It's time to hope for the best! More like pray! you thought. You heard a bunch of the students whining in the background saying that they didn't want to do the play, but they had to for the extra credit. You took out your script before you walked on stage in front of the small crowd. You looked at Hyunjin who seemed to look interested into what you were going to do. "Excuse me miss, why are you covering your face?" said one of the two teachers sitting next to Daesun.
"I-I'm covering it because... if I mess up, I won't be humiliated." you lied. "I'm very paranoid about it."
"I see. Well, we're going to have to know your name in order toー"
"Ms. Drama, that's the Mae girl. She's the youngest student in our grade. She's really smart. Even though, everyone knows I'm better. Don't worry, she's in my class. I'll remember who she is if she gets the part." Daesun explained in her annoying high pitched voice.
"Very well then. I'll go first as Romeo, then you'll go ahead right after as Juliet." Ms. Drama insisted. You nodded. You were somewhat happy that you had put on the disguise. You were still able to audition while hiding yourself. She started.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand,
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand,
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." She read out dramatically. You were dumbfounded by what she said. But you played along with it. At least, you tried to.
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." you read off of your paper.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
"Um... Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."
"O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
"Saints do not move... though grant for prayers' sake?" you thought that all of this was cheesy.
"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."
"Then have my lips the sin that theyー ARRGH, I can't do this. This is too lame. Why don't they just make out already." you gave up. The students in the crowd were not surprised. Most of the kids who auditioned quit mid-way. Hyunjin loudly snickered, and you glared at him through your sunglasses.
"What do you find yourself uncomfortable with?" Daesun asked, mostly looking at her phone. She probably asked so that she could put up a front for the teachers.
"It's not that I don't like acting in general. Doing this play is the problem. Who even wants to see a bunch of high school students act out on this love story. I like the story of Romeo and Juliet. However, in reality, boys are diー jerks and girls are shady and fake. There's never this kind of love story in real life anymore. I know it's just 'pretending' but obviously, nobody here is passionate about this. No one cares anymore. Not even the drama club leader." you said nodding over to Daesun.
"She's not wrong." she said, still looking at her phone.
"Why are we even doing this play? Eleven times out of ten, the show will be trash and all of the parents and kids who spent their money to watch the it will be disappointed."
"I understand what you mean by that Miss... Face-mask-girl. But the principal is... strategic on how he earns money for the school. The benefits from participating is extra credit points, and many of the students who need them act out a lot. The only way for this show to be completely turned down is if everyone quits." Ms. Drama said. At that, all of the students left the auditorium. Hyunjin took a while to get up. "Welp, Miss Face-mask-girl, you would have gotten the part if the show wasn't cancelled." said the female teacher.
"Um... thanks?" you stated before quickly escaping through the backstage area.
"I can't believe you just cancelled the entire play for next Friday. Now we don't have school." Jemsong said.
"It's all thanks to the Junior Year Maknae." Naein encouraged.
"Yes Maemi. You just wasted Author~nim's time and space writing that irrelevant conversation between you and the teacher." Anko quickly said.
"What?" you asked her.
"Would you have gotten the part?" she asked.
"Yes actually. She said if I didn't get the show cancelled, I would've been Juliet. What a bummer." you sighed.
"Please, you wouldn't have done it anyway." Naein reminded you.
"You're right. Let's all calm down. We have no school on Friday, thanks to me. I think you should all treat."
"With pleasure our precious baby." Jemsong said while pinching your cheeks.
"F*ck off." you said.
"Baby my ass." Naein scoffed.
"Language." Anko scolded.
***
"I can't believe that girl got us all a day off. She's a legend." Jisung exclaimed.
"What's her name?" Felix asked.
"She didn't say. She didn't want to embarrass herself. She's also in some of Daesun's classes. She's the Mae girl, and she's apparently the youngest student in my grade. Never heard of her." you explained to the boys. Your hyungs looked at each other, thinking about something. All except Minho. Even Seungmin and Jeongin joined in the suspicious stares.
"The Mae girl? Youngest in the Junior Year Classes? I might know who you're talking about, hyung." Felix said.
"Really? Who is she?" you asked.
"She's really tough for her age. Her name's Maeー" Changbin covered the younger one's mouth.
"Don't say anything!" Changbin said with his deep voice.
"Why can't he?" you asked, shocked. Changbin started whispering something into Felix's ear. Longer than he should have. What exposed everything was Felix's response.
"Oh, you guys think the Face-mask-girl is the girl Hyunjin~hyung is trying to find?" he said out loud. The other guys gasped angrily. Seungmin face-palmed himself.
"IDIOT, WHY DID YOU SAY IT OUT LOUD?! THERE'S A REASON WHY HE WHISPERED THAT TO YOU!" Chan fumed.
"Oh. My bad, mate." Felix said, lightly scratching the back of his neck.
"And you all thought I was the dumbass." Jeongin bragged.
"Because you are." Seungmin said, hitting him on the back of his head. You were shooketh.
"So that's why she was covering her face. Damn, she looked shorter in person. So small. No. Smol."
"Dumbass. That's not why he said that. It's because we know who she is." Jeongin said. With that, Seungmin, Chan, Changbin, and Felix hit him across the head. WooJail did nothing, cuz he ain't touching nobody no more.
"Why did you say that?! So this is why I have grey hairs early." Chan stressed.
"We do?" Minho asked.
"I think it's... you know..." Jisung tried to abbreviate without you noticing.
Minho caught on. "Really? It's her? She doesn't act anything like how Hyunjin describes her. At least, when I talk to her."
"Great. So she only acts like a creepy dog with me." you pouted.
"Or maybe she's only nice to Minho~hyung." Seungmin said. At the thought of that, it kind of made you mad. You were talking to her first. He doesn't deserve her kindness yet. Especially if you knew her better. Well. Not really. It only made you more determined to find out who she was. However, it constantly changed what you wanted out of the deal. One month was almost up. You had to think fast.
"Who bets that he's not going to figure it out before the two months are up?" Changbin asked everyone.
"I don't think he'll get it. He's too dumb." Chan stated.
"HEY!" you shouted.
"Me too." Jisung said.
"I'm with you guys on this one." Felix joined in.
"I'm betting that he does figure it out. Before the two months are up." Seungmin said.
"Same." WooJail said.
"What do you think, hyung?" Seungmin asked Minho.
"I don't know. I guess I'm with you guys?" Minho replied.
"All of you will lose. I'm betting that he'll figure it out, AND he'll fall for her. Then, next thing you know, BOOM, they're dating in the third month." Jeongin exclaimed.
"That's dumb." Seungmin said.
"What are we betting with?" Felix asked.
"Whichever two teams lose, they'll have to buy the winning team food. Each loser has to buy each winner something." Changbin confirmed.
"We're gonna have so much food." Jisung said excitedly.
"Jokes on you, when I win, I'll have a supply from all of you that would last me to the next school year. The maknae WILL be on top." Jeongin insisted before Seungmin once again hit him.
"This isn't cool. I can't believe you're all betting on Meme and I." you scoffed.
"Meme?" WooJail said with confusion.
"N-nothing." you mumbled.
"I can feel my stomach being full already." Jeongin said, smiling to himself.
Wow, this was long af.