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Xya crossed her arms against the breeze. The wind was really beginning to pick up. It wasn't supposed to be so brisk in September. She drank the last of her iced tea and threw the plastic bottle into the nearby trashcan, gaging on the bitter powder that had gathered at the bottom of her drink. He was always so goddamn late, and if it wasn't for the drive time she needed with an adult to obtain her lisence, she'd drive herself. But for the time being she was happy she had someone who cared enough to pick her up everyday, and provide her with a home to rest at before she had to return to her own house.

A black Pontiac turned into the school parking-lot and stopped in front of her. She pulled herself from the bench and into the car, turning up the heat and melting into the passenger's seat.

"How was your day Xyalyn?" The man driving asked.

"Oh it was alright. I have a Trig test tomorrow though... I hate Trig..." She laughed, crossing her arms again. "How was your day, Mister M?"

He sighed when he noticed her trying to cover the bruises she wore so shamefully. "I'm sure Dib will help you study. And my day was alright. Explosions make it interesting." He pulled out of the school property and headed towards his home.

Xya breathed in the warm air and felt her body finally starting to loose it's chill. She tried to remember when she had met Dib and his family. It was deffinatly years ago. But Professor Membrane hadn't starting picking her up after school every day untill the end of the previous year. This was her junior year, and Dib's senior year, but he went to a different school than her. He rode the bus home. Or walked. His school was closer to their neighborhood than hers. If Xya rode her own bus home, that meant she'd have to go to her house and see her real father... Most often she would eat dinner with Dib and Gaz alone while Professor M was at work, then walk home late. Late so her father would be asleep by then. Sometimes she spent the night and slept in Gaz's room, but most often, Professor M would make her go home when he got back from work.

"Alright, well I'll see you tonight. Make sure you kids eat dinner." The Professor said as he pulled into his driveway.

Xya opened her door. "I will. Thanks for the ride." She said as she walked towards the door. Dib wasn't home yet and Gaz was in her room playing her games, so she dropped her bag in the living room and walked up the steps to Dib's room. The walls were a dark blue and the Area 51 posters welcomed her like they did everyday. She sat on the end of the bed for a moment, then layed down as fatique enveloped her.

She wasn't asleep for more than twenty minutes untill Dib's bus dropped him off. He shook her gently to wake her. She sat up again groggily.

"Hey. You feeling okay?" He asked her laying his own books on his desk.

"Yeah. I was just really tired. I didn't sleep well last night..." She looked away as his eyes fell over the same marks his dad had seen. He sat down in his computer chair and turned it towards her.

"Xya..." He fumbled through his papers, pulling out his homework and setting it aside. She watched a black pen fall to the floor.

"I don't feel like studying Dib." She sighed and stood, moving towards his DVD rack over his smallish television. He turned on his desk lamp and closed the blind above his window.

"...Me either." Of course he was the one to always do his homework anyway and get straight A's.

Xya pulled a video from the shelf and returned to the navy blue comforter. She set it aside, and for a moment a strange silence hovered over them. Suddenly, she smiled. "Dib, I think that guy two houses down is a vampire. He waters his grass every night and there are always different cars parked outside his house."

"The cars belong to his victims. But how does he get rid of them?" Dib smiled lightly. The tension was quickly fading. He and Xya had bonded first over their love for everything paranormal. "So what do you want to watch?"

Xya held up her favorite movie, 'Signs'. Dib sighed but agreed and put it in the DVD player for her, then joined her sitting perched on the bed.

"Who has a house in the middle of a cornfeild anyway?" She asked as the movie began.

Dib laughed and leaned back, his hand landing akwardly and one hundred percent accidentily on hers. He jolted a bit, but she looked up at him sadly. "Could you keep it there?" She asked softly.

He nodded, blushing. Dib had matured in many ways, but he was still himself at heart. He was shy and mysterious, but that drew Xya to him even more. He had grown to be quite tall, but also very lanky, and his sleek black hair was only a bit longer than it used to be. His fingers curled around hers and she moved closer to him.

He opened his mouth to speak, but only closed it nervously again.

"Calm down Dib..." Xya sighed, looking up at him. "What's wrong?"

He moved back to face her better and shut his eyes. "What if I told you I had... different feeling than I used to?"

"Depends, what about?" She asked, confused and slightly worried.

"Us, Xya. You and me." He opened his eyes, but he looked as if he was about to cry. She moved closer to him again and wrapped her arms around his neck, setting her head on his shoulder.

"I'd say... I uh... kind of want to be with you." Her voice fell into silence for a moment, then she laughed a bit, nervously. "I'd feel like such an ass if those weren't the feelings you meant..."

"No, they are." He smiled. "I want to be with you too. So... er... will you be my girlfriend then?"

"Yes." She kissed his cheek and hugged him. "Dib, I really like you..."

"I really like you too." He sighed and pulled her back onto his pile of pillows with him as he layed down. She had had a lot of boyfriends in the past, but she had really cared for Dib for a long time. Not wanting to ruin their friendship, she kept it a secret. A well hidden one... for awhile. She tilted her head up and gently kissed his neck. Shortly after that, she fell asleep again.

Dib woke her with a salad in his hand. "Dad needs to go to the store, so this is all we really have." He handed the bowl to her and began eating his own dinner. For a moment, she thought everything had been a dream, but he broke the silence, reassuring her it wasn't.

"I told Gaz. She think's we're stupid for not having told each other about how we felt earlier. I guess I kind of agree..." he smiled.

"Yeah, me too." Xya said through a mouthfull of lettuce. "I should be heading home soon... I've been asleep for ahwile apparently."

"Well, tomorrow Dad works late, so you can stay the night and sleep in Gaz's room. And anyway, the day after tomorrow is Saturday." Dib set his bowl aside and stood when Xya did.

"I'll see you tomorrow Dib." She smiled and hugged him tightly, then stood on her toes to kiss his lips gently. He pulled back slowly.

"Don't go quite yet..." He whispered and kissed her back, pushing her to the bed. She parted her lips and tempted his tongue with her own, more deeply than before but still so delicatly and reserved. He held her to him with one arm, and pushed her hair away from her face with the other. He kissed her neck and gently sucked at the tender skin there. A soft moan escaped her lips as she collapsed on the bed.

"Dib..." She sighed and looked up at him. He blushed again.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No... no you didn't... " Xya smirked, but unfortunatly, she didn't have time to teach him the technicalities of sexual pleasure. "I really have to get going. Bye."

She stood and kissed his cheek on the way out the door. She grabbed her bag and said goodbye to the professor and Gaz. She slowed down once she was out in the night, her boots thudding and clicking against the sidewalk. Her fingers graced her neck. So many emotions... The stars were out in masses, and the moon was a wanning cresent. Just enough light to walk by and feel sucure, passing under the halos of the streetlamps. She wished she could turn off everyone's lights... or mabye... just look down on it all from up there. A car drove past, russling her baggy pant legs.

She cared for him so much. And she was trully happy that he cared for her too, but there were always complications and always things that hurt...

She pushed her front door open and crept into the house. About to bolt up the steps, a skullsplitting crack hit her in the back of the head. She fell forward hitting her forhead on the wooden step.

"You discusting fucking HARLOT!" Another strike came down on the center of her back. She cried out in pain and fought to stand. She was grabbed by the arm and thrown against the steps, hitting her ribs and chest. She knew better than to speak. And crying would get her killed.

So instead... she let the beating continue... hoping it would stop before she fainted.