an eerie climate as he walked into school that day. Everything was so... silent. People throughout the halls talked in sober whispers. And even though he always felt like everyone was staring at him as he walked by, now he could have sworn they actually were, which made him really self-conscious, a knot twisting his stomach, his mind frantically going over the million reasons he could be drawing the bad kind of attention to himself. Was his shirt on backward, were his pants too low, did he have bed hair, did he smell? Maybe-

"Evan Hansen, please go to the principal's office" the intercoms called through the speakers.

He froze, in complete surprise. What had he done wrong?

Walking quickly, and yet at the same time hesitantly, he moved over to the office. No one was in the waiting area, not even the administration lady, so he just walked right through, and inside the room, he stood awkwardly, confused.

A man was in there, but not the principal. He looked emaciated: dirty clothes, greasy hair, and terrible bags under his puffy eyes. He must have been in his early fifties. And he seemed completely exhausted. It took Evan a second to notice another guy next to him- much younger, but looking just as tired, wearing a gas jockey's uniform.

"Good morning," Evan mumbled politely. "Is Principal Gowan...?"

The man looked up and stared at him. Evan shifted, feeling even more uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, they said on the loudspeaker for me to come to the principal's office..."

"Oh, yes," some recognition reached the man's eyes. "He uh, stepped out. We wanted to speak with you in private."

"Oh." The kid didn't know what else to say. He had no idea what was going on.

"Sit down," he told him in a stern, almost scary tone he didn't dare disagree with, so he did, in the chair next to the door.

"You probably don't know but, I'm Rich's dad, William," the man introduced himself. "And this is Mick, my...other son."

The younger guy wordlessly waved, not even looking at him, his eyes were lost near the ground.

So Rich's family...Evan scratched his hair nervously and racked his brain trying to think why they would want to talk to him.

"I-I, uhm, nice to meet you. But...I don't understand."

"Rich would have wanted you to have this." The man shoved a piece of paper in Evan's hands.

Utterly confused, he took it, unfolded it...and was met with his own words. The letter he'd written to himself. He didn't even read to the end, his blood ran cold and he quickly folded it back.

"I just, had no idea..." the man said dejectedly. "About how he felt. And what he was. I found porn of his with chicks on it for god's sake!"

Evan's eyes widened.

"And to think his last words were, well, to you..." William buried his head in his hands. The brother swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm sorry, last words...?"

The man looked up at him.

"You don't know," he stated, eyeing him carefully. Evan just shook his head.

"Rich...Rich took his own life. On Friday."

His heart started beating so hard Evan would have been afraid it would jump out of his chest, if it wasn't for the fact that his mind was reeling, trying to wrap around such a shocking thing. But it all started to make sense now, at least a bit, the quiet in the halls... he didn't have social media, and didn't talk to anyone, so as it often happened with rumors, he was the last to find out. But...the fact everyone thought that letter was...