(Chapter 12)

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 Thursday – Day 5

I rubbed my eyes, trying to get them to stay open on their own. Damn, last night had been rough. I could barely stay awake. I was forced to drink about a hundred beers, and do shots. God, how do these kids do it, and stay sane?

When I had enough energy to keep my eyes opened, I glanced at the clock next to my head. Then I shot up. 8.30? Frick! Damn it!

I jumped out of my bed, leaping to my wall where I’d stuck a load of posters…come on, timetable, come on, please let it be Gym, please let it be Gym, please let it be –

It was English.

I pulled all my clothes on, and ran out of my room. I was in the process of putting my shirt on, when – oh my GOD! I can’t get my head through! I’m choking, I’m going to die, I…

“Are you okay?”

“What? Tyler? I’m scared!”

“Calm down!” he said, laughing. “You just got your head stuck in your sleeve. Wait a minute, I’ll get you out…”

He pulled the sleeve (oh. So that was why my head couldn’t fit through.) off on my head, then guiding it to my hand.

“Oh,” I said, flushing bright red. “Thanks…I…got caught.”

His hand went to my head, and he pulled my wig a little to the side.

“Your wig was off,” he said, smiling. My heart skipped a beat when I realized how close his face was.

“I…oh.”

He smirked.

“D’you want to go to the reading now?”

“Huh?” I said brilliantly. Wow. I sound so smart.

“The first reading of the edited play. They said it would take the first two periods.”

“…Who’s ‘they’?”

“You know. The school.”

“Oh.” Wow. I’m really on fire today.

“Well, d’you want to go now?”

“Sure,” I said, blushing.

***

“…From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whole misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife...”

My eyes glassed over as I listened to the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet. Damn, this brings me back. This was exactly how I met Ben – apart from he was Romeo, and I was Juliet’s mother. I bit my lip, and tried not to punch the imaginary guy that looked remarkably like Ben, who was dancing in front of me. I hated him so much.

“Eric?” It was Tyler.

“Yuh huh?” I said, looking up.

“You’re kind of making a scary face right now.”

I tried to forget Ben.

“Better?”

“Not really. That’s not smiling. That’s just showing more teeth.”

“Now?”

“Sort of.”

***

“I would thou wert so happy by thy stay, to hear true shrift. Come, madam, let's away.” some random dude said. I tried not to yawn, but this was so boring. Going over scripts was the one thing worse than actual studying. Maybe I was not meant to be an actor. I stared off into the distance, my vision blurred.

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