Someday, Who Knows?

Chapter 18: Auditions and Plays

With the pressure on, Jeremy stepped up to bowl first. He knocked down nine pins, leaving one standing. Ellie took her turn, her heart racing. She needed a strike to win.

She focused, feeling the weight of the ball in her hands. With a smooth motion, she released it, watching as it rolled down the lane. Strike!

Ellie's ball hit the pins perfectly, knocking them all down in a satisfying crash. She turned to Jeremy, who grinned in defeat and admiration.

"You did it, Ellie," Jeremy said with a laugh, "you beat me fair and square. Looks like you won't have to audition after all."

Ellie raised her hand feeling the victory in her grasp. "I finally beat you!" she exclaimed.

Jeremy smiled and unexpectedly tapped her head. "Yes, you did. Good job out there," he whispered.

Ellie's smile faltered, and she took a step back to give them space. Jeremy didn't seem to notice her reaction and immediately said, "Ready for round two?"

She laughed. "You bet!"

The next few days, the classroom buzzed with excitement as Miss Luna and Mr. Collins, another teacher, stood at the front. They had pushed the desks to the sides to create a makeshift stage to conduct the auditions.

"Alright, everyone," Miss Luna began, her voice clear and commanding. "As you all know, we're holding auditions today for our modern adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. We're putting a unique twist on it, adding a love triangle to the story. We're looking for actors to play Beatrice, Benedick, and a new character named Marcus."

Mr. Collins nodded, adjusting his glasses. "This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase your talent. We have Irene, Farrah, and Stephanie vying for the role of Beatrice. For Benedick, we already have several strong contenders, but we still need one more man to complete our love triangle."

Ellie sat at the back of the room, tapping her pen against her notebook and watching the scene unfold in front of her.

"Irene, you're up first," Miss Luna called out.

Irene walked to the front confidently, her head held high. She began reciting lines from the script, her voice strong and clear. Farrah and Stephanie followed, each bringing their interpretation of the character of Beatrice. The room was filled with murmurs of approval and occasional applause.

As Stephanie finished her audition, Miss Luna and Mr. Collins conferred for a moment. "Excellent work, ladies," Miss Luna said. "Now, we need someone to play Benedick and Marcus."

Charlie stepped onto the stage, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced by a focused intensity. He took a deep breath and began his lines, his voice confident and clear.

"I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviors to love, will, after he hath laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his scorn by falling in love."

He moved across the stage with purpose, embodying Benedick's wit and skepticism about love. Charlie's performance was nuanced; he balanced humor with a touch of vulnerability, giving Benedick depth. His delivery was sharp.

As Charlie finished his monologue, the room erupted in applause. He flashed a smile, giving a slight bow before stepping down from the stage.

"Well done, Charlie," Miss Luna praised. "Next, we'll have Jeremy audition for the role of Marcus."

Jeremy took the stage. He glanced briefly at Ellie in the audience and then winked at her.

"It is me, Marcus," Jeremy began, his voice rich with emotion. "I stand here, not as a lover scorned, but as a friend torn between loyalty and desire. How cruel is fate, to pit my heart against itself?" His tone fluctuates between anger, sorrow, and longing.