Tybalt and Juliet

Author's Notes:

All characters are at least 18 years old, except where stated otherwise.

There is no sex in this chapter.

It's the end of June. Jake, Amy and their schoolmates have just finished taking their A-level exams. They'll be starting at university in September or October.

Please note that this chapter begins shortly after the previous one ends.

Thanks for reading and please do leave feedback.

******

Mum turned off the road and parked in front of the farmhouse, pulling up the handbrake with a loud rasp. She'd just met me off the train from the cottage in Dorset, where I'd spent two days with Amy.

She turned and looked me straight in the eyes.

"OK Jake," she said. "Mother's instinct - something's not right. Something happened when you were with Amy. What's wrong? Did you argue?"

My gaze fell and I prepared to deny it, to kick back with an admonishment to mind her own fucking business, but I faltered.

"Jake," Mum said softly, "I'm not here to judge you, I'm here to help you. Believe me, I've made plenty of mistakes in my life, but if I've learnt anything, then I know that talking is the best way to start dealing with whatever it is that's troubling you."

I looked down at my lap and took a deep breath. There had been a disagreement, but not really an argument between me and Amy, but that had been put to rest. No, it was Ritchie's attempt to phone her that had put my head in a spin.

"There's something I haven't told you about the night that Amy and I got together," I began. "Actually there's a lot."

"Go on," said Mum.

"Do you remember Ritchie, the guy who played Romeo in the School Play?" I asked.

"Yes, Ritchie Gasson," Mum said, "The boy with that awful pushy mother?"

"Yes that's him," I confirmed. "Anyway, we were at James' party, the cast party after the end of last term, and he made a pass at Amy. And then he got a bit more aggressive and started harassing her and... I promise there wasn't a fight, but, but I ended up stopping him doing anything to her." I swallowed.

Mum was silent, but nodded supportively.

"So I drove her home and made sure she was OK. And that's when she told me that it wasn't Ritchie that she wanted to be with, it was, well it was me." I smiled weakly.

"And then we had to go back to school for exams and stuff and we decided to keep our relationship secret, just to avoid any difficulties. Lauren found out and she told Danny. But it was only the four of us that knew -- until the end of last week -- when I told James.

"And then, when we were on the train home this afternoon," I continued, "he phoned her. Ritchie phoned her. His name popped up on the screen when he rang and I saw it."

"Did Amy answer it?" asked Mum.

"No, she rejected the call," I explained. "She just said it was her mum calling, she didn't realise that I'd seen it was Ritchie." I swallowed. "It's such a stupid little thing, but I wouldn't be worrying if she'd told me the truth, if she'd said something like 'Oh it's Ritchie, what does he want? I'm not talking to that loser!' It's the fact she covered it up. What would she have to hide?"

Mum put her hand across my shoulders. "Has this happened before? Has she mentioned him recently at all?" she asked.

"No, I'm sure I'd remember if she had," I replied.

"Do you know if he tried to contact her at the beginning, at Easter?" Mum asked, "Maybe to apologise or to try again?"

"If he did, she didn't say anything. But I was expecting him to try," I admitted. "Ritchie expects to get his own way. Most things just fall into his lap -- being Head Boy, the lead in the School Play. His mother has a way of making things happen for him, even if someone else deserves them more."

"So could he have found out about you and Amy? Might James or Danny have let something slip - accidently?"

"Danny doesn't get on with Ritchie either," I said. "And even if he did, he wouldn't have told him, I'm sure. James was on the rugby team with him and it's possible they could have talked since last week. But James is pretty loyal and I don't think he'd betray my trust. I told him that we were keeping things quiet."

"Have you or Amy seen Ritchie much since the, er, confrontation?" Mum asked.

"I've hardly seen him." I replied. "We only had two weeks of normal lessons this term and he's not in any of my classes. Then we had Study Leave and I only saw him a couple of times from a distance when we were taking exams. I don't think we've actually talked to each other since Easter -- he seemed to be actively avoiding me."

"And Amy?" she prompted.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "They were in the same History and English groups, so they'd have seen each other a fair bit in the final two weeks of lessons. But she sat her exams in a separate room away from the rest. I did ask at the beginning if he'd said anything to her, but she just said he looked embarrassed and avoided her."

Mum thought for a few seconds. "I'm not pretending to know, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. If Amy was doing anything behind your back, then she would at least have told Ritchie not to phone until this evening. I think you're probably right that your secret is still safe, but sometimes people can say or type things without realising."

She smiled weakly. "Could Ritchie have found out from somewhere else that Amy is going with you to the Prom?"

I paused. I hadn't thought of that. It was possible that he'd seen the list of those who'd bought tickets -- his mother was Chair of the Parent Teacher Association and they did a lot of the organisation for the event.

"He might have seen the seating plan," I conceded. "Amy and I will be on the same table for the meal, but there's eight of us together including Lauren and Danny. We were trying to look like a table of no-hoper singletons!" I attempted a laugh.

"Could Ritchie have been phoning to invite her to go with him? Ringing to apologise, blaming the stress of exams, wanting to turn over a new leaf? Maybe even offering to move her to another table?"

I shrugged. "Dunno," I said, "it's possible." A shiver of concern ran through me. Would Ritchie act unilaterally to move Amy away from our table without asking? Surely not even he would dare to do that?

"Whatever the reason he phoned," Mum continued, "I think that was the first time that he'd tried to contact her since the play. Amy was as surprised as you were to see his name pop up on her phone. She panicked, rejected the call and thought the best way of dealing with a name that both you and she had banished to the back of your minds was to say that it was just her mum waiting with the car."

She paused and then went on, "I know you're confused that she lied to you. But sometimes people lie to protect the people they love the most, to stop them finding out about things that they think might hurt them. I think she just acted on impulse.

"Jake, it's not nice to be lied to by someone you love. But you have been and this won't be the last time. No matter how perfect your relationship is, whether it's with Amy or anyone else, you'll tell your partner the odd white lie and they'll do the same to you. Most of the time that won't matter and you won't find out. But occasionally you will and it will hurt you and it will make you suspicious."

"So what should I do?" I asked. "Should I say something, bring it out into the open?"

Mum shook her head. "No," she said. "Accusing her of deceiving you when she probably did what she thought was best at the time is not going to help anyone. Put it out of your mind. Focus on getting settled in to your work at the Campsite and then prepare to give her the evening of her life at the Prom."

"And Ritchie?" I asked. "What happens when he finds out with everyone else at the Prom that Amy and I are together?"

"Well he'll have to take it on the chin," Mum said. "And if there are any problems, phone me and I will come and get you. With or without Amy. Is that clear?"

I nodded. "Thank you," I said.

"Does Lauren know what happened at the cast party?" she asked.

"She's aware that someone else wanted to hook up with Amy and she's probably guessed that that person was Ritchie," I replied. "But no more than that."

"Jake, I think you should tell Lauren," Mum said. "Just in case. She can help keep her eyes out for the two if you."

"I was trying to avoid that," I said.

"Jake," Mum said. "I love you very much and I'm really, really proud of you. You've achieved so much, you really have. Your Dad and I have brought you up to be very independent and, particularly with the farm, to take on a lot of responsibility. But there's a flip side: You can't solve every difficult situation on your own, sometimes a problem is too big even for you to deal with, without help."

"Thanks Mum," I said. "I love you too."

"Whatever happens, Dad and I are always here for you," she said. "Come on, let's go inside and have supper."

--

That evening, I sent a couple of texts to Amy, thanking her for a lovely time in Dorset and wishing her all the best for her first day of work at the Stables. She responded with the usual chatter and a barrage of photos that she'd taken over the weekend.

I have to admit to overanalysing everything that she wrote, but there was nothing to confirm any suspicion I might have had or wanted to have. Despite that, I stayed awake for an hour or so, raking over Ritchie's attempt to contact her.

The call had thrown a different light on the events of our weekend away. Amy and I had hit our first bump in the road on the Friday evening, after I'd revealed that I'd told James (one of my oldest friends) about our relationship without consulting her first. Then the following night, as we cuddled in bed, she'd told me that she felt that our relationship was unbalanced and that she thought things could get better -- that had stung a lot.

And now the phone call from Ritchie. Was Amy preparing to jump ship to him? Had she been keeping him interested, in reserve all along? During Study Leave, I'd been with her in the mornings, but what about the afternoons when I'd gone to the library with James? Had Ritchie been waiting round the corner, ready to slide into my chair at the dining room table, or worse into her bed? I had visions of her arriving at the Prom with me and leaving with him.

I was paranoid and suspicious, and I hated myself for it.

--

Monday dawned and I drove into town early to visit the florist. I wasn't the first person from my school to be ordering a corsage and buttonhole for the Prom, but the rather fierce sales assistant told me that coming in almost a week in advance was the right thing to do, as I'd have a free choice, whereas anyone ordering on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning would "get what they were given."

I explained Amy's dress colour scheme and showed the assistant some of the photos which I'd found online, of corsages that I liked the look of. She seemed surprised that I'd done a little bit of homework before pitching up at the shop. I handed over the money and watched as she wrote the details down. As she tore off the receipt, I read the name of the other student who'd already placed an order for the Prom: 'Derek Tan'. Lauren would be pleased, I thought.

Flowers ordered, I messaged Amy to wish her luck again on her first day at the Stables. She responded seconds later with a selfie of her with a horse. Plus ça change...

I'd arranged to meet Danny for a quick coffee in town that morning, partly because I needed to tell him that Amy and I were going out, but also because I wanted to give him the opportunity to tell me about him and Lauren, if he wanted to. The whole thing was a complete charade, as I found out that he knew about us when Amy and I had caught Lauren giving him a blowjob in one of the barns on the farm at the end of May. The only person who officially knew about both relationships was Lauren and she was unaware that I knew about her and Danny!

Danny and I duly exchanged revelations. He seemed a little concerned that I might disapprove of him dating my cousin, especially so soon after Becky had broken his heart by getting together with James, but I was genuinely happy for them both. We discussed our summer plans (Danny was trying to find a job in a shop or restaurant in town) and also the impending Prom. I passed James' advice on buying a corsage for Lauren, although I was careful not to attribute the source.

"What are you doing after the Prom?" asked Danny.

"Rob - that's Amy's step-dad - is going to pick us up and will take us back to her house. I get to sleep on the airbed in the sitting room again," I replied. I didn't really want to know what he and Lauren were going to do that night, but it seemed very unlikely that Danny's mother would let them share a bed together.

I walked back to the car and sent Lauren a message to congratulate her on coupling up with Danny. 'How did you keep it a secret for so long?' I asked...

--

I drove up to the Campsite, ready to begin the first day of my Summer job. I'd been looking forward to starting work there all term. Although I loved looking after animals, working on the farm could be a very solitary experience at times and it would be good to spend more time around real people, even if most of the customers for the first month would be primary school children aged around ten or eleven.

I'd been offered a reasonable mix of shifts, a balance between early starts to help get breakfast ready (which meant I could see Amy after her work at the Stables) and later finishes to help serve supper (which gave me an opportunity to help Dad out with the milking in the morning). A couple of nights each week, I'd have to sleep up at the campsite to be 'on call', but that wouldn't start until after the Prom.

Most of the job was focused on running activities for the kids, setting treasure trails, helping them to pitch their own tents, supervising them on the assault course, refereeing football games - you get the general idea. The pay was reasonably good too, as I already had a first aid certificate. The fact that I could play the guitar meant that I could help lead the singing around the campfire in the evenings and spared me from washing up duty!

The first day passed fairly uneventfully, save for a couple of cuts and bruises from the kids who were staying with us. I was paired up with a guy called Charlie, who was a year older than me and had just completed his first year of his Engineering degree at Cambridge, although at a different college from the one I was heading to. We got on well from the start and I enjoyed hearing about his university experiences.

After supper, I had half an hour to kill before we had to gather round the fire, so I decided to give Amy a call.

"Hello my lovely!" she said as she answered on the first ring.

"Hello Amy," I said. "How did it go today?"

"Fantastic," she said, "it was really fun, but I'm so tired. I've never worked so hard in one day."

"Oh well," I said, "that's life in the country for you. Now you know why I have such big muscles!"

We chatted easily for twenty minutes and I confirmed my shift pattern with her for the rest of the week. I'd be on the late shift for Tuesday and Wednesday, which meant starting around two and then staying until about ten in the evening. Then I'd switch to three days of 'earlies', being on site from six in the morning until lunch was over.

Amy had both days off at the weekend and was a little disappointed to hear that I'd be working on the morning of the Prom. To be fair, I had sprung this on her with little warning, but I'd effectively swapped my Sunday late shift for a Saturday early, so that I could spend more time with her the day after.

I rang off, promising that I'd pick her up from the Stables on the Thursday, so that we could spend the evening together. Then I picked up my guitar and headed for the campfire.

--

I waited a little nervously for Amy to finish work at the Stables on Thursday afternoon; it was the first time I'd seen her since the train journey back from Dorset the previous Sunday afternoon. Of course we'd spoken on the phone every night and had exchanged multiple photos, but it just wasn't the same as seeing her. I'd been replaying the weekend over again in my mind and thinking about the various conversations that we'd had.

I guess I'd come to the realisation that Amy had changed a fair bit over the course of the past two months. If I was only in love with the tearful girl whom I'd rescued from Ritchie's clutches, then there was no point the two of us continuing -- she'd never been a fairy tale damsel-in-distress. Amy was maturing rapidly and her confidence would only grow further over the summer with her job at the Stables, passing her driving test (hopefully) and then starting at university as an undergraduate.

Amy was late again, but that didn't matter. She walked down the road, with a huge smile across her face. There was something about her, a new confidence; she was holding herself a little taller perhaps. She dragged me off the footpath and behind the big hawthorn bush, that we used as our secret 'make out spot' whenever I met her from the Stables.

"Ah Jake, I've missed you so much," she panted as she squeezed me tightly to her.

"Me too," I said. "I love you, Amy."

"I love you too Jake," she smiled.

"Come on," I said. "Let's go down to the millpond."

We walked hand in hand across the fields and Amy chattered away about her day.

"How was your pizza with Frankie last night?" I asked. (Frankie had played the Nurse in the school production of Romeo and Juliet, and she and Amy were fast becoming good friends. She'd be on our table for the meal at the Prom as well.)

"Really good," she replied, "yeah, really good fun."

"And you told her about us?" I asked.

"Yeah," Amy confirmed. "She was really pleased. She thinks you're great. She says you're a keeper!"

I blushed. "I like Frankie."

"Anyway, you'll never guess, but she's just started going out with someone!" she said excitedly.

"Really, who?" I asked, both pleased and relieved to hear that she'd finally put her relationship with Ross the Shit behind her.

"Nick!"

"Crikey!" I exclaimed, certain of Lauren's influence at work.

"Yeah, isn't that fantastic!" she smiled. "That means there'll be four couples on our table at the Prom - all eight of us!"

"Yes, we're not doing very well at being a table of singletons," I laughed.

"Well you did tell me that nerds have more fun," she replied cheekily, squeezing my butt.

"Oh by the way," I said. "Lauren's making up some collages of some photos of our year group through our time at school, to have on display at the Prom."

"That sounds like a good idea! I can't wait to see how cute you looked, when you were younger!" Amy replied.

"It'll certainly be a shock to some to see how much we've changed in seven years!" I replied with a wry smile. "Anyway, she's got a photo of us performing together at the Easter Concert last year apparently and she wants to check we're happy for her to use it. Is that OK?"

"Yes, of course, that'll be really nice."

"Good," I replied. "I'll let her know. I think Danny is helping her put it all together."

"Oh and one more thing," I added, "I'm going for a drink with Stijn and maybe Ian tomorrow evening. Is it OK to tell them about us?"

"Yes, of course it is!" Amy smiled. "I love you Jake."

--

We neared the top of the bank above the millpond. Amy made to walk down the slope towards the jetty, but I pulled her back.

"Do you mind if we just sit down here for a minute?" I asked.

"No, that's fine," Amy replied, a little warily.

We sat down and I held her hand. "I've been thinking about what you said on Saturday night, about us."

She looked up at me, a little anxiously and nodded.