"So…" Mercutio asked, leaning to Richard's side so he could see his work, "Who are you asking to this dance thing?"
"Don't know." Richard lied, trying to focus on his worksheet about plurals, "Haven't decided yet."
"Let me guess. Her name begins with A and ends in E, with two N's in between!" Mercutio teased, and started making kissy noises, and was silenced when Richard hit him on the head with his English Book.
"OW!"
"Shut up, Mercutio!"
"Bully!"
"What's all this noise?" their teacher, Mr Gaviston demanded. "Well? Mercutio? Richard?"
Richard could feel himself blush with embarrassment as all the students turn their heads to look at the guilty pair. Hal sniggered.
"Well, Richard's got a cru-" Mercutio started, but Richard covered his mouth with his hand before he could go any further.
"Yes, sir, Mercutio's right, I've got a cramp in my foot, and err, Mercutio here was teasing me about it. WEREN'T you Mercutio?"
Mercutio nodded frantically, but not for that reason.
The teacher raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. "Alright, but let's remember that if we want to SAY something in class, don't SHOUT and raise your hand first, got it?"
Richard nodded, as did Mercutio, who was turning blue.
When the teacher turned around, Richard lifted up his hand off Mercutio's mouth.
Mercutio gasped for air, and scowled at Richard. "Damn it, Din-Dins, you've got a tight grip!"
Hal sniggered again and Mercutio stuck his tongue out at him. "Shut it, Hal!"
The teacher turned his head around. "What was that, Mercutio? What did you say?"
"I said the men scowled. Instead of the man scowled, sir. It's it the plural books, sir."
Mr Gaviston flicked through the book on his desk. "Well so it does!" he cried surprised. "Good find Mercutio!"
Mercutio beamed happily.
When the teacher turned around, Hal leaned over to him and whispered: "Did you know that was in the book?"
Mercutio turned and grinned at him. "Nah. I just needed to think of something that rhymed with your name. Hal. Scowled."
Hal frowned. "But scowl rhymes better, not scowled.
The other teen shrugged his shoulders. "Hal, scowl, scowled… What's the difference?"
"Well-"
Richard intervened. "Look," he said. "I don't want to get in anymore trouble because of you two, so can you please be quiet?"
Hal grinned. "Why so urgent, Dickon?" he teased. "Because Mercutio was going to blab your little secret to everyone, including the teacher?"
Richard frowned. "No, I just want to get on with my work-"
"Admit it, you like her."
"No, I don't-"
"You do, you do!"
"NO I DON'T!"
The teacher spun round. "Right! That is it! Mercutio, go and sit next to Paris- maybe he'll make something out of you that's good."
"That's mean!" Mercutio cried. "Abuse! Abuse! I'm calling the NSPCC on you! And Child line!"
"Yeah, you meanie!" Hal joined in. "You mean old poo-poo head!"
The teacher turned red. "Right! Mercutio, Hal! Outside! Now! I'll get Headmaster Warwick to come and speak to you to personally. I know what you two did this morning."
Mercutio gasped. "You saw me going into the ladies bathroom?! You pervert!"
"OUT!"
"Pervert, pervert!" Hal sang. "Teacher is a pervert! Hangs out with Family Guy's Herbert the Pervert!"
The whole class laughed, and that lit the spark.
"OOOUUUTTT!" Mr Gaviston yelled. "NNNOOOWWW!"
Laughing, the two teens got to their feet and walked out. "Old grouch…" Mercutio tittered.
"Old git…" Hal sniggered.
The teacher slammed the door.
The class was silent. Mr Gaviston slowly turned to face the class; his face was red and bulging.
"Now, children…" he stammered. "What you saw was a, a… Well, at least, YOU know how to behave and-"
"Hey, look!" Clarence yelled, standing up and pointing to the door, "Go Mercutio! Go Hal!"
"WHAT?!" The old English teacher roared, spinning round to face the door. He gasped and did a double take.
Hal and Mercutio were bending over with their trousers down, and they were mooning at the teacher!
The whole class erupted into laughter- even Richard thought it was funny!
On Mercutio's backside, there was in red paint, the word: TEACHER'S, and on Hal's: A PERVERT!
"Hal! Mercutio! Hal! Mercutio!" the class clapped eagerly.
"Stop it!" the old teacher bellowed. "Stop it right now, or I'll-"
He turned round to see Mercutio and Hal giving him the finger and making funny faces on the glass of the door.
The poor teacher turned white and fainted right there on the spot!
Benvolio and Richard gasped, but the rest of the class exploded.
Clarence, rolled over onto the floor, clutching at his sides desperately as his eyes filled with tears that spilled out onto his checks.
The door burst open and Mercutio and Hal strode in, bowing and waving at the roaring, appreciative crowd.
"We are the champions!" the two sang.
The crowd cheered and roared- apart from Richard and Benvolio- and Mercutio and Hal grinned and laughed hysterically at the poor teacher lying on the floor.
Their laughter was short lived, when Warwick blasted in, his eyes narrowed, his face red and viens throbbing in his forehead.
The crowd gasped, but the troublemakers hadn't noticed.
"Pervert, pervert! Teacher is a pervert! Hangs out with Family Guy's Herbert the Pervert!"
The class looked at one another, then back at the troublemaking pair.
Their chant died down suddenly and Hal narrowed his eyes. "What?" he asked, worried. "What?"
Clarence pointed to Warwick with a shaking finger and the two turned around.
Warwick stood there with his arms folded and his foot tapping.
"Oh crap…" Mercutio murmured
"We're so screwed…" Hal whispered
Uh Oh! Looks like Hal and Mercutio are in DEEEEEP trouble! :-)
What will happen next? Read more to find out!