Kiss Me

Bam returned to school that Monday feeling like he was walking on air. He glided through his classes, causing as little trouble as possible. He was aware now that drama club could be on the line, and he didn’t want to lose that.

Would ever would have thought he’d be excited to go? Even though it was because he wanted to talk to Violet’s brother, it was something.

Bam actively sought out the boy when he walked into the auditorium. He was sitting in the front row, legs folded pretzel style on the seat. He was scribbling furiously in a notebook when he spotted the green eyed boy. Bam bounced across the room and plopped in the seat next to him.

“Hey,”

“Hi,” Ville said softly.

“Did your sister tell you about our date?”

“Um, yeah. She—she did.” He nodded shyly. Bam smiled.

“Good. I just wanted you to know that I treated her like a gentleman. I would never do anything to your sister that she didn’t want me to do. I’m not a pervert. Like, you know, Raab.” Ville chuckled and Bam felt something warm in the pit of his stomach. That was odd, he thought. Must be because he was so happy his girl’s brother was taking a liking to him. It was always easier that way.

“Well, I suppose I’m glad that you’re not like Raab. Is he really a pervert?” Ville grinned at Bam, and that warm feeling got a little bit stronger.

“Oh, God, so bad. You know, you really should come and hang out with us sometime. We skate out in the back lot.”

“I… uh… Well, sure.” Was Ville blushing? Why in the world would he be doing that? Before Bam had more time to think about it, Mr. DeWitt came in.

“Okay, all right, let’s settle down!” he said as he hurried on the stage. No one had been talking, and so silence came, perhaps a bit faster than the teacher had intended.

“Um… All right then. Today we’re going to read a bit of

Shakespeare. I want to get a feel for the way you choose to interpret and speak his words. I’ve decided that we won’t be trying out for roles, I’ll assign them to you.”

Honestly, this was one of the smartest things the teacher could have done. He’d had a thought that maybe no one would try out for Juliet. This way, no one could argue with him.

DeWitt already had an idea for who he wanted to play the role. But it wouldn’t seem fair if he just started passing things out without at least hearing the kids.

One by one, he had them stand on the stage, reading a passage from Romeo and Juliet aloud. Some were Romeo, some Juliet, some other random characters. Bam got a few lines from Romeo, and Ville Juliet. They exchanged embarrassed smiles as they came down from the stage.

“This is so dumb.” Bam muttered to Ville, who nodded sympathetically. Finally, the last boy read. Thankfully, it had taken up the whole hour, so once they were finished, they all were released.

“So um, do you think I could see your sister next weekend?”

“I think she’d love it.” He smiled. Bam swallowed. What was that lump doing in his throat? What was going on?

“Great,” Bam smiled back before turning and running, saying he had someplace he had to be. Why were things getting so intense?