The Cast List

Chapter 3

It was Thursday. The day the cast list would be posted.

I ran into TA the second I parked my car. I didn't waste a second getting to the announcement board. But as I approached, I closed my eyes. I turned away, trying to regain my lost breath. I had a lot riding on this role. If I got it, I would get the chance to a) explore a type of character I'd never attempted before and b) get some real recognition from scouts and directors.

Lena walked in in the middle of my hyperventilation. She saw me pacing and immediately said, "Did you get it? Oh my god, did you get it?"

"I don't know, Lene! I haven't looked at it yet."

"Coward," she accused, punching me playfully. "Want me to go look?"

"Yes, please--er, no...wait, yes...."

She looked at me expectantly.

"Please, Lena."

"Okay, if you insist." She walked up to the throng of people clustered around the announcement board. One other play was starting rehearsals in about a week and the cast list had been posted for that as well, so there was double the hype, double the excitement, double the nerves, and double the disappointment. Talk about pressure. She managed to fight her way through, scan the list, and work her way back to me. Her face was impassive.

"So...who got it?"

She bit her lip.

"Lene, you gotta tell me. Lena Davies Marcus! If you don't tell me right now--"

"Oh, god, fine--but you're gonna hate this--"

"Just tell me, goddamnit!"

"Fine. Devin got it."

"Shit," I muttered, feeling like punching someone. Suddenly I needed to see the cast list. I shoved my way through the freshmen, getting close enough to see the names.

Julia.....Melanie Jacobs

"Goddamnit, Lena!" I spun around and punched Lena in the arm.

"Ow!" she yelped, surprised, clutching her arm. "Dude, that hurt. Like hell."

"Oh, I'm sorry. But you bitch! Devin, really? You suck!"

"I know! But hey, you overcame your fear. How does that feel?"

"Overcoming my fear of looking at a piece of paper? Yeah, real impressive." I rolled my eyes.

"Absolutely. Hey, who's Rory?"

I realized I hadn't looked at any of the other roles. "I don't know. I didn't check."

"Well, check!" Lena spun me around and pushed me back toward the announcement board. I glanced up at the list again.

Julia....Melanie Jacobs

Rory....Nathan Miro

I groaned audibly, cursing fate, God, and every other supernatural being that could possibly have any hold over the actors in this play. Then I inwardly apologized to God for cursing God. (Even though I was an atheist, I wasn't taking any chances.)

"So? Who's Rory?" asked Lena.

"The devil himself."

Lena raised her eyebrows.

"Nathan Miro..."

"Ah, your male, more intelligent version of Devin."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, if you want to put it that way."

Nathan Miro and I went way back. All the way back to the first day of kindergarten. We were playing dodgeball in gym (with extremely soft Nerf balls). The teacher divided us into boys and girls, then sent us to opposite sides of the gym. The game was pretty chaotic, since we were a bunch of five- and six-year-old kids who'd been forced to sit in desks all day. The only ones who had any idea what they were doing were Nathan and I. It ended up coming down to the two of us, each of us with only one ball. If it had been a movie, the last few seconds of that game would have been shot in slow motion, showing us glaring at each other like wolves, then throwing our balls at exactly the same time, a ball landing on each of our stomachs at the exact same moment. It was uncanny. But since that day, we had competed in everything. We had every class together for the next eleven years and the top spot always came down to the two of us. Up until seventh grade, when I grew breasts, the fight for the male lead in a play was always fierce. I had a low voice for a girl, a boyish hair style, and a flat chest. I was amazing at playing guys. I also hated playing girls. So we fought hard.

I guess Lena was right: you could say he was kind of like a male, more intelligent version of Devin.

Needless to say, having Nathan Miro play my major love interest was going to be a challenge. I was excited for the challenge of Julia, but loving Nathan? That I wasn't so sure I was up for.

"Lene, what am I gonna do? This play is supposed to be kind of sensual. I mean, you read the script, right?"

Lena shrugged. "Well, yeah."

"And I can't even imagine what Larry's gonna do with it."

"Dude, you'll be fine. Just pretend he's..." Lena cast her eyes about the room, looking for an attractive male that I could picture without throwing up.

I looked around too, and my eyes rested on Nico Lulay, the guy I'd been checking out on Tuesday. "Um...Nico?" I suggested to Lena, dropping my voice.

"Nico? Oh, yeah, him. Yeah. I mean, he's attractive--"

"Dude, are you kidding? He is so fine."

Lena turned to me, her eyes widening, her mouth spreading into a huge smile. "You like him, don't you?"

"Like him? I barely know him!" I denied indignantly. I had hated talking about boys ever since I was scarred my by experience with Spencer McAllister. I'd pretty much avoided any kind of romance since then.

"Don't lie to me, girl. I know you too well. I see that look on your face." Lena was warming up into teasing mode.

I tugged my beanie down over my head in protest. "What look?"

She laughed. "Oh my god, Mel! You are so transparent. And so easy to tease!"

I stuck my tongue out at her. After I pulled my beanie back up, of course.

"Okay, guys, head on up to class. Those who have been cast in Rory and Julia, you're gonna have an extra long rehearsal today, so you're starting early. In the gym. Head on in."

"That's me," I said, grinning at Lena. "See ya later, chica."

"Later, lovely!" She winked at me as I hurried into the gym, hands shoved into my jean jacket.

 I went up to the highest bleacher and sat in anticipation, rubbing my knees out of nervousness. I surveyed the room. There were thirteen main characters with a few extra characters, so we had thirteen actors. The character list followed pretty closely the characters in the original play, but Larry did take some liberties. Aside from Rory and Julia, there were Mr. and Mrs. Capulet, Julia's parents. Mr. Capulet was an elite business tycoon who used to be a down-to-earth, philanthropic guy but let his money get to his head. His wife, Mrs. Capulet, was your average socialite. She was raised in a rich, aristocratic family, and married into another. She was a stuck-up snob, a beauty queen. Mrs. Montague, Rory's mother, was affectionate and real. She had a fantastic relationship with Rory and the two were always making fun of Mr. Montague together. Mr. M was belligerent, passionate, and controlling, and the business tycoon who was Capulet's main competition. Then there was Mark Lessing, Mr. Capulet's best friend. In college, he dated Mrs. M and when they broke up remained one of her closest friends but was secretly in love with her (all without the knowledge of Capulet). Mark, therefore, was the avuncular figure in both Rory's and Julia's lives, each without the other knowing. Benny, Rory's best friend, was your basic popular, suave, womanizing, yet witty, jock. Anne, Julia's best friend, was the more down-to-earth, female version of Benny: she was a bit of a slut, but she was Julia's rock. Patrick, Anne's brother, was the boy that Mr. and Mrs. Capulet had set Julia up with. Jackson, Julia's older brother, was belligerent, passionate, young, and arrogant. Marcus (called Merky by everyone else), Rory's first cousin, was a small character. He was sort of like Benny's sidekick, a stupid party boy. The character Rosaline had been expanded so that she was actually a pretty big role. She was a sub-main character, but didn't have that much effect on Rory and Julia's relationship. Her big scene was when she tried to seduce Rory. She also turned out to be a good friend of Anne's.

 I noted with satisfaction that Patrick would be played by Nico, which ensured that I got to kiss him.