Page 22 of From Rome, With Hate

“If something happened to you on the walk home, I’d rather not have your death hanging over my head. Last thing I need is your brother and father having another reason to kill me.”

The only energy I have left to respond with is used to blow a raspberry between my lips. I really feel like I’m going to throw up. My head jerks as Rome carries me down the street. When he finally lowers me, I wobble on my feet, reaching out to the black car next to me to stabilize myself.

“Get in the car,” Rome orders.

I blow my loose hair away from my face, sweeping the remaining pieces away with my fingers. My vision is watery, but I can’t say for certain whether it’s from my impending tears or not. Defeat fills my chest. Every time I think I’ve escaped Rome, he shows up again.

“How did you find me?” I ask, mumbling.

“I tracked your phone.”

“Of course you did.” I nod, pressing my lips together, mostly to ward off the bile threatening to rise up.

“Get in the car.”

I take several beats to catch my breath. “Okay.” I sigh, waving the white flag. “I’ll go with you and get this debt over with, but I can’t guarantee I won’t vomit all over your car in the process.”

He smirks as he pulls on the handle to the back passenger door and holds it open for me. “Well, it’s a good thing they’re leather seats. Easy to clean.”

I make sure to give him my deadliest stare before sliding into the backseat. I immediately turn away from him, resting my head against the glass window.

Within seconds of the car pulling away, I’m drifting off to sleep, hoping the nightmares don’t make their usual nightly appearance, which is unlikely, considering one of them is sitting directly beside me.

SEVEN

ROME

Flashback

She’s stopped writing letters. Every day after school, I sneak back to the classic literature aisle, slide out our copy of Romeo and Juliet, only to find it empty once again. She’s avoided looking at me when we pass each other in the hall. I never thought I’d feel this way when, in truth, Julianna has done exactly this same thing our entire lives.

Ignore me. Hate me.

I can’t even write her emails anymore. Our pen pal assignment finished the last day before Christmas break. I don’t even know what the fucking point is because not everyone figured out who their pen pals were. The grade never depended on whether you found out who they were, like we’re supposed to be detectives or some shit.

Regardless of that stupid fucking assignment, I’m thankful for it. On the surface, nothing has changed between Julianna and me. We still don’t speak in public. We don’t look at each other longer than three seconds. At least not until tonight.

I bring my beer to my lips, take a sip, and eye Julianna across the room. Her hair is pulled into a tight ponytail, revealing her sharp cheekbones and the soft curve of her neck.She’s wearing a spaghetti strapped tank that’s tucked into a pair of tightfitting, lavender-colored pants. When she turned to grab a refill of her drink, I noticed the smattering of freckles across the back of her shoulders—something I’ve never noticed before now.

I’ve eyed her relentlessly, hoping she’ll so much as even glance in my direction but she won’t. She refuses. It’s driving me fucking crazy.

I’m sitting on Keirnan’s large leather sofa. He’s beside me, rambling on about how some chick sucked him off last summer while he was staying at his beach house. Something about how they broke into the lifeguard station, and she immediately dropped to her knees. I honestly stopped listening when he told me about how he got more turned on when she gagged as she swallowed his cum.

“Are you even listening, fucker?”

“What?” I snap my head to my right.

“I was telling you about the be?—”

“Beach house,” I cut him off, nodding. “Right.”

He turns to look in the direction of Julianna, full of obvious suspicion as he scoffs and shakes his head. “Can’t believe the Capuleti princess was brave enough to show up here.”

“I thought this was Sola’s party. Isn’t she best friends with Julianna?”

“Fuck, I don’t know.” He adjusts his place on the sofa, drapes his arm around the back, and turns to me. “Capuleti may be obsessed with our entire lacrosse team, not to mention she’s your enemy, but I won’t lie, she’s also kind of fucking hot. I know for a fact more guys would want to fuck her brains out if she weren’t the mayor’s daughter. Considering how she looks tonight, I might be able to look past it. I bet those lips would feel better wrapped around my cock than that chick’s at the beach.I wonder how her voice would sound when she’s moaning my name.”

I curl my fingers into a tight fist. I’m going to fucking kill, Kiernan. It’s ridiculous. He’s said shit before. Fuck, I’ve even joined in from time to time. But now?