Sea Foam

Chapter Five

Arielle had been wrong; acting like the whispers didn't affect her was much harder than she had expected.

"Arielle, is it true you're going to be in the artists' show? I heard people whispering, but I want to hear from you before agreeing or not."

As Arielle sat down in the cafeteria, one of her few real friends, Flynn Ounder, a freshman who had dyed blue hair, ran up to her. "The rumors aren't true, are they?" 

Arielle could only smile. "Sorry, but I'm apparently going to be Rosaline in the school's Romeo and Juliet."

Flynn frowned. "Rosaline?" he repeated. "Who's that? No, I heard you had the main lead, as Juliet."

There was a rumor going around that Arielle had the role of Juliet? Well, Vanessa would definitely be impressed.

"Well, first, Rosaline is Romeo's first crush, who is also Juliet's cousin," Arielle finally clarified. "And second, no, I'm not Juliet, you heard it wrong. I am somehow the understudy for Juliet, but the actual person playing Juliet will be . . . someone else," she ended bitterly, not wanting to say Vanessa's name out loud.

Flynn looked slightly skeptical, but he eventually nodded. "Alright," he said slowly. He then punched Arielle lightly on the shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you were auditioning?" he asked. "I would've gone to the auditions with you, for moral support."

Arielle smiled at Flynn's naivety. He not only looked innocent, but he thought that way as well. "Are you forgetting you're a freshman?" she teased. "And no offense, but considering your height, it was probably best you stayed away from the artists. Some of them were extremely, uh, passionate when it came to athletes in the auditorium."

Flynn looked away pointedly. "I can also be passionate," he insisted. "Also, my height means nothing. Not all guys have to be tall, you know. Harry Potter, for instance. That dude is short."

"His real name is Daniel Radcliffe," Arielle corrected. "And I'm pretty sure he's still taller than you."

"Whatever."

Arielle laughed, grateful for the distraction Flynn was giving her. She had met him nearly two years ago, when the incoming freshmen were trying out the school's pool during the summer. Arielle had been relaxing in the pool when Flynn somehow thought she was drowning and tried to rescue her. Needless to say, Arielle accidentally kicked his face with her foot and the situation ended with her being the one to drag him out of the pool. After making sure he was alright, Arielle and Flynn eventually became friends, despite their age difference.

"Arielle!" Another one of Arielle's few real friends, Charlotte, came running to her table. "I had to sneak in here to ask you. Did you really threaten the artists to give you the role of Juliet?"

Did she what to who for what?

"Wha-- N-no, of course not!" Arielle spluttered. "Where did you hear that?"

Charlotte's heavy breathing slowed down as she plopped herself onto the empty seat. "I heard a bunch of artists talking. They looked like freshmen, though, so I couldn't tell if they were telling the truth or not." She leaned forward in the seat across from Arielle. "So, what really happened?"

"Nothing!" Arielle sighed. "I just took a regular audition like any other person. I didn't bribe or threaten anybody to give me anything."

As she said this, a group of the school's Varsity Volleyball team walked by Arielle's table. "Oh look, it's the traitor," one of them said not-so-quietly to the rest of the laughing group.