It was the start of a new theatre show, and Y/N couldn't be happier. As she was walking down the halls of East High School, she couldn't help but dream about the next play that was just starting. Auditions were held a few days ago, and Y/N knew that she ate the performance up. There was something about Romeo and Juliet that sparked a sense of happiness in her like no other show could. She knew the role of Juliet was hers, she could feel it in her bones. 

The sound of her Converse hitting the tiled floor grounded her to this experience. Sure, she was a freshman, and this was her first huge play, but Y/N knew she would get the lead. There was no doubt about it. 

"There's my baby sister!" Nini's voice rang through the otherwise empty hallway, making Y/N jump. She spun around and saw her sister and Kourtney, their shared best friend. Y/N stuck her tongue out at Nini, who only grinned at her in response. "Are you ready to get the cast list for Romeo and Juliet?"

"First of all," Y/N says, stopping in her tracks to allow Nini and Kourtney to catch up, "I'm not your baby sister. I'm only a couple months younger than you, and you know that. Second of all, no, I'm not excited."

Kourtney's eyes widened, and she said, "Girl, you have to be lying. You were literally just talking about the play at lunch. What could happen in a few hours?"

"Yeah, you're right, I am pumped." Y/N took a deep breath, trying to settle her racing heart. She was more than excited and pumped because this was her dream. She had been practicing for this role ever since she was a little girl. She would die if she didn't get the role. "Hurry up, slowpokes! We need to get going! I don't want to miss hearing the cast list."

"Rude much?"

"Nini, I will call our moms and tell them that you're bullying their favorite child."

"Okay, girlies," Kourtney said, reaching Y/N's side. She glared between the two of them, and Y/N smiled brightly at her best friend. "No more fighting. I don't like being the referee when you two decide to start taking your frustrations out on each other."

"Yes, ma'am." Y/N saluted Kourtney. She turned to her sister to see her rolling her eyes. "Nini, I forgive you for being slow."

"Thanks," she said drily. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's get going."

The three of them started walking again, and Y/N could feel her nerves start acting up. She was nervous about the announcement, but she was also excited. There was something deep inside her that knew that she was destined for this role, and she desperately wanted to listen to that part of her, not the nervous side. 

Y/N wondered who the lead of Romeo would go to. She knew that EJ Caswell auditioned for the role, and just thinking about her crush made her cheeks heat up. It would be a miracle if they got the leads together. But she would accept that miracle because she was way too nervous to even try to talk to him outside of Acting Club. Y/N sent a quick prayer up to whoever was listening to her, asking if they could pair her up with EJ. Maybe something good would come from it.

Kourtney held the door to the theatre open, and Y/N slipped through. She saw their other friends sitting downstage, and she hurried over to them. She sat down next to Ricky and Big Red, who were quietly chatting to each other. Quickly glancing around the group, Y/N was happy to see EJ sitting at the other end of the stage, peering closely at his phone. 

The wooden floors were hard underneath Y/N, but she wasn't focused on that. Excitement flooded through her body as Miss Jenn walked upstage. If they were just a few minutes later, they would have missed the announcement. Y/N was glad that she pushed Nini and Kourtney to hurry. 

Miss Jenn cleared her throat, clapping once to get their attention. "Happy Announcement Day! This day couldn't have come any sooner, and I am so ready to announce the cast list!" Y/N's heartrate doubled, and her head grew heavy, and stars appeared in her eyes. This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life. "Drum roll, please!" 

Y/N excitedly drummed against the wooden floor. As the drumming died down and Miss Jenn started saying who got smaller parts, Y/N started thinking. She couldn't believe that this day was happening. Ever since she saw the 1996 version of Romeo + Juliet that starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Y/N knew that the role of Juliet was hers. That was the only movie that got her through the few lonely years at the orphanage before her mom's adopted her. 

"And now for the lead roles," Miss Jenn. Everyone was silent, so silent that Y/N swore they'd be able to hear a pin drop. Her cheeks flushed when she realized that Miss Jenn was staring at her general vicinity. She wasn't sure if she was looking at Y/N or Nini. "The role of Juliet goes to . . . Y/N Salazar-Roberts!" 

Nini screamed in her ear, but all Y/N could do was sit there. She couldn't believe her ears. Did Miss Jenn really choose her to play Juliet? 

Tears welled up behind her eyes when she realized that she was finally achieving her dream. She worked her butt off to get this role, and she was so happy that she could cry. Now, she had to show everyone else that this was her role and that she deserved it.

"The role of Romeo is going to . . . EJ Caswell!"

No. Freaking. Way. 

"No one can beat Leo!" someone from the crowd yelled as she sat there, frozen in place. 

"I get that, but EJ is going to do an amazing job."

Everyone around her started chatting amongst themselves. She turned toward Nini and Kourtney, and Nini crushed her in a tight hug. "I knew you could do it," Nini whispered in her ear. "You're going to do such an amazing job, Y/N."

"Thank you so much."

"They're, like, the right ages for Romeo and Juliet!" Y/N heard someone say. 

Anger immediately replaced the happiness coursing through her veins. She quickly stood up, searching through the small crowd of her fellow theater students, trying to find the person that said that. "I may be a freshman, but that doesn't mean I'm fourteen. I was held back in elementary school, which means I'm a year older than what you think."

"And that's why I chose her to be our Juliet," Miss Jenn said, sighing happily. Y/N turned toward her to see her grinning widely at her. "Anyway, this meeting is going to be cut short because I'm actually busy tonight. Our first practice is going to be this Friday night, so clear your schedules! I'll see you guys then."

Y/N made her way back to Nini and Kourtney, bending down to pick her backpack up. She took a shaky breath, wondering where that had come from. She had always harbored some bad feelings about being held back. It wasn't her fault, though. She was dyslexic, but no one had the time at the orphanage to get her tested. After she was adopted, she was diagnosed with dyslexia, and her whole life changed. 

"Y/N?" She froze. That voice was one that she always dreamt about every night. She slowly spun on her heel, her breath catching in her throat when she saw EJ standing there, a small smile on his face. "Since we're the leads of the play, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house and start going over the lines." A nervous look crossed his face, and Y/N felt for him. "I'm a little nervous since this is such a big production."

"Oh," she said, wishing she could get out her head to tell him yes. "Um . . ."

"She'd love to!" Nini said, appearing at her elbow. Kourtney was on the other side of her, and she felt much better being surrounded by her best friends. "What time do you want her over at your house?"

"Would five be good?"

Y/N finally found her voice. She smiled up at EJ, hoping that he didn't hear how her heart was thudding against her chest. "Yeah, five would be great," she said. "I'll see you then."

"Great."

Kourtney and Nini pulled Y/N away from EJ, and they made their way out of the theatre. For the time being, they were silent, but Y/N knew that they were going to be talking about how she was just asked out by her crush. She couldn't believe anything that had happened that night. It felt like she was dreaming, and subconsciously, she pinched her arm. She felt the pain from her pinch, which meant that she was wide awake. This was the best day of her life.

---

Weeks had gone by, and it was opening night of the performance of Romeo and Juliet. Y/N was already dressed up in her outfit for Juliet, but she didn't think she could go out on stage. Peeking around the edge of the curtain, her heart dropped in her chest and her stomach flipped when she saw a full house. 

Turning around, she spotted EJ standing there in his costume. He saw her and a smile worked its way across his face as he made his way over to her. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when he stopped in front of her and said, "Can you believe that tonight is opening night?"

"No," she choked out. 

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for all the extra help you gave me," he said, reaching out and touching her arm. Electricity passed between the two of them, and she jumped away from him. He frowned for a second, dropping his arm to his side. "I wouldn't be where I am right now if it wasn't for you, Y/N. So, thank you."

"Um, you're welcome." She started inching away from him. "Can you excuse me for a second? I have to pee. Like, really bad."

"Yeah, sure."

Bolting away from him, Y/N grabbed the skirt of her dress and held it out of the way of her feet. She didn't want to make a fool out of herself because she was terrified. Running out of the room, she wandered out into the hallway, looking for a random classroom to sit down in. She needed to calm down, but she wasn't able to do that in a room full of people counting on her to have a great show. 

The first door she tried swung right open, and she was glad for that. Stepping into the room, she flicked the lights on, and then walked over to a desk and sat down on it. Sucking in a few deep breaths, she put her head in her hands. She didn't know what came over her. As she was getting ready for the play, she was excited, but right now, in this very moment, she was so afraid. 

This was her dream. She could see herself at age five in her mind's eye, looking excited and happy that she got this role. But older her knew that if she messed up on stage or flubbed a line, she would disappoint younger her. She didn't want to do that. 

But every great actor messed up, right? 

Not Y/N. She was better than that. 

"Y/N?" 

Her head snapped up. Nini was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest. She was also in costume since she was playing a background character, and she look absolutely gorgeous. Y/N knew she didn't look as good as her sister. 

"Hi, Nini. You should probably know that I now have stage fright, so I can't do this anymore."

Nini didn't say anything. Instead, she made her way over to Y/N, sitting down next to her. She opened her arms, and Y/N leaned against her older sister. Even though they weren't blood related, their bond was so strong. Nini may annoy Y/N here and there, but she loved her like no one else did, and for that, she was grateful. 

"What's really going on?"

Y/N let out a shaky sigh, feeling the tears prick her eyes. She didn't want to cry since she already had her makeup on. "What if I disappoint myself, Nini? What if I go out there and crash and burn? I would never, ever step foot on another stage if that happened to me."

"You are the best actress I know. You're going to kill this, and you know that. Everyone has a little bit of stage fright, but you can't allow it to get to you. If you do, then you will only disappoint yourself."

Y/N let Nini's words sink in, and she knew her sister was right. Whatever she was feeling now won't be greater than the happiness she would feel after the play ended. She needed to get out of her head. 

"Thank you," Y/N said, snuggling closer to her sister. Something else was weighing on her mind, so she hesitantly said, "You always ask me how close EJ and I are."

"Yeah."

"Well, do you remember the first night that we went over our lines at his house?" Nini nodded. "We obviously did that, but there was something else I didn't tell you. We nearly kissed."

Nini gasped, pulling away from her sister. Y/N smiled at her sister while Nini glared at her. "Why didn't you tell me this when it happened?"

"Because I was afraid. We both blamed it on the play, but I knew that, for me, at least, I wanted it to happen. I really, really like him, Nini, but I'm not sure if he feels the same way."

"Why don't you ask him after the show?"

Y/N stared in horror at Nini. She knew that she couldn't do that, so why would she even say something like that? Y/N opened her mouth to answer her, but there was a loud noise just outside of the room. It sounded like someone was yelling. The two of them looked at each other before sliding off of the desks and hurrying out of the room. 

Miss Jenn was pacing around the hallway, her face pinched. She looked over at the two of them, a furious look crossing her face. "Where have you two been? It's almost show time!"

"Sorry, sorry," Y/N said. "I was a little nervous, so I had to get fresh air. You don't have to worry about me, though. I'm good now."

---

Adrenaline coursed through her entire body as the whole cast and crew took a bow. Euphoria was bubbling up in her, threatening to crash over the wall she built. Opening night was over, and Y/N reveled in the applause. The night went better than what she expected. She even caught EJ staring at her when she was performing. 

The curtain slowly closed in front of her, and she took one last look at the crowd. Everyone looked like they were crying, which meant that she had done her job. 

Everyone started rushing around, congratulating other cast members of the amazing performance. Y/N looked around and saw her sister talking to Kourtney and Ricky. She smiled at her sisters back before walking toward her stuff. She wanted to get out of the outfit she was wearing and get ready for the afterparty. 

Rounding the corner, she was surprised to see EJ standing there already. He looked incredibly nervous, which was weird. Why was he near her stuff to begin with? And what could he be nervous about? They put on a perfect performance. He should be ecstatic. 

"EJ?" Y/N said. His head whipped to look at her, and she gave him a quick smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," he said. She stopped in front of him, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. "You did an amazing job out there. If there was someone else as Juliet, I don't think the play would have been such a hit. You were born to play that role."

"Thank you," she said, touched. That was all that she ever wanted to hear. "You were amazing, too. I mean, I knew you were a great actor and all, but this was on a whole different level."

"Oh, I didn't think I did all that well."

"You were so good! I love the way you embody Romeo's character. It was definitely different than other versions, but I think that's what made your performance amazing. I love everything you do." Y/N's eyes widened when she realized what she said. EJ had also frozen in place, staring at a spot on the floor. "Uh --"

"I can't stand here and not tell you that I like you," EJ said, interrupting Y/N. She blinked a couple of times, wondering if this was real life. "When we first started practicing our lines together, I thought you were the cutest girl I had ever seen. As the weeks went on, I couldn't help but fall for who you are, Y/N."

"No way," she said, shaking her head. "Are you confessing your feelings?"

"Um, yeah."

"I like you, too! I've liked you since I started going here!" EJ looked up at her, a smile growing across his face. She could feel her own smile growing wider. 

"Well, would you like to be my girlfriend then?"

A squeal escaped her lips. "Yes, yes, of course!" She threw her arms around him, and he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her small frame. "This is literally the best day of my life!"

"I can tell," he said, chuckling softly in her ear. 

Y/N was floating. She loved her life so much. If only she could tell younger her that life wouldn't be so lonely, that it got better once she got adopted. She could only live in the present now so she could make better memories. She deserved that, didn't she? Y/N thought so.