Timeo and Ritalet (Tim X Rita Fanfic)

Showbusiness

Tim gave a gusty sigh as he made his way to class; it was yet another boring school day. "Beep, beep beep beep?" Moby piped up irritably, tired of Tim's bad mood, which had lasted all morning. "Nothing's wrong with me, Moby," Tim protested. "I just wish something interesting would happen around here, 's all." He added another sigh on for good measure, and Moby scowled. Tim knew his complaining could get on Moby's nerves, but he couldn't help it when he was this bored.
"Beep! Beep beep beep beep," Moby said, rummaging in his book bag. He pulled out a small slightly crumbled pamphlet and handed it to Tim, who was taken aback. "The Shakespeare play? No, no, no, I am not an actor," Tim announced; his face started heating up at just the thought of standing in front of all those people and reciting Shakespearean poetry. Moby rolled his eyes and complained (in a series of beeps, of course) that Tim never took his advice.
Tim stared down at the pamphlet. "Well, why do you think it would make school any more interesting? It's just a tired old school tradition. The only interesting thing that happens in that play is that the actors get to hang out with girls, but you know how people around here feel about the girls' secondary." Tim was right; the schools only got together for the play so that they could have both male and female actors for the sake of accuracy. Tim was sure that if the grumpy headmasters had it their ways, there would be no annual Shakespeare show at all, but the Theater department heads insisted it be done, lest the art of what Mr. Wingate and Ms. Darby called "real acting" die with the older generations.
"I'm sorry, I just don't think hanging around a bunch of thespians is a good idea, for my sanity or for my reputation," Tim finished, shaking his head. Moby just shrugged half-heartedly and walked ahead of Tim.
I doubt he even listened to any of that, Tim thought, internally chuckling sardonically. Classic.

Meanwhile, in the girls' secondary, Rita was also walking to class, her best friend, Cassie, following happily.
"I just can't wait for auditions!" Rita said, unable to contain her excitement. "You're such a theater nerd, Rita," Cassie giggled. Rita playfully punched her friend's shoulder. "Being very passionate about something does not make me a nerd," She complained. "Um, isn't that, like, the definition of being a nerd, though?" Cassie said, feigning exasperation. "Hmph. Maybe, but I'm not a nerd. Ms. Darby says I'm a 'true' actress," Rita said, aware she was bragging.
Cassie rolled her eyes affectionately, well acquainted with her best friend's natural confidence. "Ms. Darby also thinks that her seven cats like the sweaters she constantly knits for them..." She teased. Rita just made a pft sound with her mouth, dismissing Cassie's rebuttal. Aside from her cat obsession, Ms. Darby was a pleasant and capable teacher; Rita hoped to make her proud in the upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet.
Finally, Rita stopped in front of the theater club door. "Well, bye, Cassie. I'll tell you if I get the part at lunch," She said, waving goodbye. Cassie turned back to her; "When you get the part," She corrected. "Break a leg!" Rita smiled and walked through the door.
"He-llo, Rita!" Ms. Darby's smooth voice sounded from across the room. The theater club room was a somewhat small, dimly lit room that contained an entrance straight onto the stage where plays and morning assembly were always held, along with a dressing room, of course. It smelled like mothballs, dust, and old fabric, all thinly masked by a spritz of cinnamon-apple air freshener.
Rita turned to the direction of the greeting and gave an eager grin. "Hey, Ms. Darby. I'm here to audition!"
Ms. Darby gave Rita a knowing look. "Trying out for Juliet, I presume?"
"Ye-es..." Rita replied with a sly smile. Ms. Darby sat up in her desk chair at attention. "Well, you can start whenever you're ready; I'm all ears!" Rita readied herself, cleared her throat, shook out her arms, and got into character. She had all the audition sides for the part of Juliet memorized, so all there was left to do was to preform.
"O Romeo. Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name," Rita began. "Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."
Ms. Darby supplied the sides for Romeo, and they went back and forth for a few minutes so that Rita could audition with the whole scene.
"This bud of love, by summer's ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night," Rita finished, and, finally allowing herself to relax, now the scene was over, let out a breath she hadn't been fully aware she was holding. "So... How'd I do?"
Ms. Darby, grinning ear-to-ear, clapped her hands in rapture. "Oh, marvelous! Just marvelous! That performance will be hard to beat, but we'll just have to wait and see how many more girls audition. I'll be posting the cast list in the cafeteria at lunch, so be ready! Now, you can head on to class," She said, giving Rita a little wink that said, We both know who will be getting this part.
"Thank you! I'll see you then," Rita smiled. She appreciated the praise, but she knew that when practice really started, Ms. Darby would get a lot more critical. Both the boys' and girls' theater department heads really tended to turn up the heat the closer opening night got; Rita shivered to remember the Polonius Situation from the last year's production of Hamlet.
She set a brisk pace on her way to first period, but not because she would be late if she didn't get there soon; lunch just couldn't come soon enough.