Romeo and Juliet- A Modern Day Version (On Hold)

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This chapter has been edited and therefore might not match the rest of the story. I will eventually be editing and updating each chapter.

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The morning of Monday the 25th of February was eventful in more ways than one. To start, it was the first day back at school. Always an exciting yet nerve-wracking day, but especially this one in particular. For the first time ever, Juliet and her childhood best friend Lindsay would officially be attending the same school. It was long overdue, but exciting regardless. The second thing that made the morning eventful greeted Juliet as she made her way downstairs from her room.

"Looks like new neighbours," her mother muttered, turning to face her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Juliet sighed, knowing this was going to set her mother off for sure. She hadn't been the same since Juliet's dad died three years ago, and somehow Juliet was left to pick up the pieces.

She joined her mother at the window momentarily and they both watched in silence for a few seconds. Sure enough, a moving truck was parked in the driveway of the Jones' old place, and several boxes sat beside it, waiting to be unpacked. The longer they watched, the further the frown on her mother's face deepened.

"It's okay mum, I'm sure they'll keep to themselves."

"They'd better."

Nothing further was said between them, and as Juliet left the room, she couldn't help but wonder what the new neighbours would be like. Would they be as dysfunctional as Juliet and her mum are? Or would they be the loving and caring family that made Juliet long for the past when her father was alive and her mother still laughed. She often found herself longing for the past, when times were simpler. She preferred to call it nostalgia, although her therapist suggested otherwise.

Juliet began the walk to school with a slight air of enthusiasm that often hit her as she left her house. She couldn't help but feel suffocated at home. The air seemed stale there lately and the atmosphere lifeless. When she was outside she felt free, as if she could go anywhere in the world one day. She couldn't wait to get out of this town and explore.

Lost in her thoughts, she arrived at school promptly and soon spotted Lindsay waving her down near the entrance. Excitement built as she made her way to where her friend was standing.

"Hey stranger," she grinned, reaching out to wrap Lindsay in a bear hug.

"I missed ya"

"Missed you more," Juliet responded, linking their arms together and leading her down the hallway she had become so familiar with, but must've seemed so strange and new to her friend. After giving Lindsay a brief tour of the hallways and showing her where the lockers were kept, they headed to their first class of the day; a double period lesson of English. Luckily for Juliet, she excelled in this class and her teacher adored her. It had easily become her favourite subject, although she could do without all the Shakespeare. It all gets old eventually, especially given her name.

As they took their seats side-by-side, the classroom slowly filled and eventually the noise turned into a dull roar. There were a few girls crouched together near Lindsay's desk, giggling and glancing occasionally at the door. Lindsay gave a curious smile and leaned in to hear what the hushed whispers were about. Juliet laughed as she saw her eyebrow raise in a comical fashion, and her eyes widen in excitement.

"What has got you looking like an Edvard Munch painting?" Juliet enquired, giggling slightly at her own joke.

Lindsay rolled her eyes, "Okay smartie pants, no need to be so pretentious," she said, as she leaned towards Juliet, eager to share the new information she had gathered. "Apparently," she paused for dramatic effect before continuing, "there's a new student starting today. In this class. And it's a boy... A CUTE boy."

Now it was Juliet's turn to roll her eyes. "Hardly anything that warrants such an excited reaction if you ask me."

"Well, lucky for you, I didn't ask", Lindsay quipped back, sticking her tongue out cheekily.

The door suddenly swung open, and Juliet swore she heard the class hold their breath before their English teacher, Mrs Premiere, entered carrying what looked to be 30 thin books. The class let out their held breath, and it was hard to miss the disappointed sighs coming from approximately one third of the class.

"Sorry to be a disappointment to you today class, but welcome back anyways!"

With that, she turned to the chalkboard and began writing. "Today we are going to be starting a topic I know that some of you will love, and others will hate. That doesn't matter though, as regardless we're going to have a class full of passionate opinions which is what English is all about."

She stepped aside to reveal one word written on the blackboard. Shakespeare. Juliet groaned, knowing this was going to be her least favourite topic in her favourite class. As if knowing her thought pattern, Mrs Premiere locked eyes with her and smiled.

"Juliet, please be a dear and help me pass out these copies of 'Romeo and Juliet' to the class," Mrs Premiere requested, signs of clear amusement in her eyes. Of course they had to be studying Romeo and Juliet, the work that she had been named after.

Begrudgingly, she stood and made her way to the stack of books, grabbing half and walking towards the row of chairs nearest to the door. As she handed the first book out, she heard the distinct sound of a knock and the door swinging open behind her. She whipped around, tripping on the leg of the desk and falling backwards as a shriek could be heard.

It took her a moment to realise the shriek had been her own, not Mrs Premiere or Lindsay as she first assumed. It took her another moment to realise that she had never collided with the ground, and exactly one moment after that to feel the warmth of someone's arms around her, preventing her from falling.

She opened her eyes, which until that moment she hadn't realised had been tightly closed out of fear, and found herself staring into unfamiliar eyes. She cleared her throat, and the strange boy seemed to snap out of his frozen stupor, offering a sheepish grin to her. Her cheeks were flushed, she could tell, but there wasn't anything she could do to hide it in front of the entire class.

"Ah, you must be our new student. Thank you for sweeping Juliet off her feet so elegantly. What was your name again, dear?"

His face seemed to suddenly match Juliet's, as a rosy blush appeared and he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "My name is, uh, Romeo."

Juliet didn't think it was possible to be more embarrassed, but it turns out, she was wrong. She was definitely ten times more embarrassed now than she was thirty seconds ago. Mrs Premiere looked positively delighted, glancing between the two reddened teens in awe.

"Well this couldn't be more perfect! Romeo, please go take your seat in the empty seat next to Juliet's. I'm sure you two will become the best of friends." She had a knowing look that gave Juliet the chills. In shock, all she could do was look to her best friend Lindsay for guidance, or reassurance. Anything that could help make this moment anymore bearable.

Lindsay shrugged, cupped her hands around her mouth and mouthed the words, "HE'S CUTE!"

Juliet sighed. It was going to be a long day, she decided.