Why Romeo Hates Juliet (27 page)

He’d come into his room to get his wall et and as he’d passed the windows, the little scene of Juliet and Nick, together in each other’s arms, had caught his attention immediately. “What the fuck is going on out there and why does that goddamn slimebal have his arms around her?” he’d raged under his breath.

He knew Nick was a player and couldn’t be trusted with any woman. If he was trying to put the moves on Juliet there would be hell to pay; the phony good doctor could bank on it!

When Romeo, Tommy and Nick were finally walking along the driveway towards the Escalade to leave for the hospital, the A-lister turned to Nick and glared at him. “I saw you out back with Juliet. What was going on?” he asked in a short, staccato, no-nonsense tone of voice. He wanted answers - now.

Nick immediately understood what Romeo was getting at. He put his hands up in a pose of surrender. “Hey man, she was just upset that you’re not remembering fast enough, that’s all, I swear.”

“You’re not poaching on my territory, are you Nick?” Romeo asked him menacingly.

“Bro - I wouldn’t do that to you, honest.” Nick was starting to sweat under Romeo’s intense scrutiny. Okay, maybe he was poaching - or trying to

- but only if Juliet was willing. If she really was interested in Romeo, then all bets were off and he wouldn’t try to steal her away from the movie star.

After all, Romeo Boyd was an A-lister and could help him big time career-wise in Holl ywood. And his acting career was all important to Nick Mathison; he’d do anything for it.

Romeo threw his friend a narrow, glinting scowl as he got into the truck. Okay, he’d just set his boundaries where Juliet was concerned, he thought to himself, and that asshole, Nick Mathison had better have understood them loud and clear!

~ ~ ~

A moment of blessed relief!

Juliet was sitting at one of the backyard patio tables by Romeo’s pool. She had her eyes closed and was deeply breathing in the fresh, salt water air, taking advantage of the peaceful solitude to relax a bit. Romeo, Tommy and Dr. Burrel had left a couple of hours ago for the hospital, Faith had gone back home and Sara had gone to their own beach house to check up on things and call her husband. Juliet was all alone, and all she wanted to do was to feel the warmth of the summer sun shining on her face and forget all of her worries about Romeo’s amnesia, her looming book deadline and her financial debt problems for just a little while.

Suddenly, she sensed someone approaching and as she opened her eyes, she spotted an enraged Carrie Ann marching up to her, clasping a rolled up magazine in her hands.

“Where the fuck is Romeo?” the Holl ywood starlet screamed.

Shocked, Juliet unfurled herself from the chair and stood up to face the other girl. “He’s at his checkup at the hospital,” she replied, straightening her spine in response to the enmity she felt coming off of the blonde.

“So what the hell are you doing here at his house?”

“He still thinks I’m his wife, so I’m trying to help him get better,” Juliet calmly responded. She refused to be intimidated by the bimbo.

“bullshit! You’re trying to come between me and my man!”

“If he’s your man, why aren’t you here with him, instead of me?” Juliet cocked a challenging eyebrow at her.

Carrie saw red and her face began to actually turn that color. “You bitch! I know what you’re up to, but it’s not going to work.” She raised the rolled up magazine that she’d been tightly squeezing in her hands and threw it at her rival, hitting her square in the chest. “I flew back here from ll.A.

as soon as I could. Didn’t you think I’d find out?”

Standing her ground, Juliet didn’t even blink as she watched the paper fall to the ground. Looking down, she saw that it was the latest copy of Gossip World and on the cover was the picture of Romeo kissing her outside the hospital when he’d been released and they’d had to march through all of the paparazzi stationed at the entrance. The headline read, ‘Kiss Me or Kill Me - Romeo’s Latest Squeeze’.

Juliet’s eyes swiveled back up to Carrie Ann’s livid face. “Take your issues up with Romeo, not me. Like I said, I’m only here to help.”

“Yeah, here to help yourself to my man. What a great opportunity for you - latching onto a big-time movie star, getting your picture in all the papers and boosting your pathetic career.”

Juliet smirked at the other girl, “Isn’t that more your style, Carrie Ann?”

The blonde’s face turned from red to purple and Juliet actually saw a vein pulsating in the girl’s throat.

“You, slut! I want you gone now!” Carrie Ann yelled, as she took a few steps forward.

Defiant and unafraid, Juliet stood her ground. “Shouldn’t that be Romeo’s decision to make, not yours?”

“I’m his girlfriend, and I know what’s good for him, and that’s not you, so get your stuff and get the fuck out,” she sneered.

“I’m not going anywhere until Romeo gets better, so deal with it.”

Carrie Ann gave a sudden knowing half-laugh, “I knew it! You’re fucking him, aren’t you?” She took a few more paces closer to Juliet, bringing her right up into her face. “I hope you enjoyed his ride because it ends today. You see, I’m back now, honey and I’m taking over again. Look at you…” she gave Juliet an up-and-down derogatory glare, scanning her rival’s body, “…you’re just an afterthought compared to me; a disposable little nobody who means nothing to him. It’s only because he doesn’t know who he is and what he can get that he’s even talking to you, let alone screwing you.”

That hit home with Juliet, because although she knew that Romeo Boyd, car salesman had genuine feelings for her, Romeo Boyd, the movie star didn’t. In fact, he probably hated her, especially after everything she’d done to him this summer. But never one to back down from a fight, she refused to show the Holl ywood blonde how much that last remark had hurt her, and all she could think of in that irrational, crazy, insane moment was to hurt back.

Juliet gave the girl a coy smile. “That’s not what he whispers in my ear when we’re in bed together.”

“You skank!” Carrie Ann shouted, having just had all of her suspicions about the two of them confirmed.

Juliet offensively inched closer to the actress’ nose before continuing to play the other girl’s game. “And Romeo may not know who he is, but he knows what he wants and that’s not you, Carrie Ann. He’s done with you, sister. I’m the one satisfying him now, so jump back on your broom and fly out of here.”

Carrie Ann was speechless, taken aback by the other woman’s fighting spirit. She’d thought that her rival was going to be a pushover and would have meekly backed off when challenged, but that wasn’t turning out to be the case. In a split second, a wave of fury enveloped the blonde and she bared her teeth.

“You bitch!” she sneered. Suddenly bringing her hands up, she shoved at Juliet’s chest with all of her might, pushing the other girl backwards -

and into the pool.

With a resounding splash, Juliet fell into the water.

~ ~ ~

Juliet was drowning, and today - the most beautiful day of the summer so far - was going to be the day that she died.

Adrenaline flashed through Juliet’s system as she flailed wildly in the water, her arms valiantly trying to bring her body up to the surface. But she kept sinking, and the more she panicked, the deeper she fell. She couldn’t speak; she couldn’t scream; she couldn’t think. Water was all around her, and in five seconds she would run out of air and be forced to breathe the liquid in.

Again, she tried to kick with her legs and managed to push herself up a couple of feet in the pool, but her head was still underwater. Panic surged through her once more and her arms went wild, but not knowing what to do, she sank back down.

Instinctively, she knew that she was going to die, but the only thought running through her brain at that instant was that she’d never get the chance to tell Romeo Boyd that she loved him. Funny, she thought to herself, just as she was losing consciousness - why hadn’t she ever admitted that to herself before?

~ ~ ~

Before the Escalade had even come to a full stop, Romeo was jumping out of the passenger seat and striding towards Carrie Ann, who had been on a determined march towards a rental car parked in his driveway.

Shocked to see her here without any forewarning of her arrival, Romeo blurted out, “Carrie Ann, what are you doing here?” Damn it, he thought!

He had just mistakenly given himself away, announcing to her that he remembered who she was. He’d been so surprised at seeing her that he’d forgotten about his fake amnesia ruse.

Stunned that he recognized her, Carrie Ann launched herself into his arms and entwined her hands around his neck, and began to kiss him in between her words. “Romeo, oh my God! You know who I am! That’s wonderful. I can’t believe it.” Quickly, he disengaged her octopus hands from around his neck and put her at arm’s length. Okay, he reasoned, he was busted and there was no use in denying it now. “Yes, Carrie Ann, I know who you are. What are you doing here?” Tommy and Nick had gotten out of the truck and were now standing behind him.

“I came back to see you to find out how you were.” Suddenly, her face contorted with anger as she spat out, “I knew that bitch was lying to me!

She told me you still couldn’t remember.”

A feeling of foreboding began to spread through Romeo’s gut as he backed an inch away from her. “Who are you talking about?” he asked her warily, as the sense of apprehension engulfed him even more.

still excited that her man remembered her again, Carrie Ann tried wrapping her arms around him one more time. “Oh, who cares about that little nobody; I’m here to take care of you now, baby.”

Romeo’s intuition began to scream out a drumbeat of doom, as he once again lifted her arms off of his body. “Carrie Ann, where’s Juliet?” Realizing that Romeo cared more for the bitch than she’d realized, Carrie Ann backed away from him. “Why are you asking me about her when I’m here?”

“Carrie Ann, where’s Juliet?” Romeo demanded more forcefully this time. When she still refused to reply, he broke into a run towards the house.

“Juliet?” he screamed, as he burst through the front door. Frantic, he raced up the stairs taking them two at a time, calling out her name all the way.

Almost in a panic, he searched all the rooms before coming back downstairs and rushing out to the backyard.

“Juliet! Juliet!” he yelled out, over and over again, as his eyes scanned the property, looking for any signs of her.

As he approached the pool, his eyes were caught by an object in the water and as his sight focused on it, he realized to his horror that it was Juliet - lifeless and floating at the bottom! Her arms were floating up by her side, her head was down and her beautiful hair was splayed in the water, bobbing to the gentle movement of the swimming pool lapping.

“Juliet!” Romeo’s anguished scream was ripped out of his chest just as he dove into the pool after her, not even giving a second thought to his injured shoulder.

~ ~ ~

Within seconds, Romeo’s backyard had erupted into pandemonium.

Romeo had pulled Juliet’s lifeless body from the bottom of the pool, and with Tommy’s help had dragged her out of the water. Nick had raced into the house to call for an ambulance, while a shocked Carrie Ann had remained motionless by one of the patio tables, having had no idea that Juliet had been in trouble in the water after she’d pushed her in. She’d just wanted to frighten the bitch, she thought to herself; she’d never wanted to harm her for real.

As Tommy and Romeo positioned Juliet’s body on the pavement by the pool’s edge, Romeo frantically began chest compressions to get the water out of her lungs before starting CPR to try to resuscitate her.

“
Please Juliet, please come back to me
,” he kept whispering to her over and over again, in between giving her his breath of life.
“Please…”
The adrenaline and terror racing through his system gave his injured shoulder superhuman strength and it was like he was back to being 100%.

Sara had come running from next door by then, because she’d heard all of the commotion and as soon as she saw her sister’s lifeless body lying on the ground, she screamed out her name and bent down to her. “Oh my God,” she cried, as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

“Juliet…”

“Let me take over, Romeo. Your shoulder must be hurting you,” Tommy offered, seeing the sweat breaking out on his friend’s forehead.

Romeo shook his head no and remained focused on his task, as he frantically continued with his CPR ministrations for several more minutes that really felt like hours. Suddenly, he began to feel signs of life pulsating through her again.

“
Come on, Juliet, come on,
” Romeo shouted, trying to encourage her to live through his own laser-focused will power.

In a flash, Juliet’s lifeless body became reanimated again and she began to cough up water. Romeo held her up and encouraged her to continue to get the liquid out. “Come on, Juliet, that’s right, you can do it…” he whispered to her, as he brushed her wet hair away from her face.

Just as the paramedics arrived, Juliet’s eyes flitted open and she stared up at Romeo as she continued to cough out water and gasp in air.

She couldn’t speak, but he felt her squeeze his hand as if to say ‘thank you’.

Backing away to let the paramedics take over, Romeo watched as they stabilized her, put her on the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance. Sara held Juliet’s hand all the way, and although Romeo had an overpowering urge to go with them, he knew that this moment belonged to the sisters.

As the adrenaline rush finally left Romeo’s body, excruciating pain seared through his injured shoulder and he instinctively put his good hand to it to try to massage it away.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Tommy asked him, worried for his friend’s health.

“It’s nothing,” Romeo mumbled, his frightened eyes followed the ambulance as it sped along their private road before disappearing around the bend. “Just give me three minutes to change out of these wet clothes and then drive me to the hospital, Tommy. I need to be with her.” He looked down at his own shaking hands, feeling sick to his stomach at how close he’d come to losing ‘his’ Juliet, the woman he suddenly knew he loved.

~ ~ ~