We Don't Have to be a Tragedy

Taylor’s Point of View

I heard laughing start up just prior to us entering the den - and I saw why immediately. There was a huge goofy grin on Juliet’s face, and Romeo, sitting beside her, was the one laughing.

“Well, hello there, strangers,” Todd greeted, walking in behind me. I didn’t say anything, and I knew I had a nearly goofy grin on my face as I walked over to Juliet.

“ ‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?’ ” I couldn’t help but tease her as she stood up to hug me. Pulling away, she playfully shoved me and we both laughed. For a few moments, it was as though it was just the two of us again, laughing in her living room while we were supposedly doing homework. But, of course, it’s not her family’s house back home, where her brother comes occasionally on break rather than crowd up the place they had here. This was the Davis household, home of Juliet’s Romeo, and location of this evening’s Christmas party.

Feeling a bit weird in the Davis household, I glance around briefly, taking in Mr. and Mrs. Capula talking calmly to Mr. Davis, Romeo watching the actions of Juliet, a gentle smile across his lips, and Todd, who was chatting up Mrs. Davis. (“Lovely decorations! I wish I could’ve helped again this year!”)

Todd was so lively, and it was kind of interesting to watch him here rather than at school. It was a habitat familiar to his species, I suppose, and it intrigued me.

“Taylor,” Juliet said suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“You might want to stop staring,” she whispered. “Someone else is bound to notice.”

“Crap!” I whisper-shouted. “Is it that obvious?!”

“It’s as obvious as you thought me liking Romeo was.”

Oopsie. I’d have to work on that, then.

Juliet’s Point of View

The deer in the headlights look in Taylor’s eyes made me giggle, but I kept it fairly well hidden, considering I wanted to burst out into peals of laughter.

“Shut up,” Taylor said, realizing I was silently laughing after about a minute and a half. Her expression finally wrenched from the deer in the headlights look to a glare directed at me. I shrugged apologetically and she just sighed.

I caught Romeo’s eyes, and he raised his eyebrows, acknowledging the fact that he clearly knew something. I just grinned and turned back to Taylor.

“You need to stop freaking about the obviousness,” I said simply. She stared.

“Somehow, that piece of advice doesn’t help,” she hissed.

I just laughed.

About an hour later, (after the postponement of gift-opening, thank heavens!) we all gathered in the dining room as Cathy had Romeo assist her with the retrieving of the meal from the kitchen. The offers to help from everyone in the room had fallen on the purposely deaf ears of Cathy.

The dinner, however, was satisfying.

MORE than that. You see, there was ham, there was turkey, there was mashed potatoes and gravy, there were yams, there were hot rolls, there was pecan pie, there was every Christmastime food imaginable, and probably more. Cathy had outdone herself - but she had done so brilliantly (if that makes sense!).

I would have been happy with our Christmas party of sorts ending here and just lounging around for the rest of the day, but, unfortunately, the gifts were piled under the tree when we returned to the den. And, of course, Cathy immediately looked to Romeo and I.

“Well, aren’t you two going to open them at the same time?” she said, grinning.

I flushed, and with one glance, Romeo laughed.

“Yeah, Mom. We will.”

So he handed me a gift - I noticed it was from his mother - and we prepared to open them.