If Walls Could Talk

Chapter One

Chapter One

"Can we try it again? But this time, please, follow the script."

"O' Romeo, o' Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

"Probably sucking dick, aye?"

"Really, Jonathan?" The teacher sighed.

Oh, good. Five minutes in and it's already gone to shit, Louis thought.

He was sitting at the back of the rather large classroom and was hoping to go unnoticed, but he almost scoffed and drew attention to himself as he rolled his eyes at the comment.

He stared at the front of the room at the two students who stood in front of the class—a group of seventeen and eighteen-year-olds with scripts in their hands—as their voices echoed around every corner of the room and spilled out into the hallway beyond the door.

One of the students, a girl, was looking at her acting partner with a disgruntled look. The boy she stared at returned the gaze. His eyes filled with the determination to see how far he could push his luck with the teacher. With an evil smile spreading across his face, he straightened up a bit more and pushed his chest out, causing his already tight shirt to tighten even more.

"Jonathan, can you act seriously?" the girl whined. 'Just for once?'

"Stacy, I'm just stating a fact," Jonathan replied, imitating Stacy's tone.

That wasn't a fact, you twat. You ended it as though asking a question, Louis rolled his eyes again, giving everything to remain silent and invisible.

"Just 'cause it isn't in the script doesn't mean it's not true."

"Can we please stop?" the teacher pleaded.

She looked exhausted. Her hair was held up in a tight bun that seemed to slowly become undone, spiralling loose hairs all over the place. Louis assumed there were dark circles under her eyes as well, hidden under the make-up. But he could have been wrong. Maybe she wasn't tired from lack of sleep, but, rather, having to put up with students like Jonathan every day.

"This is your final year," she continued to speak as she got up from her seat, moving towards Jonathan and Stacy, but kept shifting her gaze over the other students. "As per tradition, you will be performing a play for the school and the public. The play happens to be 'Romeo and Juliet'. If you are unhappy with that, Jonathan, then, I, quite frankly, do not care. You auditioned for the role, and you got it. I don't see what your problem is all of a sudden. Now, please, listen to Stacy and take this seriously."

"Thank you, Mrs Carter." Stacy sighed, turning to Jonathan and raising her eyebrows.

"Ugh, fine." Jonathan almost growled. "But I have a question." Jonathan turned his attention to the rest of the class, scanning the room until his eyes rested on Louis.

Crap, Louis thought.

He had known this would happen, and he was disappointed that his position at the back of the classroom, away from everybody else, wasn't a good enough hiding spot.

"Ask away." Mrs Carter sounded exasperated as if she would rather not hear Jonathan's question.

"Why doesn't that loser have to do the play?" Jonathan's eyes were still trained on Louis as a smirk played on his lips.

"Jonathan!" Mrs Carter's voice was sharp, and it seemed that the exhaustion she had felt before completely disappeared.

"I'm serious! It's unfair to the rest of us," Jonathan started, brushing off the harsh tone of Mrs Carter. "And, if anyone should be playing the gay-acting character, then it should be the gay kid."