Timeo and Ritalet (Tim X Rita Fanfic)

Meeting Rita

Tim tried to focus on his school work for the days leading up to Wednesday, but it was exceedingly hard to focus with the girl on his mind; he kept thinking of her face, wishing he could recall her name.
"Beep beep? Beep, beep beep," Moby would say, asking what was with him lately and telling him to snap out of it. Tim had been feeling disconnected from Moby lately; the clever young robot was focused on school, focused on prospects and his future, yet Tim simply couldn't bring himself to think about such things. So, he kept his mind on the play, and the girl, and waiting until Wednesday finally rolled around.
When it did, Tim realized he didn't actually know where the results would be posted. It wasn't until he went into the cafeteria for breakfast and saw the stark white paper, freshly stapled to the bulletin board, with a sign above it in eye-catching red letters. Mr. Wingate's infamously messy handwriting scrawled out, "Romeo and Juliet Cast List". Tim practically jumped out of his skin as soon as he saw it; the built up anticipation combined with that fact that he hadn't expected to see this so soon made the sight of the list he had been waiting what felt like ages for actually startle him.
Tim rushed over to the bulletin board, almost not daring to look, but when he did, there he saw it; his name was at the very top of the list. He'd gotten the part!
In all his excitement, Tim almost didn't hear Moby's "Beep, beep?" from next to him. "Huh!?" Tim gasped. "Woah, you startled me, Moby. But guess what? I got the part! I'm gonna be in the play!" Moby just shook his head. "Beep beep beep, beep? Beep!" He argued.
"What are you talking about, Mobe? It's just a stupid school play; I'll be fine," Tim retorted. Moby rolled his eyes; "Beep, beep beep beep." With that, the orange robot walked away.
Tim scoffed. "Fine. I will suit myself," He shouted after him. He was angry at Moby for acting like this, but underneath that, he could feel that the person he'd been best friends with since fifth grade was slipping away from him. Tim thought way back to when the two had met; they'd both been ambitious students, and gotten along because they both loved school and learning new things. Thinking back that far was disorienting. Tim didn't recognize his past self anymore. He furrowed his brow. Perhaps it's best that we grow apart, then, He told himself stubbornly.

Beneath the cast list had been a small note that said all cast needed to meet in the auditorium after school, and by the time he reached seventh period, Tim found it hard to sit still. Despite the argument with Moby, he was still pretty pleased he'd actually gotten in. So, when the bell finally rang, Tim practically jumped out of his seat, grabbed his stuff, and made his way to the auditorium. He'd never seen the large room so empty, and looking at it like this gave him a strange feeling that he was out of place, but the feeling dissipated when Mr. Wingate's voice called out over all the seats; "Tim! You're a little early, but come, come!" The theater department head was sitting, cross-legged, on the stage, and Tim remarked to himself that the man's posture wasn't great.
He smiled awkwardly and walked over to the edge of the stage, pulling himself up to sit on the floor. Mr. Wingate gave him a strange look and pointed behind Tim. "You could have used the stairs." Tim looked behind him and realized there, in fact, were stairs leading up to the large stage. "Oh," He said absently. "Um, by the way, are we gonna meet with the girls theater class today?"
"I'm glad you asked," Wingate replied. "We always meet with them for practice, and today, though we won't be rehearsing, we're gonna meet to make it easier to discuss some things. Sound good?" Tim nodded, unable to restrain a grin.
"Well, I'm glad you're excited. I don't think a lot of the kids here realize how important the art of performance is," Mr. Wingate explained. Tim almost felt bad; the theater teacher was clearly passionate about the annual play, but he had no idea Tim was really just here to pursue that girl that was playing Juliet. He decided to just smile and nod.
Eventually, more and more boys came into the auditorium, and, after going over the roll call list, Mr. Wingate seemed satisfied and began his speech.
"I'm so glad to have so many actors this year! I see a lot of returning thespians, but I also see some new faces. Why don't we sit in a circle, and have you all stand up one by one to say your name and... how about your favorite play or musical?" The rest of the boys obliged, some of them looking a little nervous already, so Tim followed suit, and ended up right next to Mr. Wingate.
"Well, I'll start things off," He said, rising to his feet. "You all know me as Mr. Wingate, of course, and my favorite play is Angels in America. I first saw it when I was a freshman in college, and it really inspired me to keep going." He gave a welcoming smile and sat down, looking right at Tim (which, by chance, Tim had been praying he wouldn't do). "Tim, would you like to go next?"
Tim recognized that this was a rhetorical question, so he stood up. "Um, my name's Tim..." He had to think quickly; he had been hoping to go last so that he could copy one of the other students' answers without seeming too conspicuous. However, since he was going right after the teacher, he couldn't do that, and he certainly couldn't say Angels in America was his favorite, because he worried it would be obvious he was just copying Mr. Wingate.
Tim, mind whirling, said the first play or musical he could think of; "...and my favorite play is... Cats."
He sat down awkwardly. Some of the other students were giving him weird looks, but Mr. Wingate said, "Interesting pick, Tim!"
Tim let out a relieved breath. Some of the theater kids might have thought he was strange after that, but at least it wasn't too obvious that he wasn't a thespian.
The rest of the boys in the circle also said their names and their favorites. Tim didn't remember many, but he had noticed one of the boys cite another Shakespeare play as his favorite, and Tim reprimanded himself for not thinking of that.
"Alright, everyone stand up, because we're gonna be going on a short walk over to the girls' school to go over rules together," Mr. Wingate said, getting to his own feet, once everyone had given their name.
Tim's heart soared; this was what he had been hoping for since he first saw the girl who was playing Juliet, ever since he first found out about the play.
I hope she'll like me... He thought as all the boys in the class began to rise to their feet.
Mr. Wingate led them out of the school, across the courtyard, through a very short stretch of woods, and to a school that looked almost identical to their own; the girls' secondary. Before leading the class inside, Mr. Wingate stopped to make something clear.
"The girls' school has a bigger stage than us," He explained with a hint of jealousy in his voice. "So, every rehearsal, we will meet in our own theater and make our way here as a class. I don't want any stray boys coming to this school on their own, got it?" Tim saw the others nodding around him and decided to join in; it seemed like Wingate trusted him already, and he didn't want to screw that up.
With that, the now solemn theater department head turned and led the class into the girls' building. Tim felt his heartbeat speed up and realized his hands were starting to shake.
Quit that! He told them silently, trying to hold his limbs still.
If the outside of the school was a carbon copy, the inside was an entirely different school; instead of a bland gray and brown, the girls' school's color scheme was a lot more white. It generally seemed brighter in the halls, and even the wood tones were stained a much lighter brown.
This theme was carried out all the way to the theater, a great white and tan room, filled with dark blue seats. The lights had clearly been lowered inside the theater, a contrast from the headache-inducing brightness outside that Tim was thankful for. Even in the low lighting, however, Tim could make out that oh so familiar face.
She was even better than Tim had remembered, and as soon as she looked his way, he gave her a reluctant smile. She looked as if she recognized him as well, and when she smiled back, he almost felt light-headed.
I can't wait to get to know her, Tim thought. This is the best decision I've ever made.