Chapter Eight: Romeo And Juliet

After the football game, Rohan and Dustin returned home and got a stern talking to by their parents before heading to their room. "I'm really sorry, I didn't know it would've amounted to this," Dustin said.

"It was him, Luther, he did all of this. Dustin, you have to report him or else things are going to get worse," Rohan suggested.

"So, what, so he could get suspended and then just come back to start all over again," Dustin answered.

"Fine, how about this? I could get suspended and would have to take summer school. I'm not going to tell on you because you're my brother but you need to stop being scared and report him," Rohan said, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"..."

"It's your decision, I'm heading to bed."

With that Rohan went to his bed and fell asleep while Dustin was filled with guilt. He sat on his bed, thinking about what Rohan said. The next day, the video of that football night went viral around Cape Coast High, with people speculating left, right, and center. Rohan, Dustin, and Thandi entered the school that day with all eyes on Rohan, as he initiated the fight. "When I said I wanted to become popular, this is not what I meant," Rohan explained, as they walked to their class.

"In a school like this, any drama, I'm sure anything would be looked upon," Thandi answered.

"I'm going to head to class, I'll see you at break," Dustin said, waving before heading to his class.

Dustin walked to his class, putting on his headphone to distract him from the drama a lot of people were talking about. The fact that he was the main figure in this, sickened him. He walked on before getting pulled into the dark supply closet. He heard the snap of the lock and knew what was about to happen. "What do you want?" he asked, taking off his headphones.

"I need you to research for me, and I'm going to need it by tomorrow morning," Luther answered, leaning against the wall.

"Are you sure you want to do this? My brother already knows what has been happening between us and now you still want to continue this?"

"I will continue because there's nothing you can do about it. Unless you want your little secret to come out. You know that people will never look at you the same way," Luther replied, slowly walking towards him, and forcing him against the wall by the neck. Dustin felt his heart beat faster, scared by his touch. "You are not in the role of demanding and questioning me. There's so much I can do to you and your fragile body," Luther said, moving his hand to his stomach. Scared, his eyes started watering before Luther punched him rapidly, causing him to fall to the ground.

"It was a nice conversation, don't forget to give it to me by the chemistry classroom before school starts," he said before leaving. Dustin, on the ground, began crying, holding his bruised stomach, angry at Luther and himself. "Fuck you! Fuck you! FUCK YOU!" he thought, hitting the ground in frustration.

In their classroom, Rohan and Thandi began speaking over the drama including him. "I don't feel bad about it, I'll gladly do it again. He is bullying my brother as we speak and I can't do anything because Dustin is protecting him for some reason," Rohan said, laying on Thandi's shoulder.

"Maybe he has some sort of leverage over him, I don't think Dustin wouldn't just allow him to bully him like that."

"What does he know that I don't? Dustin and I tell each other everything, like when I wanted to confess to you or by the movie theaters."

"Whatever it is, it must be pretty big. We need to keep an eye out for him in case something happens and we don't know about it," Thandi suggested, stroking his hair.

"You're right, Elijah is in the same class as him so I can ask him for surveillance. Plus, I'm pretty sure I won't be here if Dustin doesn't come forward but at least, I know you guys are looking out for him."

"Dustin is my friend too and I'm not going to let him get hurt," Thandi said.

"I was wondering if you would like to study, without anyone else, of course.? If I do get suspended, I was hoping we could study together to help me ace my tests," he asked.

"Of course, plus it would help me too. Are you going to the Romeo and Juliet play when the examinations are done? Elijah and Matthew are helping in it so we need to support," Thandi asked.

"I have a game that night so I don't think I'll be able to make but maybe I can catch it the second or third night," he replied.

"Doesn't matter, all that matters is that we support."

"Now that I think of it, Elijah and Matthew have gotten really close over the semesters. I mean Matthew is a great guy so it makes sense," he mentioned.

"I know right, did you hear him call Elijah, 'Eli'? I've only known Ally to say that and she likes him," she responded.

"It would be a stretch to think that Elijah and Matthew might have a thing going on, besides they seem good for each other."

"That would be so cute. I mean that would suck for Ally but if we're being honest, I don't think Elijah likes her in that way," Thandi said before Rohan lifted himself.

"What do you mean?"

"The thing is, Elijah seems to be in the phase where he is still trying to figure himself out. Try to compare the way he acts around Matthew, then to Ally. It just doesn't make sense for him to like her," Thandi explained.

"Are you saying Elijah likes Matthew?" Rohan asked.

"I mean it wouldn't be so far off."

The gossip between the lovebirds continued while in the other class, Elijah sat down before Dustin entered the class, looking flushed. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, just a bit nauseous," he replied, sitting on his seat.

The two began a short little conversation before their teach arrived, checking attendance and giving the weekly announcements. "Following what happened last week, the school wanted to put it out there at they will not tolerate any type of violence, and will be dealt with suspension and even expulsion," said Mr. Johnson before the class gasped.

"Wait, so will Rohan be suspended, what about his exams?" Elijah asked.

"In his case, he will be suspended for about a week. He will be able to write the week after in a separate venue," he replied.

"What if he had a reason to hit him?" Dustin asked, out of the blue.

"The suspension will remain as it is, but if his reason is valid, it could soften the blow. Does he have a reason? You are his brother so I'm guessing he tells you everything," Mr. Johnson asked, as the whole class turned towards him.

"No sir."

Mr. Johnson continued the announcement while Dustin was deep in thought before the lessons began. As the school continued, soon it was Lunch and the group met up in the cafeteria along with the other students. "Being a cheerleader is starting to become a real hassle. I thought it would come with popularity but instead, I got sleepless nights and back problems," said Ally, sitting down.

"I have to get the Romeo and Juliet production finished before this Friday before examinations start. The pressure is real" he said, eating his food.

"While you guys can look forward to exams, I'm about to get suspended," Rohan added.

"Why did you hit him? No one told me what happened that night," Ally asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it. It's not for me to talk about," Rohan said as his eyes moved over to Dustin.

"What do you mean? You're the one who started the—"

Before Ally could finish her sentence, Luther and his friends walked past glaring at the group. Rohan, frustratingly, looked away, continuing to eat his food. "So are we just going to—" she asked before everyone stared at her, "Okay."

The rest of the lunch period was awkward and quiet before the students headed to class. As examinations were the following week, normal periods were abandoned for now and some students headed out as big events were happening after examinations, like the Romeo and Juliet play, as well as the final football game. In the auditorium, the club began practicing once again for the last time before examinations. "Elijah we might have a small problem," Matthew said.

"What is it?"

"One of the backstage members broke their leg and cannot help anymore. The thing is that they were in charge of lifting one of the props," Matthew explained.

"Then I'll fill in for them, I don't really have a job other than supervising so I'll do it," he suggested.

"It's a huge prop. Will you be able to manage it?" he asked.

"Don't doubt me. I can handle it."

"Fine, sorry. If you need help though, call me," he said before walking away.

Elijah felt flustered, walking the other way to calm himself down. Soon, the final rehearsal began and in the end, everything was done, it was all ready. 'We're done. We're actually done," Elijah said.

"I can't believe it either. I couldn't have done this without you guys," Inga said, hugging Elijah and Matthew tightly. While in that position, Elijah and Matthew smiled at each other before letting go. "You can go and study, don't forget to get some sleep," Inga said. Elijah and Matthew made their way to the Stein Residence and began studying. "I just realized that Algebra is so unnecessary. Why do we have to know this?" Elijah complained.

"Did you get my present?" Matthew asked.

"What present?" he asked, confused.

"I left an ice-cream tub in your fridge. I put my name on it with M." Hearing this, Elijah remembered the ice cream he ate on the couch, thinking it was from his mother. "That was you?"

"Yep. I gave it to your mother to give to you before I went home," he replied.

"Oh my god. Thank you so much. I didn't know, it was really good. How did you know I liked strawberry and chocolate ice-cream? It's kind of a weird combination."

"I remember when we were by the concert, and we were talking about our food preferences..."

At the bay...

"You know, I love eating, it's my favorite hobby. It might not look like it but I do. Especially ice-cream, no, strawberry, and chocolate ice-cream. It's one of my favorite flavors. I also like pizza. What about you," Elijah asked.

"I don't know, I'm not as passionate about food as you but I'm not going to deny that I like eating," he answered.

Present...

"I remember. I talk too much, to be honest. Next time I'm just going to keep quiet," he replied.

"No. If you do, how am I going to know what you like?"

Elijah just giggled before pulling his glasses down and looking at his books, before Matthew smiled at him. After that, Elijah and Matthew kept on studying several topics before headed home. Elijah felt happy, happier than he's been these past few days. "I like you, Matthew."

"And you only figured this out now," said the angel, hitting their forehead.

"He's a slow one," replied the devil.

"Can you guys leave me alone, I'm currently happy before reality smacks me awake so go away," he asked, looking to the ceiling and smiling.

That night was the meeting between Rohan and Luther, as well as their parents. Once the principal entered, the meeting began. Rohan knew what was going to happen, so he didn't care. "Welcome Parents, you already know why we're here so let's not waste any time. We have decided that based on Rohan's actions, he shall face the punishment of suspension, which will last for about a week," the Principal said, handing out a paper with all the rules.

"But what about his assessments?" asked Mrs. Ross.

"He will be taking it the week after with all the students who have missed theirs. Think of it as an extra week to prepare and think about what you've done. Any questions?" They shook their heads and the meeting concluded. "I still can't believe you did that, he seems like such a nice kid," said Mrs. Ross.

"Trust me, he is not. You'll find that out soon enough."

They returned home and Dustin was sitting on his bed before Rohan entered the room. "So, I did get suspended and now I have to write the following week, which isn't that bad. If anything, Thandi and I are going to get even more time together."

"Are you mad at me?" Dustin asked, pulling off his headphones.

"Slightly but I'm not going to hold it against you. Are you ever going to tell them what happened?" he asked.

"I will, eventually."

"I hope so. Did you see how he looked at us in break, it was sickening," Rohan said.

Dustin looked at his phone screen, looking at the video recording from a few weeks ago. "I'm going to stop you."

With that, the last week of studying was over and the school now moved on to the dreaded examinations which no one was looking forward to unless you were an over-achiever. Elijah and Matthew were well-equipped and ready for the tests as they had been studying together every afternoon. This was also the week of Rohan's suspension, which made Dustin fell extra guilty, but he knew this was the time to set things right. "Why do I feel so nervous all of a sudden?" Elijah asked.

"Don't worry, we've been studying for who knows how long and it will finally pay off this week. Don't sweat it," Matthew answered.

"Yeah, you're right."

The first test was everyone's least favorite subject, Mathematics. Elijah saw this as his biggest challenge out of the entire week. However, this wasn't going to be that bad of a paper since he linked certain topics to certain things Matthew said while they studied together. As the paper went on, Elijah worked steadily, examining each question. Before he knew it, he was done with the first paper of the week. He looked around to see if any other students were still writing. Most were, before spotting Matthew in the distance, laying his head on the table. Soon, the paper was done and the students moved on to the paper, Grammar, and Literature. This reminded Elijah of the book he was planning. Maybe once all of this was over, he could finally focus on his book and develop it further. They entered the venue and took their seats before starting the long paper. Just like before, Elijah worked slowly through his test, ending it faster than other students. Elijah rested his head on the desk while the others wrote their tests.

"3... 2... 1... Done. Pens down. Your test is over."

Elijah lifted his head to the teachers taking in the test papers, he looked around at everyone, looking relieved whilst others looked even more stressed. Once the papers were taken in, the school day was finally over. The group walked outside, talking about the first tests. "It was a challenge, I'll say that at least," said Ally.

"It wasn't as hard as everyone made it out to be," Thandi said. The group continued to speak before Ally noticed something. "Where's Dustin?"

In the chemistry class, Dustin walked into Luther, who was sitting, on his phone. Dustin took the notes out and dropped them on his desk, without saying a word. He tried leaving before getting pulled, falling on his lap. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"I was going home. I did what you asked, and I have to study for tomorrow's papers," Dustin replied.

"What about my goodbye kiss?"

"Excuse me?!" he asked confused before Luther kissed him. Dustin jumped off his lap, rubbing his lips.

"Stop kissing me! It's one thing to bully me into doing your homework, but it's another thing to treat me like I'm your slave," he said.

"Why can't it be both?" he replied, smiling at him.

"I'm going to leave; I don't have time for this," he said, taking his bag and walking out.

Dustin walked out, seeing the group. "Where were you?" Elijah asked as Dustin just looked at him. Elijah immediately knew what he was talking about, and changed the conversation. The group dispersed as Elijah and Matthew walked home together. "What was that about?" Matthew asked.

"What?"

"The look Dustin gave you," he added.

"It's nothing, just something between the two of us," Elijah answered.

"Does it have to do with Luther?"

"Yeah—wait, how did you know?" Elijah asked, shocked.

"I see them together a lot, are they dating?"

"No, quite far from it actually. I don't know all the details but Rohan asked me to make sure they aren't together," Elijah answered.

"oh. I wonder what's going on between them."

The two parted ways and Elijah went home to continue studying and resting. For the whole week going forward, the students from Cape Coast High wrote their examinations before it was over. Although the tests were over, there were still a few things that had to be done. Rohan was done with his suspension and wrote his tests that week, with the help of his friends, of course. There was also a football game happening on the Friday of that week, the same day as the Romeo and Juliet play. The drama club was prepping for the big day and made sure they had everything in the right place. They had one last rehearsal to make sure everyone knew their lines. Finally, everything was ready for Friday. "We have a full house on Friday and Saturday, which is why I would like to say that we are going to New York," she said as the club cheered. The drama club was filled with joy and we're now even more excited to do this production as all of it was going to pay off when they make their way to New York.

"Are you excited about New York?" Matthew asked as he jumped off the stage.

"I haven't been to New York before so yeah, I am. Are you?" he answered.

"Yeah, especially since you're going to be with. Now I can show you many different places and don't forget Hamlet."

"How it will work is that you will be paired up and each pair will share a room. Please do not have sex or do drugs on this trip. You are allowed to bring snacks, no edibles, and things like board games and certain electronics," Inga informed.

As the day ended, Elijah felt so excited and nervous at the same time. Sure, it was a new setting, it was New York, but he has never been there before. Not to mention, Matthew will be there. "What do you want me to pack in? Must I buy some games for you and Matthew to play?" Monique asked.

"I don't even know if Matthew and I will be in the same room but that would be nice," he replied.

"I'm pretty sure you two will be paired together, who else is going to be with you?" she said, winking at him.

"I'm confused, mom, what did you do?"

"Nothing. Just tell me what you want to take with you and I'll see if I can get it. Ask Matthew if he wants anything. I want this experience to be great. Also, don't forget to take photos for the scrapbook," she asked, handing him a polaroid.

"Why don't you come with them, they do need chaperones?"

"I have work and I still need to manage this household because who knows what would happen if I left Luke here alone? I don't want to come home and then see I have a new grandchild," she laughed.

"I can hear you; you know?" Luke shouted from his room.

They laughed as the sun set, and the day finally ended. The week went by fast and soon, it was the day of the production. Everyone was anxious but excited at the same time. Nobody knew if it was going to be a good showing but they believed it would. All the blood, sweat, and tears were finally going to pay off, tonight. "Now, I want every one of you to do what you can. You too, people backstage, this is where we all shine. Are you ready?" Inga asked.

"YEAH!" they shouted.

"Great, let's get ready."

Elijah's heart was beating rapidly even though he was behind the curtains, Matthew noticed this. "Umm, Eli, are you okay? You seem stressed," he asked.

"I'm okay, I'm just a bit nervous. I can't believe so many people came. We can't mess this up."

"And we won't. We worked too hard for this to go wrong. Have faith, come, we need to get ready," he replied before the two went to their stations. The auditorium filled up even more, and soon, it was full. Elijah has never seen so many people in one place before. It was scary as well as fascinating. Suddenly, the lights went out, before one spotlight appeared and Inga was on the stage, ready to introduce the play.

"Good Evening everyone, students, parents, and staff of Cape Coast High. I am Inga Fallon, leader of the drama club and I am excited to introduce to you, the tragedy known as Romeo and Juliet," she said as the crowd cheered. Once again, the lights went out as the curtains opened and the play began. As the play went on, there needed to be scene changes between that were school announcements.

"We need to get rid of this Montague scum before he comes after my daughter."

That was Elijah's cue that he needed to control one of the props in the scene, the huge boulder. Elijah got ready as he began slowly pulling and pulling, lifting the boulder. It was now in place; however, a huge problem began to show. "Why did she call me out here? Juliet. JULIET?" he shouted. Elijah needed to drop the boulder but it was stuck. "Oh no."

This sparked panic in Elijah causing him to pull the boulder, and before he could do anything, the boulder became unjammed, pulling him up in the process, but instead of letting go, he kept on, causing him to get dragged. "Is this how I'm going to die? From embarrassment?" he thought as he got pulled. Before he could get lifted to the top, he felt hands on his waist. He looked down and it was Matthew. "Jump down."

Without hesitation, he jumped causing a loud thud to occur behind the curtains. Of course, the show must go on, and it did. "Are you okay?" Elijah asked.

"I could be better; I knew you were going to need help."

"I thought I could do it but I guess I underrated just how heavy it was," Elijah replied.

Elijah got up and lifted Matthew, wiping the dust off him. "I have to get back to my station, I'll see you after the play, okay?"

"Sure."

The play continued and ended perfectly. All the members who helped with this production bowed on the stage, last was Elijah, Inga, and Matthew. It was dark at night and after a short little meeting with the drama club, Elijah sat on one of the benches waiting for Matthew. He couldn't help but remember the sensation he felt when Matthew grabbed him by the waist, the tingles he felt.

"Oh hey. Do you want to go home?"

"Yeah."

"Today was so thrilling. Tomorrow should be a breeze," said Matthew.

"Yep."

"Then next week, we heading straight to New York," he added.

"My mother asked if there was anything you would like on our trip. She's going overboard so I might as well take advantage of it," Elijah asked.

"I'm fine but thanks for offering," he thanked him.

Soon, they arrived at Elijah's house, and the two said goodbye. "I will see you tomorrow, take care," he waved before heading home. He went inside to see his mother and brother speaking about the play. "That was a very well-written play. I really enjoyed it, how was it?" Monique asked.

"I almost messed up a scene, luckily Matthew was there to help. Just have to do it tomorrow and then we can finally rest before New York. Also, Matthew doesn't want anything," Elijah said, laying on the couch.

"How long are you guys going to be away?" Luke asked.

"We're leaving on Monday and coming back the Friday morning. We're taking a bus so it's going to be a long trip," Elijah replied.

"Then it's a good reason I bought so many snacks and games. I bought Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Uno, and Ludo. I didn't know what games you'd like so I chose those for you," Monique said, picking up a packet filled with the board games, along with the snacks.

"You really didn't have— Thank you, mom," he thanked, smiling at her.

Elijah made his way to his room before scrolling through GOSSIP. The football game and the play were going viral on the school network. Soon, Elijah fell asleep.

Meanwhile, at the school, Dustin, Thandi, and Rohan were still there after the football game.

"I swear we could've won if they put me on in the first half, fucking losers," he said, frustrated.

"Calm down. It's over now, beside, we have so much to ourselves this Summer holiday. Cheer up," Thandi replied, holding his hand.

I guess you're right but next time they should think," Rohan added.

"come on, let's go home before you say something else," she laughed.

"Wait, where's Dustin."

Meanwhile, in the principal's office. "What is it, Mr. Ross?"

"I am here to report Luther Palmer for Violence and Sexual Harassment, and I have proof," he said, holding a flash drive.

TO BE CONTINUED...