romeo + juliet ↠ l.h

1

"Emma, you need to stand up straighter." My mother leaned in to whisper through clenched teeth. I straightened my posture, feeling my back start to ache. But this was for nothing, because soon my mom's attention turned to the man in the suit talking about investments. She pretended to understand what he was saying, when in reality her job was to sit still and look pretty. Long ago I had made a promise to myself that I would not be like her.

"Guess who's here?" My cousin, Michael, approached me. He was wearing black jeans and a leather jacket, not quite formal enough for this event but he made it work.

"Who's here?"

"Me. And I'm gonna see if the waiter will give me some champagne. See ya." And with that he turned away, attempting to sway the waiter into giving him alcohol, even though he was 17.

Another Friday night, another event.

"Wait, Michael, come here." I reached out to grab his arm, pulling him back towards me. He stumbled backwards, almost causing the waiter to trip and fall. He mumbled a quick apology before giving me his full attention.

"What?"

"Are you going to the inferno tomorrow?" I asked, lowering my voice.

"Nope."

"But it's Halloween, everybody is going. Please Mich-."

"Chill, Em, I was kidding. When am I not at the inf?" Michael called the hole-in-the-wall club, which was notorious for letting just about anybody in, the inf. He must think it's proper name, the inferno, is too much of a bother to say.

"Funny." I muttered, catching my mom's eye and straightening my back.

"Can I go get some alcohol now?"

"No wait, I have to show you something." I grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the stairs, as he managed to grab a champagne off the tray of a waiter. A little bit spilled on his pants, but he didn't mind.

After making our way up the staircase, we were finally to my room. A very basic room, white walls, a white fur rug, white bed, and a bunch of big windows. I always had to remember to close the blinds, considering his bedroom was right across from mine.

From day 1, I'd been told 'stay away from the Hemmings' or 'don't talk to that Luke boy'. My parents hated his parents, my grandparents hated his grandparents, my cousins hated his cousins. I came by this rivalry naturally, and it didn't go unnoticed to the people of my school. Luke and I, both 17, having started our senior year this fall, had never once spoken to each other. This came as a shock to most, considering we were from the same cliques and clubs, but it's easier than you think to ignore a person for your entire life.

My friends know about the rivalry, his friends know about the rivalry, and to be honest they don't want to mess with us. Our parents had money, money that outshone the wealth of the other kids in our school. And we go to a private school.

This feud started way back in the day when his grandma decided she wanted to buy the house next to theirs, because her 18,000 square feet wasn't enough. She begged her husband until he agreed and went to place an offer, but he just found out it had already been sold. Ever since then, even as the houses were passed through generations, they've treated us like shit. Coming over to tell us that our dog is barking too loud, or that our cherry blossom tree had stretched into their yard, it was always something. They even called the police on our lawn service for 'causing a disruption'.

That is why I have never spoken to Luke Hemmings, because he comes by his arrogance naturally. And I don't have time to deal with narcissistic boys, I already deal with Michael enough.

"You have to promise not to tell my mom." I warned Michael before sticking out my pinky.

"Okay, I swear." He mumbled, locking his pinky with mine.

I made my way to my dresser, digging around in my pajama drawer. I found what I was looking for, placing the paper in my hands and taking a seat next to my cousin.

"What is this?"

"Just read it."

It didn't take him long to realize what it was.

"You got accepted! Holy shit, Em, that's great!" He leaned in and hugged me, wrinkling the letter in the process.

It'd been my dream to go to film school. What I wanted more than anything in life was to screen write. Writing out scripts for blockbuster movies, I couldn't think of anything better than that, and I felt as if nothing could stop me.

Except my parents.

Typical teenage movie plot line. Protagonist gets accepted to college, parents want them to go to another.

In my case, I was expected to NOT go to school.

What I was expected to do was horribly misogynistic, but it's family tradition. My mom told me she didn't go to college, and she believes her house-wife title is her most important accomplishment. I tried to tell her she's much more than who she's married to, but she doesn't have much individuality. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents, and they're dynamic works for them. But it could never work for me.

I believe every girl has a choice, and if they want to skip college, that's fine. But me? I'm barely given the option to further my education just because of my last name. It's messed up, if you ask me.

"You know they'll get over it? Grandma, my mom, your mom. They'll realize how stupid the little rule is. If you wanna go to school, forget about them. It's your life and your choice." Michael lectured, standing in front of me.

"Thanks. I just don't know what to do yet."

"You have a long time to decide, Em." he spoke, "Now can we go back downstairs and get tipsy in front of all of our parents friends?"