Rainbow Luna, District Ten (14)

My legs ached as I crested the top of the hill. Owen was a few steps behind me, having paused to take in the scenery. It was one of the prettier places in my village, in my opinion. Ten was mostly flat so it was nice to have a hill where you could see for miles. I could see a herd of longhorns milling around near the Lucky Acres megafarm, where Owen worked along with hundreds of other villagers. To their left I could see the distant outlines of some of the buildings in the main village. In the springtime a creek ran down the hill with little rapids and waterfalls. I always thought that would be a perfect place for a proposal.

I sat down on the warm grass on the top of the hill. Something was weighing on my mind, heavy enough that I couldn't fully enjoy the view. Owen sat down next to me and his brown innocent eyes made me feel a twinge of guilt.

"How far should we go today?" he asked. One of our favorite activities was to just hike around in the fields around the hill. Sometimes there were killdeer nests or we'd stir up a rabbit. Other times a cow would wander by and beg for pets or the treats we sometimes carried. But not today.

"Actually, there's something I have to say," I started. It was weird thinking back on how many times I'd said it. It got less awkward each time but I still tried not to take it lightly.

Owen seemed to guess what I might be about to do. I thought he'd be sad but instead his face started to darken and go sharp. I broke in before he could open his mouth to speak.

"I think we should break up," I said, thinking it best to just rip the bandage off quickly.

"How could you do this to me?" Owen demanded. "I didn't even do anything."

"It's not anything you did," I agreed. "Just... don't you feel like it's gotten boring? I think we've done about all we can, especially since you'll be eighteen soon." The problem with liking older guys was that there reached a point when even I had to admit it was inappropriate.

"Shouldn't you have thought of that before you started flirting with me?" Owen asked.

Shouldn't you have? I didn't say it, but I kind of felt like the nearly adult party should have acted more maturely than the fourteen-year-old. But I'd agreed to this as much as he had and I shouldn't blame it all on him.

Owen's face crumpled and he hung his head as he started to cry. "But I love you," he wailed.

I patted his back. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to lead you on so it seemed better to tell you."

Owen got up without another word and started walking down the hill. I took a few steps down the other side and sat down so I was out of sight. I thought the last thing he wanted was me awkwardly watching as he made his way across the bare hillside back to his house.

This is my fourth breakup this year, I pondered as I waited for him to be out of range. I could chalk some of that up to just bad matchups that ended early, but I had to admit there might be a pattern. It seemed like a good idea to maybe stay single for a while- work out what I actually wanted in a partner, do some self-reflection, things like that. I knew I definitely wanted to be with someone for my entire life but I was only fourteen. I had a lot of time left before I reached "my entire life".

The house was empty when I got home. Mom and Dad must have still been working at the hatchery. I was glad I didn't have to worry about being stomped by a bull but it did get inconvenient to have to shower sometimes twice a day just to not smell like chicken poop. I was just sitting down on the couch for some quiet alone time when the doorbell rang.

"Delivery," a skinny-looking messenger boy said when I opened the door. "Here you go." he handed over a bundle of flowers and left with the disdain for romance most boys his age possessed.

So much for being alone, I thought ruefully as I read the card. From your secret admirer, it read. Well he's gonna have to wait a while.

Anjou Corriente, District Ten male (18)

Violet was so cute when she was angry. She got so fired up and so sure she was right when she really didn't know what she was talking about. I loved how passionate she was and how her dark eyes flashed. I just wished she would listen to me more.

"I know you're keeping it safe. I just want to start keeping some for myself," she was saying.

"You're too young to open your own account. It makes more sense for me to keep it where it can gain interest and be safe," I said. Violet hardly even made any money, since she only worked part-time as a shearer. Her income barely helped out with our expenses. I couldn't imagine what she wanted to do with the money. I paid for all our dates.

"Just a little bit," Violet kept going. "It's embarrassing when my coworkers want to get lunch together and I have to ask someone to cover me."

"Come find me. I'll give you money," I said.

"If you'll give me money then why won't you now?" Violet demanded, her hands on her hips as she looked up at me.

"I told you," I started. "Someone might mug you, or your friends might take advantage and always ask you to pay. You're so sweet and kind- you know it's easy for people to take advantage of you. I'm not always there to protect you." It was important to be patient when your girlfriend was younger than you. I was an adult and I'd had time to learn about these things. Being a teenager is a hard time when you're learning a lot and still defining who you are. I had to go through all of that when I was Violet's age and I was glad to be able to guide her through her own growing-up process.

"It's my money," Violet said petulantly.

"Don't be immature. Let's talk about this like adults," I said. There was a lot I loved about Violet- her looks, her kind heart, her innocent wonder at the world, her work ethic, her dedication to her studies. It's just she wasn't always the smartest, and sometimes she couldn't handle the truth.

"You always say that. You think you know everything," Violet said.

"I've just had a lot more time to learn things," I said.

"You've had a lot more time for romance," Violet jabbed. It was true I'd had a lot more partners than she had. I just had a knack for finding nice young women who couldn't handle being wrong. Tess, Daisy, Rainbow, Henna... they all ended up throwing tantrums over something stupid and leaving me. I just wanted to settle down with a special someone. I didn't know why it needed to be so hard.

"Why do you have to be like that? You know I'm depressed about losing so many partners," I said. I treasured every one of my girlfriends and not a day went by where I didn't wonder if there was something I could have done better. I thought Violet was different from that but she was starting to make me think I was wrong.

Violet started to put on her coat. I followed her toward the door.

"Baby, where are you going? It's going to be dark outside soon," I said.

"It's three o' clock," Violet said in an exasperated tone, like I was the one being unreasonable for not wanting my girlfriend to walk across town alone when who knows who might be out there. "It's not gonna be dark for four hours."

"You always have to contradict me," I said. "I'm just trying to help."

"Whatever. I'm going back to my parents, okay? Half a mile away? I think I'll be okay," Violet said, rolling her eyes.

"Just be careful. I worry about you," I said. Violet didn't respond. "Love you, baby!" I called after her as she left.

She's so dramatic, I thought after Violet was out of sight. I'll wait until she cools down and then we can talk. I love Violet but she's lucky I'm so patient.

Ew I feel gross just writing this one. Pretty sure we all know an Anjou in real life.

Rainbow: Rainbow has pale skin, violet eyes, and dirty blonde hair that reaches the small of her back. Petite. Looks like McKenna Grace.

Anjou: Reasonably fit, about like six foot? Short brown hair, tan skin, green eyes?