Romeo and Juliet

55- H

You Won the Bet

I am in a trance, one I cannot wake up from even though I desperately want to. I scream in my head to stop looking at his eyes, but it is impossible not to get lost in the maze of his dark, enigmatic gaze.

Without thinking, I start laughing uncontrollably. I try to stop, but it goes on and on until my cheeks hurt and my stomach aches.

I feel Romeo's eyes boring into me. His phone rings, but he doesn't answer it. I know I'm doing this as a defense mechanism, but I can't pinpoint why. I'm used to guys who follow me, beg for a date, or at least breathe near me. Yet, with Romeo, staying calm and acting normal seems impossible.

When I finally catch my breath, I look up. My eyes are watery, and I can barely see him, but I know he has that look of confusion mixed with a smirk.

"You can tell your friends you won this bet. Go. Tell them you have made me fall for you."

He looks offended. He rejects the call once more and stares at me.

"Go to them. I can find my way home." I refer to the call he's been rejecting for the past five minutes. I take out my phone and start a message to my mom.

"You think this is a bet?"

My emotions swirl and suddenly connect to my tear ducts. I've never been like this. What is he doing to me? My mind is blank, filled with nothing but the chirping of bugs. My heart pounds loudly in my chest, and I can't breathe.

I find myself shouting my response. It echoes through the forest, starting softly and then crescendoing. "I don't know what you are doing to me, Romeo. I can't breathe when you are near, and I find myself absolutely lost and stupid. This is not like me. I am the girl who breaks everyone's hearts. Boys literally praise me when I pass by. But not you. And that is probably what drives me insane. I am a forthright person, simple and undemanding except for one thing. Don't play with me. Not like this."

He shakes his head, at a loss for words. Who wouldn't be, after being called out like that? I know this is all a game to him, and he doesn't care. But I've made it clear that I don't want to be another contestant. If this is how the universe is making me pay for my crimes, then I redeem myself.

And just like the typical Romeo I know, he finally answers the call and refuses to take responsibility for the words I've just sputtered.

He gives me a one-finger sign and starts walking away with the phone in his hand as I glare at him angrily. He is a lost cause, and I refuse to diminish myself for this person.