Grumbo: One Shot

Romeo and Julien

Grian and Mumbo are theatre kids in a play and they are low key in a theatre kid rivalry. Mumbo wants to star as Romeo because Tango is usually the star in plays and he wants to beat him.

Grian wants a casual role but is worried that Mumbo won't get the role of Romeo. If Tango ends up being Romeo, Mumbo will end up being cast as Romeo's best friend Mercutio and Grian will have an even lesser role.

When the casting list is posted outside the auditorium students lineup to see what fate has written. On the very top of the list is Grian as Romeo and Mumbo as Mercutio. Mumbo and Tango are both angry at Grian for getting the lead role.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm a material blond?" Tango and Mumbo March him to the Performance Arts teacher's office and demand he tells her to reconsider.

...

Knock knock

"Come in and this better not be about th- oh Charlie. What brings you here."

Tango and Mumbo had pushed Grian in once the door opened and they waited outside for the boy to explain.

"I-it's about the casting..."

"Oh yes, congratulations on getting the lead Romeo."

"Well about that, I was actually wondering if you'd cast someone else?"

The teacher looked at the boy with a dumbfounded expression. It was seen as disrespectful to tell a performance art directer to recast, especially if its the lead.

"May I ask why that is?" The teacher managed to chock out still too stunned to speak.

"Well I think either of my friend's Tango or Oliver would be perfect for the role and I was really devoted to playing Romeo's best friend Mercutio."

"Oh, I see. Let see what I can do." She then pulls up a long piece of paper from under a stack of books and scans over the list.

"It says here two other kids auditioned for the role of Romeo. The first one I have written down is Oliver Brotherhood. I'll update the list shortly, will that be all?"

Grian nodded in defeat. He didn't have to be the lead Romeo anymore but Tango was not gonna be happy about what was about to happen next.

"Did you talk to her." Asked Tango when Grian exited the arts office. "Yeah, what'd she say." Adds Mumbo.

"She uh, she said she would update the casting list shortly." Grian thought it would be best not to go into specifics, all he had to do was ride out the day until it was time to go home.

Mumbo and Tango nodded at each other, the nod signaling fair game saying may the best man be Romeo. At lunch Tango and Mumbo dragged Grian to the new list, no other students were around so Grian knew which three roles were really affected.

Approaching the list Grian's eyes were shut tight, the two younger boys dragging him to a stop at the door. The reality was barely starting to set in when he opened his eyes to see Mumbo was now cast as Romeo, Tango is cast as his BFF Mercutio and Grian is cast as... Juliet?

Maybe it was a bad idea to tell the director to change the casting. He should have just left it at what it was, but no. Grian was getting more and more frustrated and Mumbo and Tango congratulating each other made him want to crawl into a hole and d-.

"So, Julien is an interesting spin on Juliet in the original play." Tango was grinning evilly at Mumbo who simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm gonna leave now." Grian left to wait outside his next class. Sure he was 30 minutes early but anything was better then being near his friends at the moment.