Breaking Juliet

Octavio was a broken teenage boy, branded 'psychopathic' by the townspeople of Rocco. He was the outsider, a boy judged because of his past. He killed his father when he was twelve years old because he cheated on his mother. He'd come home from school and found his mother sobbing on the couch. She told him she was unhappy and he knew it was because of his father. It was always because of him.

Later, when his drunken father got back home, Octavio gave him a glass of cold water laced with mice poison. His father went to sleep but never woke up. Octavio had never been a violent child. He was a sweet little child who sometimes engaged in mischievous activities like other children of his age.

He was not psychopathic or murderous but at that moment, he felt that his father had gone too far. As a child, he did it thinking he was saving his mother. The court decided it was not premeditated murder so he was sent to a Rocco's Correctional Facility for Juveniles where he stayed for two years. When he got out, he was full of remorse about his action but the people of Rocco were not ready to accept him into their community.

Five years later, the townspeople still feared and hated Octavio. They had never accepted him which brought a lot of pain to his heart, pain that broke him. No one desired to go near him including the students at school. They didn't want to sit near him because he was an outcast. Except his mother, the only person who said anything to him was Juliet Fetterman. She said 'hello' to him whenever they bumped into each other and also sat next to him in the classes they shared. He just nodded, not saying a thing. She might be the town's golden girl but he didn't want to talk to anyone. Juliet was a happy person who probably had no idea what being in deep emotional pain was. She wouldn't understand what it was like to be rejected by everyone you knew.

One morning when he was eating his late breakfast in the kitchen, his mother was cleaning the kitchen counter with a wet cloth. She looked out of the window for sometime before speaking, almost to herself.

"Joan was a very optimistic person," she said. "I never thought she was capable of suicide."

Octavio remained silent. Mrs. Joan Miller had been found hung on a tree branch in the forest reserve outside town that morning. She'd committed suicide and the public didn't know why. All they knew was that Mr. Macpherson, a man she worked for had fainted on hearing the news. Since Rocco was a small town, people had started talking and pointing fingers already.

"We were very good friends. She was dating James when I was with your father. We went on group dates and had so much fun together. She was supposed to be my maid of honor, but Manuel-" His mother started sobbing on mentioning his father's name. She still loved him; Octavio thought bitterly, he'd broken his own mother by killing the love of her life.

"I'm sorry, mom." Octavio said.

"It's not your fault," she said. "You were only a child. You did what you thought was right, you wanted to see me happy. It's Manuel's fault. He's the one who broke my heart. Even if he was still alive, we wouldn't be happy together. We'd be separated."

"Still, I can't forgive myself," he said. "I killed my own father. He might have been a jerk but he'd done a lot for us. And you always dreamed of having lots of children. Why don't you find someone, mom?"

"I can't," his mother ran water on the cloth, squeezed it and cleaned the counter again. "The people of this town are very judgmental. No one would accept you as you as a stepchild."

"I can move away," he said, wanting to relieve his mother of some pain.

"You're my son, and my first priority. I wouldn't be able to live without knowing whether you were okay. You have to be here, with me. I love you so much."

"But, mom-"

"No, Octavio. All I want is for you to be happy. Don't worry about me."

"Mom," he pushed his plate away." You're still young and need to have more children who will make you happy. I will never be happy as long as I'm in this town, anyway."

"Octavio, you can't leave me alone." his mother said, picking up his plate and putting it on the sink. "This conversation is over."

Octavio's phone dinged, signaling it was time to go to K's Coffee Shop across the street. He'd set a reminder for his mission. Two minutes later, he was there, seated in his usual corner, staring at Kylie, the barista. The person he was waiting for hadn't arrived. Octavio was in love with Kylie. She was beautiful and innocent looking but detested him, like the rest of the town. Life was unfair. He should've fallen for Juliet, not Kylie. But he couldn't control love, it just happened. He wanted her desperately and that's why he wanted to know if there was something serious going on between the two.

The townspeople judged others yet most of them were filthier. The man in question was married and was trying to take advantage of his sweet Kylie. He'd heard Kylie tell her best friend she was falling for Mr. Fetterman. He also knew Kylie was a virgin. All these from the camera he'd installed in her bedroom. He enjoyed stalking Kylie though some of the things she said disappointed him. Even with her flaws, she was perfect for him.

He kept his gaze fixed on her until their eyes met. Kylie grimaced, slammed her fist on the counter top and turned her gaze to the door. After sometime her face lit up. He turned to the door to see Mr Fetterman striding in. There was a smile plastered on Fetterman's face and Kylie's reaction confirmed his suspicions, once again.

Now all he needed was a video or photos to show Juliet.