Status: Moving along...Kind of slow.
We Don't Have to be a Tragedy
Act III, Scene XV
Romeo’s Point of View
Before I knew it, Freshman year at college was over, and Juliet was vacationing with two friends from her high school - Taylor and some girl named Yvonne. And I felt lonelier than any other summer before, missing the sound of Jules’ voice whenever I wanted to see her, and seeing her every time I closed my eyes.
Is this what people would describe a lovesick puppy like?
Because it hurts.
I don’t see why lovesick puppies seem so cute, because being lovesick hurts so much! Not being able to see your girl for weeks, not being able to laugh at something she’s said or done, to hug her and sneak a kiss when she’s not paying attention, not being able to watch her walk away even though I know I shouldn’t but can’t help myself…
I shook my head, heaving a gigantic sigh. Auditions for the summer play that would take place at the college were this week, and if I wanted to make the first day, I’d have to drag myself out of bed. With one last thought of Juliet, I rolled off my bed and headed to shower.
Juliet’s Point of View
“Hey!” I screeched, jumping away from Taylor, laughing. “That’s wet!”
“Don’t you like your water wet, Jules?” she retorted, taking on the ‘duh’ tone of voice.
“I didn’t want to be wet right now, Taylor!” I laughed, dodging the water gun’s spray…only to be hit in the back. I spun, and saw Yvonne beaming at me. “Vonnnnie!” I dragged out, “Why are you two ganging up on me today?”
I put my hands on my hips in the female power stance, moving only to duck and screech when Taylor and Yvonne both blasted me with their supersoakers.
“No fair!” I called, running.
A few other people in the park stared at us like we had three heads apiece, but I ignored the looks as I tried to escape the other two girls with water guns.
We were in a small town’s park in Missouri, miles away from home. We’d stayed in a cheap hotel in the town that night, and had decided that we’d make the most of this stop. However much fun we were having - I was having - I couldn’t help but wonder how Romeo was. Was he thinking of me? I’d had to steal Taylor’s phone for a fraction of an instant to send a text telling him mine was broken and I’d try to call him soon.
Then Taylor had tackled me, screeching about how she had things on that phone that would hurt my poor eyes…what she meant by that, I found as I surfed through her phone, were bright pictures of sunrises and sunsets, which did kind of hurt your eyes after a few moments.
I sighed, wanting nothing more than to have Romeo on this trip with us, but knowing that my parents would have slightly freaked if he had been even though we’ve been quite innocent for hormonal college students. A hot make-out behind the Science building during lunch one time that Mom saw, whoopee! She was actually probably the more accepting one.
Oh, well. There was plenty of time for that when we got home on Saturday after our three week roadtrip (including a week in Florida). And then we’d have all of Sophomore year at college, if everything was still okay.
Romeo’s Point of View
“What?” I stared at Mom and Dad in disbelief. “You want me to leave on Monday?! Juliet get’s back on Saturday, that’s only two days! I can’t just leave her here like that! Dropping the bomb, ‘Oh, by the way, Jules, I have to go to New York for three months, and I leave in two days!’ That will blow over really well, won’t it?”
New. York. City.
Not like I didn’t want to go there, where more people attended actual stage plays, but I didn’t want to leave now, in the middle of summer and two days after Juliet gets back from her road trip! It wasn’t right, and I wasn’t about to do it.
“It’s a great opportunity! I’m sure Juliet would understand, she’s a very understanding sort!” Mom tried, as always, to be the peacemaker. “All you have to do is talk to her about it, Honey.”
I stood up, my chair scraping back from the table loudly.
“Goodnight.” I said, heading immediately to my room.
“Honey,” Mom knocked on my door an hour later, “we’ve talked to the play’s director.”
“So?” I said sharply.
“He said he could do one of their other plays for two months, and then you can go.” Mom said, opening my door. “That way, you can spend time with Juliet, and you can talk to her about it.”
When I didn’t say anything, Mom came and sat beside me on my bed. I wasn’t looking at her, but I sat my book down on my bed.
“Honey, you know she’ll understand.” she tried soothingly.
“I know,” I turned to look at Mom. “But is it so bad if I don’t want her to, so I have an excuse to stay closer?”
Juliet’s Point of View
There he was! Waiting for me out in front of Whitney’s, just like he said he would! I couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. I leaned out my window and waved at him, causing Taylor to laugh from the backseat, and Yvonne giggled from the front.
“That’s Romeo, then?” Yvonne asked slyly. “Great catch, Jules.”
I flushed, “Hey, that’s my boy you’re looking at.”
She giggled again, and pulled into a parking space at the far end of the lot from him.
“Vonnie,” I whined, “why couldn’t you park closer?”
Yvonne grinned mischievously, opening her door. “I wanted to see the slow-motion, romantic running-through-a-field-of-flowers reunion…except this time it has to be on blacktop. Maybe it’ll be a field of flowers next time, eh?”
I playfully punched her arm as I slid out and slammed the door enthusiastically. I turned to find that Romeo was already jogging toward us, so I tossed my purse at Taylor (who caught it one-handed, by the way) and started running toward him. I tackled him into a hug when I reached him, whispering into his neck, “I missed you!”
We pulled apart, and he kissed my hair, looking into my eyes.
“I missed you, too,” he said softly, and I couldn’t help myself. I stood on tiptoes so that I could press my lips to his in our first kiss in over three weeks. When I pulled back, he chuckled and said, “I missed that, too.”
I playfully slapped him in the chest before kissing him again.
Taylor’s Point of View
“See?” I nudged Yvonne as we walked closer to the kissing couple. “Aren’t they just the cutest?”
“They’re absolutely adorable!” Yvonne’s whisper squeaked with her excitement, then she pulled her mischievous grin back. “Now, where is this Todd that you have an almost sort of relationship with?”
I shoved her gently, laughing as the blush rose in my cheeks.
“Probably inside,” I replied in a normal tone, then raised my voice, “C’mon, lovebirds, some of us are hungry!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them pull apart and laugh before Romeo took Juliet’s hand and they started to follow Yvonne and myself back to the restaurant.
Romeo’s Point of View
I had to tell her before she went home tonight, I knew. Not that she’d be mad if I waited a while, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let her think I’d be here all next school year. Mom and Dad and I had already worked out the fact that I could take my classes online while I was away, and now it was left to me to let Juliet know.
I didn’t have an opportunity to do it for a while, since we just sat and caught up for a half an hour before ordering, but when the waitress walked away to give the cook our orders, I nudged her.
“Hmm?” Juliet asked, looking up at me and still grinning from a joke Ry had made. Maria didn’t have to work and, since she was going out with Ry now, was sitting with us.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?”
She seemed to realize that it was important by the tone in my voice, so she nodded and looked at the table.
“Hey, we’ll be right back, okay?” she said, grinningly.
“Oooooh!” the girls laughed while the guys wolf whistled. I rolled my eyes pointedly at them and Juliet took my hand, leading the way. I felt my heartbeat getting quicker, and I really didn’t want to have to tell Juliet that I was going to New York for three months starting in late August. I wasn’t even going to be able to visit, because we had three to four performances a week!
I composed myself as Juliet pushed open the door and led me around to the side, out of view of the windows. Then she turned and asked, no-nonsense like, “What’s wrong?”
I laughed, happy to know that someone knew me well enough to know when something was really wrong - well, someone other than Todd and my own parents. And occasionally, Ry had the ability of insight…but only occasionally.
“There’s this thing…” I started, looking at the ground before growing the balls to look her in the eyes. “In August, the twenty-third, actually, I’ve got to leave for New York for a while.”
“How long is a while?” she raised an eyebrow curiously, “And why?”
“I’ll answer the second half first,” I laughed a little, partly from nerves. “Mom and Dad signed me up for acting with a popular group, and sent them the videos of our Romeo and Juliet performances. Romeo and Juliet just so happens to be one that they do for a few weeks every September, and they thought I was good.”
“Good enough for them to want you there while they perform it,” she said, “acting, of course, as Romeo. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed. We were silent for a few moments.
“You’ll be gone for longer than that, though,” she observed, and I frowned at the downcast look in her gaze.
“Yeah,” I whispered, looking back at the ground.
“How long?” she repeated her earlier question, “How long is a while?”
“Around three months,” I said softly, daring to peek back up at her.
“That’s…that’s not as bad as it could be, right?” she tried a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least we still have two months until then. You know?”
“Actually…” I groaned, “Actually, we’re lucky to have two months. They originally wanted me to leave this Monday, but I refused.”
“It’s a big chance,” she reminded me, taking a step closer. “Your big day! Right? In the spotlight, acting like you’re supposed to be in the play for real, like you were really there and all of it really happened. Just like you always wanted, right? And I’ll bet it pays good, especially for a lead.”
“Yeah,” I stepped forward and put my arms around her. “I just don’t want to leave you, you know?”
“Hey, who knows?” she laughed softly, hugging back. “Maybe I’ll come see you, Romeo. Maybe I’ll surprise you, eh?”
“I hope you do,” I kissed her hair again, looking down at her gently. “That would be a welcome distraction from all those play-types.”
She laughed, tilting her head up and giving me a gentle kiss. “You are one of those play-types!” she scolded.
I knew she understood. I just had half hoped she wouldn’t, because I wanted to stay here, with her, and I sure didn’t want to kiss anyone else in Romeo and Juliet other than the real Juliet. But I’d have to - it was in my new job’s description.
“Hey, you two!” we heard from around the front. “Food’s here!”
We laughed together and, before she could head toward Todd’s voice, I leaned in and captured her lips with my own, in a more passionate kiss than we’d had earlier. Probably mostly due to the already dwindling time we had together before I had to leave her here for three long months.
Before I knew it, Freshman year at college was over, and Juliet was vacationing with two friends from her high school - Taylor and some girl named Yvonne. And I felt lonelier than any other summer before, missing the sound of Jules’ voice whenever I wanted to see her, and seeing her every time I closed my eyes.
Is this what people would describe a lovesick puppy like?
Because it hurts.
I don’t see why lovesick puppies seem so cute, because being lovesick hurts so much! Not being able to see your girl for weeks, not being able to laugh at something she’s said or done, to hug her and sneak a kiss when she’s not paying attention, not being able to watch her walk away even though I know I shouldn’t but can’t help myself…
I shook my head, heaving a gigantic sigh. Auditions for the summer play that would take place at the college were this week, and if I wanted to make the first day, I’d have to drag myself out of bed. With one last thought of Juliet, I rolled off my bed and headed to shower.
Juliet’s Point of View
“Hey!” I screeched, jumping away from Taylor, laughing. “That’s wet!”
“Don’t you like your water wet, Jules?” she retorted, taking on the ‘duh’ tone of voice.
“I didn’t want to be wet right now, Taylor!” I laughed, dodging the water gun’s spray…only to be hit in the back. I spun, and saw Yvonne beaming at me. “Vonnnnie!” I dragged out, “Why are you two ganging up on me today?”
I put my hands on my hips in the female power stance, moving only to duck and screech when Taylor and Yvonne both blasted me with their supersoakers.
“No fair!” I called, running.
A few other people in the park stared at us like we had three heads apiece, but I ignored the looks as I tried to escape the other two girls with water guns.
We were in a small town’s park in Missouri, miles away from home. We’d stayed in a cheap hotel in the town that night, and had decided that we’d make the most of this stop. However much fun we were having - I was having - I couldn’t help but wonder how Romeo was. Was he thinking of me? I’d had to steal Taylor’s phone for a fraction of an instant to send a text telling him mine was broken and I’d try to call him soon.
Then Taylor had tackled me, screeching about how she had things on that phone that would hurt my poor eyes…what she meant by that, I found as I surfed through her phone, were bright pictures of sunrises and sunsets, which did kind of hurt your eyes after a few moments.
I sighed, wanting nothing more than to have Romeo on this trip with us, but knowing that my parents would have slightly freaked if he had been even though we’ve been quite innocent for hormonal college students. A hot make-out behind the Science building during lunch one time that Mom saw, whoopee! She was actually probably the more accepting one.
Oh, well. There was plenty of time for that when we got home on Saturday after our three week roadtrip (including a week in Florida). And then we’d have all of Sophomore year at college, if everything was still okay.
Romeo’s Point of View
“What?” I stared at Mom and Dad in disbelief. “You want me to leave on Monday?! Juliet get’s back on Saturday, that’s only two days! I can’t just leave her here like that! Dropping the bomb, ‘Oh, by the way, Jules, I have to go to New York for three months, and I leave in two days!’ That will blow over really well, won’t it?”
New. York. City.
Not like I didn’t want to go there, where more people attended actual stage plays, but I didn’t want to leave now, in the middle of summer and two days after Juliet gets back from her road trip! It wasn’t right, and I wasn’t about to do it.
“It’s a great opportunity! I’m sure Juliet would understand, she’s a very understanding sort!” Mom tried, as always, to be the peacemaker. “All you have to do is talk to her about it, Honey.”
I stood up, my chair scraping back from the table loudly.
“Goodnight.” I said, heading immediately to my room.
“Honey,” Mom knocked on my door an hour later, “we’ve talked to the play’s director.”
“So?” I said sharply.
“He said he could do one of their other plays for two months, and then you can go.” Mom said, opening my door. “That way, you can spend time with Juliet, and you can talk to her about it.”
When I didn’t say anything, Mom came and sat beside me on my bed. I wasn’t looking at her, but I sat my book down on my bed.
“Honey, you know she’ll understand.” she tried soothingly.
“I know,” I turned to look at Mom. “But is it so bad if I don’t want her to, so I have an excuse to stay closer?”
Juliet’s Point of View
There he was! Waiting for me out in front of Whitney’s, just like he said he would! I couldn’t help but feel giddy with excitement. I leaned out my window and waved at him, causing Taylor to laugh from the backseat, and Yvonne giggled from the front.
“That’s Romeo, then?” Yvonne asked slyly. “Great catch, Jules.”
I flushed, “Hey, that’s my boy you’re looking at.”
She giggled again, and pulled into a parking space at the far end of the lot from him.
“Vonnie,” I whined, “why couldn’t you park closer?”
Yvonne grinned mischievously, opening her door. “I wanted to see the slow-motion, romantic running-through-a-field-of-flowers reunion…except this time it has to be on blacktop. Maybe it’ll be a field of flowers next time, eh?”
I playfully punched her arm as I slid out and slammed the door enthusiastically. I turned to find that Romeo was already jogging toward us, so I tossed my purse at Taylor (who caught it one-handed, by the way) and started running toward him. I tackled him into a hug when I reached him, whispering into his neck, “I missed you!”
We pulled apart, and he kissed my hair, looking into my eyes.
“I missed you, too,” he said softly, and I couldn’t help myself. I stood on tiptoes so that I could press my lips to his in our first kiss in over three weeks. When I pulled back, he chuckled and said, “I missed that, too.”
I playfully slapped him in the chest before kissing him again.
Taylor’s Point of View
“See?” I nudged Yvonne as we walked closer to the kissing couple. “Aren’t they just the cutest?”
“They’re absolutely adorable!” Yvonne’s whisper squeaked with her excitement, then she pulled her mischievous grin back. “Now, where is this Todd that you have an almost sort of relationship with?”
I shoved her gently, laughing as the blush rose in my cheeks.
“Probably inside,” I replied in a normal tone, then raised my voice, “C’mon, lovebirds, some of us are hungry!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them pull apart and laugh before Romeo took Juliet’s hand and they started to follow Yvonne and myself back to the restaurant.
Romeo’s Point of View
I had to tell her before she went home tonight, I knew. Not that she’d be mad if I waited a while, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let her think I’d be here all next school year. Mom and Dad and I had already worked out the fact that I could take my classes online while I was away, and now it was left to me to let Juliet know.
I didn’t have an opportunity to do it for a while, since we just sat and caught up for a half an hour before ordering, but when the waitress walked away to give the cook our orders, I nudged her.
“Hmm?” Juliet asked, looking up at me and still grinning from a joke Ry had made. Maria didn’t have to work and, since she was going out with Ry now, was sitting with us.
“Can I talk to you for a minute? Outside?”
She seemed to realize that it was important by the tone in my voice, so she nodded and looked at the table.
“Hey, we’ll be right back, okay?” she said, grinningly.
“Oooooh!” the girls laughed while the guys wolf whistled. I rolled my eyes pointedly at them and Juliet took my hand, leading the way. I felt my heartbeat getting quicker, and I really didn’t want to have to tell Juliet that I was going to New York for three months starting in late August. I wasn’t even going to be able to visit, because we had three to four performances a week!
I composed myself as Juliet pushed open the door and led me around to the side, out of view of the windows. Then she turned and asked, no-nonsense like, “What’s wrong?”
I laughed, happy to know that someone knew me well enough to know when something was really wrong - well, someone other than Todd and my own parents. And occasionally, Ry had the ability of insight…but only occasionally.
“There’s this thing…” I started, looking at the ground before growing the balls to look her in the eyes. “In August, the twenty-third, actually, I’ve got to leave for New York for a while.”
“How long is a while?” she raised an eyebrow curiously, “And why?”
“I’ll answer the second half first,” I laughed a little, partly from nerves. “Mom and Dad signed me up for acting with a popular group, and sent them the videos of our Romeo and Juliet performances. Romeo and Juliet just so happens to be one that they do for a few weeks every September, and they thought I was good.”
“Good enough for them to want you there while they perform it,” she said, “acting, of course, as Romeo. Right?”
“Right,” I agreed. We were silent for a few moments.
“You’ll be gone for longer than that, though,” she observed, and I frowned at the downcast look in her gaze.
“Yeah,” I whispered, looking back at the ground.
“How long?” she repeated her earlier question, “How long is a while?”
“Around three months,” I said softly, daring to peek back up at her.
“That’s…that’s not as bad as it could be, right?” she tried a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “At least we still have two months until then. You know?”
“Actually…” I groaned, “Actually, we’re lucky to have two months. They originally wanted me to leave this Monday, but I refused.”
“It’s a big chance,” she reminded me, taking a step closer. “Your big day! Right? In the spotlight, acting like you’re supposed to be in the play for real, like you were really there and all of it really happened. Just like you always wanted, right? And I’ll bet it pays good, especially for a lead.”
“Yeah,” I stepped forward and put my arms around her. “I just don’t want to leave you, you know?”
“Hey, who knows?” she laughed softly, hugging back. “Maybe I’ll come see you, Romeo. Maybe I’ll surprise you, eh?”
“I hope you do,” I kissed her hair again, looking down at her gently. “That would be a welcome distraction from all those play-types.”
She laughed, tilting her head up and giving me a gentle kiss. “You are one of those play-types!” she scolded.
I knew she understood. I just had half hoped she wouldn’t, because I wanted to stay here, with her, and I sure didn’t want to kiss anyone else in Romeo and Juliet other than the real Juliet. But I’d have to - it was in my new job’s description.
“Hey, you two!” we heard from around the front. “Food’s here!”
We laughed together and, before she could head toward Todd’s voice, I leaned in and captured her lips with my own, in a more passionate kiss than we’d had earlier. Probably mostly due to the already dwindling time we had together before I had to leave her here for three long months.
♠ ♠ ♠
Here's the last chapter of Act III. Act IV will be started sometime in the next month (haha) and will probably start on the day Romeo leaves for New York. I haven't decided yet, but oh, well.I hope you who are still with me have enjoyed We Don't Have To Be A Tragedy thus far, and are continuing to enjoy it!
Please leave a comment so I can thank you when this is all over, okay?
<333 Amanda