The Luna's Nerd

~Chapter 11~

"I-I-I.... What?" I ask completely puzzled. The wrong answers? How can I approach Titus if he won't even tell me where I was born? Not only that, but he lied about it.

"I'm sorry." She sighs. "I wish I could help." She hugs me and I wrap my arms around her as well. I don't understand where I am advised to get my answers. The library is the last place I wish to consult now that I know the issue is a personal thing dealing with my family alone. How is Rose involved? Maybe because of her romantic ties with Titus.

"It's fine," I tell her and she pulls back. "Titus may stop by, and I don't want him to see you around here."

I nod my head, "Yeah, I'll head off. I have to figure some stuff out." I tell my grandmother.

"Alright, Ty. Make sure to come back soon. I want to know everything going on in your life, and see every single one of your drawings."

I hand her the first sketchbook I received after the accident.

"You can have this one. I want you to." Tears form in her eyes and she hugs me again.

"Ty, you sweetheart." She cries and I massage her back.

"No problem, grandma. I'm glad you're in my life." She gives me a warm smile and waves. "Bye." I turn away and leave the room. I shut the door behind me and Farah runs up to me.

"Ty? You're leaving already?" She asks.

"Yeah, I have to go home. If you ever see my brother around make sure you don't tell him I was here." I tell Farah. "Can you promise me that?"

Farah nods, "Yes, of course! I'm good at keeping secrets!" She hugs my leg and I pat her head. She's so adorable.

"Goodbye, Farah." I walk into the lobby and see her mother brushing away the shards of the plate.

Her mother looks up at me, and with a smile. Then, she motions to her mouth as if she is zipping it and I understand she's going to keep my secret as well. I nod and hurry to the exit before anyone else sees me. I don't know how many people live here, but judging by the size I'd guess around a hundred. Maybe even more.

~•••~

The snow brushes against my skin. The weather is getting worse, and Titus refuses to pick me up because the snow drenched his car.

I'm forced to walk home because of Titus being stubborn, so I begin to cross the road. The snow is getting worse by the moment, but I'm still warm. I've always managed to keep a decent body temperature, even on the coldest of days.

I see headlights on my body, and I turn and see a purple car heading in my direction. It screeches to a sudden stop just in front of my body and I can hear the sound of a girl screaming which scares me out.

There's a temporary moment of silence between the car driver and I. The bright purple door opens. My skin is pale and I blink up to see Nicole. "Ty?" She asks completely taken aback.

"Nicki?" I reply and I'm relieved that she's okay, especially after that crazy night at the party.

"What are you doing out here in this blizzard?" She raises her voice because the blizzard is raging at the moment. It's hard to see her facial features because the wind is covering it with her hair.

"I-I w-was at the library," I say. It's a slight lie. I only went to the library so I wouldn't be out in the cold. When Titus decided not to pick me up I began walking home on my own. "Y-you almost ran me over." I change the subject.

"I didn't mean to. The weather is bad out. What did I run over?" She says and I look down at the tire of her car, but whatever she ran over is now covered in a blanket of snow.

I shrug, "Maybe a rock?"

"Oh thank god. I thought I hit you. Come on, it isn't safe being out here at night." She points to her car, and at this point, I'm low on options because I don't want to actually get hit by someone.

"O-okay." I begin to the passenger side. When I get in the car, it's warm and I massage the goosebumps on my skin. As I look up, Nicki looks a little stricken. Feeling compelled, I place my hand over hers and ask, "A-are you okay?" She blushes and looks down at my hand. I pull my hand back as if a fire was set to my fingers. "S-sorry, I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." She sighs. Nicole begins to drive and I message Titus informing him I'm getting a lift home. I want to stir up a conversation with Nicki, but I'm not sure if she wants to talk or not. After I ignore Titus' text asking who I'm with, I put it in my backpack.

"So uh, what were you doing out so late?" Nicki asks.

"I-I was at the um l-library. Studying. I-I was studying."

Silence.

"Why were you driving out so late? N-not to pry into your business or anything." I add so that there isn't another awkward silence. Nice going with your stuttering, Ty. Nice going.

"Your embarrassment is so cute. I was just spending the day with myself." Nicki giggles and I turn to the window so she can't see me.

"Oh," I reply almost in a whisper. "C-can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure... Anything." She replies almost immediately.

"Well, uh..... Titus.... He um.... You know.... Likes you. I.... I think you guys should uh... You know.... Date.... Or g-go out on a date?" I can't stand Titus and his nagging. If he wants her he can have her, but it's still hard for me to resist the attraction I have for Nicole.

She frowns as she parks on my driveway. I feel like a jerk for making her upset, and it hurt me to see that she's almost in tears. "N-Nicki I-I didn't mean to make you upset." I grab her hand without thinking, and she pauses to stare at me for a moment. "I-I shouldn't have said anything." I'm gentle as I speak to her. My magnetism to her is growing stronger by the dying seconds. I shouldn't be letting Titus have her. What am I thinking?

With my other hand, I caress her cheek.

Nicole grins at my action, and the feeling I get from this contact feels like complete... Bliss. "I-I'm sorry." I can't help myself anymore, and I press my lips against hers. The taste of her sweet minty breath enchants me. Her soft lips seemed to fit in mine, making my uncontrollable heart thud against my chest. It was only a moment before I pulled away to the sight of Nicki grinning.

It feels so nice to be with her. To kiss Nicole after so much anticipation. I can't grasp that I got over myself and kissed her. I feel tingles all over my body and it brings pleasure to my heart and soul.

My hand retracts from her face at a slow state and I stare into her eyes. They're beautiful gray and remind me of the silver moonlight from The Fields. The reflection made in the enchanted lake on nights of the full moon.

I blink a few times and pull myself back into reality. Have I just kissed her? Did she like it? "I-I didn't me-an to-" I feel out of my element and grab my backpack. I don't want to know what her response is just because I feel like she'll hate me and hate everything I did to her. "Th-thanks for the ride." I shut the door and turn away. I want to regret kissing her and touching her, but I don't feel guilty or regret. In fact, I completely love the fact that I kissed her. A small grin forms on my face and I glance at Nicole. I don't see hatred, sorrow, or regret by her face. In fact, she's grinning right back at me and I turn away and walk inside the house before I lose myself again.