"The next prodction,"said Candy , looking around to make sure she had everyone's full attention, "will be Romeo and Juliet,"
There was an audible gasp from the assembled group. Fliss turned to her two friends, her eyes shining. "Romeo and Juliet! Wow!"
Some of the members of the Circle Youth Theartre Company didn't look so thrilled, however. " I hate Shakespeare," moaned Sean, a tall strapping boy with a schock of red hair. "All that stupid language. Why couldn't he just use proper English?"
"He did," said Candy, shooting Sean a look. "It's not his fault you were born four hundred years too late to appreciate it."
The rest of the group laughed. Sean blushed, his face going the same colour as his hair.
Candy waved some sheets of paper in the air. "I'll be holding auditions next week. Anyone who wants a part is welcome to come along but, as usual, my decision is final. And think about what you're taking on. We'll be rehearsing pretty intensivley during the summer holidays. If you're cast in tha play, there's to be no dropping out halfway through rehearsals." She glaced at Sean. "Even if you do think the language is stupid."
The noise level rose as everyone started to chat and call out questions.
"You should try out for Juliet," said Mari to Fliss.
"You look just right."
Felicity "Fliss" Richards was a petite, elfin-looking brunnette, with big eyes bordered by long lashes. By contrast, her friend Mari was solidly built with a round face and thick black hair that never seemed to stay in its ponytai. Fliss blushed at Mari's words. "It's not just about looks," she mumbled.
The third friend of their group, Victoria, patted Fliss on the back. "You know you're easily the best actress in the company." She sighed. "Wish I could say the lines like you do. When you act, it sounds like you've just made up the lines yourself. I sound ike I'm reading them out of a book."
Fliss grinned at her friend. Victoria had beautiful skin, was tall and slim ,with brown, sily hair. "Don't be silly, Vic. You're fine. It's practice, that's all."
Mari nodded. "That's true. Fliss is always reading plays and doing speeches. She must know more Shakespeare than anyone."
Fliss looked embarrased. "Oh, not really. I just like the plays. And romeo and Juliet is my favourite. I can't believe Candy's picked that."
The Circle Youth Theartre Company only ran in school holidays. Candy had started up a year ago, and now there were over forty members. Fliss knew that most of them had joined because Candy was such a good director. She taught drama at the local college, and she knew how to get the best out of her actors. She was young, too- only in her twenties-so the cast never felt like they were beign talked down to. She was enthusiastic and encouriging but she didn't take any messing around at her rehearsals. Fliss thought to herself that anyone in the street could have guessed Candy was into theartre. She always wore such brightly coloured boots that people turned to stare. Fliss wished she were brave enough to wear something like that!
"I thought she'd go for another musical afyer the Little match girl at easter," said Mari. "Glad she didn't though. I hated singing in that."
"At least you didn't have to play a boy." said Victoria. "It was so embarrasing."
"Seriously, though," said Marie to Fliss. "You should defenitley go for Juliet."
"Especially," said Victoria, "if Niall Horan is going to be Romeo."
Three pairs of eyes turned to the far side of the room, where a tall boy with blonde quiff and a cheeky grin was laughing with his mates. The three girls sighed in unision.
"He is so far out of our league," said Mari sadly.
"Too gorgeous for words," agreed Victoria. "And hardly knows we exist."
"I can't believe he's joined the company," said Mari. "I never thought we'd get closer than seeing him on the bus to school."
"Don't suppose we'll get any closer now," said Victoria with a sigh. "He'll never notice us."
Fliss said nothing. She found it hard to joke about Niall. His smile did funny things to her insides. She knew Mari and Victoria fancied him, but it was only in a not-very-serious way. Whereas Fliss sometimes found it hard to sleep at night because all she could see was his fance,hear his laugh.He wsn't even at their school and she'd barely spoken to him, but every time she stepped onto the bus,her heart gave a leap when she caught sight of him. When she'd seen him walking into the studio with everyone else, she'd felt as though her stomach had turned completley upside down.
"He has to play Romeo, surley,"said Victoria. "He's the best looking. And he was brilliant in his school play, sombody said."
"Mercutio is a better part," said Fliss, trying not to look at Niall. "It's got more life. Romeo is a bit of a passive character."
"Does Mercutio get to snog anyone?" asked Mari.
"No, he dies in a fight."
"What a waste!" exclaimed Mari. "No,he should play Romeo and you should play Juliet, Fliss. You'd be the perfect couple."
Fliss was trying to ignore a tiny crackle of excitment inside her. It wasn't just because of Niall, though. Juliet was such an amazing part. Could she really play Juliet? She was sure she could. It was her dream role! She had read the play over and over again. And if Niall were cast as Romeo, as Mari and Victoria said...
Mari interrupted her thoughts. "There's someone who thinks she should play Juliet." She glared at someone over Fliss's shoulder.
Fliss twisted round to see. Samantha Brooks, a tall brunnette girl with silky hair straight out of a shampoo advert, was throwing back her head and laughing.
"That's a fake laugh," said Mri.
Victoria agreed. "You can see it in her eyes. She's laughing to impress someone."
"Guess who?" said Mari. Niall was watching Samantha from several feet away.
"He wouldn't be taken in by someone like that," said Victoria uncertanley.
Mari snorted. "What planet are you on, Victoria? Of course he would! She's gorgeous."
"Her nose is a bit wierd," objected Victoria. "And she won't do anything that might involve breaking a nail."
"But she's got confidence oozing out of every exfoliated pore," said Mari. "Look at her."
Fliss looked and felt the crackle of excitment fizzle into nothingness. Samantha was the tallest and most glamorous girl in the company. Only three months ago, she had signed with a model agency, and she delighted in telling anyone who would hear that she had four jobs already and 'people who know' were saying she had a great career ahead of her.
"Can't act though, cans he?" said Victoria maliciously, and Fliss felt a smile creep over her face.
"She goes over the top all the time. Our Fliss is way better than her."
Mari turned to Fliss. "You have to get thatpart," she said urgently. "I can't play Juliet, I'm too dumpy. And Victoria can't act."
"Hey!"
"Katie Presley left after MAtch girl," Mari went on, ignoring Victoria's outrage. "She could have done it. But no one else is good enough. face it, half of the girls here couldn't even remember their lines until the dress rehersal last time."
"That's true," said Victoria. "Including me."
"So it has to be you," MAri said practically. "We'll help you. Test your lines or something. Anything. But you can't let Smantha play Juliet."
Victoria's jaw dropped open in horror. "She wuld be horrifacly awful!"
"And we'd all have to resign," said Mari. "I'm not as good as you, Fliss, but I love beign in shows. And if you let Samantha beat you at the ah best in the auditions, I will have to give up the one thing I love most in the world."
"After chocolate," said Victoria.
"Yes, after that."
"And your rabbit."
"OK,him too."
"And Robert Pattinson."
"Shutupshutupshutup.All right"said MAri. "The thing I love fourth in the world."
"What about us?" said /victoria.
Mari ignored her. "You will do it, won't you?" she said to Fliss.
Fliss laughed at the fiercness in her friend's face.
"You are completley mad. I guess I don't have any choice do I?"
"No, you don't," said Mari, and grinned.
"Oh, one more thing!" Candy called over the noise. "Quiet! Listen up! Something I forgot to tell you." She waited for silence, and then went on, "The theartre is beign refurbished, so we can't use it for the production."
"What!" Fliss was startled, and immediatley dissapointed. She loved the little theartre with its fourteen stage lights and tiny dressing rooms.
Candy waved her hand for calm. "So instead I have decided to present you with a little challenge." She paused. "The local council has agreed that Romeo and Juliet can be performed outside, in the town park."
"Outside!" The girls stared at each other.
Suddenly Niall spoke up. "What if it rains?"
Candy grinned. "Then you'll get wet, won't you? Don't worry Tom, we'll have an indoor room as a back up. So you needn't worry about your hair going flat."
Niall flushed and ran his hand through his quiff as his mates chuckled loudly. "Oh, to be a glove on that hand..." murmured Fliss, as she watched him.
Victoria turnde, startled. "What did you say?"
"Huh?" Fliss felt embarrased "Nothing."
"Yes you did. You said something about beign a glove."
Mari grinned. "She's quoting the play already, I bet. And too right. You've got to get to work Fliss! Get that part!"

---

"I'm home!" Fliss called as she closed the fromnt door.
Her mum, Jeanette, came out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a tea towel. "Hello love. Did you have a nice time?"
"Yeah." Fliss hung up her jacket and put her keys on the table. "It was really good to see everyone." Especially Niall, she thought.
"So?" said Jeanette, raising her eyebrows. "What's the show?"
Fliss took a breath. "Romeo and Juliet."
Jeanette stared."Romeo and Juliet? Why are they doing that then?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well it's not exactly mainstream, is it?" said Jeanette, draping the tea towel over the sofa and plumping up a cushion. "Isn't it Shakespeare?"
"Yes."
"Well, who's going to come and see it? I mean, don't get me wrong, love, but it's a kids' drama club. Don't you think it's a bit-well- ambitious?"
Fliss felt hot. "I didn't pick it." she said. "Candy did."
Jeanette let out a snort. "Candy. What kind of a name is that anyway? Is it her stage name?" She said 'stage name' as though it were something to be ashamed of.
"I don't know," said Fliss, wishing she could just escape upstairs. "I think it's a nice name."
Jeanette gave her daughter a pitifying look. "It might be a nice name when you're four years old, but it's not a name for a grown-up is it? Unless you're an arty sort, I suppose." She looked at her daughter. "Oh, don't pull such a long face. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun doing this Romeo and Juliet thing. Maybe you'll do a short version. I saw a Shakespeare play once. It went on for hours. I nearly fell asleep. All those old-fashioned words! If Candy has any sense, she'll do it all in modern English so poeople can actually understand what's going on."
Fliss wanted to say, 'The language is what makes the play great, don't you see?' but she couldn't. She hated contradicting people aven when she disagreed with them.
Jeanette came over to give Fliss a hug. "I'm sure it'll be a lovley little play. When is it?"
"End of August. But we can't use the theartreso it'll be outside in the park."
"Well, now I've heard everything," said Jeanette. "Acting outside! And what will you do when it rains?"
"Maybe it won't."
"This is England," said Jeanette sarcastically. "It always rains."
"Candy says there's an indoor venue just in case." Fliss felt a tiny flicker of annoyance. Why was her mum always so determined to find fault with things?
"Thanks goodness for that." Jeanette picked up the tea towel again and used it to wipe a smudge of flour off her cheek. "Come into the kitchen with me. I'm making gluten-free cake. Vivienne's coming round tommorow, and you know what she's like with gluten."
Fliss nodded, though the news didn't fill her with pleasure. Her mother's friend was obsessedwith diet. One week she would say that dairy made you produce more mucs so she was giving it up to make sure she didn't get colds. The next week she would declare that tomatoes were scientifically proven to prevent cancer and so she was going to eat tomatoes at every meal, even for breakfast. At the moment, Vivienne had decided that wheat and gluten were the cause of her stomach cramps and so she was cutting them out of her diet.
Fliss secretly felt that her mother looked up to Vivienne. Vivienne was smart and intelligent - at least, she said she was - and she was always exclaiming in a suprised voice, 'Oh didn't you know that? Didn't you hear? I thought everyone knew that nowdays.' Fliss was a little bit afraid of Vivienne. Vivienne made her feel young and stupid. She wondered sometimes if her mother felt like that too.
Jeanette opened the oven door and peered in . "Good. They look like they do in the recipe book."
Fliss squinted in after her. "Are they chocolate? I thought Vivienne didn't eat chocolate?"
"No, no, chocolate's good for you," said Jeanett, sounding exactly like Vivienne. "In small amounts, it's been shown to have a benefical effect on the heart."
"Oh."
"It has to be very good quality chocolate, of coure," said Jeanette. She cast a slightly worried look at the wrapper on the counter top. Fliss knew it was a very expensive brand- a long way from Dairy Milk. "It'll be worth it," said Jeanette brightly. "We'll just get cheaper bread this week."
Fliss said nothing. Money was always tight in their house. Jeanette worked as the receptionistist at the town's surgery but it wasn't a high salary and Fliss often came home to find her mother staring at the gas bill or the council tax bill and obsessivley doing sums in her accounts book. Fliss felt cross with Vivienne for making her mother worry about money even more.
"Can I help?"
Jeanette smiled at her daughter for the first time since she had got home. "You can put the kettle on, love. I could murder a cup of tea."
Fliss carefully emptied out the water that was already in the kettle (' You should always make tea with freshly once- boiled water," Vivienne had told them) and filled it up again. Her mind was back on the play. "There are auditions next week," she said.
"Mmm?" Jeanette was poring over her recipe book again. "Just checking if I've done it in the right order, you know. I even had to get special flour."
"Auditions" said Fliss again "For Romeo and Juliet."
Jeanette looked up. "Why do you need to adition? You're already in the club aren't you?"
"Company," corrected Fliss. "Yes, but this is to see who gets which part."
Jeanette reached across and patted her hand. "Try not to worry, love. I'm sure you'll get something, even if it's only a couple of lines. You were quite good in that play on Easter. The one with songs."
"The little match girl" said Fliss.
"That's the one. You sang you solos very nicely. And I thought you looked lovley in that sweet costume with the bonnet."
Fliss bit her lip. Hadn't her mother noticed her acting ability ads well as her costume? "Mari says I might get to play Juliet."
"Who?"
"Mari- You know my friend."
"No, not Mari. I know who Mari is. I meant who did she say you could be?"
"Juliet," said Fliss, as the kettle clicked off. "The main part."
There was a pause. "Aren't you going to pour that out?" said Jeanette "Otherwise we'll have to start all over again with new water."
Hastily, Fliss poured hot water onto the teabag, squeezed it and dunked it into the second mug. ('Never waste two teabags where one will do.' Vivienne would have admonished. "Didn't you know there's a world shortage of tea?')
"Well, I think it's really nice that your friends are so supportive," said Jeanette. "And I think that whatever size of part you get, you should be pleased. Afterall it's not like it really matters, is it? It's taking part that counts."
"It's not a team sport." said Fliss in a quiet voice. She added milk to the mugs and put them on the kitchen table. Inside she felt an ache. It was so difficult to talk to her mother about acting. Jeanette didn't seem to understand the first thing about it. How could she explain that she wanted that part more than anything?
"I know it's not a sprot," said Jeanette with a smile. "But it's basiclly the same, isn't it? You're in the drama club because it's fun and because you get to have fun with other people at your own age. Not because you're going to be a great actress someday."
Fliss curled her fingers around the scalding hot mug. Her heart gave a thump. "What if I were?" she said trying to keep her voice light.
"Were what?"
"Going to be a great actress." Fliss dared to glance up through her dark lashes at her mother. What would you think?"
Jeanette hesitated for a moment, her head on one side and a puzzled expression on her face. Then suddely burst out laughing. "Oh, Felicity! You do know how to wind me up don't you? Going to be a great actress!" She chuckled again. "You nearly got me ther. I though you were serious for amoment!"
Fliss gave something that looked like a smile but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah," she said. "Just a joke."

Notes

So? What do you think guys!!:)