“I fucking hate Shakespeare,” CJ grumbled.
Harley giggled. “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?” she prompted.
He was silent for a moment and then drew in a breath. “It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief, That thou her maid art far more fair than she.”
Another pause, longer than necessary. Her timing was going to be so off, but suddenly she didn’t care.
“I don’t fucking remember the rest, Harley,” he told her. “And when are the lights coming on?”
She wore a microphone; she couldn’t tell him he had five more lines to go. Nor could she send him away or ask him why he was onstage. Speaking anything other than what her role called for was an automatic zero.
“Be not her maid, since she is envious,”Harley said.
Murmurs from the audience rose up, and she cringed. Technically, she’d merely spoken out of turn, but still in the world of the Capulets and Montagues. She hoped Ms. Mendez didn’t fail her.
“Her vestal livery is but sick and green,” Harley recited.
“Yeah, fuck. Right,” CJ whispered, then raised his voice again. “And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?”
The spotlights flickered on, one on her and the other on her Romeo—CJ. He wore Nardo’s cap and doublet. Although he still wore his own leather Chelsea boots, the knee-high stockings covered the bottom half of his jeans.
“Two minute intermission, folks.” Ignoring the rising chatter , Ms. Mendez rushed to the side of the balcony. “Is this a—”
“Joke?” CJ finished, sighing. “Nope. Nardo left. I didn’t want to leave Harley hanging.”
“You’re ruining my production, CJ,” the teacher grumbled.
“I know some of the lines,” he protested.
“Not all of them,” Ms. Mendez said.
“Harley needs a Romeo, Ms. Mendez,” CJ argued. “I’m it.”
“Mic him,” the teacher ordered, glared at him, and marched away.
Grinning, CJ winked at Harley. “I guess you making me suffer through Shakespeare is paying off.”
She nodded, a little dazed that he’d come to her rescue.
Lex ran to CJ and he smiled at her. She blushed to the roots of her green hair.
“You’re so tall,” she breathed, her fingers fumbling with the small device.
“Do you need me to bend down, Lex?”
She gasped. “You know my name.”
“Yup. You know mine, don’t you?”
Giggling and blushing again, she nodded and stared at him.
“Can you mic me, bae?”
“Yep. Er,yup. That’s so cool. You’re so cool. I’m going to use that forever. Is that okay?”
“It’s fine,” CJ told her. His smile deepened and he pointed to his chest. “Mic me,” he told her in a firm, no-nonsense voice. “We don’t want to ruin Harley’s big night any more than it is.”
“Okay.”
