before the pain | luke (JATP)

XLIII

love, noan, an intense feeling of deep affection and/or a great interest and pleasure in something.

"Some definitions of love is a willingness to prioritize another's well-being or happiness above your own, during this, the individual will experience extreme feelings of attachment, affection, and need" Miss Bone explained as she on the board wrote the next book the students would be reading for December.

"Romeo And Juliet?" Reggie said as he read it out loud. "Isn't that a little old, Miss Bone?" Miss Bone sighed and shook her head as she looked at who used to be her favorite student. "Reginald Peters, do you believe in love?"

Reggie leaned back in his chair, almost taken back by this sudden question. "Well, of course, I would be an idiot if I didn't" Miss Bone smiled as she wrote on the board. "Love is not defined," She wrote before looking out in the classroom, Mila lifting an eyebrow as she put up her hand, Miss Bone nodded letting her speak.

"Well love will never be defined, but in Romeo and Juliet, the love between them is different, it's first love" Miss Bone pointed with a bright smile. "Ah yes, good notice Mila, but actually Romeo is in love with a woman named Rosaline at the beginning of the play" Reggie and Mila looked at each other not knowing this fact, they both shrugged and looked back at their teacher.

"However, it is presented as an immature infatuation, which you describe as puppy love, or crushing if you will" Miss Bone answered as she placed herself on her desk. "Castello, why do you think this crush is never remembered in the play?" Miss Bone asked the quiet kid in the back. He cleared his throat as he looked at Miss Bone.

"Well because it's not love, they barely knew each other, it was shallow love" Miss Bone clapped happily, having heard the answer she wanted. "Yes exactly, similarly, Paris' love for Juliet comes from tradition, not passion. So why are Romeo and Juliet the couple we route for, Miss Garcia?"

Miss Bone looked at Mila who took at the text and then back at her teacher as she bit her lip. "It's romantic love, the classic idea of love, going against everything to be with one another" Miss Bone nodded as she smiled.

"In fact, maybe it is "Romeo and Juliet" that has influenced our definition of the love concept that we know today" Reggie put up his hand quickly. "But Miss, Romeo, and Juliet is a tragedy?" Miss Bone nodded to the question.

"Which means, no love is simple, no love is happy on roses, Shakespeare presents romantic love as what we could call a force of nature, ending in suicides of lovers, because they can and will not live without one another, showing love... is life itself"

Walking out of class Reggie sighed turning towards his best friend. "You seem quiet... what's wrong?" He asked, Mila sighed as they walked down the hallways towards locker 272.

"What if every love I have experienced is just puppy love, the idea of the person and not the person, what if no one will love me with a force of nature?" She asked as she looked up at her friend, who couldn't help but almost laugh at her.

"Mila, do you actually want someone to not be able to live on this earth without you?" He asked in a serious tone, she sighed. "No I mean.... It's just" Her head kept spinning of the night prior, how his kiss felt towards her lips, how the smell of honey had stuck in her brain, however when she thought of love, why did the face of her friend come up, when she thought of the white house with the blue shedders, why did the smell of peppermint take over her ...

"What happened on that date with Young?" Reggie asked as he stopped them in their tracks, Mila sighed. "It was not a date" Mila looked serious into his eyes, yet Reggie was not as convinced. "Mila Garcia, you are my best friend and therefor you have to tell me or I'll tell Alex that you almost peed your pants when you heard he had been beaten"