Studying The Star Crossed Lovers

❧Chapter 13☙

How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank! Here we will sit, and let the sounds of music creep in our ears: soft stillness and the night become the touches of sweet harmony.

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It was only a few weeks until the ball at their school. The school had fallen into worrying about dates, dresses, suits, and all the typical teenager problems. Claire wasn't all the concerned but her mother was overjoyed.

"Claire honey I'm sending a car for you after school so we can get your dress tailored." Said Diane Whiting as she woke her daughter up for school one morning.

"Mum it fits perfectly, it doesn't need to be tailored."

"No, it's a tad to lose on your waist. If I still had a waist like yours then I would be wanting to show it off as much as possible. In fact, maybe we should have gone with that two-piece one that showed off your pretty little stomach."

"Mum you are literally a size smaller than me. Stop being so dramatic. You're the hottest out of all my friend's parents."

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has said to me all week." Claire groaned and pulled the covers over her head to muffle out the rest of what her mother was saying.

Claire felt the bed dip slightly and when the covers were pulled off her head it revealed Diane over her with a disappointed look on her face.

"I'm having a driver pick you up, don't go to Annie's house instead. I want you at this appointment, okay? You have known this tailor since you were a baby and you love her."

"Fine, I'll be there."

"You'll be the prettiest girl at your ball. Maybe you'll be prom queen."

"This is England, we don't have that here. Just cause your part American doesn't mean I am."

"That's exactly what that means."

Claire groaned while her mother walked out of her room. Claire tried to nestle further into her covers wondering if she could get ready for school in 20 minuets.

Claire was doing her homework in the library after school one day when she got a text from James.

"I see you."

"Why are you still at school?" Replied Claire before dropping her phone and trying to get back to work.

"Had practice. Want to go get dinner with me?"

"Sure, where are you?"

"Just come to my car."

Claire packed up her things, abandoning the school work she had to do. It only took her a few minuets before she was looking around to make sure the parking lot was empty before she hopped into James' car.

"Hey, how have you been?" Asked Claire as she stared at James in his practice clothes, freshly showered from his workout.

"I haven't been sleeping well. How are you?"

"Tired and I just want a break." Claire leaned back in the seat and shut her eyes just trying to relax for a minuet. James reached over and lay his hand on Claire's neck, letting his thumb run up and down her jaw. Claire relaxed into the touch and let it soothe her.

"Are you okay?" Asked James and Claire remained silent. He felt her neck tense under his hand. "Where is Annie?" Continued James not realising he should probably be silent.

"She is on a date with Henry. He is going to ask her to prom."

"You know I would ask if I could."

"I know."

Claire's silence hurt James. He wanted her to be effected by the fact no one wanted them together. He felt like she didn't care. That James' feelings for Claire didn't effect her.

"Can I kiss you?" Asked Claire and James pulled over to the side of the road. Claire leaned in and the kiss was soft and slow. It wasn't like their previous kiss in the car. It wasn't when drunk. It wasn't when they needed to push their emotions out of their head. It wasn't for sex. It was because they actually cared.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" Asked James and Claire nodded. The pair wandered through the woods through someone's property but they didn't care. They wandered through the woods, hand in hand.

It was cold. In fact it was freezing. They continued to walk however in silence just resting in each other's company instead of sitting alone in the deafening silence of their houses.

"Do you wanna get a hotel?"

"Claire, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because it's late and people will get worried and we have school tomorrow."

"Who cares?" James looked down at Claire while she tugged on his hands, trying to convince him. "James please. Let's just spend the night somewhere, anywhere. We can camp out in the woods." Claire's voice got higher and higher and she pulled harder on James' arms. He though she was going to cry.

"Okay, we can get a room for the night." Said James as he led Claire back to the car who was constantly trying to walk off the path they had found.

James let out a sigh of relief when Claire had curled up in James' car. She had slowly drifted into a deep sleep. Claire slept like a dead person, silent and cold. It meant James was looking over at Claire every few minutes to make sure she was breathing. He could only tell she was by the slight rise and fall of her chest.

It didn't take long for James to get to Annie's house. It was Annie. Everyone knew her and everyone knew where she lived. It was a sanctuary for all the rich kids of their high school to run off to if their home lives got too terrible.

James lifted Claire up into his arms with ease as he carried her into Annie's house.

"Is she okay?" Asked Annie's mother as a stranger carried her daughters best friend into their house.

"Yeah she just doesn't want to sleep at her house. Can I take her to Annie's room?" Asked James and sure enough Annie's mother led him to Annie's room.

"What happened?"

"She wanted to go to a hotel room. I figured it would be much better if she was here."

"Put her on the bed. I'll take care of her." James lay the sleeping Claire down onto Annie's bed and before he left Annie's house she said "James, thanks for taking care of her. I'm serious, thank you so much."

"My pleasure. Thank you too Annie. She doesn't love anyone like she loves you."

Annie returned to her room where she curled up with her friend. They both slept soundly that night. Across town James spent the night driving around the town before crashing at a friends hoping to avoid his father.