"Kayleigh! Would you stop bashing Christina?" 18 year old Kevin Richardson asked his best friend in annoyance as the two made their way towards the drama department.
"I'm NOT bashing her Kevin! I'm just telling you what I think of her!" 18 years old Kayleigh Washburn defended herself as the two turned around the corner and the drama room came to view.
"Then why is it that every single time I ask you stuff about her, you always get ticked off?" He questioned.
"I so do NOT get ticked off! Just because she's Mr. Wilmington's daughter doesn't give every guy a reason drool over her!" Kayleigh said referring to their high school principal.
"I'm not drooling over her! See? You're ticked off already!"
"That's cuz you're pissin' me off!" Kayleigh told Kevin straight out. "Yeah, cuz I mentioned Christina!" He countered.
"UGH!!!!!! Kevin, just..just..oh just shut up!" Kayleigh cried in disgust as she set her books down.
"Fine!" Kevin fought back walking towards the opposite side of the room. "Fine!" Kayleigh managed to squeeze in before the drama teacher Mrs. Laforet started to talk.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Venus! Wait up!" Megan Smith's voice rang out as the drama class made their way towards the auditorium to practice Romeo and Juliet, which was to be performed at the end of the year. Megan was Kayleigh's other close friend aside from Kevin.
"Hey." She said almost breathless as she caught up.
"What's up Megs?" Kayleigh asked not really paying attention.
"Nothing."
"What's wrong with you?" Megan asked curiously after observing the stressed and worried expressions engraved on Kayleigh's pale face.
"Nothing." Kayleigh replied flatly.
"Ok, what did Kevin do this time?" Megan asked immediately. This made Kayleigh laugh a bit.
"How did you know..."
"He always does things to piss you off." Megan simply explained. "So was it him?"
Kayleigh nodded.
"I knew it. What did he do?"
"He was talking about Christina again."
"Our principal, Mr. Wilminton's daughter?" Megan questioned.
Kayleigh nodded and kept her eyes straight a head.
After a short period of silence as the two walked with the class, Megan spoke up. "You know Kay, I don't really see why you have get all pissed every time Kevin brings up Christina. I mean God knows all of the guys in this school are nuts about her!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah but this is KEVIN we're talking about! I mean Kevin Richardson! The guy who dumped buckets of sand on my head when we were in the sandbox ages! I mean I NEVER in a million years thought he would go for a girl like Christina!" Kay;eigh cried out.
Megan eyed Kayleigh knowingly.
"Why are you looking at me like that Megs?"
"I have a feeling..."
"Don't go there!"
"Just hear me out!" Megan pleaded.
"Oh come on Megan! We've been through this!"
"I-"
"SHH!" Kayleigh cut in.
"I-" Just when Megan tried to speak, Kayleigh again cut in.
"Uh-uh. No way."
"But-"
"SHHHH!!!!!!" Kayleigh waited for a few seconds to see if Megan would try to talk again but seeing Megan turning around to talk with the girls behind them with her arms crossed, Kayleigh let her guards fall.
Suddenly Megan whipped around. "Admit it, YOU... LIKE....HIM...KAYLEIGH...WASHBURN!" She commented, saying each word with over exaggerated pronunciation.
"UGH!!!!!" Kayleigh cried in frustration. Megan's laugh rang through out the hallway.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kayleigh couldn't concentrate on the play even though she almost had the manuscript memorized. She was late upon cue and her lines were in lack of emotions. What is happening to me? Kayleigh wondered. What Megan said NEVER bothered me before! She thought as she watched Kevin go over his lines with Mrs. Laforet. But WHY???? Why now?
"STOP!!!" Startled, Kayleigh snapped out of her trance.
"Kayleigh!" Mrs. Laforet cried with frustration. Everyone was quiet all of the sudden with his or her eyes fixed upon Kayleigh who was standing on the makeshift balcony as Juliet. Mrs. Laforet with script in hand, stormed across the atrium.
"Yes?" Kayleigh asked.
"WHAT in the world is wrong with you today? You've already misread your lines 4 times and it's barely 10 minutes into rehearsal!" Mrs. Laforet cried. Kayleigh winced.
"I..I'm sorry Miss. I"ll....I won't do it again, I promise." She replied weakly.
"Good because you just missed your cue too." She said with a sigh. Kayleigh quickly looked for Kevin. As Romeo, his second line was her cue to come on. She looked down and was surprised to discovered that he was already underneath her balcony which was where he was suppose to be after his first line.
"We don't have much time left for today and we HAVE to get the balcony scene done Kayleigh." Mrs. Laforet told Kayleigh strictly.
Kayleigh nodded and went back inside her balcony. Below it, she heard a sigh of frustration belonging to Kevin.
"He jests at scars that never felt a wound." Kevin began, his voice becoming louder as he made his way closer towards Kayleigh' window. That was Kayleigh's cue to come out the balcony and she didn't miss it this time. She stepped out of the balcony just in time to hear Kevin say, "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?"
"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief..." Kevin went on. It would be a while before Juliet was to say something so Kayleigh remained quiet. She stole a glance at Kevin, but only to see his head buried in the script as he read off his lines.
"Ay me!" Kayleigh said her first line.
"She speaks!" Kayleigh looked at Kevin out of the corner of her eye but she was supposed to be looking up at an imaginary moon.
"O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art As glorious to this night being o'er my head, As is a winged messenger of heaven Unto the white-upturned..." He went on.
Then came the famous lines spoken by Juliet.
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet." Kayleigh uttered, her voice expressive, clear yet gentle.
"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Kevin read his lines.
Kayleigh went on. "....Romeo, doff thy name, And for thy name which is no part of thee take all myself." That was Kevin's cue.
"I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized..." Kevin went on but he looked up this time for that was when Romeo and Juliet see each other for the first time that night.
Kayleigh looked down and her eyes met with Kevin's for the first time after their fight. As she watched him read his lines with so much emotions and so much passion, she wondered if there was a deeper meaning to those lines than just lines off of a script to a play. She wondered if he had really meant them. Startled at her thoughts, Kayleigh looked away but knew she had felt something, something that wasn't there before.
"STOP! That was good! All right. That's it for today! We'll go over this again tomorrow!" Mrs. Laforet ordered before the drama students dashed out of the auditorium to meet their friends for lunch.
Kayleigh made her way down the balcony while trying not to touch the wet paint on the backdrops just inches behind her.
"Need a hand?" A voice asked.
Kayleigh froze and swallowed hard. An image from the balcony scene quickly flashed in front of her eyes. Kevin.
Kayleigh turned around and looked at him wearily. "Umm, sure." She managed to say. Kevin extended his hand and helped Venus to hop over the railing of the stairs that led from the balcony to the back of the stage.
"You were pretty good up there." Kevin said with a smile.
"Was I?" Kayleigh asked in pure amazement. Kevin never commented her. He was always the one making fun of her.
"Yeah. The best I've seen you." Kayleigh grinned and hit Kevin playfully in the stomach.
"Ha ha, that's funny. Not." Kayleigh joked.
"I'm not kidding." Kevin said seriously holding Venus' wrist as she was about to hit him again. She looked up at him and noticed the change in Kevin's facial expression. She stopped smiling.
Neither of them said anything. A loose piece of hair fell across Kayleigh’ eyes. She didn’t bother to brush it out of the way. Instinctively, Kevin's hand reached up and tucked it behind her ear. His hand remained on the side of her cheek. Kayleigh looked up at Kevin and their eyes met. She placed her hand over Kevin's and held his gaze.
Oh God, he's going to kiss me. No! He can't! We're friends!
Not listening to the little voice, she reached up to the back of his neck and gently ran her fingers through his dark hair. Kevin placed a hand around her waist and pulled her closer closing in on the few inches of spaces between them. Kayleigh remained speechless as her heart beat accelerated.
Kevin began to lean towards Kayleigh. She could smell his cologne now. A small cut on his chin from his shave in the morning was beginning to become visible as well. Kayleigh leaned towards Kevin subconsciously wanting to close in on the space of air that was the only thing separating them. Their faces were very close now...only a few more centimeters... just a little more...
"OWWW! SHIT!" A loud cry came from the back and shattered the special moment.
The two instantly pulled apart as if snapping out of some kind of trance.
"Who’s there?" Asked Kevin as he looked away towards the back to avoid Kayleigh’ eyes. Kayleigh stood there motionless, still in shock. What the hell just happened? She wondered.
Kevin quickly disappeared out of sight as he walked far into the back tracing the source of the cry. Kayleigh turned around and walked towards the cafeteria where she was sure Megan would be waiting.
"I’ll see you at the cafeteria Kay!" Kevin said just in time as Kayleigh walked out of the auditorium.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Oh look Kayleigh! There’s Christina!" Megan whispered loudly as she, Kayleigh and two other friends sat down at their regular table in the cafeteria. Kayleigh’s guy friends sat at the table next to them.
"Oh my God!" Exclaimed Kayleigh in mocking sarcasm. "I can’t believe she’s even in the same ROOM as me! I feel just SO honored!" Kayleigh turned towards her guy friend's table and caught all of them staring at Christina's direction. She threw a look of disgust and turned around.
"Well, gee, sorry for bring her up." Megan replied grumpily. Kayleigh sighed and silently scolded herself.
"Sorry Megs, I’m just..not having a good day." Kayleigh said hesitantly. Megan looked at Kayleigh with curiosity filled eyes.
"Mind telling me what happened?" She asked, her happy expression returning. Kayleigh breathed a sigh of relief. Note to self, next time you almost kiss your best guy friend, don’t take it out on your best girl friend! Kayleigh thought.
"Well," Kayleigh began but was cut off by Agatha, one of the 2 other girls at the table’s squealing.
"Oh my God! Look who just walked in!" Kayleigh turned around just in time to see Kevin wander into the cafeteria. Her heart pounded.
"I can’t believe you actually like him." Megan said to Agatha with obvious disapproval.
"SHH!!!!!! He might hear you!" Agatha scolded Megan.
"Antonia, YOU agree that Kevin's good looking right?" Agatha asked, turning towards Antonia, the other girl at the table.
"Acutually Agatha, I have to agree with Megan on this one." Antonia replied.
"Fine, how about you Kayleigh? What do you think of Kevin?" Agatha asked. Megan grinned slyly.
"What?" Kayleigh blurted, caught off guard.
"Yeah Kay, what do YOU think?" Megan pressed.
"About what?" Kayleigh asked, trying to avoid the question.
"KEVIN." Megan replied loudly deliberately trying to catch Kevin's attention who was quickly approaching the table.
"I dunno." Kayleigh shrugged innocently.
"SURE you don't Kay." Megan teased.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hey guys." Said Kevin as walked pass by the girls and heading towards the guy's table.
"Yo Kevin, my man! What’s up?" Kevin’s close friend Eric Milary asked as he shifted over a seat to make room for Kevin to sit.
"Nothing much here. Just got outta drama."
"Man, I still don’t get why you’re taking that class for-" Before Eric could finish, down came Kayleigh’s hand aiming right at the back of his head.
"Oww!" He cried in pain.
"How many times have I told you NOT to call drama class a class for sissies Eric?" Kayleigh questioned.
"I dunno but you don't normally hit me THAT hard!" Eric complained, still rubbing the back of his head.
"See Kayleigh, girl, did some chick steal your guy or something?" Eric asked.
"No." She replied coldly. Kayleigh turned around to face Megan, Antonia and Agatha who were in somewhat of a surprise of what had just taken place.
"Kay, what-" Megan began. Kayleigh shot Megan a warning look.
"Don’t." She hissed before getting up and storming out of the cafeteria. Her food was still left untouched and the questioning look on Kevin's face remained unanswered.
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