Disclaimer: I don't own Home and Away or Romeo and Juliet. Just borrowing for the story.
-
Summary:
Matilda, known affectionately as M-Girl by her best friends Cassie and Belle, has never really gotten along with her twin bother Henry. Throughout highschool, their relationship grew steadily worse as he, Ric and Luke, Henry's best mates, became thorns in Matilda and her best friends sides.
Thrown together in their year eleven production of the bards greatest tragedy Romeo and Juliet, will they destroy the play… and each other?
Fortunes Fools
Chapter One
-
"M-Girl" my best friend Cassie said, sitting down next to me "They are staring again." She finished, her voice barely audible.
But I knew what she said. Every lunch it was the same. Sighing I looked down at my half-eaten sandwich, suddenly not feeling so hungry any more. That was also the same every lunch, I considered as I put it away, knowing full well Mum would have a go at me for not eating it.
"Just ignore them" B said in her typically cynical tone, as she sat down on the other side of me. "We all know they've got nothing better to do than stare at us" she said, rather mockingly, flipping her hair over one shoulder and pouting, causing Cass and I to burst into giggles.
"We can't help it if we're stunning…" She paused momentarily, before continuing "Well, I can't at least" She finished, keeping her poker face the entire time. "What?" She asked innocently as Cass and I laughed even harder at her.
That was Belle for you. Self assured as hell, but a complete ice-queen when it actually came to talking to males. She was able to freeze them out within moments. I never complained thought, it meant there was even less broken hearts to deal with within our friendship group.
Actually, between the three of us, we'd not really had our share of teenage angst and broken hearts.
Those boys staring at us? They tended to have that effect on you… you know, that effect that makes you want to stay away from anything that's male. Henry, Luke and Ric had, from the first day of highschool, made our lives a living hell. Naturally, we'd been influenced from day one to stay the hell away from boys. Hence, the lack of broken hearts.
Eventually, we'd become so used to it just being the three of us, that boys and crushes had never really come between us. Of course, as we grew older, at parties there'd been kisses and swooning moments, but nothing had come of it in the long run.
Besides, the three unmentionables (Belle's nickname for them) had taken up a fair bit of our time during the junior years at school.
I finally gave in, and looked up to see them glaring at us. I sighed once more. Henry was my own flesh and blood, and I couldn't help but hate him just a little. We'd never been that close, but when he'd bonded with Ric and Luke, any salvageable bond had been blown to smithereens. Their instant dislike to us had caused more than a few feuds and dramas over the years.
Being the smallest, weakest and most kind hearted of the three of us, I often bore the brunt of any pranks of joke's we'd been victim to in our early teenage years. As we grew older, these jokes turned into snide and cruel remarks, hated glares and heated arguments. Now, just one short year, and a few months away from completing highschool, it appeared we'd called a truce of some sort. One that screamed vividly, each time I saw them 'I'll forget you the moment I leave this place, because you were simply that enemy from highschool.'
We all had that one enemy, that nemesis who made it their duty to ruin our lives. Our's just happened to be best friends. But I couldn't be happier about leaving highschool behind. Supposedly the best years of our lives, my happy memories were few and far between because of them.
"Earth to M-Girl, the world is calling you" Cassie said, waving a hand infront of my face and snapping me out of my thoughts.
"You spaced on us there Mads, where'd you go?" Belle asked, her voice suddenly full of concern.
I smiled slowly at them before replying "To memories that are soon to be forgotten."
Their faces looked puzzled for a moment before the bell rang loudly, signaling the end of lunch.
"I'm fine, really" I said as I stood up "Aside from the fact we have to face the demonic Mr. Ashton in drama now." I finished, pulling a face which Cassie and Belle mirrored.
"Ugh" came the mutual reply from them as B pouted. "Do we really have to go? I mean, no one will miss us."
-
Year 11 drama with Mr. Ashton… the bane of our existence. Cassie, Belle and I had loved drama with our old teacher, Miss. Parsons, and we'd been looking forward to spending year 11 and 12 with her. But she'd been transferred at the end of year 10, and Mr. Ashton had been her replacement.
Drama had never been fun again.
Matters were only made worse by the unmentionables being in our class too. However, where we loved drama, they'd joined with the belief that it would be an easy ride… sooner, rather than later, they'd found that it was exactly the opposite.
Walking into the classroom with Belle and Cassie chatting incessantly next to me, I was reminded of the day that I had met them. The day they had become my best friends.
I'd been sitting timidly in a corner, when Miss. Parsons had told us to form groups for a typical year 7 'getting-to-know-you' activity. In another typical year 7 move, everyone that had either known one another in primary school, or had already bonded in their first period classes formed groups around me.
I hadn't spoken to anyone during first period for fear of making enemies, not friends, and had spent my primary years in an out of zone area school. I was entirely alone. No one seemed to want to take on the responsibility of befriending the quiet corner girl.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there were two girls bounding up towards me. One was tall, thin, and had dark skin and smiling dark eyes. The other was fairer, and her eyes looked suspiciously at everyone else around the room, but she smiled with the other girl she was with, as if she knew all her secrets.
"What's you name?" the fair skinned one asked apprehensively.
"Matilda Hunter" I'd managed to spit out.
"Well M-Girl. I'm Cassie" the tanned one had said confidently, point to herself, "And this is Belle." She had finished, pointing towards the fair skinned one.
"M-Girl?" I replied, profusely confused with the name.
"Your nickname silly. I'm Cass, she's B, and your M-Girl" Cassie had told me, before plonking herself down next to me. "If we're going to be best friends," Belle had explained, sitting on the other side of me "We have to bond."
"And what better way…" Cassie had cut in "Than nicknames?"
I just smiled at the two of them, thankful that I wasn't alone any more.
And it had been that simple. They'd taken me under their wing and protected me from the evils of the world. That was how it always worked. Cassie and Belle always saving the timid, shy kind and somehow defenseless Matilda. And deep down, I refused to have it any other way. I was used to being saved now.
While Mr. Ashton raved on and on, we passed notes and made faces at one another to pass the time. More often than not, you'd hear Mr. Ashton growl "Cassandra" or "Belle" or "Matilda", or generally "Girls."
We'd be somber and act apologetic for a fleeting moment before resuming whatever it was that had gotten us into trouble in the first place. Henry, Luke and Ric would also make their feelings clear, by sneering or mocking each time we would give a serious answer.
Another round of insults and retorts would be thrown until Mr. Ashton screamed "ENOUGH" before taking a sip from his water bottle, which B, Cass and I had long suspected to be something much stronger than water.
This afternoon had been no exception.
"And that's why Shakespeare is still relevant" Cassie finished "Because within his words he captured the essence of human emotion, feeling and hubris. His tragic characters have their flaws that bring about their downfall. For Othello it's envy, for King Lear, pride, for Romeo and Juliet, it was hate and love."
"Shakespeare didn't have a clue" Henry cut in "Why would two kids, barely teenagers, who only thought they were in love, get married then kill themselves because their parents hate one another. It's total bullshit."
"Your missing the point" Belle retorted angrily.
"And what, prey tell, would that be?" Luke snarled.
"In death they could love one another freely. In life, they were bound by the blood feud of their families and their friends, to a life neither wished to really live. In death they found a freedom that they would never have found in life. Love conquers all. Even death." I replied, quietly, angrily, because tearing down Shakespeare had nothing to do with our stupid fighting.
"In death" Mr. Ashton finally said, taking another swig of his 'water' "Romeo and Juliet were finally free to be together, just as Matilda has implied. It is, for these reasons that you've all pointed out, that I've decided to make the end of year 11 production Romeo and Juliet. On Friday I will pair you off and you will all rehearse and present a scene of my choice. I will then cast the various roles from my observation that lesson." Looking at his watched, he breathed a sigh of relief before stating finally "Please, you are all more than welcome to leave.".
The class didn't need to be told twice. We bolted out the door into the fresh afternoon air, amid chatter of the idea of Romeo and Juliet as the senior production.
"Ashton is an idiot. Who is going to want to do Romeo and Juliet? It's a load of bull." Henry stated matter-of-factly. "Who honestly wants to dress up in tights and say 'what ho my lord' and 'so be it'?"
"Like you'd get a role anyway." B said, cutting into the conversation "You'll probably be assigned to stage crew to avoid complete embarrassment for the drama department. We also wouldn't want any audience members fainting from seeing your face would we now?"
"And Ashton is simply dying to give the old hag role to you. Fits your personality perfectly" Henry spat back.
"There isn't an old hag role, idiot" Cassie said venomously.
"My bad." Henry said in a mocking tone "He'll have created one for her then. Feel the love Taylor?" He finished.
"Adored, that's why you can't keep your eyes off me, right Hunter?" Belle smirked at him, as Henry's mouth gapped open and shut.
"She's obviously delusional dude." Luke said, trying his best to rectify the situation in favour of them.
But Belle and Cassie simply continued to smirk, as the three of them glared at us before all parties turned and stalked off into opposite directions.
It wasn't until later on during an extremely long bus ride home from school, that I realised Ric had been strangely silent during the entire course of the afternoon.
-
"You're a shoe in for Juliet M-Girl." Cassie told me later on that night during an almost religious three-way call that took place every night.
"Yeah, right." I replied "As if I'd have the guys to get up there and act that role. I mean, it's Juliet… she's the most tragic female role of all time. You and Belle on the other hand… " I trailed off, hoping they'd get what I meant.
"We're complete witches. Young and naïve doesn't suit us. Neither does the tragic, 'I'm so in love with you I'll kill myself to be with you' kind of role. You on the other hand, you can so totally pull that off." Belle said encouragingly. "You've got this natural, innocent beauty thing going on. Like your untouched."
"I am untouched." I said bluntly.
"Yeah, so it makes it easier for you to pull off the tortured soul routine." Cass declared simply.
Sighing, I gave up.
"I'd only be able to make a decent attempt if I'm paired with anyone other than Henry, Ric or Luke." I muttered, as B and Cass laughed loudly into the telephone.
"If Ashton wants any kind of decent production he'll steer clear of those pairings. And while his demon side is, well, supreme" Cass said "I'm pretty sure he's sucking up to the head of the department for well, somewhat obvious reason." She said suggestively over the phone.
"Ewww" B and I both screamed. "That was so unnecessary." I continued, trying to rid my mind of the mental images that had formed.
"Matilda" Henry's voice yelled from outside my room "Get off that phone now or so help me god I'm coming in there and kicking your ass."
"Guys…" I growled into the phone.
"Say no more." Cass replied sympathetically.
"Remember that we love you." B continued.
"And that Henry is an idiot who treasures action figures that are still in a box." Cass said mockingly, as I laughed as said 'bye', hanging up the phone and walking towards the door.
Opening it, I shoved the phone roughly into Henry's face before slamming the door, once again, in his face. He always knew how to annoy me, I thought as I walked back over to my bed. Always knew my weak spots, and I knew none of his. How did that work? I pondered as I pulled out my DVD of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet had always been my favourite Shakespeare play. Since the time my Dad first took me to see the Australian Ballet Company perform their Romeo and Juliet, I, like the millions of girls before me, had fallen in love with two tragic hero's, the lovers who had wanted everything, and gained it in death.
In my mind, no modern day romance matched their tale. As I settled down to watch (for the millionth time) this movie version, I wondered, if I did gain the role of Juliet, whether I could do the bard's greatest tragedy justice… or a justice that I was content with.
I lay back down on my bed and darkness overcame me. Then, the noise of a TV flicking through snow channels. I fell back, content on listening to the words.
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene.
-
AN: Thank you to Tess, my cool proof reader from BTTB. What do you think? Any good? Read and review please, it makes me happy knowing you like my stories.