The Romeo Problem

How Romeo Met Juliet: Part Three

He didn't realize it at the time but on the third day he made a huge mistake. It would change his life.

It was his third day after talking to Juliet for the first time. It was a muddy October day. It had just rained the night before so there were many pits of mud scattered around the soccer field.

Things didn't seem to add up. He got nervous and weird around her. Why?

"I need to find a way to talk to her without being nervous and weird! How do I do that?" Romeo asked his group of friends. Connor was avoiding them, still mad at Romeo.

"You like like her, don't you?" Ian smirked. Romeo blushed.

"No- no I don't!" Romeo felt his friends teasing looks on him.

"Romeo and book girl sitting in a tree!" Anthony joked.

"I don't like her! And she has a name! It's Juliet!" Romeo explained to them. He nearly smiled as he said her name.

"Fine, Romeo and Juliet sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes babies in the baby carriage!" Anthony teased. Romeo crossed his arm, his face a very bright red.

"You have a crush on her? She's so weird. She hangs out with the red haired girl." Jason looked at Romeo with a look of disbelief.

"I don't have a crush on her!" Romeo tried to convince his friends. They ignored him. "I don't!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it." Jason said.

"How?" Romeo questioned. Jason thought about it, glancing at the blond girl who was doing what she normally did at recess.

Jason smirked. "Steal her book."

"What? I can't do that!" Romeo objected.

"You can't because you have a crush on her."

"I don't!" Romeo tried to convince them.

"Then take her book and prove it." Ian told him.

"She'll hate me forever if I do that." Romeo whined.

"Why do you care? You don't like her remember?" Ian and Jason both snickered.

Romeo thought for a moment. It would get his friends to stop teasing him and he could always give it back to her when his friends weren't looking.

He decided to do it. He walked over to Juliet. Ivy noticed that he was again coming over to talk to her best friend and followed him over. Juliet looked up at the sight of him.

Something was different about Juliet today. She had bags under her eyes and wasn't giving off her regular cherry attitude. Romeo noticed that she had bruises up and down her arms and legs. Had she tripped down the stairs or something yesterday?

"Oh hi, Romeo." Juliet tried to sound like her usual happy self. Romeo barely noticed that she wasn't completely okay. He continued on with his plan anyway. He glanced at the book she was reading. Sure enough it still was her copy of Once upon a Marigold.

He grabbed it. She was confused. Why was he trying to steal her book? Juliet grabbed it too and the two played tug of war, accidentally tearing a couple pages.