forum In Fair Verona // Modern Romeo and Juliet // Private RP - CLOSED

Started February 05, 2019 by @blue_topaz

tune

I didn’t sleep and it showed. The natural olive glow to my skin grew sallow. For the first time, visible bags hung under my eyes. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning, nausea spoiling my appetite. I sat in the back of the bus on my way to school, hating myself for what I’d done to Juliet. Mercutio texted me about 1000 times and I left him on read. My heart felt exposed. Raw. All defenses down.

I crept off the bus, my head hanging low. Even my glasses began to slide off the bridge of my crooked nose.

I didn't sleep that night. Didn't close my eyes for a single second, except to try (and inevitably fail) to block the tears from pouring down my face more than they already had.

Eventually, I'd run out of tears. It was four in the morning, my mouth was sucked dry of moisture, and my arm was festooned in bleeding, crescent-shaped marks from where I'd dug my nails into it to stop my hands from shaking.

And I was cold, so cold, that I'd pulled on a pair of leggings.
Romeo still hadn't replied, so I'd snuck down to the kitchen for a drink of water. The glass had slipped from my shaking hand and shattered against the floor. Fragments of clear crystal had scattered everywhere. From upstairs, I'd heard the sound of a door opening.

And I'd ran. Barely having the wits to grab my backpack and a pair of shoes, pure panic spurring me on, out the door, across the front lawn, down the street, all the way to Marina's house. I hadn't even realized where I was until I was hallway through her bedroom window, collapsing on her bed.

She hadn't asked a single question, only held me as tight as she could as I sobbed into her shoulder, my whole body trembling.
I was a mess.

By the time morning had come, she had cleaned me up as best she could, leant me a pair of her clothes, wiped up my face. She'd let me grip her arm as we walked to school, let me lead her the long way around so that we wouldn't go past my house. I'd given her only a few details about my father's beatings, my assignment, Paris, and the broken glass, and miraculously, she'd understood.

The whole night, I couldn't stop thinking about Romeo, about his cold, lifeless body on the floor of his bedroom. There was no telling where he'd gone after saying goodnight, but I knew. And it was all my fault.

So now, Marina was doing her best to make excuses to Tybalt as we sat with our backs to the exterior wall of the school. I was unmoving, unresponsive to anyone but her. Just sitting there, with my eyes firmly shut, my hands shoved deep into the front pocket of my hoodie.
There was nothing else left for me to do but wait.

I was having a shitty day. No doubt about that. My best friend, the dramatic and enigmatic Romeo Montague, had been MIA since we left school yesterday. He hadn’t responded to any of my texts, which was worrisome considering I usually had to beg him to stop talking. When he finally graced me with his presence he was a complete and total disaster. The hollow look in his eyes shook me to my core. All I could do was rub his back when he pulled me into a bear hug in the middle of the hallway.

This was, quite obviously, the work of Juliet. But Romeo refused to say a single word, continuing to sulk in silence. Eventually he mumbled a lame excuse and stumbled off to the washroom, probably to go cry for awhile. I sighed and leaned against the wall. What did I do to deserve this?

(I’m back really briefly, but then I’ll have to go again, and I’ll be back in another half hour, sorry! How long are you staying up tonight?)

Other voices slowly began to enter the conversation between Tybalt and Marina—Joe, Matteo, Jamie, Andreas. Marina gave them a bare-minimum explanation, and through it all, I just sat there.

With about fifteen minutes left until school started, I finally opened my eyes—and my heart stopped. Romeo. Alive. Hugging himself and entering the school building. I tore my eyes away from him, hands beginning to tremble, but the softest of whimpers escaped from between my lips.

Marina’s eyes flew to me, then to the closing front doors, and before I could fully grasp the situation, she was telling Joe to keep an eye on me and running towards them.

(Basically, she’s running inside to where Mercutio is so they can do the thing we planned in PMs)

(I’m not sure yet! Probably until sometime around 11/12:30ish)

Today could have been fine. It had potential to be fine when I first woke up. I had a plan and everything. Get up, get to school, coax Romeo in spilling why he was upset and then hang out. Head to football practice and then sleep. But no. It needs to be on the record that I never asked for any of this.

Just as I thought my day couldn’t get worse, a girl I knew to be a friend of the Capulets strode towards me with vehemence sparking in her eyes.

(Back now! alright, sounds good)

Marina's POV:

I tore down the hallway, my eyes fixed to the person at the end of it. Mercutio. I'd been hoping for Romeo, but his lackey would just have to do.

Juliet had fallen through my bedroom window at four in the morning, shaking and crying her eyes out more than she had when her own mother had died, and though she'd spilled a few horrible details, I knew there was more to it. There had to be. I was absolutely terrified for her, terrified about what her father was going to do to her when she went home, terrified about what she could do to herself, and I knew that Romeo Montague, scum of the earth, had something to do with it.

I reached Mercutio with more fire blazing in my eyes than even Juliet could muster. "Spill," I growled at him, shoving him backwards against the wall. "What the fuck has Romeo done to Juliet?"

“I’m sorry, who the fuck are you?” I narrowed my eyes, but made no attempted to push back. I almost laughed. What did Romeo do to Juliet? The question should’ve been reversed. It was too early for me to be forced to deal with a Capulet. I’m not in the mood for a fight. Not without my best friend.

I knew I was short. I knew my blonde hair and blue eyes seemed to give everyone the impression that I was just a stereotypical 'girly girl', easy to mess with, easy to beat.
Yeah, fuck them. And fuck Mercutio, and Romeo, and every single goddamn Montague who thought they could mess with my best friend.

"Marina," I practically snarled the introduction. "And I want to know what your best friend did to mine."

I glared at her, undaunted and annoyed. “Alright, Marina.” I drawled, making sure to emphasize how much of my time she was wasting. “Sir Snots-A-Lot hasn’t talked to me in—“ I lazily pulled out my phone, once again taking more time than necessary. I clicked my tongue a few times, doing the math. “—roughly seventeen hours. This morning he moped around and mumbled he was going to the washroom. That’s the best I can do for you.”

He was mocking me. The lazy bastard was actually mocking me.

"Yeah, right," I snarled, crossing my arms. "Very believable. I'm guessing that you're going to argue with me if I accuse him of assaulting her?"
It was the only thing I could think of to make her this upset. Romeo had harassed or assaulted her—badly.

I couldn’t stifle my laughter any longer. “Romeo? As in Montague?” I shook my head, trying to quell the laughter erupting from my lips. “I’ve seen Romeo fall for quite a few girls over the past nine years. He’d be more likely to jump off a bridge for Juliet than lay an unwanted hand on her.” I snorted, still amused.

I was fuming by now. If looks could kill, Mercutio would be long dead by now.

“It’s the only thing that could accept her this badly, goddammit.” A disdainful, disgusted look crossed my face as I looked him up and down. “I can tell you’re not particularly concerned about the state of your friend. Apparently, Montagues are even more heartless than I thought.”

Ugh I hate it when that happens ):

I shifted my stance, irritated now. Marina, a Capulet, had the audacity to walk over here and not only accuse my best friend of assaulting someone, but then to say I didn’t care for him. “No one. No one. Has stuck by Romeo as long as I have. Don’t ever say I don’t care for my best friend. Do you want to talk to him? Is that it?” I glowered at her, taking a threatening step over. “Or is it that you just want to see him cry? Take advantage of him just like Juliet probably did.” I sneered.

I shoved him right back, eyes burning as my rage flared. “Don’t you dare say that about my friend,” I spat, voice dripping venom. “Don’t you fucking dare. What the fuck did she do to ‘take advantage of him’? And end up in her current state? Bullshit.”

“It’s probably whatever she’s been texting him about!” I growled, my muscles tensing in preparation for a fight. “Upset that your friend finally grew a conscious?” I hissed grew gritted teeth, more than ready to punch the Capulet trash in front of me.

“Texting him?” I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Bitch, when? I know Juliet, and she’d never stoop so low as to text Romeo Montague. And, for your information, she has more of a conscience than you ever will.”

“You know what? I tried to be nice. But you absolute shitbag Capulets can’t seem to get the message!” I braced myself to punch Marina, but halted right before attack at the sound of my name being called.

“Mercutio, don’t.” Rounding the corner was the dumbass in question, Romeo Montague. The teen looked even worse now than he did a couple minutes ago. His eyes were rimmed red, and his face red and blotchy. He cradled his cast with his uninjured arm, leaving the mess of roses on bright display as he glared st me.

“Romeo, for fuck’s sake. Just go back to the washroom. I’ll be there in a minute.” I hissed, shooting him a dirty look for his terrible timing.

I completely ignored Romeo, who looked more awful than usual, rounding on Mercutio. “You want to do this here?” I demanded, forcing him to look back at me. “Right fucking here?” I hadn’t been this furious, this enraged, in a long, long time.