Who: Susan Turner and Evan Hansen What: Evan has school issues Where: Their apartment When: Monday, after school Warnings: Evan's anxiety, will update if necessary Status: Closed
Evan actually liked learning new things, and he wanted to like school. It was hard, though, to like being in the school setting. There were too many people, most of them teenagers, and teenagers were not always known for being kind and tolerant of people who were different, who behaved differently than the rest. Back home, at his school in New York, Evan had been with many of the same kids since grade school. They'd known him as a child, before anxiety became the single most prevalent driving force in his life. They'd all but witnessed the transformation, and while there were some who picked on him because of his weird behavior, most of them left him alone. Or at least had the decency to talk about him behind his back and not to his face.
He hadn't even been in school in Madison Valley for a solid week yet, but he'd already been targeted by kids who mocked and made fun of his tics. He'd heard hushed whispers of people wondering if he could even talk because he sat with his head down, and didn't make a sound, but he sat there and picked at his clothes, and the way he moved his hands sometimes it was like he was a retard* or something. Evan did his best to ignore it. He had learned a long time ago that letting it get to him only made things worse. So he sat and he said nothing and he picked at his clothes while the kids around him said nasty, hurtful things.
As much as he wanted Madison Valley to be different, it wasn't. It was more of the same. He'd been given a brand new start and he'd failed to step up his game. He'd fallen immediately into his usual patterns, and the kids around him had singled him out. And it was worse for Evan here, because at least back home he had Jared and Alana to fall back on. Jared was only his friend because he had to be, because his parents wouldn't pay his car insurance if he wasn't nice to Evan. He wasn't sure why Alana was nice to him, but she had always been decent. And then there was Zoe, but she hadn't paid attention to him until after Evan fabricated the perfect friendship with her brother.
None of them were in Madison Valley, though. Only Connor himself, but he was in the hospital. Whatever progress Evan and Connor were making to become true friends was on hold. Connor needed help, and Evan was left to forge his own path. Which meant Evan was hiding in the furthest, darkest corner watching the world pass by.
By the time he got home after school, he was emotionally exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a tight ball on his bed and go to sleep. Instead he sat on the sofa, curled up against the arm of the couch, trying to disappear. He appreciated Turner and everything she did for him and for Connor. She hadn't asked for this, for the two of them and all their issues, but she was taking it in stride. He felt he could trust her. He could lean on her for support.
It was just hard to initiate it.
Evan's bookbag lay at his feet. His feet moved constantly, almost kneading the bag between his shoes. He has his right hand tucked between his legs, the fingers of his left hand worked furiously, rubbing at the seamline that ran through the arm of the couch. Something was heavy on his mind, but he lacked the initiative to bring it up.
*[OOC: I do not like this word. At all. But it is a word people use, when they are uneducated or trying to be hurtful. I do not condone the use of this word at all, but it is realitically a word Evan probably hears quite often.