HILLTOP HIGH'S LEGENDARY PERFORMANCE

ACT ONE

She wasn't surprised to see her name on the cast list. Mia Rose - Juliet. What widened her eyes and lifted the hairs on the back of her neck was the casting of Romeo - Dale Hargrove.

Of all the boys in the school she never imagined Dale would spend the next few weeks rehearsing with her. Exploring iambic pentameter for the deep passion it could unlock. Kissing and kissing some more until the scene was just right. Dying in each other's arms over and over. Waiting for the curtain to rise to greet a gymnasium in the calm of a storm before the first clap of thunderous applause. It was almost too unbelievable. For the first time Mia, the boys on the basketball team, and the cheerleaders all had something in common. Utter surprise.

Dale wasn't exactly a thespian. He was however an old hand at being in the limelight. Star athlete, funny skits during the orientation assembly, dunk tank victim for the past three years at the autumn fair. Everyone loved Dale, but none more so than Mia. She couldn't remember a time she hadn't been totally, with every fiber of her being, in love. From the moment she first saw him singing the national anthem in junior kindergarten to just yesterday when he was dribbling a basketball in the parking lot on his way to his car after school, she loved him. And now, they'll be together, at least as Romeo and Juliet, but if Mia could have it her way, the end of Juliet and Romeo's life would be the beginning of hers and Dale's.

Mia ignored the other drama dorks congratulations and pats on the back. She ignored their quiet grumblings of Mr. Graham's left field decision to cast Dale, a drama club outsider as a lead. She just wandered in a dream down the hall, lost in a million and one thoughts of unformed ecstasy. Mia was abruptly yanked out of the clouds and into the cafeteria by Libby Gilman.

Libby was Dale's girlfriend since freshman year. She was also queen bitch... also since freshmen year. She was holding court at the cool table when she called over to congratulate Mia on winning Juliet. This "congratulation" was of course just an expertly designed passive aggressive warning. Libby may as well have lifted her leg and pissed on Dale's shoes to mark her territory, making sure to curl her lip to show her fangs. This icy splash may have cooled Mia's enthusiasm for a moment, but on her walk home images again projected in her line of sight. Images of her lying on a stone tablet, waking to find Dale dead. But in this version Romeo awakes and makes love to her right there.

That night Mia was convinced of something she has always wanted to believe to be true; star-crossed lovers do exist. Was Dale thinking the same? She knew the next few weeks would be the most important of her life. She took a deep breath. Going back to watching Dale from the other side of the playground was unthinkable now. Gifts like this only come once in a lifetime.

At the first read through Dale proved to all the drama club skeptics that he belonged. He read beautifully, he was unabashed, funny when he needed to be, earnest when it called for it. He brought life to the role. Even Christophe, who felt he was cheated out of Romeo due to politics and now had to settle for Tybalt, was impressed, despite envy.

As the weeks went on and show time approached Mia felt more and more sure that Dale was as in love with her as she was with him. During one rehearsal of the balcony scene, she looked deep into Dale's eyes. Dale looked deep into hers. The moment was the most powerful she ever felt. It was only interrupted when Christophe piped in with the next line. Mr. Graham told him to shut up and that he had ruined the moment.

When they were off stage the usual formalities of high school social pecking order still applied. But now when Dale passed her in the hall he would give her a warm smile and say, "I look forward to rehearsal my sweet sweet Juliet."

After weeks of looks, kisses, soft moments and an undeniable attraction between Dale and Mia the moment arrived she was waiting for. It was only three days before show time when Dale grabbed Mia after rehearsal and pulled her behind the curtain and kissed her. He tasted like Jolly Ranchers. Gravity brought her chest to his, pushing them both deeper into the folds of black curtains. This was not their first kiss, they had been kissing all week in rehearsal, but this was their first kiss as Mia and Dale. Dale whispered in her ear with hot Jolly Rancher breath if she wanted to go over Act Three Scene Five tonight at his house. Mia said "Yes! Yes! My sweet sweet Romeo."

They barely got passed "With though be gone? It is not yet near day: it was the nightingale, and not the lark." before they started to **** ****. Well, "**** ****" is a mighty grand term for what happens between horny teenagers in their parent's basements. "They fumbled and awkwardly got their pants off" would be a better way to put it. Mia didn't care. This was everything. The stars, the moon, the sun, the very air she breathed. She realized that even the great writers like Shakespeare barely scratched the surface of what love really is. A string of letters thrown together, no matter how beautiful, could never mirror what she experienced as Dale slipped inside her on his parents old couch in the basement for a majestic one minute and thirty-six seconds.

It was over. Dale turned cold, his shoulders pressed close to his head. His eyes could no longer land on hers.

"Maybe you should go." Dale mumbled. "I think the line is Therefore stay yet; thou need'st not be gone."

"Right.... We'll work on it tomorrow."

This chilled her. She tried to reignite some warmth. She slid her hand down the pants he just pulled up. Dale grabbed her hand, perhaps too tightly, "Stop!" he eased, and then slid her hand away.

"This was a mistake. I have girlfriend."

"What does she know about love?"

"Love?" Dale made a sound, something between a laugh and nervous gulp.

The next day before lunch, when Dale passed Mia in the hall, he barely made eye contact with her. In rehearsal the director Mr. Graham stopped the scene. "What happened? Yesterday we had Romeo and Juliet, now we have Romeo and Juliet's first awkward date and Denny's. Lets see some passion people!"

That night Mia was tormented by her bed sheets. A den of suffocating boa constrictors that coiled uncomfortably, strangling her.

Everything that happened the night before looped in her mind. What had happened? After waiting everyday for Dale, quietly in corners of the school, meekly from the other side of the playground, he finally took her, and it was beautiful. Wasn't it? Her mind raced and raced faster. Flickering between his hungry hands and his cold eyes. Each memories initial sweetness decayed to sour aftermath. Star-crossed lovers. That's what they were. She knew Dale felt the same. Still in her nighty she escaped her bed of snakes. She snuck out of her house quieter than a mouse and ran towards Dale.

Mia had imagined it was supposed to be the balcony scene in reverse. Juliet professing her love to Romeo, but instead of a garden to a balcony it would be a lawn to a basement window. Mia scripted the scenario in her mind as she ran down the lonely suburban streets. She tapped on that basement window. Dale peeked out, groggy, and motioned for Mia to wait.

ACT TWO

The next day at rehearsal Mia was nowhere to be seen. Mr. Graham and the drama dorks panicked. Christophe prayed that this might be his chance to step in as Juliet if it came to it. This would be perfect because deep down he wanted the role of Juliet from the beginning. Not only because it's a better role than Tybalt or Romeo for that matter, but who wouldn't want to spend an evening in the arms of Dale Hargrove. Dale was surprisingly quiet, not his usual jovial self. Like Christophe, he too hoped Mia would not show up. Dale was nervous. Like every teenaged boy before him he hadn't thought his actions though. He had hoped that after the show would end they would forever keep their secret. Libby would never find out and all would be well. It wasn't turning out like that at all. He kept picturing the tears in Mia's eyes. Her ugly desperation as she clung to his leg in his front yard at ten past two in the morning. How cruel words flung like a javelin from his mouth, lancing her heart. How he kicked her off his leg. How she scrambled on all fours on the dewy night grass after him. How he could hear her sob drip from his basement window as he tried to sleep. Had that horror really happened last night?

Dale knew he still had the upper hand. Who would believe he would sleep with Mia the drama goth over Libby Gillman the hottest cheerleader? No one. Still, he couldn't afford for her to freak out again, especially when the entire school, staff, and some of the more community centric citizens of Hilltop would be sitting in this very gym. She was out of control, which meant the situation was out of control, and Dale had made his way up the high school social ladder by always being in control.

Mr. Graham pulled his bottom eyelids down with his fingers. The overly dramatic drama teacher's veins pulsed in his temples. He was about to quit and tell his talentless students what he really thought of them when Mia walked in. Everyone was surprised, especially Dale. She apologized for her tardiness and the rehearsal resumed.

As soon as Mia took the stage, she was as she had been at every rehearsal before. She was incendiary. She performed beautifully. Dale began to feel relief. Mia had clearly come to her senses. She must have cried out the hurt. Time heals all and he began to feel less nervous of a total public meltdown. The thought of Libby finding out diminished. She'll be a pro and perform and that will be that.

After rehearsal Dale grabbed Mia and pulled her behind the curtains again.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I told you last night, we are meant to be together. We are Romeo and Juliet. Don't you see that?"

"Mia?"

The stage lights cast shadows over her eyes.

"I think this will be the best performance of Romeo and Juliet ever." She said.

Dale agreed and left her in the curtains.

The night of the show had finally come. Before the curtain rose Mr. Graham gave his directorial pep talk to back stage. The casts' stomachs were all butterfly sanctuaries. Christophe listened to the speech intently, nodding with every point. Mr. Graham began with the usual "Have fun, enjoy yourself" and other inspirational things, but as the speech went on it descended into an anxious rant about how his dream in life was to direct theatre on Broadway and that this was a shabby consolation, but even so, this better be the best Romeo and Juliet ever. Mia assured her director that it would be.

Before the curtain rose, Dale searched backstage for Mia. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't make a scene on stage other than the scenes Bill Shakespeare had intended. He found her coming out of the prop room.

"Are you ready Romeo sweet Romeo?" She asked, stroking the fine hairs on his arm.

Dale forced a grin, which cracked his stage makeup. It gave Dale a look that was a cross between a clown and a forty-year old divorcee ready to go back on the town. "Are we cool?" Dale asked.

"I love you. But if you're trying to ask if I'll embarrass you in front everyone tonight. I won't. I am going to make this the most truthful portrayal ever."

Dale raised an eyebrow "Okay."

The curtains lifted to reveal Twig Felderman who immediately remembered that he forgot his fake beard, which made him forget the first line of the play. Twig looked out nervously. The audience looked at each other nervously. The cast backstage looked to each other nervously. Mr. Graham, threw his hands up and made for the door when Twig belted out, "Two houses, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona..." Mr. Graham sat back down and to his joy the play continued wonderfully.

Dale was on. Mia was on. The other actors were on. The crowd couldn't believe how professional the show was. Mia delivered her lines as if they were never spoken before by anyone ever. Mia and Dale's scenes were beautiful too, powerful even. Mr. Graham couldn't believe what he was seeing. These performances were far better than they had ever been in rehearsal. The show as a whole moved in a way that even those who normally can't understand a syllable of Shakespeare and spend most Macbeths and Hamlets on their iphones were following with their butts on the edge of their seats. Everyone except Libby and her cronies, who sat with their arms crossed rolling their eyes at each other every time Dale and a scene with Mia.

During the final scene the audience was close to tears. Dale looked down at his sleeping Juliet and uncorked the vile of poison given to him by the Apothecary. As Dale recited his lines the audience couldn't be quieter. He let the poison down Romeo's throat.

They say great actors don't act, they just be. Well, in that moment Dale was not acting, but not because he was in the moment, and not because he was a great actor, but because he had just drank a lot of poison. As soon as the liquid, which was supposed to be water with blue food coloring hit his stomach a savage pain clawed his insides like a trapped frenzied beast. His tongue blistered. He staggered around as he felt his insides cook. Dale tried to call out to the crowd something along the lines of this is really poison, help me, but his voice was muted from cascading blood.

Mr. Graham thought that the blood capsules were a little much, but what was he going to do, stop the show? The audience gasped as the blood bubbled like chocolate milk blown into through a straw. Red tears began to ski down from the slope of his nose from his eyes. One woman in the crowd screamed, which was followed by a few titters of relief from the audience. Dale looked down at Juliet, with a million and one thoughts of fear and confusion. He collapsed and his million and one thoughts diminished to nothingness as his life floated away.

Juliet awoke, soaked in Dale's blood and gastrointestinal fluids.

"... oh happy dagger."

She looked to the crowd, not a dry eye in the house.

"This is thy sheath."

She looked down at the love of her life. She remembered him singing the national anthem in JK. She remembered making love to him. The rose red pool poured like molasses from his mouth. How she wished it could have been different, but how could it be? They were star-crossed lovers. Some tears fell upon Dale's face. She took the dagger and lunged it into her heart. She screamed until her lungs collapsed.

Juliet fell upon her Romeo. The play was almost finished. Twig Felderman returned to deliver his last lines.

"...for never a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

Lights out.

Lights back up.

The cast ran out and bowed to thunderous applause. Hilltop High had just finished the greatest performance of Romeo and Juliet that there ever was or will be. The clapping quickly deadened as two students lay dead in front them. And as the teachers and students began to wail, there lay Mia and her Dale.

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