Vampire Prince and Red-Haired Snow White

Chapter 7

When Monday came, Angelina and Camellia did their usual lock-down routine. Angelina glanced at a window and saw Gérard looking out. Camellia saw this and grabbed Angelina's arm, dragging her into the truck. Per usual, Magnolia came running to the truck and jumped into the back just as Camellia started the truck.

In school, the trio heard everyone gossiping about something. Camellia turned and saw her blonde classmate Roxanne. "Roxy, what's the news now?" Camellia asked as she grabbed Roxanne's rose-colored jacket. "There's a new student. The girls, especially, are going goo-goo over him." Angelina blinked. "Him?" She asked.

"Ya, he's a foreign student from UK." Roxanne explained, tugging back her jacket. "I heard that his name is... Maxwell... I think..." she said, walking away. The bell rang, and the trio split into their other classes. Camellia's class was the average class, unlike Angelina who was in the honors nor Magnolia whose class is in between them. When she stepped into her class, she saw a platinum haired boy sitting next to her seat.

Camellia walked over and dumped her black Options bag onto her seat, gaining the boy's attention. When he turned, Camellia felt like slapping him. It was Gérard. "You. Are soooo obsessed with Ange." She commented. "At least these humans only know me as this." Gérard smirked. Camellia whipped her hand up, ready to slap him.

Then, her first period teacher came in. Everyone rushed to sit down. Camellia reluctantly sat down with an intent to kill. "Class, we have a new student today." She smiled, gesturing for Gérard to come out to the front, as she set her paperwork aside. Gérard went up and introduced himself to the class. "Hello, I'm Maxwell Tavian." He smiled. "Hi Max." The other classmates waved.

"I'm from Scotland, but I studied in Great Britain." He fabricated a story. Camellia knew that very well. When the lunch bell rang, Gérard followed closely behind Camellia in the crowded hallways. Unknowingly, Gérard was pulled away as Camellia walked on. The trio met at the usual lunch table. "Chem was so hard..." Magnolia groaned as she sat down, last. Angelina fanned herself with her test paper. "Just had pop quiz?" She asked. Magnolia nodded.

Camellia poked her straw into the milk carton when Angelina tapped on her tray. "I heard the new kid is in your class. How's it going?" She asked, biting into her apple slice. Camellia gave her 'you'll vomit beyond blood and bile' face. "It's Gérard." She whispered. Angelina almost choked. Magnolia got a shock.

"Gérard?" She asked, swallowing her apple slice in, coughing as well. Camellia nodded. "Je te l'avais dis," Camellia mumbled, eating her lunch. "Everyone!" Attention was drawn to the head of the drama club, Aaron. "For the last week of school before the summer, we have planned to do Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." He announced.

"Non-drama members are allowed to audition for a role, be it main or minor. As of now, we have our Romeo." Aaron pulled a blonde boy up onto a table and the girls started to shrill with delight, the boys cheering. What everyone could see was Maxwell. Angelina saw Gérard. She pulled her clique under the table to avoid his searching eyes.

"Why is he here?!" She asked. "How'd I know!" Camellia snapped back. "Is he not supposed to attend school?" Magnolia asked. Angelina sighed. "Mag, not now." Magnolia looked disappointed. Angelina patted her shoulder. "I'll tell you another time, so that you'll understand." She added. Magnolia nodded as she smiled weakly.

・・・

After school, during their co-curriculum activities, Angelina roamed around the school. She was waiting for Camellia and Magnolia to finish when she came across the theatre, hearing the audition. "She speaks!" She heard Gérard cry. Seeing the ajar door, Angelina took a peek. "O, speak again, bright angel, for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head," Gérard recited his lines as he posed, looking up at Juliet in her balcony.

The balcony scene... Angelina saw P.J., watching with Aaron in the seats. She snuck over and sat beside P.J., who was engrossed. "As is a winged messenger of heaven. Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes, of mortals that fall back to gaze on him..." Gérard continued. Angelina tapped on P.J.'s shoulder.

He turned his head. "When did you arrive?" He asked, turning back to watch the recitation. "Just only.. So how's Maxwell?" She asked. "He's pretty good, for a Scottish." He smirked. Angelina wasn't surprised at all. "Do you want to be Juliet?" He asked. "When he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air." Gérard recited while they conversed. Angelina whipped her head to P.J.

"I'm an artist! Not an actress!" Her voice just above a whisper. "Ssh..." Aaron hushed them. "Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Gérard continued before Aaron stopped him. "Splendid, Max, but... we need a Juliet to complete the play." Aaron commented. P.J. glanced at Aaron before at Angelina, trying to make him take the hint.

Angelina shook her head. Aaron rubbed his chin. "I'll think about it... since we have Clara also wanting to be Juliet..." Aaron went astray for awhile. "Max, will stop here for today." He announced, Gérard waved in thanks before he hopped down the stage. He left the theatre. "Look, ever since lunch, we had dozens of girls wanting to be Juliet. But almost no one want to be the rest." Aaron added.

"Tell ya what. If Ange gets through the first few auditions, then we'll have the whole school to vote for either." Aaron suggested. "Deal." P.J. agreed. Aaron sifted for Juliet's lines for Angelina to say. "Let's hear from you." Aaron said, passing the script to her. Angelina took it and made her way onto the stage. She cleared her throat.

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" Angelina read the lines. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name; or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." Aaron jotted down notes as P.J. secretly took a video. " 'Tis but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name. What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..." she continued to recite. At the same moment, Ethan entered the theater.

"So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and for that name, which is no part of thee, take all myself. Angelina finally looked up the script and saw Ethan, leaning against the wall. She blushed from embarrassment, but she hid it well. She moved her eyes over to the seniors. "She's good." Angelina overheard their conversation.

"We'll have the school voting then." Aaron announced, shifting his glasses. Angelina walked off the stage and left, avoiding contact with Ethan, who tried to reach out to her. P.J. turned and saw Ethan. "Here for a role, Braginski?" He asked the Russian. "For Juliet's cousin, Tybalt." Ethan said.

・・・

"Vote Angelina for Juliet!" Andy called out, carrying a box labelled with Red-Kingdom, walking down the corridor. "Vote Clara for Juliet!" Jordan called out. He carried a similar box to Andy, labelled Anderson, walking down in the opposite direction. A lot of people crowded around Andy as about many crowded around Jordan. Angelina walked past the crowd when they shouted "All the best Ange!" During lunch, Angelina arrived at the usual table to see Magnolia and Camellia mass producing votes.

"You know, if you do that, I might be disqualified for being over voted." She commented, fishing out several votes. "Don't worry, our classes want to vote for you." Camellia explained. "So we're just helping them write their names before we send them in." Magnolia added. "You can pass them to Andy, right?" Magnolia gave Camellia a puppy look. "I guess so...." she mumbled.

"But even so!" Angelina wanted to protest when she heard hysterical laughter. She turned around and saw Gérard sitting with two other boys. "That's fast, Gérard has gotten best friends." Angelina commented. "Yea... Saul's from my class and Benjamin from Camey's class." Magnolia added. "Gérard with those two? You've got to be kidding me." Angelina laughed. "Well, they got along well rather easily." Camellia commented, slurping from her smoothie.

"They sure did." Angelina smiled. She watched Gérard acting stupid like the other boys which only made her laugh. For the boys, their laughter was short-lived when Ethan arrived. While Benjamin and Saul had fear wiped all over their faces, Gérard had no idea at all. " 'sup with Braggins?" Camellia asked. "He's got some... uninviting aura." Angelina replied.