"What am I going to do with you two?"
Hayner was in his least favorite place in Twilight High School for the third time that week. He seemed to have almost memorized the posters in the counselor's office by now. He was at this moment, of course, less than amused. He hadn't even started the fights. Which meant by and large that it was only partially his fault. His face, set in defiance, reflected exactly that. He was stubbornly refusing to give in to any form of superiority, school administration or otherwise. Hayner crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to be bombarded. Beside him sat Seifer, equally deep in the aforementioned trouble but much more amused.
"I think you're planning to eat us," he commented. "Being juvenile delinquents probably makes us nice and lean."
Hayner took that moment to describe Seifer in a much less pleasant way under his breath as their guidance counselor flipped out.
"You two are the worst hoodlums in the school! I give you detention, you fight! I give you Saturday school, you fight! You two have more testosterone than the entire football team combined!"
"Can't help it if chicken-shit here punches like a girl. I'm just showin' him how it's done!"
Hayner snarled and leapt from his chair at Seifer's throat. The counselor pushed at his shoulder and cleared his throat loudly. The hotheaded brunette sat down, seething.
"It seems the problem isn't you each individually-"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that."
"-but you two iin a room together/i! You just can't get along!"
"His fault," Hayner muttered.
"What we need to work on is you dealing with each other instead of fighting."
"Why don't you just switch our classes?"
"Because that's not the problem! We need to nip this habit in the bud so that you can handle it later in life."
"Boo-ring! We'll fight until they put one of us six feet under!"
The guidance counselor sighed, appearing at the end of his rope. He took several calming breaths as if to regain his composure. Then he looked them straight in the eye and spoke with an unnervingly calm voice.
"How do you like Shakespeare?"
Hayner blinked at the sudden change in the conversation. What was this guy getting at? Seifer responded first, setting off the obvious trap.
"Don't understand his writing. What the hell was he getting at? Creepy-ass English guy…"
Surprisingly, the counselor smiled.
"Have you ever seen Romeo and Juliet?"
Hayner felt a sinking feeling. He knew where this was going. Seifer, however, remained oblivious. His brain was not his best feature.
"No, it's a sissy-ass play. Why?"
"Do you know what 'sissy-ass' play the drama club is putting on this year?"
"No."
Hayner gulped, taking the bait.
"Romeo and Juliet."
The guidance counselor smiled at him.
"Yes, exactly. And do you know who's going to perform in it?""
Seifer finally caught on.
"Us?"
"Yes! I think working together on an active art form is just the thing you need in order to stop fighting with each other."
"What?"
"Would you rather I expel you?"
Hayner was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He needed this education, and this was the only high school for people in Twilight Town that wasn't a commute to another city. But Romeo and Juliet? He sighed.
"What parts will we get?"
"It depends on your audition," the counselor said, handing them sheets of information on the audition times. "Be there or I will expel you. Final warning."
Seifer scoffed, taking his without looking at it. He talked big, but Hayner knew he couldn't afford to be expelled again. He would have to deal.
"I'm gonna fail with flying colors," he declared.
Hayner could only hope.
"You have to what!"
"I have to audition for the school play."
"Why?" Roxas was staring at Hayner with his mouth open. He had been waiting for him upon his return from the counselor's office. They were walking out of the school doors at that moment. Hayner sighed and turned with a bitter expression.
"The counselor thinks that working on the play will help me and Seifer get along."
"What!"
"I know."
"I mean, you have to work with Seifer?"
"Yeah."
"That sucks!"
Hayner sighed and looked away, forlorn. He wasn't good with reading. He had nearly been diagnosed with dyslexia in the third grade and he never did quite finish book reports in time. He hated Shakespeare and his overly complicated plays. What was a poet doing writing a play anyway? Romeo and Juliet would be a nightmare.
"I suppose I could read a couple lines and hope I get a non-speaking part…" he said, glancing at Roxas hopefully. Roxas nodded.
"What part do you want to read from?"
"Huh?"
"What character do you want to play for the audition?"
"I dunno. Who is there?"
"You mean you've never even seen the play? I went to the theater once with..." Roxas trailed off. Hayner knew he was about to mention his other best friend, whom Hayner had never personally met. Roxas always seemed uncomfortable and pink in the face when his name came up. Hayner decided to change the subject.
"So who's in it?"
"Well, there's Romeo and Juliet, obviously, who are the main characters. They're in love, see…" Roxas's eyes glazed over.
"But their families are feuding and no one… no one wants them to be together. They can't love."
Hayner nodded, absently thinking that if he was ever in a situation like that one, he would tell his family to go fuck themselves. He motioned for Roxas to continue. The blonde shook his head and started up again.
"There's Friar Lawrence, he's the one who marries them. There's Mercutio, he's related to Romeo. He's hotheaded and a wise guy. He says some pervy stuff."
Hayner smiled.
"That wouldn't be so bad." Roxas mumbled agreement.
"Then there's also Juliet's nurse, Tybalt, who's Juliet's cousin, the lovers' parents, and some others. What do you think you want to do?"
"I'll try that Mercutio guy."
"Good choice. What scene do you want to do?"
Hayner stopped walking, halfway down the steps of the front doors. He and Roxas had planned to walk home, again, after his disciplinary. He turned to face his best friend, a pained look on his face.
"Scene?"
Roxas sighed, steering him to the sidewalk.
"I'll find a copy of the play and bring it tomorrow. I'd invite you home with me, but I'm meeting… someone. Sound okay?"
Hayner nodded, wishing Roxas would say "Axel" around him and not beat around the bush. Sure, Hayner would probably seek him out and attack him for taking his best friend, but it was better to know, right? It's not like there was a reason to keep Axel secret.
"That sounds good."
Hayner hoisted his pack over his shoulder. He looked over at the sun over the horizon, casting an orange glow over Twilight Town. He walked with Roxas to his house and then waved goodbye as he continued on to the other side of the town. He never told Roxas that he lived on the side of town famous for its delinquent activity. He was ashamed of it, really. He had a good family, living with his mom and sister, but they didn't have enough money to move out of their run down house on the bad side.
He passed the graffiti on the side of an apartment building and continued down the street. Someone yelled out to him, wolf whistling and cat calling. He ignored them, quickening his pace. He tightened his back pack to his arm and counted the rhythm of his steps. Soon he was safe before his house again.
Hayner sighed and took out his house key, placing it in the lock after several frustrated exclamations and entering his house. He slammed his pack to the ground and announced his arrival. He heard his mom respond from her room and plopped down on the couch, switching on the TV.
He surfed the channels randomly until he found a program about sharks on a nature channel. He shrugged and turned up the volume. The announcer ranted on about mating season. Hayner settled back against the couch and grabbed the chip bag off of the coffee table. The chips were almost gone, but he munched them nonetheless. He stayed like that until he heard the door hours later. Immediately he jumped off the couch and made a break for the kitchen, but not before he was caught.
"HAYNER!"
Hayner whimpered, shielding his face with his hands against the malevolent force standing before him. He knew this was the end. He dropped to his knees, pleading for his life.
The figure glared at him, motioning to the kitchen and raising a trimmed eyebrow. Hayner chuckled nervously, making another break for it. He was seized around the waist and thrown to the couch for his troubles. He trembled as the evil figure grew closer and closer, then…
"Hahahahaha! Stop tickling me!" he squealed, laughing uncontrollably. His sister grinned at him, not letting up. She made him beg for mercy before letting go.
"Why didn't you make dinner yet, Hayner?"
Hayner shrugged.
"Didn't feel like it…"
His sister frowned and smacked him upside the head. He just pouted, less than amused. Since his mother had an unstable schedule and couldn't be counted on most of the time, and his sister worked fifteen shifts of after school jobs respectively, it fell on him to make dinner, and boy did his sister remind him of it!
"You can't just slack off, delinquent boy!" she declared, smacking him roughly and causing a swear to utter its way out of his lips. "And watch your language!"
Hayner mumbled a word of apology and began to walk to the kitchen, pulling a chicken out of the refrigerator for their dinner. As he walked over to put it in the oven, the phone rang. He ignored it, thinking it was for his sister, which apparently she assumed as well.
"Hey, this is Liz!" she said, grasping the phone and bouncing out of the kitchen to get changed into the outfit for her next job. It became apparent that it wasn't one of her college friends on the line as her tone darkened.
"Oh, really? He did that? I don't believe this! Next Tuesday?"
Hayner looked over warily, closing the refrigerator door. He began to creep towards the door, sensing a disciplinary issue. Before he went far, a hand clamped onto his collar as his sister promised the person on the line that he would be there. As soon as she hung up, her glare was directed on her younger brother.
"A fight in gym class? What are you, three? Sometimes…" she sighed and looked away, shaking her head.
"Did he mention anything else?" Hayner asked hopefully, assuming it was the counselor who had called. He was half holding onto the notion that he would be able to ditch the audition and make it through life dealing with Seifer.
"Yes. And don't think that you can skip the audition, because I'm driving you there and back!"
Internally, Hayner groaned.
"C'mon… you have work."
But Liz was not to be deterred, and Hayner cooked the chicken in stony pouting silence. He pulled it out about an hour later, calling to Liz who was on the computer. She hollered back for him to set the table. Hayner sighed and did so, mumbling in annoyance. As he was finishing with the silverware, the phone rang again. Hayner picked it up, hitting the talk button.
"Hey, Hayner?"
"Hey Roxas!"
Hayner sighed in relief. He sat at the table, wiping off his hands and starting in on the chicken. As usual, he had cooked it to perfection.
iI'm good/i, he thought to himself. Cooking for his family for years had made an excellent chef out of him.
"What's up?"
"I found a copy of the play at the library," Roxas replied, and Hayner could hear another voice in the background.
"Really?" he asked, concentrating on the deeper voice that was chuckling at its own joke. It sounded like an older man. Was it Axel? Hayner had only seen the redhead once, when he was talking to Roxas on top of the clock tower. They had seemed like an inseparable pair. Hayner was actually kind of jealous.
"Yeah. So, did you have an idea of what you wanna do?"
Hayner shrugged as he scooped some food into his mouth, though Roxas could not see him over the phone.
"I dunno. The end?"
There was a pause on the other end.
"Hayner, you do know Mercutio dies right?"
"Who's Mercutio?" Hayner asked absent mindedly. Roxas sighed.
"The guy you were okay with auditioning for."
"Oh yeah…" Hayner remembered. "Then should I do his death or what?"
"Depends."
"On what?"
"What you can act."
"Hey, if I wanted to pass, I would agree. But I don't. So who cares?"
Roxas paused again. Hayner groaned.
"Don't do that. Haven't you ever wanted to do a play?"
Hayner rolled his eyes, shoving more chicken in his mouth.
"Not really. And not with Seifer."
"So what happens if you make it in?"
"Then I'll do it. But hopefully I can avoid Seifer."
"Well, are you gonna practice?"
"Hell no!"
"At least memorize your lines!"
Hayner wanted to shout 'only if you say Axel's name when you talk about him!', but what came out was "Fine then."
They talked a while longer, Roxas promising to help him memorize his lines when he came over the next day, until Liz came in to the kitchen and told Hayner off for talking on the phone while eating. He hung up then, scarfing down the rest of his dinner and running up the stairs to play video games until bed. He woke up in a tangle of hot blankets.
Liz had already left for work, so he showered and dressed for school, grabbing his backpack at the last second to dash out the door with fear of being late. He had to run to Twilight High, dashing through the streets that were much safer by early morning daylight. He was panting by the time he reached the drab building, and Roxas was waiting for him, tapping his foot. He put on an apologetic face, chuckling sheepishly. Roxas sighed and told him that first bell had already rung. Together they ran to first hour.
Hayner had almost made it the whole day avoiding Seifer. The other gang leader had ditched most of his classes, only coming to social studies and math. Hayner figured he was home free, so he decided to cut his last class, English, with an old teacher who mostly assigned them reading and tests.
But as Hayner made his way to his normal hangout, he overheard Seifer talking.
"Yeah, not any man could do a play like me," he bragged, leaning against a locker and talking to Vivi, Rai and Fu. "I'm gonna get the lead role and spice up the whole damn play! I decided that I'd help make this play not so boring, for the sake of the school."
"I think that the lead is Romeo, y'know," Rai told him, blinking confusedly but accepting the fact that Seifer had decided to try for a play. Hayner clenched his teeth. Seifer hadn't even told his gang the real reason for his sudden theater interest! Dirty cheat!
"Romeo, whatever," Seifer said, dismissing the name with a wave of his hand. "I'll get it! Hayner probably won't make anything important. He just isn't cool enough to try and spice up the play. He'll choose a side role to try for and bomb!"
"Why would Hayner try out?" Rai asked, raising an eyebrow.
"'Cause he's a copycat!" Seifer cackled, standing up. Hayner dove behind a drinking fountain as Seifer passed. He mumbled to himself, pissed. If Seifer wanted to fight, he'd fight! He'd show him!
Instead of just relaxing, he went to Roxas' locker and grabbed the copy of Romeo and Juliet he had placed there before school. He made his way down the hall, looking for any scene with Romeo in it.
By the time Roxas found him after class, he had memorized the whole scene, both Romeo and Juliet's lines. Roxas raised an eyebrow when Hayner handed him the book back.
"Bit of light reading?" he asked, taking up stride next to him and putting the book back in his backpack. Hayner shrugged.
"I changed my mind."
"Why? 'Cause Seifer's bragging all over school that he can be the best Romeo ever?"
"Yeah. I'll beat him!"
Roxas put his head in his hand.
"At least you got serious, I guess…" he sighed.
"' O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.'" He quoted, looking at Hayner.
"'Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?'" Hayner replied smugly.
Roxas whapped him upside the head with the rolled up text, glaring.
"What?"
"Romeo isn't smug," Roxas replied, unfolding the book. "Try for smitten."
Hayner tried. He really did. But all that came out was a smoldering look that resembled a drunken teenage girl. Roxas laughed out loud. Hayner smacked him back.
"Sorry! It's just… You're such a iJuliet!/i" he laughed again.
Hayner grinned, batting his eyelashes and speaking in falsetto.
"' What man art thou that thus bescreen'd in night
So stumblest on my counsel?'" he purred.
Roxas doubled over, tears of mirth streaming down his face.
"Stop it!" he giggled, wiping his face. Hayner laughed too, until they reached the school boundaries. Then they raced to Roxas' house. Once there, Hayner called his sister to say that he would be spending the night. She grouched but allowed it, letting him stay. They spent the night going over the lines, Roxas playing the part of Juliet. Hayner had to try hard to keep a straight face. They fell asleep, like normal, sprawled over each other on Roxas' bed. Hayner felt quite ready to beat Seifer at his game.