Random Shakespeare

Chapter 6

     "This is great! We need to convince someone that we don't like to take the bet with us! Then, we beat him or her, and they're not in Drama club anymore! It's perfect!" Mackenzie exclaimed to her boyfriend as she got into his car.

     "Tell me again, why would we want to do that?" Marco asked.

     She rolled her eyes. "Because! We're juniors right now. Next year, if we want to get into a good college, being the president for even one year is going to look great! We need to get into good schools. We're going to be in the real world soon, Marco, and you need to decide what you want to do with your life!" Marco huffed, exasperated. Mackenzie's gaze softened.

     "Sweetie, I love you. I really do. And I know you're scared, and that growing up is not something that is easy to talk about, but I will be right here with you, as whatever you need me to be. Your girlfriend, friend." Mackenzie paused. "Just not your sister. That would be weird." Marco laughed. Mackenzie smiled and ran her hand through his brown curls the way she know he likes.

     "I know, but I just really don't know what I want to do! How the hell am I supposed to decide what I would be happy doing until I die?" Marco leaned his head into her hand, placing his hand on her knee and squeezing. "Do you have any idea what your going to do?" He asked gently.

     "I think I want to become a lawyer." Mackenzie said.

     "A lawyer? Micky, that's amazing!" Marco beamed at her, making her blush.

     "Yeah, yeah." Mackenzie waved her free hand in dismissal; blushing.

      Marco looked at the way Mackenzie was avoiding the topic of herself. My poor baby, he thought. "Come over here, Micky." He held his arms out to her, and pulled her over to sit in his lap when she got closer. "I think you would be an amazing lawyer." He whispered to her, pressing his forehead on hers and smiling, stroking her chocolate-colored cheek. "I bet you will win every case you're on because you are so eloquent when your talking and I know from personal experience that you are the absolute best at convincing people to do anything you want them to do." They laughed. "You never let anyone tell you what is right or wrong; you decide for yourself and you defend your decision until it's proven wrong. You're crazy smart, and you can find a loophole for pretty much everything. I would want you to be my lawyer." 

     She kissed him gently on the lips, then leaned her head down to nestle into the crook of his neck. "Thanks, Marco. You're such a good person, you know that? Practically perfect."

     "Mhm. Love you." Marco said while nuzzling his nose into her hair.

     "Love you, too."

     They held each other like they were only people on Earth, troubles about the future forgotten.

     For now.

     "Rae! Hey, Rae! Wait up!" Jackson ran towards Rae after their school had let it's prisoners out into the parking lot. Rae looked around for any possible route of escape from the terror of facing her growing feelings. She was about to run off when he ran in front of her, cutting her off.

     "Hey, Rae! Um, how was your school day?" He said, smiling at her and slightly out of breath. 

     "Fine, I guess. There was the typical draining of my life that happens to nearly everyone when they enter this place meant to make us conform into stereotypes that are beneficial to society." She was nervously babbling, a habit she had picked up a long time ago.

     He laughed. "True. You're a really smart girl, you know that?" He leaned a bit closer to her, close enough to let her see that his were unusually bright.

     "So I've been told." She said, ducking away from him and trying to get away. "Now, if you excuse me, I do have to go somewhere-"

      His smile fell into a frown quicker than Rae would have thought possible. "Oh. I was hoping to talk to you some more. Get some more of your opinions. On Shakespeare, I mean." He hastily added.

     "I don't know, I really should be getting home." She said.

     "Do you have a curfew?"

     "No, it's just—I have dogs, and I need to make sure I get home before they start making a mess."

     He seemed to think for a moment. "What about Friday? It's a short day. We could go out, get some food or something. There's a good frozen yogurt place that I know of." His eyes were practically begging her to say yes, and if she was being perfectly honest with herself, she really wanted to say yes and spend some time with Jackson.

     She shuffled her weight between her feet. "Friday?"

     He nodded enthusiastically. "Does a bit after school work for you? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for letting the dogs tear up the house."

     "That seems to be the best plan of action. Shall we meet up at the main entrance?"

     "Of course! I mean, um, sure. Sure, that works. That's cool." Jackson said in a last-ditch attempt to preserve some of his dignity after he had nearly shouted the first part of his response. Rae chuckled just a bit. She was finding him to be very funny.

     "Okay. I will see you then." Rae turned around to start walking to her house; missing Jackson pump his fist in the air in excitement. She could feel herself smiling very broadly, and knew it probably looked very strange to passerby but found she couldn't do anything about it, so she just ducked her head and let her hair form a curtain around her as to not scare people.

     She was going to go on her very first date that Friday, and as much as she tried to deny it, she couldn't wait. Even if she was terrified of making a fool of herself in front of someone who she- so far- enjoyed the company of. Rae just hoped that everything would go smoothly and not end in a disaster, like she had seen some adolescent outings she had witnessed.