The Romeo and Juliet Effect

"young men's love lies not truely in their hearts, but in their eyes."

Act I, Scene I

INT: Miss Rotwell's classroom; after school

The kids all filed into Ms. Rotwell's classroom, each and every one of them torn between excitement and regret of signing up for the club; except one. His heavy footsteps echoed down the hall as he stormed into the classroom, shoving himself into a chair and propping his feet up on his desk, all the while glaring at anyone and everyone who dare look at him.

Ms. Rotwell's classroom was a bright one, with all the sunlight beaming in and the laughter that just couldn't seem to be scraped out of the air. The walls were adorned with posters of Spanish operas and words of encouragement, showing off the teacher's sunny disposition. The world just couldn't seem to take away this brightness, even the boy's darkness that flew out in waves could only dim the bright flower.

Now let us talk about this boy. At the end of the day, he may not be made up of stone, but his sun still hasn't came out to melt his icy heart. The unruly, black hair that sat on the top of his head was like a bush of briars, exempting the thorns that stuck into your hands like needles. His cold, gray eyes could stare daggers if they were given the chance.

He wasn't in this club because he wanted to, no. He was here for only one reason, and that was to get more activities on his college resume.

Enter- Vivian Brown, his polar opposite.

It was as if the birds started chirping and and the flowers started to blossom when she walked into a room. Her attire matched her sunny personality, a sweater over a yellow sundress, and her blond hair tumbled down her back in waves. Her blue eyes shined as bright as the morning sky, and her feet made no noise in her sandals as she sat in the front of the classroom.

No wonder the two had never held a polite conversation, since they couldn't have been any different. Vivian and-

"Mr. Weston Miller, get your feet off my desk." Ms. Rotwell demanded as she walked into the classroom, fixing her glare on him. "If I see a speck of dirt anywhere on that desk, I'll let a week's worth of detention help you clean it up, along with the gym bleachers."

The few kids who dared make oohing noises were quickly quieted as Ms. Rotwell stood in front of the class and flashed them a threatening smile before starting her speech.

"On that note, welcome to Shakespeare club, an after-school activity where we'll read this man's amazing works," She pointed at a picture of him on her wall. "Discuss the stories contents and meanings, and maybe even act out a scene or two. Well, since I know all of you have read "Romeo and Juliet" in the past couple of years, can I get a show of hands of the people who could actually understand the whole story without help?"

While Weston was one in a sea of many who didn't raise their hands, Vivian was one of two people who actually did. Ms. Rotwell smiled at her, placing her hands on her hips with excitement in her eyes.

"Oh really? And you ain't lying to me, are you?"

Vivian shook her head, a small, sweet smile on her face as Ms. Rotwell's smile impossibly grew bigger.

"Okay then, Miss. Brown. Can you tell me how you felt about the exchange between the two characters in act two, scene two?"

Vivian took a moment to comprehend her thoughts, ignoring the eager look on Ms. Rotwell's face and the nervous ones of her classmates. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and began.

"Well, I think that the scene is a very beautiful one. Romeo is confessing his love to Juliet, and she's taking it like any thirteen-year-old would when an older guy likes, or in this case, loves her. And Romeo spoke with a passion; a dedication and awe that makes love in real life seem so far away, yet so close."

Weston rolled his eyes while the whole class was stunned, especially Ms. Rotwell, and absorbed the words that had came out of her mouth. And then they started clapping, the teacher beaming at her student. "Well said Vivian. Well said."

Weston automatically raised his hand, but started talking before she could call on him. "Vivian made an awful point." Vivian's face fell as Ms. Rotwell's scrunched up. "While she is saying it's a romantic scene, I believe it's the opposite. The whole story, not just this scene, illustrates how creepy and perverted Romeo and Juliet are. Romeo is a sixteen-year-old boy trying to find love in a thirteen-year-old because he's that desperate, and Juliet is just wanting to have sex with him because she thinks she loves him. Don't forget the part that their families are on the verge of war, and the whole reason their "attraction" blossomed was probably because they weren't allowed to see each other, so they liked each other only because it wasn't allowed. So no, I don't agree with her that this story is a love one, because the facts prove that it definitely was not."

The class went dead silent. No one would've thought Weston would challenge Vivian like that, much less make such a great point. And then some people started whooping and hollering. Ms. Rotwell peered at him from behind her glasses, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Well, well Mr. Miller, you surprised me. I didn't think you actually paid attention to the story, or even comprehended it. But then voicing your opinion to us, now that's something. You see class," She turned to the class, making this into a lesson. "This is what Shakespeare club is all about, voicing your thoughts and reading literature meant to cause conversations. Now who's next?"

Vivian raised her petite hand, waiting to be called on before she started talking. "What Mr. Miller said could be seemed true to some people," Her voice was just as sweet as ever, but now it had a harder undertone. ", but you are wrong on some accounts. Juliet is not wanting to have... uh, sex, with Romeo. She was willing to leave everything she knew and loved just to be with him, and him for her. This is a love story, no matter what you think. And for that age gap between the lovers, you must remember what time period the story was written in. Men marrying women decades younger than them was a common thing, so three years doesn't seem that bad in this case."

Weston was glaring her down, but she just smiled back. No, not a "ha, I win you lose" smile. It was just the smile of a sweet, naive, innocent girl, who didn't understand the churning emotions playing in his eyes.

Ms. Rotwell squealed in delight, clapping her hands. "Oh, yes! A good, friendly debate, and this early in our club meetings? Absolutely splendid! So here's what we're going to do..."

As she told the class her "brilliant" idea, Weston secretly sat at the desk behind Vivian, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

"You won't win this, sweetheart. People agree with my point of view."

Vivian stiffened before turning around so they were face to face. "Yes, but people also agree with mine."

"Are you sure about that?" He asked with a smirk.

"Yes, I'm positive."

"Then we'll see who wins." And with that, Weston walked to his side of the room, while Vivian stood speechless on hers.

Why she stood speechless?

Because this was just Shakespeare club.

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covers by indecsion9