Shakespearean Tragedy | ✔️

T w e l v e

S h a k e s p e a r e a n
T r a g e d y

         WHEN I GOT home, I was shocked to have seen a seemingly broken boy sitting down on my porch. As I approached him, I warily tried observing his face, but it was covered by his enormous hood. My feet sloshed in the puddles being left by the pouring rain.

The boy looked up at the creature making the sloshing noises, where he was met with my eyes. Staring back at me was Dawson Everette, ready to speak and never stop.

"June, I-" he spoke, but stopped. "Hi, June."

"What are you doing here?" He didn't answer.

I reached out my hand for him to grab onto, and when he did I felt alive again. I can tell he felt it too because he held on tighter, refusing to let go even after I pulled him up from the ground. I momentarily forgot about my hand encased within his, using my other hand to pull out my keys and unlock my door. I dragged him inside.

"Are you sure? I was just going to be quick."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't want you or myself to get a cold."

I felt his hand move, so taking that as a comforting action, I dragged him to my room. He'd been in it before, in the tenth grade, when we'd study things like quadratics.

Once inside, he let go of my hand. He sat down in the rolling computer chair he always sat in. We used to fight over who got it, but I'd always end up giving in and letting him have it eventually.

"So, what'd you want to say?" I sat down in the other chair across the room.

It was a respectable distance for someone I was trying so hard to hate.

"I came here to tell you something I should've said a while ago."

I crossed my arms, knowing I looked pissed off, but I didn't care. "Okay and what's that?"

"I'm sorry."

I scoffed, "really? That's all you wanted to say?"

He shook his head, "no." He laughed, "no, I've got one more thing."

I motioned with my hand for him to go on. "Then say it."

"I love you, Juniper Riles. I miss you and I want to be with you."

I rose from my seat, and he did, too. I stumbled over to him and I shoved him as hard as I ever could've. I bottled up every emotional and heartbreaking memory, using it all to shove him hard. He took a few steps back, his legs hitting the side of my bed. I stepped forward again to push him, "you can't say stuff like that!"

He held me by my waist, preventing me from pushing him because I would've gone down with him. So I didn't. I waited.

"Yes, I can. Because it's true. It's been a while, but it's true."

I groaned, "okay, you said it. Now you can leave."

He gripped my waist tighter, "come on, June. Please, don't push me away, please."

"I told you to leave." I shoved him again, trying hard to break free before I crashed down with him, but I was too late. I fell on the bed, half of me landing on his chest, and the other half just beside his legs.

I pushed up a little, high enough to look down at Dawson, who was mischievously looking right back at me. "Hi, beautiful."

My face went bright red and I couldn't control the feeling of shakiness that quickly ran throughout me. He was my undoing and my mood instantly change. It felt like tenth grade again and everything was normal. We were still madly in love and the world around us seemed perfect. "Hello, Dawson." I said sarcastically.

He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear, "I still love your curly hair." He whispered to me. "I still love most things about you."

My heart didn't stand a chance against him. "Dawson, stop." I told him, my voice breaking as I finished it and he seemed to have noticed.

I couldn't move from the position we were in. It reminded me of tenth grade, in the honeymoon period when all we did was make out innocently as we 'studied'. I was glued to the spot I was currently in. My heart told me to move, but my brain told me otherwise. I didn't want to move.

Dawson looked away, "okay, sorry." I could feel him tense up, probably wanting to run out of my house and never look back again. I couldn't let that happen.

"Dawson." I said quietly. He looked straight at me.

He grinned so wide. Wider than I had ever seen him smile. "June," he could barely speak, his smile not allowing him to close his mouth.

Then it happened, all at once. I dove in for him with no intentions of ever going back.

I was instantly reminded of how they felt. They were filled with love, passion, lust, but this time with the added amount of raw emotions on both ends. I gave in everything I could've ever given him, all in these aggressive and somewhat passionate kisses.

He flipped us over, positioning himself directly over top of me. He began kissing my neck, just near the back of my jawline. He kissed slowly, teasingly. Like he was trying to reminisce with me once more, remembering how good it felt to kiss each other.

I didn't push him off like I knew I should've because I just didn't want to.

He kissed down my neck, leaving tingles all over. Then he worked his way back up, even slower this time around. He kissed near my ear, sending shivers all throughout my body. Then my jaw, all over it, he left lingering kisses. He left a long loving kiss on my jaw, then sucked. I groaned, and my face immediately went extremely hot. I couldn't believe myself.

"That sound..." he laughed. He smiled, proud. "I love it."

Then, he kissed my face. Once he reached my face we stared for a few seconds before going back. The first kiss was what set it all off, then he went for it. He bit down on my bottom lip, dragging it out. Then back to it.

A minute or two passed and when we heard stuff falling in my brothers room, we stopped. Out of breath, we smiled to one another, and went in for one more slow and peaceful kiss. This one was the one that meant the most. We looked at each other, him still hovering over me, and he leaned down and kissed my forehead.

He got up, slipped his shoes on, and opened my window. I was finally thankful for living in a bungalow.

It was then, in the moment when he got up, that it all dawned on us. Everything we had just done, and everything we wanted to do or thought of doing. I realized that I broke my promise I made myself in the tenth grade when I wanted to protect myself. I vowed to never let him back in again, therefore never allowing him to even have the chance to break me again. I needed to protect my heart.

"I'm sorry," he voiced. Then he left swiftly.

And just like that, I fully understood my broken promise.

I let him back in again.