Chapter 10 - Stage Fright

(3:45pm)

Kim trudged back to her locker with Ron right behind her.

"How did I end up with this?" she asked, "How would Barkin give me the role of Juliet when he should've known my previous experience?"

"The one that we should keep between us?" Ron guessed.

"And 600 other people! It is so wrong that I was placed into something that I didn't sign up for in the first place!" Kim sighed, reaching her locker. As it so happens, Zita was right next to them, getting her books.

"Hey, Zita." Kim said with a frown.

"Why the long face, Kim?" Zita asked.

"Major lead role drama." Kim muttered.

"Ohh...because you got the Juliet role?" Zita questioned while getting her science book.

"It's because I didn't want it in the first place." Kim said, huffing, "I obviously signed up with the crew. Wish if I could trade roles with you"

"Too late for that, Kim. We're stuck with them as is." Zita said, admittingly, closing her locker.

"And practice begins in an hour! I don't know what else to do!" Kim sighed.

"What's the buzz about your feud with the stage?" Zita asked.

"It all began last year..."

"I was about to go on stage for another Shakespeare play of his: Macbeth." Kim said, reflecting on late in eighth grade.

Kim was dressed in the costume of Lady MacBeth in the area to the back of the stage. She kinda felt nervous going on stage for the first time since the time since the whole 'Silent Night' high-note incident.

"I'm getting butterflies in my stomach." she complained to the drama teacher, Miss Tudor.

Miss Tudor replied, "Don't worry. You'll do great out there!"

"You really think so, Miss Tudor?" Kim wondered.

"Trust me on it!" the drama teacher said with a wink of her eye.

Kim gulped as she walked out on stage, not prepared to face a crowd of people. She prayed that they didn't come with an extra set of earplugs.

She was unaware that Amanda, one of Bonnie's hench-girls, came up to Miss Tudor's side.

"In case if Miss Possible falters on stage, you'll take her place!" the teacher said with a whisper.

"I know all my lines and studied them." Amanda replied.

"Very thoroughly?" Miss Tudor asked.

"Inside and out!" came the reply from the vile cheerleader, rubbing her hands in glee, anticipating even the slightest of mistakes from Kim.

Kim was now in act 1 scene 5 of Macbeth. This was the scene in which she is reading the letter from Macbeth, played by Alan Platt.

"The witches met me on the day of my victory in battle, and I have since learned that they have supernatural knowledge. When I tried desperately to question them further, they vanished into thin air. While I stood spellbound, messengers from the king arrived and greeted me as the thane of Cawdor..."

Sheer determination filled her lungs as she performed those lines without a script. Kim felt like that she was born for this part.

"So what happened then?" Zita asked.

Kim sighed, "Then...came Act 1, Scene 6..."

(the flashback continues)

Russ Niedelmeyer, as Duncan, and Kim, as Lady Macbeth were saying their lines.

"Look, here comes our honored hostess! Sometimes the love my subjects bring me is inconvenient, but I still accept it as love. In doing so, I'm teaching you to thank me for the incovenience I'm causing you by being here, because it comes from my love to you." Russ said.

And now came Kim's turn.

"Everything we're doing for you, even if it were doubled and then...and...then."

Kim then saw the guy who was playing Banquo, and stuttered on her line. It was Josh Mankey whom was taking on the role of Banquo because the student who was going to play him got sick on the day of that performance.

She never saw such a cute hottie guy in her life before and struggled to memorize the next line with a shaky voice.

"We...we...we... gladly welcome you...you as...um...ermmm... our guests..."

The full effects of stage fright came at her at possibly the worst time because of the mere appearance of Josh. She was trembling and blushing at his cute hair, his cute spikey hair.

"Ooooooo! Ahhhhhh!"

Kim was so smitten by his looks...that she completely forgot about her lines! And the audience was staring at her, seeing if she was going to say anything.

Not even a peep uttered from her mouth. The audience started to boo at her.

Miss Tudor, panicking that her job was on the line, ran onto the stage and made an announcement.

"Um...we are going to hold a brief 15-minute intermission! Yeah...yeah! Snacks and refreshments are located in the cafeteria to your right!"

While the audience filed out for the intermission period, the teacher went backstage to talk with Kim.

"What happened out there? Why didn't you recite your Lady MacBeth lines?" Miss Tudor asked.

Kim told her the truth while eyeing Josh, "I'm crushing...like a sheep!"

Miss Tudor look at her and said, "I knew this would happen. Amanda, take the role of Lady Macbeth for the rest of the play!"

Kim was stunned out of her Mankey-like trance, "Wait...what?!"

Amanda grinned evily, "Yes, Miss Tudor! It would be such an honor!"

Miss Tudor then looked at Kim and said, "Miss Possible, for your lack of attentiveness and your...teenager-like 'crushes' on boys...if you call it that...I am giving you a C- on MacBeth!"

Kim was beyond mortified to receive such a low grade. She had no choice but to accept it.

The cheerleader sighed and said, "Fine...Miss Tudor...I'll accept the grade as is..."

Amanda cackled and added salt to the wound, "As Shakespeare would say so himself to you...tis better to not thine be seen rather than choke during thine play of the Immortal Bard."

Kim hung her head low in defeat.

"I had to confine myself to my room for 2 1/2 hours before the 'rents and Ron got me back on track." Kim muttered, "Stupid Amanda for taking my role of Lady Macbeth!"

"And it all started with the basic needs of teenage girls...fashion...the whole crush thing..." Ron added.

"Some of us girls need partners to go the dance..." Kim added, "Josh is such the boolest guy to ask out!"

Ron cleared his throat, "Aren't we forgetting someone here? One with a naked mole rat?"

Rufus popped out from his pants pocket and nodded his head.

"Oh...uuhhhh...uhhhh...right! I haven't really forgotten about you, Ron!" Kim stuttered in order to prevent getting caught on the spot. "Because we go together...as friends! And not in a thing that...what you call them, Zita?

"A couple!" Zita groaned.

"Right...that word!" Kim said sheepishly "Because if we did end up...like that...we would be the laughingstock of the school."

"And become fodder for most of Bonnie's barbs..." Ron agreed.

"It doesn't matter if the two of you go to the dance as friends. No one is going to judge you for that!" Zita said.

"You're right, Zita. Let's just get practice overwith." Kim said, slamming her locker door.

"And to some Bueno Nacho afterwards. All this acting for an English guy is really making my stomach growl." Ron added, hearing his stomach churn.

"Relax. How hard can Romeo and Juliet ever be?" Zita questioned, laughing a little.

As they were walking past the corridors, they came past the lockers of both Bonnie and Amanda.

"Kim was so totally speechless when she got the lead role!" Amanda giggled.

"She fell for it, hook, line, and sinker!" Bonnie snickered.

When Kim came past her, Bonnie taunted her by quoting Hamlet "To make a fool of yourself...or not to make a fool of yourself? That is the question!"

"Can it, Bonnie! I am not going to be late to practice for the play!" Kim growled.

"The one I help you get the part of Juliet for?" Bonnie cackled.

"Yeah, what she said!" Amanda agreed.

"Wait...YOU were the one who erased MY name from the crew just so you can humiliate me?" Kim question, fuming.

"Normally, I would be the one taking the female lead role in the play, but now, I can kick back and relax." Amanda sighed.

"The lady doth protest too much?" Bonnie snickered, again quoting Hamlet.

"This is so low, even for your standards, Bonnie!" Ron angrily said. Rufus also growled at her.

"So pathetic, Stoppable. You really need to go on a diet from eating all that Tex-Mex food, you fat cow!" Bonnie shouted.

"If it weren't for your mom being on the school board, I would so unleash all 16 types of kung fu against you!" Kim snarled.

"Good try, Kim! Too bad you won't muster up the courage to prevent yourself from getting humiliated on stage...again!" Bonnie cackled.

"Just you watch, Bonnie! Because this is not the same eighth-grade version of Kim Possible that was jeered off the stage!" Kim boasted.

"Laters, wannabe. The sound of the crowd booing at you will be music to my ears next Thursday...if you even have the guts to show up!" Bonnie said with a smirk, anticipating any oncoming humiliation to Kim and wanting to take it all in.

Kim took a deep breath, knowing she was going to bite the bullet. She was going to have to live up to the motto on her website as the 'girl who can do anything'.