Chapter 10
TEN
Playing: When Did You Get Hot? By Sabrina Carpenter
I’m feeling restless by the time Friday comes around again.
Not only will the official cast be announced today, but this weekend is the anniversary of my father’s death and I can already feel the uneasiness settle into my bones.
There’s this jitteriness that won’t let me out of its grasp, so I enter the theater full of nerves and anguish.
I’ll admit that I’ve been a hermit this past week.
Besides hanging out with Opal in our living room, I’ve been avoiding everyone else.
Specifically, I’ve avoided going anywhere I can run into the three men whose attractiveness has taken over my life.
It feels like my omega has betrayed me. She’s completely ignoring my feelings of uneasiness surrounding the situation, much more interested in sending me flirty images of the men I’m trying desperately not to think about.
Why the hell are there suddenly so many alphas in my life?! I’ve stayed away this long. Sleeping with Dax and Everett was a lapse in judgment, and I feel like I’m now being punished for it.
Of course my omega will no longer be satisfied by meaningless flings with betas when she has smelled pheromones that want her and confused a callback audition as a mating call.
That last one has still left me wholeheartedly freaked. I mean… it’s Jett . My omega does know that, right? He’s the bane of our existence.
Speaking of, my traitorous eyes find him as soon as I walk into the dimmed theater.
He’s sitting in the front row to the left, looking at his phone and lounging in a way that’s both nonchalant and speaks of nerves.
I know we read for Romeo and Juliet, but did he ever mention who he was hoping to get?
There’s a lot more male roles in this play than female ones.
For all I know, he could want to be freaking Tybalt.
He’s definitely sinister enough to pull it off.
I take a seat as far away from him as I can, not even realizing that I can see the back of Nicole’s head.
Even the back of her head screams of arrogance, not a single hair out of place.
Maybe I’m still bothered by her brazen dialogue the other day.
Regardless, being near her makes me clam up in a way that’s unusual for me.
Professor Chapman is already on stage, sitting on a tall stool as he overlooks us. When the last student arrives, he greets us and shows us the stacks of scripts beside him.
“Remember, even if you’re not cast, this class is more than just putting on a production for the theater department.
We’re here to do a scene-by-scene analysis of Shakespeare’s greatest works.
Everyone will receive a script so we can dive in, but all extras will wait to get theirs until after the cast is announced.
Any questions?” The class answers with silence.
“Good, let’s get started. For the quaint role of Balthasar, Mr. Nichols?—”
He goes down the list, from the smaller roles to the main ones.
After Lady Montague and The Nurse’s roles are filled, I subconsciously brace myself.
Nicole may think we’re going head to head for this, but there are plenty of other talented actresses in this room.
I’m feeling discouraged that I haven’t landed a role.
Even with the limited number of female roles, I still feel crushed at the possibility.
“And the role of Lady Capulet, the character that loves to be hated, goes to… Miss Monaghan.”
My eyes widen slightly. I watch as Nicole gets up from her seat to receive a script from our professor. Her expression is impossible to read, but I know she must be boiling underneath it all.
I’m still reeling from the decision when Professor Chapman states the next role, which is Juliet.
“Our beloved heroine, Juliet. I thought about this long and hard, but I ultimately think this person will bring some light back to this role.” He looks up and meets my eyes.
“Miss Cromwell, come get your script please.”
My eyebrows fly to my forehead. I don’t even notice there are people clapping until the person beside me gives me a hug in celebration. I mindlessly make my way to the front of the room and receive my script, purposefully keeping my gaze away from the sneer that I know is on Nicole’s face.
A few of my classmates slap me on the back as I go to sit back down. They genuinely look happy for me, but I’m so confused. Jett and I gave a realistic and definitely exciting audition, but I didn’t think I actually had a shot until this exact moment.
The clapping around me starts again, and I look up to see Jett stand up from his seat and walk to the stage.
Chapman must have announced him as Romeo, so I start to clap too.
I may still be stunned but I don’t want anyone around me to think I don’t want to act on stage with him. And then it hits me .
Shit. He’s going to be Romeo, and I’m Juliet. That sounds like a lot of late nights, a lot of practicing lines. My omega preens at the idea of getting so much attention from this alpha.
I grit my teeth at the beast inside of me. We’re going to fight if she keeps this up.
The rest of class includes simple line reading with everyone reading their own lines for the first time. We go through the first two scenes, stopping for debate here and there. When it’s finally over, I feel relieved that I can finally go home so I can process my feelings.
“Miss Cromwell, can you stay back for a few minutes?” Professor Chapman asks as everyone starts to pile out. I collect my stuff and meet him at the front, excited to thank him.
Before he can say what he wants, I say, “Mr. Chapman, thank you so much for this role. I sincerely mean that, but… I have to ask, why did you choose me?”
I hate how insecure it sounds, but we’re here to learn. If he were a director of a film or play I was cast in outside of school, I would never dare, but I sincerely want to know what I did right .
“Well, firstly, your audition with Mr. Fitzgerald was incredible. You two had the best chemistry of the auditions last Friday. You did well in your audition with Mr. Gomez, but there wasn’t a spark between you.
Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight, that needs to be apparent to the audience.
It’s best to act across whoever makes you feel the most comfortable to portray those emotions. ”
I swallow down a gulp, because my omega definitely wasn’t pretending.
“Second, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Juliet is an omega. She has the same wants, needs, and issues that arise with her designation. Seeing as you’re the only female omega in class, I thought you’d be the best at understanding her.”
Professor Chapman isn’t an expressive man, despite his obsession with emotional plays, so his words don’t hit at first. My instinct is to laugh at his sarcasm, but the look on his face is serious. Something inside of me runs cold.
“What?” I ask, my confusion turning into something fuming in my gut.
“An omega can only be played by another omega. Biology like that can’t be faked by a beta. They might be able to push that kind of narrative in film, but on the stage?” He scoffs. “It’s obvious from a mile away. Trust me. You’ll do Juliet justice, I just know it.”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. “So, you called me up here so you could tell me that I got the role because of my designation?”
He waves me off, obviously annoyed by my statement.
“No. I called you up here because I wanted to go ahead and give you a direction for when you practice lines. Juliet is a demure omega. A hopeless romantic. She has a fire, yes, but her designation shows where her edges are soft. I just wanted you to keep that in mind when you start memorizing.”
My jaw tenses at that, my mind going back to the conversation Nicole and I had in that hallway. Instead of saying something I think I’ll regret, I grit out, “Is that all, sir?”
My professor nods, not sparing me another glance as he studies something on his clipboard.
I walk out a lot harsher than I intend to, my steps seeming more like stomps on the glossy floor.
My confusion is no longer present, because now I know what happened.
My professor is biased. Still, I hold onto the fact that I can still breathe life into this role despite his horrible direction.
There’s nothing that can stop me from putting my mark on this iconic character.
I’m going to act the hell out of this role, one way or another.
After leaving the theater, I’m not expecting a certain long-haired alpha to be standing there waiting for me. His jaw is tense, and the glint in his eye that is normally playful is replaced by an intensity I’ve only ever seen from him while he’s on stage.
I let out a sigh. “You heard that, didn’t you?” I ask, motioning my thumb over my shoulder.
Jett nods. “Yeah, and it’s bullshit. To say that , to reduce your achievements or your god-given talent by even implying that, is absolutely pathetic. I’ve lost a lot of respect for him.”
My brows shoot upward. The ferocity I just read on him is for me . On my behalf. Something about that leaves me feeling both uneasy and delighted.
The latter is probably coming from the horny beast inside me, but nonetheless.
“Well,” I start, going for nonchalance. I’m not sure how to be vulnerable with him yet, even though the play will definitely force my hand on that. “It may be the first time, but it certainly won’t be the last. Occupational hazard and all, being an omega.”
Jett shakes his head at my faked indifference.
“You are a wonder, Rory,” he says. My lips involuntarily part at the sentiment.
“Any director or filmmaker would be lucky to have you. Don’t put too much stock in what Chapman has to say.
Let’s just get through this semester as quickly as we can, and try to have fun. ”
I observe him closely now. Normally, I’d keep my gaze off of him because any attention would result in his insistence to annoy me, but now I feel free to look.
He’s only a few inches taller than me, and his hair is shiny as it sits atop his shoulders.
His green eyes are searing, dark and moody with a shimmer of honeyed brown around the pupil.
They’re as unnerving as they are beautiful, especially when they’re seeping into my soul.
“So,” he starts, cutting through my train of thought. “I thought, since we clearly won’t be spending enough time together during late-night rehearsals and weekly classes, that maybe you’d like to run lines together?”
Against my better judgment, I laugh. “ Clearly .”
“And, you know, the more practice we do together—and the more comfortable we get with each other—the more you can stick it to him when you knock it out of the park.” He smiles at me and the mischievousness in it makes me almost gulp.
“Let’s do it.” I pull out my phone and hand it to him.
Jett quickly adds his number before texting himself.
When he hands it back to me, the arrogant expression I’m used to seeing on him is back.
“Well, twilight. I guess I’ll see you soon.
” And then he walks off without another word, leaving me feeling much better than I originally did when walking through those classroom doors.