charmolipi: a short story collection.

Romeo and Juliet: Written for an English Assignment

And when Juliet awoke up from her slumber, she didn't spare a second to look at the lifeless figure beside her. Instead, she harshly broke free of his clinging grip and brushed it off, like she had never wanted anything but to be rid of him. "Pathetic." She murmured, a small laugh escaping from her lips, and left without ever looking back.

For lo and behold, Juliet was never in love with Romeo. She was simply a chess piece for the fall of the Montague. And it was finished.

-

Riona was terribly late for the evening.

She dreaded coming, yes, but she knew well enough that her absence would lead to her chances of promotion going down the drain. She might as well resign if that happens.

Her job wasn't terrible – she loved it, in fact – but her co-workers were. And not to mention how much of a brooding, mean, and calculating superior she had (she stubbornly refuses to address him as boss). But she put up with it, because this was her dream job at her dream place, and she wasn't going to let a bunch of selfish jerks take it away from her. The idea of that alone makes her shiver.

And so, Riona, with the blood red dress her cousin had loaned her and the feet-killing stilettos she was so looking forward to wearing, rushed out the apartment and threw herself inside a taxi, frantically yelling out the directions in a state of panic. She checked her face in a small compact mirror, looking for signs of stupid hair strands going in every direction or her makeup smudging as they usually do. So far, she saw none.

She collected herself, the way she once saw her mother do, and relaxed. You will do well, she told herself. The chances were slim, but she'd rather believe that anyway.

She arrived a few minutes later, thanked the driver, gave him more than what was due, and practically ran to where the party was currently on-going. She took three deep breaths before entering, and left the night in fate's hands.

Because this was where he was, and she needed her revenge tonight.

She was greeted by the lavish gold-themed decoration and the great-smelling food in the banquet. The lobster was incredibly tempting, but she continued her strides and looked for him.

And at last, there he was. Julian in all his glory, dressed in black like he was mourning. Which, to be fair, he should be.

Riona gave a look to the waiter that was serving them, and he replied with a quick, subtle nod. She then sat back at enjoyed the show, silently hoping that it would work out this time.

Moments later, Julian was choking, struggling to breathe. The waiter gave him a glass of water that Riona recognized very well, and he drank it in one gulp. Riona watched, counting down the seconds, knowing that death was inching closer to Julian.

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1...

Riona was about to rejoice when Julian, coughing one last time, stood up and looked straight at her, smiling.

"Try again next life, Romeo."

A gunshot.

-

A little explanation because I love doing that.

In this universe, Romeo and Juliet are constantly reincarnated until Romeo (or Riona, in this case) kills Juliet (Julian) , which is the opposite of what happened in their first lives (Juliet killing Romeo). But the problem is, Juliet is determined to live a thousand lives and always escapes Romeo's assassination attempts.

This was written in a rush because the deadline was the day after and I was only struck by a sudden inspiration at 12 am after struggling to rewrite Romeo and Juliet for the whole day lol. I liked the premise of this but I don't have enough material (or motivation) to turn it into a book. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it.