DISCLAIMER: Alright, Romeo and Juliet is famous enough for everyone to know who wrote it, so don't believe for a moment that I'm stupid enough to claim I did.

(Happy reading; review/cc appreciated!)

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-=SATURDAY/PROLOGUE=-

"Dude, that kid pisses me off so much," said Sam to his brother Greg as they walked down the street. "He always looks like he wants to start something. God, I wish he'd get some balls, already."

"Isn't that Adam Moore?" Greg pointed across the road where Sam had been looking. In front of a small coffee shop stood a boy about their age — 16 or 17 — who seemed to be staring at them.

"Yeah, and I think he's coming over here," Sam said, squinting. Sure enough, Adam had spotted them looking at him and began walking over.

"What's your problem, Carpenter?" shouted Adam, when he was about halfway across the pavement. "It definitely looks to me like you have one." He was talking mostly to Greg, the one who'd pointed at him. He hated being pointed at — especially by a Carpenter.

Neither brother said anything, but, keeping eye contact with Adam, continued walking.

"It's a simple question, or are you too stupid to get it?"

Greg turned. "I wasn't too stupid to get your mom…"

"What's that, asshole? You shoulda just said yes, 'cause now I'm going to kill you."

Adam leaned in closer, and Greg's jaw clenched, as he was about to say something — until his brother interrupted the face-off. Sam had gone around back of Adam, and shoved him violently to the ground.

"Don't mess with my brother."

"I will if I want to," Adam said as he sprang back to his feet. Greg dodged the first punch, aimed at his face, but caught the second one in the stomach.

Sam kicked Adam's feet out from underneath him, once again sending him to the ground. "Well, you won't screw with me again, I'll tell you that much."

The boys continued the brawl — but not for long. Though a surprising number of Saturday-morning bystanders will watch and do nothing, a few won't hesitate to step in and end it — even if they have to endure a few grisly hits themselves.

Sam, Greg, and Adam were oblivious to the fact that their fight had drawn any attention at all, until someone pushed through the crowd and grabbed Adam's shoulder. Bleeding from the mouth, he turned to face his savior: Cousin Ben.

"Aw, c'mon. You should know better — fighting against two guys at once… I mean, you did okay, but you're lucky. A lot of people get really screwed up."

Adam wiped the blood from his lip with a shirtsleeve. Sam and Greg backed away, turning to leave through the dispersing spectators, but halted abruptly as someone pushed past them.

"Why'd you have to be gay and stop the fight? It was just getting good..."

Ben looked up from Adam. "Because he was getting the shit beat out of him, Tyler. And fighting over nothing is stupid, anyway."

Tyler smirked. "You're just saying that 'cause you're scared."

"What, me scared of fighting you? I don't think so. But I won't waste my energy on proving it. And like I said, it'd be completely pointless."

"I hate you more than hell. That's reason enough, isn't it?" Tyler gave Ben a look that would cause water to spontaneously combust.

"That much, huh?" retorted Ben, though the knuckle sandwich probably would've sufficed...

It's amazing how everything seems to take hours when it's only been a few seconds, but a few seconds was all it took to get the two fights started up again, and the blood-lusty crowd back. And it's equally amazing how, seconds later, the whole thing abruptly ended.