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

What do you do When the Distance is too Wide?

**Ryder's POV**

I trusted Mr. Faist, who had asked me to call him Mike, and by the end of the day I'd warmed up - slightly - to some of the rest of the Dear Evan Hansen cast. They were fun and Ms. Dreyfuss, I mean Laura, gave me a box of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fruit snacks. Mike told me that I was going to be sleeping in the Blue Room until they could put together a more permanent solution. I said thank you and that I would understand perfectly if I had to leave. He had just laughed and said that I would never sleep on the streets again if he had anything to say about it.

**Mike's POV**

Poor kid. After that first day on the stairwell, I realized that Ryder needed help and she needed it fast. As soon as we went home from the theatre that night, Laura and I started the process of becoming foster parents together over the phone. The first part was online reading and online courses, which we finished that night. Both of us scheduled home visits for Monday, then we hung up and went to bed. If I could help Ryder, then maybe, just maybe, I would be able to put some good back out into the world after everything my parents did for me.

We only had a matinee the next day, Sunday, so I arrived at the theatre with a box of donuts and two sandwiches for Ryder.

"I couldn't," Ryder shook her head when I presented her with the bag of food.

"Of course you could," I assured her, "You don't have to now," I set the bag down on the floor beside the couch, "But it'll be here when you're ready."

I stood up and "left the room". I stayed hidden in the doorway and watched as Ryder sat for a few seconds, then pulled the bag onto her lap and opened the box of donuts, picking out a glazed and taking a bite. There she was, eating a donut, and, at that point, I knew that I cared about what happened to her. Ryder was young and I knew that with the proper support, she could grow up to be an amazing woman. Right then and there, I made a silent promise to her that I would do everything I could.

I wanted to stay and watch her, but my castmates arrived and the half-hour call had been given, so I had to get ready. Ryder was given a quick run-down of what to expect throughout the next two hours, then the show started and by the time I returned to the Blue Room during Intermission, every single donut was gone and half of the first sandwich.

"Enjoy the food?" I asked her as I passed through on the way to my dressing room.

"Yes, Mike," smiled Ryder, "I appreciate it very much and will pay you back."

"Don't worry about it, kid," I answered, "I want to help and if buying you food is the best way to do that, so be it. You don't have to pay me back."

As I went back to the wings when places were called, I found Rachel sitting on the couch with Ryder playing Crazy 8s. I stood and watched them for a little while.

"Hearts," Rachel declared as she put an 8 down.

"Noooo!" Ryder rocked back, then forward again, drawing from a small deck on the table until she played a 4 of Hearts.

"Ready?" Laura asked, coming up beside me.

"Yep," I nodded and together we walked to the wings.

**Ryder's POV**

Rachel had to leave me alone in the Blue Room while she went to go, you know, do her job so I allowed my phone to charge and pulled Little Women out of my backpack and started to read. I read through the entirety of the second act with only thirty pages left in the book by the time the cast came backstage after curtain call. An entire group of them went out to greet fans at the stage door, but Laura stayed inside with me.

"Do you have school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'll be bringing about two bags of stuff back here with me in addition to my backpack. It's all clothes and personal items I stashed in my school locker while I was still living at the foster home in Lenox Hill."

"I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that," Laura reached over and rested her hand on the back of my head.

Laura was the only one who could do that in the cast so far. We'd bonded quickly after she and I were able to have a lengthy conversation about how incredible the Percy Jackson books were and how the movies butchered the story.

"It's okay," I played with my hoodie strings.

"Do you want a ride to school tomorrow?" Laura looked down at me.

"I'm okay," I nodded, "I typically take the subway."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Laura met my gaze.

"Why'd you do that?"

"Sure."

I lay down on the couch and Laura brushed my hair with her fingers. I fell asleep on her and Laura stayed there until morning.