‘So we won’t measure up either way,’ mumbles Amara.
‘What kind of attitude is that?’ Florence leans forward. ‘We’re going to rock this. And Mr Acevedo has agreed that we can push the deadline for the final text back to after the Easter holidays.’
‘After Easter?’ Ho-wing’s eyes open wide. ‘But that’s . . .’
‘A bit over eight weeks, yes.’
‘Have you forgotten that we’ve also got A levels to study for?’
Florence shakes her head. ‘I have not. But there are five of us. We can do this.’
The ensuing silence makes me anxious. Because there’s something else I should say. I clear my throat and the sound is unbearably loud. ‘Erm, how does it work?’ Immediately I regret having spoken as the others look at me. I see a hint of panic in Florence’s eyes as I keep on. ‘Is it OK to audition if you’re working on the script too?’
‘You want to audition?’ God, she sounds despairing. ‘Sinclair, please don’t do this to me . . .’
‘No, it was just a thought.’ A thought that had taken on very real shape in my mind in the last few days. Not because I’m desperate to get up there on that stage but because it could be a way to spend time with Tori. Without that bastard Val. Maybe then she’d realize that true friends support you unconditionally in the things you like doing.
Florence sags slightly in her chair. ‘If you want to audition, you’d better say so right now. Then I can find a replacement.’
‘No, I . . . I wouldn’t go for more than a bit part,’ I assure her. ‘But I’d like to have a go. If that’s OK.’
The others look around and shrug.
‘I don’t see why it wouldn’t be OK,’ says Quentin. ‘You’d better ask Mr Acevedo.’
‘Yeah.’ I need to do that anyway to ask him for the lines for the audition. ‘I think I will. But either way, I’ll keep writing with you.’
I can see real despair in Florence’s eyes. ‘Or maybe we should keep our current version and just really focus on the beginning?’
Ho-wing’s face brightens.
‘No.’ I shake my head. ‘We can do this. Truly. Amara and I don’t have A levels this year so we can take on a load of the work, can’t we?’
To my surprise, Amara nods.
‘It’ll work out,’ I insist.
‘OK, thank you,’ Florence says. She’s looking a bit more confident now.
‘I think it would be better to wait for the cast anyway,’ says Quentin. ‘Maybe we can just sketch out the scenes and let the others improvise the exact words. That’ll make the play more natural, and we can be certain of creating something totally unique. My sister’s lent me her script from the play three years ago. I’m afraid Lowell was very inspired by it. Word for word, sometimes.’
Florence gasps. ‘No way?’
‘I can send it to you.’ Quentin shrugs his shoulders.
‘OK, that is totally rubbish,’ Ho-wing admits.
‘It’sRomeo and Juliet,’ says Amara. ‘We’re not exactly reinventing the wheel here.’
‘Of course not, but just doing the same old, same old isn’t the point either.’
‘Right, Quen.’ Florence looks at each of us. ‘OK, so are we agreed that we’re starting again?’
I nod. Quentin nods. Amara and Ho-wing eventually do too.
‘Then let’s get going.’ Florence pulls over her laptop. ‘Verona, here we come.’
6
