"Romeo and I are through," Juliet said, throwing herself down on Nora's bed with a sob.

"Oh, Juliet, I'm so sorry." Nora sat down next to her friend and put her hand on her shoulder. "Was it because of what he said the other day?"

"No," she said. "I caught him kissing another girl. Faithless rat."


"I am sorry," Nora said.

Juliet sat up and sniffled loudly. "I thought he wanted to marry me. I thought we were going to live happily ever after."

"Sometimes things don't work out the way we planned," Nora said.

"How about you and Tybalt?" Juliet turned to her friend. "Please tell me you two are all right."

Nora smiled, and blushed. "I think we are, yeah. We've got some things to work out, but ... "

"Oooh!" Juliet squealed and gave her a big hug. "I knew it."

"Are you OK, Jules?"

"I will be," she said. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"Mercutio asked me out."

Uh oh.



"You OK, Nora?" Tybalt asked over dinner that night. "You seem preoccupied."

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "It's just ... stuff."

"Such as?"

She looked at him. "I don't want to bore you."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'll take my chances."

"I'm worried about my sister, for starters," she said. "She lives all by herself, and she's not the most responsible person. I wonder if I did the right thing, coming to college and all."

"I see."

"And then there's Juliet," she said, then put her hand over her mouth.

"What about Juliet?"

"I promised I wouldn't tell."

"Nora."

"She'll kill me."

"I'll protect you," he said, dryly. "Out with it."

"She broke up with Romeo."

Tybalt looked pleased. "Finally." He looked at her closely. "I suspect there's more."

"Uh huh."

"Yes?"

"Mercutio is interested in her."

He put his face in his hands. "The only person I hate more than Romeo. It figures." He looked up. "What did she say?"

"She hasn't decided yet. And you can't say anything," she said. "I promised I wouldn't tell anyone."

He sighed. "Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be for me to stay out of this?"

"I can make it worth your while," she said, running her fingers up his arm.

He smiled.

Later that night, as he kissed her goodnight outside her dorm room, she said, "You could stay. If you wanted to."

"Are you sure? I'm willing to wait."

She bit her lip. "I miss you at night."

"Well, we can't have that."

They went inside and closed the door.

"Mercutio, I just don't know about this," Juliet said. "I don't want to cause problems between you and Romeo."

"I've loved you for a long time, but I never said anything," Mercutio said, "because you were his. And now you're not."

"It's so soon," she said.

"Not for me. Juliet, he never treated you the way I thought you should be treated. I will."

"I just don't know," she said again.

"Then, I'll wait," he said.

"Thank you," she said, and kissed him. It was meant to be a friendly kiss, but it quickly turned into something else.

"Wow," Mercutio said, finally.

"Yeah," Juliet said, dazed. "Wow."

"That didn't take long," Romeo said, angrily.

"My own brother," Romeo said, furious.

"What did you expect?" Juliet said, angrily. "That I'd just sit on a shelf because you didn't want me?"

"I never said I didn't want you."

"Oh, you just want me and every other girl you meet?" Juliet said. "Sorry, I don't play that way."

"And how are you any different?" he said, hotly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," she said.

"How could you do this to me?" Romeo asked Mercutio.

Mercutio shrugged. "You blew it. I won't."

"You and I are no longer friends," Romeo said, poking him in the chest.

"Stop it!" Juliet said. "Hasn't there been enough fighting?"

"I'm not speaking to you," Romeo said, poking Mercutio again.

Nora and Tybalt walked in at that moment. Nora put her hand on Tybalt's arm. He rolled his eyes.

"Normally, I'd really be enjoying this," he said, "But I'm going to have to ask you to break it up."

"Who died and made you king?" Romeo asked.

"Break it up, or I'll break it up for you," Tybalt said.

"Come on, Mercutio, let's go," Juliet said.

Romeo glared at them all and stormed out of the building.

"Well," said Nora. "That went well."

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