Short: Juliet

Last edited nov 30 2016

Romeo and Juliet

Erin wore her dark pink leggings with her bright red tank top, her lips pursed, eyes full of concentration. Her arms extended right above the easel, holding her paintbrush.

"Are you even listening?" I asked.

"Umhmmm." She said distractedly, her hand still hesitant to paint on the easel. I sat on her bed, back against her overflowing pillows. She faced me, eyes looking at mine.

"The eyes are always the easiest to paint, if you know the person at least. Strangers are always the hardest to do." I groaned, so she wasn't listening.

"Erin, summers over! We won't be going to the same school anymore. Who goes to Excel School anyways? I won't know anyone!" I said leaning into the pillows.

"I think Tab is rubbing off of you, you're starting to act like a drama queen." I smiled at that and replied,

"Well I am a good actress." Erin cracked a smile, then she set down her paintbrush and sat on the bed.

"You know, I heard Rose goes to Excel high school... And a guy named Austen..." My heart lept, I sat back straight. Then I hesitantly asked, trying to seem like I didn't care when I asked,

"So... are they still dating?" Erin made a sour face.

"Yah, I don't know what he sees in Rose that makes her datable, he's not her type."

I leaned on her mountain of pillows and sighed.

"What was that?" Erin asked, prodding me. I rolled over and pleaded,

"Nothing, can we just talk about something else?"

"You mean someone else?" I turned and glared at her,

"Alright, alright." She said, holding up her hands in surrender.

"Are you coming to the Halloween Party?" I sat up, that was a different topic.

"Of course! You know it's the only time I have an excuse not to go trick or treating with my dad!" She laughed, and so did I. The last time I trick or treated with my dad he made me be Tinkerbell, and he was Peter Pan.

I nearly snorted out laughing, "Wasn't that 5 years ago?" "Exactly, you just have to make sure you're not available, works every time." Erin could always cheer me up, it was just how she was.

"I heard Austen will be there," my eyes going wide, a fluttering sensation in my heart I try to ignore. Truth is, I've had this thing for him for a while now, and didn't know he was dating anyone till I saw her kiss him at the new year's dance…

A memory I would rather avoid.

(He liked Andria, but Rose told him that she wasn't interested, and so he started dating Rose instead. They've been together ever since).

17, at least I wasn't going trick or treating like the rest of the Seniors this year. Last year that happened, only I was the one handing out candy.

"So, what are you going to dress up as?

"A character from a book," I say, vaguely, Erin playfully responding,

"Knowing you, it's not just any book...hmm. Let me think…" Tilting her head in mock contemplation, index finger at her jaw. We'd always do this, it started when we were kids, and a person on our favorite tv show (who had terrible acting skills) would always do that when she was thinking about something 'real hard.'

"Knowing you, it has to have a classy style to it, I would guess 'the 3 musketeers', but that's not all your forte, probably something dramatic…" Spreading her arms out wide, in a eccentric gesture, "and romantic, or better yet, a forbidden romance," Wiggling her eyebrows. Giggling, she knows my favorite books all too well.

"

"Well, the stories do say they were young, and Juliet wasn't all too smart, but women weren't really educated back then. But they do say 'love is blind', though I personally believe it's based on experience, and time, rather than a 'pretty face.'