The Romeo Problem

The Storm

"Avalon Creek Prison? Cameron, what are we doing here?" Julie wondered, becoming more and more peeved by the second. Romeo parked.

"Er..."

"Stop saying that! Just be honest with me." Julie huffed. "Tell me right now or else I'm leaving." Julie's hand lingered near the door's handle. Romeo gave in and spoke up quickly.

"Julie, I want to help you. You're always running away from confrontation. You don't move past your problems, you just try to ignore them. So I think it's time to confront your problems." Romeo let out a deep breath. Julie looked at him with disbelief. "So we're here to see your dad."

Juliet's face turned red with anger. She flung open the door and hopped out. The car door slammed shut behind her.

"Julie, wait!" Romeo exclaimed, flinging open his own door. He went around the car to the furious blonde. He grabbed her hand to try to stop her from running off. "Wait!"

She ripped her hand from his grasp. "Don't!" She hissed. The rain was still pouring down, now it was quite bad. It was nearly soaking the two. "I can't believe you! How- how could you? I trusted you! After what that asshole did to me I never want to see him again!" Julie shouted. Though she was more angry than sad, tears began to mix with the rain pouring down on her face.

"Jules, you will never get closure if you keep acting like this! For most of your life you've had issues because of what that man did to you! Yell at him, ask why he did what he did, but don't live with this problem for the rest of your life. Don't you want to be able to trust? To love?"

Julie turned away from him and crossed her arms. "For a second there I did, but if this is what those things get you than I don't want to do either."

"Listen, Julie, I didn't mean for it to go down like this-"

"You didn't mean for it to go down like this?! Then you should have told me the truth! But you didn't. You lied to me and tried to get me to do something I didn't want to do! I can't forgive you, Romeo!" Juliet shouted.

"Julie, please-" Romeo exclaimed.

"Save it! I don't want to hear it. Not everyone's dad was as great as yours. Not all of them love their kids. Mine didn't. End of story! You shouldn't try to meddle with the past."

"I WAS TRYING TO HELP YOU!" Romeo yelled. Julie was taken aback. "The problems with your dad that your holding onto are clearly are unhealthy. Julie, I hate to see you like this. Holding onto the past."

"Then don't look!" Julie screeched. "You say I run away from my problems, that I avoid confrontation, yet you did the same thing by keeping this a secret from me and manipulating me! I-I don't even know what to say!"

Romeo grabbed her hands with his own and for s moment she let him. He gazed at her face. Under a layer of anger, he could tell, was some faint sadness. It was hard to see the tear tracks that ran down her face, as the rain had mostly covered it up, but he could see it.

"Julie, you're right. It was a dumb move on my part. I'm sorry. I only wanted to help you move on." He clasped her icy, wet hands with his own.

Julie shook her head. "I can't forgive you. This- this was too far. I-I can't." She pulled out of his grasp. "And to think, I thought I could trust you. I guess I was wrong."

"Julie, please." Romeo voice cracked slightly as he tried to convince her to stay. "I didn't mean- It wasn't supposed too- I'm sorry!"

"Don't you get it, Romeo? You broke my trust! You hurt me! I was supposed to be your friend and you lied! I can't forgive you! Get that through your thick skull! I can't forgive you for this!" Juliet cried.

"Julie, I know! But you wouldn't have come with me otherwise!"

"Because this is something I don't want to do! I never want to talk to that man again!  Why can't you understand that? You'll never understand what it's like. What it's like to see your mother and brother beaten and bruised in front of your eyes. What it's like to have to cover up the new bruises and scars you earned overnight. What it's like to feel unwanted by someone you loved and trusted. You'll never understand what it's like to be picked on for having bruises and for being different. You'll never understand when people think you're mentally unstable for being nine years old and seeing a therapist. You'll never know how much damage that man did to my family. And you don't know how bad it hurts sometimes." Julie spoke each word with a powerful angry passion. Romeo's heart seemed to break at the pain she felt.

"You don't know. So what gives you the right to try and fix me?" Julie cried.

"It doesn't." Romeo breathed.

"Exactly," Julie nodded. She brushed a wet strand of hair out of her face, showing off her scar. "I live with a constant reminder of my past. Every time I look in the mirror I am reminded. I don't want to confront him. I don't want to see that monster ever again. I had hoped you'd understand." Julie shook her head, disappointedly.

Romeo could only think about how he screwed up as Julie ran out into the night.

It was the perfect scene. A furious girl running out in the rain, storming away from the disappointed boy. Her blonde hair looking darker, sticking to her  face, raindrops in her eyelashes, and her closed off body language. That last look on her face before she had run off. She hadn't looked as furious or purely sad. It was more of a look of heartbreak.

He had screwed up, badly. He had hurt her, something he had promised never to do. This wasn't going where he hoped it would.

Romeo was left, standing in the rain, starring at where she had been.

Happy New Year's Eve!

I know. I'm evil. I hope you can forgive me.

Anyway time for part two! Go check out The Juliet Dilemma if you want to find out what happens next. It'll take place where The Romeo Problem leaves off.

Thank you all for your support! I love you all!