Letters to Juliet

One Kiss

My eyes were red and puffy.  Usually, people would think simply, ‘Oh, they’ve been crying.’  Nope.  Not me.

I was surprised at myself, even.  I kept waiting, patiently at first, until I simply became more and more frustrated.  Why wasn’t I crying?  Why wasn’t I bawling like any normal girl would be?

Don’t get me wrong, I was sad.  And mad.  Well, more like furious.  I was fuming.  If I could be portrayed as a cartoon, smoke would surely be fuming from my ears.

Yet--no tears.  None at all.  The most my eyes would comply to is watering up.  

So, here I was, sitting cross-legged on my bed glancing through a photo album of pictures.  Most of them were of Brian and me.  I wondered if I should cut them up?  Is that what girls are supposed to do now?

After our texting exchange, Brian had sent me text upon text.  Not only texts, he called me at least thirty times for the past two days.  I hadn’t answered any of his calls.

His texts were rather dull, repeating the same ‘I’m sorry, it really was nothing,’ ‘I miss you,’ I love you,’ type of thing. 

Wanting him to stop filling up my phone with unnecessary texts, I replied a short ‘Don’t talk to me.  Leave me alone.’

It seemed to work, because he had stopped texting and calling.  I should be happy, it was what I wanted.  But it hurt that he gave up so easily.  Wouldn’t he keep trying?

There was a whooshing noise in my room as the door swung open easily.  Ashley’s head popped in and her light-brown hair bobbed in response.

Her long legs bounded towards me, and she jumped onto my bed causing me to almost fall over.

“Is it true?” she almost yelled.

“Is what true?” I asked, honestly confused.  I gripped my covers to pull my body back into its original position.  Ashley’s carmel eyes grew wider as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

“What do you mean ‘is what true?’ How can you not know what I’m talking about?”

“Ashley,” I began, “I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”  I said each word slowly, drawing it out, so she’d hear everything I said.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about it.  I had to hear about it from,” Ashley paused to pretend to gag, before continuing, “Grace.  You know, that bitchy girl I hate?”

She didn’t wait for me to nod my hear or reply, she as well as I did who Grace was.  We both dislike her, she was one of the largest gossips in the entire school--maybe the world.  If you told her a secret, it’d be out by the time you finished telling her about it.

“Anyways,” Ashley paused, searching my face.  She seemed to not sense that I knew anything about this, so she started again, “Grace, well her mom, works at the dog shelter...And I guess her mom said that she saw you there with Jarred.  Apparently you guys were kissing and holding hands and stuff.  At least that’s what Grace is saying.”  Ashely now crossed her arms, waiting for me to defend myself and tell her wasn’t true at all.  I couldn’t do that.  I mean, yeah, Jarred and I weren’t kissing or holding hands, but I was there with him.

“Well?” Ashely prompted.

“What do you want me to say?” I sighed, running a hand through my messy brown locks.

Ashley’s eyes bulged.  “So, what? It’s true?”  The astonishment in her voice was clear.  

“Yeah--” I began, until Ashley cut me off.