ʀᴏᴍᴇᴏ & ᴊᴜʟɪᴇᴛ || ᴅᴀʀʀʏ ᴄᴜʀᴛɪꜱ

09.

THE GREASERS FILED INTO THE GYM, looking a little nervous. they had been practicing for weeks for the upcoming school play, and everyone was feeling the pressure. and now, they were trying out the play with their costumes.

darry was there too, watching from the sidelines as the rehearsals began. he was proud of katie, who was playing the lead role, but he couldn't help feeling a little jealous that the other guys who ruined their relationship, talked to her.

as the rehearsals began, everyone got into their positions. katie looked beautiful in her costume, and darry felt a little pang in his heart as he watched her. he knew that things had been tough between them lately, but he couldn't help wanting her back.

but as the rehearsals went on, katie seemed a little distant. she was going through the motions, but she didn't seem to be enjoying herself. darry could tell that something was wrong, but he didn't know what to do about it.

after the rehearsals, darry pulled katie aside. he could tell that she was upset, and he wanted to know what was going on.

"is everything okay?" he asked her, looking at her with concern.

katie sighed, feeling a little defeated. "no," she said. "things aren't okay. we need to talk."

darry felt a little nervous as he followed her into the empty classroom. he knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

as they sat down, katie looked at him with tears in her eyes. "darry, i think we need to be over for good," she said, her voice breaking.

darry felt like his heart was breaking. he had known that things were tough between them, but he didn't want to lose her. "what do you mean?" he asked her, feeling a little desperate.

katie took a deep breath, looking at him with sadness in her eyes. "i mean that we can't keep doing this sneaking thing much longer," she said. "we're just hurting each other. it's not fair to either of us."

darry felt like he was drowning. he didn't know what to say or do. he had always thought that katie was the one for him, but now he wasn't so sure.

as they talked, darry realized that things were really over between them. he knew that it was going to be hard, but he also knew that he had to let her go. it was time to move on, and find a new path in life.

he shook his head, pushed katie's arm off of him, and walked off. katie stared, tears steaming down her face. she knew that she let him down. and it was not going to be easy for her.

as they finished off the end of the play, darry remained distant to katie, but they still had to do their parts.

when the entire play was over, the two english teachers had everyone gather around.

"two days until the performance!" mr. patterson yelled. "we are so proud of you guys for your hard work! for the other school here, our graduation is the night after at six o' clock. come support us!"

everyone clapped but katie and darry. katie stared over at darry, who turned to look at her, and then looked away.

"what's that all about?" lila asked.

"i ended it for good with darry," katie sighs. "i know it's bad, but i can't hurt the both of us by trying to sneak around."

"i love you forever katie, i'm sorry it came to be like this." lila says, wrapping her arms around katie's shoulders.

when the school day was over, katie walked through the mall, her eyes scanning the racks of clothes for something that would be perfect for her graduation. she was so excited for the big day, and she wanted to look her absolute best.