JASMINE'S SHAKESPEAREAN DEBUT

9 FEBRUARY, TUESDAY, AT SCHOOL

While I would not have complained at all if my friends had left me for dead on my desk, Jasmine came over to my table the moment she reached class. She had in hand a very neatly hand-written script, "Sam, look at this."

So I pushed myself up bleary eyed to see what was on the lined paper.

Jasmine had rewritten Romeo and Juliet - not just her part, or my part, but the entire play.

"I got the idea when you said it was like Romeo and Juliet meets High School Musical." She explained with a laugh.

Did I say that? I must be more of a genius than I thought.

Jasmine pretty much gave herself a lot of creative license. Instead of Verona, the story took place in Verona High School - well, technically they were high school kids.

"I just wrote it for fun, but OMG, once I started, the ideas kept on coming and I ended up pulling an all nighter on it!" Jasmine kept laughing nervously.

I guess I wasn't the only one up all night.

Anyway her story had two contending classes across the hall from each other. Class A and Class B... Which were essentially the two families.

The parents of Romeo and Juliet were their form teachers. And Mr Devon would guest star as "Principal Escalus".

And then the love story would revolve around Romeo in Class A and Juliet in Class B. Throw in a class birthday party that Romeo crashes, a food fight in the cafeteria and then another fight scene in the boys locker room with Henry and the guys in various states of undress.

Overall, it was really good.

Plus it was hilarious. Particularly because Juliet was Bulliet, a beautiful but catty b**** in the worst way, who made life miserable for her desk mate, Nerd (formerly known as Nurse). Romeo was now Horneo, a vainpot playboy jock with his merry sidekicks Merc (Mercutio) and Benz (Benvolio).

Comedy, romance, action, and drama - that was how Shakespeare had meant it to be right?

And Jasmine had the sense to send them to detention instead of dying and the final tragedy was that Romeo, I mean Horneo ended up expelled because he got one too many detentions.

Bulliet was so heartbroken when she returned from her suspension notice, she got herself expelled too.

To be honest, the pair of lovebirds were so horrid, I think the school was a better place without them.

"Why Horneo?" Henry complained, "That's just obscene."

Marcus "coughed" and "coughed".

"I was writing it with Sam as Bulliet, and Henry as Horneo." Jasmine admitted before quickly adding, "It's not because I think you're like that at all! It's just... I think the both of you are able to act it out and still make it funny and likable."

Henry had turned red at that, "There's no effing way I'm doing this."

"You don't have to! I wrote it for fun." Jasmine quickly said, "I just wanted to write it. We don't have to do it. I mean... I know everyone had probably already started work on their lines by now..."

"Not really," I admitted, "I hadn't worked on the first script at all. I was up all night dealing with urm...stuff."

Like swimming in tea kind of stuff.

And even though Jasmine said we didn't have to do it, she obvi wrote it for us, because she made a character list on the cover page and it had all our names next to the corresponding characters.

By now, the cool girls have come over to do homework, but they got really excited about this play too.

The only thing they didn't like about the play was that there wouldn't be cool costumes.

"Maybe it could be one of those schools where you didn't wear uniforms?" Zara suggested.

"Oh, okay." Jasmine took the feedback into consideration.

"I don't mind the uniforms." I said, "It makes the costumes easier."

"Oh, okay." Jasmine looked confused now.

"Then you need to inject style to the uniforms or it would be boring." Krystal said.

"We can help with the costumes and make up!" Zara volunteered.

They discussed some ideas. Essentially, it was wearing our school uniform in every perceivable way to break as many rules in the student dress code as possible.

This included very high ponytails, dangly earrings, colorful headbands, red high heel shoes, and of course, losing the silly ribbon around our neck.

The guys got to wear colorful trackshoes, shades, and wear their ties the way one might when drunk. They planned to use red hair spray on Henry's hair. Krystal felt it would give him a proper bad boy image.

Krystal seemed to be very into bad boys today. She wanted Henry and his friends to wear matching leather jackets even though Jasmine said they were jocks, so she was thinking of our school's football jacket.

If I were to describe the concept, I would say Krystal was going for the high school delinquent look. The cool girls started discussing where they could get cheap clip on earrings, nose studs, and temp tattoos.

Even Maria commented on it, she flipped through the other girls' minds and informed me via our mindlink, "It's distasteful and wonderful at the same time."

I think that could arguably be taken as the vampire's approval.

I passed the script on to Henry and the guys, "What are the chances we can convince Mr Devon to do this play instead?"

Henry tossed it back to me, "It's rubbish."

"You won't know talent if it slapped you in the face!" I exclaimed. I just always wanted to say it, and I said it quite happily, so it didn't actually have the effect I was going for.

"What do you know about theatre or talent?" Henry challenged.

"Nothing, but I know what's fun to watch." I grinned. Actually, I knew a lot about theater - but only if you counted the skits we did for camp nights back home.

Marcus laughed at the script, "I actually like this version better."

Henry gave the beta a look.

Marcus just shrugged, "It's funny!"

"It's f***ed up." Henry said to Marcus, but he lowered his voice, so Jasmine wouldn't hear.

"Just think how much money you'd save if the costumes are just our uniforms and the props and furniture are already lying around the school." I added.

"I'll talk to Mr D." Henry said.

Yes!

Jasmine was so happy she squealed and then she cried. The reaction was a little much for me, but Abigail and the other girls in the class were able to squeal and cheer with her.

"I'm so jealous you get to be part of this play." Pearl said.

"Thanks!" Jasmine smiled as if she was being congratulated and then she tossed her head and walked away before Pearl could say anything more.

After that, Marcus got to work. He had the script scanned into a pdf and emailed to the rest of the cast and crew, cc-ing Ki.

By lunchtime, most of the cast had read the new script and loved it. Jasmine, had made friends with a number of them yesterday so she went around to their classrooms just to make sure everyone was okay with it. Everyone was really excited. And this was Jasmine we were talking about, naturally most of the girls sided with her.

Liam went with her. I think he was worried about her going about the classrooms on her own. But he didn't smile at her. It was weird. He's worried, but he's still mad? Jasmine was even weirder. She pretty much pretended he wasn't there.

Abigail made her own rounds too. She had somehow rallied the other girls to help with an online poll. She got our pictures and asked who should star as Juliet - and won... Even though she wasn't even part of the cast in the first place.

So now, the show would star Abigail and Henry? I don't think Abigail had read the script, or she would had known Juliet was actually Bulliet in this version.

"I voted Abigail." Leia confessed, "I felt the role suited her - she wouldn't even have to act."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can pull off Bulliet too" Zara said encouragingly.

"It won't be easy though. Zammi, if you want to pull this off, you have search yourself and find the b**** inside of you." Krystal adviced.

Did she mean my wolf?

Boo deigned to respond.

Jasmine shook her head, "Its just a play. She just has to act mean."

At that Krystal and Leia laughed disparagingly, "Sam, mean?"

"Sam doesn't have a mean bone in her body." Said the one who asked me to find my inner b****.

I felt a little offended, "I can too be mean!"

"Yeah, let's see it." Henry smirked. He came round with Marcus to join us.I'm sure they only came to poke fun at me.

I flared. And the guys laughed.

It was weird. When I flared... Sometimes people freaked out, and sometimes people laughed.

I thought hard and tried to channel Abigail...but I didn't even know where to start. Abigail always seemed so nice to me. And then I remembered my Mate's ex-girlfriend. Heh heh heh.

I said in my cutest Bubbles voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, Alpha."

I took advantage of Henry's surprise to slip my hand into the crook of his arm. Then I kicked viciously at Marcus and hissed, "Don't just stand there Beta. Take the photo - and make sure you do it from my good side!"

Because you know, girls like Bulliet always had a nice face and a mean face. I understood that now.

Marcus actually stumbled back and took a picture. I tilted my head the way and smiled the way the Lorent girls did in their Little Bird channel.

Then I let go of Henry and shrugged a cold shoulder at him. That would be how a girl like Bulliet would treat you once she got what she wanted.

"Send that pic to Abigail." I instructed Marcus.

Henry stopped smiling.

"Seriously?" Marcus asked.

I broke out of character with a flare of alarm, "No!"

The guys laughed now.

"You really took a picture?" I went over to check Marcus' phone. Marcus obligingly showed us the photo.

"Delete it!" I flared again.

And I was totally ignored as the cool girls crowded around him to look.

"Actually, the two of you look pretty good together." Zara observed.

"It looks like they're posing for a red carpet event." Leia commented. Which I would like to point out was a ridiculous notion because we were in school uniforms in a classroom.

"Of course, rich kids would know how to do that." Krystal said.

"Urgh, rich girls, even her inner b**** is classy." Leia muttered.

"Are you going to delete that, yet?" I sulked.

"What the hell was that, Sam?" Henry asked, then he said to Marcus, "Send me the pic."

"I have an idea. Send it to me too." Krystal said.

"No!" Wth, "I was just acting!"

"What the hell were you acting as?" Henry asked.

"A Lorent girl." I admitted quietly. Because I was beginning to wonder if all Lorent girls were like this.

The photo... Marcus had taken it from an angle and it made Henry and I look very close, although not too close. It was the expressions on our faces that I hated - Henry's smile as he looked at me betraying his surprise and amusement, and my own face turned away from him, tilted daringly, a secret knowing smile at the camera.

It was the kind of picture that made me want to slap me. I hated that stupid look of superiority.

Unfortunately, our foray into the world of independent theater production was not quite appreciated by all ages and it hit a snag after lunch. Mr Devon had said no.

Henry had returned with the breaking news, with no small amount of frustration on his part. And then Marcus showed him the huge fuss on the school grapevine and he decided that since no one else knew about what Mr Devon said, we should just carry on.

He made Marcus post a few quotes of students praising the teacher in charge of this play, and how whoever was the teacher in charge was really cool.

This wasn't hard to get students around us to say. Henry didn't even have to pay anyone to say it.

So far everyone except Mr Devon and Henry liked the new script better. This was probably because Mr Devon and Henry had actually seen what a Shakespearean play was supposed to look like. (Either that or they were both high brow arty farty fancy pants.)

And then Marcus started to worry, "Mr Devon is going to flip a lid at the first reading tomorrow."

"Mr Devon isn't going to know." Henry decided.

"He has to appear in the play, you know that right?" I asked.

"It should be fine." Henry waved it off, "In the worst case, Principal Laura could do it."

Now getting the actual principal to take principal part was like even higher billing than the diva drama teacher.

I nodded. That should work.

"And change it back to Romeo!" Horneo insisted. He would repeat the request throughout the day.

But each time we just laughed it off and ignored him. Every single one of us, even Marcus, because there was NO WAY we were going to let that one go. It was comic gold.

Okay, not really. But seeing Henry tormented was fun. I guess I was getting into my Bulliet character.

Oh and Ki had texted Marcus about the change in script. There might be a small problem. Madam Silvia was actually quite a serious theater master... I told Marcus to text back that this was a student's attempt to make Shakespeare relevant to the rest of the kids in school. It was using Shakespeare to explore the darker corridors of public high school hallways. Ki said he could work with that.

I guess Ki and Madam Silvia would be on Mr Devon and Henry's camp. But the majority of us still really loved Jasmine's version more.

I think Jasmine's take on it was highly relatable. Especially if you spoke English or went to high school.

I'm not exactly sure what else happened in school today. I was either sleeping, discussing the play with someone, or desperately completing homework because I had archery later and dinner at the Lorent's and I wanted to sleep early tonight because it would be good to drop by the Underground at the Red Packlands. I haven't forgotten my promise to Stephan.

I did take out the box of macarons and it was eaten up before I even got one! Grrrr....

When I woke up in the middle of science class, the teacher simply told me to stay at home if I were unwell.

I nodded, unsure what transpired. It looked like I slept through 3 periods without interruption? I managed to take my Science quiz before the last bell though.

"How was the quiz?" Marcus came by at the last bell to pass me the homework I slept through.

"It was hard." I said and took the worksheets, "Thanks."

"They're not due till Thursday." Marcus told me. He also told me we had a new history teacher. She's giving us a history test next lesson."

A new teacher?

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" I grumbled.

"You had anemia." Marcus shrugged.

Oh. Right.

And it turned out, I wasn't the only one. Jasmine was having "that time of the month" and had slept through 2 periods.

"You're a wolf." I reminded her. Wolves didn't have "that time of the month."

Jasmine smiled sheepishly, "I know."

And then Keanu and River came to our class. They said they were here to pick me up for archery training, but since they were here, Keanu asked about covering the play on the school's online news.

Marcus sent him a copy of Jasmine's script. And we arranged for him to join us for the first reading and interview Jasmine, the playwright tomorrow.

Jasmine beamed.

Liam smiled at her from the sidelines, but it didn't look like Jasmine remembered he even exsisted. Jasmine's smile was bright like the full moon, but she was looking at Keanu and agreeing to the interview.

I guess it was her time of the month to shine. Every moon's got one. :)