"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts..."
- William Shakespeare, 'As You Like It'
"I'm tired of seeing you two in my office."
"Spare us the lecture and tell us how many afternoons we'll be spending in detention. I have a date tonight." Trunks rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and slouching passive aggressively in his chair. Goten chuckled at his side.
Principal Staples plucked his thick-framed glasses from his face, pulling a clean white handkerchief from his pocket. He took his time, calmly wiping the smudges from the lenses as he studied the two halflings thoughtfully. "No, I don't think detention has ever gotten us anywhere with you two, do you, Mr. Briefs?"
"So what, you're… suspending us?"
"No."
"Then you're… letting us off the hook?" The dark-haired halfling asked, his brows raised in disbelief.
"Also, no."
"Then what's our punishment?" The lavender-haired hybrid blew a silky strand out of his eyes.
"I've spent some time considering an appropriate punishment for the two of you. They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I feel that applies here." He paused, sliding his glasses back on. "After careful consideration and conferring with your parents, I believe, the best way to keep you both out of trouble would be to occupy your time, separately."
Goten and Trunks exchanged a perplexed look.
"Effective immediately. You're both suspended from all sports activities… until I decide otherwise."
"WHAT?!" they both exclaimed in unison.
The older man pointed a finger at the Capsule Corp heir. "You will join the Debate Team," he then turned his gaze on the dark-haired halfling, "and you will join the Drama Club and take part in the school play."
Goten's mouth dropped open. "You can't do that! What about the Championship?!"
Trunks stood so abruptly his chair was knocked to the floor. "This is bullshit. We're the two best players you have. They'll get slaughtered without us and you know it! My Mom already cut you a check for the damages to the stupid gym and then some!"
"Would you prefer expulsion? Better yet, should I file charges against you both for destruction of government property?" Both Goten and Trunks fell silent at that. "Then I suggest you be on your best behavior and maybe I'll allow you to resume playing."
Hitching his backpack over his shoulder, Goten shut the door to his locker with a sigh and began to slowly trudge down the hall.
The walk to the Auditorium alone felt like a punishment. Through the large windows lining the long hallway, Goten had a perfect view of the football field where all of his friends were presently gathering for practice, where he should be.
Instead, he was on his way to the Drama Club. He was regretting trashing the school gym more and more with every step. It wasn't as though Goten and Trunks had meant to cause such a frackus. They were just horsing around and it was an accident, it always was.
It wasn't easy hiding superhuman strength.
Not only did he have to walk by the rest of his team practicing without him, but he was going to have to actually participate in Drama Club. He was not keen on dressing up in some silly outfit and putting on whatever puppet show they had planned in front of his entire high school. He grimaced, imagining having to don some ridiculous swashbuckler outfit featuring a feathered hat and a ruffled shirt.
Perhaps the teacher wouldn't have any parts left for him to play. Perhaps he could convince her to let him do something else. Sew costumes or some shit. Not that he knew how to sew, but he could try. He just needed to lie low, and he'd be back on the field before he knew it. Perhaps Principal Staples would see how poorly the Baseball team fared without them and change his mind. Surely the fun-sucking old troglodyte wouldn't let them lose the championship just to teach them a lesson?
Goten pushed open the doors to the auditorium. The room was bustling with students, some sewing costumes, some appeared to be practicing lines, and some were just lounging about. He didn't see any of his usual crowd amongst them and mentally breathed a silent sigh of relief. Maybe if he laid low, he'd be able to get through this with his dignity intact after all.
A shock of teal caught his gaze.
"Bulla?"
His fellow demi-saiyan glanced up at him, a measuring strip slung carelessly around her neck and a little pin-cushion adorning her wrist. She was working on a what appeared to be a very fancy dress on a mannequin that Goten thought looked like something straight out of a storybook or one of those medieval chick-flicks. It was all sheer fabric and satiny swathes of red cloth with white and gold embellishments.
Her eyes flicked to his. "Oh, hi Goten."
"So I guess you know why I'm here…"
"I'm pretty sure everyone knows why you're here. You and Trunks just can't help yourselves, can you?"
"Hey it was an accident! An honest mistake."
"Isn't it always?" She rolled her eyes.
"It is! Sometimes we just… don't know our own strength." Goten rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, offering the heiress a wide grin.
"Some of us manage." She said, not bothering to look up from her task.
"I didn't know you were into, uh… theatre and stuff." He gestured to their surroundings.
"You wouldn't, would you?" Her tone was dry as she continued carefully pinning the bright fabric neatly into place.
Goten's smiled dimmed a bit at her words. What did she mean by that?
He supposed it wasn't exactly like they hung out on the regular even though Goten spent most of his free time with the Briefs'. In the last three years since they'd started high school, he couldn't say he remembered spending much time with his best friend's teal-haired sister. Only occasionally catching a of glimpse of her in passing.
She pulled some sparkly, golden fringe like stuff Goten didn't recognize out of a sack and held it up to the neckline of the dress. "I guess you'll be getting into it now, since you're participating in the play."
"Oh, I'm not doing that. I'll help paint scenery or something. If Trunks and the guys saw me in some silly play, they'd never let me live it down." "
"Hmm, silly, huh?" She cocked her head in his direction, her aqua eyes narrowed. "I guess it would be a real shame to put a blemish on that keg-sucking, bed-hopping jock and general-menace-to-society persona of yours."
"I do have an image to uphold."
"Such as it is."
"Goten, you're here! Principal Staples said you'd be joining us today!" An airy feminine voice sang. A tall woman with curly red hair and round glasses wearing a flowy, multicolored dress accented with a bright yellow cardigan was striding toward them through the auditorium, sidestepping various pupils as they milled about working on various projects.
"Mrs. Encore! I need your help!" A distraught looking girl clutching an even more distraught looking dress in her hands called.
"Oh shoot, sit tight, I'll be right back…"
Goten felt a familiar blip of ki and both halflings turned toward the auditorium's double doors to see Trunks striding toward them, lazily tossing a football up into the air, catching it, a cheeky grin on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"What can I say? I missed you, dude. Nice dress. Is this what I can expect Goten to be wearing for his big debut?" The lavender-haired halfling wiggled one sleeve of Bulla's gown.
"I don't know. It's not really my color." Goten chuckled, but his laughter died on his lips when he felt a sharp spike of ki and saw the positively venomous glare Bulla was leveling at his best friend.
"Shouldn't you be in debate?" She hissed.
"I'll get there when I get there. I just wanted to see this in person." He gestured around them.
"And you have, so now you can leave." She made a shooing motion with her hand.
"Bulla, you wound me, really. Is that any way to treat your big brother?"
"We're only two years apart."
"Semantics."
"Goten! Come with me. Let's have a chat." Mrs. Encore motioned for Goten to follow her onto the stage where several girls were busy arranging an array of fake flowers and vines along a crudely constructed balcony and a tall blonde boy was perched high on a ladder, painting dainty little stars on the large backdrop. A few of the girls snuck flirty brief glances in his direction, a smirk pulled at the corners of his mouth and one girl all but melted into a puddle of giggles.
Maybe this won't be so bad.
"I'm sorry about that dear, Lattice accidentally sewed the sleeves on her dress shut, again." Mrs. Encore's airy voice cut into his thoughts. She retrieved a clipboard from her podium and began flipping through its pages, fishing a pen out of her pocket. "But never mind all that. Tell me, what experience do you have in the arts? Are you familiar with Shakespeare's work? 'Hamlet'? 'King Lear'? 'Much Ado About Nothing'?"
The name "Shakespeare" rang a bell. Kind of, Goten vaguely remembered being made to study one of his plays in his English Literature class. It wasn't a particularly exciting story from what he remembered. It had been kind of depressing and most of the characters died. What was it called, though? Mac-something… Macaroni? No, that obviously wasn't it. Macadamia? No. Oh wait, was it "Macbeth?"
Her eyes widened in horror and she pressed a finger to her lips. "Shh! Never say that word in the theatre, it brings bad luck! It could doom the entire production!"
"Umm,… okay. Sorry."
"Is that the only Shakespeare play you know?"
"Pretty much."
"Have you ever been part of a play before?"
"Not since I was a little kid… if that counts?"
She gave him a calculating look, as if sizing him up. "Not to worry, we will find a part that is perfect for you."
"Is it absolutely necessary for me to be in the play? Isn't there something else I can do? Like… lighting or something?"
"No, no, no, that won't do it all. Principal Staples was very clear with me on what he expects and I have every confidence in you! I believe inside everyone is an artist waiting to take up the brush. A knight waiting to don his sword and shield. A peacock ready to strut, if you will."
"I just don't wanna… make a fool of myself."
"Nonsense, you'll be fine, like Shakespeare said 'We fail! But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail.' Or 'There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.', no?"
"... Right." Whatever that meant.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Encore. I wanted to talk to you about my part, if you're not too busy." A boy with neat navy hair stood on the opposite side of the stage.
"I'll be with you in just a moment dear," she waved a hand, flipping through her notes.
"It's kind of important..." The boy crossed his arms over his chest and Goten could swear he saw a flicker of irritation cross the older woman's face.
"Of course Tye, stay right here, Goten." She tapped him on the nose with her pen before making her way off stage to speak with the navy-haired boy.
Goten stuffed his hands into the pockets of his orange letterman jacket and gave a deep sigh. Well, so much for talking my way out of this. Maybe he'd get lucky and get a small part. Surely, with the play only two months away, all the big roles would be gone. Smile, say a few lines, keep your head down, and then I can play baseball again. It was as simple as that. He'd fought aliens. This would be a cakewalk.
"Goten, think fast!"
Goten looked up just in time to see Trunks send a football hurtling through the air, and without thinking he dove to intercept it, only for the force of the ball to send him careening back… into the ladder.
With a sickening crack, the wood splintered, the legs buckling, there was a loud cry of pain and the next thing Goten knew he was on the ground surrounded by a mess of paint and what was left of the ladder.
"My leg!" Someone cried out. Goten looked up to see a blonde boy huddled on the floor in the fetal position clutching his leg, his features pinched in pain. He'd been standing on the ladder when … oh shit.
The whole auditorium went still.
Until Trunks cut through the silence with a small. "Oops."
Artwork by Trugota87 on Twitter!
