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Chelsea couldn't believe that she was Juliet in this year's production of Romeo and Juliet. She'd never had a leading role before! But she'd never kissed anyone either, so anticipating the kissing scene was weighing down on her. It didn't help that Romeo was being played by Rocco.
She'd heard all the rumors about Rocco. How he's kissed half the cheer team, how he's hooked up in the school bathrooms (Ew! The school bathrooms are the nastiest place on Earth!), how he’s not loyal. Chelsea knew he must have more to offer than that. Lottie said he's a stuck up snake, but that’s probably not true. Lottie's been pretty wrong before. Especially when talking about her exes or when it came to algebra.
Chelsea's also heard that Rocco's good at algebra.
——
"We're so proud of you Chels!" Liv squealed.
"Yeah, getting a lead role is huge." Bobby smiled. "You never forget your first one."
"Aw you guys!" Chelsea beamed. "And congrats to you guys too! Head of costumes and Mercutio are big things!"
"You flatter me." Bobby laughed.
"Aww, thanks Chels." Liv giggled.
"Are you nervous?" Bobby asked.
"Only a little." Chelsea said. "I've never kissed anyone, and some people have been saying bad things about Rocco."
"Oh my god, was it Lottie?" Liv giggled.
Chelsea nodded, and Liv and Bobby started cracking up.
"Lottie's very... sour, about their breakup." Bobby said.
"If she's such an astrology girl, I don't know why she didn't see their signs are incompatible." Liv said. "Scorpio and Gemini are a bad match."
"Rocco's not that bad." Bobby explained. "He's just the number one player."
"Don't forget that you've been labeled as number one player before." Liv teased.
Bobby put his hands on his chest in mock offense, "I acknowledge that I was a flawed man."
Liv giggled at that. "I know you’re loyal, babes."
"I only have eyes for you, milady." Bobby began teasing with overly sappy lines, getting an eye roll from Liv.
"Well back to the Rocco point," Liv continued, "it doesn't matter what Lottie said or what anyone said. It's a school play."
"Yeah," Bobby seconded. "Not everyone you co-star with will be your favorite person. Like that time Lucas had to co-star with Blake the snake."
"Blake was so much worse than Rocco." Liv said. "Rocco may be a player, but at least he's not a man-stealing, rumor starting, fake friend, copycat, and a bully."
"Rocco's like, actually a pleasant person to talk to." Bobby said. "He just like, dated a lot of people."
——
"Follow me close, for I will speak to them.— Gentlemen, good e'en. A word with one of you." Lucas read his lines as Tybalt.
"And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something. Make it a word and a blow." Bobby read back, as Mercutio.
"You shall find me apt enough to that, sir, an you will give me occasion." Lucas continued.
"Could you not take some occasion without giving?" Bobby replied, giving Lucas a thumbs up to signal they could take a break.
"Yeah Bobby!" Liv ran over and gave her boyfriend a hug. "And you did great too, Lucas."
"Good job guys." Rocco added, shooting them a thumbs up.
"Thanks, guys." Lucas smiled. "How are the costumes coming along, Liv?"
"Well, Mercutio's is done." Liv awkwardly smiled.
"I'd expect nothing less from you." Lucas laughed. "What about Tybalt's? The dapper young man playing him needs a costume too, surely."
"Oh my god, Luc." Bobby said. "Tybalt's actor surely isn't as dapper as Mercutio's."
"Tybalt's costume is being worked on by Hannah." Liv smirked. "So you'd have to ask her."
"So which costumes are you doing then, Miss 'head of costuming'?" Lucas teased.
"Only the important ones, Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, not Tybalt." Liv quipped back. "Speaking of Romeo, Rocco, how's practicing coming along?"
"It's going fine." Rocco shrugged. "Chelsea and I both seem to know our lines for Act One and Two."
"And how's kissing going?" Bobby teased, wiggling his eyebrows.
"We always skip the actual kiss when we practice." Rocco said. "She said she's never kissed anyone before, so she's pretty nervous about having her first kiss in group rehearsals."
"Surely it's not that weird right?" Bobby said. "I mean, Lucas and The Little Mermaid Junior happened."
"We do not talk about The Little Mermaid Junior." Lucas said.
"Blake was awful." Liv laughed. "I almost made her Ariel costume the ugliest to spite her."
"Rocco, did we ever tell you about Lucas's first kiss?" Bobby laughed. "It all started one fateful day when he was cast as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid Junior..."
"I'll stab you for real in our duel." Lucas joked.
——
"Chels, I'm seriously loving this look on you!" Hope squealed. "Juliet's makeup is a huge success."
"Aww guys! Thank you!" Chelsea beamed. "You guys literally did so well."
"One down, the rest to go." Lottie sighed. "But at least I'm not doing any heavy lifting."
"The lip and blush shade was really important for Chels, though." Hope said. "Most of the other leading roles are guys, so makeup will be a breeze for them."
"After all that hard work, it's time for a girl talk." Lottie declared. "Chelsea, tell us all about Rocco."
Hope raised an eyebrow at Lottie. "You called a girl talk just to get the scoop on your ex. We all know it."
"He's not as bad as you made him sound." Chelsea admitted. "I kinda think he's cute."
"Chelsea, no." Lottie said. "Rocco is a snake, a liar, and a dirty bitch."
"He's totally gonna be a van-lifer." Hope said. "He's got van energy."
"Van energy is bad, Chelsea." Lottie quickly clarified. "Do you really wanna date a future gas station attendant?"
"Well, I still have to kiss him for the play." Chelsea said. "And Rocco's really smart. I could see him doing more than gas station work."
"Chelsea, trust me." Lottie said. "He's got bad vibes."
——
"We don't have to kiss for real yet, if you're still worried." Rocco said.
"It's just strange in group rehearsals." Chelsea awkwardly looked at her expecting cast-mates.
"In her defense, it is very nerve wracking." Lucas chimed in. "And there's the possibility of it having a whole embarrassing story told by a certain Mckenzie."
"Prince Eric was funny." Bobby laughed, and the other cast members laughed along at a pouting Lucas.
"Twelve year old me was mortified!" Lucas explained. "My grandparents were there."
Chelsea quickly turned to Rocco to whisper. "I don't wanna be the theater laughing stock!"
Rocco motioned to give her a comforting pat on the back. "We can just do it when we rehearse between the two of us."
——
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Rocco recited as Romeo, taking Chelsea's hand.
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." Chelsea recited back as Juliet.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Rocco asked.
"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." Chelsea said.
"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." Rocco said.
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." Chelsea replied.
"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take." Rocco said, leaning in for the kiss scene. "Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."
When Chelsea shook her head and pulled away, he got the hint not to actually go for the kiss. At least they had worked up from just standing to actually leaning in.
——
"Olivia. I need you to teach me how to kiss a man." Chelsea marched over to an unsuspecting Liv.
"Oh, wow Chels. It's full name important?" Liv giggled.
"Of course it is!" Chelsea pouted. "I am kissing Rocco tonight."
"Very bold of you." Liv giggled.
"If I don't do it tonight, I'll be living Lucas's most mortifying experience!" Chelsea said. "Mr Wilson is on our tails about the kissing scene."
"You don't actually have to kiss for real." Liv assured her.
"But Liv," Chelsea leaned in to whisper, "I kind of want to."
"Then you should go for it." Liv said. "If I never went for things, I wouldn't be with Bobby right now."
"But I'm scared!" Chelsea panicked. "I need you to tell me what to do!"
"Well for starters, under no circumstances will tongue be slipped. This is a school play not an R rated movie." Liv said.
"No tongue. Got it." Chelsea repeated. "What about my eyes?"
"Close them." Liv said. "One hundred percent, close them."
"And my hands! What do I do with them?"
"Chels, just because Rocco's experienced doesn't mean you have to know everything." Liv said. "Bobby had kissed people before me, while he was my first, and he was really nice about it."
"Well Bobby never had the word snake associated with him!" Chelsea pouted.
"People did tell me he was the school's player." Liv muttered.
"And Bobby only kissed like three girls." Chelsea panicked. "Rocco's kissed ten before."
"Chelsea, trust me. Girl to girl. You will be fine." Liv held her hands.
——
"You're a really good Juliet." Rocco smiled.
"Thanks." Chelsea giggled.
Chelsea was nervous. They decided to meet up to practice their lines, and they ended up in Rocco's bedroom for practicing purposes. It was... not a room Chelsea was too fond of, with clothes strewn all over the room and mismatched decor, but it was just so Rocco. They were just going over their lines, Chelsea choosing to stand while Rocco laid on his unmade bed.
"For the actual performance, do you wanna like, fake kiss?" Rocco said. "It's totally fine if you don't wanna kiss for real."
"No, no I want to." Chelsea said. "But can we like, try it first without everyone else watching?"
"Sure." Rocco said.
"Like... tonight?" Chelsea awkwardly shifted around while making her proposal.
"Okay." Rocco said, sitting up from his bed. "Wait, like now?"
At Chelsea's shy nod, he stood up and walked over to her. "Is this, um, okay?"
"Yeah..." Chelsea whispered, as Rocco moved his arm to her back and leaned in.
Chelsea could've been floating on cloud nine. It was by no means a perfect movie kiss, but it was special all the same. Even with Rocco's wheatgrass smoothie lingering on his mouth. When they pulled away, Chelsea could feel herself blushing.
"So?" Rocco asked.
"I, um, I liked it." Chelsea smiled.
"I'm glad." Rocco said. "That was nice."
"Yeah." Chelsea giggled.
——
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand, this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Rocco acted as Romeo.
It was opening night, so they had to go all out. Most of the cast was nervous about the kiss scene, because Chelsea and Rocco never actually kissed in front of them before, while reassuring them that they had been working on it.
"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." Chelsea said back, as Juliet.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Rocco asked.
"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer." Chelsea giggled.
"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." Rocco said.
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake." Chelsea responded, drinking out of the prop cup.
"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take." Rocco said, leaning in for the kiss scene. "Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."
And for the first time before a crowd, Chelsea leaned in too.