R+J Sucks

by Ann Hunter

  He ducked under the stairwell to stay out of their way, reaching for his keys. They jangled free from the lint in his pocket. Romeo opened the door.

  “Mama? Lio? Mercutio?” he called.

  “Romeo,” his mother, Selena, called back. “Donde estado?”

  “I was at Rosaline’s,” he answered as he shut the door behind him and locked it. Romeo shoved his keys back into his pocket, following his mother’s voice to the kitchen. The tangy scent of enchilada sauce, pulled chicken, and black beans swept into him, soothing his broken heart. He was still angry, but his mother’s cooking always put a damper to any sadness he ever had. He kissed her on the cheek, briefly smelling fresh laundry on her, leftover from her housekeeping job at a mid-grade hotel.

  Romeo reached for the wooden spoon in her hand. “Here, let me.”

  She slapped his hand lightly, slinging a line of Spanish at him. Too many cooks spoiled the salsa verde. His offer to help was appreciated, but she had it under control.

  Romeo backed toward the cupboards, pulling down dishes to set the table. He glanced over at his mother, who looked way too tired to cook. How did she raise three boys, work full time, and still cook? There weren’t enough hours in the day.

  As he finished laying the forks beside the plates, Romeo heard another set of keys jangle in the front door.

  “Mama, I’m home.”

  Romeo’s twenty-year-old brother, Mercutio, come into the kitchen, kiss their mother on the cheek, and compliment her on the cooking. “Smells great.”

  Mercutio ruffled Romeo’s hair, as though he were no more than a boy.

  Romeo grimaced. “How was work?”

  Mercutio pulled up a chair, tilting his hand side to side. “Asi asi. No complaints, mijo.”

  Mama brought over a pot of rice and started spreading it out on each plate. “Have you seen Benvolio?”

  Mercutio tucked his chair in closer to the table, shaking his head. “Nobody ever sees Lio.”

  “Just like his father,” Mama seethed.

  Romeo took a seat across from him as Mama placed the pan with the chicken onto a hot pad on the table beside a warm bowl of beans.

  “Gracias, Mama.” He smiled.

  Mama wiped her hands on her apron, and sat down with her boys. The gap in the table where Benvolio should be sitting went noticed. The food piled on his plate steamed into the heavens vacantly. Romeo swallowed, hungry for what could be a second helping, but he couldn’t take it from his brother. He’d show up at some point.

  “Mercutio,” Mama said, folding her hands and bowing her head, “will you…?”

  “Si.” Mercutio nodded, readying to say grace over the food. He was half a sentence in when Benvolio burst through the door to the blare of the culeros stereo. Romeo looked up to see his other older brother bracing against the door with a black eye and a wild grin.

  “Whaddid I miss?”

  Mama frowned fiercely. “Benvolio.”

  He locked the door, laughing, and rushed to the table, yanking out the chair by his plate. “Rice and beans again?”

  “Shut up and bow your head,” Mercutio growled.

  Benvolio rolled his eyes, kicking Romeo under the table playfully.

  Mercutio finished the prayer, and portioned out the chicken and sauce. Romeo’s eyes gazed at the crucifix hanging on the living room wall across from the tiny kitchen, and crossed himself.

  Mama, in her deadly serious Mom voice, chided Benvolio in Spanish, sounding like a hissy chipmunk. She grabbed his head to examine his black eye.

  “It’s nothing Mama,” he assured. “I was just messing around with the guys.”

  She threw him back against the chair. “You smell like weed.”

  Lio smirked. “Iss’no mine, Mama.”

  “Why can’t you be more like Mercutio? Get a job.”

  Benvolio’s good humor turned stormy on his face. Nagging from Mama was never a good thing. He tucked into his food, speaking quietly. “Because I’m not Mercutio, Mama. I’m your Lio.”

  Mama pointed at Romeo. “You hear him? Learn from this.”

  Romeo swallowed a bite of beans and rice, nodding compliantly. “Yes, Mama.”

  “We barely have enough to cover the rent,” she said. “Mercutio is the only thing standing between us and starving.” Mama glared at Benvolio. “If you would get a job, things would be so much easier for our family.”

  Mercutio reached for her hand, trying to soothe her. “Mama…”

  Her sharp stare turned to him. Life had been rough since Papi walked out on them almost two years ago, not that it had been a plate of nachos before. Romeo and Lio, thirteen and fifteen then, both could have been taken by social services, ripping their family apart. They all could have taken the easy way out, like Papi did. Mercutio could have left, like Papi did. Mama could have lost hope, like Papi did. But instead, they were determined to stay together, no matter the cost. Mercutio had stepped up, and Mama had taken extra hours at the hotel.

  “We may not have the things we want,” Mercutio said, “but together we have what we need; each other. Familias para siempre. Family forever.”

  “Si, verdad,” Lio said quickly.

  Romeo smirked when Mercutio kicked Lio hard under the table. Lio’s food went down the wrong pipe, and he coughed for a minute, then took his plate and got to his feet.

  “I’m going to my room.” He passed by Romeo, scraping his plate onto his, then dumped the plate in the sink.

  Romeo grinned at the extra food, but the broken look on Mama’s haggard face made him lose heart. He took two more bites, then gave the rest to Mercutio. “You need it more than I do.”

  “Ro.” Mercutio shook his head, not wanting to take it.

  Romeo clapped him on the shoulder. There was so much he could say to him, especially on a half-empty stomach, but Mercutio was the gum and paperclips sticking this family together right now. He patted Mercutio’s shoulder again, and headed to bed.

  JUST ONE NIGHT

  Romeo lay on his bed, tossing a ball into the air. His stomach growled. What he wouldn’t give for a cheeseburger right now. Giving Mercutio the rest of his dinner was the right thing to do though. He needed his strength for his job at the silver mines.

  How different would things really be if Benvolio grew up and got a job, instead of sloughing off? He was eighteen already. Why wasn’t he willing to step up and be a man? Romeo sighed. Then he realized, it wasn’t just Benvolio’s problem, but his as well. He was old enough to get a job. So why hadn’t he?

  Mama and Mercutio babied him, because he was the baby. Romeo chucked the ball into the corner hard, and sat up on his lumpy bed. It creaked beneath his weight, even though he wasn’t very heavy, or powerful and built like Mercutio. Romeo had seen his fifteenth birthday, and sixteen was racing toward him. There had to be a way he could earn some extra cash for his family.

  Lio knocked on the open door. “You wanna get out of here?”

  “What is there to do?”

  Lio shrugged. “There’s a dance at the school.”

  Romeo fell back on his bed, groaning. “Dances are stupid.”

  “Aw, ‘mano, c’mon. Pretty chicas. We could spike the punch.”

  Romeo rubbed his face. “No mas chicas, Lio.”

  “What’s the matter? Rosaline dip your churro in hot sauce?”

  What Romeo wouldn’t give to have that ball back in his hands to chuck at his brother’s head right now. Romeo launched his pillow at Lio.

  Lio ducked, cussing him out. “I need to get away from Mama. She’s all work, work, work. Let’s go have some fun.”

  “Go away.”

  “Come with me. Iss’no like you got better things to do. Maybe Rosaline will be there. I could talk to her for you.”

  “We broke up,” Romeo grumbled.

  Lio threw his hands in the air. “Ay yi yi yi! You a free man, man.” He crossed to Romeo’s bed and dragged him out of it. “We’re definitely going.”

  Juliet paced her ro
om. Down the hall, she heard her mother making extravagant plans for the engagement party. But Juliet couldn’t say yes to the engagement. To marry Paris without knowing the world, to be so preciously protected like some princess in a tower, must not happen. What if he treated her no differently than her parents, and kept her for himself? It felt like a death sentence. She pressed her hand to her forehead, feeling feverish inside, yet cold as ever to the touch. Staying here wasn’t an option. She must get out.

  Tybalt was sworn to protect her. What if she snuck out? Would he be there? Would he alert her parents?

  Juliet looked to the window, knowing he would be out there no matter what. She had begged him to take her with him tonight. He hadn’t said yes, but he hadn’t said no either.

  Her only chance was to escape for just one night. She hurried to her walk-in closet to select a dress. For one night, she would be human. She would know what it was like to have the moonlight on her skin, breathe in salted air kissed by the sea, and touch what had been forbidden all her life.

  It took all of her courage to pull back the curtain, open the window, and leap.

  She didn’t expect the air to be so warm outside at night. Juliet knew the dark to be cool and comforting, but tonight the spring heat was tempered only by the sea breeze. The rustle of the palms, the smell of sand and salt, a voice belonging to someone who might catch her, sent a thrill down her spine. She crouched only momentarily after landing before plotting out a way forward.

  Juliet closed her eyes, sending her hearing out to listen for anything intriguing going on. Barking dogs blocks away? No, further. A bar a mile on? No, more. Music. She broke into a grin and sprinted toward it. No matter if it was miles away, she’d be there in a blink. Stimulated by every smell and sound, she barreled onto the rooftops and skipped between them, careful not to be seen. She only paused when distracted by lovers on a bench in the park, kissing in the moonlight. Swans and ducks broke the pure reflection of the orb, sending it rippling across the water. Was it wonderful to be free like that? To love so openly.

  The full moon spurred her onward until she closed in on the location of the music. She pulled back the hood of her robe beneath the facade of a high school gym. She might fit in. Everyone inside looked about her age. And the music!

  She closed her eyes, swaying to the sound. A simple smile washed over her face. Juliet took a step toward the gym, and then another, until she found herself inside, swarmed by an ocean of bodies. Any other vampire would have been overcome by the need to feed, their own cruor excited by the living, but Juliet’s desire was tempered by the influence of finally being out in the world.

  A slow song came on. Young men and women came together, wrapping their arms around one another and swaying to the melody. They looked serene… happy.

  So this is what teenagers did.

  Romeo sat at a table, watching many of his friends from school dance with their partners. He rattled the ice in his plastic cup. Maybe it would be better if Lio spiked the stuff. At least it would numb Romeo up enough to stop caring about Rosaline, and his family’s financial woes. Where had Lio gotten off to anyway?

  Romeo craned his head, looking for his wayward brother, only to lock eyes with the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. Fireflies flitted in his belly like a fair autumn night. The hair on his arms stood on end. Her skin reflected the blue and silver strobe lights slowly dancing around. Romeo had never seen anything like her. Words rushed from his lips in a whisper, “Ay, Mami.”

  She looked right at him, as if she had heard him. He couldn’t resist her any longer. Romeo had to know her name. He rose, betting it was beautiful. Someone like her had to have a name to match her marble skin and nearly-white hair. She was otherworldly, like the stars in the night sky. He was completely under her spell.

  “I’m Romeo.”

  She smiled shyly, the sweetest, most secretive smile he’d ever seen. “Juliet.”

  Deep inside, he nearly dissolved. Her name matched the jewel that she was. Romeo extended his hand. “Would you like to dance?”

  BOY + VAMPIRE

  Juliet’s silver dress glittered in the low light. She went to take his hand, but hesitated. Her face looked pained, as though unsure whether or not this was a good idea.

  “Or,” Romeo said quickly, sensing he might lose her, “we could talk.” He motioned to his table. “I’m just over there.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, looking like she might be tempted to find someone else, to join the throng instead of him.

  He gave her his best boyish grin. “You really should try the punch.”

  Romeo jogged to his table, pulling out a chair for her. He brushed it off, as if preparing for royalty to sit before him. She finally walked toward him, allowing him to seat her.

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m going to get us some food. Be right back.”

  The song ended, and dance partners were breaking apart. He’d need to be quick to the refreshments table if he wanted to get a decent plate for Juliet. As Romeo stood over it, bracing for the swarm of other hungry teenagers, he wondered what she would like. There was mainly deviled eggs, ham, cheese, and jello. Maybe a few broken cookies left.

  He took it all. One big plate of everything you could wish for, or at least that’s what his own stomach told him. Oh, and punch. Because that’s what got her to sit down with him.

  Right before everybody got there, Romeo slipped away, back to his table. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found Juliet hadn’t left. He placed a plate of food before her, which she glanced at, then back up to him.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Romeo smiled and took a seat beside her. “How come I’ve never seen you around before?”

  Juliet ran a slender finger along the edge of her plate. “I don’t get out much.”

  He stuffed a cookie into his face, and downed half a cup of punch. “Why not?”

  She shrugged. “Homeschooled.”

  He watched her feign interest in the food he brought her, and looked at it longingly. Romeo was hungrier than he had thought, but he wouldn’t take it from her. “What do your parents do? My mom works for a hotel.”

  Juliet’s gaze went distant, like she was hesitant to talk about it. She cleared her throat. “They help hospitals acquire blood and donors.”

  Romeo leaned back in the chair, chewing thoughtfully. “How does that work? Like where does the money come from?”

  Juliet’s head swung round, and she glared at him with such piercing eyes, Romeo was sorry he asked. “Is that all you care about? Money?”

  Romeo shook his head adamantly. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for work.” Heat rose to his cheeks, and he stared at his empty plate. “My family struggles.”

  “Oh.” Juliet finally pushed her plate away. “My father manages a few blood banks across Verona, they then supply it to the hospitals.”

  Romeo sighed. He glanced at her. “If your father has any leads…”

  Juliet was so quiet, Romeo feared this was going badly. He’d be going home alone tonight, with only the image of this girl dancing in his dreams.

  “So… with homeschooling and not getting out much, do you have many friends?”

  Juliet’s gaze locked on something across the gymnasium. She leapt to her feet like a startled cat, knocking over her punch. “Tybalt.”

  Romeo looked over her, searching for the owner of the name. In a distant corner, a young man watched them carefully. The hair on the back of Romeo’s neck stood on end. A chill raced through his core. The young man looked like he could take on the world and not breathe hard twice. Romeo was definitely no match for such a paragon.

  “Is that your boyfr— ”

  “I’m sorry,” Juliet gulped. “I have to go.”

  Romeo shot to his feet, reaching for her hand. “Will I see you again? How will I find you?”

  “You won’t,” she said as she ran from the gym. Tybalt followed her out.

  Romeo sank into his seat, his he
art aching once more in his loneliness. Slowly, the spilled punch formed words across Juliet’s abandoned napkin: Capulet Manor, Verona Heights

  She said no, but her message said yes. Romeo’s eyes widened, wondering how she had done that. “Qué demonios?!”

  “Jules, what were you thinking?” Tybalt pried.

  She had a feeling he’d find her, but Juliet couldn’t believe that he actually had. She tucked her lip apprehensively, begging, “Please don’t tell my parents.”

  “We do not play with our food.”

  Juliet punched him in the arm.

  Tybalt grabbed the offended bicep. “Ow! What was that for?”

  “I wasn’t hunting him.”

  “Then what in Escalus’s name were you doing?”

  Becoming human, she thought guiltily.

  “You know you can’t do that,” Tybalt warned. “It’s dangerous to be around humans without intention. One wrong step, and— “

  “I have it under control, Tib,” she snapped. She hated when he read her mind. It was like having a spider crawl over her skin, but on her brain instead.

  “I’m only saying you haven’t learned to control yourself yet.” Tybalt’s voice was gentler now. “You don’t know your own powers. It’s dangerous for the both of you.”

  “You won’t tell my mother, then?”

  He sighed. “I’m here to protect you. She’ll know only what she needs to.”

  Juliet slipped her arm under his elbow, hugging him close as they walked in shadow. “Thanks.”

  “Remember, I’m on your side. I love you, Jules. If ever I feel something is a threat to you, I’ll be the first one to take it out of your path. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. ” He bumped her playfully with his hip. “Just don’t let me catch you playing with your food again.”