Emperor of Destruction [EDITING]

xiii.

XIII

"Alright class, settle down!"

I bid Serena, a classmate of mine, goodbye and went to sit down next to Cam. Once he saw me coming, he shut his phone off at the speed of lightning. My brow raises and I grin. He's always been mysterious. Whether it's a good thing or not, I don't know.

"Tinder hookup?" I teased him with a mocking glint in my eyes.

I winced playfully when he elbows my shoulder. "No. I'm too good for tinder. Plus, I'm not trying to end up like those unfortunate boys who get lost, only to end up being found in pieces by a lake." He snorted.

"That's a bit informative." I say, nudging him, "Speaking from personal experiences?"

His mouth gaped as his brows furrowed and he elbowed me again. This time I laughed, quickly slapping a hand over my mouth to conceal the loud noise when our director's neck snapped to us, glaring. I'm terrible at staying serious, especially at moments where my life counts on it. Judging by Cam's face reddening and his finger pinches, I'd say he's the same. We can't say serious for too long or else we break out into a fit of undying laughter.

That's how we originally connected.

"As you all should know by now, every single one of you will be participating in a Shakespearean scene on this very stage." Philip tapped his shoes on the hard black floor. "You will have a partner or two join you in your play. However, you do not have the luxury of choosing your assigned partner. I do."

Half of the class groaned at that. "Oh, peace, you mumbling fools." He grunted, shaking his head as his legs paced around the room, hands behind his back. "This play will determine your ability to act, and listen to the rules being instructed. It is not worth a lot of your grades, but still a fair amount. So I expect you all to be on your best behaviour." He says this as if he's talking to a kindergarten class."

Philip began reading the names and plays off the paper in his hand.

"Serena, Jake, Michael. Hamlet."

"Angelo, June, Erza. King Lear."

"Opal, Liam, Hamza. The Tempest."

"Kaiden, Maya. The Merchant of Venice."

"Lindsey, Lola, Richard. The Taming of the Shrew."

"Ezekiel, Amorèt. Julius Caesar."

Amorèt shot out of her seat, demanding for a change to be done. However her request got shut down when Philip told her to sit back down. She huffed, even grimaced but did so. Her partner, on the other hand, looked nothing but joyous at the arrangement.

"Angelica, Ryan. Anneliese. A Midsummer Night's dream."

My heart sank at the mention of my name alongside Cameron's.