Free Crushing on a Capulet by Tony Abbott

it,” said Frankie. “And now Romeo has to beat it out of town before the prince’s guards—or any Capulets—find him.”
    Juliet staggered on her feet. “Then … is this the end?”
    Frankie held up the book. “No. A little over halfway.”
    â€œWhich means that we still have a chance to make this end good,” I said. “I think we can. I hope we can.”
    â€œI must see Romeo,” said Juliet. “I must see him!”
    Frankie breathed in, then glanced at me. “Hmmm. I wonder. Maybe Friar Laurence can come up with a plan. And Romeo can swing by and tell you what we’ve figured out. I mean, this will be the last place anyone would look for him.”
    â€œPlus,” I said, “after all the trouble we’ve been to, he’s got to use that rope ladder at least once!”
    â€œAbsolutely,” said Frankie.
    â€œNurse, go to Romeo,” said Juliet. “Find him and give him this ring.” She pushed a ring into the nurse’s hand. “And bid him come to take his last farewell.”
    â€œI will do it!” said the nurse. She scurried out and down the stairs.
    â€œAnd we’d better leave the other way,” I said. Then, I turned to Juliet one more time. “Cheer up, Jules. Friar Laurence seems like a smart guy. If anyone can think of a plan, he can.”
    She looked at me, but said nothing.
    As we scuttled down the ladder, Frankie sighed. “Devin, things are bad,” she said. “Very, very bad.”
    â€œHey, I know. I hate to see her like that.”
    â€œYeah. Me, too.”
    When we jumped down to the garden, Mr. and Mrs. Capulet were just returning from the square and were walking in one of the hallways inside with a young man.
    â€œWe’ve seen him before,” I said.
    Frankie peered closer. “It’s that guy Paris. The one who wanted to marry Juliet. I wonder what he wants.”
    I grinned. “There’s only one way to find out.” I pointed at an open window nearby. “We creep in and listen. One thing I’ve learned from this Shakespeare guy. He doesn’t put in dumb stuff. If this is a scene in the play, there’s got to be a reason. I say we go into major snoopy spy mode and listen in.”
    Frankie began to nod. “It’s ideas like that that make me glad we’re in this together. Let’s do it.”
    Making myself as skinny as possible, I slipped through the window and dropped to the floor. I opened it some more for Frankie and her dress to slide in. Then we crept around and into the hallway, just as the Capulets and Paris were coming our way.
    â€œThe rug on the wall,” I whispered. “Let’s hide behind it.”
    â€œWe better hide good,” she whispered, as we darted behind a large tapestry. “If they find us, all they have to do is shout and all those nasty-looking guards will charge from the street with their swords and beards and torches and we’re done for! And maybe the prince will do more than banish us.”
    â€œLike maybe … vanish us?”
    â€œMaybe. Shhh—”
    â€œI haven’t had the time to talk to my daughter,” Mr. Capulet was saying. “Juliet dearly loved her cousin Tybalt. So did I. We are all confused and saddened by his death.”
    Paris spoke. “It’s only that, well, I love her and I would marry her to stop her grieving.…”
    â€œSorry, pal!” I whispered. “An hour too late for that.”
    â€œBut I understand, sir,” Paris added. “I bid you good night.”
    He turned and walked away from Capulet, heading down the hallway past us, and toward the garden.
    I peered out my end of the tapestry to see him leave, but what I saw instead sent shivers up my spine.
    Beyond the door at the end of the hallway leading into the garden was the nurse.
    She hustled across the grass, stopped, looked both ways, then waved to the bushes. Which