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“And Romeo and Juliet both had super big families.”
“They both had a lot of influence. And furthermore, their influence stretches across town. Now, why would this be important?”
“Would it make the townspeople have to pick sides?”
“Yes, but think bigger. It means every single person in that town is affected by their feuding. The families’ influence is so large, no one can escape. If they’re not stuck under one family, they’re stuck under the other, and because of this, it’s hard for Romeo and Juliet to be together—”
“Because everyone is watching.”
As the words left her mouth, Raina wondered whether she was talking about the fictional characters or her own life. Because as much as she loved her family, there was never a moment’s break when she was at home. Raina’s parents knew all her friends. She couldn’t go anywhere without her parents’ permission, and even if she tried, a friend of the family could see her and report back. Her mother called them her “little spies”, so Raina could do nothing but smile and be the perfect daughter.
“And the last word, ‘dignity’, is also significant,” Nicole continued. “Dignity signified power, and the bigger the household—” she paused and looked at Raina expectantly.
“Oh! The bigger the power,” Raina finished, blushing at having been caught in her thoughts. “So they had influence, money, and power?”
“Correct. Households with great dignity were households with a lot of power. So the first line is basically saying the two households had an equal amount of power. It also foreshadows the ending. How can we tell?”
Raina licked her lips. “Because it compares the two houses?”
“Somewhat. It basically links the two houses for the rest of the story. As we know, the families have an equal amount of power, and it’s going to stay that way. So when one family wins, the other does too. And when the heir to one of the families dies…”
“The other one does too!” Raina exclaimed quietly, knowing better than to raise her voice in the library.
“You got it,” Nicole said, brushing a strand of dark hair out of her face. She cleared her throat, her usual snooty expression returning. “Let’s keep going, I’m on a limited schedule.”
* * *
Jesse paused behind the bookshelf, not wanting to interrupt the conversation going on between Nicole and Raina. It was odd seeing the two of them together, and Jesse didn’t quite know how he felt about it.
His phone buzzed, and Jesse answered the call. “Hello?”
“Hey, is Nicole with you?” Theo asked.
Jesse peeked through the shelves. Nicole leaned back in her seat, gathering her dark curls into a ponytail. Across the table, Raina was tapping furiously on her phone.
“Kind of. Why?”
“I’ve been trying to call her, but she’s not answering. I need her to get me something from her dorm.”
“Okay. Should I tell her to come to the common room? Where are you?”
“Yes, that would be great, thank you. Tell her I’ll be waiting.” Theo ended the call abruptly.
Jesse stared down at his phone for a second, before shaking his head. “Hey, Nic,” he said, walking to join the two girls at their table. He rested an arm on the back of his best friend’s chair, smirking when she shoved it off. “Theo needs something from your dorm. He said he’s in the common room.”
Nicole looked confused for a second, before understanding spread across her face. “Shit, I completely forgot about that. I gotta go, Cohen. We can pick this up…soon. Whenever Dixon makes us do it again.”
“Let me guess, February 30th,” Raina muttered as Nicole dashed out of the library. The defeated expression on Raina’s face had Jesse reaching out for her, his hand moving of its own accord.
But—he couldn’t. She wasn’t his to comfort.
Jesse cleared his throat, then regretted it when Raina glanced up at him. “Um…good tutoring session?”
Raina shrugged, her gaze flitting down. “I’m not exactly sure what this was. Mrs. Dixon’s meddling again.”
Jesse’s lips twitched, resisting the urge to smile. He jerked a thumb toward the exit, stuffing his other hand into his pant pocket. Unlike Raina, who’d changed out of her uniform and into a flowered top, he was still wearing his button-down and slacks. “I should go.”
“Wait!” Raina called, just as he turned to leave. “Nicole left her phone. Do you mind bringing it to her?”
