Riley walked into the auditorium, and stared uneasily at the crowd of older teenagers. He nervously chewed on the drawstring cord of his hoody, as he listened to them chatter excitedly. Today was the big day, auditions for the upcoming Hamlet play. The moment Mr. Foster, the drama teacher, announced at the assembly that they would be doing Hamlet, Riley had downloaded the entire play on his kindle. He'd practised for the past two weeks alone in his bedroom, and even gotten his mom to help him memorize certain passages. He'd gone online and studied the characters as well as he could. And yet, after all that preparation, Riley still didn't feel ready.

I need to ace this, He thought to himself, as he scanned the room for a familiar face. There were forty or so drama kids, a few jocks, and a small handful of kids from his computer science class. He lifted his hand to wave at them, but they ignored him. Riley's face went beet red, as he stared down at the floor.

It was his first year at Chancellor Prep, the all-boys school. Smack dab in the middle of Maryland. Riley had skipped grade eight, going straight into grade nine. The transition from junior high to high school was tough. He was only thirteen, and Riley had still not started puberty. He was a short, scrawny genius with glasses, and a big mouth. Most of his classmates towered over him. Riley found them to be intimidating.

So far, in the three weeks that he'd attended Chancellor Prep, Riley had not made a single friend. At his mother's request, Riley had tried out for soccer, rugby, and swimming. He'd been cut from every team. He'd joined the glee club, and the chess club to try and meet people, but the older boys weren't very receptive.

Riley was sick of eating lunch alone, sitting on the grey, metal bleachers every day. He wanted to feel included. Riley watched enviously as his classmates sat on the field, chatting enthusiastically, and laughing. They look so happy, he thought. He yearned to have a group of friends to hang out with, so he wouldn't have to feel so lost and alone anymore. And maybe, just maybe, if he joined the production of Hamlet, people would start to know his name. Possibly even sit with him at lunch, or invite him to parties. Maybe some of the drama kids would say hi to him in the hallways, instead of the steady onslaught of unfamiliar faces and jostling students. He just wanted to feel less alone.

Riley stole a glance at the crowd, and that's when Riley first saw him. The most amazing guy he'd ever set eyes on. The teen was sitting at the very back of hte auditorium, and was wearing a black button-up shirt tucked in at the waist, and brown hiking boots. He was lanky, his long legs crossed at the ankles in front of him. The teen's dark brown hair was long and swept back. Riley was smitten.

As luck would have it, the seat beside the lanky teenager was empty, and Riley quickly rushed up the steps before anyone else could claim the empty seat.

"Is this seat taken?" RIley asked, nervously. His voice was way too high, and it cracked on the word 'take'. Awkward.

The teen was reading a paperback, and he glanced up at Riley. He shook his head. "Go ahead," He said.

Riley slid into the seat beside him, and hugged his straining backpack to his chest.

"Big crowd, huh?" He said, leaning closer to read the title of the boy's paperback. "I'm Riley."

"Ben Gates," the guy responded, putting his book down. It was a biography of Paul Revere.

Ben. What an amazing name, Riley thought, as he grinned at him. "Is that for one of your classes?" Riley asked, pointing to the book.

Ben shook his head. "No, I just picked it up in the library yesterday. Thought it looked interesting."

"Is it?" Riley asked, surprised.

"Very."

The drama teacher stood up, and walked up the stairs to the stage. "Alright! Everyone, quiet please. Welcome to the open auditions for our fall production of Hamlet. As you know, we only have enough roles for half of you, but we are also looking for lighting crew, costume designers, and stage hands. We'll be auditioning you guys in pairs. Now, when I call your name, please stand up and join me on stage."

Riley leaned forward, his knee jiggling nervously. He didn't notice Ben glancing at him, as his entire focus was on the stage.

"Riley, calm down. It's just a high school audition," Ben whispered.

Riley's palms were sweating, as he craned his neck to hear Mr. Foster call out the first two actors. Please don't let me be first, he thought anxiously. He felt faint.

"Mark Castillo, and Jeremy Swann!" Mr. Foster yelled out. There was a bit of polite clapping from the audience, as the first two boys ran on stage to audition.

"Oh, God. I don't think I can do this," He whispered to Ben. "I'm way too nervous."

"How old are you?" Ben asked, curious.

"Thirteen."

"Is this your first year at Chancellor?" Ben asked.

Riley nodded. "Yeah. I skipped eighth grade," Riley said. "Went straight to grade nine."

"Huh," Ben said, putting a hand on Riley's shoulder. "Is this your first audition?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry. It gets easier. You're probably just nervous."

Two more students were called up, and read the part for Hamlet and Laertes. Throughout the next hour, the crowd dwindled as each student got their turn on stage. Finally, Ben and Riley were the last students to audition.

"We're up," Ben told him. Riley followed him, his stomach fluttering. This was it – his only chance to impress the drama teacher.

"Hamlet or Laertes?" Mr. Foster asked him. Riley plucked Laertes' lines out of the teacher's grasp with shaking hands, and looked down at the paper. The words were intimately familiar, he'd been practising for weeks. This should be a piece of cake, he thought, as he stared down at the highlighted lines.

He heard Ben start his lines. "Give me your pardon, sir. I've done you wrong. . ."

Riley's knees nearly buckled, as he waited for his turn. Finally, it was his chance to speak. Riley opened his mouth, and froze. Nothing came out. He stood stricken. No, no, no. Please no.

"Riley!" Ben said, loudly.

Riley's head snapped up, and he stared at Ben with his large, blue eyes. He took a deep breath.

"I am satisfied in nature, Whose motive in this case, should stir me the most . . ." Riley started, straightening up. He easily delivered the lines, the words flew out of his mouth with ease. All that practise had paid off. He nailed the audition.

Once they were done, Mr. Foster shook both boy's hands. "Excellent audition," He said. "We'll have the cast list posted next week. Check the bulletin board. You guys did really good."

Riley heaved a sigh of relief, grabbed his backpack, and ran out of the auditorium. He still felt jittery.

"Wait!" Ben called out, running after him. Riley slowed down.

"You did really good!" Ben said. "I was kind of worried when you froze up, but you did great! I hope you get a part!"

Riley stopped walking, and looked at him in surprise. "But – I froze up! I totally screwed it up, there's no way I'm getting a part. Maybe they'll let me do lighting, or something."

"No, you did great!" Ben said, excitedly. "You're a natural!"

"I am?" Riley asked, hesitantly.

"Of course!"

Riley couldn't help but beam at him. A natural, Him? The compliment from Ben made his heart flutter, as he looked up at the older boy with pride.

"You're not just messing with me, are you?" Riley asked, suspicious.

Ben looked at him, surprised. "No," He said, gravely. "I'm not messing with you."

Riley believed him. As they walked down the hallway, Riley noticed he barely reached Ben's shoulder.

"Got any plans for lunch?" Ben asked him, as they walked to the cafeteria. Riley shook his head.

"Want to sit with me?" Ben asked, as they stood in the line to buy their meal.

"Sure," Riley told him, his eyes lighting up.