Okay...so...I feel that it is only fair to warn you that I may not end up finishing this story. I have three chapters written, but it is so unlike anything I've ever tried to write before that I'm not sure how I feel about it. Having said this, I would really appreciate any feedback you can give me (though obviously no flames). Please let me know what you think!

Chapter One: Dumped

To say that Jack was pissed was an understatement.

He stalked into the apartment building and essentially punched the button for the elevator. When the elevator did not arrive instantly, he gave up on the wait and shoved his way into the stairwell. He only lived four floors up, so it wasn't a ridiculous climb, but it was enough of one to make him even more upset. Obviously he was the only one to blame for taking the stairs, but in his current mindset Jack was not being reasonable. When he finally arrived at the fourth floor, he stomped down the hall toward his apartment. He'd lived there for five years but it was only at this moment that he noticed how ugly the carpet was. He literally scowled at the hideous flooring as he fumbled for his keys to unlock the door.

Stepping into the apartment, he tossed the keys into the bowl by the door, cringing at the loud clang they made as they landed. He went into the kitchen, mentally kicking himself for not being a drinker. He'd never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, but he felt like he was in a moment and mood that warranted something much stronger than Coca Cola. He grabbed a Coke out of the fridge and then went into the living room where he dropped down onto the couch rather heavily, causing it to creak. It was an old couch, and if Jack did not learn to control his moods soon, it would be a dead couch. He leaned back, sipping his Coke and thinking things over.

That morning he'd gone to work as usual. He was chipper that morning, which was unusual as he was generally a quiet and brooding sort of guy. The cause of his good mood was that his girlfriend of two years, Andie, was returning from a photo shoot she'd been working at in Venezuela. She had been gone for nearly two months and Jack was dying to see her again. He'd had several girlfriends since his high school days, but Andie was the first girl he'd actually fallen in love with. He loved her vivaciousness, her attitude and her spirit. She was so outspoken and blunt, and that complemented his strong silent presence perfectly.

When she walked into the office, it was all Jack could do to keep from leaping up from his cubicle to embrace her. Actually, the only thing that stopped him was the very thing that now had him seething with anger; a man named Hunter. The name suited this man perfectly, Jack thought, as he watched Andie and Hunter walk by his cubicle, arms linked as though they were as thick as thieves. Andie did not even glance at Jack as they passed, and Jack immediately understood that things were very different from the way they were two months earlier. Jack decided to wait until later to confront Andie, and so he spent the morning observing her, and the more he watched the more he grew angry.

Andie had always been gorgeous - movie star gorgeous. Her long blonde hair was always stick straight, shiny and the perfect colour to match her skin tone and eyes. Her slim build was always complemented by the stylish clothing she wore, and the way she walked you would think that she really was some sort of celebrity. Andie carried herself with an arrogance that Jack had found utterly appealing when they first met. The Andie that stood before him in the office two months later, however, was a completely different girl. Her hair was still straight, but pink highlights throughout gave it an edge that Jack did not like. Her once flawless ivory skin was bordering on tanorexic, and her face was caked in makeup that Jack felt did nothing to enhance her natural beauty. Her clothes seemed to have shrunk, though Jack knew this was not the case, as they exposed more skin than was necessary at all. She still carried herself arrogantly, but it was no longer charming. Jack actually found himself feeling disgusted at the sight of the woman he loved.

Eventually, Andie and Hunter were separated and Jack cornered her in the lobby. "What the hell is going on Andie?" he asked.

Andie looked up at him through her heavy lashes and sighed. "Things have changed, Jack," she replied.

"No fricking kidding," he scoffed. "Who is this Hunter guy, and why are you dressed like some sort of scarlet woman?"

Andie slapped Jack across the face leaving a bright red hand print. "How dare you," she seethed. "It's no business of yours how I dress and who I associate myself with."

"Really?" questioned Jack. "I would have thought that being bound by a two year relationship is enough of a reason for your dress code and your friendships to be my business. Again I repeat, what the hell is going on, Andie?"

Andie frowned and answered, "I met Hunter on the shoot; he was one of the models."

Jack laughed bitterly. "You're leaving me for a model? How ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous."

"Shut up Jack, you selfish jerk. You knew we would never last anyways."

When she spoke those words Jack felt as though he'd been slapped again. He dared not show this though. Teeth clenched so tight he thought they might shatter, he glared at his former girlfriend and walked away. He had never been more angry in his entire life. He did not even go back upstairs to the office, instead opting to leave the building completely. Jack got into his car and sped off, not paying attention to the laws of the road at all. He kept driving and did not stop until he reached Fawn Hill at the edge of the city. With a screech of the tires, he parked haphazardly on the edge of the lot near the park. Slamming the door behind him, Jack got out of the car and strode to the top of the hill.

He looked out over the city, easily spotting Wayne Tower where he worked at the magazine "Level Up". It was one of the tallest buildings in the city of Livly, and when he first started there Jack had been proud to walk through the revolving doors each day. In the past year or so, however, things had been going downhill. The only thing keeping him content at work had been Andie, but obviously that was not going to work anymore. He sat down on the grass, not caring that it was slightly damp from the rain that fell the night before. Now that he had been so unceremoniously dumped, cosmetic things like that didn't seem to matter so much. Jack closed his eyes and tried to think of a reason as to why Andie would ditch him for Hunter and the only one he could think of was fairly disheartening.

Jack was not a good boyfriend. He was a solitary, independent kind of guy, treasuring his alone time. Even though he had loved Andie very much, he had refused to change that aspect of himself for her. In fact, he hadn't even made an attempt, and he knew that ticked her off. Jack felt though, that you don't have to change for the one you love. Love is love no matter who you are or how you are. The issue of his independence wasn't the only troublesome spot in the relationship though. Jack refused to be bullied into attending any public place with Andie, therefore forcing her to attend parties and media events alone. Some nights after she'd left his apartment in a huff, he'd feel guilty but the feeling was only momentary. He would see other boyfriends tripping over themselves to please their girlfriends, but that lifestyle just didn't suit him. Thinking back to Hunter and Andie in the office, he saw that this model was giving Andie the things he couldn't or wouldn't. He recalled that Hunter idiot fetching her coffee, or taking her coat, or offering to accompany her to lunch with the boss. Not only that but he'd had the entire office roaring with laughter at some sort of clever anecdote. In short, Hunter was everything Jack was not.

Taking another sip of his Coke, Jack shook his head from side to side as if to clear these thoughts from his head. It had been a trying day and he needed to clear his head. He finished off the pop, tossed the empty can on the coffee table and then went down the hall to his room where he picked up the phone. Years ago, when he had been speaking with his elder sister Jayda, she mentioned that whenever she was feeling stressed or frustrated, she would pick up the phone, dial a random number and vent to whomever answered. Often the person on the other end of the line would get upset with her, but at least all her worries were off her chest. Taking a deep breath, Jack punched in a random seven digit number and then waited as the phone began to ring.

On the second ring, someone picked up. "Brock Lee's Books, Edyn speaking."

Before he could change his mind, Jack immediately launched into a rant. "My girlfriend of two years dumped me today, for a male model she met in Venezuela. I was an awful boyfriend now that I look back but I truly loved her with all my heart. I don't know what to do now and I feel like my life has totally fallen apart. Things at work weren't going well to begin with but now that my girlfriend is not longer my girlfriend everything is about to get a whole lot worse. I needed to get this off my chest so I dialed a random number and you happened to answer. Thank you for listening. Good bye." He hung up the phone and heaved a giant sigh as he fell down onto his bed. "I can't believe I did that," he muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and was going to try to fall asleep, when the phone rang. Jack reached over and grabbed it, wondering who would be calling.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Hi, this is Edyn from Brock Lee's Books, the girl you just unloaded your woes on."

Jack was stunned. "Uh...hi," he replied.

"Hi," she said cheerfully. "I just wanted to let you know that everything will be alright."

"Why do you say that?" Jack asked.

"Well," she answered, "as it is said in The Dark Knight, 'the night is always darkest just before the dawn'. You're having a really tough time right now, but it will get better. And for the record, you're not a bad boyfriend."

"How would you know that?"

"If you were a bad boyfriend, I'm sure your ex would have dumped you long ago. From what you said, I've formed the opinion that she is headstrong, am I correct?"

"Yes."

Edyn chuckled. "Then do you really think that if she was miserable in the relationship she would have kept you around? Seems to me, that she would have gotten rid of you a while back if you were a bad boyfriend."

Jack was quiet for a few seconds. "I guess," he finally said.

"Cheer up, mysterious man," said Edyn brightly. "Things will get better. Now, I have to be getting back to work. Drop me a line sometime so that I know you're okay. Bye!" And with that, she hung up.

Stunned, Jack hung up his own phone and then sat up, wondering why that had just happened. Jayda had never mentioned someone calling back afterward. He had not considered that this could happen. He also had not considered the person on the other end of the line caring for him. Edyn was a total stranger but she had seemed to genuinely care. Jack rolled over on the bed, pulling the blanket up over his still-clothed body. He glanced at the digital clock and saw that it was only four o'clock in the afternoon. "Whatever," he grumbled as he closed his eyes and promptly fell asleep.