stepped around Juliet and pressed his codpiece against my leg. "Dance with me."
"Uh, sorry. Juliet and I are busy."
"Busy?" he said, curling his upper lip. "You refuse me?" He poked me again with his gold-covered wiener. How totally rude. I hoped that Romeo would kill him right away so he would stop bothering me.
Thankfully, another woman called out Tybalt's name and Juliet and I made our escape. "I detest him," Juliet told me as we started up the balcony stairs. "He tried to kiss me once. Forced himself on me." She stopped halfway up the stairs. "There's Paris," she whispered, pulling the onion stalks from her sash.
A gangly man stood between Juliet's parents. He wasn't attractive at all. Sort of soft in the features and basically chinless. And way too skinny. His long neck poked out of his collar like a Popsicle stick.
Juliet ducked behind my skirt to hide from the Capulets' prying eyes. She shoved some green stalks into her mouth and started chewing as fast as she could. "Juliet," her father called. She swallowed, shoved in more greens, and pointed at my sash. I pulled out the onion bulbs.
"Juliet," her mother insistently sang.
She couldn't chew any faster or she'd choke. I pressed my fingernail into one of the onions, freeing some of its juice. "I'll dab this behind your ears," I told her. She smiled and nodded. Even with her cheeks inflated like a chipmunk's she managed to shove in an onion bulb.
"Do my neck, too," she mumbled.
"Juliet!" Lady Capulet squawked.
With her mother about to swoop, Juliet devoured the second onion but one still remained. I looked around frantically, then shoved it into my tower of hair. "Let us see how he likes this flower's stench," she said before stepping onto the balcony.
"My dearest lady," Paris greeted. "I am honored that we should finally meet." He kissed the palm of her hand. His tongue darted over his lips, tasting the onion, no doubt.
"You are enchanting this evening," Lord Capulet told his daughter, rapidly blinking tiny eyes that looked like finger pricks in risen dough. He sniffed the air curiously. "How strange a smell."
Before he could detect the source, I stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Mimi, of the Manhattan Capulets. Thanks so much for inviting me to your party. I've never tasted such delicious stuffed eggs before. And those must be the finest musicians in all of Italy."
Lord Capulet beamed. "You have a keen palate as well as a discerning ear. Marks of good breeding. Manhattan, you say?"
"Juliet, would you do me the honor of a dance?" Paris asked, bending his long neck to one side. Juliet curtsied and presented him with an exaggerated grin. Green stringy bits dangled from her front teeth. Lady Capulet gasped and wildly pointed to her own teeth. Juliet ignored her.
"I should love to dance," Juliet replied, leaning as close to Paris as possible and exhaling extra hard on dance.
Paris took a step back as Lady Capulet pulled her daughter aside. "What have you been eating?" she demanded in a tone best described as a whispered shriek.
"Whatever do you mean, Mother?" Juliet asked, her onion breath enveloping the balcony. She turned and took Paris's arm. "Let us dance the night away." Paris scrunched his nose and led his wife-to-be down the stairs. He could barely hide his repulsion. I wiggled my toes excitedly. Success was at hand.
For the briefest of moments I stood next to Juliet's parents. Lord Capulet, still sniffing the air, checked his own underarms and was about to check his wife's but she pushed him away. I had no desire to hang out with those two. I peered over the railing. A servant headed past the stairs with a tray of miniature tarts. The realization that I was wide awake struck me again as my mouth watered. Maybe I should have taken the time to consider my situation. Maybe I should have found a dark corner where I could have thought things through. Where exactly was I, if not in a dreamworld? How had I gotten there? What was to become of
"Uh, sorry. Juliet and I are busy."
"Busy?" he said, curling his upper lip. "You refuse me?" He poked me again with his gold-covered wiener. How totally rude. I hoped that Romeo would kill him right away so he would stop bothering me.
Thankfully, another woman called out Tybalt's name and Juliet and I made our escape. "I detest him," Juliet told me as we started up the balcony stairs. "He tried to kiss me once. Forced himself on me." She stopped halfway up the stairs. "There's Paris," she whispered, pulling the onion stalks from her sash.
A gangly man stood between Juliet's parents. He wasn't attractive at all. Sort of soft in the features and basically chinless. And way too skinny. His long neck poked out of his collar like a Popsicle stick.
Juliet ducked behind my skirt to hide from the Capulets' prying eyes. She shoved some green stalks into her mouth and started chewing as fast as she could. "Juliet," her father called. She swallowed, shoved in more greens, and pointed at my sash. I pulled out the onion bulbs.
"Juliet," her mother insistently sang.
She couldn't chew any faster or she'd choke. I pressed my fingernail into one of the onions, freeing some of its juice. "I'll dab this behind your ears," I told her. She smiled and nodded. Even with her cheeks inflated like a chipmunk's she managed to shove in an onion bulb.
"Do my neck, too," she mumbled.
"Juliet!" Lady Capulet squawked.
With her mother about to swoop, Juliet devoured the second onion but one still remained. I looked around frantically, then shoved it into my tower of hair. "Let us see how he likes this flower's stench," she said before stepping onto the balcony.
"My dearest lady," Paris greeted. "I am honored that we should finally meet." He kissed the palm of her hand. His tongue darted over his lips, tasting the onion, no doubt.
"You are enchanting this evening," Lord Capulet told his daughter, rapidly blinking tiny eyes that looked like finger pricks in risen dough. He sniffed the air curiously. "How strange a smell."
Before he could detect the source, I stepped forward. "Hello. I'm Mimi, of the Manhattan Capulets. Thanks so much for inviting me to your party. I've never tasted such delicious stuffed eggs before. And those must be the finest musicians in all of Italy."
Lord Capulet beamed. "You have a keen palate as well as a discerning ear. Marks of good breeding. Manhattan, you say?"
"Juliet, would you do me the honor of a dance?" Paris asked, bending his long neck to one side. Juliet curtsied and presented him with an exaggerated grin. Green stringy bits dangled from her front teeth. Lady Capulet gasped and wildly pointed to her own teeth. Juliet ignored her.
"I should love to dance," Juliet replied, leaning as close to Paris as possible and exhaling extra hard on dance.
Paris took a step back as Lady Capulet pulled her daughter aside. "What have you been eating?" she demanded in a tone best described as a whispered shriek.
"Whatever do you mean, Mother?" Juliet asked, her onion breath enveloping the balcony. She turned and took Paris's arm. "Let us dance the night away." Paris scrunched his nose and led his wife-to-be down the stairs. He could barely hide his repulsion. I wiggled my toes excitedly. Success was at hand.
For the briefest of moments I stood next to Juliet's parents. Lord Capulet, still sniffing the air, checked his own underarms and was about to check his wife's but she pushed him away. I had no desire to hang out with those two. I peered over the railing. A servant headed past the stairs with a tray of miniature tarts. The realization that I was wide awake struck me again as my mouth watered. Maybe I should have taken the time to consider my situation. Maybe I should have found a dark corner where I could have thought things through. Where exactly was I, if not in a dreamworld? How had I gotten there? What was to become of
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