A modern, gay retelling of the star crossed lovers, Romeo & Juliet, about two boys falling in love despite the burden the world and their families put on their shoulders.
[Extended synopsis inside]
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Chapter Nine | Stay Away From Romeo
I lived on the upper east side of town, only a fifteen minute drive from my school. There's only a handful of kids from school that live in the same neighborhood as me, most of them I'm quite acquainted with, but some are a little too strange for my liking. Everyone in this neighborhood was a little weird to me, honestly. Always so happy and smiley like drones being controlled. Even with everyone house lined up only a few yards apart, same design from rooftop to garden, everyone seemed to be so happy and content. It makes me nauseous.
As I drove through the gates that leads into my driveway, I noted that no one was home —no surprise there. My father has been working a lot of late with the recent investment put into his company, and with my mother recently becoming a senate she's been out in the city meeting with people. The house is always quiet during the afternoon when everyone is gone handling business, that's why I'm grateful I have Mimi to keep me company. I like quiet - but to an extent- the quietness of this gigantic house when I'm here by myself always gives me an eerie feeling. It doesn't sit right with me, which is why I try to keep myself occupied at all times so I won't notice.
Immediately once I walk into the house I was greeted with the smooth voice of Mimi.
"Bonne soirée mon amour," Good evening my love. She greeted me with a pleasant smile and I mirrored with one of my own, before handing her my belongings. "I made some lemonade. Would you like a glass?" She asked.
"Yes please." I nodded, and Mimi brightly smiled before hanging my belonging up by the door, before making her way towards the kitchen.
I stood in the foyer and waited for her to return. Looking around I could easily spot the pool boy and the gardener tending to their responsibilities outside from the large glass windows that lined the house. I watched with squinted eyes as the gardener stared with a confused expression as he examined the smushed roses and dented bushes.
Dammit Asher, you fat ass.
It seems like everywhere I go I'm being reminded of that night. Even today Imani tried to confront me about one of the markings Asher left on my collarbone. I lied and told her it was bug bite but then she flipped out on me in front of everyone. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little embarrassed from the scene, but not solely because Imani found a hickey on me but because she felt the need to call me out in front of everyone. She's knows I hate causing a scene in front of people and yet she did it anyway.
That girl will be the death of me, I swear.
"Ta limonade." Your lemonade, Mimi sung as she made her way back into the foyer with a fresh poured glass of lemonade.
I took the glass from Mimi's hand and thanked her, before taking a sip from the cool glass. Drinking Mimi's freshly squeezed lemonade after a long day of school feels like the greatest luxury on earth. The ice falls against the glass, my fingers sliding on the condensation before my fingers regain their grip. I feel the chill run down my esophagus and my head makes an involuntary shake. A numbness creeps into my brain the way it did when I was a kid drinking too much slurpee too fast.
