Romeo and Juliet

8-D-

Secrets Always Come to Light

If I ever fall for someone, I want him to be different from me. To be patient, nice, friendly, very funny, and have goals in life. To be serious when it's time to be and very understanding. Seeing that Romeo is the male version of me, and I'm many things except the ones listed above, then 'us' can never happen.

I wave at him and press the accelerator. He becomes smaller as I move further. He gets down from his cycle and starts pushing it. I suddenly feel guilty for getting his hopes up, but Romeo doesn't have feelings. He has dated almost every girl and breaking their heart is a game to him. He owns nothing but a stone heart like me.

Probably we can get along. We at least share one thing in common. The player title, and both of us own it like a crown made of gold with expensive stones.

He could call one of his many conquests.

As if reading my mind, he takes out his phone and places it on his ear. His eyes once again fall on my car and he frowns. That's the last thing I see before I turn onto the main road.

As my house comes into view, I see the front door open and Papito playing in the mud near a white pickup. He splashes and runs in circles trying to catch his tail, barking when he can't. When he spots me, he wags his tail and then resumes his game.

I giggle at his antics and dash into the house, my hair already wet. My white tennis uniform is soaked, and although I usually hate being this messy, I ignore it and slowly make my way towards the kitchen where I hear two people arguing.

I recognize both voices, so I stop and hide behind the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room.

I jolt at the sound of a cup breaking and peek around the corner with shaking hands. I'm very vulnerable to my parents screaming at each other because I know things never end well. The last time, dad walked out with his luggage in one hand and never turned back to say goodbye to me.

"This has always been the problem with you, Jude," dad's voice echoes after a few seconds.

"My problem?" She shrieks.

Being close to dad, she always loses control. She loses control of all her emotions. Meanwhile, while he was away and things were happening quickly with his new girlfriend, she was perfectly fine. She was settled and taking things well.

All I can see is dad's back to me as he corners mom against the counter.

"So it's my problem!" she states rhetorically.

He nods and she just laughs. I look at the mess a few meters away and see one of mom's favorite tequila bottles broken to pieces. The strong smell of it wafts to my nostrils.

I turn to the small steps behind me and see Papito wagging his tail. He starts licking my legs and I hold back a giggle. I'm ticklish, sorry.

"Hush boy," I tell him and when he sits, I smile.

"I wasn't the one cheating, Leo. I wasn't the one who skipped meals, made excuses, and forgot his family. I wasn't the one to break this family," she screams hysterically.

I gasp at her words. At first, I didn't like the idea of thinking dad was cheating on mom. No one said it was true, nor did they deny it to me, so all this time I was in denial. But hearing it from Jude, it makes me sick.

"You started drinking. What am I supposed to do?"

"You should have helped me, Leo! That's what couples do. They help each other. Not help tear everything apart. But did you ever stop to think why I drank so bad?"

"It just happened," he confesses.

A sob escapes my lips. Usually, when they fight, I lock myself in my room, cover my ears, or just flee and go shopping. But seeing them scream at each other, faces contorted with pain, it shatters me.

"Aren't you going to ask me why?" Jude's voice breaks as a sob escapes her lips.

He remains silent, and I hate that I can't see his face. I can't read it. But seeing my mom's soft features, I know that he already knows.

"I lost our baby, Leo. And I can't believe you walked out on me," she points at the door, and I fear she sees me. Bitter tears roll down my cheek as I cover my mouth. She did what? Why didn't I know before?

"You left me alone in this. And I had to watch you cheat and get another woman pregnant. That's the last thing I can take from you. Now get out of my house and never come back! I'll tell Juliet you stopped by."

I gasp again. Pregnant? She's pregnant? Is that why he divorced so quickly and is getting married? Is that how he replaced us all?

Even though I cover my mouth harder, a gasp escapes through my fingers. Sensing my distress, Papito lifts his head and barks.

Both my parents turn to me, and their faces fall.

I stand there, looking at both of them. When in the world was I left out of everything happening in my family? How? Am I invisible or what? When I wanted Mom to leave dad it was because of the constant shouting. I didn't know it had escalated this far.

"Julie," Dad whispers, but all I can think about is getting away. Far away from them.

"Don't, Dad," I warn, shaking my head.

He pauses midway, and I run. I run to the first thing that will take me away from here...and that thing is his white pickup.

His key hangs in the ignition, which I start immediately and drive. I push the accelerator, ignoring my parents' screams, and head out of this place.