I grinned stupidly to myself, feeling like a foolish little girl. Out of
everything that had happened to me in the recent past, my mother being
kidnapped, finding out I had superpowers, finding out that my friend did
too, nothing more was on my mind than the fact that Nick had just kissed
me. I felt bold, unstoppable. I tried thinking of a plan to regain my mom,
but the kiss just kept coming back to me. I forced myself to think of
school. There was fifteen minutes left in fifth period; it was pointless to
go to that class. I decided I would just go home, but then remembered.
"Oh my gosh!" I said out loud. I started running. I had completely forgotten about the play.
"Right on the bell, Miss Parker," said Mrs. White blandly. I panted slightly and nodded, crossing the room to sit next to Gwen on the floor. She looked as though she would burst with questions, but managed to hold herself in check.
"Now, all parts have been cast," said Mrs. White, glancing at her clipboard. "Everyone's here.let's get cracking!" We divided into groups by importance of character. Ophelia barely made it into the top group, but at least I was with Gwen. I expected her to interrogate me about what had happened with Nick, but she became professional very quickly. I glanced around at the others in our group: Toby Quince, who played Claudius; Robbie Stevens, who played Horatio; JP Chong, who played Laertes; Rory Smith, who played Polonius. I frowned. Everyone was muttering lines to themselves.
"Hey guys, who's Hamlet?" I asked. They stopped and looked up. "I mean.where is he?"
"You mean you don't know?" Toby asked quizzically.
"Um.I don't even know who got the part, how would I know where he is?" Gwen shot me a surprised glance.
"He didn't tell you?" she said, puzzled. I made a noise of frustration.
"Obviously not," I replied crossly. She smirked, but still looked confused.
"Gwen said that you-," JP started to say. Gwen cut him off.
"If any of us would know, it would be you Jess," she said seriously. "You saw him last."
"Gwen, why would he not tell me?" I asked angrily. She buried her nose in script as Mrs. White approached, ready to mark our progress.
"Practice, Jessica," muttered Gwen out of the side of her mouth. I glanced at Rory; he looked deeply engrossed in his Scene Three lines.
"He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me," I said loudly. Rory looked up, bewildered.
"Affection! pooh!" he replied, grinning. He set his script on the chair next to him and approached me. Polonius threw me an accusatory look. "You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?"he demanded. Mrs. White looked at me for confirmation.
I rolled my eyes with mock innocence. "I do not know, my lord, what I should think." Mrs. White whistled.
"Impressive. Keep it up," she said shortly, and passed us. We all held our breath until she was out of earshot. Gwen let out a huge laugh.
"Holy crap, Jessi," she breathed. "I didn't even see you look at your script, much less study it."
"Photographic memory," I said. "So Nick's Hamlet. Where the hell is he?" They all rolled their eyes.
"Stop asking the same questions, Jessi," said Robbie. "We already told you. Nick gets the lead in the play every year. You were the last person who saw him. We haven't heard from him since you did. WE DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS."
"He's right here," came a voice from behind me. I whirled around. Nick stood as though he had been there the whole time. I glared, then smiled.
"To speak of horrors - he comes before me," I said sarcastically. Rory perked up.
"Mad for thy love?" he recited. Nick turned beet red.
"Sorry I'm late," he muttered. I placed my script delicately on top of Rory's.
"Excuse me," I said, and walked over to the costume designers, who were sketching out their ideas.
"That looks beautiful," I told one. She smiled at me. I was aware of Nick standing in the dark of the curtain next to me.
"I don't understand why you didn't tell me," I remarked, running my fingers over various fabrics. He stepped out of the shadows.
"I figured you would have known." he said hopelessly. I smoothed a wrinkle in the linen viciously.
"Oh yes, your reputation reaches SO many people, why not count myself one of them?" I snapped. He looked abashed.
"I didn't mean-," he started to say. I recovered myself.
"I know," I said quickly. I braced my arms on an abandoned work desk. "It's only that.you knew I was Ophelia.and finding out that you have such apathy for the same thing that I was so excited for.I don't know," I ended lamely. "Maybe I don't like being reminded that you're better than me," I added quietly. Nick grabbed my arm and made me turn around.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" he demanded. I shook my head.
"Nothing, I didn't say anything," I replied. I stared at the desk; Nick tried to make me look at him.
"Cut it out," I told him. He took my face with both hands and stared at me. I blinked surprisedly.
"Not until you stop being mad at me," he said pointedly. I glared.
"That'll take some work," I said. I put my hands on his and pushed down, but he wouldn't let go. I stared at him, trying to make him uncomfortable.
"What do you want?" he asked finally. I looked at him for a moment.
"I want very much," I said quietly, "for you to let go of my face."
He grinned and did so. "Okay, you win this time," he said, grabbing his script. "Shall we go practice our lines?"
"Yes, I think we shall," I sighed. "Oh, and Nick?" He looked back curiously.
I smiled sweetly. "I always win."
"Oh my gosh!" I said out loud. I started running. I had completely forgotten about the play.
"Right on the bell, Miss Parker," said Mrs. White blandly. I panted slightly and nodded, crossing the room to sit next to Gwen on the floor. She looked as though she would burst with questions, but managed to hold herself in check.
"Now, all parts have been cast," said Mrs. White, glancing at her clipboard. "Everyone's here.let's get cracking!" We divided into groups by importance of character. Ophelia barely made it into the top group, but at least I was with Gwen. I expected her to interrogate me about what had happened with Nick, but she became professional very quickly. I glanced around at the others in our group: Toby Quince, who played Claudius; Robbie Stevens, who played Horatio; JP Chong, who played Laertes; Rory Smith, who played Polonius. I frowned. Everyone was muttering lines to themselves.
"Hey guys, who's Hamlet?" I asked. They stopped and looked up. "I mean.where is he?"
"You mean you don't know?" Toby asked quizzically.
"Um.I don't even know who got the part, how would I know where he is?" Gwen shot me a surprised glance.
"He didn't tell you?" she said, puzzled. I made a noise of frustration.
"Obviously not," I replied crossly. She smirked, but still looked confused.
"Gwen said that you-," JP started to say. Gwen cut him off.
"If any of us would know, it would be you Jess," she said seriously. "You saw him last."
"Gwen, why would he not tell me?" I asked angrily. She buried her nose in script as Mrs. White approached, ready to mark our progress.
"Practice, Jessica," muttered Gwen out of the side of her mouth. I glanced at Rory; he looked deeply engrossed in his Scene Three lines.
"He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me," I said loudly. Rory looked up, bewildered.
"Affection! pooh!" he replied, grinning. He set his script on the chair next to him and approached me. Polonius threw me an accusatory look. "You speak like a green girl, unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?"he demanded. Mrs. White looked at me for confirmation.
I rolled my eyes with mock innocence. "I do not know, my lord, what I should think." Mrs. White whistled.
"Impressive. Keep it up," she said shortly, and passed us. We all held our breath until she was out of earshot. Gwen let out a huge laugh.
"Holy crap, Jessi," she breathed. "I didn't even see you look at your script, much less study it."
"Photographic memory," I said. "So Nick's Hamlet. Where the hell is he?" They all rolled their eyes.
"Stop asking the same questions, Jessi," said Robbie. "We already told you. Nick gets the lead in the play every year. You were the last person who saw him. We haven't heard from him since you did. WE DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS."
"He's right here," came a voice from behind me. I whirled around. Nick stood as though he had been there the whole time. I glared, then smiled.
"To speak of horrors - he comes before me," I said sarcastically. Rory perked up.
"Mad for thy love?" he recited. Nick turned beet red.
"Sorry I'm late," he muttered. I placed my script delicately on top of Rory's.
"Excuse me," I said, and walked over to the costume designers, who were sketching out their ideas.
"That looks beautiful," I told one. She smiled at me. I was aware of Nick standing in the dark of the curtain next to me.
"I don't understand why you didn't tell me," I remarked, running my fingers over various fabrics. He stepped out of the shadows.
"I figured you would have known." he said hopelessly. I smoothed a wrinkle in the linen viciously.
"Oh yes, your reputation reaches SO many people, why not count myself one of them?" I snapped. He looked abashed.
"I didn't mean-," he started to say. I recovered myself.
"I know," I said quickly. I braced my arms on an abandoned work desk. "It's only that.you knew I was Ophelia.and finding out that you have such apathy for the same thing that I was so excited for.I don't know," I ended lamely. "Maybe I don't like being reminded that you're better than me," I added quietly. Nick grabbed my arm and made me turn around.
"What is THAT supposed to mean?" he demanded. I shook my head.
"Nothing, I didn't say anything," I replied. I stared at the desk; Nick tried to make me look at him.
"Cut it out," I told him. He took my face with both hands and stared at me. I blinked surprisedly.
"Not until you stop being mad at me," he said pointedly. I glared.
"That'll take some work," I said. I put my hands on his and pushed down, but he wouldn't let go. I stared at him, trying to make him uncomfortable.
"What do you want?" he asked finally. I looked at him for a moment.
"I want very much," I said quietly, "for you to let go of my face."
He grinned and did so. "Okay, you win this time," he said, grabbing his script. "Shall we go practice our lines?"
"Yes, I think we shall," I sighed. "Oh, and Nick?" He looked back curiously.
I smiled sweetly. "I always win."