Dear Evan Hansen Oneshots! (A-Z)

A is for Alana's Community Service Time

(Alana forces everyone to do community service with her.  Evan is the only one who willingly goes along.)

"Come on guys!" Alana implored her whining acquaintances.  Well, close acquaintances.

Jared, Zoe, and Connor glared at her and shook their heads.

"We're just planting a garden for the nursing home.  You know, this sort of thing looks really good on your college application," Alana tried to bribe the trio.

She knew that the argument wouldn't work on the Murphy siblings.  They could get into any university they wanted with that sort of money.  Jared just didn't care at all.  The only one who had actually agreed to their little service project was Evan.  He had practically died from excitement when she had mentioned trees.  The part about college extracurricular was just more incentive for him to seize the opportunity.

"Why can't you be more like Evan?" Alana complained.

"No," they all said in unison.

"Why not?" Alana pouted and crossed their arms.

"If I was more like Evan, I would be a loser," Jared shrugged.

"Jared!" Zoe exclaimed.  "That's not very nice!"

"It wasn't meant to be nice," Jared shot back sassily.

Zoe rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to fight Jared.

Evan intervened just in time to stop a brawl, "Good job, Zoe!  Rolling up your sleeves and getting to work!"

"No way," Zoe said stubbornly.  "I don't like dirt."

"You're such a liar," Connor accused his younger sister.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

Zoe rounded on Connor, "Oh yeah? Then what's your reason for not helping?"

"These gloves," Connor held up a huge, yellow, rubber glove.

"What about them?" Alana said, confused.

"They clash with my style," Connor stated simply.

"What style?" Jared surveyed Connor's all black attire.

"I kind of have this only dark colors thing going on, if you haven't noticed," Connor explained.

"Oh, I've noticed.  Just looking at you makes me depressed," Jared commented.

"Just looking at me will make you deceased," Connor threatened.

"Whoah, whoah, let's take it down a notch," Evan tried to keep the peace once again.

"That's why you're not helping?!  Because of color clashes?!" Alana said in disbelief.

"What's wrong with adding a little sunshine to your day?" Evan piped up.

"I've already got a little sunshine.  That's why I let Evan tag along," Connor explained.

Evan and Connor both blushed.

"Well this just got 80% gayer," Jared observed.

"Are we going to plant trees or not?" Alana asked, getting frustrated.

"Fine," Jared, Zoe, and Connor finally surrendered.

"Yes!" Evan squealed.

They pulled on gloves and grabbed shovels.  The first part of the planting process was incredibly boring.  They had to dig a bunch of holes to plant the trees in.  After only half an hour, their hands were raw from keeping such a tight grip on their shovels, and their foreheads were beaded with sweat from the relentless sun.  None of them were used to this kind of physical labor.  Jared sighed, "There goes my Saturday."

"It's for a good cause," Alana reminded him.

Jared didn't seem to care.

Soon, they all were growing restless, so Evan took it upon himself to boost the group morale.  He figured the best way to keep up his friends' spirits was to sing them a little jingle he had made up.  It was called "The Tree Song".

Evan started singing as he shoveled, "Trees are cool.  Trees can win.  They do great stuff like making oxygen."

At first, everyone looked at him like he was crazy, but they were all soon singing along, even Jared.

In no time, the holes had been dug to perfection, and the team hoisted all the trees into their holes.  They finalized their work, by covering the bases of the trees with dirt.

Jared had the brilliant idea of turning on a hose, and starting a water fight.  Consequently, there was now mud everywhere.  Jared and Alana had it caked on their glasses, Evan had some on his nose, Connor's cheek was splattered with the stuff, and poor Zoe had it soaking into her hair.

"Okay thanks for coming everybody!" Alana bade them farewell as she gathered up all the shovels and gloves.  "See you Monday!"

"I need a cookie," Jared murmured.

"I need a shower," Zoe examined her filthy clothes.

Connor just stood staring at the trees they had worked hard to plant.  He looked extremely deep in thought.

"What are you thinking, Connor?"  Evan inquired.

"Uh...nothing..." Connor lied.

"Come on.  Just tell me," Evan coaxed the truth out of him.

"Those trees are going to be nice and strong when they grow, right?"

"Yes!" Evan agreed.  "Absolutely the strongest you've ever seen!"

"They would be real convenient for someone who wanted to get a rope and hang themse-"

"CONNOR!" Evan shouted.

"What?" Connor asked.  "It was just hypothetical!"

Zoe who was eavesdropping stepped into the conversation, "Can you not be suicidal just this once?  You're ruining the cute mood!"

"You're being a bad influence for the tree babies," Evan pointed at the young trees.

Connor got quiet for a moment and then bellowed, "I will raise them like my own."

An elderly person who lived at the nursing home was passing by and heard what Connor yelled.  "What is up with this generation?" They shook their head and hobbled off.