That Way Madness Lies: XV of Shakespeare's Most Notable Works Reimagined

by Dahlia Adler

But even as Olivia said it, she knew that wasn’t true. After he had broken her heart, Olivia had sworn off all potential relationships. Yes, she was still in high school, and yes, she was going to wait. Besides, she wasn’t into the same things her peers were. She was confident sex was not going to be her thing; she just wanted everything else. The romance. The attention. Even kissing! So here was a convenient out: seven years of devotion to herself. Then she didn’t have to explain what was actually going on with her. Besides, there was not one human being at this “dance” (and she certainly made air quotes in her mind when she thought that word) who could excite her. Well. She had to make her appearance as a student council member. Mal would inevitably find his way back to her and spend the rest of the night shooing off anyone who tried to talk to her. A part of her appreciated that, but another … she knew Mal liked her. Like that. But how could she tell him the truth? He would stop being her friend, wouldn’t he? Maybe he wasn’t actually a friend if his idea of friendship required sex. She thought about that as Maria guided her into the fray. The truth was that she wanted something that felt so cliché, so normal, and yet it was her truth. Olivia just wanted to be swept off her feet.