Chapter 24
(Feb. 14, 2006, 4:37pm)
Amanda came up to Vance then whispered in his ear. All of the other students were backstage
"Remember, I want everything to go as planned in order for the 'protection' to remain for your little Drama club!" she said quietly. "And no mistakes!"
Vance nodded his head in fear. He then regained a confident look in order to mask that fear.
"Now...Drama class, come on out!" he commanded.
All of the students, including Kim and Ron, came onto the stage.
"Now, you spoiled little brats! We are going to be here for the next hour and a half." Vance shouted through the megaphone. "The sooner we can get everything perfect, the sooner we can all leave!"
Kim sneered at the trio, and Amanda, that was going to make the next week for her, Ron, Zita and all the others a living hell...or so she thought.
Vance then explained to his fellow classmates about how the practice of Romeo and Juliet was going to work.
"We are going to do the prologue and Act I for this evening's practice. However, we will add a subsequent act for the practice on the 16th, and going from there to the end where the Montagues and Capulets reconcile with each other. You will start out with the assistance of your scripts."
Cara then continued where her partner left off, once again using the megaphone.
"Next week, we are NOT going to use those scripts because you are going to memorize every single one of your lines that are highlighted in yellow! And by the time the performance ends in two weeks..."
Barkin then got off his cell phone.
"Okay, students, that was the MUSD Maintenence Department. Apparently, the date of the play is also the same day they are going to fumigate the stage." he explained to the students, "Looks like we're going to have to take it to the main auditorium starting next week! The District is going to decide to give an extra two weeks."
Kim gulped hard. The main auditorium seated 3,000 people and it was primarily used for Annual Fundraisers, awards ceremonies, and lectures by Barkin. It was not only the same site where Ron managed to win the talent show from last year over Bonnie, but it was also the same place where the infamous PSA skit of the dangers of drinking and driving that the Stoppable parents performed when Ron was in the sixth grade. In that skit, John's pants fell down in front of the crowd. Kim and Ron covered each other's eyes amidst the sea of laughter. Ron was made the laughingstock for the entire school year, even resorting to wearing a paper bag on his head with holes cut out for the eyes, nose, and mouth. Had it not been for Kim, he would've ended up like Drakken.
Cara then continued, noting the date change.
"Very well..." she muttered, "...four weeks. So in that case, for tonight, we will do the first three scenes."
Kim sighed with relief, thanking that delay from having to get to Scene V of the first act.
"I expect to hear thunderous applause and standing ovations from the crowd! If I ever see as much as a single boo or hiss, expect a solid F from Mr. Barkin's pen and it will be all your fault! So I expect perfection from every single one of you! And...Lights, Camera, and ACTION!"
And so, the chorus began with the prologue, led by Hope, TJ and Gus.
"In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents' fe..."
However, Cara, once again, interrupted.
"Wait! Cut...cut...CUT!"
"What is it now?" Barkin groaned. He had no time for shenanigans caused by the students, especially those whose last name was Stoppable.
"I still want to do this in Shakespeare's Olde English! The way it was intended to be!" Cara complained.
"You cannot over-ride the MUSD's decision, Van! Whatever Mrs. Rockwaller says goes!" Barkin proclaimed, "Now continue or else you want a date with her paddle!"
"Fine...thou art very much becoming a teen in the behind, Mr. Barkin..." Cara muttered an Olde English phase under her breath.
Cara then yelled to those that are on the stage, primarily on the trio of Hope, TJ and Gus.
"Now...take it from the top...and action!"
The chrous then repeated their lines, this time without interruption.
"In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents' feud. For the next two hours,
we will watch the story of their doomed love and their parents' anger, which nothing but the children's deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently, we'll make up for everything we've left out in this prologue onstage."
Kim thought to herself, clenching her script.
I would rather listen to one of Drakken's boring villainous monologues while being chained to a shark pit rather than subjecting myself to two hours of pure stage torture. But...here goes nothing.
Then she realized that Vince and Jamarcus were going to play Gregory and Sampson respectively to being the very first scene of Act I. So she was spared...for now.
Jamarcus explained, while holding his script as a shielf "Gregory, I swear, we can't let them humiliate us. We won't take their garbage."
Vince teased, "No, because then we'd be garbagemen."
Jamarcus added, "What I mean is, if they make us angry we'll pull out our swords."
"Maybe you should focus on pulling yourself out of trouble, Sampson." Vince replied. They skipped over the obvious part about remarks concerning the Montague women due to the MUSD cuts.
"Pull out your tool now. These guys are from the house of Montague!"
Larry Beae, who voiced, Abraham, then appeared on stage. The trio then continued Scene 1 without much incident, acting out their characters.
Then, Benvolio, played by Felix, came onto the stage. Using his high-tech wheelchair, he had two cables that held a styrofoam sword and shield spraypainted gray.
"Break it up, you fools. Put your swords away. You don't know what you're doing!" he exclaimed.
The scene continued where the "fight" was about to begin with Hope and Gus playing as the citizens.
Then, Capulet and Lady Capulet, played by Rob Reeger and Zita respectively, came onto the stage for their first appearance.
"What's this noise?" Rob exclaimed, "Give me my long sword! Come on!"
"A crutch, you need a crutch! Why are you asking for a sword?" Zita replied.
Rob said, "I want my sword. Old Montague is here and he's waving his sword around just to make me mad!"
Montague and Lady Montague, played by Brick and Liz respectively, came on the stage.
However, Brick was reading the script upside down!
"Uhh..."
The other redhead on the cheer squad sighed and turned his script right-side up.
"Capulet, you villain!" Brick yelled, "Don't stop me! Let me go!"
Liz put her hand in front of Brick's muscular body.
"You're not taking one step toward an enemy!" she yelled.
Cara liked that delivery with a slight smile, She's a natural!
The students continued to deliver their lines for the next five minutes when it came to Ron's first appearance on the stage since the Cowardly Lion incident. Ron, however, was a bit confused. His mind was wandering off to, not surprisingly, Bueno Nacho. Rufus was trying to tug on his shirt for attention.
"Ron?" Kim insisted.
"Earth to Ron!" Kim raised her voice an octave higher while snapping her fingers in front of his face.
"Wha...aww man, KP, I daydreamed that Bueno Nacho had an all-you-can-build Naco buffet." Ron complained.
"Ron, you're up!" Kim insisted, "Mr. Romeo...remember?"
Ron held up his script and said. "Ohhhhh..."
He then entered the stage as Felix was the only one on there when everyone has said their lines.
Barkin though to himself, Oh great...the walking disaster area known as Stoppable appears. Let's see how he screws up this time...
"Good morning, cousin!" Felix explained.
Ron looked through his script, looking at scene 1.
"Ahh...here I am! Is it that early in the day?"
Kim groaned. Ron, please read your highlighted lines...
"It's only just now nine am!" Felix said.
Ron continued to read from his highlighted lines.
"Oh my, time goes by slowly when you're sad. Was that my father who left here in such a hurry?"
As the scene continued to play out between Ron and Felix, Kim noticed that Ron was gaining a bit more confidence. She did not know what it was but he and Felix were making the lines flow.
The redhead gulped even harder, knowing that her first lines were going to come in Scene 3...with Ashley A, no less, as the Nurse.
What is going on here? How is it that Ron is gaining confidence with Felix but I get stuck with the worst of the Ashleys?!
Ron got through Scene 2 with Troy taking on the role as Peter with Felix with almost no issues.
Kim, meanwhile, was sending a text to Monique.
Monique, we so need to do that girl-to-girl talk after tonight's practice.
"I'll go with you. Not because I think you'll show me anything better, but so I can see the woman I love." he said to both Troy and Felix before they exited the stage.
Ron held his script up high.
"I did pretty good on the stage for the first time in months!" the blonde sidekick exclaimed confidently, "And I didn't suffer anything."
As he did so, he was about to sit on a chair...and then heard somethin rip from behind.
A chorus of laughter emitted from almost everyone in the class except for Kim, Monique, Zita, Jessica, Felix and Tara.
Cara exclaimed from the director's chair in Olde English between the laughs.
"Ho, Stoppable, seemeth liketh thee suff'r'd a drop of sorrow in thy gaskins!"
Not surprisingly, he ripped a large tear in his pants, showing off a bit of his Flippies boxers.
"Oh brother..." Rufus squeaked.
"Aww man...why did that happen?" Ron exclaimed.
"I think you should convince your mom to stop buying laundry detergent from Smarty-Mart." Kim said, not laughing out of respect for her best friend.
He sighed, "Aisle 38, right next to the baby items."
Ron sat on the chair, trying to cover the pants hole with his hand.
Now, this was the moment of truth for Kim.
It was now Act 1, Scene 3. And Ashley A was grinning from ear to ear.