One Shot: Claire Greene and Ray Gardner Who: Claire Greene and Ray Gardner Where: The Hop When: After school on Monday (and after the Tony/Claire log) What:LOLDRAMATony's Favorite Day EVER The ~Break-Up~ Rating: G Status: Complete in fic form
The Hop was, well, hopping Monday after school. The school year was winding down and as it did so, the ice cream shoppe appealed to those students who both felt the impending doom of their finals pressing down upon them and those who had already taken said tests or who just didn't give a damn.
Claire Greene was one who cowered under the threat of a test to be taken the next day and the freedom from classes that were already finished. Mainly it was because she was confident in her grade in Latin (after all, she was President of the Latin Club and knew the information backwards and forwards and possibly in her sleep) that she'd agreed to meet her boyfriend, Ray Gardner, at the Hop after school for some needed relaxation before the last round of studying before her Latin final.
She brought her Cavalier to a halt in the parking lot, music drifting from the open windows as she waited for Ray's car to pull up beside hers. It was a short wait, and even before the Mercedes was completely stopped she was out of her car and going around the front of his to meet him.
"Hey, you," she grinned, stepping back when he opened the door to get out before she could greet him with her now-customary kiss.
"Hi." Ray wasn't normally all that talkative, but this was different; he was more standoffish, she thought. Maybe it was the heat. But, no, he was fidgeting with his keys and sunglasses. "We need to talk, I think."
Claire paused, her hand just starting to slide into his. "All right. Want to go in and get a table?"
"No, Claire, I think we should stay out here." Ray shifted from one foot to the next, giving her hand a squeeze. Guilt lay around his neck like a heavy stone; he knew that she wouldn't take this well. Running a hand through his hair, he rubbed the back of his neck before sighing heavily. "You're gonna hate me for this, and I don't blame you."
Claire crossed her arms over her chest, suspecting what was coming but wanting to deny it for as long as possible. "What's wrong, Ray? Why would I hate you?"
"I've been doing some thinking. Like, a lot. About you and me and mainly you. And... I'm not feeling it. Us. Like, you're great, Claire! Awesome, really awesome. But I just don't feel like we're working out like we should."
"Oh." She found herself nodding, as if what he was saying to her made perfect sense. It didn't, though, because she'd thought they were good. They got along well, she liked being around him, liked kissing him, liked being his girlfriend. He was a perfect gentleman, really, and if he sometimes lacked a sense of humor, she forgave it rather easily, even if she didn't understand it. "Oh," she said again, blinking. "Well. You're breaking up with me?"
She pressed her lips together, looking pitifully earnest. At the moment she was too stunned to react with any of the tears that would come later.
Haltingly, Ray nodded, hating what he was doing but feeling it was for the best. After all, he'd be going to school in the fall. And no matter how great she was, he just couldn't see them together. He'd really just been deluding himself when he'd given her his class ring. "I'm sorry, Claire. You don't really know."
Thinking that he was doing the right thing, he pulled her into a hug that was supposed to be comforting but instead proved to be suffocating for the red-head. Working to not cry like a little baby in front of him, she awkwardly patted his back as they stood there, then took a large step back. "I think... Whatever, Ray. Just, whatever. Just go away, I really don't want to see you right now."
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Claire pulled his class ring from her finger and held it out until he took it. Then, trembling a little, returned to her car to wait until he'd left and she could see without tears blinding her to do the same.