The Blind Date
new DG members only by unanimous vote.
    As soon as Cass set down her iPad, Devon eagerly started to explain her “big idea.”
    â€œI suppose it could’ve waited until tomorrow,” she admitted as she picked up her slice of cheese pizza, “but it’s such a fabulous idea, I couldn’t wait to tell you guys.”
    â€œSo tell us,” Abby urged.
    Devon nodded eagerly. “Okay . . . So I was in the drama department talking to Mr. Ramsay about trying out for the spring play. He hasn’t announced what it’s going to be yet, but I wanted him to know that I played the lead at my old school—although it wasn’t a musical and I heard Northwood’s spring play might be a musical and—”
    â€œWhat does this have to do with—”
    â€œHey!” Devon shook her finger at Cassidy. “ I was talking.”
    â€œSorry.” Cassidy looked down at the iPad where she was taking notes and, unless Bryn was mistaken, looked slightly contrite—which was unusual.
    â€œAnyway,” Devon continued, “I noticed someone pushing this rack of costumes past the stage and I went over to check them out and found the most gorgeous gown ever. The guy told me it was from a Shakespeare production from a year or two ago. And it turns out it was for Juliet—and let me tell you the dress is absolutely beautiful. It’s purple velvet and magenta satin and this luscious brocade skirt—it’s amazing!”
    â€œThat’s the dress my sister Tara wore,” Bryn exclaimed. “She played Juliet in her junior year.”
    â€œOh, yeah, I remember,” Abby said. “She made such a beautiful Juliet.”
    â€œYeah, except for that horrid black wig that Mr. Ramsay insisted she wear.”
    â€œWell, a blonde Juliet would’ve been—”
    â€œ Excuse me ,” Devon said loudly. “I was trying to explain my plan.”
    â€œGo ahead,” Bryn said a bit indignantly. “I only wanted to point out that my sister wore that dress and my grandmother sewed that dress. Just in case anyone cares to know.”
    â€œOh.” Devon nodded. “Well, it’s a very nice gown and it looked well made—a lot more substantial than a lot of costumes. So anyway, I took it over to Mr. Ramsay and asked him if the drama department ever loans out costumes.”
    â€œLoans out costumes?” Bryn frowned. “You mean to just anyone?”
    â€œMr. Ramsay said that there was not any kind of loan policy,” Devon continued. “So I asked him, what about renting out costumes? I mean, couldn’t the drama department use a little extra money to put toward the next production or to buy new costumes? I reminded him about how we’re always hearing about budget cuts and how something has got to go. So what if they rented costumes and made some money for the drama department? You know, to use for future costumes.” Devon beamed at them. “And Mr. Ramsay liked my idea. In fact, he liked it so much that he agreed to let me rent the Juliet costume.”
    â€œBut I thought we’re supposed to go as book characters—isn’t Romeo and Juliet a play?” Abby asked.
    â€œThat doesn’t matter,” Devon told her.
    â€œWe’re supposed to dress up like literary characters,” Cassidy explained. “Anyone from literature—well, as long as they’re not evil Halloween monsters. That’s the whole point, to keep kids from dressing like vampires and werewolves and witches and things.”
    â€œBut all those are literary characters,” Devon protested.
    â€œYes,” Cassidy agreed. “But it’s still not allowed.”
    For a while they argued over what defined a literarycharacter—finally deciding that literature could be in the form of a play or a book or a poem or a fairy tale. “Even Dr. Seuss books could be literary,” Emma claimed. “Anyone want

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