All The World May Be a Stage, But We Can't All Be the Best of Actors

I stared at the other groups as they practiced their lines, many of them flawlessly. James was not here today. It didn't surprise me much, but I had hoped he would have been in class. My eyes found Jenna and Todd and were fixed there. Todd's blond hair was in it's usual short faux hawk, exposing his tanned skin and hazel eyes. He wore a polo with the same shade of navy as Jenna's top. Her brunette hair was pulled into a messy updo. Her brown eyes were practically glowing. She knew she had this. She knew she was going to be a phenomenal Juliet. As much as I wished I didn't, I knew it, too. I knew Todd wasn't going to make a bad Romeo, either. They practically already owned parts in the Christmas play. I wanted a lead role so terribly.

Suddenly, the opening of the double doors knocked me out my thoughts. I looked over at the doors and there stood James, accompanied by Miss Thorne. She had a hand on his shoulder and some paperwork in the other hand. He looked around and she asked him something inaudible. He pointed at me and she pushed him toward me. Mrs. Hoffman looked up as the dark figure approached me. Miss Thorne walked over to her and explained something before walking back over to James and I. James groaned and rolled his eyes.

"If Mrs. Hoffman tells me you haven't done anything, you know what the punishment is," Miss Thorne warned.

I looked over at him in question, but I could already tell he wasn't going to explain. He had pulled his lines out and his eyes were looking over them, slowly, carefully.

"Are we practicing then?" I asked, hopefully. He looked up at me with his threatening ice blue eyes.

I pulled out my script and waited for him to start the scene.

"It is so ; the Count Claudio shall marry the daughter of Lenato," he practically whispered.

I didn't press him to speak louder, and simply did my part, "Yea, my lord ; but I can cross it."

"Any bar, any cross, any--" he stopped and furrowed his brow. I began to pronounce the word for him, but he glared at me. I tightened my lips.

"We could just practice at my house after school, since there's less distractions and everything," I offered. He looked at me for a moment, scrutinizing me, or so it seemed. I wasn't sure what he was trying to figure out, but after chewing on his lip, he slowly nodded. I smiled at him, but he didn't smile back, not that I expected it of him.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like forever. His usual scowl was fixed on the double doors.

"So...I have Mr. Davis for English last hour. What class do you have?"

He mumbled something incoherent. I looked at him, question probably dancing in my eyes.

"Mrs. Polk!" he almost yelled.

My eyes widened, but I settled back, quickly. I was learning to expect the unexpected from James Borden. I felt a strange feeling in my stomach when I realized I would have to introduce him to my mother. She was never fond of "bad influences" and James would probably be categorized as one of them. I tried to convince myself it wouldn't matter since we were working together on a project. It wasn't like I chose him to be my partner.

But I did choose to follow him in the parking lot, and the mall, and the hallway.

I rubbed those thoughts out of my mind as the bell rang. I tried to keep up with him in the hall to have him meet me by Mr. Davis's room so I could drive him home with me. His speed exceeded mine, though, as always, and he disappeared among the crowd of the student body.

"I saw you guys practicing today," said a familiar voice. I rolled my eyes at Jenna, but she did not seem to notice.

"Yeah," I said, "and I saw you practicing. So what?"

"Well I just wanted to share my sympathy. He's not very good, is he?"

I glared at her, "Yeah? So? Not everyone can be perfect like you and Todd."

She shrugged off my attitude and continued, dreamily, "I suppose not. Mrs. Hoffman said we pretty much have the lead roles for the Christmas play in the bag. We're supposed to play a brother and sister with different views--oh well I won't give the plot away for you. You'll just have to find out when you come to watch it."

"Well I plan on being in it, so it wouldn't matter much, would it?" I shot back.

"Good luck with that," she retorted, and ran towards her Fifth Hour Drama friends. I glared after her as I walked to my locker to gather my things for Chemistry.

When I closed it, there stood a redheaded freshman girl with a fake tan, grinning wildly at me. I furrowed my brow and she grinned bigger, if possible.

"Hey," she said, as if I knew her.

"Hey..." I said, confusedly.

"I heard you like James Borden," she said, "and I was just going to tell you I think that's super cute and you should ask him out."

I raised an eyebrow and wondered what was going on until it clicked. The thespians in Chemistry were talking about me and were going to spread a rumor. That's what it was.

"I do not like James Borden," I said, irritated. She frowned and walked away, seemingly disappointed. I rolled my eyes and began walking toward Mr. Dill's classroom.

I felt a little uncomfortable as James's eyes bored into my skull, even though it was becoming a daily occurance. It didn't help with the addition of Jenna and the rest of the thespians looking back at me and giggling. It was almost like I were in a cage, stuck between bars that only mocked me.

I heard James's music start and I looked behind me to look at him for a moment. He kept glaring at me, just as I had felt him doing before I turned around. It still amazed me how he managed to listen to his music so loud. Mr. Dill had quit giving him lectures to turn it down, but it had to be hurting his eardrums. I turned back around with a sigh. I always gave in to his glare. It was so intimidating.

"Okay, review time!" Mr. Dill announced, "I'm an electron. Where do I go?"

I looked around the classroom for someone willing to answer other than me. Jenna raised her hand. I raised my hand higher. Mr. Dill called on her.

"On the outer rings of an atom," she said, shooting her head back, piercing her dark eyes in my direction.

"Very good. Now what if I'm a proton?"

I kept my hand raised and heard a noise behind me. I lowered my hand and turned around. James looked fed up with my competitive antics. I tried to glare at him, but it was nothing compared to his. The moment those ice blue eyes glared back at me, I surrendered and turned around as Jenna answered Mr. Dill's question.

The bell rang. I collected my things and looked behind me. I looked back up and blinked. How had James left so quickly?

Why did Mr. Davis's class seem so much longer than usual? Generally, his class seemed to pass quickly. I felt myself looking at the clock every few seconds, hoping time would go just a bit faster. Mr. Davis kept turning on his heel to look at me with a skeptic's eyes, before continuing his stroll down the aisles. He zig-zagged between the desks. I never noticed, but it was a speedy pace, much like James's.

"Matt," I heard, subconciously. I ignored the voice.

"Matt!" It was a little louder, but my eyes were fixed upon the clock with only three minutes until class ended.

"MATT!" I turned and shook my head. Allysa Helzenberg was staring at me with her large brown eyes, expectantly.

"What?" I asked her, sounding a little more vicious than needed for the situation at hand.

"Did you understand the symbolism--"

"I didn't even pay attention," I said, before she could finish her sentence. I looked back up at the clock.

Only one more minute...

I waltzed towards Mrs. Polk's class, hoping James wouldn't blow me off, and also hoping that he didn't get out the door before I reached her classroom. I was surprised to find he had waited for me there. He didn't look happy, but he had waited, nonetheless.

"Ready?" I said, and began walking, slowly.

Wordlessly, he walked at my side, and he looked bored at the slow pace. Several people whispered as we went by, and I was positive it was probably about me liking him. I tried my best to ignore it and opened the double doors to start walking to my car. We got into it and I started the engine, letting it idle as we waited for the buses and other cars to get out of the way. James glared at me the entire time this happened. I turned to look at him and his expression changed. He quit glaring, but he seemed to just be looking at me.

For once, those ice blue eyes weren't so scary.