Drama at School
For the first time, I grapple with the guilt of shattering someone's heart. My silence towards Zed isn't for lack of nerve; my nails bear the brunt of my anxiety.
The school halls echo with the absence of the football team and cheerleaders, their Monday classes forsaken. Some are nursing hangovers, others still revel in the euphoria of our nationals' berth.
Michael's empty seat is no shock, but Romeo's presence is. Three tables away, his piercing grey gaze unsettles me, flitting between Holly and me, sending shivers down my spine.
I debate confessing to him, yet hesitation claws at me. Rejection could detonate through the school corridors, branding me—the heartbreaker—with a newfound vulnerability. The mere thought is mortifying.
Julissa nudges me, craving my attention. "You missed quite the spectacle. Chloe outdid her own standards of recklessness."
The video on her phone leaves me stunned. Chloe, uninhibited, dances provocatively atop a mystery man. It's out of character, even for her—Chloe doesn't indulge in drugs, not even weed. And somehow, inebriated Chloe is less irksome than her sober counterpart.
I replay the footage, Julissa's narration confirming her as the filmmaker. The humiliation is palpable.
And then, Chloe's night takes a turn for the worse as she succumbs to nausea.
Julissa swipes to another clip, nonchalantly biting into her burger. "And then there's this."
The raucous party noise from the speakers sets me on edge. I brace myself for more chaos.
Chloe's escapades continue as she passionately kisses a lineup of guys—not just pecks, but full-on, fervent exchanges. Her conquest concludes with six, but as she advances towards Romeo, he signals his disinterest. Undeterred, Chloe persists until Holly pushes her, and Romeo swiftly defuses the brewing conflict.
Surprise grips me. Romeo declining a kiss? That's unheard of. Perhaps he's genuinely smitten with Holly and doesn't want to jeopardize it.
I can't be the interloper. I'm not about to play the homewrecker like Martha, my father's fiancée.
Romeo's gaze lingers on me, a mix of humor and gravity playing across his features. My heart races with confusion.
Chloe's entrance, flanked by Rebecca and Linda, is a spectacle. Her reddened cheeks betray her awareness of the circulating video. Part of me relishes the silence it brings her, yet compassion tugs at me too.
Whispers and snickers fill the air as all eyes turn to her.
YOU ARE READING
Romeo and Juliet
HumorSHORT CHAPTERS ------ He rips my phone from my hand again and puts it behind him. "Tell me how it works then." "We have to kiss." He looks at me for a few seconds, then grins. I recognize that smile. He's thinking of something mischievous. "A kiss?"...
