*Chuckling nervously* Hey, kids... *tosses the next chappie on the reader's screen and runs away for fear of being killed* This one took me long enough, didn't it? Well, I suppose that Christmas AND college AND drama AND chorus AND work haven't helped much in the situation.
That, and you guys (who are so graciously reviewing my stuff, thank you!) were giving me so many ideas that I don't know what to do with them! So anyway, I took a FEW pieces and glued them together and made this chapter! Ta da? *crickets chirp*
Anyway, I found my muse... Who looks remarkably like Christian Bale in a toga... *pauses to melt at the sight of him in clingy Greek garb* And he's currently handcuffed to my bedpost! *beams, a la Fisher-Price* Oh, the possibilities! *sinister laughter*
SO! Without further ado, I bring to you the next installment of all that is "Fast Times at Duane Street High."
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~FAST TIMES AT DUANE STREET HIGH~
Chapter FOUR: Wins and Losses
As the frantic crowd cheered on the Duane Street Devils, Eve Botarro remained silent. Her focused gaze followed but one player, jersey number 56: Mush Meyers. A slow smile crept upon her face as he ran toward the endzone, scoring the winning touchdown for Duane Street. The crowed upwelled in a spirited cheer. They'd won. They'd done what they'd set out to do. They'd kicked Irving High's ass.
Eve flew down the bleachers to congratulate him. "Mush!" she called in a frantic, excited voice.
Mush's eyes darted to the tall girl moving with statuesque grace toward him, curly hair bouncing like soft, sweet-smelling springs. He smiled internally. It must have been the weirdest thing for a football player to not be enamored with a cheerleader, but with a fellow athlete-- the captain of the girl's varsity soccer team to be exact.
He took a break from celebrating and bear-hugging the other teammates and smiled at Eve as she ran into his arms.
"You won!!" she exclaimed with a delighted squeak, squeezing him around the neck.
Mush could do nothing but laugh with that same delight, lifting his girlfriend off the ground and spinning around with her. He tried not to look at his teammates as he rejoiced with Eve. They never did think Mush should have dated Eve in the first place.
Screw 'em, Mush thought to himself as he kissed Eve's lips softly. "Wanna go celebrate?" he asked her, gazing down at her affectionately.
"Why the hell not?" She grinned.
***************
As Stagey was busy engaging herself in the conversation among Race, Sapphy, and Mayo, she saw a familiar face walk briskly past. Jack! There he was. But what was he so hurried about?
"'Scuse me, guys," she said to the three absent-mindedly, jogging behind Jack in some attempt to keep up. "Jack!" she called out with a smile in her voice.
Jack's disheartened ears perked up to his name being called in the crowded street. There was some glimmer of hope inside of him that the voice belonged to Sarah. He just wanted her to fly into his arms and cry against him and tell him she was so sorry for what she'd done. Then he'd take her back and life would be good again.
But his heart sank. It was just Stagey.
She arrived behind him, breath heavy with running to catch up to him. "Where's the fire?" she inquired with a teasing smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were running away from me on purpose."
He turned to face her. "Hey Stagey." He was just glad that it was too dark for her to see his tear-blotched face.
Stagey's face fell at his nonchalant response. "Well, here I am... Didn't you want to meet me at the game?"
"Oh-- oh yeah, that's right," he muttered as an afterthought.
"You... you okay?" she asked him, tilting her head to get a better look at his face.
His eyes hardened. "No," he replied coldly, turning on his heel.
Stagey appeared puzzled. "What's the matter? Look, I didn't want to make you mad or anything..." She sounded incredulous, but mostly hurt.
This made him turn around. "You didn't," Jack said briefly. "My night's just been pretty sucky... to say the least." He barked out a short, sarcastic laugh. Laughing at himself for being so stupid to trust Sarah Jacobs in the first place.
"Apparently more than just sucky," she pointed out, then noticed a certain someone wasn't latched onto his arm. "Where's Sarah? I thought I saw her here."
Jack's fists clenched as a frustrated growl erupted from his throat. It was enough for Stagey, who still remained uninformed of Jack's real problem, to back away from him.
"She was cheating on me..." Jack muttered under his breath. "The little-- she's such a--" Despite his anger, he still couldn't bring himself to call Sarah anything other than her name.
Stagey swallowed, feeling supremely awkward. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.
"Wasn't your fault."
"Well yeah, but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad that you were treated so badly." She frowned, reaching out to pat his arm. "Look, if she's such a bitch to do stuff like this behind your back, you don't deserve her."
Jack forced a sad smile. "Well, I sure as hell know that NOW." He turned away to walk on, but slowly turned back to her. "Hey Stagey?"
"Huh?"
"Thanks. For putting up with my self-pity and crap."
She shrugged. "Guess it's what I'm here for."
"You just going back home now?"
"Probably, yeah."
"Yeah."
She paused. "Catch you later then?"
Jack smiled a little more genuinely this time. "Not too much later."
The awkward silence that followed was abruptly ended by Blink, who ran like a madman through the crowd.
"So THERE you are!!" He skidded to a halt in front of Stagey and Jack, panting excitedly.
Stagey smirked at his enthusiasm. "What's going on, Blink?"
Blink held up a finger as he resumed breathing normally again. "Just wanted to congratulate ya, Jack!" He patted his friend on the back. "Cast list just got posted. You're Romeo, buddy!"
Jack smiled, shrugging modestly. "That's cool," he said nonchalantly.
"Congrats, Jack..." Stagey managed a smile for him, but her heart sank. She must not have made Juliet. Or Blink didn't mention it, at any rate. "So, did you see if I made the list, Blink?"
Blink paused reflectively. "Y'know... I don't remember. Why don'tcha go look at it and check for yourself? It's right on the door outside the backstage entrance." He pointed to a single piece of paper on a door nearby.
Stagey trotted up to the list, automatically scanning the list. Her heart sank further as she checked by each character's name, none of them paired with her own. Well, at least she could see who DID get Juliet...
JULIET CAPULET....... DANIELLE WILLIAMS
"Oh my God..." Stagey had to trace a line from Juliet's name to her own about twenty times to realize that she indeed had the part. She smiled, turning to Blink, who was casted as the bawdy, swaggering Mercutio. "Didn't you know that I got Juliet?" she asked him with a grin.
"Well yeah!" He shrugged, smirking. "But I thought you'd wanna enjoy it for yourself!"
"Wow..." She gazed at the cast list, completely surprised.
Jack placed a hand on Stagey's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "See? I told you, Stagey." He smiled a little.
Then Stagey put the pieces together. It was thrilling enough that she got to play Juliet. But Jack was her Romeo. That was just as thrilling.
Even if she couldn't admit it to herself yet.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
WHEE!! *smiles* Not like any of you DIDN'T see that one coming...
Anyway! PLEASE send me some reviews! They motivate my slow-as-molasses writing skills! Then again, I found my muse, and he's not moving from my bed... *pause, blushes* Er... just so he'll be comfy! *nods* Yep.
That, and you guys (who are so graciously reviewing my stuff, thank you!) were giving me so many ideas that I don't know what to do with them! So anyway, I took a FEW pieces and glued them together and made this chapter! Ta da? *crickets chirp*
Anyway, I found my muse... Who looks remarkably like Christian Bale in a toga... *pauses to melt at the sight of him in clingy Greek garb* And he's currently handcuffed to my bedpost! *beams, a la Fisher-Price* Oh, the possibilities! *sinister laughter*
SO! Without further ado, I bring to you the next installment of all that is "Fast Times at Duane Street High."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
~FAST TIMES AT DUANE STREET HIGH~
Chapter FOUR: Wins and Losses
As the frantic crowd cheered on the Duane Street Devils, Eve Botarro remained silent. Her focused gaze followed but one player, jersey number 56: Mush Meyers. A slow smile crept upon her face as he ran toward the endzone, scoring the winning touchdown for Duane Street. The crowed upwelled in a spirited cheer. They'd won. They'd done what they'd set out to do. They'd kicked Irving High's ass.
Eve flew down the bleachers to congratulate him. "Mush!" she called in a frantic, excited voice.
Mush's eyes darted to the tall girl moving with statuesque grace toward him, curly hair bouncing like soft, sweet-smelling springs. He smiled internally. It must have been the weirdest thing for a football player to not be enamored with a cheerleader, but with a fellow athlete-- the captain of the girl's varsity soccer team to be exact.
He took a break from celebrating and bear-hugging the other teammates and smiled at Eve as she ran into his arms.
"You won!!" she exclaimed with a delighted squeak, squeezing him around the neck.
Mush could do nothing but laugh with that same delight, lifting his girlfriend off the ground and spinning around with her. He tried not to look at his teammates as he rejoiced with Eve. They never did think Mush should have dated Eve in the first place.
Screw 'em, Mush thought to himself as he kissed Eve's lips softly. "Wanna go celebrate?" he asked her, gazing down at her affectionately.
"Why the hell not?" She grinned.
***************
As Stagey was busy engaging herself in the conversation among Race, Sapphy, and Mayo, she saw a familiar face walk briskly past. Jack! There he was. But what was he so hurried about?
"'Scuse me, guys," she said to the three absent-mindedly, jogging behind Jack in some attempt to keep up. "Jack!" she called out with a smile in her voice.
Jack's disheartened ears perked up to his name being called in the crowded street. There was some glimmer of hope inside of him that the voice belonged to Sarah. He just wanted her to fly into his arms and cry against him and tell him she was so sorry for what she'd done. Then he'd take her back and life would be good again.
But his heart sank. It was just Stagey.
She arrived behind him, breath heavy with running to catch up to him. "Where's the fire?" she inquired with a teasing smirk. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were running away from me on purpose."
He turned to face her. "Hey Stagey." He was just glad that it was too dark for her to see his tear-blotched face.
Stagey's face fell at his nonchalant response. "Well, here I am... Didn't you want to meet me at the game?"
"Oh-- oh yeah, that's right," he muttered as an afterthought.
"You... you okay?" she asked him, tilting her head to get a better look at his face.
His eyes hardened. "No," he replied coldly, turning on his heel.
Stagey appeared puzzled. "What's the matter? Look, I didn't want to make you mad or anything..." She sounded incredulous, but mostly hurt.
This made him turn around. "You didn't," Jack said briefly. "My night's just been pretty sucky... to say the least." He barked out a short, sarcastic laugh. Laughing at himself for being so stupid to trust Sarah Jacobs in the first place.
"Apparently more than just sucky," she pointed out, then noticed a certain someone wasn't latched onto his arm. "Where's Sarah? I thought I saw her here."
Jack's fists clenched as a frustrated growl erupted from his throat. It was enough for Stagey, who still remained uninformed of Jack's real problem, to back away from him.
"She was cheating on me..." Jack muttered under his breath. "The little-- she's such a--" Despite his anger, he still couldn't bring himself to call Sarah anything other than her name.
Stagey swallowed, feeling supremely awkward. "I'm sorry," was all she could say.
"Wasn't your fault."
"Well yeah, but it doesn't mean I don't feel bad that you were treated so badly." She frowned, reaching out to pat his arm. "Look, if she's such a bitch to do stuff like this behind your back, you don't deserve her."
Jack forced a sad smile. "Well, I sure as hell know that NOW." He turned away to walk on, but slowly turned back to her. "Hey Stagey?"
"Huh?"
"Thanks. For putting up with my self-pity and crap."
She shrugged. "Guess it's what I'm here for."
"You just going back home now?"
"Probably, yeah."
"Yeah."
She paused. "Catch you later then?"
Jack smiled a little more genuinely this time. "Not too much later."
The awkward silence that followed was abruptly ended by Blink, who ran like a madman through the crowd.
"So THERE you are!!" He skidded to a halt in front of Stagey and Jack, panting excitedly.
Stagey smirked at his enthusiasm. "What's going on, Blink?"
Blink held up a finger as he resumed breathing normally again. "Just wanted to congratulate ya, Jack!" He patted his friend on the back. "Cast list just got posted. You're Romeo, buddy!"
Jack smiled, shrugging modestly. "That's cool," he said nonchalantly.
"Congrats, Jack..." Stagey managed a smile for him, but her heart sank. She must not have made Juliet. Or Blink didn't mention it, at any rate. "So, did you see if I made the list, Blink?"
Blink paused reflectively. "Y'know... I don't remember. Why don'tcha go look at it and check for yourself? It's right on the door outside the backstage entrance." He pointed to a single piece of paper on a door nearby.
Stagey trotted up to the list, automatically scanning the list. Her heart sank further as she checked by each character's name, none of them paired with her own. Well, at least she could see who DID get Juliet...
JULIET CAPULET....... DANIELLE WILLIAMS
"Oh my God..." Stagey had to trace a line from Juliet's name to her own about twenty times to realize that she indeed had the part. She smiled, turning to Blink, who was casted as the bawdy, swaggering Mercutio. "Didn't you know that I got Juliet?" she asked him with a grin.
"Well yeah!" He shrugged, smirking. "But I thought you'd wanna enjoy it for yourself!"
"Wow..." She gazed at the cast list, completely surprised.
Jack placed a hand on Stagey's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "See? I told you, Stagey." He smiled a little.
Then Stagey put the pieces together. It was thrilling enough that she got to play Juliet. But Jack was her Romeo. That was just as thrilling.
Even if she couldn't admit it to herself yet.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
WHEE!! *smiles* Not like any of you DIDN'T see that one coming...
Anyway! PLEASE send me some reviews! They motivate my slow-as-molasses writing skills! Then again, I found my muse, and he's not moving from my bed... *pause, blushes* Er... just so he'll be comfy! *nods* Yep.