Chapter twenty: Hating you

It was Eng. lit, the only class I had to endure having to sit next to the cockiest boy I've ever known. I hesitated by the door and took in a deep breath, closing my eyes and calming my wild beating heart. Your heart beats with hatred Mira. Your heart beats with hatred. 

Yeah. If only my treacherous heart could understand that too. 

I walked into class along with the pulling throng of students, trying to blend into their smooth sleek steps and look a bit normal. Alex stared at me, barely looking up from his book with that trademark scowl etched on his face. I glared, feeling the ice of hate ram fast into my stomach. I held my head high and tried to walk with dignity. After the falling incident from my last class, I'd practiced walking without tripping over anything for hours in the mirror. 

But obviously, my efforts didn't pay off.

As soon as got an inch close to my table, I tripped over and crashed into his arms, half toppling him over with me. He held me up, his hands on my waist and my hands on his chest. 

No, no, no! This can't and shouldn't be happening. 

WHY ME?!!!!!!!!

I stared into his face, mesmerized by the deep rich blue of those fiery depths. I squinted, letting out an internal gasp. His iris had small golden specks in them, little tints of bright yellow spiraling through each eyeball like fireworks. God. Such beautiful eyes. 

" What did I say about you staying away from me Miranda?" His face twisted into a smirk " I don't do shortcakes. I told you" 

" I… I tripped…" 

" Into me?" He let out an exasperated sigh " Could you girls get even more desperate by the day" my cheeks swarmed, heated and embarrassed. Desperate? What?

I pushed myself back up, tucking a stray lock of my hair back and slipping into my seat.

" What?" He asked, leaning close. I shivered. " Cat got your tongue?" 

" I'll take them eating it too if it'd annihilate you from the face of the world" I shot, dumping my books on the desk. He chuckled, leaning back. 

" Too bad you can't have your birthday wish." His voice went a notch lower " You'll just have to deal with me a while longer. Who else will you fall over when I'm gone?" I turned to glare at him and found him on his phone, tapping away and ignoring me. The bile of hate surged even higher. 

" Welcome to another intriguing experience," Mr McCoy said, voice booming through the class " The world that opens your eyes, to the world" He said in a monotone and I frowned. World to the world? How does that even make sense?

" Today we shall consider one of Shakespeare's work itself." He beamed and the hush that'd fallen over the class when he'd walked in surged two notches higher. " Quiet everyone. Today we shall be looking at Shakespeare's most renowned works, a pure legend of all times" He held out the familiar book cover I knew too well and I beamed " Romeo and Juliet" 

" Romeo and what?" Kimberly snickered. " Didn't we do that in like, for-never?" Everyone chuckled and Mr McCoy glared at her. 

" Now everyone," He said, tossing books randomly at students. Some caught it, majorly the school's fittest jocks and cheerleaders while a few, like me, had to pick it up from the ground after getting hit on the head by it. Alex as always, caught his right in the hand, smirking at me. I scowled and slammed mine hard on the desk. 

" You will go home and read through your copies and give me a short summary on your thoughts by tommorrow." The class groaned " On paper. Else you'll be forced to give a presentation about it if you keep up the noise." The class went ice quiet and Mr McCoy nodded, grinning. " That's more like it. Who has read Romeo and Juliet? I mean like ACTUALLY read it not the crazy movie variations we have today?" No one answered, or raised a hand. I squeezed my palm, holding the urge to. I'd not only read it, I had two different copies of it, the first edition and an archive print, not that anybody was going to know that. 

" Anyway, that was only a huge joke. I doubt that any of you knew the book was once a book till today so if that's all, lets get started… ah. Miss reed?" He said, beaming. I looked down sheepishly, hating myself. " Are you ready to prove me wrong?" 

" Yes sir" I muttered, feeling every eye turn in on me. I coughed. 

" Well I…" 

" I think Shakespeare's Juilet was an ass" Alex said, cutting in. Chuckles filled the class and I turned to look at him. he smirked, turning to face Mr McCoy who leaned against his desk, intrigued. 

" I'll ignore the foul language cage. Now, go on"

" She was just a manipulative little wretch with too much money and little sense" Mr McCoy nodded. 

" Go on" Alex leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his desk and basking in the glory. I could feel the deep intense hate spilling through my ears. 

" She tricked the poor Romeo into falling in love with her and then she killed herself just to make him look stupid and vulnerable…" 

" I think that Romeo fell in love on his own account" I said, glaring at him. He stopped to stare at me and Mr McCoy smiled, nodding reassuringly at me. " Not under some crazy assumption of manipulation as you claim…" 

" Romeo was a peasant. Juliet was rich and wealthy. She could have made someone else swoon at her miserable little feet but she had to pick Romeo. She had to show him that he could want her but could never have her…" 

" To begin with, Juliet didn't make Romeo 'swoon' at his feet as you claim. And if you truly read the novel, not sleep your way through it" A few ripples of laughter spread through the class " You'd know that Romeo fell in love with her first…" 

" Under the impression that he'd end up with her in the end…" 

" How does that all point to Juliet?"

" It points to Juliet" He said, shifting to stare hard and long at me " because she fooled him, fooled him into thinking that they could have a chance together when she knew they couldn't"

" She didn't fooled him into loving her. They fell in love naturally, like every other sane human, in a way no other person should fall in love with each other. That is why theirs is the most romantic story alive" 

He scoffed " You can't call that love. Its all… imposed. Completely imposed on my poor man Romeo. He was obligated to love her, fooled into wanting her and deceived into dying for her…" 

" That is not…" 

" I believe" he cut in once more " That love is only fiction. When it seems real, its really not" His deep icy blue eyes bore into mine " It's just a burden. on the mind and soul. Humans feel wired to desire, to covet" his eyes went a soft fluid " To want. We can never truly love. We are incapable of love. Only lust. And who knows? Maybe our poor man Romeo killed himself to relieve his soul of the torture of having to love someone else. His love for Juilet was the ruin of him, the ruin of any man foolish enough to go down that path" The class went icy quiet, everyone was looking, watching, listening. I gaped at him, hardly believing my ears. 

" Mr cage" Mr McCoy said, beaming " You are well aware that Juliet killed herself first. What do you have to say about that?" 

" She was just being dramatic" 

I gasped " Dramatic? How does her taking her own life count as her being dramatic?"

" What did she have to live for anyway? Romeo wasn't worth her. she didn't deserve him and she knew it. And I don't remember women being of any important relevance in the medieval times" A loud hush fell over the class and I reeled, glowering at his smirking little face. The nerve! The… the…

" Thank you for such a deep look into your incredibly sadistic mind" I said and he did a little bow. 

" My pleasure" The class burst into ripples of laughter " But your view is entirely wrong and selfish. I believe humans are built to love, to desire, to lust, to covet. Its all just a mix of emotions deep within, emotions that you'll probably never feel if you go on this way" Everyone chuckled and I went on " Juliet's love for Romeo was exceptional. Exceptional enough to make him die for her as she did for him. It was all mutual and it was very real. I don't know if its those PG 12 horror movies you still watch but you have to know that Juliet was dead. In no way could she have convinced romeo to die for her. So, re-think through life before making silly conclusions…" 

" Having to argue with you over this matter is a waste of my time but what can I do? I'm obligated to teach the young" 

" I think that you're in dire need of a mental check-up but" I shrugged " What can I do? I'm obligated to endure insanity" He glared at me and I glared at him and the glaring and staring and hating went on for forever. 

" Wasn't that insightful?" Mr McCoy sang, clapping and laughing hysterically " Thank you for your beautiful insights on this miss reed and cage. Like I always say," he did a little dance " Literature is the door we open to know ourselves. Now, open your textbooks to page 120 chapter two and lets us begin, the opening" I scowled at him and he glowered at me. I glared and he smirked. I made a face and he scowled. We let out a frustrated grunt and stared at our textbooks at the same time. I felt my heart brimming over with the hate, the burning hate I felt for him. God he was the worst! The worst!! The worst, worst. 

Shakespare's Juliet was an ass? How? He was a godamn sexist! A miserable good-looking for his own good sexist. This was the boy everyone was all droopy all over? He was nothing but a damned sadist!

 I huffed my way out of class, through every period and all the way home. I slipped into my room, dumped my bag on the bed and glared at my bookshelf for no apparent reason. Someone knocked on the door and I sat up. Stacey skipped in. 

" Hey there total stranger. We're supposed to come home together you sap!" She plopped down on my bed. " so tell me, how was school today?" I let out a deep sigh, flopping down against my futon. 

" Exasperating" 

" You seemed pissed" 

I sat back up " I AM pissed. That… that wretched Alexander cage! I want to rip his throat out!!!!" I yelled and for some reason, she found that funny. I sat up, glaring. 

" What's so funny?" 

" Nothing" She giggled " I've just never seen you this human before. You're always so… cold you know. Blocked off. So you feel things? Like anger?" She let out a sigh " Whoa" I leaned back, thinking through her words. She was right. I've always prided myself on being reasonable and calm and level-headed. But then thoughts of Alex just had me veering off the edge. I let out a sigh and Stacey drew close, beaming. 

" You know, I know the perfect place to cool off all that anger" 

" Where could that possibly be?" 

" There's the party at the cage's place later tonight." She nudged me " you should come" I groaned and then I sat up, ears puckering. 

" Did you say cage? As in Alexander cage?"

" Yeah you! Look, its not their house ok? They just like to call it a clubhouse. Its really huge and its got great rooms for making out" I squinted and she went on.

" I don't think Alexander's going to be there anyway. He likes to hang out somewhere quiet. Sometimes he just disappears into thin air. Cross my heart he won't be there" 

" I don't do parties Stacey" I moaned and she nudged me. 

" Yes you do. Everyone does. You just don't want to" She shook me " come on Mira. It'll be fun" 

" But I…" 

" Girl you need to loosen up. What do you do all day? Read, paint and sleep? Seriously girl you're not even living!" 

" Maybe I don't want to?" 

" Mira if I had to live like you, I'd hang myself and kill my dead body" she shoved me aside lightly " come out. Have fun. You won't regret it I promise" I rammed my eyes open, heaving. 

" You're not going to give this up are you?" 

she beamed cheekily, pinching my cheek " Not on your life!" She squealed and jumped off my bed, skipping up to the door " I'll go get my outfit! Get ready!!" 

" Wait it's just 3PM!" I yelled after her. Stacey stopped, glowering. 

" Like seriously babe? How long does it take to get dressed for a party?" 

" Twenty minutes?" I tried and she let out a sigh.

" You've got SO much to learn" she shut the door and I plopped back down, slamming my eyes shut with a pillow in my face. 

Could this day get ANY worst?