THEN YOU LOOK AT ME
Chapter Three

Jack Dawson, eighteen, pulled open the Warehouse Theater door and walked in. He decided to sit up close to the stage, and to his relief, not a lot of people were there yet. Taking a seat in the middle of the first row, Jack pulled a laptop out from this backpack and started typing. He had to finish this college admittance essay for UCLA by tonight so he could have it in the mail tomorrow. If he didn't get it done, he wouldn't have a chance at going down to California for college. Other then UCLA, Jack had applied to The University of Wisconsin and to the University of Seattle. Jack wanted to go to Seattle more than anywhere, but he decided to have backups. One of the reasons Jack wanted to go to Seattle most of all was the fact that he wanted to focus on the arts. Another reason was that Jack had grown up about two-and-a-half hours from Seattle and he knew the area well. He had been born in the town of Ellensburg, WA, and had lived there until his parents had died about two years back. After that, Jack had moved in with his aunt and uncle in Spokane. They had just moved from 'in town' too farther out, in a little area off Indian Trail. Jack liked his new neighborhood, a lot. It was a lot better than in town, and there was a girl down the street that Jack had noticed the last few days. She had this long curly red hair and was a little shorter then himself. He had seen her walking with two girls, twins, the other day when he had been watching his younger cousins: Aaron, who was six, and Felicity, who was eight. The girl hadn't noticed him because he had been inside the house and he had just happened to be looking out the window when she passed by. And even though they hadn't met, Jack couldn't get the girl out of his head. He had thought he had seen her at the audition yesterday, but had later decided it was just his imagination. Jack had been picked for the role of Romeo, something he was very excited about. He had been about the only boy at Shadle High School who had actually liked Shakespeare. Not like to the point of obsessing over it, but still liking it enough to understand it and want to be in any play of his. Now Jack's only worry was who was going to be Juliet. He hoped it wasn't some ditzy or snobby girl, like Mary Anne Whitmore. He shuddered when he thought of Mary Anne. He had starred opposite her last year when they had done A Christmas Carol. They had gone out on a date, and once was more then enough for Jack. Within five minutes, he knew that Mary Anne was a fake and couldn't be trusted. He also knew Mary Anne still liked him, but Jack had sworn to himself that he would never fall for any of her tricks.

"Done!" he whispered triumphantly after clicking the save button. He re-read the essay, making sure nothing was misspelled or a weird word was anywhere and then closed the laptop up. Jack shoved the computer back into his bag and then looked around. A lot more people were here now, most of whom he didn't recognize. Just then he saw his friend Tommy Ryan, who had gotten the understudy role of Romeo, walk in. Jack waved and Tommy ran over.

"Hey," Tommy said, sitting down next to Jack.

"Hi," Jack responded back. "Did ya see anyone we know when you were walking in?" he asked.

Tommy shook his head. "No, no one we knew. But I did see this really hot chick walk in. She had this long red hair and was walking like she didn't have a care in the world. Dude, she had this black skirt on that went down to her knees and then this white blouse on that made her hair stand out even more. Jack, man, I am telling you, she was hot."

Jack laughed before an idea formed in his mind. The girl Tommy was talking about sounded a lot like the girl he had seen walking. Maybe she had been here yesterday.

"Okay everyone! Quiet down!" Jack turned and saw Mr. Lawrence walk up on stage and address everyone there. He began to talk about rehearsals and how everyone needed to be there every time. Then he told the crowd that the play dates would be July thirty-first and August first, which meant only two months of preparation. They were going to have to work hard and this play would have to be their life for the next eight weeks or so, Mr. Lawrence told them.

"Now, we are going to get to know each other a little and then we are going to do some warm up voice exercises," Mr. Lawrence said. He held up some sticker nametags. "Each of you is going to get one of these. I want you to write the character name you are playing on it. If you are an understudy, write the character and then 'understudy' in parentheses. Now, once everyone has one, we are all going to get on the stage and learn who is doing what. Okay, everyone up and move!"

The whole crowd got up and filed out on stage. Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis handed out name stickers and pens. After he got his, Jack leaned against the wall and wrote his character.

"Romeo," he whispered to himself. In smaller letters, under Romeo, Jack wrote his real name. He peeled off the back and then stuck the sticker to his shirt. Tommy walked over just then and pointed at something.

"Look Jack, there's that girl I was talking about," he said. Jack turned his eyes and saw where Tommy was pointing. It was the girl that had been walking! Even from the back, Jack could tell it was her. So his mind hadn't been playing tricks on him the other day.

"I am going to go over there and, ah, see who she is playing," Jack whispered, hoping to get enough courage up to actually talk to this girl.

"You do that, Jack. Gwen would kill me if she found out that I was actually talking to another girl," Tommy said, pushing Jack a little. Gwen Logic was Tommy's three-month girlfriend, and frankly, Jack couldn't stand her. She was like a scarier version of Mary Anne. Jack shook his head and pushed thoughts of Mary Anne and Gwen out of his mind. Slowly, he walked over to where the girl was standing. Taking a deep breath, he tapped the girl on the shoulder. Jack watched as she turned and then gasped.

Rose had been standing in the middle of the crowd that had gathered on the stage when he felt someone tap her shoulder. She immediately turned around and gasped at what she saw. It was the boy from yesterday! The one with the blond hair that she had thought was cute! Rose took a deep breath and looked down at his nametag. Romeo! He was playing Romeo! She watched as he looked at her own nametag and then he too gasped.

"Hi," the boy said after a moment, smiling at her for the first time. Rose smiled back and tried to control her breathing. The boy had these piercing blue eyes that were making Rose melt. She couldn’t figure out what it was, but this boy was doing something to make her feel like this. "I guess you're playing Juliet," the boy stated. Rose just nodded. "I'm Jack, Jack Dawson," the boy, Jack, said holding out his hand. Rose stuck her own hand out and slipped it into Jack's.

"Ah, Rose DeWitt Bukater," she said, finally finding her voice.

Jack chuckled and dropped her hand. "I am gonna have to get you to write that one down." Rose laughed, making Jack smile. "So, I guess we're going to be working together," Jack said after a minute.

"Yes, we are. I...well...I didn't think guys like you were interested in Shakespeare," Rose said.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I didn't think so either. But I do. I love plays. But Shakespeare’s are my favorite. I also like art. Do you enjoy art?"

Rose nodded. "Actually, yes I do. My mother doesn’t though, and so I didn't really get to see much until a few years ago. I am still learning."

Jack smiled. "Maybe I could teach you some stuff later."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"So, how old are you?" Jack asked.

"Eighteen," Rose replied. "What about you?"

"I am eighteen, too. I just graduated from Shadle."

"Oh," Rose said. "I just graduated from Gonzaga Prep. No wonder I haven't seen you before."

Jack laughed. "Yeah."

"So, ah, where are you going to college?" Rose asked, trying to make small talk.

"I don’t know. Either the University of Washington or UCLA," Jack replied. "What about you?"

Rose smiled. "Oh, I don't know yet, either. I wanted to go over to England and study drama over there, but I didn't get accepted. And even if I had gotten accepted, I don't know that I would have gone. It’s such a long ways away. Right now I am trying to decide between UCLA and the University of Washington also."

Jack nodded. "I was thinking about going to the University of Wisconsin at first, but then I decided it was kind of far away and I hate to be so far from my aunt and uncle. I am applying to UCLA today, since it is closer than Wisconsin, but even if I do get accepted, I don't know that I'll go."

"Aunt and uncle?" Rose asked, confused.

"Yeah, I live with my Aunt Maddy and Uncle Robert. My parents died two years ago," Jack said sadly.

Rose gasped and put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, I am sorry, Jack! I didn't mean to be so nosy," she apologized.

Jack smiled. "It's okay. You had no way of knowing."

Rose smiled back, and then said, "You know, my father died a while back, too."

"I am sorry, too," Jack whispered. This was weird. He always felt bad talking about his parents. He was supposed to be in the car that some jerk ran into and killed them that night, but he had needed to study for a test and had stayed home. But now, Jack felt like he could talk to Rose about this stuff. She had had the same type of thing happen to her.

Rose shook her head. "Don't say sorry, Jack. It wasn't your fault."

Jack smiled at her and then looked around. "So, do you know anyone else here?" he asked.

Rose looked around, trying to find Linda. "Ah, see that girl over there? The one in the ponytail and blue shirt." Jack nodded as he looked to where Rose was pointing. "That’s Linda Jones. She used to be in my drama class. Other than her, I really don't know anyone. How about you?"

Jack pointed to a boy standing about ten feet away talking to Mr. Lawrence. "That’s Tommy Ryan. He and I went to school together. He's going to be the understudy of Romeo, so I am sure you'll get to know him."

Rose smiled. "Yep, most likely."

"Okay everyone!" Mr. Lawrence’s voice came through all the talking. "I want everybody to sit down in a circle and we're going to do some voice warm-ups."

The crowd sat down in a big circle and Rose heard someone mumble how so kindergarten this was. Rose didn't mind, though. She was used to things like this. To her surprise, Jack sat down next her. Rose looked over and saw Jack smile. Rose smiled back and then turned away so that Jack couldn’t see her blush.

*****

For the next few days, the cast members of Romeo and Juliet all were taught about Shakespeare and his life. Mr. Lawrence and Mrs. Lewis explained more about Romeo and Juliet and on Thursday they started watching the movie. Actual lines and play practices, where they would start getting into character and working on lines, would start next week. Until then, it was just a bunch of information that would help everyone with the dialogue and to know about his or her character. For Rose, it was all review. She had been taking a summer Shakespeare class from the time she was thirteen up until last year. Now, much to her disappointment, she was too old to join.

On Friday, Mr. Lawrence announced that they would finish watching Romeo and Juliet and then talk about the film. Rose sat in the back of the theater and looked up at the big screen they had set up on stage. It was a projector screen that had been used over the years for things like this. The movies were played from a projector that sat up on top of the balcony whenever it needed to be used. She took out her notebook real quick and started writing. Rose, if she couldn't become an actress, wanted to be a writer. So far she had written a few short stories and was now working on her next one. Rose still wasn't sure what the story was going to be called, but so far it was about this girl named Faye who was growing up during World War Two. Suddenly, Rose noticed someone sit down next to her. She turned her head and to her surprise saw Jack sitting down. She had expected him to sit next to Tommy like yesterday. Rose's heart started to beat wildly. For the past five days, she and Jack had been talking and hanging out, just getting to know each other. They were going to be spending two months together anyway. She liked him a lot already. But she didn't know if Jack liked her. Rose hasn't expected Jack to sit next to her to watch a movie. And the lights were going off too!

"Hi," Jack whispered, waving a little.

Rose smiled, and then shoved her notebook into her bag. 'Oh my God,' she thought excitedly as she brought her head back up and looked at the screen, the lights dimming as she did. She couldn't believe that Jack had sat next to her. The thought of being next to him in the dark sent her mind spiraling. Jack Dawson was the perfect guy in Rose's mind. He was likable, always made her laugh, liked the most of the same things she did, was smart, knew about drama and different artists, and Rose had even found out that he too couldn't stand Mary Anne Whitmore. This was a big plus as far as Rose was concerned. She couldn't imagine being friends with anyone who liked Mary Anne.

Jack took a deep breath as the lights dimmed. Rose had looked shocked when she had noticed him sit down, like she couldn't believe that he would want to sit next to her. He had thought that maybe Rose had liked him, at least a little bit, and sitting next to her might make her realize that Jack liked her. At least he hoped. Jack really liked Rose. She was the most outstanding woman he had ever met. She was funny, smart, loved the arts, knew a lot about Shakespeare, and was beautiful, too. She even shared the deep hatred that Jack had for Mary Anne. He desperately wanted to ask Rose out, but didn't know what she'd say. Jack was scared of being rejected. Just then, the movie started back up, right where had left off yesterday. A hush fell over the drama students and then all was quiet. Olivia Hussy, who played Juliet, came onto screen. She was fighting with her father about whether or not he was going to make her marry the Count Paris. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Rose start to say the words silently to herself.

He leaned over next to her and whispered, "I wish I knew the words as well as you." Jack could tell, even in the dark, that she was blushing.

"I have been practicing the lines for months," she whispered back.

Jack smiled and took Rose's hand, much to her surprise. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked.

Rose shook her head and then went back to looking at the movie screen. Her heart was beating around a million miles an hour. She couldn't believe that Jack wanted to hold her hand. Rose suddenly laughed to herself. She was acting like a twelve-year-old girl. But still, she couldn't get it through her head that Jack liked her. Rose smiled to herself and then went back to paying attention to the movie. At least halfway. Half of her attention was on Jack, who never did move from leaning in close to her.

*****

After class that day, Jack followed Rose out to her car. Rose pretended not to be nervous about what he was following her around for, but she knew Jack could tell that she had her mind on something. As Rose started to unlock the door, she heard Jack ask, "Rose?"

She turned around immediately and looked at him. "Yeah?" she asked, trying to sound calm.

"Well, see, well, the thing is..." Jack swallowed and looked Rose straight in the eye. "Rose, will you go out with me tomorrow? That is, if you're not busy or anything."

Rose's insides jumped. Jack was asking her out! She couldn't believe this either. This was better then the hand holding. "No," Rose blurted, and then she realized what it must have sounded like. "I mean, no, I am not doing anything and yes I will go out with you."

Jack smiled. "Really?"

Rose laughed. "Really, Jack. I like you, a lot."

Jack laughed too. "I like you, a lot, too, Rose. So do you wanna go to a movie or something?"

Rose nodded. "A movie sounds good."

Jack smiled. "So, I'll pick you up around seven?"

"Seven is good," Rose said excitedly. "Ah, you know where--"

"Skagit is, off of Bedford, off of Sundance, which is off of Indian Trail?" Jack asked, interrupting her. He watched as shock formed on her face.

"How did you know that?" she asked quietly.

"I live right down the street, Rose," Jack said, and then laughed.

"What?" Rose asked before laughing.

Jack nodded. "Yep, I live two houses away from yours. It’s the big blue one, with the white trimming. I saw you walking a little while back with these two girls, twins. I saw you go home yesterday, too. You didn't see me, though."

Rose smiled. "Those twins were Mollie and Liza Finlon. They live right next to me, on the right."

"Oh, I live to the left of you." Jack laughed.

Rose laughed, too. "Well, at least you don't need directions."

Jack nodded and then laughed again. Rose was desperate, she didn’t want Jack to leave. Then she got an idea. "Say, Jack, do you need a ride home?" She didn't know if he had a car or even brought it if he did.

"Well, Tommy was going to give me a ride home, since he lives on Pima and we often trade driving to this thing, but I am sure he wouldn't mind if I caught another ride home."

Rose smiled. "Well go tell him you're gonna go with me."

Jack nodded and then ran back inside, where Tommy still was. Rose got into her car, buckled up, and unlocked the doors. She waited until Jack came back outside before starting the ignition. He got into the passenger’s side and buckled up.

"Whenever you reach for me, I'll do whatever I can!" Celine Dion's voice came loudly over the stereo. Rose gasped. She had forgotten Celine was in. Jack probably hated Celine Dion! She blushed and went to turn the CD off.

"No, no, no, I like Celine Dion," Jack said before she could get to the stereo.

"You like Celine Dion?" Rose repeated as she started to back up out of the parking lot.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, she's awesome."

Rose turned onto the road before saying, "I didn't think that guys, well around our age, liked her."

Jack shrugged. "I do, but I am different I guess. I like other stuff too, like Eminem and Sisqo, but that is about as rappy as I can stand. Blink 182 and Matchbox Twenty are pretty cool too. I also like Mariah Carey and stuff."

Rose laughed. "You sound like you like the same type of stuff I do. I can't stand that really rappy stuff. Mollie's old boyfriend loved it and played it all the time. It drove me crazy; I got so sick of it."

Jack smiled. "I don't like it, either." Rose smiled back and then stopped for a red light.

"...I could love someone, I could trust someone. I said I'd never let nobody near my heart again, darling, I said I'd never let nobody in. But if you ask me too, I just might change my mind...."

Rose blushed when she heard the lyrics of the song. Here she was, in a car with Jack, alone, listing to song about finding someone they liked. Jack could tell she was edge so he started singing along with the CD. Rose laughed and started to drive again as soon as the light turned green. Before long, both she and Jack were singing along with the CD. When the song was over, Rose smiled, she hadn't felt this happy in a long time. Jack turned it to number five and started pretending he was playing a piano.

"There were nights when the wind was so cold..." he sang imitating Celine's voice. Rose laughed and started singing along with him again. By the time that song was over, Rose felt like she had know Jack for five years instead of five days. It was weird, and amazing, how much a drive home could change to people.

"You know, one of my favorite songs on this CD is this one," Jack said flipping the songs to something. Rose recognized the song immediately. It was called My Heart Will Go On.

"Every night in my dreams, I see you, I feel you..." Rose immediately started singing softly. She always felt a weird feeling in her heart whenever she heard this song. Jack started singing too, and before long, they had divided up the parts, singing a duet.

"Man, I love that song. There is just something about it that makes me feel weird, you know. Like it was meant for me or something," Jack whispered a few seconds after it was over.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, it’s beautiful."

Jack flipped the songs again, this time to Then You Look At Me, and began singing along with that, too. Rose felt her cheeks turn warm at the sound of this song too. It seemed as if Jack was picking all the songs that were songs about people finding love. She sighed happily and listened as Jack continued to sing along with her favorite singer.

*****

"Good-bye, Rose. Thanks for the ride," Jack said, hanging his head through the open door. Rose had just pulled up in Jack's driveway and he had just gotten out.

"Bye, Jack," Rose said, smiling at him. "See you tomorrow."

Jack smiled back at her. "Bye, Rose," he said, before closing the door and then running up the front steps and into the house.

Rose smiled and then slowly pulled away. Jack's house was a few houses away from hers and was almost identical to hers. It was a little smaller, different color and there was a little bit more yard, but that was it. The rest was the same. As she pulled into her own driveway, Rose thought about her date tomorrow. Thinking about being Jack was giving her an excited feeling she had never felt before. Somehow she know that Jack was someone special.

Chapter Four
Stories