Heartbroken

I threw her framed photograph into the trash bin. A spider web crack formed from the pressure, distorting her face and I growled in disgust. My heart erupted in a bout of self-pity and I twisted around in the padded desk chair to gaze into the blazing fireplace. It wasn't that I hated her; no, it was purely out of hatred of myself that I finally decided, once and for all, to let Maddie go. Finally, it all became too much—I needed fresh air.

I left my office and decided to take a long stroll. It was already growing late and the sun was on the verge of sinking behind the city's skyline. My city. My ignorant, stupid city.

It wasn't until my stomach began to growl that I realized that I hadn't yet had dinner. With my hands behind my back, I turned into the nearest eating establishment, one of the restaurants I had bought out in the beginning of my term and then resold. It wasn't often that I indulged in fast food as my doctor had told me I needed to watch my cholesterol, but I was growing very peckish.

I pushed open the glass doors and walked straight up to the counter. The restaurant was relatively busy; most of the booths were taken. A bored teen stood behind the register, reading a magazine. When she looked up, I was surprised to see that it was Valerie Grey.

"Mister Masters?" she gasped, genuinely shocked to see me.

"Ah, Miss Grey," I greeted her with the largest smile I could manage, which, sadly, was very small.

"I'm surprised you'd come to a place like this," she told me, blinking at me with her large green eyes.

"The feeling is mutual," I replied, a little disheartened that she hadn't told me she had another job. Especially a job like this. I would have thought that she'd have at least let me know.

"What can I get for you?"

"I've never been here before," I admitted. "I'll have whatever you want to serve me."

She looked slightly disoriented by my response. "Okay," she said hesitantly. "How about a number three and a vanilla Nasty Shake?" she asked, already punching buttons on the register.

"Sure," I said.

"It'll be ready in a minute."

I frowned, digging into my pocket for my wallet. "How much?"

She searched for any potential eavesdroppers before responding. "Oh, I couldn't ask for anything from such a great mentor," she said with a smile.

The feeling of self-loathing came back ten-fold. How could Valerie Grey not see through my façade? I did not deserve her kindness. I didn't deserve anyone's kindness.

I gave her a sad look. "A great mentor wouldn't allow his mentee to work a job like this," I said. "Let's discuss a raise tomorrow." Her face lit up with joy and I was scared for a moment that she would jump over the counter to hug me. But a bell rang from the kitchen and she turned to the window to pull a tray from a coworker's hands.

"This is yours," she said, handing me the tray with shaky hands. "Mister Masters, I really can't thank you enough—"

"Then don't," I said seriously, turning to leave. "Enjoy your last day working at the Nasty Burger, Miss Grey. Expect a call tomorrow."

I left her to find a small booth in a quiet corner. Unwrapping my sandwich, I surveyed the room. Teenagers were everywhere, jumping over chairs and laughing loudly. I shook my head, pushing away my own memories of being that age. How incredibly foolish I had been.

I took a bite out of the greasy burger and set it down when I heard a familiar voice. I closed my eyes when I realized who it was. Even when I wasn't working, I could never get away from him. I peered around the back of my booth and saw Daniel Fenton talking animatedly with his two friends only a booth away. His back faced me and I had a clear view of his friends' faces. They watched him talk with wide, concerned eyes. The booth between us was empty and I could hear his mindless chatter easily. He was talking about how annoyed he was about his most recent test. I couldn't refrain from rolling my eyes. Swallowing my food, I leaned back in the red, vinyl seat, no longer hungry. I listened to his friends console him and tell him that his grades would improve and I heard him tell them just how unconvinced he was.

"Maybe you could teach me how to do the problems, Tuck," he suggested unenthusiastically.

His male friend chuckled. "Don't look at me—I don't know anything about math. Why don't you ask Sam?"

There was a moment of hesitation. "Oh, well, maybe…."

"I'd be glad to help you, Danny," Sam said warmly.

I couldn't bear to listen any longer. I stood up and left. I didn't want to risk intangibility in such a crowded restaurant, so I simply passed his booth on the far left. Daniels friend's were too absorbed in conversation to recognize me, but I heard a small gasp after I passed them and I knew with dread that Daniel had spotted me. I continued walking out of the restaurant anyway, without bothering to look behind me and I heard Daniel tell his friends that he had to use the restroom. As I pushed the glass doors open, I could distantly hear one of them tell him that the restrooms were the other direction, so I knew that he was following me.

Outside, it was already dark. The moon was small and it hung low over the trees. It was very quiet, save for the occasional car, and I started my walk home on the sidewalk. I didn't bother increasing my pace—I knew Daniel had to be close behind me. With a sigh, I looked down at my polished shoes, one after the other.

"Vlad."

I didn't stop walking, but glanced over my shoulder to see glowing green eyes penetrating the darkness. I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge the child. Instead, I simply kept walking.

"Hey, wait up!" was his indignant response. I could tell when he jogged to catch up with me that he already knew something was off. He slowed to a walk by my side and I could see him looking up at me out of my peripheral vision.

"What is it?" I said solemnly.

There was a pause. "I saw you in the Nasty Burger. You were spying on me, weren't you?" he accused loudly.

I didn't look at him. "I was eating."

"Oh, come on," he growled. "You don't expect me to believe that billionaires eat fast food, do you?"

Finally I looked him in the eyes. "Not all of them," I replied conversationally. "But this one does."

He still persisted. "You were plotting something with Valerie, then," he deduced. "I won't let you use her as a pawn anymore, Vlad!"

"I wasn't plotting with Miss Grey," I said, looking ahead once more. "Only discussing a raise."

I heard him sigh, long and deep and knew he had finally given up. "What is it?" he said quietly, falling into step with me.

"I want to give you some advice, Daniel," I said, forcing myself not to look at the boy.

"Yeah?"

"Don't let that Manson friend of yours slip from your grasp."

I could see out of the corner of my eye his questioning look.

"No one wants to see another heart broken half ghost fool roaming the Ghost Zone."

An introspective piece. Please review!