Romeo and Juliet: A Vampire and Werewolf Love Story (6 page)

Both sides settled into a long stare down and then I felt it was time for me to speak up. “All right, let’s go, guys,” I said. “We will do this another time.” My guys nodded and followed me out of the area.

Tybalt yelled something like they were doing the same thing. I didn’t respond and neither did any of the guys I was with.

I knew this wouldn’t be the last time we met. The amazing part was, this scuffle wasn’t even the most exciting thing that happened to me tonight. Who was that girl on the subway? I needed to find out. I had a feeling…that she was my destiny.

Chapter Six

The following week
,
I was working at my job over nea
r the subway by Bowling G
reen near Libert
y Island. I worked for Friar Laurence. Friar
was one of these guys
who
didn
’
t take any sides. He
was very liberal about the
pa
ranormal world. Friar had a lot of wiidesdom and confidence for someone who was merely a human. If someone
was only a human, it
was
looked down upon.
It’s like… choose a side already. Those humans are usually pacifists.

The belief was a
t some
time or another
,
every man and every woman
needed to make
a choice. That choice define
d
him in Ve
r
o
n
a.
People around here knew you didn’t have to be a Montague to get Montague treatment. All you had to be was a werewolf. I guess it’s all the same on the other side.

I worked off of Whitehall Street near the Hudson River.
I
t was an old-school
butcher
shop where we cut and sold the meat in the same location.

It
was a nice job
for a werewolf. But the past couple of days, I couldn’t do anything but think about that girl from the subway. Who was she? I had no idea how to run into her again.

I was in the back of the butcher shop, trying to come up with a way to see her again. I was cutting and slicing meat and wrapping them according to weight. There was a lot of meat in the shop
, and werewolves love meat. I prefer
red
it raw, right off the actual bone. I couldn
’
t imagine liking meat like that when I was still human, but now
,
that
was
all I c
ould
stomach. Da
iry and werewolves didn’t mix. Dairy
might as well be a silver stake
for all I cared
.
They both got me to hunch over.

It was nearing the end of my shift
,
and I was sneaking some raw veal
in the back. I like
d
to make myself a veal and chicken sandwich. I place
d
a chicken patty in between two piec
es of veal. It’s
a meat dream.
I called it a dreamwich.

“Hey, Romey!” That is what Friar Laurence
called me. “You
’
re not eating
up all C="+h="2of my inventory again?
Are you
, son
?”

“Sorry, Friar
, I was starving.
”

“
You
’
r
e
always starving.
I don’t see any ribs showing.
”

“And you have enough meat to feed all of Verona back here.”

“Not if you keep wolfing it down. No pun intended.”
Friar Laurence gave me one of his classic winks that was paternal in nature.

“Did you need something, Friar?
I
’
m on my break.”

“Your two friends are out front. They are dressed up for what looks like a costume party.”

“Really?”
I asked. I didn’t know about a costume party.

“Unless Benvolio is now living his life as a transvestite prostitut
e, a
nd
Mercutio
now thinks he
’
s a baby
…
then I
’
d say they are in costume.”

“I have got to see this.”
I stepped out of the back and made my way to the front area of the butcher shop. I looked by the cash register and just laughed out loud.
Benvolio was wearing a tight miniskirt, with an even tighter red top. His triple
-
D breast
s
were a sight to behold. And good old
Mercutio
was wearing a diaper with no shirt
n
or shoes. He j
ust had a giant bib with the lettering
‘
My daddy can turn your daddy into a frog
.’

“Oh my God.
Look at you two,
”
I said, laughing out loud.

“Hey Romeo,
” Benvolio yelled out. “W
e tried calling you, but it goes straight to voicemail.”
Then he puckered his lips and blew a kiss at me. He was the ugliest ‘girl’ I had ever seen.

“I coul
CI cshoes.
dn’t find my phone before I came down to work
. It
’
s obviously out of juice,
” I said.

“Just like th
e owner of the phone,” Benvolio said
and
grabbed my crotch.

“Easy there
,
lady. Not on the first date,” I joked
. “Keep your paws to yourself.”

“Who are you kidding!”
Then Benvolio pulled on them in a way that wasn’t too friendly. It damn well hurt.

“Hey!” I said. “No more.”

Then he whispered in my ear very creepily, “
Put some liquor in you, and you
’
ll be begging for it.
”

In all his creepiness, I needed to put Benvolio in his place.
“Have you seen yourself in the mirror, Ben...you look about
as sexy as a gorilla in a nightgown
.”

“I know what you like,” Benvolio said winking at me.

“When are you off?” Mercutio said completely done with the nonsense
.

“In a half hour,” I answered.

“
When you
’
r
e
done, meet us at
Central Park at our spot. We’ll pound some tequila and then we’ll head down to…get this…Yankee Stadium?”

I looked at Benvolio and said, “Is he kidding?”

“Nope,” Ben said. “It gets better.”

“
Okay, the Bronx? Why there?” I asked.

“
Let
’
s just say there is going
to be the party of the century,
”
Mercutio said adjusting the pin in his diaper.

“Really?
The party of the century. How so?
”

“The Prince and Paris are
throwing it.
They planned it and kept it from the two families until the last day, so the families didn’t have a lot of time to plan an attack on each other at the party. He thinks if it’s thrown together at the last s Cat e last dayecond, there might be a sense of brotherhood celebrating a spontaneous party for some reason.”

“He has seen way too many beer commercials,” I said. “He seriously thinks getting the two families inside Yankee Stadium for the party of the century is going to somehow bring harmony to two families that have hated each other since the beginning of time?”

“It came together kind of quick,” Benvolio said. “It’s going to be one for the ages.”

“And it’s a costume party?” I asked.

“What do you think?” Benvolio said dreamily into my eyes.
Damn
,
he was creepy.

“I need a costume,” I said, breaking the awkwardness.

“I
’m sure I can conjure up a spell at the right time if you can’t put something together,
”
Mercutio said.
“If all else fails
, p
ut
on
some white makeup and come as a disgusting vampire.
Because this party is for everyone.”

“Good luck with that. The Prince seriously thinks a spontaneous party is the answer to our quarrels?
”
I asked.

“At least he is trying,” Mercutio said.

“Is he?” I asked. “What is in it for him?” I stared at Mercutio and waited for an answer. This is where his loyalty to both houses was tried. Who would he be loyal to? I knew the answer to that question.

“You know he always has to have something to gain,” Mercutio said.

Attaboy, Mercutio, your loyalty is well received.

He continued, “Probably some real estate that he needs both sides to agree together to allow him to tear down for one of his development projects.”

“And that is why I trust you with my life, Mercutio,” I said. “I know at the end of the day who you’re loyal to.”

“And I know, too,” Mercutio said, implying that I had his back also.

“Of course, friend,” I said.

Mercutio continued to talk about the party. “It’s the Prince’s
sad attempt to bring both sides together. After last week, he decided to throw together a giant party.
He kept it on the down low. I didn’t even find out until today. All I know is that i
t
’
s going to be wild and who knows there just might be some
new blood down there.” Mercutio
then stuck a pacifier in his mouth and sucked on Candloyal it.

“Where did that come from?” I said referring to the pacifier
.

“Magic, my friend, magic,” Mercutio said.

“I always forget that about you,” I said. “You have to be magic to pull off wearing a diaper in public.”