What If...?|| A "Dear Evan Hansen" Fanfiction

Prologue

"Dear Evan Hansen."

His eyes trailed over the letters that lay across the email. His tears burning behind his eyes. He had pulled open his email to hide his distress. But the burning in his arm was no joke. Just the searing pain of a fractured limb. The park ranger that had piled the poor young man into his car looked to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Texting your mom?"

Evan looked up from his phone with a shocked expression, only swallowing and setting the phone down into his lap, his now free hand gripping the only normal coloured skin on his arm, the rest having turned purple and swelling. "N...no. She wouldn't see it until way later anyway."

"Oh," the ranger replied, looking back out the windshield window. Again, expressionless. But what more did Evan expect?

He had taken on this job to get away from people and assumed the others that had taken the job- did so for the same reasons as him. And though his wish was fulfilled, it drove him mad. What was it what he truly wanted?

Being away from people certainly wasn't- and his apparent 'fall' out of a tree was proof enough. He hadn't thought about what he was doing. Not until he heard the snap coming from his arm. Only then did he realize that he had successfully mustered up the motivation to... jump... Maybe he just wanted peace of mind.

"It's funny..." Evan said aloud, sniffling, hiding how badly he wanted to cry, but the pressure had hidden the pain. It made his arm numb all the way to the shoulder, even though the break was clearly below the elbow.

The ranger only looked to him for a split second, showing that he was paying attention, but he didn't say anything in return. Evan continued his thought anyways.

"I just lay there... for a good 10 minutes thinking to myself 'anytime now. Someone will come to get me'. I must have been in shock..." He laughed to himself, not a hearty laugh, but a laugh out of self-pity. His stomach, on the other hand, felt the instant regret for admitting that out loud. Did he want someone to find him and feel bad? Or perhaps it would have been a small boost to know someone cared enough that he was missing to go find him.

"No one noticed you were missing Evan, you coming to the main area was the smarter choice. You could have gotten in a lot more trouble out there."

No one noticed you were missing, Evan. That was the only thing that rang through his head. No one noticed or took a moment to care. The only amount of concern that he was shown was when he arrived. No expression from the one driving him to the hospital. The only concern he got was when one of the girls his age (her name escaped him, not that he cared to learn it,) rushed to get some ice in hopes to slow the swelling.

"Yeah," he replied, leaning his head against the window.

He watched the hundreds of trees from there on, just trying to name some of the main groups he caught a glimpse of. This is what he got for being in the middle of nowhere, the nearest hospital was very far away. He thought for a moment that he wished his friend was there. The one that had sent him an email only a few minutes before.

He lit up for only a moment, pulling out his phone again to read the rest of the email.

"Dear Evan Hansen,

This has been a hard summer. Mom wants me to get a job, saying that there's no reason I shouldn't. Little does she know that the idea makes me sick, lol.

Oh well. I hope that this summer has been treating you a lot better. I miss you up there, bud. Not that I'm too salty about you being gone or anything. Haha... All the way up north without Wi-Fi for the whole summer...

But I guess one good thing that has come out of this summer, I discovered a recent love for drawing. Not sure why, but I got a sketchbook from my aunt for my birthday. The family is shitty, Evan. I can't express how many of these horrible gifts I've gotten from her. It's like she doesn't listen to my mom when she calls a week before my birthday asking what I would want. Not that I really am into anything...

This is def the only good gift she's gotten me.

Regardless. I hope to hear from you soon, the summer has still only just started...

Sincerely,
Me"

He hummed, opening a reply email.

He was able to forget the arm for just a little, as he was lost in thought of who this emailer was. All of it had begun with a mistake email. The last name 'Hansen' is far too popular. But when he replied to it explaining how he got the wrong email, these emails just seemed to continue. Most people by this point would have each other's numbers, and then they could text for the summer, but neither had thought to ask for the others yet. So he relied on his boss' hot spot for sending e-mails.

"Dear You,"

I should ask for his name, honestly... Why is he so keen on hiding it from me?

"I've missed you this summer, buddy. No lie. When exactly is your birthday? I had no clue it was during the summer!

I know it may seem odd to be hearing from me so early on, even though we have weeks left in the summer... I wasn't supposed to be back for a while. But I seemed to have gotten myself in trouble.

You see, I was climbing this huge tree, and fell. My arm is most definitely broken, and I'm e-mailing you on the way to the hospital. It really sucks...

Funny though, I was laying there on the ground for like 10 minutes, thinking to myself that it was only a matter of time before someone came to get me. No one did... And the one driving me right now said no even noticed I was gone...

Guess that's my life, you seem to be the only aware of my existence. Whoever you are.

Miss you dearly.
Sincerely me."

Just as he hit send, the car pulled up in the hospital parking lot. Evan's eyes landed on the large building and he couldn't hide the look of disgust he had on his face. Here we go, the beginning of another fuck up...