the Romeo + Juliet Experiment

Chapter Six: Ryan

After lunch, a bunch of the Prince Edwards boys had set up a game of cricket. They even had the traditional wheelie bin stumps. It looked like two mixed teams were playing.

I found Jess, who shaded her eyes as she looked up at me.

"You're not playing?" I asked as I sat beside her.

She shook her head. "I don't do cricket. Big Bash, maybe. If my brother has it on. You?"

I huffed a humourless laugh. "I don't do sports."

"Oh, you don't do sports," she teased.

"No." I fought a smile at her tone.

"What do you do then?"

"Stuff."

"How enlightening," she chuckled.

"Well, what do you do?" I countered.

She sucked her teeth as she leant her arms on her raised knees. "You know? Now I'm thinking about it, I don't know. I watch stuff, I read stuff, I listen to stuff, I hang out with my friends I guess..."

"All right. What's your favourite movie, then?"

The way she laughed seemed self-conscious. She looked at me and I had the feeling she was worried I'd judge her for whatever it was.

"Uh... 'John Wick'," she finally said. "All of them."

Of all the movies in the world, that had not been what I was expecting. "No way."

She nodded. "Way." She shuffled, still seeming self-conscious. "What about you?"

"'Kingsman'," I replied unhesitatingly.

"Seriously?" she asked and I nodded. "I want to see that prequel one coming out."

"Good luck. We have to wait until September."

Jess sighed heavily. "No wonder the rest of the world thinks we're behind."

"I mean, we literally are."

"Minus the whole being ahead on the whole timezone thing."

I nodded. "There is that."

We fell into a companionable silence as we watched the kids around us; playing cricket, watching cricket, walking, talking, swimming, just sitting in the shade.

I saw Mark and Ben with their Juliets. Ben's Juliet had what looked like the text book and was waving her arms around as though she was enacting it. Mark's looked thoroughly bored by it. I saw Jess' friends fielding with Danny and Conner. Norah looked much happier with the whole 'cricket and kissing' thing than she had earlier. At least, judging by the way she giggled as Conner picked her up and swung her around in the middle of the cricket 'pitch', she didn't mind so much. Danny and Tibby were smiling and talking to each other. Between the four of them, fielding was probably a generous term.

Jess and I were a little apart from everyone else and that afforded us, I presumed, enough privacy for her to feel like she could ask me a rather personal question.

"So... Is there a particular reason you seem as unenthusiastic about this assignment as me?" She was looking at anything but me as though it was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.

I cleared my throat.

"Not that," she said quickly before I could reply, "you have to tell me your backstory or anything. I just figured... The assignment and all... You know?"

I breathed out heavily. I hadn't quite expected that. I didn't necessarily mind her asking. I just hadn't been prepared for it.

"Uh..." I cleared my throat again and ran my hand through my hair. "So..."