Romeo and Juliet

Romeo

After the fight at the mall, everyone was sent home. Back at the Montague Manor, Mr. and Mrs. Montague were talking with Ben.
"We realize what happened at the mall was entirely the Capulet's fault. Their awful servants provoking ours! I can't believe it! Those cows think they can get away with anything. I hate the lot of them!" Shouted Mr. Montague.
"You see," started Ben, "it absolutely was. But in all honesty," he said changing the subject, "I think Romeo has seemed a bit out of things lately. Falling behind on his schoolwork, not coming to dinner on time, sulking all day, I could go on and on. Don't you think that's what we should be concerned about?"

Mrs. Montague had an increasingly concerned look on her face. It was clear she cared for her son.
"I would ask a favor of you." She said directing towards Ben. "I know you and Romeo are close, and it would be such a help if you could try and remedy his depression. Could you do that for us?"
Ben sat for a moment contemplating on all the other things she'd asked him to do as favors that turned out to be much harder than he'd thought. After a moment of thinking, he reluctantly agreed.

Mr. and Mrs. Montague looked so pleased that finally Romeo could be happy again.
"Thank you so much. This means a great deal to us." Gushed Mr. Montague.
"No problem." Ben answered with a hint of sarcasm almost undetectable. He walked out of the room and up the grand marble staircase to Romeo's room.

•••••••••••••

Ben knocked on Romeo's door. A faint dreary call answered.
"Come in."
It was Romeo. He sat with a guitar propped between his arms and lap. His room was surprisingly clean for a boy of only sixteen.

Ben looked around admiring the cleanliness his own room lacked.
"Hey, what's up Romeo my homie?" Ben questioned. "Your parents have been wondering what's going on? You have been a little slacking lately. Although your room is incredibly spotless, how do you manage? Never mind, don't answer that. Seriously though, what is going on? Harsh breakup?"
"If only." Romeo breathed. "If only that were the case, I'd be much a happier person. What is it? Why doesn't she know I exist? She's gorgeous, and smart, and desirable, and everything I'm not. She is so talented, and not to mention has nearly every guy I know drooling over her. How does she do it? The hours stretch so long without her. The days are twice as long as they used to be, but with her, they zip by. It's as if time herself could prevent our love, and hates me for it as you all will. Is it too much to ask for her to love me in return?"

Ben stared long and hard at Romeo, studying the framework of these questions in his mind. Of course Ben had never felt anything quite like that. He was only seventeen for Heaven's sake, what should he know about it? How on earth was he supposed to give Romeo advice?

Romeo was looking more and more helpless the harder Ben stared. "Well?" He asked. "Is it just a hopeless cause?"

Ben shook his head in reply whilst coming up with words to use. "You ought to tell me who exactly this girl is. Maybe then I could better help you. Do you get what I mean?"

Romeo nodded looking petrified to have to confess his deepest secret. His normally tan face went to pale as fast as a Ferrari gets from zero to sixty. He gulped rather dramatically, however unintentionally. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone. You have to swear you will never ever hate me for this. You can't. Do you promise?" He inquired with utter fear in his eyes.
"Pinky!" Ben chuckled.

"Well, okay," Romeo started, dismissing the childish remark, "Her name is-she's-I-Juliet!" He stammered out.
"Juliet Smith? But she's eighteen!" Ben laughed.
"No," Said a straight-faced Romeo, "Juliet Capulet."
A silent pause filled the entirety of the large room, so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the king sized bed in the center of the room. Ben's eyes bulged from his sockets as his face went red.
"But-you-she-you can't! She's a Capulet! You know, your family's mortal enemy?!? There's no way. You've got to be pulling a prank." Ben spat out flustered at the craziness of Romeo.

Romeo sadly shook his head, then laid it on the guitar still in his lap. Mumbling, he said, "If I were fortunate enough to be joking..." trailing off, he finished, "she has got me helplessly in love. I can't stand her not loving me in return. It hurts so bad!" He started to sniffle.

Ben walked over to Romeo and patted his back while praying nobody had overheard the conversation. Knowing their parents would never allow more than a side glance at each other, he could see how hard it must be for Romeo. 
"You can't tell anyone. There is no way you'd live this down. They'd end it immediately. Please take the liberty of telling no one else. This isn't great for you." Ben rushed the words out while staring at Romeo and sincerely praying he had common sense.

Romeo replied solemnly, "Of course not. I would never."

Ben hurried out of the room noticing that it had been an entire hour since he'd arrived. Shaking his head he rubbed his temple. This would be, as most favors turned out, harder than he thought.

Back in Romeo's room, Romeo sat staring intently at each string on his acoustic guitar. The intricate pieces which make the music. Could it be any more like life? He thought. Life has so many little details which get glanced over. Just like him. How the woman he loved was right there and didn't see him. She was so blind, it hurt him.

He plucked out a melody of a song, Teardrops on My Guitar. How fitting, he thought. He observed that there were stains of little water drops scattered across the face of the guitar. Tears, not water. He realized that he had to find a way to let her know he truly loved her deeply.

Hey! So I'm continuing the story for now, and I want to apologize for the awful picture quality. I know it sucks. Anyway, I hope you guys like this part. I went on a writing spree! 😝