"This seat taken?"
"Be my guest."
Kitty Pryde turned her head slightly, watching Lance Alvers climb up the bleachers. He sat next to her, stretching his long legs out in front of him glancing at her briefly. She was hugging her knees to her chest, staring out at the football field, shivering slightly as the wind picked up. Taking off his jean jacket, Lance held it out towards her; Kitty wordlessly took it, putting it on over her thin sweater.
"So, come here often," Lance joked.
"Oh yeah, the football field is like my favorite hangout."
"Well it is pretty romantic."
The pair's rapport was flirty and came easily, both traits that hadn't been in their conversations recently. In the past several months things had become increasingly difficult and strained between them. The spare moments they were able to steal, instead of being romantic and happy, were more often then not filled with arguments over petty, ridiculous things. They sat in silence for awhile, just content being in each others presence.
"So, I've been thinking," Kitty began.
"That's never good." Lance laughed, Kitty didn't.
"I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Do what?"
"This." Kitty spread her arms out in the universal sign of everything, before mumbling, "You and me."
Lance sat silent for a moment, taking it in. If he was going to be honest with himself, he had seen this coming. He wasn't nearly as pigheaded and blind as he appeared. It wasn't everyday he got a message saying to meet her on the Bayville High football field. He knew Kitty hadn't been happy for awhile and, hell, neither had he. They stayed together out of convenience and a fear of being alone, of being completely isolated. They were the closest thing each of them had to having a "normal" life. Lance wasn't even sure what "normal" was anymore.
"Is it the X-geeks? They still think I'm not good enough for you?"
"Please, you know this has like nothing to do with them."
"Yeah, I know," Lance sighed. "We've been…growing apart recently."
"Maybe not growing apart, just like, growing up."
"There has gotta be a better reason then that."
"Are you really trying to figure out like logical reasons as to why our relationship is failing? Has failed."
"I'm just not sure 'growing-up' is the best excuse you could come up with for breaking up with me. You're smarter than that."
"Don't turn this on me," Kitty whispered fiercely.
"If we didn't end it now it just would've been dragged out, we'd both be totally miserable."
"I was just saying, jeez," Lance defended. "I just think I deserve a better explanation than that."
"Fine! You want an explanation," Kitty's voice raised an octave as she spoke.
"I'm just like, ugh, sick of this. Seeing each other like once a week if we're lucky, hiding everything from our friends, pretending to hate each other in battle, meeting on football fields! I'm done!"
"So, you want something real?"
"No, Lance, I want something different."
"Ya know, it hasn't been easy for me either," Lance admitted.
"You think I liked having a secret girlfriend? I mean at first sneaking around was hot, but it got to a point where I just wanted to be able to take you to a movie or out to dinner, but we both knew that wasn't gonna happen."
"You always seemed so, like, indifferent to everything. I'd just assumed you were okay with it."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't."
Once again silence descended on the two. Kitty had not thought about how Lance would take her not-so-sudden declaration, she knew he had been feeling the strain in their relationship too; he was a lot more perceptive then people gave him credit for. Kitty looked up from her chipped nail polish and cocked an eyebrow in question when she heard Lance snort.
"I was just thinking…"
"Oh that's never good," Kitty mocked.
"Touché. But I was thinking, we make quite the pair."
"Like, how so?"
"I mean, I've never met a more screwed up couple than us. Ex-couple," Lance amended.
"Yeah, we are pretty remarkable," Kitty grinned.
"How many breakups does this make for us?"
Kitty paused, mentally counting. "Um, like, four? Maybe five? I've definitely lost count."
"Damn, we're stubborn, huh?"
"It would appear that way."
"I guess we just had a good thing gone bad."
"I, like, guess so," Kitty agreed, checking her watch. "I should probably get back to the mansion. If I'm gone much longer people will begin to, like, wonder."
Kitty stood up and began to walk down the bleachers, she turned when Lance asked her one final questions.
"So, where does this leave us?"
"If we can, I'd like to still be friends. You are my only link back home," Kitty joked.
"Yeah. I'd be cool with that."
"Good. I like don't know what I'd do if we cut off all ties, ya know?" Lance nodded.
"Well I guess this is officially good-bye then."
"Officially unofficial," Kitty said, removing Lance's jean jacket.
"This would be yours."
"Nah, keep it. You need it more than me." Kitty smiled, hugging the jacket close to her chest.
"I'll always care about you, Pretty Kitty."
"Don't worry Alvers, some other girl will come around and you'll be able to rock her world, just like you did mine."
Quickly climbing up the bleachers back to him, Kitty leaned in and the pair shared one final passionate kiss. They pulled back, standing awkwardly for a minute, before Kitty turned and left, giving Lance a slight wave as she crossed the football field.
In just one short hour the two had come to terms with their relationship, with something they had always known and never admitted. They had had a good thing, but all good things eventually had to come to an end.