Studying The Star Crossed Lovers

❧ Chapter 9 ☙

Love me or hate me, both are in my favor... If you love me, I'll always be in your heart... If you hate me, I'll always be in your mind.

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It was time for Claire to return to school. She wasn't excited, she wasn't upset either. She just missed Justin. Her cousin was gone though and she had to continue with life. She had to go back to school.

Claire had basically been living at Annie's house for the past weeks. She enjoyed having peace away from her family. Annie enjoyed having her best friend close to her so she could make sure Claire was eating, sleeping, and taking care of herself.

So Claire had to return to her home. Her large, empty, lonely home. The maids emptied and cleaned her car and moved her things back up to her room that had been cleaned.

"You're back." Said Claire's mother as she had come up to see her daughter.

"Yeah, I'm going to go back to school tomorrow."

"I'm glad, Justin would have wanted you to go back to school."

Claire sighed. Her mother only properly cared about her when it involved high society or Justin.

"You don't have to do it today if you don't want to." Said Annie as they sat in front of their school in Annie's car.

"No I made it this far, I just need a breather." Claire felt her chest tighten and she wanted to go. Instead, she took a deep breath, threw her bag over her shoulder and got out of the car.

Claire had made it through the day for the most part. The only thing she had left was to more classes, Chemistry and English.

English, the class she shared with her best friend and the boy she had slept with. The boy her father wanted to see dead and buried.

"Are you excited?" Asked Annie teasingly as the pair walked towards their English class.

"It will be fine. It won't be awkward and we never talk in class anyway."

"Doubt it, we are doing the scene where Juliet's cousin Tybalt has just died and she consummates her marriage with Romeo. Kinda has a few parallels. Girl mourning her cousin sleeps with her enemy who's family is responsible for his death."

"We are not Romeo and Juliet." Shouted Claire and the entire hallway stared at her sudden outburst. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Life imitates art." Sang Annie as they walked into their English class.

Claire avoided looking towards where she knew James would be sitting. She could do this. She could get through today.

"Okay class. We are gonna start today off with a debate. Do we think that Romeo abused Juliet's grief when he slept with her after Tybalt's death." Asked Miss. Hilson and Annie left out a laugh while Claire blushed and hid her face in her hands. "Who would like to start?"

The class began to put their opinions out. Claire wasn't called on for obvious reasons. The class however was split.

"I think he shouldn't have slept with her. She was grieving and underaged. He should have not allowed that to happen she was clearly not in her right mind." Said James and Claire stared at him in shook.

"Well this is a different view for you James. What has caused this change in heart?" Asked the teacher as the class was confused. James had always been firm on the fact that they were in love and what they did was justified because of their love.

"I just don't think people should sleep together when one person is drunk, high, or in a different mental state to the other." Shrugged James and even though the class was oblivious to it Claire and Annie knew exactly what had caused this change of heart.

"I disagree." Claire blurted out. "Not with the people should sleep together when one of them is drunk or high but people are never going to be in the same mental state. Had Romeo have been the same age as her it would have been consensual."

"Besides he had just killed someone he was clearly not in a right state of mind either. He had also just lost his best friend. They were both grieving and finding comfort in each other is perfectly fine."

"Well this has been a real change in attitude from you both." Commented Miss. Hilson and Annie burst out laughing. She could barley contain herself.

Her best friend was debating over Romeo and Juliet with James Dancy in class so they could figure out wether or not they should have had sex. The entire thing was hysterical.

"Okay class, moving on. Do we think Count Paris should have agreed to marry Juliet?"

Claire stared at James and James stared back. It was obvious they needed to talk, badly.

After class they both took their time packing up their things. Soon it was only Claire and James left in the class.

"Do you really not regret it?" Asked James as soon as the door had shut behind the last person to leave the class.

"No of course I don't regret it."

"Oh thank God."

"Oh my God James you didn't rape me. I indicated the thing." James breathed a sigh of relief before looking guilty again.

"Yeah but you were grieving and I like took advantage of you."

"James if I didn't want to fuck you I wouldn't have. Just because I'm sad, doesn't mean I don't have control over what I do." Said Claire and James leaned back against the wall, pulling at his hair.

"Look I have to go to Chemistry. You should get to class." Said Claire before slipping her bag on her shoulder and walking out of the class.

She didn't like the fact that James had felt so guilty about something but it was nice to have someone be concerned about consent. In the world Claire had grown up in consent was seen as a more optional thing by most men.

People that didn't give taking a life a second though they wouldn't be too concerned with raping a girl. Daughters were seen as tools to make alliances, girls to marry off for power. Boys were the ones that would take over. That's why Claire's father had been so upset when Justin had died, he lost his heir.

James though, he wanted to do the right thing. He was worried about how Claire felt after the sex. It was a nice change. It should have been the normal but it wasn't and Claire had to deal with that.