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I didn't even bother to change once I got home, I just asked my dad if I could borrow the car. He told me to be careful and handed over the keys.

"Why does she get to drive without a lecture!?" My older sister bellowed from up stairs.

"Because she hasn't used it to pickup scumbags nor has she put it in a ditch yet."
She stomped her foot and went back in her room. I thanked him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I drove quickly, but carefully. A quick stop at my target's home and his parents let me know he had gone back to the Solstice party. I made it to the patch of woods where we'd partied the night before. To my surprise there were still many people here. Just inside the cleared path two people sat still taking invitations, I no longer had mine. I attempted to simply stroll past as if I belonged there, but I was grabbed by the arm.

"No Mundanes without an invitation." The girl hissed.

"I was just here last night!" I protested. "My whole family was!"

"That's not my problem." she snapped attempting to jerk me toward the exit, but I stayed firmly planted in place.

The guy with her stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "Her sister is one of us." He whispered. "Besides, she and the Councilman's son are like this-" He crossed his fingers.

"Not anymore, from what I heard." She said cruelly.

I felt my throat tighten. I wondered if Izadora had already made good on her threat, that she'd take my best friend away from me and have me ousted from the Magic community.

"Whatever, I'm not getting my ass chewed off by either of their parents because you want to be catty. Let her through." He said firmly.

She snorted releasing my arm and I ran for the trees. I had to talk to Braxton.

The woods were still all transformed into a park-like setting. The trees were all decorated and joyous music filled the air. There were still so many people here, how would I ever find him?

"Tina?"

I whipped round to find Braxton standing on the bridge. He smiled at me and a weight lifted off of my shoulders. She hadn't gotten to him yet. I ran to him, hugging him tightly and nearly lifting him off the ground. He let out an "ouff" sound before hugging me back. "What's the matter?"

I released him and sniffled. "Things have gotten shitty... Can we talk?"

He took my hand. "Of course, walk with me."

I followed him back to the second bridge where we sat and dangled our feet over the colorful koi filled pond. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned my head against his chest.

"So, what's going on?" he asked.

I sighed. "School has gotten weird. The girls that just used to ignore me have decided to hate me and the boys... I'm not used to getting hit on- especially not by guys that used to be my buddies. Guys on the team. It's hard to play football when teammates are trying to cop a feel."

He rubbed my arm lightly. "I'm starting to think stuff like that is just part of growing up. You're becoming a woman and guys are starting to notice and the girls don't like it. I can understand it, doesn't make it any better though."

I looked him over, he must have understood- he was becoming a man after all. His frame had filled out from a scrawny kid to a lean swimmers build. He would never be broad, he had too much magic in his blood, but he was clearly fit. He brushed his blonde hair from his eyes and smiled.

"Surely it hasn't been all bad."

I shrugged. "If it keeps up... I've considered leaving..."

"The team?"

"The school."

He turned to me then, his violet eyes serious. "It's that bad? What can I do Tina?"

"I don't think you can do anything." I said honestly. "My parents are riding the school hard as it is-"

"I heard." He muttered. "They were wrong for trying to punish you for defending yourself."

I lowered my head letting black ringlets hide my face. He didn't need to know the whole story, he didn't need to know just how bad it had gotten. "So, what's up with you? I thought last night was the Winter Solstice party."

"Oh, that was just the main party, the big one. We celebrate for twelve days, but lots of us have lives and can't really stay the whole thing."

"I didn't know that- Faith never mentioned it."

"Well, you know your sister- she likes those Mundane parties."

"They have beer and dumb boys to date." I smirked.

He chuckled making his chest rumble in my ear. "Speaking of dating, Izadora asked me out today."

My heart froze, Braxton and I had always been close. We'd held hands and cuddled from the time we were toddlers. We'd even shared beds before, but I knew that would end as soon as Braxton found a girlfriend. No girl wants their boyfriend hanging out with or all over some other girl. I looked down into the water at my reflection. Izadora was so lithe and beautiful and I ... I was a goddamned linebacker.

"She's a very pretty girl, what did you say?" I whispered at last.

"Yes, she's very pretty. Lots of guys want to be with her." He met my eyes and grinned.
"Then I remembered that this was the same girl that called me 'Brace-face' and 'Metal-mouth' for three years of my life."

"Oh." I said softly just to keep from springing up and dancing.

"So," He said then. "with all these new guys after you- have you met any you like?"

I shook my head. "No, I liked them as friends, but that's it. It just makes me feel dirty when they touch me-" Before I could finish he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips.

"How did that make you feel?" He asked nervously.

I could only stare at him a moment as the blood rushed to my face. Braxton, the young wizard I used to eat Play-doh with had just given me my first kiss.

"Tina?" He scooted back slightly. "You aren't going to punch me in the throat are you?"

I leapt at him and he gasped, but only until I sealed his mouth with a kiss of my own. When we finally separated for breath, he asked. "Is that your way of asking me out?"

"No, you still have to ask me out." I said firmly.

He laughed , "If I don't?"

"I'll drag you to the Christmas party myself if I have too."

"Well, then." He reached out to the pond and drew some water up into his hand. He then
blew on the bubble of liquid making it change shape and then freezing it solid. He held the ice rose he'd just created out to me. "Tina, will you be my girlfriend?"

I took it and smiled, tears welling in my eyes. I didn't want to cry so I said, "Pftt, I guess so."

Description
I didn't even bother to change once I got home, I just asked my dad if I could borrow the car. He told me to be careful and handed over the keys.

"Why does she get to drive without a lecture!?" My older sister bellowed from up stairs.

"Because she hasn't used it to pickup scumbags nor has she put it in a ditch yet."
She stomped her foot and went back in her room. I thanked him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I drove quickly, but carefully. A quick stop at my target's home and his parents let me know he had gone back to the Solstice party. I made it to the patch of woods where we'd partied the night before. To my surprise there were still many people here. Just inside the cleared path two people sat still taking invitations, I no longer had mine. I attempted to simply stroll past as if I belonged there, but I was grabbed by the arm.

"No Mundanes without an invitation." The girl hissed.

"I was just here last night!" I protested. "My whole family was!"

"That's not my problem." she snapped attempting to jerk me toward the exit, but I stayed firmly planted in place.

The guy with her stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "Her sister is one of us." He whispered. "Besides, she and the Councilman's son are like this-" He crossed his fingers.

"Not anymore, from what I heard." She said cruelly.

I felt my throat tighten. I wondered if Izadora had already made good on her threat, that she'd take my best friend away from me and have me ousted from the Magic community.

"Whatever, I'm not getting my ass chewed off by either of their parents because you want to be catty. Let her through." He said firmly.

She snorted releasing my arm and I ran for the trees. I had to talk to Braxton.

The woods were still all transformed into a park-like setting. The trees were all decorated and joyous music filled the air. There were still so many people here, how would I ever find him?

"Tina?"

I whipped round to find Braxton standing on the bridge. He smiled at me and a weight lifted off of my shoulders. She hadn't gotten to him yet. I ran to him, hugging him tightly and nearly lifting him off the ground. He let out an "ouff" sound before hugging me back. "What's the matter?"

I released him and sniffled. "Things have gotten shitty... Can we talk?"

He took my hand. "Of course, walk with me."

I followed him back to the second bridge where we sat and dangled our feet over the colorful koi filled pond. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I leaned my head against his chest.

"So, what's going on?" he asked.

I sighed. "School has gotten weird. The girls that just used to ignore me have decided to hate me and the boys... I'm not used to getting hit on- especially not by guys that used to be my buddies. Guys on the team. It's hard to play football when teammates are trying to cop a feel."

He rubbed my arm lightly. "I'm starting to think stuff like that is just part of growing up. You're becoming a woman and guys are starting to notice and the girls don't like it. I can understand it, doesn't make it any better though."

I looked him over, he must have understood- he was becoming a man after all. His frame had filled out from a scrawny kid to a lean swimmers build. He would never be broad, he had too much magic in his blood, but he was clearly fit. He brushed his blonde hair from his eyes and smiled.

"Surely it hasn't been all bad."

I shrugged. "If it keeps up... I've considered leaving..."

"The team?"

"The school."

He turned to me then, his violet eyes serious. "It's that bad? What can I do Tina?"

"I don't think you can do anything." I said honestly. "My parents are riding the school hard as it is-"

"I heard." He muttered. "They were wrong for trying to punish you for defending yourself."

I lowered my head letting black ringlets hide my face. He didn't need to know the whole story, he didn't need to know just how bad it had gotten. "So, what's up with you? I thought last night was the Winter Solstice party."

"Oh, that was just the main party, the big one. We celebrate for twelve days, but lots of us have lives and can't really stay the whole thing."

"I didn't know that- Faith never mentioned it."

"Well, you know your sister- she likes those Mundane parties."

"They have beer and dumb boys to date." I smirked.

He chuckled making his chest rumble in my ear. "Speaking of dating, Izadora asked me out today."

My heart froze, Braxton and I had always been close. We'd held hands and cuddled from the time we were toddlers. We'd even shared beds before, but I knew that would end as soon as Braxton found a girlfriend. No girl wants their boyfriend hanging out with or all over some other girl. I looked down into the water at my reflection. Izadora was so lithe and beautiful and I ... I was a goddamned linebacker.

"She's a very pretty girl, what did you say?" I whispered at last.

"Yes, she's very pretty. Lots of guys want to be with her." He met my eyes and grinned.
"Then I remembered that this was the same girl that called me 'Brace-face' and 'Metal-mouth' for three years of my life."

"Oh." I said softly just to keep from springing up and dancing.

"So," He said then. "with all these new guys after you- have you met any you like?"

I shook my head. "No, I liked them as friends, but that's it. It just makes me feel dirty when they touch me-" Before I could finish he leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips.

"How did that make you feel?" He asked nervously.

I could only stare at him a moment as the blood rushed to my face. Braxton, the young wizard I used to eat Play-doh with had just given me my first kiss.

"Tina?" He scooted back slightly. "You aren't going to punch me in the throat are you?"

I leapt at him and he gasped, but only until I sealed his mouth with a kiss of my own. When we finally separated for breath, he asked. "Is that your way of asking me out?"

"No, you still have to ask me out." I said firmly.

He laughed , "If I don't?"

"I'll drag you to the Christmas party myself if I have too."

"Well, then." He reached out to the pond and drew some water up into his hand. He then
blew on the bubble of liquid making it change shape and then freezing it solid. He held the ice rose he'd just created out to me. "Tina, will you be my girlfriend?"

I took it and smiled, tears welling in my eyes. I didn't want to cry so I said, "Pftt, I guess so."