A/N: Wow, feels like forever since I've updated. Sorry if it's been long - I'm going to another summer camp, but its not sleep away this time. No, I can do band all day, but volleyball would be too much to handle.

This chapter branches right off of the last one. There are a lot of knew names in this chapter, hope it's not too confusing. One clarification: the Paris figure will be known as Patrick. I beleive I called him Peter earlier in the story, before I realized that the name Peter is actually used in Romeo and Juliet. He's the nurse's servant, in case you were wondering. I hope the rest of the new characters are obvious.

Disclaimer: I do not own Romeo and Juliet. That play was written by William Shakespeare.

His friends, being who they were, didn't bring up his outburst again to his face. For that, he was grateful. He could something hear them muttering behind his back- but as far as he could tell, they couldn't think of a way to help, so they did nothing. Benvolio was grateful they didn't do anything, like tell any certain adults, about his problems. If he actually had to start explaining them, explaining how he wasn't from England, but rather Italy, and was born over 500 years ago…

Well, he was just grateful. After that, he paid special attention to his attitude so that nothing like that would ever happen again. The incident faded from memory like a spot of ink being forcefully blotted up. Eventually it was blown away by a new discovery.

Jake sat down at their lunch table one day, across from his two friends, and sighed heavily. This was not unusual in itself, but he had been doing this for at least the last week or so straight. Perhaps longer, if he had been doing it before in caught Benvolio's attention. However, today was the day Ben decided that enough was enough and he didn't travel hundreds of years into the future just to not know about things until it was too late again.

When Jake sighed today, his eyes staring pensively into the air behind his friend's head, he snapped. "What is the problem?" Ben quipped. "All you ever do it mope around anymore."

Jake avoided his eyes. "Sorry. It's nothing. It's all the stupid homework. It's the weather. None of the snow ever sticks. We're not going to get a white Christmas at this rate."

Benvolio shuddered to himself- snow on Christmas, how awful- but pressed his point. "It's not any of those things. Tell me."

"It's nothing."

Matt, noticing their exchange, threw a wink at Benvolio and mouthed leave it to me. Ben raised an eyebrow, apprehensive as to what would follow.

Jake wanting to change the subject, asked with a fake cheeriness, "so has either of you two seen any good movies lately?"

Matt rested his head in his hand, sighed dreamily at Jake, and batted his eyes. "What?" he breathed. "I'm afraid I wasn't paying attention. I was focused on crushing on some obscure girl."

Jake flushed. "Stop it, Matt."

Matt sighed again and started running a hand through his hair over and over. "Oh miss obscurity; please bother to glance in my direction so I may-"

"She's not obscure." Jake snapped. "And don't do that!"

Matt laughed at his own tactics, while Ben struggled to hide a smirk from Jake's death glare. Matt, still chuckling, said, "So there is a girl. Tell me, how big is-"

Jake stood up abruptly from the table, grabbing his food. "That's it. I don't need to put up with this. There are so many other people I could be hanging out with right now."

Matt's face darkened suddenly. Benvolio's eyes widened and he took another bite of his sandwich to hide his reaction to the suddenly much tenser mood. "There are fewer than you think."

"What do you mean?" Jake shot back. "I have Adam or Bailey or I could go find Logan, to name a few."

"Dude, listen to yourself," Matt hissed. "Those three names. Adam, who's been a Mient as long as anyone can remember. Bailey's some freshman who idolizes you-"

"He's a good kid!"

"I'm not saying he isn't, but he also hangs out with Adam and his friends a lot. And who's Adam's best friend?"

Jake bit his lip before casting his eyes away and replying, "Logan."

"Yeah, Logan Miento. The leader of your little group," reproved Matt. "I know he used to tutor you way back in the day, and you're still close. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Yes, but can you take care of all these people?" Matt replied, dangerously close to shouting. He gestured to the entire group of lunch tables that sat behind their own. "When Logan graduates, you're it, buddy. You're going to be the new leader of all these Mients here, all the kids who came here because they like the way you do things. You're the one who's going to make sure that the Katts don't bully anyone or starting taking over the sports teams or the marching band or whatever stupid scheme they have. Everyone is going to be looking to you."

"Matt, you're overreacting."

"I'm not!" Ben was surprised by the venom in those words. He took a few large gulps of his water, so he wouldn't have to talk- as he thought about the situation. He barely followed with all of those names, but whatever it was, it wasn't his fight, anyways. "I'm not overreacting, Jake! My own cousin Patrick won't even look at me any more, because he hangs out with the Katts and I spend day over here with you. My brother won't acknowledge the problem, and our own senior president Estella- Patrick's twin sister, mind you- can barely keep the peace. My family is the perfect example of not siding with or against these two little groups you got going here. So don't tell me I'm overreacting when I can see something's coming."

"Matt," Jake hissed, "I was always a Mient and you've always know that. Why are you yelling at me now?"

Matt ran a hand through his hair and sighed, although this time, he was not teasing. "I don't know," he said. "I just have this bad feeling, that's all. Last time you had a crush this bad you got in a knife fight, remember? That's not going to happen again."

Benvolio choked on the water he was drinking, nearly spewing it all across the table. "What? Jake was in a knife fight? He's awful at fighting!"

The two of them both jumped a little, as if they'd forgotten Ben was there. They exchanged a guilty glance at each of before Jake said, "It was nothing."

There was a huge splashing noise, followed by Jake doing an impression of a fish out of water. Matt did a double take. He couldn't believe Ben, who had always seemed so laid back, had actually dumped his entire water bottle on Jake's head. This could be interesting.

"Ben!" Jake screamed as soon as he had shaken enough water out of his eyes to see. "What the heck was that for?" If the huge splash hadn't caught the entire cafeteria's attention, his voice certainly had.

"Oops," Ben said calmly, screwing the cap back on his empty water bottle. "My arm just got tired of not soaking you."

Jake crossed his arms and gave his house-guest a death glare. "And why do you suppose you let it get tired?"

"I don't know," Ben replied coldly, sarcasm trickling off every sound, "Maybe it was because somebody won't tell me a damn thingabout your stupid part against the dang Katts."

"What did you call me?" Somebody's voice raged in the background, but neither Ben nor Jake was paying attention. If looks could kill, then the Lapet house would have two empty beds that night.

"Maybe the certain someone doesn't want to drag you into his problems!" Jake snarled back.

"Too late, Jake." Ben replied. He felt some of his anger towards his friend drain away, but the tension in his body remained. "Nice try, but you're too late. No, don't argue, I'm older than you. You invited in me into your house, so your problems are my problems. I'm as much a Mient as you are."

Jake opened his mouth to protest. "But-"

"Good," a voice growled from behind him. Benvolio let out an oof when a fist collided with his side, knocking him to the floor. "Then I really don't have any problems about doing that."

Ben looked up to find the looming figure of Tyler whateverhislastnamewas –who was distinctly a Katt- towering over him. "Brute," he spat, rolling up and back onto his feet in time to avoid a kick. He could feel Matt and Jake rising to help behind him, but he waved a hand for them to sit back down. "Back off, you two. Let me show you how it's done."

Tyler laughed. "Look, kid, maybe because you're new I'll let you keep that corpse of yours in one piece."

Benvolio's hand flew to his waist, ready to run the boy through. Wait. There was nothing there. They didn't wear swords in this stupid time. How were they supposed to fight without swords?

Tyler took the opportunity to launch himself and Ben, who ducked out of the way by jumping nimbly on top of a lunch table. "What's the matter, Mint boy?" Tyler drawled out. "I thought you wanted a fight."

Benvolio got down off the table slowly, grabbing his weapons of choice and hiding it behind his back as he leisurely walked towards the enemy. "Well, I would fight you, if you weren't such a mess."

Tyler's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

The school should really sell fresher fruit, Benvolio thought as he flung all three of the very badly bruised peaches at the enemy. They exploded all over him, creating as huge a mess as he could have imagined. The Mients in the cafeteria started to laugh, while a bunch of people Jake had also vaguely labeled "Bad News" on the other side of the room seemed to tense up even more.

"What do you have to day for yourself?" Ben asked calmly, nudging a peach pit away from him with the toe of his shoe. The air stank with fruit-sugar. "Well, I guess you can't help it. You and your whole stupid clan of Katts are disgusting."

He used his talents of fading away as the entire cafeteria broke into havoc. A great, big, chaotic havoc consisting of wrestling matches and food fights. There would be so much trouble for him later. Maybe he should just go turn himself in to the principal now.

But now, maybe, Jake might finally trust him. Now, maybe, he could know the exact truth.