Chapter Text
English Literature was among the few subjects Trent actually bothered paying attention in. Something about the Ye Olde romance and tragedies were actually quite interesting, of course, when Mr. Galloway wasn't so wasted to the point he couldnt even speak the very language he taught.
And the few times Trent had stood up for the poor man, he had to agree that it was hard to stay completely indulged when Mr. Galloway's analogies would start getting more personal and less educational.
It was that time of year where the curriculum would be focusing on Shakespeare rather than those strange word unscrambling exercises that nobody really got anything out of. Trent looks forward to it every single year, because they always end up doing a school play out of the book they read. Apart from a few dodgy Christmas shows, thats just about the only time the school is willing to pay money for extra-curricular drama. All the other funds go into sports.
Last year, they had done Taming of The Shrew, but nobody really understood what was going on, and Lola didn't know any of her lines as Katherine and it was all just a big mess. The most people got out of the story was that if you annoy a girl long enough, she'll give in to you. Trent wondered if that applied to boys, too.
This year was Romeo and Juliet. Whoever pitched that idea was an absolute genius, atleast in Trent's eyes.
As, arguably, the best and most enthusiastic actor in his year, of course he was chosen for Romeo. It wasn't really a tough competition, mostly because all the boys insisted they didn't need a 'dumb gay role in a dumb gay show' to prove their 'manliness', or lack thereof. Trent thought otherwise.
It was no surprise when his fellow cast members proved to be slightly less competent. Even some of the preps, who swore up and down that they were of English descent, were constantly fumbling over their words and hesitating.
"Take it from act one, scene five...your line; 'if i profane'. Trent!" Miss Peters prompted, giving a small clap. The auditorium fell silent.
Trent briefly glanced at his script, then up at Lola, who only wanted the part of Juliet to make Johnny jealous, or something. It was beyond everyone how Lola got the lead in yet another play after her display of carelessness last year, but it was either Lola or Pinky. Surprisingly, not alot of girls want to kiss Trent Northwick infront of the entire school. Beatrice Trudeau was considered, but Miss Peters didnt want Trent catching any cold sores from her. That was just about the only sliver of mercy Miss Peters has ever shown.
Trent took Lola's hand, hers was limp in his, and he could see her face fall in disinterest. Regardless, he tried to keep his face smiling.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand,
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this-"
Lola pulled her hand away, cringing fully. Trent stopped, and couldn't help a small sigh.
"What is it now, Lola?" Miss Peters cried, throwing her arms out by her sides.
"It's just-..." Lola trailed off into a scoff, looking around the crowd.
"Lombardi, take 5." Miss Peters dismissed, tutting as she looked back to her script. Lola mumbled something in that inaudible sassy tone he had heard over and over since the beginning of rehearsals, and Trent watched her walk right up to Johnny Vincent who was lingering by the entrance.
Trent rolled his eyes a little. They'd never finish the play by this rate - and he had no idea why Lola was so hesitant to even hold his hand. Trent was a right hotshot! Even Beatrice would be more enthused than her.
"Olsen, sub in." Miss Peters' suddenly demanding voice wasnt what drove Trent out of his daydream. Rather, what it was she said.
Kirby Olsen had been dragging a prop across the stage when he just so happened to have caught Miss Peter's line of view. Kirby was just about the only Jock who was made to help out with the play because one: he was strong, and two: he was... well, small enough to go unnoticed. Trent found that bizzare, but he didn't mind. Not at all, if it meant he got to see the other boy in a less jock-infested area and instead in a more trent-like atmosphere.
"But I'm-" Kirby was quick to defend himself, but there was no reasoning with that woman. Trents eyes dart back and forth between the two, feeling an undeniable smile begin to curve his lips.
"Just for this scene. Hurry. Take this script."
Kirby froze up, and Miss Peters was getting increasingly more impatient the longer kirby stood there.
"Kirby!" She yelled, which didnt do much to give the smaller boy a sense of urgency. Trent watched with parted lips as Kirby's face heated up until it was red, sharing small glances with Trent until awkwardly scooting to the front of the stage to take the heavily annotated script off of Miss Peters.
A fuller grin made its way onto Trent's face as Kirby hesitantly took his place infront of him, avoiding eye contact and now seeming very keen on licking his lips over and over while trying to find which line to go from.
"There." Trent stood a little closer to Kirby as he pointed at the beginning of his line. Kirby hissed something along the lines of 'I know' whilst leaning away slightly.
The script had many lines highlighted in blue, and Trent remembered Miss Peters highlighting the lines Lola needed to work on, or needed to memorise. The whole damn script was blue.
"Action." Snapped Miss Peters, putting an exhausted hand to her temple. Barely given enough time to prepare, the two scramble back into their places. Trent clears his throat.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:"
Trent couldnt help a smirk, taking Kirby's fisted hand in his own while Kirby just glanced around, mortified.
"My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."
Trent was unsure where he found the sudden confidence in his voice. Perhaps he was just trying to further embarrass the other boy by being utterly flamboyant, or maybe Kirby was just his good luck charm.
Kirby clearly hadn't been paying attention, because the minute he heard 'kiss' he freaked out and pulled his hand back.
"Y-you gonna make me kiss him?" He spluttered, holding the script so tight it crinkled.
"Line, Kirby." Miss Peters scolded. Kirby hastily looked at the next line, facing Trent again.
"Uh...good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much...
Which mannerly devotion shows in this..." kirby mumbled, slowly sinking his face into his script.
"For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch...
And palm to palm is holy palmers’... kiss."
Kirby awkwardly looks back up at trent, who didnt even need to look at the script.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Trent went on, glancing back up at Kirby.
Kirby's face was so red that it could be mistaken for a stop sign. Trent couldn't pull his eyes off the other boy if he desperately wanted to.
"Um...yea, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.." Kirby muttered. Everyone in the auditorium was starting to watch the two on stage rather than worrying about their own props and cues. Trent was hoping Kirby couldnt feel the eyes, but how could you not?
Trent glanced at his script again, eyeing the little 'he kisses her' prompt a few lines down. He looks back up, smiling once again. Trent never kisses Lola in rehearsals because Lola always finds an excuse not to, or Trent is too nervous to do it because Johnny is in the crowd.
"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do." Trent took Kirby's hand again.
"They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair." He continued.
"Alright boys thats enough for today. Go get your lunch." Miss Peters suddenly spoke, checking her watch and putting the script down. She was the first one to leave the auditorium, and that was understandable enough.
Kirby followed immediately, leaving the script - and his dignity - on the stage. Then Trent himself, and everyone else minus a few nerds, who were talking about wanting to 'practice Earnest's speech'. Jeez, only the nerds would want to do something so boring over lunchtime.
Trent found himself following Kirby, and that's when Kirby spun around and jabbed his index into his chest.
"Don't. Mean. Nothing." Kirby warned, doing his best to look intimidating, even with his shorter height and soft brown eyes.
"Hey, didn't say it did." Trent half-laughed, holding his arms out a bit. The unserious manner of his response seemed to have annoyed Kirby, because he just stormed off.
Trent kind-of felt bad for the last rehearsal, because Kirby seemed quite upset. The implications of Kirby's behavior last time was the age-old signs of repressed feelings, duhh!
Trent sat on the edge of the stage, fiddling with the corners of his script. Miss Peters told everyone to take a break while she used the restroom.
"..and would you, my fair lady, care to come to the cinema with me this weekend to watch Romeo and Juliet?" Gord mused, not even needing to put on a faux refined accent for the sake of asking Lola out in character.
Gord played Count Paris, and honestly, if this play had been directed by Gord, then he'd make Juliet be more inlove with Count Paris than Romeo.
"Oh, of course, dear sir! May I ask...what time?" Lola flirted back, putting more effort into it than she has the whole play.
"5:00 this Saturday?" Gord suggested quietly.
"Yes!!" Lola giggled rather loudly, making Gord's attempts at keeping their rendezvous a secret quite futile.
Trent rolled his eyes a little, before Kirby entered his line of view, dragging a chair across the stage. He then had an excellent idea.
Trent quickly rose to his feet, striding over and trying to put on his least unfriendly smile. Both backstage, Trent tried to get his attention.
"Kirby,"
Kirby made a show of ignoring him. If Ignoring meant blushing a deep red and giving trent tiny glances, that is.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" Trent asked anyway. He still had Kirby's attention, so...
Kirby stared at him longer this time, doing his best to look annoyed. Yet again, not replying.
"Because would you maybe want to watch a movie with me?" Trent smiled, leaning against a pillar, before realising it was wobbly and quickly leaning off of it in a goofy way. This distracted Kirby from his annoyance a little, before he quickly remembered as soon as he forgot.
"Are you crazy!!" Kirby hissed through clenched teeth.
"I...have..football practice!" He continued, in a more unsure tone.
"Football practice isn't on Saturdays." Trent stated simply. He only knew that detail because the countless weekends he had gone snooping to see if Kirby was there, the pitch was always empty.
Kirby flushed an even deeper red. As he spluttered for a response, Trent went on.
"Come on, its Romeo and Juliet. Don't you want to see the live-action star-crossed lovers? They're bringing it back this week only. Hell of alot better than watching it re-enacted by a bunch of students..." Trent even batted his eyes at kirby, grinning a little.
Kirby glanced around, absolutely and utterly baffled.
"What is this, Northwick?" Kirby accused, clenching his fists.
Trent never really understood how Kirby was meant to come off as threatening sometimes, because he was so short! He has about the same level of intimidation as a newborn kitten. Trent would probably end up eating his words sooner or later, because Kirby would definitely beat him in a fight.
"An apology?" Trent offered, raising his brows a little.
Trent was unsure what exactly he was apologising for, but the way Kirby physically reacted showed he knew exactly. Kirby even seemed to think about it.
Kirby once again took a glance around. They were backstage, and nobody could see them. Everyone was distracted with something else, and most had bigger issues to worry about than if Kirby Olsen was willing to go out on a movie date with Trent Northwick.
"When?" Kirby mumbled.
"Meet me at the hour of 5:00?" Trent thought he was being funny by trying to quote Romeo. Kirby was too caught up in his inner-closet turmoil to even realise.
"..."
Kirby nodded.
"Sweet!" Trent grinned a little, making a conscious effort to keep his voice low.
"See you then." He added, walking back out to the stage, where Gord was trying to fit a costume tiara on Lola's head.
He just got a date.
With Kirby.