Tales from the rails

Delilah and The Play Preparations

Delilah was walking the halls, headed back to class. There were a few students chatting about the upcoming play. "It's going to be awesome!" "I wonder who they'll cast!" "I bet I'll be the star." "Yeah right!" They laughed as they passed her. Delilah was almost back to her class when she a poster board and on it was the date for the audition. "Come Join The Play!" It read, Delilah gave a good long look at it and nodded to herself. She was determined to get into the show. Later that day at lunch, Delilah was sitting at the table by herself, waiting for her friends to come along and hang out with her. Emma was first to arrive. "Hey Delilah." She said as she sat down with her lunch tray. "Hey Emma. Say, in a, uh, a hypothetical scenario, what do you think my chances of getting into the play the school is having?" Asked Delilah. "Well, I dunno. But I say they need a pretty girl to play the lead role." "Well do I look pretty?" "Of course you are!" Boomed a voice, it was DD. He was walking with a lunch tray with Rhys. "Well that's just your opinion." "It's a fact, look in this photo, see?" DD took out his phone and showed his Lock Screen, a photo of him and Delilah, hugging in the photo. Rhys and Emma chuckled, well you look pretty in that photo. And you look pretty outside right now." Emma answered as some more of their friends sat down. Delilah asked everyone else that sat down the same questions, and they all answered with a resounding yes! Delilah then made her decision to go to the auditions after school. Once the final bell rang, Delilah made her way down to the auditorium where the play would be practiced. When she walked in, it was a sloped walk down. The loud doors shut behind her and all eyes were on Delilah. On stage was Mia, with some of her Girlfriends in the audience who were also trying to get the roles. "Welcome. Please take a seat." Said the theater director as she motioned for Delilah to come sit down. Delilah sat down a few seats away from the group of girls as Mia began to act. "And Romeo, oh Romeo. I shall kiss thy lips. And oh happy dagger, make this brief. Lay and Rust, and let me die." Mia said as she acted, pretending to have a dagger while sitting down, then laying on the floor. Her friends clapped, and the director did some check marks on her clipboard. Mia sat next to Delilah. "Beat that, freak." She whispered to be discouraging. "Who wants to go next?" Asked the director. "I would, miss." Delilah said, with a big smile and a raise of her hand. "Alright, uh, what is your name?" "Delilah." "Alright Delilah, we are all ears." The director said, and Delilah got up onto the stage. As she got up onto the stage, DD whispered from behind the curtain. He, Emma, and Rhys were giving her smiles and thumbs up. Delilah took a deep breath and began. "Destiny... Destiny is a beautiful thing. It brings and tear people apart. The fate that is Destiny is the most powerful drive of humanity and some go their entire lives without knowing what guides them to their goals, what brings them through their highs and lows. Love, Life, Death: these are controlled by Destiny!" She began to walk to the curtain where her friends were. "Taking people..." Delilah grabbed DD and turned him around and onto the stage. "And bringing them together." She gave him a kiss on the lips. "So don't think! All you have to do is do." Some of the girls from Mia's friend group were gobsmacked. "Bravo! Bravo!" The director said as Delilah bowed. DD was on the ground and stunned with a smile on his face. Delilah gave out a hand. "Delilah, that was amazing!" DD exclaimed as he took her hand. "I dunno, I just did it." "Yeah, that's how acting work!" He chuckled as the two walked off the stage behind the curtain.

The next week at around the same time where Delilah had got to the bathroom and saw the poster for auditions, some of the girls that were at the auditions were all huddled around the same board that inspired Delilah to try out for the play. "Delilah got it?!" Mia screamed. "I'm not even on the list!" Delilah walked over to the board and Mia pushed past her, her friends followed. There was another paper for the boys, the leads, Romeo and Juliet, were the first two people on the list. DD had tried out the next day, and had gotten Romeo. Delilah had gotten Juliet. She was quite happy with what happened. "I blame it on destiny." She said as she walked to her class. There was a cast call that day, where everyone would be properly addressed in their roles. After that, they began practice. "Alright, Act 1, Scene 1, go!" The director called into the stage. "Alright, stop, stop. From the top, a bit more emotion." Said and they tried again. It happened again and again and again until they had to go home for the day. "Make sure to practice, practice, practice everyone!" She said as the kids left the school. DD and Delilah walked home. "I just wanna skip to the part where we kiss." DD said. "You mean the part where we die?!" "At least we kiss!" The two laughed as Delilah socked DD in the shoulder. As they made it over the little hill. The house was in view. When they made it home, the house was empty. There was a note on the dining room table, DD took it and read it. "They're going to my Aunt Christina's house for dinner. They'll be back by morning." DD told Delilah as she walked in. "Well, I'm going to shower." She said as she turned on her heel and walked away.

A few days went by, and after school on Friday, Delilah walked into the auditorium and was immediately greeted by a chuckling Mia. "I'm your understudy." She said with a snicker and walked out. Delilah just rolled her eyes as she got onto stage. "Alright, let's pick up at Act 2, Scene 2. Everyone take your places!" The director ordered. DD and Delilah got onto stage. There was a big, hallow building that was used for the balcony. There were two X's where Delilah had to put her hands on. The lights were on a dimmer and it looked like it was nighttime. Delilah could see, and she put her hands on the X's. "Pick up at, 'Romeo, Romeo!'" The director instructed. "Whenever you're ready, Delilah." Delilah looked to the moon cutout and the play began, "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and deny thy name, or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn by my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." "Shall I hear more or shall I speak at this?" "'Tis but thy name is my enemy, Thou art thyself, though not a Monta-" "CRACK!" "Ahhh!" Delilah yelled as the balcony gave way. She fell forwards and her head was on a collision course with the hardwood floor. She shut her eyes and Delilah didn't hit the floor though. When she opened her eyes, she was in DD's arms, who was very surprised. The director and a few of the other students were surrounding them. "Are you alright?" Asked DD as Delilah propped herself up. "What happened?" Asked the director. "Well I was leaning on the balcony, like how I did yesterday, and then I came crashing down!" Delilah explained. "Who worked on that?" Asked a student. "Didn't Mia build this balcony?" "Oooooh!" A few of the students went before the director shushed them. "Quit your bickering! Delilah, do you need to go to the nurse?" "No, I'll be fine. Just a little spooked is all." "Well, we can't practice with the balcony, those wood splinters are a hazard. I'll get stage crew on it." Delilah looked up. The wood splinters were on the floor, but the sides were clean cut, no splinters or cracks. Delilah found it odd but brushed it off. "Alright everyone, you may go home early today, but don't forget to practice at home!" The director said as the students left the auditorium. "Hang out at my place?" DD asked jokingly. "No, follow me." She said and sped walked past the house. "Wait up!" He said and hurried after her. The two went into the forest where there was a massive abandoned mansion. Outside was a balcony that looked similar to the set. "Wanna practice here?" She asked, scaling the balcony and making her way to the top. "Uh, sure!" DD answered, looking around for a suitable hiding spot. The two began to act like the world was their stage. "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and deny thy name, or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn by my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet." "Shall I hear more or shall I speak at this?" "'Tis but thy name is my enemy, Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? It is not hand, nor foot, nor face. O, be some other name belonging to a man. What's in a name? That which we call a rose by another other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, retain that dear perfection which he owes without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, and, for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself." "I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized. Henceforth I never will be Romeo." "What man art thou, thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel?" "I forgot the next bit so let's just skip to the next bit." DD said as he began to climb up the balcony. "I like that bit anyways." Delilah said. She leaned in for a kiss and the two's lips met. They pulled back and stared at each other's eyes. The two got down and held hands as they walked back to the house.

When they made it back, they were greeted by DD's parents. "Hello DD, Hello Delilah. We heard about what happened at school." His mom said grimly. "Oh, about me falling? Yeah, the balcony set wasn't properly made." Delilah explained. "Oh, well we heard you pushed it and that's why you fell." His dad said. "From who?" Asked Delilah. "Well we got that from Mia, one of the actors. She's Juliet, ya know?" "Dad, Delilah is Juliet, Mia is the understudy." DD pointed out, the two adults looked at the ceiling like they saw the answer to a math question. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Well she said she was Juliet and we just forgot, sorry about that Delilah." DD's mom said. DD's mom went to the stairs and called down his siblings to come eat. They came down from their rooms and they all sat around the dining room table with big chicken strips for everyone. Once done, the family dispersed. DD's parents went to the couch to watch the evening news, Seth went for dessert, Lacey went to her room, DD went to his room and Delilah went into the shower. Once Delilah was done and changed, she went into DD's room and DD went to shower. She laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later, DD returned to the room and got in bed with Delilah. "Goodnight Delilah." He said as he kissed her on the cheek and began to fall asleep. "Goodnight DD." Delilah said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. She fell asleep almost at once.