a dream that you wish | kasey winslow |

Chapter 25

Kasey fell into a comfortable pattern- get up, go to rehearsal, come home, go back to the theatre, do a show, take a shower, go to sleep, and repeat.

A hole had been created when she broke up with Jace, but it was starting to repair itself. It was different, though.

She hung out with her cast a lot, and found herself liking them more and more.

Sebastian was hilarious, with a great sense of humor. They would run through Central Park sometimes just for fun, chasing the birds. Some people thought they were dating, but Kasey knew that could never happen. He was like her older brother. He was protective and clearly not interested. He was too invested in her relationship with Jace to want to date Kasey himself. Plus, Kasey was pretty sure he was gay.

Jess was sweet, kind, and sarcastic. She was a phenomenal ice skater, and often Kasey would go out after the show. They became close friends, and Kasey knew that they'd stay that way even when one of them left the show.

The four younger girls were adorable and entertaining. It wasn't surprising to see Emma running around the theatre with her video camera, ambushing people during the show, or dancing backstage. The other girls were the same. They brought excitement to the show every night, which, in turn, made everyone else excited, too.

There were several ensemblists that Kasey loved, too.

Kaira, who understudied both Anna and Elsa, was an amazing dancer, and liked to play pranks on people. Especially Sebastian. She was a talented singer, and Kasey looked forward to the day when Kaira would make her debuts as Anna and Elsa.

Elizabeth, the Elsa understudy, was like a mini version of Jess. She was slightly shorter, but also wore her hair in a braid all the time. The guy ensemblists called her Elsa even when she wasn't onstage, but Elizabeth didn't seem to mind at all.

Jackson and Fitz were like Kasey's younger brothers. They teased her constantly and would ruffle her hair when she wasn't wearing a wig. They'd also try and scare her once every show, which made Kasey slightly paranoid at times. Despite the fact that they liked to make fun of her, they also promised to beat anyone up if they hurt her.

It was nice to have so many great cast members. Jacob still bothered her, and Victoria Allen was still a little hostile, but overall, things were going well.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stage-dooring as a principle actor was a different experience for Kasey. When she had been in ensemble, some intense fans had known her name and what she did, but others just knew that she was in the show. 

This time, almost everyone knew that she was Anna. The screams when she walked out the door would always make her take a step back. It felt like she signed everyone's program, whereas in Hamilton, she could get away skipping some over. 

Even though there was security at the stage door, Kasey found that the fans were a little more intense ever since the Jace situation. 

Tangled fans would show up and yell insults at her sometimes, calling her names. Kasey hated it. There were little kids who scared of the Tangled fans that came to the stage door. The security guard stepped in multiple times to prevent someone from grabbing onto Kasey.

The ensemble guys had taken to going out to stage door with Kasey, for added protection, but sometimes they didn't. 

One night, somehow the security guard was distracted and Kasey was alone.

"You're such a disgusting piece of trash," one woman yelled at Kasey when she approached the first barrier. "You think you can cheat on Jace Reynolds and get away with it? You're such a dirty little liar. You don't deserve any of this."

"You'll never be as good as Tangled. Frozen deserves nothing. Stop wasting your time and start trying to get Tangled back on Broadway," another person screamed.

"I swear, I'm gonna come to your house and find you and kill you!"

"Don't walk away, love, we won't bite! We just want to make sure you know what happens to those who cheat on their boyfriends!" 

Kasey turned around, away from the group that was yelling at her. She gently took the program out of a child's hand to sign it.

"Hey, don't ignore us! You think you're better than everyone else? You're the lowest of the low, and you should watch your back! You and Carleigh Bettiol better double check everywhere you go!"

"Hey, back off!" someone shouted. Kasey turned to see who it was.

It was Oak. 

"Thank god, Oak," Kasey breathed, throwing her arms around him over the barrier. 

"You alright?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Is this him? The guy you cheated with?"

"Yeah, I bet you two were sleeping together while you were in Hamilton. People like you always try and take what other people would be better off having."

"Back off, I said!" Oak snapped, whipping around. "If you keep harassing her, I'll report you to the police!"

"Oh, ickle Kasey-kins can't handle something on her own? I guess she's known for letting people fight her own battles."

"Come on, I'll walk you home," Oak told Kasey.

"You'd better watch your back, Kasey Winslow!" she heard someone say as she set off down the street, Oak at her side.

"Have they been doing that for a while?" Oak asked when they were well out of earshot.

"It's been like that after I announced the breakup," Kasey admitted.

"That's not okay. They're threatening you, Kasey. You need to do something about it. They were seriously getting violent, and I'm not always going to be around to walk you home. Why wasn't everyone else at the stage door?"

"I don't know, I got out late, I think. I was hoping they would have just given up."

"Well, if you ever need someone to walk you home, I'm sure someone in the Hamilton group chat will be available, if none of your cast mates are," Oak told her. "And be careful. Lock your door at night."

"I will, thanks, Oak," Kasey said. They reached the entrance to Kasey's apartment building.

"If you ever need anything, just call me. Or anyone in the cast, really," Oak said. "Is Carleigh up there?"

"She should be."

"Alright. Good night, Kasey."

"Good night, Oak. See you later."