by Sheryl Berk
Since the Romeo and Juliet performance was on February 14, Principal Fontina thought it was only fitting that the cast and audience have a Valentine’s Day party following the show. She asked PLC if they would make a romantic cupcake display in honor of the event.
When Kylie returned to the kitchen, she immediately took out her notebook and pen. “We need ideas for an amazing cupcake display. Let’s have ’em!”
“What do you think of a giant Cupid that shoots cupcakes?” Jenna suggested. “We could launch cupcakes at people as they walk in.”
Kylie shook her head. “Cool but messy. We’d have cupcakes flying all over the cafeteria.”
“Good point,” Jenna said.
“I got it!” exclaimed Sadie. “A giant pair of lips made out of red velvet cupcakes.”
Lexi winced. Working on cupcakes all day, she’d almost forgotten about the play. “Please, let’s not make anything to remind me of that kiss onstage! I’m nervous enough!”
“Do you have any ideas, Lexi?” Kylie asked.
For once, Lexi was stumped. She had nothing in her sketchbook that was this big or romantic. Then she remembered Juliette’s story…
“A giant Valentine’s Day card made out of cupcakes! We can create a huge pink heart and trim it with white lace doilies. We can make light pink and dark pink frosted cupcakes and spell out love in the dark ones.”
Kylie nodded. “I like it. But how do we get the cupcakes to stay on the card?”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Sadie. “We better ask my dad to bring his wood and contractor tools and get started on the heart.”
While the girls mixed pink buttercream and baked dozens of mini vanilla cupcakes, Mr. Harris used his saw to cut a six-foot tall heart out of plywood.
“Wow,” gulped Sadie, coming outside to check. “That is one ginormous heart!”
“Go big or go home, I always say,” her dad replied, sweeping up the sawdust on Kylie’s front walk. “And now I’m going home and leaving the baking to the experts.” He planted a kiss on Sadie’s head. “Later, hon!”
“So now comes the tough part,” said Kylie. “How do we get the cupcakes to stick to the heart?”
“We need something super sticky to hold them,” Lexi said. “What about honey…or molasses…or cream cheese?”
The girls gathered the ingredients from the kitchen and started to experiment. Each cupcake slid down the heart and landed on the lawn.
“Okay, plan B. We need to think outside the box and outside the kitchen,” Jenna said. She handed Lexi a pack of Fun-Tak from her backpack. “Try this.”
Lexi took a big piece of the blue goo and rolled it into a ball. She attached it to the bottom of a cupcake wrapper and stuck it to the heart.
At first, it seemed to work, and Jenna patted herself on the back. “My goo is working!”
Then the cupcake suddenly sprang off the wood and landed on Lexi’s sneaker.
“Really, Jenna?” She tried to shake the pink frosting off her laces. “If it won’t hold longer than five minutes, we are in big trouble.”
Lexi thought hard. “When I want to hang my artwork, I pin it on my bulletin board in my bedroom,” she said. “What if we put Styrofoam over the heart and use toothpicks to pin the cupcakes in place?”
“It’s worth a try,” Kylie replied, and raced downstairs to her basement to get a few pieces of Styrofoam she had left over from last year’s science fair project.
The girls asked Mrs. Carson to help them hot-glue the Styrofoam to the heart. Once it dried, Lexi placed a toothpick through the center of an unfrosted cupcake and stuck it to the board. “We’d have to pipe the frosting on top to cover the toothpick,” she explained. “But I think this is going to work. We’ll need a lot more Styrofoam and toothpicks, and we can set it all up in the cafeteria the morning of the play.”
“That’s a great idea, Lex,” Kylie added. She also thought piping 1,000 mini cupcakes would help take Lexi’s mind off the show…and that kiss!
The Blakely auditorium was packed, standing room only, for the fifth-grade production of Romeo and Juliet. Lexi’s Aunt Dee arrived an hour early to make sure she got a front-row seat.
Lexi peeked out from behind the curtain and saw her pink, floppy hat and purple clogs. It made her smile and calm down…for a moment.
“You’re going to be fine,” Sadie assured her. She promised Lexi she’d be right behind her if she panicked.
“What if I forget my lines?” Lexi asked.
“You won’t!” Sadie assured her. “You’ve been reciting them all week!”
“Oh, Lex, you look gorgeous!” Kylie exclaimed. Lexi was wearing a blue velvet dress and a blue cap over her long, blond hair.
“You look great too,” Lexi managed. Kylie had on a long brown robe and carried a basket of herbs in her hand.
“You think?” she said, twirling around. “I wanted to wear a bald cap, but Juliette said no. I think Friar Lawrence would look more villainous if he were bald.”
“Places! Places!” Mr. Higgins called suddenly. “Five minutes till curtain!” Lexi felt a chill race up her spine. This was it! There was no turning back now!
Juliette placed her hands on Lexi’s shoulders. “Put everything out of your mind,” she advised her. “You’re Juliet, not Lexi. Just go with it.”
The first scenes went flawlessly. Meredith threw in a slight British accent now and then as the nurse, and the audience loved when she boomed, “Good MAHROW, good gentleMAHN!” and curtsied. Jack Yu was also a sensation as Tybalt, leaping around the streets of Verona, brandishing his sword in the fight scene. He didn’t even mind wearing tights, as long as he got to yell, “Romeo! Thou art a villain!” and chase Jeremy around the stage.
Kylie convinced Mr. Higgins to let her play Friar Lawrence with a hint of dastardly flair. “These violent delights have violent ends!” she said…then cackled mischievously.
As the play unfolded, Lexi was actually amazed at how easily the words came to her. It felt a little like she was running on autopilot. She pretended she was just rehearsing once again in the drama classroom. There was no audience, just her and her classmates reading the lines.
Then in Act Four, came the death scene…and the kiss.
“Remember to lie very still,” Juliette instructed her in the wings. “Don’t move a muscle.”
Lexi nodded. She just hoped her knees wouldn’t knock together too loudly!
“Here lies Juliet,” Jeremy began. Then he drank from a small red bottle in his pocket. “With a kiss, I die…” He bent over and kissed Lexi’s cheek. She tried hard not to smile. It kind of tickled. The “poison” worked, and Jeremy collapsed to the ground. The audience broke into thunderous applause.
Now it was time for Lexi to wake up and see her beloved Romeo dead at her side.
She stood up and cried, “My Romeo!” Then she glanced out at the audience. They were silent, waiting for her to make the next move. There were so many people! Where did they all come from? And everyone was watching her! Lexi froze. She couldn’t remember what came next. Not a word, not a syllable! She knew in the back of her mind Juliet was supposed to die too—but she couldn’t move.
“Oh no!” Kylie whispered to Jenna. “This is not good!”
“We have to do something!” Sadie said.
“The dagger! Get the dagger out of Romeo’s belt!” Mr. Higgins called to Lexi from backstage.
Lexi just kept staring at the crowd.
Kylie thought quickly. “Can you get me one of the extra pink cupcakes we baked?” Jenna nodded and raced backstage, grabbing one out of a box. She handed it to Kylie.
Cupcake in hand, Kylie tiptoed across the stage. She cleared her throat.
“Fair, Juliet!” she began improvising. “Do not be frightened…”
Mr. Higgins gasped. “Oh no! What are they doing? That’s not Shakespeare!”
Juliette hushed him. “I think I know…and it’s brilliant!”
Kylie reached Lexi and tried to distract her. “I bring you a poisoned cupcake so that you can be with your love, Romeo,” she continued.
Lexi still didn’t bat an eyelash.
“Take the cupcake and eat it,” Kylie said through clenched teeth. “Lexi! Snap out of it!”
Lexi took the cupcake—but said nothing.
“The poison will be swift!” Kylie said, pushing it toward her face. “Take a bite…now!”
Lexi nodded and took a lick of the pink frosting.
“Now die!” Kylie said, exasperated, giving her a little push.
Lexi fell down onstage.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Mr. Higgins sighed. He was mopping his brow with a hanky.
The audience cheered.
“Drop the curtain! Fast!” Juliette called.
Sadie and Jenna raced over to Lexi.
“Are you okay? Say something!” Sadie pleaded, shaking her.
“Lexi?” said a quiet voice. It was Jeremy and he was holding her hand.
Lexi opened her eyes. “What happened? Why do I have frosting on my nose?”
Kylie laughed. “Death by cupcake!”
At the cast after-party, everyone was raving about the fifth grade’s “sweet new twist” on Romeo and Juliet.
“What a clever way to make it more relatable to the children,” Principal Fontina told Mr. Higgins.
“Yes, well, what can I say?” he boasted. “That’s my job.”
“Modest as always, Rodney!” Juliette chuckled.
Everyone was gobbling up the pink “poison” cupcakes PLC had baked for the festivities. It was one of PLC’s most impressive displays, and Juliette especially loved it. “What would Jean-Paul say?” she teased Lexi. “It’s amazing!”
“There’s the star of the show!” Aunt Dee cried, scooping Lexi up in a huge bear hug. “You were fantabulous, kiddo!”
Lexi shook her head. “I was awful. I couldn’t move. I felt like my feet were nailed to the stage—like the cupcakes we toothpicked to the heart!”
“Well, nobody could tell,” Dee insisted. “You looked grief-stricken…just like Juliet. And the cupcake twist? Every Shakespeare play I’ve ever seen was really boring. But not this one!”
Lexi made her way over to her friends. “Thanks, guys. You saved me.”
“Actually, we killed you,” Kylie pointed out. “It was really cool!”
“Thanks for that too,” said Lexi. She spied Jeremy across the cafeteria, surrounded by his family.
“Jeremy must think I’m an idiot!” Lexi sighed. “I almost ruined the whole play!”
“I think you’re about to find out,” said Jenna. “He’s coming this way.”
“Hide me!” screamed Lexi. She ducked behind her friends.
“Lexi?” asked Jeremy. The girls stepped aside. “Can I talk to you?”
Lexi bit her lip. “Um, I guess.” They made their way over to a quiet table in the corner.
“Your cupcake display is amazing,” Jeremy began. “You’re such a great artist.”
“Thanks,” Lexi replied, looking down at her feet.
“And you did a really great job in the play today.”
Lexi looked up. “Are you serious? I was terrible! I couldn’t say my lines! I couldn’t move!”
“Neither could I!” confided Jeremy. “I wanted to reach out and toss you the dagger, but I was so scared, I couldn’t move either.”
“You were?” Lexi replied.
“Are you kidding? My teeth were chattering, I was so nervous. Especially for the kiss.”
Lexi giggled. “I just thought you were cold!”
“Anyway, I got you this.” Jeremy took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was tied with a purple ribbon—her favorite color.
“What’s this?” Lexi asked.
“Open it!”
She tore off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a silver charm bracelet with three charms dangling from it: a peace sign, a heart, and a cupcake.
“You get it? Peace, Love, and Cupcakes,” Jeremy said.
“I love it,” sighed Lexi. “It’s beautiful!”
Jeremy smiled. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Juliet.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Romeo,” said Lexi, kissing him on the cheek.
“Yes!” screamed a voice from under their table. It was Kylie.
Lexi peered under the seat and saw her BFF hiding.
“Kylie? Really?” Lexi groaned.
Kylie covered her mouth. “Oopsies!”
“You’re lucky to have friends who care about you,” said Jeremy. “Nice job in the nurse’s office.”
Kylie climbed out from under the table. “How did you know?”
“I have my spies too,” Jeremy replied.
Suddenly, Jack Yu appeared from behind a column. “Yo!” he said.
Kylie looked impressed. “I never saw you there!” she told Jack.
“I’ve got serious detective skills,” he informed her. “You should see me on Spy Games on Wii. I’ve broken every high score.”
“Do you have Monster Hunter Four?” Kylie asked. She’d been dying to try that game.
“You bet! It’s awesome. Wanna come over after school and play it?”
Before she could answer, Lexi accepted the invitation for her. “She’d love to!”
Kylie looked surprised…but happy. “What are friends for?” Lexi winked.
• • •
It was amazing, thought Lexi, how love truly was in the air at Blakely. She had Jeremy, Kylie had Jack, Juliette had Mr. Higgins, and now, even Aunt Dee seemed to have been struck by Cupid’s arrow!
“Oh, Mr. Reidy, you’re so smart!” she was cooing at Lexi’s science teacher.
“You like science?” he asked Lexi’s aunt.
“Oh, yes! I’m thinking of majoring in it next semester at NYU! Maybe you could help me with my homework?”
Lexi noticed that Mr. Higgins was dressed down for the occasion: no suit today, just a bright red T-shirt that said “Give My Regards to Broadway!”
“Juliette bought it for me,” he said, noting Lexi’s stare. “I rather like it.”
“I rather like it too,” Juliette said, sneaking up behind him and giving him a hug.
Lexi smiled. Everyone got exactly what they wanted for Valentine’s Day. And all it took was Shakespeare…and cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcake
Makes 12
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into ¼ inch pieces
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
cupcake liners
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place twelve cupcake liners in a cupcake pan.
2. Pour enough water into a four-quart saucepan so that it reaches a depth of one inch. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.
3. Combine butter and chocolate in a medium bowl.
4. Set bowl over saucepan. Cook, stirring until melted and smooth, for about five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Whisk together eggs in a large bowl.
6. Add sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk to combine.
7. Stir in chocolate mixture and then fold in flour.
8. Pour batter into lined cupcake pans.
9. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of eac
h cupcake comes out clean, about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting
Makes 1½ cups frosting
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
a pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
Directions
1. Beat the butter until smooth by using an electric mixer if desired.
2. Add confectioner’s sugar and salt. Beat until most of the sugar is moistened, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
3. When the mixture is fully combined, add vanilla, milk, and melted chocolate.
4. Increase speed and beat until light and fluffy, about four minutes.
Spaghetti Cupcakes
Makes 6
1 cup tomato sauce
4 ounces ricotta cheese
3 ounces Parmesan cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon milk
1 egg
1 package pre-cooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 package of turkey meatballs (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 tablespoon of milk, and 1 egg.
3. Pour the cooked spaghetti into the bowl with the tomato sauce cheese mixture. Toss the spaghetti in the mixture, making sure to coat all of the noodles.
4. Add spoonfuls of the mixture into greased muffin tins. It can come up to just below the top of each opening. Press down so the noodles are packed into muffin tin—they will fall apart if not packed enough.
5. If desired, dip the turkey meatballs in tomato sauce and add to the top of cupcakes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake for eighteen to twenty-two minutes.
7. Let cool for a few minutes to set. Run a butter knife around each one to loosen.
Raspberry Cupcakes
Makes 12
1 pint of raspberries, reserve 12 for cupcakes