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It's Only Make-Believe
“For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
-William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet,
Act V, Scene III
Chapter 1
Tuesday January 29, 1952
As usual, the school hallway was chaos. Lockers slamming shut, students talking, teachers yelling at a small group blocking a classroom door. People moving back and forth. And amid all of this chaos stood two high school seniors, staring at a posting on the wall.
"Are you going to try out?" asked Daniel LaMuerte to his identical twin brother Adam. They were reading a poster that was posted on one of their school's theater doors. The sign announced auditions for a play that the drama club, two teachers and a principal, was going to put on. Tryouts were going to be held on Thursday of that week, but since it was Tuesday afternoon, that gave Adam a day and a half to think about trying out.
"Gee, Romeo and Juliet? I don't know if I can talk all that Shakespearean talk," said Adam.
"Of course you can. I hear you do it all the time in front of the bathroom mirror every morning. In fact, I heard you this morning. You were saying something like 'Thou shalt not fail today's English test or something like that. But my point is you would be great at it," Daniel said, trying to convince his brother to try out.
Adam just shook his head in embarrassment that someone had heard him goofing around in the bathroom. To make it worse, that someone had to be his brother. Adam turned and started down the hall to his locker.
On the wall across from Adam and Daniel's side-by-side lockers was another poster identical to the one Daniel and Adam had been looking at. Around the poster was a small group of four girls. Cindy Martin, a pretty seventeen-year-old senior giggled excitedly. Romeo and Juliet?" she exclaimed. "Oh, Judy, are you going to try out? I want to try out for Juliet!"
Judy McCormick, as small, dark-haired senior sighed. "Well, of course I'm going to try out! Danny's sure to get Romeo's part…and I am Danny's Juliet."
Another girl, Mary Spartan sighed, pushing an auburn curl out of her face, "But what if Adam gets the part?"
Judy scowled. "I doubt it. Adam is a lousy actor. He can't even act well enough to pull off a simple lie like, 'The dog ate my homework!' My boyfriend, Danny, is a perfect Romeo and everyone knows it."
Cindy flushed in anger. "Adam is an absolutely wonderful actor! Both Adam and Danny!"
"Relax, Cindy! Calm down, Judy," Mary interrupted before World War Three broke out in the hall.
Suddenly another girl, Simone Williams, the school's own 'Miss Emotional,' burst into tears. "Oh! Life isn't fair! I wanna be Juliet! I want my Johnny-poo to be Romeo! But if Cindy and Judy and Danny and Adam are trying out then—then—then…" She sobbed again "…then we'll never get the parts. Me and my boyfriend, Johnny are never going to be in a play!"
Mary comforted her.
At that moment, Simone's boyfriend, Johnny Michaels walked by. With his dark hair and pale complexion, he looked a little like Dracula, but without the fangs. How he'd wound up with a girlfriend was anyone's guess, especially since he was so overdramatic. Then again, his girlfriend was Simone, so that could explain something. When he saw Simone sobbing on Mary's shoulder, he stopped and said, "What doth be wrong, mi amour? Mi amiga? My little Juliet?"
That just set Simone to sobbing louder. In between sobs, sniffles, and a couple of hiccups, she said, "I just wanna be your little JULIET!"
Johnny half dragged her away from Mary, Judy and Cindy, trying to calm her down."
Judy made a face. "Well, there goes Mr. Overdramatic and his girlfriend Miss Emotional!"
"Now, Judy!" Mary began scolding, but she broke off as she noticed Adam staring at them and pretty much listening to all that had gone on. He slammed his locker door shut and made his way to the girls.
"Hey, ladies. What's the commotion about?"
"Oh, we're just talking about this play," said Cindy as she pointed to the poster. "You are going to try out, aren't you?"
"Are you kidding? A cool guy like me try out for some weenie tight wearing part like that?"
"See, I told you he wouldn't be good enough," said Judy.
At that moment, Judy's boyfriend, Daniel joined the small group of girls and his brother. "Hey, doll face, are you giving my brother a hard time?" asked Daniel to Judy jokingly.
"Don't call me doll face!" she snapped. Then she regained her composure, saying, "I was just telling everyone how much better of an actor you are and how you would make such a great Romeo."
Daniel looked a little stunned, but decided to ignore the outburst. "Aaah, well thank you, but please don't rub my brother's face in it." Then he leaned over to Judy and whispered, "He's kind of sensitive about that stuff."
"Hey, girls. We better get going. We're going to be late," said Mary as she looked at her watch.
The girls had left Daniel and Adam standing there.
"I don't know what you see in that broad of yours," said Adam.
"Why whatever do you mean?" said Daniel jokingly as he batted his eyelashes. It was the same old question that would start the same old conversation. His brother would talk about how rude and arrogant she is and how she is so insensitive to his brother's feelings.
"Cut it out. I'm serious," Adam said. "She's rude and arrogant and she could care less about my feelings. It's like she thinks I'm an idiot or something."
Daniel had to bite his tongue on that last comment. It was true, his girlfriend really didn't care for his brother a whole lot, but it was just something he didn't think needed a third person to get involved in Judy and Adam's little spats. But maybe the real reason was that if he was forced to choose between his girlfriend and his brother, he couldn't do it. So he figured he should just stay out of it.
"And you know what else? Why is it that whenever she's around, you start acting all weird and stuff?"
"What do you mean, 'weird?'" asked Daniel.
"I mean weird."
"Oh, well then that explains everything," said Daniel. "No need to elaborate there."
"I mean…oh, you know what I mean. You get all mushy, mushy whenever your little Judy comes by. Then you whisper who-knows (and who-wants-to-know) what to her. I mean, it's kind of gross."
"Well, I'm sorry, Adam. I didn't know you were soon keen on watching what Judy and I do. You know, I could mention a few swell moves that you pull on Cindy, too…" Daniel broke off when he noticed that Adam was glaring at him.
"Come on," Adam said haughtily. "Let's go to class before we get in trouble."
Daniel agreed and the boys ran to their sixth hour gym class.
Adam held Daniel back behind the rest of the group. He whispered to Daniel, "After everybody else leaves, meet me at our secret place."
Adam was about to leave when Daniel stopped him and replied, "Um, Adam…I'm sorry. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the balcony over the gym isn't very secret. Everyone can see us when we're up there. This gym's acoustics make it possible for anyone anywhere in the gym to hear us having a conversation, even if we whisper…which you never do. Not to mention the fact that everyone in the school knows that the balcony is our secret place."
Adam gave Daniel a funny look. "So-o-o…What exactly are you trying to say?"
Daniel sighed. "We need to find a new secret place."
Adam pouted. "What's wrong with this one?"
"I just told you!" Daniel exclaimed. "Your secret cardboard box when we were five years old was better."
"No it wasn't," Adam replied angrily. "It was too crowded. Plus it was full of holes, so anybody could see or hear us."
"Holes that you punched through it with your pencil," said Daniel. "Anyway, that's not the point I'm trying to make about your secret place. The point is…"
"Talking about your secret place on the gym balcony again?" Ricky Brown commented as he passed them on his way out the door.
"That," Daniel said, motioning to Ricky, "is exactly my point."
"You told!" Adam accused Daniel. "How many other people did you tell? Traitor! And I called you brother!"
"Oh, boy," Daniel moaned. "For crying out loud! That's what I've been trying to tell you. I didn't have to tell anybody else about our secret place, because… THEY… ALREADY… KNOW!" Daniel stressed that last part.
"Only because you told them," Adam replied, unaware.
"No," said Daniel. "I didn't."
"But you thought of it!"
"No! I—I… Oh, who cares? I'll meet you on the balcony!" Daniel yelled at his twin.
Adam shook his head as if that were the most idiotic thing in the world. "Well, obviously we can't meet there. Everybody already knows about it. After we change out of our gym clothes, I'll show you our new secret place."
The boys walked into the locker room with Daniel threatening to flush Adam down the locker room toilet the entire way.
"Yeah," Adam said. "I thought it was pretty keen, too." Apparently the term "moronic" had slipped right over Adam's head.
"Adam," Daniel said.
"What?"
"Let's just meet back at our old secret place from now on."
Adam protested. "But you said…"
"Forget what I said," answered Daniel.
"Right-o, Daddy-o," said Adam. "We'll meet back on the balcony next time."
"'Right-o, Daddy-o?'" Daniel commented. "I don't even want to know where you got that phrase. Just tell me why you called me to this secret meeting… uh… crate. And why you're angry enough to spike me with a volleyball more times than you can count to."
"Well, it really has to do with Judy," replied Adam.
"Well, hold on a minute," said Daniel. "One question."
"Shoot."
"If it has to do with Judy, then why take it out on me?"
"Duh, because she's your girlfriend," Adam said as he rolled his eyes.
"Okay and that's a good reason to spike a volleyball at my head?"
"Sorry about that. Maybe I just went a little overboard," said Adam.
"A little overboard. A little overboard. I think you went a lot overboard."
"Don't you even want to know why it has to do with Judy, or are you going to keep harping on the volleyball incident?" Adam asked.
"Well, knowing why Judy makes you spike a volleyball at my head about eighty times would be helpful."
"Because," said Adam.
"That explains it all, Adam. Thank you." Daniel walked to the door and opened it to exit.
"You didn't let me finish. Wait! Come back here."
Daniel turned around. "Oh, there's more," said Daniel sarcastically.
Adam was beginning to wonder why just the mention of Judy made his brother go nuts. "Yes, there's more. Now close the door before someone sees you."
"You know, I'm sick of you complaining about Judy." With that Daniel left. "Maybe I'll go to the gym and shoot some hoops," thought Daniel.
He was walking to the gym when he realized that he never did let his brother explain why it, whatever it was, had made Adam angry. "Oh well," thought Daniel as he reached the gym and opened the door. "I'm sick of hearing him complain about her. It's always Judy said this and Judy said that." Didn't Adam understand how much he really liked Judy? All of this was going through Daniel's head as he was searching for a basketball.
Meanwhile, Adam sighed angrily in the crate in the janitor's room. He did in a way understand Daniel's stubbornness. After all, if Daniel had brought up Cindy, Adam would have seriously hurt Daniel. "But Danny doesn't understand!" Adam moaned. "Cindy really is nice. Judy is not! She acts so sweetsie-sweetsie with him and teachers, but not around me!"
Adam got out of the crate and quickly walked to the janitor's room door. He raced out of the room without even noticing the poor, confused janitor who was just walking into the room.
