Jamie's POV. ^_^

Cyrano de Bergerac : Tryouts
By Mei

"I shall kill you slowly after this is over." I muttered grudgingly. "You will writhe in pain when oblivion overwhelms you."

Tyler chuckled softly, ensuring his grip on my hair. He barely held a handful but it was enough. "See, that's why you're perfect for the play. Eloquency. I bet you get Le Bret, best friend of the hero, Cyrano."

I suppressed a sharp yelp and jabbed my elbow into his ribs. "Why do you want this part, anyway? And -why- do you need me here?"

Tyler didn't even flinch, which only irritated me more. "Relax, Jamie. I've had harder blows in football practice. I guess I want to be Cyrano because he's a real human being who suffers through unrequited love and war. He fights physical and mental battles. Besides, participating in drama looks good for both our college applications. And you need to be here because the show won't go on without the sufficient number of people, so I promised Mr. Sullivan I'd bring someone."

I surveyed the auditorium for a head count. Kingsport High's theater was almost empty, save for a freshman girl dancing on stage, eleven teenagers waiting to audition, and one balding teacher at the front.

"Still doesn't mean you had to sacrifice me," I insisted. "Why not Hank or Val?"

"Hank auditioned already. Believe it or not, he can sing." The image of Hank singing brought a slight smile to my face. I couldn't help it...the idea of our serious 'leader' Hank Beecham bursting into song was funny. "And Val dragged Caitie along,

My eyes lit up instantly. "Caitie tried out?" I recoiled at the squeakiness of my voice. Tyler hopefully had no idea of my undercover crush, and I wasn't about to let him find out. Recovering, I grinned. "Caitie actually auditioned? I wish I could've been there."

The look on his face did not reveal a thing. He nodded solemnly. "She was actually pretty good. Val was totally terrific, she really deserves a role. It's sort of unfair that girls only get a few parts. There's Roxanne, the girl who has captured Cyrano's heart, her baby-sitter, nuns, maids, and some wives. But the guys have marquises, officers, cadets, and mob leaders..."

I perked up at the mob leader part. "Maybe I'll get to be one of them. What do they do?"

"Nothing much. Just attempt a murder."

"James Waite!" The director's voice rang. "You're up!"

Tyler released my hair immediately.

"Coming!" I replied, a soldier's jaunty strut in my step.
---

It wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. Reading through the script and learning a couple moves was actually sort of entertaining.

The day of the posting, an energetic crowd had gathered outside to view the list of the actors who would play in "Cyrano de Bergerac". Seriously, I think that naming a play after the main role just undermines the other roles. They should call it..."1640". At least the year included everyone.

I didn't spot Tyler in the crowd. I guess he must have forgotten it was today.

Clutching my leather jacket closer, I laughed. The mob leader's job was as good as mine. To duel like ancient times would be cool. Another wonderful thing was that I could see Caitie every rehearsal.

Gradually making my way through the chattering people, I swiftly ran my finger down the list of characters.

---

The list read:

Anastasia Cimini - Mother Marguerite
Marge Gardel - Sister Martha
Brianne Fitzgerald - Lise
Val Lanier - Duenna of Roxanne
Catherine Roth - Roxanne

Mark Alexander - Carbon de Castel-Jaloux
Hank Beecham - Le Bret
Harmon Brooks - Ragueneau
Pierre Cabrel - Comte de Guiche
Tyler Connell - Christian de Nevillette
Darrin Lavine - Lingiere
Kit Nguyen - Marquis
Mark Riley- Montfleury
James Waite - Cyrano de Bergerac

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I wrote this from a bit of experience, lolz. ^.^ Seriously, my hair still hurts! Added the extra names to make it seem more real. ^_^ My original characters, I guess. Does anyone like it? Sayonara and Happy New Year!