Arrrrooo
oooooooo
oooooooooooo
ooooooooooooo! Rufus howled as they plummeted. Becca curled herself up into a ball, hoping that would somehow cushion her.
Ka-THUD.
It seemed a springy bush worked almost as well as a cushion. Becca twisted and turned, trying to free herself from the leafy branches all around her.
“That could’ve been worse,” Sam said, pretzeling around to help Rufus up.
“And better,” Becca pointed out. “If this bush wasn’t here, we might all need body casts.”
“But it was, and we don’t,” Sam said. “We’re all doing the best we can. Especially poor Roo. Imagine the pain Tybalt must inflict on his extra-sensitive dog nose.”
Becca tried to wriggle her way out of the shrub. The thick branches and leaves made it really hard to move at all.
The door to the balcony above opened again, and Becca stopped.
“Samikins?” Juliet said, poking her head over the balcony and peering into the darkness below.
If they were ever going to succeed at making Juliet even notice Romeo, let alone go to a dance with him, they needed to keep her away from Sam as much as possible. Becca put a finger to her lips, and Sam nodded. Juliet sighed and they heard her footsteps retreat. The door closed again.
“I hope Romeo made it out from the party without getting skewered,” Becca said quietly.
“Just crushed,” came a quieter voice from … underneath them.
“AHHH!” Becca and Sam scrambled out of the bush, and Romeo toppled out after them.
“Ow,” he moaned.
No wonder the bush had been so cushiony. Romeo had leaves sticking out of his sleeves and tangled in his hair.
“Sorry!” Becca said. “You okay?”
“I’ll survive this, but not my family’s embarrassment,” he said, pulling a leaf from his hair. “My only shot at getting a date for the dance tomorrow is a Capulet. And even if she does say yes, her sword-swinging cousin will stab me!”
“We can figure out what to do with Tybalt later,” Sam said. “But Juliet’s right up there—here’s your chance to ask her!”
“I don’t know.…”
“I’ll help you!” Becca said. “I’m a writer—I’m good at writing things for people to say.”
Romeo shrugged helplessly. “I guess I may as well try. It’s not like I’ll get another chance to walk into the Capulet mansion anytime soon. Especially after the, ah, tomato incident.”
This was it. The last chance to return to their own world. If Becca and Sam messed up, they were doomed to live in Verona … forever. And the way the feud was going, they’d never eat pizza again.
“No pressure,” Becca whispered grumpily.
I believe in you. That’s why I picked you.
“If by picked you mean magically kidnapped into a city full of angry swordsmen.”
Tomayto, tomahto.