"I can't believe it!" Piper and Emma cry in unison, nearly running me over as they corner me by my locker the following Monday.

"You can't believe what?" I question in response, curious as to what's got my friends so worked up. Glancing at them both, I notice the way they stare back at me as if they think I'm crazy yet someone to respect at the same time.

"You're going out with Liam Wellington?" Emma asks after a lingering silence, seemingly unsure of if she wants to hear my answer.

When this thing I have with Liam started, I don't think I really understood that it would eventually go public. Needless to say, I'm completely unprepared to tell my friends what I've been up to with Liam lately.

"Uh . . ." I purse my lips, racking my brain for an answer. "Well, we aren't, like, official or anything. But, yeah. We've gone out a few times."

"I don't even know what to say to you," Piper admits, eyebrows raised. "I mean . . . Luke hates Liam. And you're . . . dating him? That takes the saying 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' to a whole new level."

I laugh as I shake my head. "I'm not going out with Liam because of Luke," I reassure my friends, even though I'm basically lying through my teeth. "He's actually a really sweet guy."

"And he's hot," Emma teases, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

"It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes," I admit with a smirk of my own.

"I still can't believe it," Piper mumbles as we start walking down the hall. "I mean, I've never been a big fan of Liam. But I guess I can get over that if you like him, Jade. He better not hurt you, though. I won't hesitate to break his face."

Laughing faintly, I murmur, "I don't think you have to worry about that, Pipes."

Because if either of us would be hurting the other, it'd be the other way around.

»»----- -----««

"So, let's recount what we've read so far," Ms. Edwards says to gain the attention of the class. I shift in my seat, focused on the board in front of me. As of right now, we've all just finished reading scene one of Romeo and Juliet, the part where Romeo complains to Benvolio about how he will never love again after his One, Rosaline, has vowed to never marry—which breaks Romeo's poor little heart.

Honestly, I think all of it is a load of bull. I mean, he'll never love again? It's much too dramatic for me, and I can hardly stand Romeo's character, especially considering the play is called Romeo and Juliet and not Romeo and Rosaline. Obviously, the boy will find love again. It's in the damn title. Besides, he barely knew this Rosaline girl. What's there to be so hung up over?

"We've been introduced to a handful of characters already, including Benvolio, Tybalt, and—of course—Romeo. So far, we've seen glimpses of the hatred between the Capulet's—Juliet's family—and the Montague's—Romeo's family. One of the most notable examples of this feud is shown when Tybalt and Benvolio get into a street fight. Can anybody tell me why this is important to the story-line?"

A few hands go up, though I've since come to learn that Ms. Edwards' doesn't run her class like most others. She's probably my favorite teacher for this reason. She doesn't like asking us to raise our hands to answer a question because she "doesn't want to take away our voices". Instead, she prefers for whoever thinks they have the answer to her question to speak freely.

I'm not surprised to hear Luke speak up from his seat behind me. His voice seems to captivate the entire room, and I doubt it's because anyone really cares about what he has to say. It's more like everyone is staring at Luke because he is Crestwood's resident Pretty Boy™.

"Tybalt and Benvolio's fight is important to the story-line because it's foreshadowing what's to come next. Their fight signifies the feud between the two families in a literal sense, revealing that it's nearly impossible for the Capulet's and Montague's to get along with each other in the slightest. Shakespeare used this scene to bring light to the hardships Romeo and Juliet will face when they inevitably fall in love, revealing that their romance won't be one of those whimsical, fairy-tale ending love stories."

Luke's response to Ms. Edwards' question has me thinking about him and I, for some odd reason. I mean, it's often very hard for the two of us to have a civil conversation without ending up in some sort of fight. It's almost like we're the Capulet's and Montague's ourselves, only no love is involved whatsoever.

"Good observation, Luke." Ms. Edwards offers Luke a warm smile, one I've come to know is reserved specially for him. Since Luke is like some sort of genius and genuinely enjoys reading, it's no secret that he's Ms. Edwards' star pupil.

"Just as Luke said, the fight between Tybalt and Benvolio is used to symbolize the acting feud between the two leading families, signifying that though their fight is old, it's still very real. For this reason, it's evident that Romeo and Juliet shouldn't love each other. Yet, they still somehow manage to fall for one another, knowing that just because they want to be together doesn't mean that it will be easy to do so. With that, I ask you: Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you'd risk everything that is important to you just so you could have it?"

The class falls silent. I can't think of the last time I sacrificed anything important, honestly. Unless I count having to leave behind my old life in California, giving it up to move here. Though that's technically not a sacrifice, considering having to move to New York was a consequence of my own actions.

"Sometimes," Ms. Edwards continues, looking out at the class from where she stands behind her desk. "Telling someone you love them isn't enough. True love requires action. If you love someone, show them. Because that is what love is. Countless simple actions that one person does for another, time and time again. What is love? It's not a feeling. Sometimes, it's not even a choice. All love really boils down to is sacrifice. And I want to leave all of you with this: For love, what would you sacrifice?"

»»----- -----««

a/n: i miss my girlfriend. a lot. a LOT a lot. k bye.