City Lights

Montagues and Capulets

I was late to English because I had to show Noah to his class. I've known him less than an hour and he's already ruining my education. I pushed the door open to see Miss Cooper in the middle of reading to the class.

"Name please."

"Ally Hopkins." Students started whispering as soon as my name left my mouth. Last year I started acting differently. I became more extroverted than when I joined high school. I cut myself off from my toxic friends and started being a group hopper. I hung out with every stereotypical high school clique. I became known by every year group and I loved it. I guess my popularity stayed up to my junior year.

"Take a seat please." The only available seat was next to Marcus. When I was a freshman and he was a sophomore, he was ridiculous and annoying. And the worst part was that he genuinely thought he was being funny. He's more mature now than those two years ago which makes me think of him as an acquaintance rather than a friend.

"Lingard."

"Hopkins." We greet each other with last names. I don't know where or how it started but it's stuck. The teacher continues her reading of Romeo and Juliet. It got boring so I started looking around the class for any unfamiliar faces. I spotted a girl with bright blue eyes staring in my direction. As soon as I caught her looking, she glanced down then to the other side of the room.

"Looks like you might finally get some action Marky."

"What?"

"The new girl. She was staring right at you."

"Me? Please. Her eyes have been glued to you since you stepped your foot through that door. Either she hates you or she's got it bad."

"Who is she?"

"Amelia Willis. She moved here with her family from England. Her brothers in your year."

"Yeah, I've met him. His names Noah."

"Is he cute?"

"No that kind of cute Lingard."

"Miss Hopkins. I've excused you coming in late but do not disrupt my classroom again."

"Sorry miss." I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

"Seeing as you have wasted my time as well as everybody else's, please tell us something. What is the story of Romeo and Juliet?" If everyone wasn't looking at me before then they definitely aren't now. My palms went sweat and my throat went dry as if all the water in my body went directly to my hands.

"Romeo was a Montague and Juliet was a Capulet. Their families hated each other and it tore Verona apart. It was arranged for Juliet to marry the Count of Paris. Juliet disagreed but her father insisted she go through with it. She was in love with Romeo but nobody knew because their love was forbidden. Juliet thought that the only way out would be to fake her death. People came to pay their respects. Romeo found out and went to see her and after talking to what he thought was her lifeless body, he decided to kill himself so that he could be with her. I think he drank poison?" The teacher nodded as a sign for me to continue.
"When Juliet woke up and saw Romeo dead, she stabbed her self because she didn't want to live without him. I don't know what the family did after their deaths." I stopped talking but everyone was still staring, amazed that I was able to retain all of that information.

"Thank you for that Ally. The English department and the Drama department have paired up for their newest play, which is Romeo and Juliet. You'll be with your pairs and the best duo will be picked out of this class and Mr Horton's Drama class." Groans came from classmates. Half of the people in this class already dropped Drama because they hated it. Personally, I love acting. I've loved it since I played the lead role in Middle School. But I'm stuck with Johnathan and he isn't really the acting type.

"Guessing we're partners then?"

"Yeah. But no kissing in practice. That's not my thing."

"Romeo and Juliet isn't your thing either then." He flashed his cocky smile that makes him look so damn punchable.

"It is so my thing. And, uhm, fuck you," I said, sticking up my middle finger. "I've wanted to play Juliet my whole life."

"Why. It's just a story filled with suicides. And the Count of Paris asked to marry Juliet when she was thirteen. That's pretty fucked up."

"But Lord Capulet told him to come back when she was fifteen. And marriage at that age was really common back then."

"But they kill themselves."

"For love."

"Seems pretty hardcore for love if you ask me."

"Just because you have no soul and don't know what romance is."

"If romance is chugging poison then I don't want to be that guy."

"I want to be Juliet."

"We know already. If you want it so bad I'll at least try."

"Why thank you, Romeo."

"You're welcome, young Juliet." We started laughing like a couple of school girls. I turned around to see everyone's groups but instead of seeing people working, I saw Amelia staring again. Her eyes weren't soft like they were before. They were dark this time. As if they were angry?

"She keeps staring."

"So tragic. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight. For I never saw true beauty till this night."

"Did you just quote Romeo?"

"Yes. I know my stuff, Hopkins."

"Good because I need you knowing your lines by tomorrow."

"Aye aye captain."

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"Noah!" I shouted down the halls. It was lunch and he was standing against a locker on his phone. All alone.

"Made any friends?"

"Not really. I was kind. Gave some smiles. But I didn't really talk to anyone."

"I saw your sister."

"Did you speak to her?"

"Nope. She was on the other side of my class so we never got to actually talk. She did stare at me. Then stared angrily."

"...strange."

"Yeah. I don't know why. I didn't do anything."

"She's probably just a little off because of being in a new school." He gave me a small, reassuring smile.

"We need to have lunch. You can hang out with my friends if you want. If you're okay with stoners?"

"Stoners? Are you being serious?"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and find out." And with that, we stumbled through the crowd of teens and made our way out of school.