Cornadopia - I love making up Eliseo's babbles! He is adorable. And no probs about Allegra!
Well, it's results day for the gang. Let's see if they've all got what they wanted.
The brown envelopes rested in each of Benvolio, Romeo and Juliet's hands. They'd collected their results together, and had settled down on a bench outside of the school. There was a big group of them – Juliet was there with Lord Capulet, Romeo with his mother, Paulina, Mercutio and Allegra were there for all of them, and Benvolio was here with his dad, Hermia, and Eliseo.
"Are we ready?" asked Mercutio, snapping his hands together.
"No!" The three shook their heads.
"Oh, come on, guys! It took me three seconds to open mine" scolded Mercutio.
"That's because you were taking a gap year and could re-sit if you bummed them up!" protested Romeo.
"Come on, just open the results!" urged Anthony.
"I'll be happy if you've beaten Rosaline, Juliet" said Hermia.
"And I'll be happy if you two beat Tybalt" added Mercutio to Romeo and Benvolio.
"Well, that won't be too hard" snorted Allegra.
"Yeah, he's a retard" added Hermia.
"He did well, and he went to university, and he's had a summer work placement in Venice, and he-"
"Just open them, Juliet!" commanded Lord Capulet.
"Ok" Juliet fumbled with her envelope. She pulled out the piece of paper and gasped "Yes! All A's!"
"You didn't beat Rosaline! You failure!" yelled Hermia.
"Shut up! That's not funny" barked Lord Capulet "You shouldn't compete against other people like that"
"Benny's turn" insisted Mercutio. With trembling fingers, Benvolio fumbled with the seal. Eliseo gurgled at him from his buggy, and Benvolio found a little encouragement. Anticipation throbbed through him, and he pulled out the sheet of paper. After what seemed like an eternity, he opened the paper. He results smiled up at him.
"Oh!"
"What are they?" demanded Anthony.
"Two A*'s and two A's!" Benvolio crowed delightedly.
"Googam!" exclaimed Eliseo. Benvolio reached down and hugged his son joyfully. Hermia was next.
"You beat Rosaline! Take that, bitch!" declared Hermia.
"Pack it in!" sighed Lord Capulet.
"Well, that just leaves you, Woo woo" said Mercutio "Open them!"
"Yeah, let's see if you beat Tibby" added Hermia.
"Don't be so mean! He's doing well" Juliet shook her head.
"Remember, it's not the beating other people that counts, it's the effort" Paulina added "Come on, son, we're all dying to know"
"Ok" Romeo broke open the letter, and then gasped. His round boyish face fell.
"What is it? Is it a D? An E? Or is it a U?" asked Mercutio carelessly.
"I got two A's, a B, and a C"
"Well, they're passes! You beat Tybalt" stated Mercutio.
"My offer was higher. I had to get two A's and two B's to Ca' Foscari" Romeo mumbled.
"Oh" said Benvolio.
"Oh" said Mercutio.
An awkward silence filled the air. Romeo had a place waiting for him at Verona University should he fail to get the grades so that he could go to Venice University, but that meant he wouldn't be with his friends. Mercutio and Benvolio could go to Venice to study, but he couldn't. He was stuck, on his own.
For the first time, the Montague trio was split in half.
"Maybe we could all stay in Verona" suggested Benvolio "Yes, we all applied to Verona University as our backup choices and were offered places. And it would be better for me, Hermia and Eliseo. We'd be closer to home, have more support, and we wouldn't have to split up. We can still live at home, so we won't have to pay bills or rent, it won't be so costly. Mercutio, you can stay near Allegra. And anyway, I liked Verona University, it was...smaller, but it seemed more cosy, right?"
"No, Benvolio. You're going to Venice" said Anthony firmly.
"But, but..." protested Benvolio. He glanced over at Romeo, somehow feeling as if he was about to betray his cousin. This was the plan. They would all stick together. They'd been friends when they were kids, they'd been friends when they were teenagers, they were going to stay being friends in university, when they were adults, and when they were old people in the old people home. Mercutio had already decided that which ever one of them died first had to be given a 'super mega ultra funeral'
"Just go" said Romeo quietly, as Juliet quietly consoled him.
"Sure?" asked Mercutio.
"Yeah. You just go. A degree's a degree. And at least I won't have to put up with Mercutio waking me up at six am or playing his horrible pop music"
"Lady Gaga is amazing" interrupted Mercutio.
"I meant that other stuff! S Club 7, for pity's sake!"
"It has good memories" protested Mercutio. They were interrupted, once again, upon hearing the shouts of Angelo Fulgencio.
"What do you mean, you've failed them all!"
"Fuck you, looks like I'm staying at La Scala, bitch!" shrieked Gabriel.
"Oh dear" shrugged Mercutio "Hey, look on the bright side. None of us will ever have to see Gabriel ever again!"
