Free Fight by Helen Chapman Page A

they started a gang.
    Being in a gang didn’t mean you had to put up with everything its members did. And Aaron was messing about. It wasn’t fair on her and the other students. What was Mr Jay going to think?
    Claire knew she had to put things right. She danced right up to Aaron and hissed ‘What are you doing? Mr Jay will think we’re all hopeless if you keep messing about like that.’
    Aaron looked at the other dancers. ‘No, he won’t,’ he said. ‘Everyone is doing their favourite dance steps. That’s all that I’m doing, too.’
    Claire didn’t know what to say! Kickboxing was not a dance step. Aaron really was a loser.
    Mr Jay watched every dancer. They all had their own style and they were all very good. After a few more minutes he asked everyone to stop dancing.
    Aaron was disappointed. ‘I was enjoying that. I like mixing martial arts with dancing,’ he said to Claire.
    â€˜I can see that,’ said Claire. ‘But they’re two different skills, and they just don’t go together.’
    â€˜Let me tell you what we’ve been doing,’ said Mr Jay. ‘That was a surprise audition. This class is going to do a dance performance of
Romeo and Juliet
and I had to decide which parts you are all going to get. Claire, you’ll dance the role of Juliet.’
    Claire could not believe her luck. Getting to dance the role of Juliet was so exciting. She was already thinking about what she would wear to the first rehearsal. Maybe something soft and floaty? She was so busy thinking about what to wear that she didn’t hear Mr Jay when he said:
    â€˜Aaron, you’ll dance the role of Romeo.’
    Mr Jay went on telling the others what roles they would dance.
    Aaron tapped Claire on her arm. ‘Hey, I get to dance the role of Romeo,’ he said. ‘How great is that? You and me have both got the lead roles.’
    Claire’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe Mr Jay had given the part of Romeo to Aaron, after the way he had been messing about with his martial arts moves. She didn’t know what to say.
    â€˜You guys can bail,’ said Mr Jay.
    The class stood there. Yet again they had no idea what he was talking about. ‘
Bail
means leave, go, depart,’ he explained. He waved his arms. ‘I’ll put rehearsal times up on the noticeboard. Now shoo!’

The first rehearsal was after school the next day. Claire was excited about being Juliet. She wore her best white leotard and a long white skirt. She hurried into the dance studio where Mr Jay was waiting.
    â€˜We all know
Romeo and Juliet is
a story about two teenagers in love,’ said Mr Jay. ‘Their families are always fighting and they aren’t allowed to get together. They get married secretly but then everything goes wrong and it has a very sad ending. No surprises there.’
    He stopped talking for a moment and looked at the students.
    â€˜But what I’m going to say next might be a surprise,’ He said. ‘We are going to do
Romeo and Juliet
as a modern ballet. It’s set on another planet and you are going to be aliens. Your families are still fighting so the story is just the same.’
    Aaron started to get more interested. Aliens sounded fun! A lot more fun than a soppy love story!
    â€˜Aliens!’ said Claire. She looked at herself in the mirror. She knew she wouldn’t be wearing a beautiful dress after all.
    â€˜I want to see you dance as if you are aliens,’ said Mr Jay. ‘Use your imagination and give me something new.’
    Now Aaron started to get worried. He wasn’t sure what to do. He had enjoyed mixing his martial arts moves with dance, but could he keep on doing that? Mr Jay wanted to see even more new things, and Aaron was running out of ideas.
    Claire had made up her mind. Her alien would dance like a ballerina anyway. She danced across the floor using her favourite ballet