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.
“Good-morrow, cousin.” Okay, so I know I’m not some amazing actor, but I kind of think you need to put some feeling into your words. You know. Otherwise it’s just reading.
“Is the day so young?”
I suddenly focused.
It was Daniel. It was the first thing he’d said so far.
I focused on him, and him only. There were a couple more lines, before he spoke again.
“But new struck nine,” the other guy said.
“Ay me! sad hours seem long. Was that my father that went hence so fast?” Daniel spoke
The blood in my veins froze. I was shocked.
His voice, his expression, his manner was perfect. Even the way he articulated each syllable – so carefully, so beautifully, with poetic emphasis.
“It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?”
“Not having that, which, having, makes them short.” Daniel said. I almost gasped this time. Every word carried so much emotion, so much feeling, it made everything I’d ever acted seem like a child at playtime. In that moment, he was Romeo.
I blinked, and he finished his line, and he was Daniel again.
“In love?”
I wasn’t breathing. I was hanging onto Daniel’s next words.
“Out –”
“Of love?”
“Out of her favour, where I am in love.” His words were so soulful, so moving – I’ve never seen Shakespeare read like this before.
I listened hard to their dialogue, forgetting my part completely.
“Eric?” Tyler hissed, poking me. “Erica, it’s you!”
“What? Oh, right,” I’d been completely caught up in Daniel’s acting, I’d forgotten everything. I bit my lip, and looked down at the script. “How now! Who calls?”
I spent the rest of the two hours listening to the soothing, rhythmic sounds of Daniel’s voice, and saying my lines when I had to. It took a long time, and we were no way done when the bell rang, signifying break. Wow. That was really two periods? It seemed so much shorter. Unknowingly, I’d become engrossed in Daniel’s performance.
“Eric? You coming?”
I looked up, dazed. It was Scott. Of course it was. He was the main script editor – he couldn’t not be here.
“Yeah, sure,” I said, picking up my bag. I fumbled with my strap, and dropped it. I bent down to pick it up, and when I looked up again, my eyes locked with Daniel’s, for the first time since I’d gotten here – he’d ignored me for the past two hours.
Electricity flowed between our gazes, and for a split-second I couldn’t look away. My mind was stuck on the character he created – no, calling him Romeo would be dull, it would be too general – Daniel’s Romeo. More perfect and believable and likeable than any character I could have ever dreamed of.
He looked away, tearing the connection that flowed between our two bodies.
“You ready?” Scott asked, looking at me worriedly.
“Yeah,” I said, trying to smile. “Let’s go.”
I glanced in Daniel’s direction as we walked away. His face was turned away from mine.
Wow.
He was an amazing actor.
***
Pirouette, step-ball-change, step-ball-change, leap, turn with you partner, then finish.
I worked my butt off, doing that stupid routine again and again – maybe I kind of wanted something I could be better at than Daniel (because there was no way I could be as good as him, acting-wise). No luck, though. He was annoyingly good at everything.
Maybe I just wasn’t co-ordinated enough.
I fell over for about the billionth time, and winced. A couple guys in the class muttered about how much I sucked, and how I was keeping everyone from moving on. I fought back the tears, and bit my lip.
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked, reaching out a hand to me. He wasn’t smiling, and his face didn’t look friendly at all, but it was at least different from the looks he’d been giving me all day, or rather the lack of looks. He was completely ignoring me. It’s not like I wasn’t him to be obsessed about me, and just look at me, but it would be nice if he didn’t pretend I was air.
“Yeah,” I said, (“Yeah”? Really, “yeah”? “Yeah” was all I had? I was so weak.)
A small flicker of electricity passing from his skin to mine, as I grabbed him hand to hoist myself up. How did he not feel that? Or was he just acting? He’d proven he was an amazing actor, after all.
He let go of my hand as soon as possible, and turned back to the teacher. Ouch. That hurt.
The dance instructor guy moved on, and started teaching everyone the next part of the musical. He’d probably decided he couldn’t be bothered to try and get any more potential out of me, and was just working on making everyone else good enough to cover my mistakes.
The bell finally rang, and I sighed with relief.
“Eric? Daniel? Please come here.”
If you could unsigh a sigh, I probably just did it right then.
I tried not to blush my face off when all the guys in my class stared at me. There’s something about being stared at by thirty guys in leotards that is really intimidating. I don’t know if it’s just me, or…?
When everyone else left, and it was just me, Daniel and the teacher guy left in the room.
“Daniel? I was wondering if you could teach Eric how to dance?”
I gaped at her. What?
“Yes, because, well, as I’m sure you’re aware,” he glanced at me, giving me the “supportive teacher” look. Bastard, “Eric does not have the basics down, and without knowing the basic moves, everything we do in class is going to be so much harder. So I would like you to teach him, like you did yesterday. I already see an improvement in class. Would that be alright, Daniel?”
Frick. Say no, please say no, don’t do it, please don’t do it…
But this is Daniel, the guy who hates me like crap. I was completely tricked by the Romeo face he’d put on, that was sweet, kind and gentle. No, this was cold, sarcastic Daniel who’d driven out fifteen of his roommates. He was not the same guy as Romeo.
And I had to remember that, or I’d be pulled into his web.
The teacher left the room, and Daniel turned and smirked at me, in a way that was so not Romeo. My heart thudded, but it was because I was scared this time.
“Well, let’s get started, shall we?”
***
Author's Note: Please help me get some more music choices :) Watching Dexter, it's so scary but addictive :D