♫Erica♫
I lifted the box, and stumbled back slightly.
“Whoa,” Daniel said, holding my back, to steady me slightly. “Careful.”
“Right,” I mumbled, hiding my blush. I wish I didn’t have this stupid wig on, so I could hide my flaming cheeks.
“Do you want me to help you carry it over to Tyler’s?”
Daniel wasn’t being “Daniel” right now. I don’t know, it just felt like…he was being distant. Like he was acting all the time (this is why I hate actors!).
“No, its fine,” I said, jerking away. “I can do it myself.”
My grip on the box slipped, and I had to crouch to support the weight of box. Damn, what the hell was in this thing? My entire collection of books couldn’t be that heavy – I don’t even read!
“Let me do it,” he said, trying to take away the box from me.
“No!” I yelled, shielding the box from him, like it was money, or a…nope, money.
“Let me help!”
“I don’t want you to!”
“Let me –”
He ripped the box from my hands.
“It’s not heavy at all,” he muttered. “You’re just weak.”
“Shut up. I’m not weak. You’re just…abnormally strong.”
“Sure. Believe that.”
“Hey!”
He smirked at me, his eyes shining with happiness, and for a moment he was Daniel again. The real Daniel. Then the light disappeared, and he turned away.
“I’ll just take these to Tyler’s room,” he said, his voice flat. “See you at the rehearsal?”
“Y-yes…Right.”
***
╣Daniel╠
It was Act one, Scene one of Romeo and Juliet. We’d done some practices separately, but this was when everything was brought together. Everyone was panicking, because the play was next Saturday.
Even though we did everything in a very short amount of time, it always pulled together in the end. That was why our school had such a good reputation.
“…Gregory, o' my word, we'll not carry coals.”
“No, for then we should be colliers.”
“I mean, an we be in choler, we'll draw…”
I listened, waiting for my cue, which wouldn’t be for quite a long time, even though Scott had cut out a lot of the first couple scenes already. I stared at Eric, watching how he was taking this. He looked fairly panicked. He would probably look worse on the day, when he had to wear the dress, wig, and make-up.
“My naked weapon is out: quarrel, I will back thee.”
“How! turn thy back and run?”
Does anyone understand this? Scott was the genius, so I’m guessing he did, because he knew which words and stuff to cut out, but he was probably the only one who did.
I guess that’s acting. Pretending to know what you’re saying, when you don’t.
I stared at the stage lighting, until my eyes started to hurt.
“You lie.”
“Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow.”
The two guys – Bruno and Jack, both juniors – mimicked a fake fight. Scott, who was the Director, yelled for them to stop, and called them to him. He looked serious. Scott was pretty serious about everything.
Eric was drifting off, his eyes fluttering closed.
“Boo!” I yelled, and Eric screamed.
“That wasn’t funny!” Eric said, glaring at me as I laughed. “That was very scary!”
“When Romeo and Juliet have finished messing around,” Scott said, icily, glaring at me, “maybe we could return to the play?”
***
♫Erica♫
“…this girl? What, Juliet!”
“How now! who calls?” I said, appearing from the side of the stage.
“No, no, no!” Scott yelled, making the cutting action again. The whole cast moaned and rolled their eyes, and I felt my cheeks reddening. “You don’t say it like that! You don’t have the right expression, the movement! You don’t seem like Juliet at all!”
“I don’t understand what you mean!”
“You’re just not…right!”
I grit my teeth, and fought back the tears. I knew I wasn’t the best actor, but wasn’t Scott being a bit harsh? I was trying the best I could!
There was muttering from the seats of the audience. Most of the cast had sat down, waiting for me to finally finish my scene.
“What, Juliet!”
“How now!” I said, desperately trying to put some emotion in. “Who calls?”
“No!”
The bell rang at exactly the same time.
“Look, we can’t do anything else today, but I want you to go home, and work out how to play her, okay? You can’t do it like this!”
There were mutinous mutterings from the rest of the cast as they left the set.
This was what had got me sacked so many times. My first movie job ever was fantastic – How to Make a Family, where I played a little boy. It was amazing. But at the same time, it broke me as an actress. Every time I try to perform…that little boy from How to Make a Family comes back, and every character I act is him.
I ran my fingers through my hair, and tried not to cry.
I was so sure I lost him. But I’d never picked up a script since then, because I was scared. And now it was true. I was a failed actress.
***
Author's Note: You have no idea how hard I worked to get this done. I am knackered. I now have about ten hours of homework. I hate my life.
But I love it too much to stop writing :)
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(Chapter 20)
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