It was wrong. Intellectually he knew that. It was wrong and stupid and absurd and a dozen other different words that were all variations of wrong. Unfortunately his heart completely ignored his head. He was in love with her. And it was wrong.
What was worse was that it was pointless. The image of her hugging Greyback, happy that she had just become the family wizard just reinforced that. She was the one touched by fate to do something extraordinary. She was the one who would live for centuries and see things most of the world did not know even existed. He was the one fated to grow old and die. The fact that he had another fifty years left to live if everything went well did not even matter. She would spend centuries with Greyback and he would die after a pointless existence.
Juliet was saying something. What was it? Whatever it was, it was irrelevant. He quickly reviewed her last couple of sentences that his brain had heard but his mind had ignored. Something about it not being the end of the world. But it was. The end of his world. She had also said something about even if they could not be together, she would still love him. At least that part was easier to take. He didn't love her and this was the best way to for them not to be together.
He let her lead him back out of the Wizard Competition room, through the Family, actually correct that Alex's lair, out the Sub Shop and into the streets of New York. She kept walking and talking and he kept following and pretending to pay attention while he went through his existential crisis. What was he supposed to do now? Yes he was a college graduate but that was not what he had prepared for. He was no longer a wizard, no longer a monster hunter. He was just plain old Justin Russo. He wasn't even the guy who got the Sub Shop because Max needed that. He would have to get a job, get an apartment, get a better job, get a house, get a mortgage, get a wife, get a better job, get 2.5 kids, get a dog, and then get a burial plot. He was no longer special, just another one of the teeming masses. The inanity of his future life flashed before his eyes. And it started suffocating him already. Working nine to five for another forty-five years while his hard work made his bosses richer and the government took more and more of his money did not seem a sufficient reason to continue. He had lost Alex, lost everything that made him special, lost his glorious future. In fact he had lost everything that mattered in one fell swoop. But he didn't have another choice. Did he?
Suddenly he realized that Juliet had stopped. They were in Central Park and she was nattering on about something else and he realized he just didn't care. Not only about what she was saying but about everything. He didn't care about the future, he didn't care about what he was supposed to do or where he was supposed to be. He didn't even care whether he lived or died.
Juliet was looking at him expecting a response. Did it make a difference anymore? He smiled sadly and prepared for her to leave him. But she started kissing him. Long ago that would have made him nervous or excited or happy or something. Now he felt absolutely nothing like the nothingness that was going to be his life for however long he lived. She was kissing him passionately so she must have wanted one last make out session before they parted forever. He just wanted this over with.
She kissed his lips and the corner of his mouth and proceeded to wander all over his face, not even realizing how little effort he was making in reciprocating. Lamentably, the part of him that didn't care if he lived or died was in control. It had to be. Why else would he think of Alex and whisper her name while making out with Juliet. Sadly, he had just enough time to realize his mistake when Juliet reared back. Her eyes suddenly became red with blood and her fangs extended and she screamed in anger. Even as she dove for his throat, he realized he didn't care enough to defend himself. So she would murder him, so what? Couldn't be worse than the life destiny had planned for him. He had one brief excruciating moment of pain before mercifully everything went to black…