unplanned
1232 Words
The group text from Ms. Carter pinged at 7:03 AM.
_Reminder: All Romeo and Juliet groups must meet at Crestwood Library Saturday 10 AM for peer review session. Attendance mandatory._
Mira stared at the message on her cracked phone screen, lying in bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin. Saturday.
She’d been planning to spend Saturday working at the café with Aunt Zara. Extra cash for textbooks.
“Great,” she muttered.
By 9:45 AM, she was walking through the heavy glass doors of Crestwood Library, backpack slung over one shoulder. She was early. Of course she was.
Zain was already there, sitting at a corner table with a laptop open and a coffee in front of him that definitely cost more than her lunch. He didn’t look up when she approached.
“You’re late,” he said.
“It’s 9:58,” Mira said, sitting down. “You’re impossible.”
He finally glanced at her, eyes dragging over her plain hoodie and jeans. “You actually came.”
“Mandatory attendance, remember?”
Zain leaned back. “Yeah. Still thought you’d bail.”
Mira opened her notebook and slid it between them. “We have three pages. We need ten by Monday. Let’s focus.”
He didn’t argue. That was new.
For the first hour, it worked. They bounced lines back and forth, cutting, rewriting, arguing over whether a modern Juliet would text Romeo or show up at his door. Zain had a habit of leaning in when he was invested, and it was distracting. He smelled like cedar and something expensive.
“Stop staring,” he said without looking up.
“I’m not staring,” Mira lied.
“You’re staring.”
Mira flushed and looked back at her notes. “Fine. Line 47. Do we keep ‘Wherefore art thou Romeo’ or change it?”
“Change it,” Zain said. “Nobody talks like that anymore.”
“What do you suggest? ‘Why are you Romeo? Can’t we be normal?’”
Zain smirked. “Something like that. Make it real.”
They were mid-argument when Serena, Vivienne, and Blair walked in.
Of course they did.
Serena spotted them immediately and made a beeline over, heels clicking against the marble floor.
“Look at this,” she said, voice loud enough for half the library to hear. “The poor orphan and the Malik prince, playing house.”
Mira’s jaw tightened. “We’re working, Serena.”
“Working hard,” Vivienne added, glancing at the notebook. “Or is Zain just doing it for you?”
Zain closed his laptop with a soft click. The sound made everyone go quiet.
“Problem?” he said.
Serena smiled sweetly. “No problem. Just curious. You never partner with anyone. Why her?”
“Because she’s smart,” Zain said simply. “And you’re not.”
Blair gasped. Vivienne snorted.
Serena’s face went red. “Watch yourself, Malik. My dad still has connections to your father’s board.”
Zain stood up, taller than all of them. “Then tell him I said to mind his own business.”
Serena stared at him for a second, then turned on her heel. “This isn’t over.”
They left, and the library exhaled.
Mira sat there, heart pounding. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Zain sat back down like nothing happened. “Yes, I did.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because they were wrong. And I hate being wrong.”
Mira stared at him. “That’s the worst reason I’ve ever heard.”
“Works for me.”
They didn’t talk about it after that. They went back to writing, but the tension between them had shifted. It wasn’t just antagonism anymore.
At 12:30, Mira’s phone buzzed. Aunt Zara.
_Stuck at café. Can you cover 2-5? Pay’s double._
Mira typed back immediately. _Can’t. School project._
The reply came fast. _This is important, Mira. We need the money._
Mira’s stomach dropped. She’d told Zain she couldn’t stay late, but she hadn’t mentioned why.
Zain noticed. “Problem?”
“My aunt needs me at work,” Mira said, packing up her things. “I have to go.”
Zain frowned. “We’re not done.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He watched her for a second, then sighed. “Fine. I’ll finish the scene. Send it to you tonight.”
Mira hesitated. “Thanks.”
She left before he could say anything else.
---
The café was packed when Mira arrived. Aunt Zara barely looked up as she handed her an apron.
“You’re late,” Zara said.
“I was at a school project,” Mira said, tying the apron around her waist.
Zara snorted. “School project won’t pay the bills.”
Mira didn’t answer. She just started wiping tables, moving on autopilot.
Her mind kept drifting back to the library. To Zain standing up to Serena. To the way he’d said _because she’s smart_ like it was obvious.
Nobody had said that about her in a long time.
Her shift ended at 5 PM. She was exhausted, feet aching, hands smelling like coffee and lemon cleaner.
Her phone had 12 notifications. All from Zain.
_Page 4 done._
_Check your email._
_Are you okay?_
_Answer me, Hale._
Mira opened the email first. Attached was a document titled _R&J_Act1_v3_. She skimmed it while walking home.
He’d taken her rough dialogue and made it sharp. Real. The fight scene between the families now felt personal, bitter, like something that had been festering for years.
There was a note at the bottom.
_You were right. Personal works better. Don’t die on me before Monday._
_—Z_
Mira smiled without meaning to.
---
Sunday passed in a blur of work and schoolwork. Mira didn’t see Zain, but they texted about the script. Short messages, mostly about dialogue and structure.
But one message stuck with her.
Sent at 1:42 AM.
_Sleep, Hale. You’ll pass out in class._
She didn’t reply. She didn’t need to.
---
Monday morning, they presented.
Mira was nervous. Zain looked bored, like always.
They stood in front of the class, took turns reading their script. The classroom was quiet. Even Serena stopped talking.
When they finished, Ms. Carter clapped first.
“That was excellent,” she said. “Best modernization I’ve seen in three years. A+.”
The class murmured.
Serena’s glare could’ve burned a hole through Mira’s skull.
After class, Zain shouldered his bag and started walking out.
Mira caught up to him. “Hey.”
“What?”
“That was… good. Thanks for finishing the scene.”
Zain glanced at her. “You did the hard part. I just cleaned it up.”
Mira shook her head. “No. You made it better.”
He stopped walking. For a second, he looked like he wanted to say something else. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Don’t make it weird, Hale.”
“It’s not weird,” Mira said. “It’s just… thanks.”
Zain nodded once. “Whatever. See you tomorrow.”
He walked away, leaving Mira standing in the hallway with her heart beating a little faster than it should.
---
That night, Mira sat on her bed and looked at the document again.
They’d worked well together. Too well.
And that scared her more than Serena ever could.
- Writer
