Joseph
Ode To Juliette
The very first moment I laid eyes on my wife I was dumbstruck. She was ethereal. A vision. The most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life or the next.
There were a million reasons why someone like me shouldn't have even bothered looking in Juliette Hill's direction, but I've never been a reasonable man.
I was raised in the gutter.
A boy from the streets.
And I've had to do a myriad ofunreasonablethings to get myself out of there, and even worse to stay out.
But I wouldn't change a thing.
Because every morning that I wake up to see and touch my wife's warm, luscious body laying next to mine–I am convinced that everything that I've done has been worth it.
There was no way that the innocent girl I met, and the sophisticated woman that she's grown to be, would have ever settled for anything less. Less than who I am. Who I've carved myself into.
So I'll do whatever. Eliminate whoever. Whatever it takes to make sure that my woman stays next to me. Warm in my bed. For the rest of the days I have left on this Godforsaken earth.
She is mine.
She is everything.
She is my Juliette.
Juliette
Franklin Senior High
A lifetime ago…
My best friend Karen is running down the second floor hallway towards me at warp speed in her washed out Billy Idol T-shirt, with her freshly dyed punk rock pink highlights flying wildly behind her.
Any other day I would have been chuckling at her pigeon toed gallop, but today seems different. I can tell by the look of urgency in her eyes that something is seriously wrong, and that she's dying to tell me whatever it is.
A knot begins to slowly form in the pit of my empty stomach, and it's not because I skipped breakfast. I can tell that this isn't going to be a dose of our usual mindless morning gossip. Something's very wrong.
She calls out to me with urgency. "Jules!"
I'm momentarily relieved that she is at least still calling me by my nickname, so it must not be all that bad. If someone was seriously hurt then she would call me by my full name,Juliette, but my eyes still grow wide with dreaded curiosity.
"What is it, Kay? What's wrong?"
"Let's go outside to The Pit. I need to ask you something."
Outside of school grounds, on the West side of Franklin Senior High School, is a self dedicated area for the kids in our school who smoke cigarettes and sometimes pot called The Pit.
At this time of day, mid-morning, it's a really good place to get away for a few moments of privacy. Most of the smokers are actually already in second period study hall, also known as the "do last night’s homework" period, so we'll basically have the area to ourselves. We're skipping gym, which is fine, since we have a substitute teacher all week.
Karen takes a deep breath and a long swallow in what seems an effort to stall, but because of the lump forming in my throat, I simply wait silently and patiently for her to gather her composure and say whatever it is. Honestly, she's scaring the shit out of me. She never acts like this.
"So…are things still good with David?"
"Yes…why?" I ask hesitantly. Afraid of where this may be going.
"So you talk to him still…I mean you two are still together?"
