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]
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Chapter Twenty-nine | Father, May I
"Have you lost your everlasting mind!"
I'm thrown into the house like a rag doll, barely managing to catch my balance as I stumbled over my own two feet. Mimi stood by the two-way staircase wiping down the railing, but immediately stopped when she seen me tossed into her view. She tried to rush to my side, but quickly stopped in her tracks when she saw my reddened face father come into view, my mother following behind hugging herself, a worried expression on her face.
"Not only do you go against my orders and talk to the boy, but you have the balls to do it while I'm in the room?" My father's face darkened as he spoke. He looked like a brick and I'm sure his heart was just as hard as one at this moment.
"We were just talking. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" I protested, fixing my yanked up sleeve.
The sound out of his mouth wasn't a word of a sentence, but a scoff of disgust. "Talking," He repeats, an almost historical tone coming over his words. "I heard you two up there. How the boy is finally happy now you with you by his side and all that bullshit."
My mother gasps from the side, her white-gloved hand covering over her mouth. "Liam, are you seeing that Montgomery boy?" She asked.
Before I could even get a chance to answer my father throw up his hands in a fit of rage. "Of course he is! That's why he's been acting out these last few months. That boy has been corrupting him. He's the reason he's been less interested in company affairs, the reason he's staying out all hours of the night on school days, and the reason he decided to cut ties with that Edwards girl."
My father did a 360, his hands running through his hair like a maniac. "Look, I could care less about you being experimenting with men or whatever the hell you wanna call it. That's fine but what I won't stand for is you messing around with someone of the likes of him. He's only going to get you in trouble."
"Asher isn't getting me in trouble, stop saying that! If anything he's made me realize things, important things that I was too blind to see because I was too busy trying to please you!"
At this point my father was beyond angered to point he decided to have a seat at the bottom of one of the staircases to calm his nerves. "Made you realize things," a historical chuckle left his lips as he shook his head at me. "What possibly could the boy make you realize."
"Well . . ." I cleared my throat, thinking carefully how I wanted to phrase this considering it might just be my last words. "For one, he made me realize that I did not love Imani and that our entire relationship was just based on me trying to please you and your wishes."
"Imani was a sweet girl. Very well mannered and respectful." My mother tried to interject, her voice more calming and respectful than my father's but even still she was wrong and ignoring my words like he was.
"That's not the point mother. I don't love her, I love-" My words catch in my throat and I found myself unable to mutter his name when my father sends piercing glare my way. The intensified blue of his irises sucking air from my lungs.
He stands to his feet and we're face to face within seconds. He towers over me and I inhaled a breath that never came back out. My palms were sweaty and the adrenaline coursing through my system was shutting down my ability to think logically. I wanted to run or disappear entirely to a completely different dimension, either would do.
"Finish that sentence. Go ahead, I dare you." He threatened. It doesn't take long before he lashing out in me, his words coming out faster than I can comprehend. Saliva is forming on the corners of his mouth as he ranted aloud throwing every word in the book at me. I stood still under his fury, catching only a few words here and there that he spewed, most of it being profanity and language that I never thought he'd used against me.
"Yes, I love Asher," I interjected when he finally stopped to draw in a breath, "I love him and you're not going to make me feel bad about it because of some stupid family feud from decades ago. I love him more than this stupid company you keep trying to get me to take over, and I love him more than I fear you!"
Something switched inside my father and the hue of his eyes became bright than any flames I've ever seen. Then there's a slap. The slap was as loud as a clap and stung right cheek. It had caused my mother to let out a small yelp and Mimi to cover her eyes. It had been an open-handed smack and it had left a red welt behind. Just below my eye was a small cut where my father's wedding ring had caught me. I staggered backward, clutching my face, eyes watering.
"Foolish, you should've feared me more!"
My father hovered over me like a wild animal. His fists clutched and his nostrils flared. He eyed me for a moment before reaching down and clutching onto my necklace and yanking it off without warning.
"You can't take that!"
He reached back with another opened handed slap but it didn't connect with my face this time and was used more as a warning. "Shut up before I leave another mark." Cutting his eyes at me, he tosses the necklace to Mimi who catches it hesitantly.
"Throw it in the trash. Burn it. I don't care just get it out of my face." He waved her off and Mimi quickly nodded sending me a look of pity before she scurried off somewhere. "I'm also taking away your phone and both of your cars. If you need to get around for now on let our personal driver take you."
"This is unfair. You can't do this." I snapped.
My father's ignored my words as he straightened out his suit and regained his composure a bit. "I'm also taking you out of Stratford. You'll be homeschooled from now. You're a senior now and you only have one more semester so it shouldn't be that difficult to adjust."
"You're ruining my life!"
"Good," My father turned to me with a snarl on his lips. "You've been ruining mine for the last few months over that hoodlum. I think you've forgotten that I run this show but you're and your friend are about to remember real soon."
