It's cliché. And it's awkward. It's the first of my 'genre' series of chapters in this. Deal with it. I'm doing this first only because everyone else is and I want to get it done.

20. Romance

And with only a few words, they were apart forever.

"We can't be together anymore."

Those words had pierced her like one stabs their victim with a knife. It hurt- it hurt unlike any ectoplasmic energy fist that Plasmius or Dan could have ever thrown at her hero two years ago. He stood there at the fountain with the ring in his hand. His eyes shone into hers, which were glistening with tears. "What?"

He looked away at the water. "Look, we've known each other for a long time. I know you want to continue to be at my side and everything, but it's not going to work."

She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the fountain, shaking her head. Somehow, she knew it would come to this. She didn't want to think that this would actually happen some day, but it was inevitable. Fate hadn't been nice to them over the past couple of years, and today seemed to be the bombshell to end everything. The end of a path traveled for so long.

The end of the line to love.

Sam said nothing. She merely rubbed her arms together as the breeze blew in, and she turned away ever so slightly from her friend's troubled gaze. "You mean the typical 'you'll get hurt if you stay by my side' spiel?" she whispered, a hint of bitter laughter in her tone.

Danny shook his head. "Nope. I don't want to have a lot of drama in out break-up," he admitted. "No. If it were like that, then I would have had Paulina come and help out with getting a lot of cameras and other useless stuff. I just wanted to kind of make this a quiet thing. We don't need every single camera and news station in Amity Park watching us."

She shook her head, her shoulders shaking with what Danny couldn't distinguish as laughing or sobs. "Amazing, isn't it?"

He was confused.

"We always thought we would be together," Sam mumbled, her feet kicking the concrete ever so slightly. "But look at us now. We're just… we're about to be apart for maybe the rest of our lives. Who knows if we'll ever get back together."

Danny clutched his head. "We're going away for college! It's nothing that bad…"

"That's what you said when you went to go and face Pariah Dark," the Goth retaliated darkly. "Vlad had to bring you back that time, and he was revered by your folks as a hero of the ages. 'Nothing that bad-' Danny, this isn't exactly going to be the easiest four years of our lives, and you don't want me to worry?!"

"I'm telling you, everything is going to be fine!"

She didn't say anything for a couple minutes, looking lost in thought. Danny didn't know if his words did the trick. His heart began sinking ever so slightly when he saw the look of realization really beginning to dawn on her face. Turning away and gripping the ring in his hand, he muttered quietly to himself, "I don't want to do this, but it's the only way we can truly drift apart so our relationship won't interfere with our stuff in school. And you won't be in the spotlight anymore."

She didn't reply. Not a sound was heard but the twittering of birds as the two seniors awaited each other's responses in silence. Danny scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Finally, Sam spoke once more. "So, this is really the end?"

Danny nodded finally and looked down at the ring. "Yeah. I think it is."

"What are you going to do with the ring?" she asked, keeping her arms crossed and her voice at a slightly bitter level.

He looked down at the infamous "Wes" and clutched it tightly in his hand, looking down at the water. Danny bit his lip. "Do you want to keep it?"

Sam shook her head. "Don't you want it?"

He shook his head as well. "No. I was wondering if you wanted it."

"We should put it somewhere where we'll remember all the times together," she told him.

Danny fingered the ring and looked down into the water. "We could toss it in there," he offered, fingering the piece of gold with an engraving on it.

She gave him an odd look. "Why in there? We hardly ever came to this spot."

The raven-haired teenager sighed and sat down next to the fountain. "This break-up is not the easiest thing I've ever done."

"What is?"

"Fighting the Box Ghost," he admitted, getting a bit of a snicker from his companion.

She took the ring from his hand and looked down into the crystal-clear waters of the wishing fountain, turning her gaze towards the ring and heaving a sigh. "It's been wonderful to wear this ring on my finger for the past couple of years," she told the teen quietly. "I've had a really fun time being your girlfriend and everything."

Sam turned her hand slightly and watched the ring descend into the glass waters. The jewelry landed in the water with a small plink, journeying towards the bottom of the fountain. The former couple's eyes watched as the ring hit the concrete and bounced slightly before settling down on the floor. Danny and Sam looked at each other, feeling the same emotion: grief and sadness.

The Goth took a shuddering sigh. "I'm going to miss you, Danny."

"I'm gonna miss you too, Sam," he replied, scoping her up in a tight embrace. "I think the best years of my life are gong to be the ones I spent with you."

She sniffled slightly and shook her head. "We can always see each other on vacations and everything. We'll make more memories as best friends, Danny. I promise."

Danny broke the embrace and looked into her lavender eyes. "I promise that too, Sam. Everything is going to be fine. You'll see."

She nodded quietly. Her eyes traveled to the fountain.

All her teenage life, her years spent with the ghost teen of Amity Park- it was down at the bottom of a pool of water, along with a gold ring with the word "Sam" engraved on the inside.

EW. –brushes off tongue in utter disgust- EW, EW, EW. I did my romance. Now tell me I'm a sap and need to get something else out and FAST.