"My love! My wife! Forgive me, dear Juliet."
I felt vibrations pass throughout my body. I tried to control my laugher but I just couldn't. I got up laughing loudly. Yes, I know there's nothing funny but when you're pretending to be dead, it's hard to be serious. Michael glared at me for a moment but started laughing as well; he collapsed down next to me.
"Come on! This is a very intense scene!" Mr. Ambrose insisted, "You can't just fool around like that."
Mr. Ambrose getting pissed at us is not something new. He is tired of correcting us and trying to make us act more seriously. There was this one time where he threatened to replace us and that's when Michael and I actually acted seriously and Mr. Ambrose was impressed again.
"I know. We're sorry. It's just hard to do it seriously," I told him.
Mr. Ambrose just gave me a glare and walked towards his assistant to discuss something I definitely didn't care about.
"Sorry about that," I told Michael.
He just chuckled, "It's alright. Mr. Ambrose is just nervous, the play is in like two days and we're not exactly co-operating."
"Guys! We're going to be having a costume rehearsal today!" Abby exclaimed, skipping towards us and sitting next to Michael.
"What! No! Isn't it bad enough that I am Romeo and now I have to wear weird, baggy, loose clothes?" Michael complained, throwing his hands in the air with frustration.
"What is he so mad about?" Ethan asked, sitting next to me, his minty cologne spreading a fresh scent around me.
"He has to dress up as Romeo," I said with a smirk.
"He's not the only one, you have to dress up as well," Abby told Ethan and gave him a cheeky smile.
"No!" Ethan responded, shooting me a glare which was clearly indicating 'this is your fault.' Hey, I was just trying to make Abby happy. It is not my fault that they're actually good at acting.
"You have to," Abby said, shrugging.
"Why doesn't Ash have an understudy?" Ethan complained.
"I don't know actually, maybe because there was no one good enough?" Abby suggested.
"Unfair," Ethan mumbled.
Mr. Ambrose clapped his hands twice. He always clapped his hands to grab attention. "Alright, the costumes for Romeo and Juliet are here, so I want Michael, Ethan and Ashley to try them on now. Apparently, the other costumes will be here later, so I guess we will be trying the rest tomorrow."
Michael and Abby started walking towards Mr. Ambrose. Ethan got up and offered me his hand. First thought that came to my mind was that he would grab my hand but then let me fall on my ass. I looked up at him and he was waiting for me with raised eyebrows. Trusting him, I placed my hand in his and he pulled me up.
Abby came running towards me, her high ponytail swinging, she was seriously cute. How can Michael not having feelings for her? She's funny, cute, hyper and understanding. What else does he want?
"This is what you're going to be wearing," Abby told me, handing me two dresses which were neatly ironed, "Let's go! Try it on! I want to see you in those dresses!"
Ethan laughed softly as Abby dragged me with her.
*
After a lot of difficulty, I finally managed to wear the white gown. I walked out carefully, trying to not trip and fall.
Abby gasped. "You look lovely."
I smiled at her. Walking over to the mirror, I stared at my reflection. The white dress looked absolutely gorgeous. The sleeves rested on me comfortably, making lovely loops around my arms. The colour white made me look elegant and classy; it contrasted well with my dark hair. My eyes seemed sharper and brighter as well.
"All you need is a halo," Abby said softly.
I chuckled, turning towards her, "Or a flower crown."
"Yes! Oh my god, yes!" Abby exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders.
"I don't have one," I said, killing her excitement.
Abby's shoulders sank for a minute but then her eyes brightened again. "I'll get you one! I'll get you one before the play."
I grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm going to go to Mr. Ambrose and tell him that the gown fits you perfectly," Abby told me and left the room.
I sighed and smiled at myself in the mirror. The gown didn't look modern at all; it was definitely perfect for the role of Juliet.
"Hey Abby-"
"She isn't here," I told Ethan, who was standing in the doorway.
"That gown-" he trailed off.
"Is beautiful, I know," I finished for him and took a bow in the old traditional way.
He laughed softly and said, "Not as beautiful as you though."
I felt a small smile form on my face, "Thank you."
Damn. I was wearing white, it would be very easy for him to make out if I was blushing or not. Unfortunately, I was blushing. I bit my lip and tried to avoid eye contact. But I knew that he was staring at me.
"As always, it's easy to make you blush," Ethan said, tilting his head and staring at me.
"It's not!" I argued.
"Trust me, it is," he stated, leaning against the wall.
"It's not!" I repeated, trying to control the smile that wanted to form on my face again.
He laughed and pinched my red cheeks, making me blush more, "Are you going to wear that for the entire play?"
"No, this is from the balcony scene until the end. There's another gown for the ball," I responded, glad that he changed the topic.
"Great," he said awkwardly while nodding his head, "Oh! I came here for Abby, Michael and I were trying to figure out how to wear the clothes but we-uh-couldn't."
I chuckled, walking over to the dressing table to put on a simple necklace that I was supposed to wear for the play, "She's gone to talk to Mr. Ambrose."
I unclasped the necklace and placed it on my neck. It was enchanting. Gold coated heart with simple engraving. The simplicity of the necklace made it look lovely. I tried to attach the necklace but for some reason, I kept failing. I felt soft fingers touch my hand and take the necklace from my fingers. I looked up in the mirror to see Ethan standing behind me. His captivating eyes stared into mine. I was shorter than him actually but somehow, we looked cute. He attached the necklace and smiled at me.
"I'm hoping that being Romeo's understudy would be worth it."
*
"Erica, please, it's just one dinner," I insisted
I should've told Erica about the dinner earlier, at least that would have given me more time to convince her.
"Mom! Can you tell Ash that I'm not going for a dinner with her father tonight," Erica told Mrs. Wilson, who had been watching and listening to my conversation with Erica for the past ten minutes.
"Mrs. Wilson-"
"Ashley, call me Aunt Nora, how many times do I have to tell you that?" Mrs. Wilson said.
"Alright, Aunt Nora, it's just one dinner. Besides, I'm going to be there with her," I insisted.
"Exactly! It's just one dinner! Since it's no big deal, why can't you just go alone?" Erica countered back.
Okay, I had to agree. She had a point. But I needed moral support.
"I need moral support," I said with a shrug.
"Yes, Erica, you should go with her. It's tough for her to meet her dad after a lot of years," Aunt Nora said.
"Exactly!" I agreed.
"It would be awkward if I came, you and your dad won't get to have any private conversations and you're meeting him after a lot of years, it should just be you and him," Erica said, flipping through different channels on the T.V.
"True, she has a point," Aunt Nora agreed, nodding her head.
My shoulders sank. Who is Aunt Nora supporting?
"Erica, please, I am literally begging," I pleaded.
"No, you're not," Erica replied.
"Come on sweetie, just go with her tonight," Aunt Nora told Erica.
Erica groaned, "Fine. I'll go for the stupid dinner with you."
"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed, hugging her as she grunted.
*
"Okay, don't say anything stupid. Keep the talking to a minimum and try to think of any excuse to leave," I instructed Erica as she lazily tied her curly, brunette hair into a messy bun.
"I could pretend to have constipation," Erica offered.
I frowned, "No, thank you."
I stopped in my tracks and grabbed Erica's arm outside the restaurant. "There he is, that's him."
"Who?" Erica asked, confused.
"There," I pointed towards a middle-aged man.
Now that I noticed dad from a distance, he still reminded me of the man who would play his ukulele around the house and dance with me. I felt a lump in my throat. After the divorce, I felt very lonely. Mom had to do double the amount of work and she couldn't spend much time with me. I had to stay with a babysitter most of the time. When we were one family, mom would literally spend one hour feeding me and then dad would clean me up. Most of my childhood memories were fuzzy.
"I don't think I can do this, Erica," I said, blinking my eyes a few times.
Erica intertwined her hand in mine, "That's why I am here, aren't I?"
I smiled, "Yes."
"How about a heart attack?" Erica suggested.
I laughed and rolled my eyes, "Pretty good idea but don't try it out here."
She stuck her tongue out at me and we walked together into the restaurant just like we did on the first day of school.
Dad noticed me and his face lit up, he stood up and pulled me into a hug. I was too surprised to return the hug so I just stood there like a stone.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked at me for a moment, "You've turned into a wonderful, young lady."
I gave him a closed-mouth smile.
"And who is this?" he asked, indicating towards Erica.
"This is my friend, Erica," I replied as my dad extended his hand.
"Let's order some drinks, shall we?" Dad asked sweetly as we sat down opposite to him.
Why was he being so formal? I couldn't imagine spending five minutes with him without Erica.
I disliked the direction I was sitting in, all I could see was dad and the boring wall behind him. At least, I could just look around if I was sitting where dad was.
"Ah! Here he is," Dad said, looking behind me, "Ashley, Erica, meet my son, Jared."
Erica and I instantly turned to find ourselves face to face with Jared. Our Jared.
A/N: Hehehe, i bet you didn't see that coming, did you? :3
Comment on what you think about this 'twist' ! =)
I want to thank all of you for your votes and sweet comments! 10,000 reads!! I didnt expect that! Thank you so much <3