We Don't Have to be a Tragedy

Romeo’s Point of View

I didn’t know what to expect as I waited outside the door. Would Juliet be there? Would she be bummed, and have Mercutio? Or would she be her namesake? Would she mind that I was Romeo, if she was Juliet? Gah. I should just open the door and get this over with…but I’m finding that a bit hard to do, what with nerves, and everything. And in all the other school performances I’ve been in, I’ve never been so nervous. Not once, unless it was in second grade when I unknowingly had a fever, and threw up in the middle of a line on my teacher in the front row---not now, Romeo, don’t remember that now!

So much for trying to give myself a pep-talk. It make me feel tons worse, standing here outside of Professor Capula’s---Joan Capula, that is---classroom.

“Juliet! Come here, I need your help.”

“Coming, Mom.”

My heart leapt into my throat. She’s in there…maybe she got the part! She doesn’t sound sad, or bummed out, or anything…cross your fingers, Romeo.

Wow, I’m such a retard. I could be hyping myself up for nothing---maybe she’s just helping her Mom before the first practice? Well, it’s probably not going to be much of a practice, just a getting-to-know-who’s-playing-who-and-getting-your-scripts type of practice. Taking a breath and bracing myself, I pushed open the door.

Juliet’s Point of View

Granted, he was ten minutes early still, but I’d assumed he’d be here much sooner. As it was, Mom had me moving desks out of the middle of the floor. She wanted kind of a walkway up the middle, so I was arranging them in two rows to either side of the door when he walked in.

“Hey, Romeo!” I said, kind of wiping some sweat from my forehead. “I thought you’d be here sooner.”

“Oh, yeah, well…I just took my time.” He mumbled kind of abashedly.

“That’s okay,” I laughed. “Just sit anywhere, Mom went through the dressing room to talk to Cathy.”

“Is there anything I can help with?” he asked, sitting his bag down by a chair in the back left corner and looking at what I was doing.

“If you want to. Mom wants kind of a walkway up the middle.”

“Okay.”

Romeo set about helping me in my task, and we were done a few minutes later. When Mom and Cathy walked in, he and I and a few other arrivals were sitting around and talking in the last six desks at the back left-hand side. Mercutio, I discovered, was to be played by a guy named Robert Nichols, who was a senior. When he said this, I didn’t notice Romeo glance in my direction, but if I had I might have been confused as to whether the glance showed relief or apprehension.

“Okay, so there’s Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, the nurse, Lord Capulet, and Friar Laurence.” Mom said, scanning over us. “Anyone know where the others are?”

“Not a clue,” Haley Miles, the nurse, said smilingly.

“Oh, well.” Cathy sighed, but good naturedly. “They’ll show up eventually---speak of the devil!”

A girl who I noticed was a junior here walked in and gave a pretend bow. “Lady Montague, at your service.”

“Glad you’re here, Samantha,” Mom smiled.

“How many times do I have to tell you teachers?” she laughed in a playful way. “It’s Sammy.”

“Probably a hundred times more,” Cathy laughed. “Joan’s a bit lax in the memory area…”

“Mom!” Romeo said, astonished, but he couldn’t hold the laughter in for long and soon enough the whole room was laughing.

So, the rest of the meeting or practice or whatever was as boring as boring can be. We each had to show off our audition piece, and we got our scripts. So I said while talking to Taylor the next night, after classes and after I’d finished my shortest essay. The others were due next week, so I didn’t bother finishing. I had a head start, anyway.

“So, he got the part?”

“Yes, I already told you that I don’t know how many times.”

“Sorry, Jules, but I’m so happy for you!”

“Why?”

“You like him, and you get to play Juliet!”

“Yeah, yeah.” I laughed. “What about you? Met any new guys yet?”

“Well…there’s one. He’s kind of a jerk, but he has his moments, you know?”

“So, you’re into that type, now?” I teased.

“Agh,” she grumbled, “I knew you’d take it that way. It’s not as if my taste in men changes every week, you know!”

“Close enough.”

“Jules!”

“Sorry, sorry!” I laughed, and glanced at the time. “We should get off, Mom wants to get my measurements before classes tomorrow, so she and Cathy can find some more outfits for me as Juliet in the play. You do know it’s eleven, right?”

“Oh, crap! No, I didn’t. Well, I guess I have to let you go, then.”

“Yeah. So, talk to you later, bye.”

“Bye!”

I kind of stared at my ceiling for a bit longer before rolling over and trying to fall asleep. It took awhile, but when I did, I dreamt of being up on stage in that blue dress I’d tried on the first day of Cathy’s class, and I was right next to Romeo, dressed as Romeo.

I woke up briefly around midnight, laughed softly to myself at my dream, and at the vision of Romeo in tights, and fell back asleep.