After we moved desks to sit in our respective groups, Mrs. Brown handed out our assignments.  Sitting inches away from my crush felt so surreal.  The only time I was that close to her was when she had inadvertently whacked me in the with her bag as I passed her desk one day.   

I was so nervous, I couldn’t bring myself to meet Tiffany’s gaze and decided to stare at a tile on the floor instead.  While all of the other groups were busy chatting away, no one said anything for a solid minute.  After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, I decided to break the ice.

“Sooo, it seems like our group has been assigned Act II, Scene II.”  I said, not looking at anyone in particular.

I felt a sense of relief when Tiffany spoke.  “Are either of you familiar with this part of the story?  We must be lucky since we got the famous balcony scene.” 

I had a feeling she loved the story from the hint of excitement in her voice.  “Our part has three roles; Romeo, Juliet, and the nurse.  Wooyoung, since you’re the only guy, you’ll be assigned the role of Romeo.  I was interested in reading the part of Juliet, but I’m okay with anything.  Yuri, do you have a preference?” As she said this, I noticed she looked directly at me with inquiring eyes.  

Wait, is she asking me whether I like guys or girls?

I’ll admit it; she had been talking a mile a minute and I was too caught up in her beauty to really listen to what she was saying.    

“Sorry, could you repeat that?” I said, confused as to why she’d ask me that.

Tiffany flashed me a weird look.  “I asked whether you’d prefer to read the part of Juliet or the nurse.”

“Oh, ummm, I’m fine with anything.  I have no problem being your nurse, I mean, anyone’s nurse or whatever….”  I said as I laughed nervously, willing myself to stop talking.  I was relieved when Wooyoung decided to speak up.

“If I could interrupt for a minute, I’d like to say something.” 

“Go ahead, Wooyoung,” Tiffany said with a smile.

“The thing is….” Wooyoung trailed off.  “I’m not very confident and outgoing like the both of you.  Just the thought of having to speak in front of others scares me.  I know I should be Romeo since I’m a guy, but seeing how many lines there are for his part, I don’t think I’ll be able to do a good job.  If it’s okay, could I switch with Yuri and be the nurse instead?”

Tiffany and I glanced at each other in surprise.

“The last thing we want would be for you to feel uncomfortable.”  Tiffany’s nonchalant attitude caught me off guard.  “Yuri, are you okay with being Romeo?  I would have suggested you could be Juliet, but both roles have almost the same amount of lines.  It’s quite progressive for a girl to read the part of Romeo, but there’s no law that says it’s not allowed.”

The way she seemed to be so cool with everything made me relax a little.  “Yeah, that’s fine with me.  As much as I dislike public speaking, I think Wooyoung dislikes it more.”  I said, causing everyone to laugh.

“It’s settled then.  Wooyoung, you’ll read the role of the nurse.  I’ll be reading as Juliet and Yuri will be Romeo,” Tiffany said with a smile.

Great.  I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, Romeo.