*Mercutio POV*

Romeo is sitting on the hood of my car. He's grinning, and he's clutching his phone like it's the only thing that matters.

"Hey, 'Tio! Oh man, you won't believe this girl that I met! She's amazing! You know Juliet, right? The girl from A.P. British Lit? She's perfect. We're going out on Wednesday!" He informs me, grinning in a way that I can only describe as manically.

"Uh, good for you buddy. That's nice," I'm glad that my master plan worked, really, but I have other things on my mind.

Like Y/N.

More specifically, the fact that I have their number.

But, my friend is drunk, and I have to take him home. So, like the good friend I am, I dump him unceremoniously into the car and start to drive home.

The streets are nearly empty, save for the occasional car. Romeo's feet were pulled up onto his seat, and he's texting someone. I presume it's the girl he's met.

"You really like that girl, huh?" I ask him, easing the car onto my street.

"Oh yeah, she's great. We just clicked, ya know?" He responds, barely glancing up from his phone.

And I do. The cliche high school romance that I'd promised myself I'd never have seems to have befallen the both of us.

The car crunches into the driveway, and I pull the keys from the ignition.

"Come on, let's get you going you lightweight," I say, unlocking the doors.

Romeo yawns, and stumbles out of the car, shutting the door loudly behind him. He walks in a dazed fashion, stumbling. Before I can tell him to stop, he's opening the front door and walking inside.

Great. Just what I needed. This is probably going to spur some awkward conversation with my parents, who, like the caring, lame people they are, will still be awake.

Ugh, why am I a good person? Maybe I should adapt to a life of crime and evil. A villain wouldn't take his drunk friend home. However, I know that's not realistic. So, I follow my friend inside.

My parents are draped on the couch, watching some movie. My dad's holding a bowl of microwave popcorn. The air smells like smoke, which leads me to believe that there's at least one burnt batch of kernels in the trash can.

"Hey mom, dad. Romeo's gonna stay over tonight, he's a little-" I lower my voice.

"-drunk." My mom nods, and waves her hand towards the stairs. Romeo is nowhere to be found. My guess is that he's already let himself upstairs.

"Yeah, we saw him. Looks pretty bad. You, on the other hand, look fine, which is suspicious. Did you smoke? Opioids! Did you take those?" My father asks, setting his popcorn aside.

"Dad, no, Jesus! I'm sober, you know that! Can I just go upstairs before Ro hits his head and gets a concussion, please?" I roll my eyes. My dad laughs.

"I'm just kidding, I know you're a good kid. Yeah, go on."

I sprint up to my room, and find Romeo collapsed on my desk chair. He's spinning in lazy circles and staring at the ceiling.

"Romeo, take your damn shoes off. And drink some water, otherwise your hangover will be a bitch," I tell him.

"Bro, I'm not even that drunk, c'mon. I had like, four shots, or was it five? I don't know. In any case, I'll be fine," he replies, returning to his phone.

"And I'm not a lightweight!"

I shake my head, and click open my phone. I scroll the rough my contacts, and there it is. Y/N's number.

I'm not sure whether or not to start a conversation. I decide to avoid the decision altogether, and put some pajamas on instead.

I grab a pair of sweats from the floor, and swipe a T-shirt from the dresser. Romeo makes his way to the bed, and collapses. The sheets wrinkle underneath him, and I shudder. The texture of rumpled sheets feels nauseating when I sleep.

A quick trip to the bathroom later, and I'm heading to my room feeling refreshed. I grab my phone from my dresser, and see a new notification.

Y/N: Hey, Mer. Wanted to make sure you were still alive. How's lover-boy doing?

My heart pounds, and my hands get shaky. This reaction is stupid, especially from a text. I mean, I met this girl like five hours ago, why am I so worked up about it?

'Tio: He's doing...okay. He insists he's not drunk, but his breath begs to differ.

A useless banner appears at the top of my screen, alerting me to a new text that I already saw.

Y/N: Good luck with him! Well, since I can see the sun, I think I should maybe head to sleep. G'night Firecracker.

The nickname makes me smile.

'Tio: Sleep well.

With that eloquent response, I click off my phone, and plug it in. Romeo has already fallen asleep on the bed, and is taking up almost all of the room, so I opt for the floor.

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A/N: Well, that was fun to write!

Until next time humans!