Roman and Jewel

by Dana L. Davis

  “Why didn’t you tell me you and Cinny actually were dating?” I ask softly. “You straight-up lied to me.”

  “Jerzie.” Zeppelin’s eyes narrow. “I didn’t tell you we were dating because we’re not. She’s a liar.”

  “Then you’re a liar, too. You said you had nothing to do with those videos. Turns out, it was you who uploaded them.”

  He’s quiet for a moment. “It was never my plan to put Cinny online. That’s the truth.”

  “So then why did you?”

  “Jerzie.” Zeppelin anxiously rubs his hands together. “It’s complicated.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He looks up at me. “Just know that it was never my plan to put her or you online. Especially you. That’s the truth.”

  I glare at him. “This is what you came in here to tell me? This is your side of the story? That it’s complicated? I need more than that. I need the whole story.”

  “It’s all I can tell you right now. It is complicated. Trust me.”

  “You used me in some revenge plot, and I don’t get to know the truth about why?”

  “I would never use you, Jerzie.” Zeppelin’s not looking at me now. He stares glumly at the floor instead, and for the first time since I met him, I feel a painful distance. Like we’re on opposite shorelines of a raging river. “And I haven’t lied to you. That I can tell you. I swear I haven’t.”

  I move to the window, staring out at the lights wrapped around the wrought iron balcony bars. I want so badly to believe him. “Who was the guy with you?”

  “My dad.”

  I spin back around to face him. “That was your dad?”

  “I was afraid they were gonna arrest me. So I called him. Told him what happened. He knew all the right words to say to calm everyone down.”

  “Well.” I sigh. “Seems like he’s there for you. Seems like he cares.”

  “Doesn’t erase what he did to my mom. Nothing will ever erase what he did.”

  Even in the darkness of my room, I can see the sadness in his eyes. Sense the pain. Feel it...as if it’s mine, too. I want to reach across the room and hold his hand. Rest my head on his chest. Lie next to him. But the secrets now between us—they’re like a strong force, determined to keep us apart.

  “Jerzie.” He stands. “I’ve lost the best job I ever had. If I lose you, too, then I’ve lost everything. Know that it’s you I care about.” He steps toward me. “Trust me. Please.”

  “You keep saying to trust you.” I take a step back, not sure I can handle him being much closer. Not sure I can resist reaching out to touch him. In spite of everything, I care, too. “But how can I trust you when you won’t talk to me?”

  “What else do you want me to say? I’m standing here baring my soul. Why can’t that be enough? This week has been pure hell without my job. Without you.” He pulls at his hair. “In fact, screw the job. I want you more.”

  My heart leaps inside my chest like it’s mad at me. Like it’s saying, Damnit, Jerzie, if you don’t run into his arms right now, I’ll break free and do it myself!

  “There’s never been anything between Cinny and me. How could there be? She’s a fucking liar and a maniac. She’s incapable of liking anyone but herself.”

  “That’s harsh, Zeppelin.” Instead of listening to my heart, I turn back around to stare out onto the balcony. “She’s been nice to me.”

  “Cinny’s been nice? To you? How?”

  “I dunno. She says hi now. She even invited me out. To have lunch with her.”

  “And I bet it’ll be at some fancy place where a horde of paparazzi can take pictures to fuel the lie that you two are best friends. Trust me when I say this—Cinny only does what benefits Cinny.”

  I remember her at the conference table. Looking so broken. I’ve seen Cinny act. She’s not that good. Those were real tears.

  I feel the most gentle touch on my shoulder and turn to see him standing in front of me now. I stare into his eyes. In the darkness of the room, it’s like staring into the night sky. It makes me want to cry.

  He takes my hand in his, waking the butterflies from their slumber, and places it gently on his chest. “What do you feel, Jerzie?”

  I feel his heart.

  I feel it beating so slow. So steady.

  I feel the warmth from his skin.

  I feel love.

  There’s a knock at my door. “Jerzie?”

  It’s Aunt Karla. Holy shit! I push Zeppelin toward the window. “Yeah. One second!” I call out. “You have to go.” I whisper.

  “No,” Aunt Karla calls out. “Let the boy stay right where he is. Let me in this room. Now.”

  Omigosh. I’m screwed! I move to the door, twist the lock, and pull it open. Aunt Karla steps inside and locks the door again behind her.

  “Jerzie.” Aunt Karla is speaking very softly. “You do realize I have a security camera on the balcony, right?”

  I shake my head. I, in fact, did not realize that.

  She looks at Zeppelin. “It’s too bad I can’t have you arrested. But based on the video footage, my idiotic niece let you in.”

  “She didn’t know I was coming. It’s not her fault. All me, ma’am.”

  “Boy, did you just call me ma’am? Do I look like my grandma to you?”

  “No, ma’am. I mean. Miss. Or... Aunt Karla?” I’ve never seen Zeppelin look terrified before. He runs both hands through his hair. “Sorry. Shit. What should I call you?”

  “Call me nothing.” Aunt Karla moves to the window. “And leave the same way you came in. Try not to break your ankles on the way down. But if you do, it would probably serve you right.”

  Zeppelin looks back and forth between Aunt Karla and me, and for a moment, I imagine him defying her. Dropping to one knee to declare his love for me. Begging for her to have mercy on him. But instead, he backs away slowly, turns, and crawls back out onto the balcony.

  Aunt Karla stands at the window, watching. After a moment, she slams the window shut and reactivates the alarm. She turns to me.

  “You better thank whoever you pray to that your nosy-ass brother is asleep.”

  “You’re not gonna tell Mom and Dad on me?”

  “This time.” She crosses to the bed. Sits on the edge. “Jerzie, you realize what’s at stake here? Don’t throw away a lifetime worth of work for some boy. He’s not worth it. You know how many young, beautiful girls like you, with their whole life ahead of them, have had their plans sidelined for ‘love’?

  “Your parents—they spent years and years dedicated to making your dreams come true. Driving you around to this piano class and that voice teacher and this music theory instructor and dance classes, theater troupes, and, and, and. I remember one summer your mom drove an hour and a half, every morning, to Rowan University so you could take an advanced music theory class. I told her she was out of her damn mind and should let you swim and watch cartoons so she could enjoy her summer. She never wavered. You were and still are her top priority.”

  She pauses, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, the same way Zeppelin did just moments ago. “You have two options here, Jerzie. Option one. Enjoy your well-earned spot as a part of a Robert Christian Ruiz Broadway musical. Who knows where it can lead. Option two. Defy your parents for a boy who used you in some twisted revenge plot and risk losing it all.”

  “But, Aunt Karla...” My eyes are welling with tears. “What if there’s more to the story?”

  “Is that what he said?”

  I nod.

  “Well.” Aunt Karla places a hand on her hip. “Let’s hear it.”

  “He...” I shake my head. “Didn’t actually get a chance to tell me.”

  “Of course he didn’t.” Aunt Karla rolls her eyes. “Don’t be so gullible, little niece. He’s a boy. They lie.”

&
nbsp; “All of them?”

  “Most of them. Especially the ones that look like him.”

  “But, Aunt Karla...” I say again as evenly as I can, not wanting her to hear any of the desperation I feel in my voice. “What if there really is more to the story?”

  “It still wouldn’t matter. It makes no reason why he did it. He did it.”

  “Okay, fine. So what if he did?” I throw my arms up in exasperation. “So what? So he uploaded a video of a girl to—”

  “Ruin her life? Jerzie, listen to yourself. You sound ridiculous.”

  “Aunt Karla,” I cry. “What if he’s the great love of my life?”

  “Jerzie, please. What do you even know about love?” She sighs. “Listen, this choice you need to make is not for nothin’. It’s for everything. There are a million guys just like Zeppelin. There is only one opportunity like this. He’s not your destiny.”

  I wipe tears as they slide down my cheeks. “This is really what you believe?”

  “I’m speaking from my heart and my soul. And half the women in New York City would tell you the same thing.” She adds, “You know the poem, ‘The Road Not Taken’?”

  I nod. By Robert Frost. We had to memorize it for a seventh-grade English project. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And sorry I could not travel both...

  “People throw away so much for love, Jerzie. And usually, they live to regret it. Don’t live to regret. Take the road less traveled.” She hugs me tight. “I promise you, little niece. It’ll make all the difference.”

  “O Juliet. I Already Know Thy Grief”

  The current scene in rehearsal room 7A takes place at the high school. The students are divided, their inherited hatred for one another is boiling over into all-out war. Tyree and Mauricio (aka Tybalt and Mercutio) get into a fight. Or in this case, a battle of the spoken word. Roman tries to intercede, but Tyree has a gun in his backpack.

  The entire scene plays out while, on an overhead projector, their parents are participants in a political debate. It’s an odd juxtaposition. As an enraged Tyree aims his gun, the parents stand so poised and eloquent on a debate stage.

  Thus begins Roman’s big solo, ‘Let’s Rewrite the Story,’ a song-and-verse number where he convinces his best friend and greatest school rival to change the narrative.

  “Become allies instead of enemies!” Tag screams. And boy, do I mean scream. Ouch.

  “Tag, why are you screaming?” Mae waves at the pianist to stop playing and moves toward Tag. “This should be a tender moment. You’ve got their attention already. You’re the only one singing. Plead with them.”

  “I need a break.” Tag uses the back of his sleeve to wipe away the sweat dripping down his forehead. “Please.”

  Mae sighs and turns to the stage manager, who quickly announces a ten-minute break. There’s not a lot of chitchat as the cast disperses to drink from bottles of water or head to the bathroom. Mae, Alan, and Tag have a hushed conversation in the corner.

  “Hey you.”

  I look up to see Damon slide into the seat beside me, trailed by Angel. Angel has violet eyes today. Last time I saw him his eyes were brown, so I’m guessing he’s wearing contacts, because...nobody has eyes that shade of purple. At least no one I’ve ever seen. His hair, which he has pulled into a low ponytail, hangs almost to the middle of his back, and a small hoop is pierced through the center of his bottom lip. He’s dressed in all black. I think if you ran into Angel in the dark of night, you’d swear he was there to suck your blood and leave you for dead. He rests a hand on Damon’s leg. I get the feeling these two are an official couple, but I don’t ask. Mostly because, at the moment, happy couples make my heart hurt.

  I sit up in my seat. “Hey.”

  Angel leans across Damon’s lap. “You’re too good to be sitting on a plastic chair looking bored.”

  “They pay me to sit here,” I explain. “I don’t mind.”

  “Don’t worry about her.” Damon smiles. “Jerzie’s gonna audition for Black Barbie the Musical after this.”

  “That’s not a thing,” I say.

  “No,” Damon agrees. “But if it was, you’d be the lead black Barbie and you know it.”

  “Then you’d be Ken.” Angel laughs.

  “You know...” I say softly, hoping to divert the conversation away from me. “You two are seriously brilliant. It’s a really good scene. I got lost in it.”

  “It could be better,” Angel declares. He and Damon exchange looks, but neither says a word about the elephant in the room, i.e., the less-than-stellar replacement Roman.

  “So where’s your phone?” Damon asks. “You know we get to keep them now, right? People were complaining. Missing calls from kids and shit. I don’t have kids.” He looks up at the ceiling and folds his hands in prayer. “Thank you, Lady. Keep them away forever, please.” He looks back at me. “But I do need to check my Instagram every five minutes.” He holds up his phone. “Where’s yours?”

  “Oh. I don’t have it. Don’t really need it.” Lies, lies, lies! My phone was my third arm. How dare my mom take it away from me! How dare she!

  “We were gonna see if you wanted to come out with us tonight,” Angel says. “I know we have work tomorrow, but it is Saturday.”

  It is Saturday. So many days since I’ve last seen or heard from Zeppelin. So many long and arduous days on the proverbial road less traveled, where the thorns and thistles and random rattlesnake sightings are a constant reminder that people steer clear of this road for damn good reasons.

  “It’s in Chelsea,” Damon adds. “It’s a cute little karaoke spot. You in?”

  Karaoke? In Chelsea? Uggh. Wouldn’t that interfere with my plans of pulling my blanket over my head and crying myself to sleep in the dark? “Who’s all going?”

  “Me.” Angel poses as if he’s pretty much the only person needed on a night out. “And Damon.”

  “And Lorin,” Damon cuts in.

  “Lorin?” I remember the night at Zeppelin’s event, when I overheard her talking about me to her friend. “I don’t think she likes me very much.”

  “Lorin’s harmless,” Damon says. “Besides, she does like you. She told me so.”

  She did?

  I scan the room, searching for Lorin, and find her sitting against the back wall, head slumped in her hands, looking like she lost her best friend. I wonder if the missing Roman is what’s got her looking so glum.

  “So, what do you say, Jerzie?” Damon asks again. “You in?”

  “If I do come, my brother probably has to come with me. He’s my...” I pause. What is Judas exactly? “Human tattletale?” Both Damon and Angel laugh. I smile. If I’m being honest, it’s my first smile in days. “My parents have to make sure I don’t do anything stupid.” Like fall for a convicted felon. Oops, too late!

  “Is your brother the cutie who drops you off in the mornings?” Angel asks, a glint in his purple eyes. “Cuz God yes. He can totally come.”

  Damon shoulder bumps him. “I’m gonna kick you in the shin.”

  “Violent, violent Mauricio.” Angel laughs.

  “You’re the one holding the gun.” Damon turns his attention back to me. “Bring your brother. But does he even like karaoke? He doesn’t seem like the type.”

  Judas Jhames? Like karaoke? I think he would rather die. “He’ll be happy to get out of the house and away from Times Square.” Note to self. Bribe Judas with a thousand dollars’ worth of savings bonds.

  “Nice. If this rehearsal ever ends.” Angel sighs. “We can’t wait to see you there.”

  “See you where?” Cinny is standing behind the boys now. They both turn and stare blankly at her. “I wanna come. Where you guys goin’?”

  “To an Exorcist-themed escape room in Bedford Park,” Damon replies quickly, giving me a look like, Please play along. “You should come, Cinn
y!”

  “Yeah. Totes!” Angel echoes. “Pleeeease?” he sings.

  “Exorcist-themed escape room?” Cinny shakes her head. “You guys are lying.”

  “No, we’re not.” Angel pulls his long ponytail over his shoulder. “It’s fun. Last time we went, Pennywise put me in a choke hold.”

  “Didn’t you lose consciousness for a few seconds?” Damon asks.

  “Did I?” Angel scratches his head. “Everything’s a blur when horror movie demons are involved.”

  “And be prepared to sign a death waiver,” Damon says. “They make everyone sign one.”

  Cinny turns to me. “Jerzie. Where are they really going?”

  “Um.” I look back and forth between Cinny and the boys. “Karaoke. In Chelsea. Sorry, guys. I’m a terrible liar.”

  “It’s whatever anyway.” Cinny rolls her eyes. “An Exorcist-themed escape room sounds way more fun than boring-ass karaoke.”

  Angel stands. “You’ll be missed.”

  “How do we get a hold of you, Jerzie?” Damon asks. “What’s your number?”

  I look at Cinny, not wanting to hurt her feelings, but also not wanting to miss an opportunity to hang out with Damon Coleman and company. I quickly give them Judas’s number.

  “Sweet. We’ll hit you later, Barbie Doll,” Damon says. He and Angel move across the room.

  “See how rude they are to me?” Cinny hands me a bottle of cold Gatorade as she slams onto the seat beside me. I twist off the cap and take a sip. It tastes sour. Like all food and drink does lately. “Are you really hanging out with those witless wonders?”

  I shrug. “I have to make friends, don’t I?”

  “I’m your friend.” She wraps an arm around my shoulder. “But I haven’t been a good one. That’s changing. Starting today. We have an hour break today. Come have lunch with me. I owe you lunch anyway.”