Here's one of the longest chapters I've ever written...so read on! :)
Carly POV 4:55PM Day 11
Sam and Freddie are bickering. Again. I don't even think that Freddie noticed me when he came in the room, having eyes only for Sam. I thought it was really sweet, but Sam had taken it in stride, like it meant nothing. I trail behind them, doing my best not to eavesdrop. Anything that I find out is just another piece of information for Wendy to use because there was no way I could lie to her and get away with it. That was why I had let it slide this morning when Sam and Freddie wouldn't tell me what had happened between them last night. We had promised no secrets, but I'm keeping things from them so it's only fair for them to have their secrets. I still didn't have a clue how they both ended up in the rain or what they had even fought about. You could always tell the difference between a fight and an argument with them. Sam and Freddie seemed to live for their arguments, whether it be for the undivided attention from the other or the fun they got from trying to one up each other. Every day for the past week they've been fighting, all hint of playfulness gone and replaced with very real fury that seemed to materialize at the smallest provocation.
"It's." Sam slaps Freddie's arm. "not." Slap. "funny." Slap. "Benson!" Freddie stops laughing at whatever he had found funny, trying to pull on a serious face.
"Sorry." Freddie apologizes, already cracking a smile. Sam is shooting him a death glare, but she's obviously not in a fighting mood right now. Probably still too stunned from Ms. Esposito's rules. "Is food all you can think about?" Freddie asks, his voice almost managing to be serious.
"Is lame techie stuff all you can think about?" Call it girl's intuition, but I picked up on the very obvious undercurrent in Sam's voice that Freddie was completely clueless to.
"Touché." He says, blindly missing what Sam had really meant. Sam shakes her head, groaning when her stomach growls again. We finally reach the stage, stepping out into the bright light.
"Finally, my chickens! You are slow as snails sometimes." Ms. Esposito complains, not really annoyed but gesturing wildly nonetheless. She jerks Sam and Freddie forward, bumping them into each other. A small smile fights its way across my face when both of their faces flush, blushing slightly at the contact. "We're going to memorize some of the balcony scene today, yes?" Ms. Esposito tells them, releasing her grip on their arms and pulling a script out from under her arm. She hands the script to Freddie, nodding in satisfaction when Sam holds up her script. She catches sight of me hesitating on the outskirts of stage and her face brightens. "Ahh, there you are Rosaline. You may stay until after we are done to talk to Romeo." Sam and Freddie both turn to look at me, Sam flushing an even deeper red when Ms. Esposito mentions my talk with Freddie. They both appear surprised to see me, oblivious that I had been following them in the hallway backstage. I wave at them cheerily before jumping lightly off of the stage to the ground and settling in a seat near Ms. Esposito's table. "First with scripts and then without, okay my chickens?" Ms. Esposito instructs, pointing out a line on Freddie's script. "Start there, Romeo." She sits on the edge of the stage, sliding off to the ground carefully and adjusting her blue scarf before heading up the aisle to her table. "Well? Start, Romeo!" She prompts Freddie, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Oh, uh…right." He clears his throat and turns to face Sam.
Freddie POV 5:30PM Day 11
If there is one thing that I should remember from the last time I had memorized lines with Sam, it would be exactly how different rehearsing without a script is. Of course it's tough to learn the lines by heart, but even harder than that is the fact that I lose my excuse to look away from Sam. Without the script, everything feels so much more real and I know that it isn't healthy, not one bit, for me to enjoy it this much. It was like I was slipping into another layer of skin, becoming the character and losing any inhibitions I had.
"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" I ask, halting Sam's retreat when I reach out to grab her hand. She jumps slightly at the contact, but holds character and doesn't beat the crap out of me. Instead she turns to face me, her eyes locking on mine with clear confusion.
Translation: Oh, will you leave me so unsatisfied?
"What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?" She counters, tightening her grip on my hand. The simple response to my touch does the strangest things to my heart and I forget my next line for a terrifying second before recovering.
Translation: What other satisfaction can you have tonight?
"The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine." I say softly, drawing her closer until she's almost completely in my arms. She breathes deeply, opening her eyes before speaking.
Translation: The exchange of our faithful vows.
"I gave thee mine before thou didst request it;
And yet I would it were to give again." She breathes the words to me, the softness of her voice surprising me just as much as the quick squeeze on my hand again.
Translation: I gave you mine before you asked; but I wish I had it back to give away again.
"Would'st thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?"
Translation: You would withdraw it? Why, love?
I allow the first hint of fear into my voice, the thought of my predicament with Sam enough inspiration for that. She would never think of me like I thought about her, and pretending that I had a chance with Sam was only going to hurt me. The only fear I feel is the terrifying thought of risking everything-and her friendship was everything-for something that had no possibility of ever occurring. There would never be an us but I choose not to dwell on this; instead desperately absorbing every second of Romeo and Juliet and everything they were.
It would never be us, but it could always be them.
Forever.
Following the stage direction that I'd memorized, I lean down and press my forehead to Sam's forehead, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. Sam's breathing halts for an agonizing second, her blue eyes widening. This was closet I had ever been to Sam, at least with my eyes open. I take in her other features for a few brief seconds before the practically gravitational pull sucks me into her eyes. The chaotic flecks shift; navy separating into two slightly different shades before I notice another baby blue shade splitting into two slightly different tints. The colors appear to be almost breeding, splitting apart every second into new shades and forming a colorful tapestry of blue with an innumerable amount of tints. This was one way that I had told Melanie and Sam apart. Melanie's eyes were blue, of course, but they didn't change like Sam's eyes. Melanie's eyes were a thin, crystalline, but still pretty blue; yet they never changed. Sam's unpredictable eyes were constantly shifting, the flecks of color varying on her different emotions. It was something that I had always loved about Sam, even back when she was my own personal tormenter.
Forever.
Sam POV 5:40PM Day 11
Freddie finishes his line, his voice thick with fake fear of losing me, before leaning down and resting his forehead against mine. My heart stutters when Freddie also tightens his hold on me, pushing me into his chest until I can feel his heart accelerating in either terror at how close he was to me beating him up right now or possibly imaging that I'm Carly and he's gotten all he's ever wanted. I breathe deeply, taking in the cinnamon and vanilla before opening my eyes again. To my surprise, his gaze drifts and locks onto me with the strangest intensity, forcing me to meet his chocolate brown eyes again. I try to resist it, helplessly floundering before giving in and drowning in chocolate. They're always such a consistent, unchanging, brown that it takes my breath away. I've always loved Freddie's eyes, even when he was the little kid with the high pitched voice that was my own personal punching bag. Ms. Esposito clears her throat, prompting me to do my next line. Well, paragraph may be a better description.
"But to be frank and give it thee again.
And yet I wish but for the thing I have;
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
I hearsome noise within: dear love, adieu!"
Translation: Only to have the pleasure of giving it to you again. But I'm asking for what I already have. My generosity is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to you, the more I have. Both are infinite. Someone's calling. Dear love, goodbye!
Reluctantly, I pull away from Freddie to look behind me where the nurse would be calling from.
"Anon, good nurse!—Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little, I will come again."
Translation: (To Nurse) Coming, good nurse! (To Romeo) Sweet Montague, be faithful. Stay for a minute and I'll be back.
I release Freddie's hand and he lets it fall to his side as I hurry to the backstage area. A second later, loud clapping fills the theater and I come out into the bright lights again. Ms. Esposito is standing, applauding enthusiastically. I walk over to Freddie slowly and stand close enough that our arms are brushing. The small touch was completely natural, like it had always been like this...wait a second. I blink, slowly coming out of my Juliet character, amazed at exactly how much I had let her take over me. I blink again, noticing how utterly calm I feel. After a rehearsal like that-not to mention the implications that came with it-I should be panicking. Somehow, the warm arm resting lightly against mine right now is keeping me centered.
"Brava, my chickens!" Ms. Esposito calls, ending 'bravo' with an a instead of an o. "Very, very good as long as Juliet here remembers that she has lines." She chuckles and shakes her head.
"I didn't forget!" I protest, noticing that Freddie was staring down at me with raised eyebrows. "I just…was pausing for….dramatic effect!" I try, praying they'll buy it. Freddie's still staring at me, but at least he doesn't look suspicious anymore. I meet his eyes, my stomach grumbling in a way that can only be described as demanding.
I'm hungry. My eyes say in a whiney voice, making Freddie chuckle.
You're always hungry. His eyes reply, daring me to contradict it. I'm just about to shoot back a sharp comeback when somebody shakes us back to reality.
"Listen, my chickens! I will not be ignored!" Ms. Esposito says in annoyance, looking between us and still jostling our shoulders. I nod, tearing my eyes away from Freddie and glancing at her. "Good." She says in relief, straightening her scarf before continuing. "Now, you two are going to lie on the ground like corpses and stay absolutely still. Today we're going to do five minutes and later we build up to longer periods of time." Groaning in disappointment (I had thought we were done for today), I lay down on the floor of the stage, noting that Freddie is doing the same. "Okay, my chickens, five minutes starting…now!" I hear a click, assuming it's a stopwatch of some kind. My eyes are closed and I can't move a muscle for five minutes….and I'm already bored after about thirty seconds. That's when a strong swell of hunger overwhelms me and my stomach growls…loudly. Trying to hold in my laughter, I only manage for a few seconds before I'm rolling around on the ground, laughing so hard that I'm almost crying. I bump into something lightly and open my eyes to see Freddie, also rolling around and laughing. He clutches his stomach, desperate for air.
"Can't breathe….I can't breathe!" He cries desperately, sending me into another fit of laughter. The sound of me laughing sets him off again and we're both crying hysterically with our laughter. The sound of footsteps tapping on the stage forces my eyes to open and look up at the figure.
"What is this? Corpses do not laugh! They just do not!" It's not really the words that Ms. Esposito says, but rather her incredulous tone that forces another laughing fit out of us. "This is ri-di-culous!" The way she pronounces it combined with her frustrated tone makes me laugh even harder, tears coming to my eyes again. "Ay me, I just cannot work when you have laughing fit! We just try again tomorrow, yes?" It wasn't really a question (not that we were in any shape to answer), so she walks away-shaking her head-without waiting for a reply. It felt amazing to just let go and laugh, all the better because it was with Freddie. Not that I would ever admit it, but it had never been as torturous as I complained it was to hang out with Freddie. Even when we were supposed to hate each other.
Snap out of it Puckett, you know what's going to happen next!
I immediately push the warning in the thought away but I still feel like something is still off. My laughter fades as this feeling grows stronger and I turn to rest on my right side, a sort of recklessness banishing all common sense. Romeo also calms, turning to lie on his left side so that we're facing each other. He props his head up on his hand and stares down at me, but I'm too lazy to prop my head up like him. Instead I rest my head on the stage and stare up at him, the moment suddenly becoming much more intense than it was a few seconds ago. Romeo inches closer, his hesitant voice breaking the tense silence.
"Juliet." He whispers, his approach entirely natural. My brain processes slowly, finding it much easier to sink into a state of lethargy where I didn't have to wonder where Juliet ended and Sam Puckett began.
If Sam Puckett even existed at this second in time.
It's much simpler not to think at all. Romeo moves closer, leaning his forehead against mine and pausing for a second as if waiting for something. The name leaves my lips automatically, no thought of the consequences or that he could possibly be anyone else.
"Romeo." He closes the remaining distance, his lips brushing mine softly and almost hesitantly. It was probably against some law of nature that a touch so light, no matter how delivered, should be able to force such a complete paradise upon you. I close my eyes, savoring every second of this, and my arms wrap around his neck to pull him closer. He shifts slightly, moving one of his hands to the back of my head and tightening in my hair. A nagging resemblance bugs me despite my best attempts to shove it away and sink into the kiss even more than I already had. Romeo shifts to get closer to me, bringing his other hand to my face and pressing his palm to my cheek, only increasing the heat. Yet my brain struggles through the lethargy to remind me of something (I'm better at forgetting) but it comes back to me with crushing strength. I had kissed this person before…but that was impossible. This was Romeo and I hadn't kissed him before. Romeo is having similar thoughts based on the way his lips stop moving suddenly, just as paralyzed as my lips had become a moment ago. The pressing memory remains, for some reason conjuring images of a fire escape, meatballs, and…a boy. My eyes fly open and I feel Romeo's hand loosen in my hair. We pull away at the same time, blinking in confusion. I notice Freddie for the first time, my eyes widening in sudden realization.
It had tricked me. I had wanted to kiss Freddie so badly that my brain had tricked me into thinking that I was Juliet and he was Romeo…but Freddie had been tricked too. Maybe Ms. Esposito was brainwashing us into becoming our characters, which could be very true from her constant use of our stage names. I can't place the blame solely on her though. The fact that it would be our characters-not us-kissing had been the one reassuring thing that kept me from a minor breakdown earlier. Karma was finally catching up with me…and, as so many people had realized before me, it was a bitch.
Freddie pulls away, carefully entangling his hand from my hair and pulling his palm away from my face.
"Uhh…that was a good...rehearsal." He says awkwardly, looking down at his shoes stiffly. I try not to think that he wishes Carly was playing Juliet, but I've never been much good at lying to myself.
"Yeah." I manage to say evenly, also staring at my converse with intense interest. I couldn't deal with it if things were awkward between us…so I shut out everything and look up with a sarcastic smile. "It's nice to know that I can still do…that…without dying from exposure to nub germs." Freddie looks up, his expression of surprise changing to a small smile when I mention his 'nub germs'.
"Glad to hear it."
And the awkward silence, thick with the desperate attempts of two people (for completely different reasons) trying to force forgetfulness on themselves, returns.
So...what did you think? Completely suckish or completely Seddie? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(
My fav part? Hmm...oddly enough, I enjoyed writing the Romeo and Juliet rehearsal before the kiss...even though the kiss was still pretty fun to write! If you're confused by anything this chapter (I don't know how well I described everything) than feel free to PM me or leave a question in a review! BTW, the poll on my profile is still up, so please make sure you check it out!
HUGE thanks to the amazing reviewers that keep me going: ChaosKeks, Readerofwonderfulwriters, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mari13ssa, violet0scar, Castle-of-Bones, Mystapleza, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, coketree20, mygirl1807, soultaker97, Kpfan72491, Romance and Musicals, G, cdthedude, XcrozzybabezX, Flutter360, MultiSeddielover, iMaximumSeddie, Phoenix-chick12, CandyRox12, icecoffee18, JakesWolf54, Lalelis, mirage888, chocolate fish, TaangForeverx, The Littlest Things, and smiley face!
TO READEROFWONDERFULWRITERS: Thanks! :)
TO G: Glad you liked it! This chapter was another one of those funny/serious chapters that I love to write. :)
TO SMILEYFACE: I'm not sure what's going to happen with Brian yet (depends on the poll) but your vote has been counted! Sorry again about your acquaintance friend...when I was in middle school I had an acquaintance friend pass away as well and it's a difficult thing to go through.
So, that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D