Free Circles by Marilyn Sachs

been putting on Shakespeare plays here for years and years. The school is famous for the plays. She would never approve if we made Romeo and Juliet into a comedy.”
    Now some of the kids on the stage were murmuring their approval of Beebe’s speech. Dave Mitchell stepped over to where she stood, and said, “People from all over the city come to see our plays. We’re supposed to be a model for other schools. Mrs. Kronberger always says kids can enjoy Shakespeare, that you don’t have to water his plays down. And she’s proved it. Last year, when we did Twelfth Night, we had to do three more performances, and the mayor’s wife came to one of them.”
    Now the murmur began to swell. Beebe looked up into Dave’s face with total worship, and he smiled down into hers and patted her on the shoulder.
    Ms. Drumm said solemnly, “Yes, this school certainly owes a great deal to Mrs. Kronberger. She has done a marvelous job of putting this school on the map. She is certainly a marvelous person and a marvelous teacher, and we’ll never forget all the work and time she’s devoted to those plays. There’s nobody like her—and I think it would be very nice if we sent her a card.”
    “We’ve already sent her a card,” Jennifer said.
    “Well, maybe another card to let her know we’re thinking of her.”
    “When ... when is she coming back?” Beebe asked.
    “Well... well... it’s very sad ... and I didn’t want to say anything until she was absolutely sure, but it’s definite now that she won’t be coming back. So that’s why I thought we should send her another card.”
    Beebe felt so frightened, her legs began trembling, and she wondered if she was going to fall. She swayed, and Dave Mitchell put an arm around her shoulder. It should have made her unbearably happy, but it did not. The fear inside her grew and grew until there wasn’t any room for anything else.
    “But ...” somebody began behind her. The sentence remained unfinished. Beebe felt her life would remain unfinished, too, if Mrs. Kronberger did not return. She had planned on taking Mrs. Kronberger’s honors Shakespeare class next year, and she had planned on trying out for next year’s play, whatever it was. Mrs. Kronberger did not know Beebe either as a student or as an actress. She knew her vaguely as somebody who had been picked to play minor parts in both plays Beebe had tried out for, but not as Beebe Clarke, who loved Shakespeare and wanted to be a great Shakespearean actress. She needed Mrs. Kronberger to put the stamp of approval on her. She needed Mrs. Kronberger to say, “Yes, Beebe Clarke, you will be a great Shakespearean actress one day, and in the meantime, I will take an interest in you because you love Shakespeare as I do....”
    Ms. Drumm was speaking, coaxing. “...a little time. Nobody can take Mrs. Kronberger’s place so why not do something different? Why not have a little fun? We’ll come up with a real cute play, and I bet you Mrs. Kronberger will come to a performance and get a big kick out of it. We’ll just take a little time to think this through. I’ve been talking to Ms. Henderson in the P.E. department, and a couple of other teachers....”
    Dave bent over Beebe and whispered in her ear. “Let’s get together afterwards and discuss this. I’ll tell Jenny and Todd. Meet in front of the main entrance at four.”
    Seven of them gathered on the steps in front of the entrance. Wanda was the only one smiling. “A bunch of conspirators, that’s what we look like,” she said. “It’s like out of Julius Caesar, not Romeo and Juliet. “
    “She must be crazy,” Jennifer said. “Nobody’s going to want to act in such a nutty play. I think we should just go talk to the principal and tell him we want another faculty advisor.”
    “Absolutely,” Dave agreed. “If a bunch of us go, he’ll know we mean business.”
    “Maybe we should write up a petition first,” Rebecca Chin suggested. “If we could have