Trapped in School (Watty Awards 2012 Nominee)

Chapter Twenty- Nine: Juliet Speaks

Shit.

Once in a while, life decides it’s going to do its own thing; and that thing happens to be smacking you in the face so hard, you see purple stars. There isn’t much one can do about this, other than let go of the wheel and send a quick prayer.

My previous coping method to such events had been holing up in the bunker that was my bedroom and watching anime until the bombs stopped. But considering the circumstances, that wasn’t exactly possible. I briefly considered curling up in the fetal position, but that wasn’t exactly possible either. This left me with one choice and one choice only:

To take it like a man.

“I…. I….” I chocked out. Peanut butter seemed to be sliding down the sides of my throat. Even worse, my mind was like the fuzzies on a broken TV.; black, white, and buzzing like a bee. The ground look comfortable enough, so I considered passing out just to escape the situation, but my heart wasn’t into it. My eyes squeezed close on their own accord, and I took a deep breath.

The fuzzies began to clear up, slowly but surely, as a weighted silence filled the room. But I, for once, was oblivious to the awkwardness.

I know-- me? Not awkward? It was impossible. But then again, impossible had long lost its impact on me.

Pictures were passing through my mind the way they did when I was taking a history test. Say the question asked;

Which battle shed the most blood in the Civil War?

My mind would instantly play a montage of images, starting from the words in my textbooks, leading up to my interpretation of the battles themselves; Abe Lincoln, guns, bombs, battle fields, and BOOM!

Battle of Antietam.

My biggest pride was in this odd, photographic memory I acquired over the years. But now it was torturing me with images of Lucas.

The swing set and our fights over the years flashed through my mind first, making a smirk appear on my face and a fire start in my stomach. Rejection-- he deserved it. But these images melted away as I saw our first date, first kiss, and all of the other romantic “firsts” I had experienced in these short three days.

It finally made sense now. There was nothing I could do about it, so I just let the words spill out of my mouth without a second thought.

“‘It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were! She speaks yet she says nothing; what of that?’…. I believe that’s the quote, correct?” I said, standing up from the chair. Lucas looked at me like I was insane, which was probably true.

“Romeo and Juliet, you dork. Act 2, Scene 2, Romeo confesses his love. I know my literature shit, okay?” at this I giggled. Strolling casually to stop the frantic beating of my heart, I circled around the table, letting my fingers drag against the surface. With cautious eyes, Lucas watched me like an animal waiting to be attacked.

“They fell in love in three days I believe,” I said. At this, Lucas smirked, a little bit of his confidence returning. “But then again, they did die.” A frown re-appeared on Lucas’s face. I surpressed a giggle, marveling at how fun this game was turning out to be. No wonder Lucas seemed to enjoy this so much.

I stopped, hand still on the table, and gave a sweet smile. Game over, it was time to just say it, admit it to myself, and to him.

“Lucas…. I love you too.”

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the empty promises of updating. I may not update this weekend, I have to learn all my lines by Monday and do my summer reading. Hope you like the new chapter! Don't forget to vote, it means a lot to me.