He couldn't quite comprehend what he was doing but something in his heart told him that it was right. There was only one more week before everyone went their separate ways and if he didn't do it now it would haunt him for the rest of his life. It wasn't like he didn't notice the girl of his affection growing up, especially, when she so clearly noticed him But at the time he didn't have the courage to let her in. Hell he still didn't have the courage to speak to her, however, it was too late to back out of it now. He was never one to cancel plans even when he had deadline to make.

Eddward left his parents' home and began his walk through the compound. Since the neighborhood kids entered high school the street became quite as everyone found themselves to busy to play or for his close friends and him scheming. There was a point in a person's life where they had to put away childish things and focus on the future. He suppose that happened their freshmen year.

As he got close to his destination his heart began to race and palms began to sweat. A part of him wish he had Eddy's confidence and Ed's sense of humor because it would be a lot easier to speak to her. Instead he was stuck with his awkwardness and weird sense of humor that many of his classmates couldn't understand, well, besides her of course. For some reason she found all of his awkward and clumsy jokes funny even when the others didn't. That was another reason he had to take his chances with her.

All too soon he was at her door feeling as if he was going to pass out. Stomach twisting into tight knots he manged to find the strength to swallow the bile that crept up his throat and knock. The small hope that no one would answer binged in the back of his head but it quickly died when Lee Kanker opened the door.

She crossed her arms waiting for him to speak. When no words came she huffed clearly annoyed with him. "What do you want dweeb," she questioned. Still nothing would come out of his mouth. "Earth to nerd."

Blushing his clammy hand began to rub the back of his neck. "I-I was wondering if Marie was around," he stuttered. "She...she said I could stop by."

Laughing she punched him in the shoulder playfully. "She's in her room deciding which guitar she wants to take. If she's waiting for ya you better get going." Smiling he nodded his head and slide past her. "It's the second door on the right dweeb."

He already knew that and was pretty sure that Lee knew that as well. She most likely was tipping her sister off about his arrival. Turning the corner he took a few deep breaths in attempting to calm his nerves. There was no turning back now without making himself look like a fool...Stopping in front of the black and blue door he took one final deep breath before reaching his shaky hand out and knocking on the worn out door.

Quicker than he expected she was in front of him with the that smile that he loved so damn much. Blushing he looked to his shoe's to find the courage that was slowly slipping away. "Are you coming in or going to study the physics of your shoes," she laughed.

Smiling he stepped into her room and took a seat on her windowsill. Looking around her room he was amazed how bare it was besides the boxes that were stacked neatly in the corner. Even though they had a week to go before dorms were ready. It was nice to see someone else taking the matter so seriously. Glancing at her bed he notice a framed picture lying in the middle of it. If he had to make a hypothesis it was a picture of them at their very first homecoming game. By then she had given up on chasing him and with the tension from that gone they became friends.

"So why did you have to see me," she inquired staring at him with those piercing blue eyes. "You made it sound very important Sock Head."

Licking his lips he exhaled the breath that he was holding slowly. "I-I've been doing...a...a lot of thinking the last few weeks, you know? We'll be off to college soon...Ed is majoring in Animation," he said trying to get his thoughts straight. "And Eddy is studying business."

"They're going to different colleges than you, right?"

"Yeah...but we'll be at the same University," he mumbled nervously. Her smile widened before nodding her head. "And I was wondering if, maybe after we unpack and get settled into our dorms, we could go out." When he was only answered with silence his stomach dropped and the realization that he was probably too late dawned brightly on him. Looking anywhere but at her he continued. "As friends to celebrate the next stepping stones in our lives."

"Or as a date," she whispered gently. His head snapped towards her voice quickly and he found her standing in front of him. Her blue hair was covering half of her face so it made it hard to clearly see her face now but the half he could see left a warming feeling deep in his chest. "I've been waiting for this forever."

Nervously laughing he took her hand in his. "Forever would insinuate that we've been around since the beginning of the world," he joked calming his nerve more. Standing up he pushed her hair out of her face so he could marvel at her beauty fully. "Before I make this very bold and risky move of kissing you, there is one more thing I have to figuratively get off of my chest. The only people who know this is my parent. Neither Ed or Eddy even knows..."

"What are you talking about Double D?"

Biting his lip he shut his eyes tightly. They had to move to the compound after everyone at this school bullied him so harshly because of this secret. Hell he still had a scar from the beating her took all those years ago. But no matter how scared of her reaction he was there was no way they could start down this path without telling her the truth. Slowly opened in his eye he found the courage in hers to speak the words he swore to his parents that would never fall from his lips. "Eddward was the name my parents would have given me if I was born a boy but instead I was given the name Edyth. After my great grandmother."

There was a moment of pause as her mind connected everything he blurted out. He couldn't help but wonder if there was a better way for him to come out to her. Maybe he should of went with plan three or nine. "You were born a-"

"Girl. Yes," he replied quickly filling in the blank for her. Instead of freaking out like he thought she would she kissed him and for the first time in his short life he finally knew what the galaxy tasted like. Endless and filled with such wonder that his mind exploded and what was left over resembled the Crab Nebula. How could such a simple thing do this to him? The kiss ended too soon and Eddward felt a pang of disappointment when she pulled away because she took the galaxy with her. Honestly he wasn't prepared for such a positive response from her. Out of all the possible outcomes he calculated this wasn't one of them. But that was the thing about Marie Kanker, he could never figure her out.

She took a seat on her full size bed and patted the space next to her. Eddward took the seat still thinking about the unexpected kiss. It wasn't his first but the kiss he shared with Naz during a game of spin-the-bottle could never compare to the kiss they just shared. He felt like she poured the universe into his body and they became constellations that millions of people gazed at in awe. How could one kiss do that to someone?

"So you're okay with this," he question wringing his hands together nervously.

Marie laughed lightly shaking her head. "Why wouldn't I be? You're still you. Just because transgender-"

"Sexual," he cut her off. "Sorry but the difference is important."

"Don't be sorry for correcting me, Double D. Just because you're a transsexual isn't going to change my opinion of you. You're still the same dorky kid that spilled his juice on my lap."

Blushing he rubbed his hands against his blue jeans, he remembered the exact moment she was talking about. It was his first day at the school and still didn't have the hang of tying his shoes just yet. He felt so bad that his clumsiness ruined this girls dress he started to tear up. Pulling his beanie down a bit more he sighed lightly. "Thank you….you don't know how much just hearing you say that means to me. I thought you would scream some nasty comments at me while I'm running out your room."

"Jeez dweeb thanks for thinking so highly of me."

"Sorry...but you have to understand that there's so many people that would do some pretty...disturbing things...if they knew...and-" Shaking his head he took five deep breaths. He was working himself up and that would only lead to an unnecessary panic attack. "It's just not the easiest thing to bring up in conversation because there is no way to know how someone would react."

"Yeah. I know How you feel," She stated calmly. "Remember when I told you about Grace?"

Of course he did. It was also the day that he finally realized the weird feelings he got whenever she was around was. "I remember that...I also remember how jealous I was of her." Marie stared at him with wide eyes and open mouth. "You kind of look like a fish."

Snorting she playfully pushed him. "That was two years ago."

"Not quite. Next week Monday at five o'clock it will be two years."

Laughing she shook her head. "I shouldn't be surprise that you know the exact moment. Like I was saying, it was "almost" two years ago...why didn't you tell me then how you felt…"

"Because I wasn't ready to come out and I thought you lost interest in me after all those years of chasing." God she spent so many years chasing him and now look at him. Laying his feelings out to her and telling her the one thing that he kept from everyone for so long.

"How doesn't Ed and Eddy not know," she questioned jerking him away from his thoughts. "I mean you guys we're like the three musketeers."

"Um...I guess I just lucked up," Eddward responded unsure himself. You would think after knowing someone for so long that they would start noticing things about him. Like how he never went skinny dipping with them or never joined them in the shower after gym. He's sure there were other, better, examples but thinking about every moment that could have outed him nearly sent him into a panic attack. How careless had he been? "They...they know. How can they not?!" Jumping to his feet he began to pace in the suddenly too small room.

"You're overthinking," Marie's gentle voice washed over him like a gentle wave. Stopping mid-stride he turned to her taking several breaths to calm himself. "If they know, which there is a chance for that, clearly they don't care. Those guys wouldn't out you or make you feel uncomfortable."

Eddward nodded his head, maybe she was right but he couldn't help but wonder what were the chances that they knew? If he took account of all the years they known each other, all the sleepovers they had, and all of the schemes went on...The chances were pretty high he had to admit it. "I have to go think about this," he mumbled to her as she walked towards her door. Stopping he took three slow and even breaths before turning to Marie with a small smile and light blush. "Marie Kanker will...will you go on a date with me?"

"Yes Double D I would love to go on a date with you," she answered trying to hide a blush of her own. "You're such a dork."

"Th-thanks." turning he left her with the goofiest of smiles on his face. Even if things didn't turn out the way he predicted it should he still had something amazing to look forward to.

A/N: Next and final chapter will be up in at least a week. Thanks for reading :)