Boy Oh Boys! (Season 1)

Chapter 11-1

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Charlie told Printz that Monday. "I feel like I've tried every extra curricular there is!"

"Not every extra curricular," grinned Printz.

"Huh?" Charlie stared up at him.

"As I recall, you seem to be a pretty good actress," Printz went on. "How about joining Drama Club with me? We're doing Shakespeare and I could really use a female Juliet," he winked. "Nix looks really bad in a wig."

~~~

"You're joining drama with Printz???" Posey's voice was shrill.

"Yep," Charlie gladly confirmed. "Then maybe now Pace can quit bothering me."

"Ahh, more Pace talk again," Posey sighed. "Let's talk about Printz! And the play! Do you have to kiss???"

"Kiss?" Charlie froze with the phone to her ear. "I hadn't thought about that..."

~~~

"Hey, Charlize! You made it!" Printz kindly welcomed Charlie onto the stage in the auditorium. "Why don't we just get straight to it. We can start with the famous window scene. Here's the script." Printz handed Charlie a small booklet containing her lines and pointed her towards a large set piece shaped like a tower.

"Uhmm, is this thing structurally safe?" Charlie eyed the set warily as Printz led her to its steps.

"Of course!" Printz grinned. "Madsen and Bradford built it in wood shop!"

"Great. That doesn't make me feel any better," Charlie sighed as she carefully climbed to the window.

"You look perfect up there!" Printz called from below.

"Thanks," Charlie smiled, trying not to look down. "But are you sure this is sturdy?"

"Yep!" Printz smiled as Nix and Kane rushed onto the stage, deep in a sword fight.

"I got you now, Mercutio!" Kane yelled as he knocked Nix into the set.

"Whoa!" Charlie cried as the tower wobbled slightly.

"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Printz crossed his arms. "Kane. You're playing Benvolio. You're not supposed to be fighting with Nix."

"Yeah! You're not supposed to be fighting with me!" Nix kicked Kane in the shin and ran off.

"Grr! Now I really want to fight him! Where's the casting director???" Kane growled as he, too, scurried away.

"You okay up there, Charlize?" Printz gazed upward.

"Yeah," Charlie clutched the balcony nervously.

"Then shall we?" Printz held up his own script.

Charlie nodded and began to open her own book, when suddenly a loud banging rumbled across the auditorium.

"What's that?!" Charlie braced herself, ready for the set the crumble, but Printz only chuckled.

"Someone's tacking up a sign in the lobby," he nodded beyond the rows of seats. "Come on, let's check it out."

"Oh, wow!" Charlie gasped as she read the sign in the hall.

'OLYMPUS ACADEMY SPRING DANCE'

"That's really soon!" she grinned towards Printz hopefully. "Are you, um, going to go?"

"Yeah. Let's get back to rehearsal," he said plainly.

"Huh?" Charlie frowned after him as she watched him head back into the auditorium.

~~~

"He didn't ask you to the dance???" Posey shouted through the phone that night.

"No," Charlie told her sadly.

"Maybe he's afraid you'll say no," said Posey thoughtfully.

"Why would he think that?" Charlie knit her brows.

"I don't know," said Posey. "Were you wearing the necklace he got you?"

"Well, no..." Charlie replied.

"Then there you go!" Posey decided triumphantly. "He probably thinks you don't like him anymore. Make sure you wear it to your next practice and I'm sure he'll ask you then!"

"Okay," Charlie smiled, quickly snapping on her necklace. "But speaking of practice, I gotta go," Charlie glanced into the doorway where Rib and the others were now standing expectantly. "The guys are going to help me work on my basket toss again."

"You ready, precious?" Demeter grabbed her hand.

"Come on, my cheering honey!" Apollo immediately took her other.

"Let's get this girl into the air!" Rib cried, preparing to give her a boost.

"Ready, set," Charlie began to count down, but the boys lifted her too soon, and she went sailing, once again, onto Pace's mattress.

"Well, at least you landed on something soft," said Rib.

Quickly jumping down, Charlie could only grimace.