Love Scarced

✮ Chapter 4

"I haven't brought any script with me. The guideline says each participant should prepare a monologue from famous plays."

"Oh, I know you, Candice Whitmoore. Script is never a hindrance," she winked, "allow me some hope."

I shrugged and walked toward the left section of the campus. That portion was built for the sole purpose of the school--- students' activity area. It was only a two-storey building, yet a humongous one.

Basketball court, Olympic-sized swimming pool, and tennis court were situated in the ground floor. Auditorium, other indoor games, and academic clubs were on the second floor.

I knew it was the right decision to join the drama club. Drake was on the swimming team, the Blue Hawks. It was one of the reasons why sometimes he couldn't ride with me in the bus going home and would reply late to my texts because he'd be too tired due to routine practices. I heard drama club members meet up at least three times a week.

The only thing that I didn't like was that I had to walk more than a hundred yards through the open field. Students, mostly female students, would swarm up the field and cheer for their favorite football players. Some of them even established a fan club.

I rolled my eyes as I passed through Glenda. She joined the cheering squad and her arrogance doubled. When she saw me, she immediately turned around and concentrated to yell for the "heart throb of the year", no other than Claude Anderson.

After that incident in the canteen, their group of plastics would avoid me. But they would bully Becca whenever they would find her alone. I knew Becca cried most of the time, but she wouldn't tell me. She was afraid that I would devour Glenda and her friends. Becca wanted to leave it that way, she wanted to be invisible because she never liked getting attention. She said they would eventually stop so I did not need to worry for her.

But she was wrong.

***

Less than fifteen minutes later, I was in front of the huge school auditorium door. From the outside, it was impossible to guess that there was an audition going on inside.

Pausing, I caught my reflection in the glass. Satisfied that nothing was out of place, I pushed open the doors and walked straight toward one of the fixed chairs.

The auditorium wasn't in full swing. I wasn't surprised. It was one of the most expensive units in a school yet the least used. There were a total of twenty students only compared to other clubs. There stood one judge below the stage, Ms. MacCormack, the club moderator.

She wasn't overly old, but her style was totally outdated. Her porcelain skin was ashen, almost anemic. She needs the sun. A cold sweat gleamed on her forehead and her recessed cheeks. She was engrossed with the slouchy student who was narrating O Captain! My Captain!

Eight more students auditioned yet Ms. MacCormack's face looked dissatisfied.

I quickly googled famous lines from one of Shakespeare's works. I didn't need to memorize a whole page, unlike the girl on stage, who memorized the entire play but sounded like a robot.

'Just a paragraph or two,' I said to myself. I just had to look for the most dramatic scene.

A grin spread over my face, wide and open. Sometimes, I amused myself, because in that very moment, I already knew what I had to do.

Two more students performed and I already memorized the script. I wasn't nervous. I was excited.

"Okay, that's it! Let's call it a day," Ms. MacCormack announced as she shook her head.

"Excuse me, Ms. MacCormack," I said pausing between breaths. I ran towards her, I didn't expect the audition would be over already. "I'm here to audition."

"What's your name, girl? Have you signed the form?"

"Whitmoore. Candice Whitmoore. And no ma'am. First, see me act. And then I'll make you decide should I sign the form or not."

"Fine," she said and sighed. She blew her bangs and continued, "Go. There's nothing to do in faculty room anyway."

I smiled at her and I quickly went up the stage.

"You may start."

"I need props."

Ms. MacCormack nodded. She was silent and was waiting for me to prepare my set up plan.

"Thomas," I called out to my weird looking classmate. He was one of the audiences. He told us he wanted to be an actor during the awkward first day of school introduce yourself moment in one of our subjects. I could never forget it because someone from the class called him names and he didn't finish his introduction. And he cried in front of us. And Becca thought it was "cute".

"Would you be a darling and help me here on stage?" I asked him sweetly. "And please bring your soda can with you."

He looked startled. A heavy silence settled over the crowd. Heads turned to Thomas. He was caught off guard. He walked towards the stage and his troubled eyes glanced up at me. He was trying to avoid catching other glances.

He stopped and stood beside me and when he was about to open his mouth, I ordered him, "Lie down."

He knew he was already trapped so he followed and lied down silently.

"Put this pen inside your pocket. And close your eyes. Don't move," I whispered.

And then, it started. I could hear the drum rolling noisily inside my head.

"What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand?" I grabbed the soda can from him, raising it in the air like the monkey raising Simba the Lion King to present him to the entire animal congregation.

"Oh, Romeo!" The Romeo part wasn't on the script but I had to make sure Ms. MacCormack knew what I was talking about.

"Poison!" I held the can tightly against my chest. "I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop, to help me after!" I gasped. Acting surprised that the can was empty. Juliet was determined to be poisoned, so I turned my head towards the audience with adamant eyes and announced,

"Romeo, I will kiss thy lips..." Thomas' eyes instantly opened. His face washed blank with surprise. His brain couldn't turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes. Every muscle of his body just froze. I wanted to smirk but I continued on my script, not allowing that reptilian face to distract me.

"Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative." And with that, I leaned forward and I placed my entire right palm over his face, kissing the back of my hand.

"Thy lips are warm!" I touched my lips and my knees went out as I fell. I stared to the audience in disbelief, like a wife's face painted with horror when she caught her husband having an affair.

"Yea? Noise? Then I'll be brief." I reached for the pen inside his pocket. Thomas wiggled and I glared at him. "Don't you dare move," I warned.

"O, happy dagger, this is thy sheath." I raised the pen in the air with my right hand, my eyes glued to it, expressing all the love inside my heart... for Drake.

"There rust, and let me die." I closed my eyes and I fake stabbed the pen between my chest. I collapsed on the floor, lying beside Thomas, who at the moment was still glaring at me.

Rush of excitement and adrenaline pumped the roaring crowd as they cheered for my performance. I caught a glimpse of Ms. MacCormack wiping a tear from the corner of her eye as she joined the crowd in applauding.

I bowed before them and flashed a toothy smile. I could feel how the reaction from the praises came from deep inside to light my eyes and spread into every part of me.

But I wanted more than their attention. I wanted Drake to adore me and cheer for me.

❤❤❤