Domon stared at the teacher. She couldn't have been any taller than
5'1'' and had a wild look in her eyes. He was stunned. He'd expected some
old grumpy woman who didn't do anything except complain about how children
just didn't pay attention anymore.
"Now to assign parts in the play you children will be putting on," Ms. Garcia announced. "You will be performing 'Romeo and Juliet.' It's one of Shakespeare's classic plays."
Rain looked at the script that had been placed on her desk. The name Juliet had been written across the top in hard to read handwriting. She looked at the script in horror. She'd hoped she could just design costumes or something. "Ms. Garcia?" Rain asked shyly raising her hand. "I think there might have been some mistake. I really would prefer a smaller part."
"But this part will be good for you," the teacher assured her. "I have a feeling you will be co-staring in a television show for children one day." (^_')
"A PRIEST!!!!!" Chibodee all but screamed. "There is now way I am going to play a priest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Whose class is this?" Ms. Garcia asked with a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Yours?"
"That's right," Mrs. Garcia told him. "And who assigns the parts?"
"You do?"
"You're right again," Ms. Garcia told him. "So do you know what that means?"
"No."
"Then I'll put this as simply as possible," the smile disappeared from Ms. Garcia's face as she leaned over Chibodee's desk. "You belong to me! You don't sit unless I tell you to. You don't stand unless I tell you to. If I tell you to bark like a dog then you bark like a dog. What ever I tell you to do you do it. Now I'm telling you that you will play the priest in our little production and you will. I may be your teacher but I can make your life a living."
Rain's gasp caused Ms. Garcia to stop mid sentence. "So you're a cheerleader?" Rain could only nod because so was so frightened. "You may run the school every where else but here you are just as lowly as a geeky freshman. Here you are my slave and you will play Juliet."
Rain slid down in her seat with her cheeks burning. Domon was furious. How dare she talk to Rain that way? Wait, where did that thought come from? He could care less about Rain. He looked over towards Sia Sici.
"Dude!" Sia Sici yelled happily. "I get to stab somebody! This rocks!!!!!!"
Domon looked at his young friend. Sia had definitely lost it. Wait, did he ever have it to begin with? What was it? Domon shook his head and looked around slightly dazed. Philosophical thinking made his head hurt.
Argo looked at his script. He was playing a guard. He and Nastasha each only had one line. He liked it that way. All he had to do was stand there and look tough. That shouldn't be too hard.
Marie Louise raised her hand. "Madame?" she asked quietly. "I cannot play this nurse. I am the crown princess of France. To be a nurse would be a disgrace to my nation."
"Do I need to have the same talk with you that I had with the cheerleader?" Ms. Garcia asked arching her right eyebrow.
Marie Louise shook her head and looked down at her desk. Her cheeks were burning. They were all certain that it was going to be a miserable semester.
Later that night Rain sat in the large window seat of her second story bedroom looking over her script. She heard the familiar clatter of a ladder against the outside wall. "Hey Kyoji," she said as her old friend slipped through the open window and took a seat next to her.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked playfully.
"Who else comes crawling through my window at ten o'clock at night?" Rain said.
"You really should keep all of the doors and windows locked when you're home alone," Kyoji told her with his familiar brotherly tone. "So your dad still isn't home?"
"You know Daddy," Rain answered sadly. "Work always comes first. Like he always says, work is what guarantees our comfortable lifestyle and buys all of my clothes."
"When I become a parent I'm never gonna let work come before my family," Kyoji decided. "Now it's time for you to go to bed.
"Awe come on Kyoji!" Rain pleaded. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need you to tell me to go to bed and then sit downstairs till my dad comes home."
"Rain I know you too well," Kyoji told her. "You're going to sit up all night until your dad comes home 'cause you're scared to go to sleep. You were that way when you were six and you're still that way at sixteen. Now I want you to go to bed."
Rain sighed and did as she was told. Little did she know someone else was watching from across the yard.
Domon watched Kyoji climb the ladder up to Rain's room. He'd done that every night Dr. Mikamura worked late since Rain's mother had died. For a while Domon had gone with him. Then his guy friends started teasing him about how he spent so much time with a girl. That had caused him to stop. Then when he'd been ready to start again his parents had a talk with him about how it was improper for him to go and stay the night with Rain because she was a young lady and he a gentleman. That took place not long before his dad had given him "The Talk."
Rain walked towards her window and closed it then lowered the blinds. She quickly got ready for bed and the turned off the light. She closed her eyes and imagined looking out her window and seeing Domon sitting in his matching window seat. She imagined them as children again sending signals to each other with their flashlights. For the billionth time she wondered why they couldn't have remained friends. Little did she know Domon was wondering the same thing.
"Now to assign parts in the play you children will be putting on," Ms. Garcia announced. "You will be performing 'Romeo and Juliet.' It's one of Shakespeare's classic plays."
Rain looked at the script that had been placed on her desk. The name Juliet had been written across the top in hard to read handwriting. She looked at the script in horror. She'd hoped she could just design costumes or something. "Ms. Garcia?" Rain asked shyly raising her hand. "I think there might have been some mistake. I really would prefer a smaller part."
"But this part will be good for you," the teacher assured her. "I have a feeling you will be co-staring in a television show for children one day." (^_')
"A PRIEST!!!!!" Chibodee all but screamed. "There is now way I am going to play a priest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Whose class is this?" Ms. Garcia asked with a sickeningly sweet smile.
"Yours?"
"That's right," Mrs. Garcia told him. "And who assigns the parts?"
"You do?"
"You're right again," Ms. Garcia told him. "So do you know what that means?"
"No."
"Then I'll put this as simply as possible," the smile disappeared from Ms. Garcia's face as she leaned over Chibodee's desk. "You belong to me! You don't sit unless I tell you to. You don't stand unless I tell you to. If I tell you to bark like a dog then you bark like a dog. What ever I tell you to do you do it. Now I'm telling you that you will play the priest in our little production and you will. I may be your teacher but I can make your life a living."
Rain's gasp caused Ms. Garcia to stop mid sentence. "So you're a cheerleader?" Rain could only nod because so was so frightened. "You may run the school every where else but here you are just as lowly as a geeky freshman. Here you are my slave and you will play Juliet."
Rain slid down in her seat with her cheeks burning. Domon was furious. How dare she talk to Rain that way? Wait, where did that thought come from? He could care less about Rain. He looked over towards Sia Sici.
"Dude!" Sia Sici yelled happily. "I get to stab somebody! This rocks!!!!!!"
Domon looked at his young friend. Sia had definitely lost it. Wait, did he ever have it to begin with? What was it? Domon shook his head and looked around slightly dazed. Philosophical thinking made his head hurt.
Argo looked at his script. He was playing a guard. He and Nastasha each only had one line. He liked it that way. All he had to do was stand there and look tough. That shouldn't be too hard.
Marie Louise raised her hand. "Madame?" she asked quietly. "I cannot play this nurse. I am the crown princess of France. To be a nurse would be a disgrace to my nation."
"Do I need to have the same talk with you that I had with the cheerleader?" Ms. Garcia asked arching her right eyebrow.
Marie Louise shook her head and looked down at her desk. Her cheeks were burning. They were all certain that it was going to be a miserable semester.
Later that night Rain sat in the large window seat of her second story bedroom looking over her script. She heard the familiar clatter of a ladder against the outside wall. "Hey Kyoji," she said as her old friend slipped through the open window and took a seat next to her.
"How did you know it was me?" he asked playfully.
"Who else comes crawling through my window at ten o'clock at night?" Rain said.
"You really should keep all of the doors and windows locked when you're home alone," Kyoji told her with his familiar brotherly tone. "So your dad still isn't home?"
"You know Daddy," Rain answered sadly. "Work always comes first. Like he always says, work is what guarantees our comfortable lifestyle and buys all of my clothes."
"When I become a parent I'm never gonna let work come before my family," Kyoji decided. "Now it's time for you to go to bed.
"Awe come on Kyoji!" Rain pleaded. "I'm not a child anymore. I don't need you to tell me to go to bed and then sit downstairs till my dad comes home."
"Rain I know you too well," Kyoji told her. "You're going to sit up all night until your dad comes home 'cause you're scared to go to sleep. You were that way when you were six and you're still that way at sixteen. Now I want you to go to bed."
Rain sighed and did as she was told. Little did she know someone else was watching from across the yard.
Domon watched Kyoji climb the ladder up to Rain's room. He'd done that every night Dr. Mikamura worked late since Rain's mother had died. For a while Domon had gone with him. Then his guy friends started teasing him about how he spent so much time with a girl. That had caused him to stop. Then when he'd been ready to start again his parents had a talk with him about how it was improper for him to go and stay the night with Rain because she was a young lady and he a gentleman. That took place not long before his dad had given him "The Talk."
Rain walked towards her window and closed it then lowered the blinds. She quickly got ready for bed and the turned off the light. She closed her eyes and imagined looking out her window and seeing Domon sitting in his matching window seat. She imagined them as children again sending signals to each other with their flashlights. For the billionth time she wondered why they couldn't have remained friends. Little did she know Domon was wondering the same thing.