Hey, Everyone!

Another chapter, yay! I hope you all like this chapter (it's a little bit longer this time)!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"I've been cheating on you."

I dropped my fork. At least, I believed I dropped it. I never heard it clatter on the concrete below our table.

I should have known, honestly. My favorite, not-too-high class restaurant. He'd already proposed, so what else could he have said?

I slid the ring off my ring finger and placed it on his side of the circular table.

He reached his hand out to touch mine, but I snatched it back before he could.

Time was starting to catch up with me. I could vaguely remember the sound of the fork clattering to the ground. I leaned over the arm of my chair and picked it up.

I placed it on top of my still folded napkin.

I stared at my barely touched napkin as he tried to explain himself. "I'd always had trouble with commitment, but I met you, and I felt that you'd changed that! But then…but then I met her, and I just couldn't control myself around her. Annabeth, I'm really sorry. Really sorry. But this needs to end. It'll be better for both of us."

My heart shriveled up, died, cracked, shattered, and turned to dust all during his speech.

I couldn't sit here anymore.

I pushed my chair back, stood up, and looked up into those emotionless, sea-green eyes one last time before I mumbled, "Good luck on your rock star career. I hope you and she are very happy together."

And I turned and fled the restaurant, tears streamed down my face, and I thought of everything we'd ever done together.

He didn't fight for me to stay. He didn't ask to be friends. He just let me go. Just like I knew he would.

My throat was raw from the squealing, and the shrieking, and the tears.

I'd been able to keep myself together until I got into the elevator. My apartment was on floor 18, so it was a pretty long, public, cry-fest.

I sat up, pulling my tear-streaked face out of my pillow and I hiccupped a couple times. I whipped my cheeks for no other reason than to try to convince myself that I still had control over my situation.

The tears kept flowing.

I tried my best to keep myself from moaning or groaning or squealing as I walked out of my room, down the dark hallway, and into the main room of my apartment, which was a combination living room and kitchen.

I made myself a cup of tea and I couldn't help feeling like that time in high school when I had been devastated that Devin Rogers had dumped me for Catherine Glosser in tenth grade.

My dad had been there to comfort me then.

Now…not so much.

I'd pushed everyone away just to be with Percy. My best friend. My dad. My other friends.

Now I had no one.

My dad had died a few months after I had started dating Percy.

I felt so alone right now.

At times like these, when I looked back at my life that was only him, I usually had Percy here to comfort me and tell me he was all I needed.

I looked down at my left ring finger. A single band was a shade lighter than the rest of my hand; where my engagement ring had been.

At some point, I must have cried myself dry, because I wasn't making any more tears.

I took a couple long, strong sips that made the inside of my throat burn turn from the heat and the pain of the liquid against the raw length of it.

I looked at my mug and contemplated dumping the steaming contents on my head.

I sighed. But, no, it wasn't hot enough to kill me. It would only leave extreme pain and lots of blisters on my scalp. That wouldn't have been fun in the future.

Always planning ahead, huh, Annabeth? I thought. Even now, when you can't even see a future for yourself?

There has to be something for me, I reminded myself. I mean, I still have my job.

My cell phone rang at that moment, and I reached onto the glass coffee table and picked it up.

I ran my fingers through my mangled, wispy blonde hair and tried to calm my voice as best as possible before answering. "Hello?"

"Annabeth? It's Luke," my boss said tentatively. "I was calling to check up with you, make sure you were okay. It's not like you to blow off an appointment."

I mentally slapped myself in the face. We'd had a meeting set so we could talk about a new construction project together.

"I am so sorry, Luke," I ran a hand through my fluffy mane. "I've just…had a lot to deal with today. I kind of…forgot."

"Annabeth Chase? Forget something?" Luke teased. "What thing of utter terror could make Annabeth Chase lose focus?"

"Percy dumped me," I mumbled.

I had forgotten all about Luke. He was a nice guy, and I guess had had become my friend over all the days of work we'd spent together.

I was his right-hand man. We discussed all the contracts and business opportunities together, even though he was supposedly my "boss."

"That jackass," Luke whispered. "That son of a-"

"I already know what he is," I cut him off. "You don't need to say it."

"How could he do that to you?" Luke demanded. "I mean, who does he think he is? You're a treasure, Annie, and we both know it."

His phrase made me laugh. He often called me "a treasure" after I'd helped him decide on any important decisions.

His whole phrase: "You're a treasure, Annie! A real gift."

"It doesn't matter," I sighed.

"No, it does," Luke continued. "Do you want me to come over? I can-"

"I think I need to be alone right now."

"But how did he…Did he just-"

"He apologized for cheating on me, but he wasn't happy with our engagement anymore and he'd fallen for some other girl. Rachel, I think her name is," I waved it away, but I knew he couldn't see me, so I just reiterated, "It doesn't matter."

"That…Goddamn it, Annabeth. He's a real shit!"

"I get it, Luke." I sighed. "Look, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but I just need to be alone now."

"How many days off do you need?" Luke asked.

"None, Luke, I can work this out. But hey, I feel really bad about missing our meeting-"

"No, this was more important-"

"Seriously, we should try to-"

"You need to relax and-"

"Luke, that's sweet, but I need to-"

"-a couple days to get your head on straight-"

"Luke-"

"Annie, I'm serious."

I sighed. "So am I. I'd like to reschedule. How about Tuesday?"

"You want to give yourself two days to recover from a broken engagement?" he asked.

I nodded. Then I realized he couldn't see me, so I replied, "Yes."

"Alright," I heard some papers shuffling. "Good luck, Annabeth. Don't push yourself too hard."

I nodded. "Alright."

"Okay."

"I'm going to hang up now."

"Right, sorry. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I smiled and hung up. I placed my cell phone back on the glass table and took another sip of my tea.

You have Tuesday to live for, I told myself as I stared at my mug. You have Luke to live for. You're gonna survive. He's just a boy.

He was your world.

I sighed. The practical side of my mind was getting at me again.

I finally got off the couch and into my bed room well after midnight, the city view from the floor to ceiling windows behind my TV was dazzling, but I had dreams to attend to.

I didn't even take off my shoes, I just pulled the covers over top of me, and closed my eyes, and prayed that my dreams wouldn't be about him.

Aw, poor Annabeth...suffering from a broken heart...

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