The drive home was quiet. Nix didn't turn any music on. She didn't put the top down. The air itself seemed to be quivering with the awkward energy that surrounded us.

When she pulled into her driveway, I felt a sense of panic. What if I wouldn't get another chance to talk to her alone like this again?

"Nix..." I breathed as she pulled into the garage, looking at my lap. I took a deep breath to settle myself. "Nix, I really want to ask you something." I finally said.

She parked and looked at me, her eyes distant. "Yes?" She said softly, turning the engine off, shutting the garage door. We were swallowed in darkeness, only the light of the dash board giving us some sort of sight.

"There are rumors about you. About..." I blushed, looking at my hands. "About your...your um..."

"My sexuality?" She asked, cutting me off with a small squeak. I nodded. "What about it?"

"I...Is it true?" I asked, not looking up.

"Yeah. Though they all say I'm a lesbian fag. I'm not. I'm actually pansexual." I blinked.

"Pansexual?" I finally looked at her.

"No, I'm not sexually attracted to pans. It's also known as gender blind. It doesn't matter about genitals or looks but more about personality and nature." I bit my lip as she explained.

"So...it's like true love?" She smiled.

"More or less." She shrugged. "Why are you curious?" She asked, her eyebrow lifting.

My cheeks grew warmer. "I...I can't really explain it." I said, telling the truth. Her eyes met mine and seemed to gleam in the light that lit my face.

Her hand found mine as our eyes locked, making me jump slightly. "I think." She said softly, looking at our joined hands "That time will brighten up your mind. In the mean time." She opened the door and got out, coming around to open my door. "You should get home. Things are already dangerous enough for you in all of this." She said, helping me out of the car like a gentalman.

"What's going on exactly?" I asked, moving aside so she could close my door. She grinned.

"You'll undertand in a couple weeks. On Sam-Halloween." She stuttered on that word again.

"Call it Samhain. I know what you mean, Nix." I smiled softly at her. "And if it will make you feel better, I'll go home." I said as she led me to the door into the house.

"I shouldn't walk you home this time. People will talk. And we don't really need that just yet." She grinned cheekily, back to herself. We stopped at the front door.

I blushed, not too sure what she meant by the 'just yet' part. She lifted my hand to her face, her lips kissing the back of my hand lightly, her eyes meeting mine. A tingling zap ran down my spine and into my limbs as she did.

In my daze, she'd opened the door and was looking at me, waiting. "Nix, I..." I breathed, my body trembling.

Before I knew it, her face was in my hands and I was raising up on my toes, my lips pressing against hers. She seemed stunned senseless, because she didn't stop me as I turned and ran out the open door all the way down the street, not stopping until I was on my block.

My heart was racing, my feet were numb. My lips...My lips were on fire. It felt amazing and I want it to last forever.

Everything that had just happened caught up with me, making me stumble. I just kissed...Nix Hart. A girl. I JUST KISSED A GIRL!

My first kiss. Went to Nix. My first kiss went to a girl. I touched my lips as I walked home slowly. When I got inside, I went straight to my room, my lips still burning when I flopped onto my bed.

After a little bit of internal freaking out, I finally calmed down enough to go get a bottle of water and say hi to mom before she could question me about my day. When I got up to my room, I grabbed my cell phone.

I hadn't touched it all day. I usually don't check it until I get out of school or when I can on the weekend, but things rarely change. But this time, I had text message from someone I didn't know.

Frowning to myself, I opened it and felt an instant blush dust my cheeks.

HEY IT'S NIX. I WON'T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THAT IF YOU DON'T, OKAY?

Nix. How did she get my number? I felt a bubble of excitement fill me. Then confusion.

HOW DID YOU GET MY NUMBER?

MAGIC. I could almost hear her soft laugh.

RIGHT. BUT THAT WAS KIND OF A BIG DEAL. I'M SORRY IF THAT MADE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.

IT DIDN'T MAKE ME UNCOFORTABLE, EXACTLY. THE WAY YOU BOLTED WORRIED ME THOUGH.

I winced at that. She must have felt so bad.

SORRY ABOUT THAT. I PANICKED AND THOUGHT THAT YOU'D BE MAD AT ME.

WHY WOULD I BE MAD? I DID KISS YOU FIRST. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, AT LEAST.

YEAH. There was a long pause. SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, EXACTLY?

HOW SO?

I bit my lip. WHAT DOES THIS MAKE US? I rewrote it a dozen times before I finally hit the send button.

Her pause was even longer than mine, and it made me so anxious it hurt. Finally my phone buzzed in my hand and I was scared to open it.

WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO BE? FRIENDS OR...?

What did I want, exactly? I pondered that and decided to tell the truth.

I LIKE YOU, NIX. AS MORE THAN A FRIEND. AND THAT. I LIKED THAT.

There was another pause before she replied.

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO TALK. AND THEY WON'T LIKE IT. WHAT WILL YOUR PARENTS THINK?

I smiled. I DON'T CARE, NIX. I FEEL LIKE WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER. I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT I DO.

ARE YOU SURE? IF YOU WANT, WE CAN KEEP IT A SECRET.

IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT, OKAY.

OKAY. BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP THIS A SECRET, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PUT A LOCK ON YOUR PHONE SO NOBODY CAN READ YOUR TEXTS TO ME. MINE IS ALREADY SECURE.

RIGHT. I CAN DO THAT. SO WE'RE LIKE WHAT? SECRET GIRL FRIENDS?

YEP. I heard her soft laugh in my head again.

WHO CAN WE TELL? I asked, not too worried about who she said as long as they kept it a secret.

SAGE AND AUNT CAS, OF COURSE. THEY'LL KNOW IF WE TOLD THEM OR NOT. THEY'D SENSE IT. THAT'S ALL THE PEOPLE I CAN THINK ABOUT. UNLESS YOU WANT TO TELL ANYONE?

NOT REALLY. Rowan. She'd know instantly. Just one look at my face and she'd know. But she's still an under cover witch watching the girls.

OKAY. WELL, YOU HAVE CHURCH IN THE MORNING. I SHOULD LET YOU SLEEP. I finally looked at the time. It was ten minutes until midnight and church was at seven in the morning.

I DIDN'T NOTICE THE TIME. WOW IT'S LATE. YEAH, I SHOULD GO TO SLEEP. GOODNIGHT. I'LL TALK TO YOU AFTER CHURCH TOMORROW.

DO YOU WANT TO COME OVER FOR LUNCH? I CAN MAKE SOMETHING?

THAT SOUNDS NICE. I'LL COME OVER AS SOON AS I CAN TOMORROW.

OKAY. ANY ALLERGIES?

NOPE.

ALRIGHT. SEE YOU TOMORROW. GET TO SLEEP.

I WILL. GOODNIGHT.

GOODNIGHT.

I feel asleep with my phone to my chest and a smile on my face.