SHIFT

Chapter 9

They were all looking at me in shock. I was too but their faces seemed to knock me back to reality. "What? Am I not Juliet material or something?" I asked striking an awkward looking pose. Jade snapped her open mouth closed and instead looked towards her right.

I followed her vision to see Tessa's outraged face. "I'm the nurse!" Tessa squished her face against the small paper with animosity. I backed away slowly not wanting that glare focussed on me. She saw me moving and sighed. "Don't worry Cassie, I'm not mad at you, I'm at least grateful that the director isn't as terrible at casting as I thought."

"Um thanks?" "I'm still having a talk with him to see if I can become your understudy," she said skipping away."Ew, I'm your mom," said Jade looking distastefully at the list. "Well at least you're gonna get the dad's lines too," said Nathan encouragingly.

"What about you? I thought you would be totally upset that you didn't get Romeo," said Jade turning towards him. "Well I still got a pretty important part plus I'm Romeo's right hand man," he said with fake enthusiasm.

I gave him a smile that didn't reach my eyes. He must be crushed. "It would have been a million times better if you had gotten the part of Romeo, Nat," I said looking hopelessly at the now makeup covered paper thanks to Tessa's face-crush.

"What? Wait, oh no, it's happened again. Another one of my friends has fallen in love with me," he said dramatically throwing his arm over his eyes. I rolled my eyes but he was far from finished.

"Although I'm extremely, extremely flattered, my heart, for the time being, belongs to another and she, I'm afraid to say, has also given me her heart and..." "Nat, shut up. Cassie has had it bad for Matthias since forever and is too shy to even look at him not to mention kiss him in public," said Jade interrupting Nathan's monologue.

"You like Matthias Williamson?" Asked Nathan with incredulous notes laced through the words.

"Jade did you hear that?" I asked turning to Jade with my head cocked to the side. "Yes I did, Cassie," she answered smirking. "And what, may I ask, did you hear? Because to me it sounded an awful lot like..." I trailed off tapping my index finger on my chin faking a thoughtful expression.
"Jealously," we both said at the same time earning a small jump from Nathan.

"Pfft you wish princess, I told you I have a muse," he said putting his hand on his heart. "Right here", he said looking down at his hands, "is an empty space, for my artery was taken by a lady of sixteen." He dropped down to his knees. "If only she doth knoweth what woes she brings upon me and my family."

He had had his eyes clenched shut but once he finished he opened them wide, only to find out that Jade and I had crossed the room giggling. "Hey wait up! Was I any good? Did I convince you of my awesome acting skills?" He called out making more than one person turn towards him.

"Jade what am I gonna do?" I asked while acidic paranoia settling deep in my stomach. "Aw come on Cass, It won't be that bad. I mean you won't actually be talking to him. It won't be your words it'll be the script. Hey and this way maybe you'll finally be able to get rid of your timidity without actually having to embarrass yourself," she said braiding her red hair back as we walked to our room.

"Oh my goodness, Jade you are so right." A picture of me and Matthias talking romantically with each other popped into my mind. I could do this. I figure zoomed by on our right. I turned but was knocked down to the hard floor smacking my hip into the tile.

"Oh no I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?" I looked up to see Piper looking fanatically at me trying to pull me up by my elbow. "I'm fine," I said getting up by myself. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Asked Jade. "I was supposed to put the scripts and schedules for the play in two different stacks next to the cast list but they weren't printing right and now I've got to make sure everyone gets one so they know about our rehearsals," she said breathing hard.