CHAPTER 22 : MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
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We were sitting in the history class with the only teacher all the students liked-Mr. Moscovitz, when the janitor came in with a message from Dean Bass. Mr. Moscovitz sent the janitor back after reading the message and spoke, "The auditions for the Star Falls High Skit Competition will start today, and the competition is to take place on the 19th a month from now. The play to be enacted for this year's competition is 'Much Ado About Nothing'. If anyone of would like to be a part of the play be sure to swing by the Auditorium in the lunch break."
Finally it's that time of the year again!
And Much Ado is the one thing written by Shakespeare that I actually enjoy.
Being an avid reader and an aspiring writer you'd think I'd be more interested in the scripting part of the skit competition but I've been acting in plays since as far as I can recall. This was one of the few things that I actually enjoyed doing and was really good at.
So when the bell rang for the lunch break me and Care headed for the auditorium immediately. During our walk towards it we were discussing who could be playing the parts of Benedick and Claudio.
"Which part would the idiot be getting?" I wondered.
"Uh he doesn't take part in plays anymore not since two years ago."
This was one of those moments that made me realize how much has changed. And the 'two years ago' thing brought back a flash of memories, memories which I had buried away in some dark corner of my mind.
FLASHBACK
This year's play was supposed to be based off the most stupid love story in the history of time, 'Romeo and Juliet.'
And as always me and Ash were playing the main characters, while Mason played the role of the father and Care presented herself as the beauty who enticed Romeo into coming to the Capulet Ball in the first place.
Kate was involved in the backstage work Luke was staying as far away from all the "soapy drama" as he could. His words not mine.
So anyways we were performing this scene where Romeo first met Juliet during the ball.
JULIET
Thou know'st the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak to-night
Fain would I dwell on form, fain, fain deny
What I have spoke: but farewell compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say 'Ay,'
And I will take thy word: yet if thou swear'st,
Thou mayst prove false; at lovers' perjuries
Then say, Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:
Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won,
I'll frown and be perverse an say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo; but else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,
And therefore thou mayst think my 'havior light:
But trust me, gentleman, I'll prove more true
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou overheard'st, ere I was ware,
My true love's passion: therefore pardon me,
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discovered.
ROMEO
Lady, by yonder blessed moon I swear
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops--
JULIET
O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
ROMEO
What shall I swear by?
JULIET
Do not swear at all;
Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry,
And I'll believe thee.
ROMEO
If my heart's dear love--
JULIET
Well, do not swear: although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract to-night:
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden;
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say 'It lightens.' Sweet, good night!
This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
Good night, good night! as sweet repose and rest
Come to thy heart as that within my breast!
ROMEO
O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
JULIET
What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?
ROMEO
The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.
JULIET
I gave thee mine before thou didst request it:
And yet I would it were to give again.
ROMEO
Wouldst thou withdraw it? for what purpose, love?
JULIET
But to be frank, and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
Nurse calls within
I hear some noise within; dear love, adieu!
Anon, good nurse! Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again.
Exit, above
ROMEO
O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard.
Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.
Re-enter JULIET, above
JULIET
Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word to-morrow,
By one that I'll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite;
And all my fortunes at thy foot I'll lay
And follow thee my lord throughout the world.
Nurse
[Within] Madam!
JULIET
I come, anon.--But if thou mean'st not well,
I do beseech thee--
Nurse
[Within] Madam!
JULIET
By and by, I come:--
To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief:
To-morrow will I send.
ROMEO
So thrive my soul--
JULIET
A thousand times good night!
Exit, above
ROMEO
A thousand times the worse, to want thy light.
Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from
their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.
Retiring
Re-enter JULIET, above
JULIET
Hist! Romeo, hist! O, for a falconer's voice,
To lure this tassel-gentle back again!
Bondage is hoarse, and may not speak aloud;
Else would I tear the cave where Echo lies,
And make her airy tongue more hoarse than mine,
With repetition of my Romeo's name.
ROMEO
It is my soul that calls upon my name:
How silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night,
Like softest music to attending ears!
JULIET
Romeo!
ROMEO
My dear?
JULIET
At what o'clock to-morrow
Shall I send to thee?
ROMEO
At the hour of nine.
JULIET
I will not fail: 'tis twenty years till then.
I have forgot why I did call thee back.
ROMEO
Let me stand here till thou remember it.
JULIET
I shall forget, to have thee still stand there,
Remembering how I love thy company.
ROMEO
And I'll still stay, to have thee still forget,
Forgetting any other home but this.
JULIET
'Tis almost morning; I would have thee gone:
And yet no further than a wanton's bird;
Who lets it hop a little from her hand,
Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves,
And with a silk thread plucks it back again,
So loving-jealous of his liberty.
ROMEO
I would I were thy bird.
JULIET
Sweet, so would I:
Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing.
Good night, good night! parting is such
sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
This was the first time I could somewhat understand Romeo and Juliet's feelings. And I wish I could experience a love like that, a love where you know they were the one the moment you saw them and where both the lovers are willing to go against everyone they care about for the sake of that love. Until now I thought they were just two stupid kids but maybe there was more to the story.
Wow I'm officially going crazy! I just justified two mindless kids' idiotic suicide.
We were both lost in the moment and words were flowing after the thousands of practices we'd had.
We were supposed to act as if we kissed each other after this scene, so Ashton held my head, dipped it and covered my face from the stage by facing his in front of mine. To audience it gave the impact that we kissed but in reality we just stared at each other, as his hand smoothly massaged my head and our breath diffused into one.
That was the time that I realized I did have feelings for him and I couldn't deny it anymore.
END OF FLASHBACK.
Between these old memories I lost all tracks about the current situation, so I told Care to first while I settle my thoughts.
This was when I noticed Will was in the audition line for the guys' roles.
I was pretty confident about getting the role of either Beatrice or Hero. And it felt good to return to something that was an important part of my life until I left town two years ago.
After our auditions Will waited for us to finish our auditions before going back to the cafeteria table and sat down after taking our food.
"Will, did you also give the audition?" Mase asked.
"Yeah man I did. And since there weren't many people better than me, I might get the lead role too. I used to take part in plays all the time in my old school."
"Well that's good cause I'm pretty sure either Care or Alli will get the part of the female lead." Said Kate.
I'm gonna try and get the job of designing the costumes for all you guys," Meg popped in.
"Yeah I think that would be an excellent opportunity for you since the most high profile people would be present on the final day, since some of them have kids studying here and the rest are Alumni of the institution." Said Mase.
"You're right; as a matter of fact since it's the last year of school maybe I should audition for it myself." Said Ashton.
"You do?"
"Are you sure?"
Asked Mase and Luke while I glanced at both their faces trying to understand what the big deal about it was.
"But I though you ha- okay!" Care abruptly stopped.
"Ha- what?" I asked puzzled about what was actually going on here.
"Have a game that night. But forgot that the match had been postponed because I'm a huge idiot, along with some other people of course."
"Well that's something I can't disagree upon." I replied.
"Well then you better to it." Kate suggested.
Soon I saw him get out of his chair and head to auditorium completely oblivious to what actually was going on there.
And somewhere up there somebody was smiling at me and my overdramatic imagination wherein I could see right through people.
Kate's POV
These two were complete idiots, I was sure of it. How could they not see it?
This stupid guy was about to audition and probably threaten a guy or two, to get some role he wasn't interested in, in the first place! And he doesn't even have the guts to admit that he's doing all this out of jelousy!
And I'm pretty sure he'll get the role if not for his talent then because of his cockiness and thus the pleasure Mrs. Lockwood would receive in bossing him around.
The bell rang signaling the time for the math class, which I had with my idiot best friend and my idiot brother.
Luke was in his prankster mood again so he set up a mechanism where as soon as the door open again an egg will be dropped onto the teachers chair and as soon as he sits on it water will be spilled on his crotch, I swear if he put half the effort in his studies his would ace the physics class if not any other.
While Luke put his elaborate plan into motion, Alli and discussed the next step of our plan to make my brother and his arch nemesis fall in love and w both decided that the best way to go about it was to somehow get Luke and Care in a situation where they had to spend as much time together as possible.
I advised him not to do it but why would he listen to me? I'm just his wise sister who is always right in the end!
So he went ahead with his plan any ways and I swear my ear drums stopped working for a few seconds after the scream that Mrs. Lockwood let out!
She ordered Luke to participate in the skit as punishment besides serving detention for a month.
Well it seems that things actually do have a way of working themselves out.
The bad part of it was that Alli and I also paid the price of his wrong doing by escorting her to the staff washroom, one walking in front of her and the other behind, careful not to let anyone see the big stains on either side of her hip. And it didn't end there we had to arrange some clothes for her too!
I'm going to kill that ass someday. I would have been angrier at him except for the fact that I am too happy that the wise guy above was on our side with the cupid agreement.
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The cast list came out the next day and the main roles were as follows:
Beatrice- Allison Waters
Benedick- Ashton Forbes
Claudio- Luke Salvatore
Don Pedro- William Anderson
Hero - Caroline Heart
Leonato - Sam Tucker
Margret- Natalie
...
So I guess if not in real life then at least on the stage, Luke and Care are going to be madly in love!
THE END
I've decided to change Ashton's surname now it's Forbes.
This chapter was pretty long wasn't it? 2209 words long, to be precise!
So do tell me what you think about this chapter and wish me loads of luck for my upcoming exams, I'll see you people after my finals are over with a brand new chapter.
Meanwhile do not forget to VOTE & COMMENT on this one.
Love, A. ❤