We Don't Have to be a Tragedy

Romeo’s Point of Veiw

It had been three hours since the conclusion of practice, and I was laying on my bed with the familiar sounds of Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks playing softly from my headphones. In a daze, I reached up and let my fingers brush my lips, still feeling her lips there.

Truth be told, the were softer than I’d imagined or anticipated, and they were there. The fireworks. The oh-my-gosh-this-is-really-the-girl-of-my-dreams-that-I’m-kissing fireworks. Even if it was just for a play, at least I’d never regret the fact that I’d never kissed her, because I had! And now I’m rambling, aren’t I?

Groaning, I sat up and took my laptop off of my bedside table. Opening it, I logged in and got online, hoping for some distraction. I found it in the form of ‘1 New Message’. I opened the email to find that Todd had heard about the play, and congratulated me on getting the leading man and asked why I hadn’t told him myself. I discovered he’d found it on the college’s website, after looking to see if I, as he had put it, ‘had become a hit’ yet. Where he gets his logic, I’ll never know.

Laughing to myself, I clicked ‘Reply’ and started answering his questions and asking him some of my own.

Juliet’s Point of View

“Ooh, I knew it!” Taylor squealed over the phone. “The way you talk about him! And, you may call them cliché, but if the feelings are there, then that’s good, isn’t it? Jeez, girl!”

“Shut up!” I groaned. “It’s bad enough that I’m having the super-crush that most girls hit at fifteen.”

Taylor had a laughing fit. “Super-crush? Haha! Well, I guess you could call it that, it does make sense. So…was he a good kisser?”

“Taylor!”

“Just answer it!”

“Yes,” I sighed, already knowing I would never get out of it. “Yes, it was brilliant. I just…I wish it were real, you know?”

“Oh, honey,” Taylor said, “that boy would have to be blind, or just a total dumbass to not notice that the most beautiful girl, inside and out, was totally in love with him, and he would have to be stupid if he didn’t love you back.”

“You’re just saying that!” I groaned, but her words had given me a slight spark of hope. The look in his eyes…it’s best not to get my hopes up, though.

“I most certainly am not.” Taylor said in a firm voice. “He’d have to be crazy to refuse you, Jules. You’re the best out there, trust me.”

“No, you’re the best,” I sighed, staring at the ceiling. “You always seem to make me feel better about myself, and you make me get a little spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, he feels the same. But I’d never be able to ask him to find out.”

“Ah, well, he’ll come to you. Just takes time. Trust me, girl! Have I ever lied to you?”

“That one time when you ate my Mom’s last chocolate chip cookie.”

“That is totally irrelevant!” Taylor laughed. “But you know your Mom’s cookies are so irresistible!”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “You’re right.”

And so we left the subject of my stage kiss with Romeo and started reminiscing about high school and all the good times we had. We laughed a lot, and kept talking and talking and talking. It was so good to talk to your long-term best friend like this, as if you were still going to see each other tomorrow at school instead of maybe over Christmas break or something.

Romeo’s Point of View

I was on Facebook, getting up-to-date on all my friends and how their first year of college life and/or full-time jobs had started, when Todd got on. I hadn’t noticed, and then he started a chat.

‘Hey man, your phone got charge?’

I chuckled. Todd never did like typing long sentences.

‘Yeah, why?’

‘I’m gonna call you then, 1 sec.’

My phone rang. I laughed, and answered.

“Hello.”

“Hey, man!” Todd’s voice came through, and I grinned. I hadn’t heard him since I left to come here, and forgive me if it’s feminine, but I’d missed the sound of my best friend’s voice.

“What’s up?” I asked, still with my grin on my face as I turned my iPod off.

“Saw some cast pictures for your play,” Todd said, and by the sound of his voice I could tell he was grinning too. “That black-haired girl standing next to you…that the leading woman?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s her name?”

“Juliet.”

“I know that she plays Juliet, but what’s her name?”

I laughed. “Todd, her name really is Juliet. Her parents have the same Shakespeare addiction that mine do.”

“Oh.” Todd laughed, too. “Well, you like her.”

I nearly choked. “What?!”

“Don’t mess around, I’m not stupid. No calls? You’d usually text me or something, at least. It’s been a few months, man.” Todd said as if speaking to a little kid. “So, the play’s page on the school site has a blog, you know, and they’ve updated. Sounds like it’s a woman, here let me read it…here! ‘Today we rehearsed Act II Scenes I thru II. I must say, Romeo and Juliet were brilliant! They’re the most talented young actors I’ve seen in a few years, and I’m not just saying it because Romeo’s my son and Juliet’s my best friend’s daughter. They’ve got excellent chemistry on stage, I was star-struck! I’m star-struck by the whole cast! They do brilliantly, and there’s such a sense of camaraderie among the cast that I just feel so old! I’ve uploaded a few photos of today’s rehearsal, including the famous kiss between Romeo and Juliet---’ ”

“Wait, what?!” I cried.

“Haha, it's your mom! And I have got to see those pictures!”

“Todd, don’t you dare!” I said, kind of frantically.

“Ooh la la,” he laughed, “and it’s much too late for telling me not to look."

I groaned.