L E T ’ S   B R E A K   U P .

Karen choked on her orange juice as she read the text message.

“Hey, girl, are you okay?” her best friend asked, gently hitting Karen’s back.

“No,” she managed between coughs. When she finally got over the life-threatening situation, she showed her phone to Brianna.

“That shitty idiot!” her friend exclaimed. Thankfully, the background noise of the cafeteria swallowed her shout. She put down her half-eaten sandwich. “Where is he now?”

“Why?” Karen asked, her green eyes flashing in suspicion. Brianna had never let her down, but she was hot-headed, which often landed her in sticky situations.

“So I can go beat him up!”

“...He’s in class.”

“Even better! When does he get off?”

Karen shook her head helplessly and checked her tentative boyfriend’s schedule.

“In about thirty.”

“Crap, I have a seminar in fifteen,” Brianna replied with a sullen expression. She leaned back, dragging a hand through her dark brown locks.

“It’s okay. I’ll do it.” Karen said.

“What?”

“I’ll talk to him,” she confirmed.

“You? Alone?” Brianna blinked at her as if she didn’t understand.

Karen rolled her eyes.

“No need to be that surprised,” she said. “I can do things on my own, thank you very much.”

Brianna looked at her silently for a moment before returning to her tuna sandwich.

“Okay, but call me later.”

“Yeah. Wish me luck. I’ll need it.”

“I know.”

“...You don’t have to agree.”

“Admit it. You like my honesty,” Brianna grinned at her, and she laughed.

***

Fortunately, Karen didn’t have any more classes that day, so she waited patiently in front of the room where Jason’s lesson was held. They were running a bit late, but she didn’t mind, because she had more time to gather her thoughts. Karen tugged on her short blond hair in nervousness and bit her lip, trying to imagine how the talk would go.

As she tried to compose herself and prepare for the inevitably awkward situation, her gaze wandered around the corridor. Mostly people in their late teenage years or early twenties roamed around, but occasionally, she could see an older student, too.

It took some getting used to after high school that people of all ages attended college, but now she didn’t find it strange. It was fun learning with people from all sorts of backgrounds, with everyone working toward their own goals and focusing on classes that interested them.

Among the many unfamiliar faces, she noticed someone she knew. It was impossible to miss the woman in the red coat. Her red dress peeked out and her red high heels clacked as she made her way among the students.

All the men, students and professors alike, turned their heads as she walked gracefully toward Karen, whose eyes narrowed as the figure of the redhead came closer. She was sure that person didn’t attend this school, but then why would she be on campus? As the woman drew closer, Karen stood, crossing her arms and blocking the other’s path.

“Oh, Karen, what a surprise!” Her red eyes widened comically.

“No, not really. I study here,” Karen replied. “Didn’t know you’re a student here.”

“I’m not.” The redhead flicked her long hair over her shoulder as she said this. She even painted her fingernails in red. She looked incredibly proud and confident.

“So?”

“So what?”

“What are you doing here, Rose? Did you want something from me?” Karen asked, doubtful.

“You could say that.”

“What—?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’ve missed you!” Rose cut her off as she rushed over to the students piling out of the classroom. Karen gagged before turning her head to look for her boyfriend.

She found him in the arms of Rose.

Karen couldn’t stop her anger as it bubbled to the surface, and the air crackled around her.

“Woah!” One of the students pulled their hand back from the metal knob as if it was on fire. Then he jokingly commented: “Looks like I’m electrifying today.”

His friends laughed along while the static energy swirled around this part of the corridor, unseen. To make her claim, Rose greeted Jason with a deep kiss. Karen’s hand shot out and grabbed the redhead’s shoulder, yanking her back.

“Hey!”

“Don’t ‘hey’ me!” Karen shouted. Half of the students around them snapped their heads in her direction. Karen became self-aware, which made her feel extremely uncomfortable. But she couldn’t stay silent when her boyfriend was getting stolen from right under her nose. She turned to Jason. “What is the meaning of this?”

“As I said, let’s break up,” he replied, snaking an arm around Rose, who was massaging her shoulder. She had a pathetic look on her face. “I’m with her now.”

“When did this happen? Because I doubt it was in the last five minutes.”

“It doesn’t matter. Now, apologize to her.”

“Who? Me?” Karen asked, dumbfounded. She felt the blood drain out of her face. The energies around her settled, but she could feel the magic stirring in her blood, ready to lash out at the pair in front of her any second. “She’s the one that stole you away!”

“I didn’t have to,” Rose quipped, putting a hand on Jason’s chest and gazing up at him with a smitten look.

“What?” Karen had a hard time following the conversation.

“Oh my, you didn’t notice?” Rose gasped in fake concern. “He was already looking for a way to break it off with you. I just happened to help him.”

“Jason?” Karen looked into his eyes, feeling lightheaded. She stumbled back. “Is that true?”

He looked away for a moment with a pained expression before turning back to her. His face was determined, and Karen feared the worst.

“Look, things weren’t working out between us the last couple of weeks.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Karen thought everything was as it should be. She didn’t notice when things started to go wrong. Did he say weeks?

“You’ve always been a little clingy, but I thought it was cute. However, after your cousin disappeared... that was the only thing on your mind, and it felt like you ignored me even when we were together. It felt as if I’m just there to listen to your ramblings,” Jason delivered ruthlessly. He looked uncomfortable but didn’t back down and said what he wanted to say, without regards for Karen’s feelings.

“That’s not true...”

“It’s true,” he insisted. “It’s pretty telling you didn’t notice anything was wrong. You weren’t paying any attention to me.”

Karen gulped, feeling tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. She just wanted someone to comfort her. Was it so bad she thought her boyfriend would be willing to do that?

This is bad. Karen felt tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop them. Turning away, she hid her face and grabbed her backpack, running away.

“Karen!” She heard Jason shout but didn’t stop. All she wanted was to escape. If the Earth wanted to swallow her, now would be a good time for that.

Her feet led her to the restrooms, and she barged in. She would hide in one of the stalls until she calmed down.