Page 35 of Juliet & Her Romeos

Fuck this.

I marched toward Silvanus, narrowing my eyes.

Silvanus looked panicked, paling.

If I acted rebellious in public, then I’d be marked as a Reject. But I was still going to stop this.

I simply needed to be smart about it.

“Hazing is against the rules. We should be obedient.” I clutched Silvanus firmly by the shoulder. “Silas, why don’t we leave now? Uncle hates to get bad reports about you. He’s bound to hear about this otherwise.”

Silvanus flinched.

Then he attempted to look tough like he hadn’t just dropped his mask in front of the rest of the team. “Whatever. We need to get back to the ranch anyway.” He hurled the Gatorade against the bleachers, before smiling up at me. “Home, yeah?”

It was impossible not to smile back.

Silvanus was the only light in my world on the ranch.

I loved my cousin but I loved Ambrose too.

It was like being torn in half, being caught between them.

The next day, I opened my locker to discover a small, rose shaped paper note had been slipped through the gap in the side.

My heart skipped a beat, when I sniffed it: Cognac with toasted almonds.

Then I read the message, which had been scrawled on it in messy handwriting with sloping letters:

Romeo, Romeo, Romeo!

After that,I lived for the days that I’d open my locker to find a note with a quote on it fromRomeo and Julietby Shakespeare.

My favorite, and clearly Ambrose’s favorite too because he wrote it the most often with doodled decorations, was:

Juliet is the sun…

I hoardedthose secret messages from Ambrose, even if we still couldn’t openly talk to each other.

Was it possible to be in a relationship, when it was carried out via nothing but secret Shakespeare quotes?

Ambrose still appeared most days with busted lips and black eyes.

Once, when I saw Ambrose alone by his locker, I decided to be daring.

My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest, but something about Ambrose gave me courage.

After all, I didn’t think that a Romeo would be daring enough to write to a Cinders.

I slipped off the glass slipper necklace, which Nova had gifted to me for Christmas. I could pretend that I lost it. I brushed past Ambrose, close enough to press the necklace into his hand.

For a moment, we were touching, as he took the glass slipper from me.

His breath hitched, sharply.

I smiled, hurrying away down the corridor before either of us could be caught.

At least I’d have his rose notes, and he’d have my glass slipper.

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