Rosemary and Juliet

Let Her Go

Juliet

"But she can't just leave!" Juliet shouted for what was probably the millionth time. She looked at Kaitlyn, eyes wide with emotion. "I'm moving and people are leaving the school and she can't go to fucking Germany!"

"Sweetie," Kaitlyn consoled, putting an arm around her. "It's going to be okay."

"No, it isn't. It really isn't." Juliet didn't like change. Well, that was an understatement. She hated change more than anything.

"We're still going to hang out every day," Kaitlyn tried to promise, but Juliet pushed her away.

"We've been neighbors since we were kids, Kaitlyn. That's going to change, we're not going to see each other that much anymore. We'll still be best friends, sure, but you're not going to be right there."

"I'll always be right there," Kaitlyn countered. "I don't care if I have to walk to your new house."

****

She called Caroline when she got home.

"She's just going to go?" came a judgmental voice on the other end.

"Well, yes. If she gets the scholarship, that is. I mean, sure, it's a great opportunity, but I just would . . . really miss her," she explained.

Caroline sighed. "I think that she's just looking for her first flight away from all the shit she's caused, but that's really just me."

"Please, Caroline, Rose is more concerned with fixing the shit than running from it," Juliet pointed out. "And if she stays, things might . . ." Things might what? Work out? That may have been a bad way to word it. "Things might get better."

"I thought she's already made it very clear to you that she is incapable of change," Caroline groaned. "I'm sorry, but I don't like her."

"I know you don't, but she's really not that bad. If you just talked to her, you'd know. Sure, she's like a fucking three year old with relationships, but that's just kind of her downfall."

"I thought this was about you not wanting her to go to Germany for a year?"

"Oh, god. Right. Yeah... I'll call you later, I've got to go. Bye."

They hung up, and she found herself wondering why she wanted Rosemary to stay so badly. Yes, of course she was her best friend and also she hated change and a year was a very long time, but that wasn't all. She knew that it wasn't, deep down. It was that annoying moment where she knew that very stupidly, she was still in love with her, and that wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

****

"Rosemary, can we talk?" Juliet asked that morning in the atrium.

"Sure," Rosemary complied. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you that if you want to go to Germany, I will not stop you. If it's really something you want to do, then go for it, I mean, I was way overreacting and I don't want to keep you from doing something you want to do."

"Juliet," she began. "Thanks. I just didn't want to go without you being okay with it, because god knows, tell me to stay, and I will."

She gave a small laugh, wondering why she didn't agree to those terms earlier. "You should go. It's Germany, dammit. You should totally go."

Rosemary hugged her tightly, and she kind of smelled like pumpkins and outside. "I'll see you in sixth hour."

"Yeah . . ."

****

"Okay, so, hear me out," Rosemary began in algebra that day.

"Okay . . . ?" Juliet replied, confused.