Page 54 of Restless
Chapter Ten
Ridge Moore’s theater department and auditorium had undergone a recent renovation and was completed around the same time as the Athletic Center. Before, Merriweather Hall housed the auditorium and several classrooms for general theatre. Now, two double-level wings flanked the auditorium and the school offered Theatre Arts, Technical Theatre or Theatre Production for grades nine through twelve. Arts and production were combined in one wing since they were so closely related.
The auditorium itself was a sea of blue seating in stacked rows. Spotlights gleamed onto the stage that featured an apron, a fly tower, a catwalk, and a crossover.
At least, Harley thought the department had those things. She was still learning the technical terms, so she might’ve gotten a few wrong.
She glanced out into the audience again, searching for CJ but only seeing Mommie and Lolly. The auditorium lights were also on, so Harley saw everyone clearly. Daddy had canceled at the last minute, yet that didn’t matter. CJ’s lies did.
Annoyance ripped through her.
“I’m not telling my name, bae,” Nardo said. “I don’t vibe with my name because you don’t vibe with it, ma. I won’t even write it. Save myself time from tearing it up.”
He smiled as he finished his line.
Unamused, Harley glared at him and held her script up. “The lines are…
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself,
Because it is an enemy to thee;
Had I it written, I would tear the word.”
“Those are the original lines, Harley,” he said, shaking his head. “I talked to Ms. Mendez. She likes my idea. It gives the play a more modern twist.”
“I’ll talk to her myself. We’ve been rehearsing for months and all of a sudden we’re changing the entire script? No.”
“It’s not up to you, Harley,” Nardo snapped. “Ms. Mendez said sometimes scripts are completely rewritten in the middle of filming. It’ll be a good way to test how much we’ve been listening to her lessons.”
“I’m here every single day. I have an ‘A’ in theatre—”
“The new script was in the room the girls will use for dressing the night of the production.”
“I saw it,” Harley admitted. “I just ignored it.”
One of the auditorium doors opened, distracting her from the conversation. Her heart soared and she smiled, relief flowing through her. Instead of CJ, though, it was her brothers, Lou and Kaleb.
Her annoyance turned to anger.
“Just try it my way, Harley,” Nardo suggested. He held the revised script out to her.
She folded her arms, refusing to take the pages.
“Shaking his head, Nardo flipped to the page he’d been reading from.
“Romeo, oh Romeo,” he said, pitifully attempting to mimic her voice. “You have mad rizz, so why be Romeo? Since you can’t stop being a Montague, tell a sister how much you want her and I won’t ever be a Capulet again.”
“You’re making a mockery of Romeo and Juliet,” Harley seethed. “I’m going to read it as it’s been read for centuries.”
“No way, you’re going so hard for a boring ass play, ma,” Nardo said.
Harley scowled.
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?was one of literature’s most classic lines and a main reason Harley auditioned for the play. She hadn’t been bitten by the acting bug, yet she was putting her heart and soul into the performance. They’d been rehearsing since September, and it was now December. The play was happening the last weekend of March, not long after Lolly’s stupid Mardi Gras Ball. Set design was already in the planning stages. Set construction would begin after Winter Break. As the leading lady, she had every right to protest such a major change.
