The Break-Up

"You don't have to do it today," Reyna told Jason, sipping at her hot chocolate.

Last night, Jason decided to end things with Suzie. He packed up her stuff in a box with Suzie written in big letters. He got all ready, planned out everything he would say to her, and he even took the time to take out every picture of her in the house.

He was ready to let this go.

But, now that it was time, he couldn't do it.

Instead, he just sat there at the café with his morning hot chocolate and looked out to the shop across the street where Suzie was shopping with some of her friends.

Looking back at her, he couldn't really remember what had drawn him to her so much. She was beautiful yes, but she was more girly than he usually liked. She was sweet to him, but she could be cruel to his friends. She was good in the arena, but she made it clear that she would rather be doing her nails. And she adored him, but it felt like she was really just keeping up with what was best for her image sometimes.

He always thought there was something in between them, but he couldn't even remember it now.

Jason was over it, he had already moved on. But he just couldn't get himself to do it.

It was the hesitance to pull the trigger even when you knew it had to be done.

"What are you talking about it?" Jason looked back to Reyna, pretending to be alright.

But Reyna wasn't fooled though.

She knew why he was so hesitant to break-up with her. He wanted to be nice about it. After all, Suzie did like him. He wasn't breaking up with her for a big fight or something she really did, this would be a shock to Suzie. He had to be gentle.

Of course, if it was up to Reyna, she would have done it as brutally as possible.

But she did understand.

"You're nervous, I get it. You can take your time to break-up with her, I understand, Jason."

"What are you talking about?" Jason tried, "I'm not nervous."

Reyna raised her eyebrows.

"Fine, I'm a little nervous."

Reyna crossed her arms.

Jason slouched in his chair.

"I just don't know what to say."

"Easy. We're done. Here's your stuff. Delete my number."

Jason crossed his arms.

"I don't want to be cruel."

"What does it matter? It isn't like you two are getting back together," Reyna shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.

"But it's not like she did something bad or anything. This is just out of the blue for her, and I have no reason to want to hurt her," Jason tried.

"Whatever, it's your girlfriend," Reyna raised her hands in surrender.

Jason looked back out the window to the shop where Suzie was handing her credit card to a cashier in the store, and Jason tried to plan out what he should say to her.

But nothing felt right.

Too mean. To nice and sedate like this was easy for him. Too compassionate.

He could never get the right balance.

"Listen, if you aren't going to break-up with her today, can we get to the office? We still have some paperwork to finish up, you know."

Jason sat up and nodded.

"Fine."

Reyna stood, and her eyes widened.

"She's coming this way."

"What?" Jason's eyes flew to the window, where his girlfriend was smiling wide as she took her big red sunglasses off her nose.

Suzie waved happily as she caught sight of her boyfriend. She gave herself a mental once-over, and she happily decided that her red V-Neck tee shirt, dark wash jeans, and leather high-heeled boots were cute enough to not look too overdone but still rival Reyna. Suzie hurried into the coffee shop.

Reyna gave Jason a nod and a smirk.

"Good luck, Jay-Jay," she whispered as she got up and headed towards the counter to get a new cup of hot chocolate.

Jason felt sick, his face went pale, and he lost every ounce of courage he had in his body.

He was so blind sighted he couldn't even say hello.

You can kill any monster, defeat armies, become a Praetor, and handle Praetor Reyna, Jason told himself, You can handle breaking up with Suzie.

"Hey, Baby," Suzie leaned down to kiss him, but his mouth was slack.

She knit her eyebrows in confusion and sat down across from him.

"Are you okay, Jason?" she took his hand, and Jason froze.

Oh gods, I can't do this, he fretted.

"Well, not really, Suzie."

"Is it Reyna?"

"What?"

"Listen, I understand, Jason. I know you have to work with her and that you two are friends. But she can totally be annoying and unbearable. You don't have to feel bad. You tried, but she just can't close to people," Suzie patted his hand.

"Wait, what? No, no, not Reyna. I'm not saying goodbye to Reyna, I'm saying goodbye to you."

Jason regretted it as soon as it came off his tongue.

Suzie's jaw dropped.

He stared, watching as her entire body began to shake.

Jason. Jason Grace broke up with her.

Suzie and Jason.

This was the match made by the gods. Ever since they were children, it was clear that they were supposed to be together. It wasn't a want, it was basically mandatory. No one had ever questioned it, it was just a truth in their minds.

They were supposed start dating when he became praetor. They would stay together and become truly serious in college. When they were in their twenties, he was supposed to give her the family heirloom engagement ring, and she was supposed to throw a big, beautiful wedding. Then they were supposed to continue completely in love, buy a house, and begin to try for their first baby. They would have a son, Jupiter, and they would have a daughter, Celia, or maybe even two. Suzie would join the PTA and dress up her daughters in beautiful clothes, and Jason would teach their son how to fight in the arena.

And now it was flushing down the toilet.

Suzie's veins bulged, her breathing stopped, and her face began to turn red.

He-He's leaving me! Suzie's anger built, Me! How could be break up with me?

Jason watched her with fear as Suzie's clover green eyes narrowed in on him.

"You are leaving me," Suzie's jaw tightened.

His eyes widened.

"Me?!" she screamed, not caring if the entire town heard.

She didn't have a mind of prudence or what others might think.

If anything, she wanted them to know. She wanted everyone to know what a big mistake Jason was making, to announce to the world of new suitors that she was available and wanted to show him what he would be missing.

But the want of vengeance couldn't dull the pain. It wasn't as much losing someone she held dear and adored (though that did pain her), and it wasn't as much losing the thought of the life she had envisioned (it hurt, but she knew it wasn't exactly set in stone).

No, it was that he left her. That he got the upper hand. That she was to be pitied and to get the polite smiles from her Venus relatives that expressed their sorrow for her pain but took joy in the fact that they hadn't been dumped and that she had. It was the "Girl's Night" that her friends would organize to rally her spirits and keep her away from the opposite sex that had hurt her so much. And it was the loss of the grand stature that being Praetor Jason Grace's girlfriend.

And, even more, it was for her!

For Reyna, who was sour, disagreeable, ill-tempured, and always serious. Reyna who wore old jeans and faded tee shirts ninety-percent of the time and kept her hair in a braid all the time. Reyna who pushed everyone away.

Suzie was sweet, easy to get along with, never got too angry (or at least took out her revenge in private), and was always as fun as was acceptable at the moment. Suzie was beautiful and accentuated it with soft curls, pretty clothes, and a smile. Suzie accepted and even encouraged love.

On paper, Suzie was the far better choice, even if she didn't have the merit and stature in the community as Reyna

But, somehow, those points hadn't converted to real life and had stayed on paper.

This infuriated Suzie even more.

"How can you leave me?!" she screamed again.

Jason blushed, ashamed and embarrassed that such a private matter was being screamed in a coffee shop. And he didn't dare meet Reyna's stare.

"It just isn't working out, Suzie," he tried.

"What?" her eyes were watering and wide as she found desperation for him to return to her consume her, "But we're so perfect together!"

She pushed away her anger for a final attempt with him.

"We're not, Suzie."

"W-What isn't perfect?" she wiped her tears and sat up to try and convince him, "We agree on almost everything. I respect your work, I don't demand too much time. I adore you, I really do. And-and you adore me. T-This is basically the first fight we've ever had!"

"Suzie, we just don't…. fit together."

"Fit together? How do we not fit together?"

"Well, I mean…" Jason tried, "We're just different. I love work, I love being in the army like this, and I love playing capture the flag. You work because you have to, you don't want to stay in the army, and you would rather be anywhere than capture the flag."

"But I do it! I do it for you, I-I could learn to love it!"

"I don't want you to learn to love it. I don't want to conform just so we can keep dating. We're different people, Suzie."

"Buh-Buh-" before she could even finish the word, Jason was already his head.

"I'm sorry, I know this has to hurt. And I hate to have to do this to you, but it is for the best."

Suzie opened her mouth to interject, but he was already up and moving away from her.

She called to him but no reply, he wanted to get out there as best he could. Reyna, who just so happened to be good friends with the barista, was allowed to sneak out the back before Suzie could take out her anger on her. And Suzie's blood boiled.

She picked up his cup of hot chocolate and stood, no longer screaming for her boyfriend as he left her.

No, she was no longer a girlfriend.

She was a bitter ex.

A very bitter ex.

And bitter exes had different rules.

Different rules that allowed Suzie to throw the cup of hot chocolate like a spear at Jason, which he narrowly escaped by closing the door in time.

"I hate you, you Son of a Hellhound! You will never ever date anyone ever, ever again except for your harpy of a partner! Your life is going to be torture if I have anything to say about it!" Suzie screamed at the top of her lungs.

Jason's eyes widened, looking at a monster that had once been a beautiful and sweet girl.

Glad I got away from that… he thought to himself.

"You sure know how to pick them," Reyna laughed as she walked up to stand next to him infront of the coffee shop.

Suzie's frantic blood-thirsty gave narrowed in on Reyna, and Jason quickly grabbed Reyna's risk and made a run for it.

"Gods, Jason, why do you have to date the crazy girls who become homicidal when you dump them?!" Reyna yelled as they ran away from Suzie.

And here is the break-up scene. Suzie is officially out of the picture. I wonder what will happen next?